Episode #128: Bistro Sakana

Vancouver (Yaletown), $$$$ (Luxury)
www.bistrosakana.com

I have been wanting to try Bistro Sakana ever since I discovered their menu in late January, which featured Aburi (seared) sushi. With good ratings and a focus on modern Japanese cuisine, the prospects of a delicious Aburi sushi dish seemed good. I also discovered that Bistro Sakana is consistently featured in both Dine Out Vancouver and Taste of Yaletown, so not wanting to spend over $50 to get a good sample of dishes, I decided to wait an agonizing 9 months to try the restaurant out during Taste of Yaletown 2015. At least I had other sushi restaurants to go to in order to pass the time...

Located in the heart of Yaletown's street of expensive restaurants, Bistro Sakana is marked by its sleek black awning and subtle signage. Almost everything about the restaurant's appearance says "higher priced," from its covered patio to its lack of neon lights that say "SUSHI" in loud capital letters. Bistro Sakana is Japanese-operated, but just by looking at the names of the dishes on the menu, you can tell that some of the dishes have a French influence.

Sockeye Salmon Miso Chowder - A

Having walked to Bistro Sakana from Pacific Centre (I was too lazy to go down the stairs to the Canada Line, if that makes any sense), I decided to start with something warm by selecting the Sockeye Salmon Miso Chowder. They nailed this one, as the chowder was deliciously hearty and creamy. The soft grilled bits of sockeye blended perfectly with the rich broth. There was a substantial number of soft, juicy pieces of various vegetables buried at the bottom of the chowder, which made the small chowder slightly more filling. 

Next came the entrée, an exquisitely plated platter with the Wild Sockeye Jalapeño Aburi Hakozushi, the Toro Red Chili Aburi Hakozushi, the Hamachi Shio-koji Yaki, the Crunchy Filo Scallop & Prawn, and the Prosciutto Roll.

Prosciutto Roll - B+

Starting from the top left, this roll was wrapped with parma numero uno prosciutto and contained fresh ataulfo mango and goat cheese. It was dressed with a drizzle of sweet unagi sauce and a few dabs of basil-shiso pesto. As much as I despise cream cheese in my sushi rolls, the soft, fluffy goat cheese worked for me, and the mango provided a nice fruity flavour inside the roll. The prosciutto was sliced very thin and didn't do much in terms of flavour. Although neatly constructed and well-executed for what it is, this isn't the roll for everyone. 

Crunchy Filo Scallop & Prawn - A-

Served on a small bed of mashed potatoes, the Crunchy Filo Scallop & Prawn reminded me of tempura, but instead of tempura batter, they used lightly fried fine filo dough instead. I thought the layer of filo was just a hair too thick, but the meaty prawn went well with the miso hollandaise dipping sauce, which had a slight balsamic-like flavour. I enjoyed the scallop for its ample juiciness and its savoury seafood flavour. 

Hamachi Shio-koji Yaki - A-

The Hamachi Shio-koji Yaki was a grilled fresh yellowtail fillet marinated in shio-koji seasoning and dressed with butter soy reduction. Two edamame beans and a two shimeji mushrooms graced the top of the fillet. With help from the seasoning, the mouthwatering fillet was very savoury, but it was very slightly overdone.

Wild Sockeye Jalapeño Aburi Hakozushi - A-
Toro Red Chili Aburi Hakozushi - A-

The Wild Sockeye Jalapeño Aburi Hakozushi (seared box-shaped sushi) was decent. It had a nice spicy, smoky flavour. Under each piece of jalapeño was a small piece of ponzu jelly, which added a tangy flavour. It doesn't really match up to Minami's version, but it is cheaper ($14 for 7 pieces). The Toro Red Chili Aburi Hakozushi was slightly better, with a pleasantly soft layer of albacore tuna belly on top. I enjoyed the sushi rice, which was adequately soft with ample moisture.

Duck à L'Orange Sakana -  A-

After seeing the Duck à L'Orange Sakana under the Tapas section, I was dying of curiosity, so I decided to order it separately. Can duck really be paired with orange? The duck fulfilled its description on the menu and was succulent with a savoury roasted flavour. The orange was some of the sweetest and juiciest I have ever had, and the potato frite crown on top added an additional edge of crunchiness. The thin slices of orange were successful in providing juiciness to the duck, but despite the fact that they tried really hard to make this dish work, I felt that the flavours of the orange and duck began to compete with each other.

Macha Tiramisu - A

Finally, it was time for me to get drunk with the Macha Tiramisu, which came with a richly layered green tea tiramisu infused with Japanese apricot liqueur. The custard part of the tiramisu harmonized perfectly with the sprinkles of matcha powder on top, while the cakey part at the bottom had a strong green tea flavour, which was further accented by the apricot liqueur. 

The service was very friendly and attentive, and one of the servers even came to converse with me in order to keep me entertained during the 20-minute wait for the Duck à L'Orange Sakana. While there were no mind-blowing dishes, everything that I was served consistently showed innovation and a high level of care in preparation. Despite me trying not to, I still managed to spend over $50 on dinner. Make that over $60 if we include tips. Darn my inability to hold back at fancy sushi restaurants!

Episode #127: Sushi House (Maple Ridge)

Maple Ridge, $$ (Moderately Priced)

Having an afternoon to spare, I decided to go on a sushi adventure with my dad rather than catch up in my classes. Neither of us had a restaurant in mind, so we just went around town randomly to see if we would pass by a seemingly good sushi restaurant that I had not reviewed yet. About half an hour into our trip, we passed by Sushi House and decided to dine there since we saw a police officer ordering takeout. Police officers must have refined taste buds, right?

The restaurant is not large, but there was a good assortment of items on the menu. Furthermore, the food appeared to be affordable, with the exception of the sashimi, which was slightly higher priced.

(menu - click to enlarge)

 Chicken Teriyaki - B

Of course, we ordered my dad's favourite food - Chicken Teriyaki. The chicken was moderately tender, albeit a touch dry. The chicken meat itself was of average quality. The addition of copious amounts of sesame oil helped to enhance flavours, and the steamed rice was above average. 

Miso Soup - C+

The Chicken Teriyaki came with a Miso Soup, which contained a good amount of green onions and tofu. Unfortunately, the Miso Soup was one of the saltiest I have ever encountered.

Wild Salmon Sashimi - A-

The Wild Sashimi was the only type of sashimi that did not appear to be higher priced to me. Sashimi is one of those foods where more expensive does not necessarily mean better (if it's cheaper, more people will order it, allowing the restaurant to get fresher supplies of fish). Here, the Wild Salmon Sashimi displayed neat cutting skills and was fresh. It also had a nice smooth texture.

Prawn Tempura - B

Yam Tempura - C-

The Appetizer Tempura contained two prawns and two pieces of yam, which made it easy for my dad and I to share, Oh wait, they threw in an extra piece of yam, making it three pieces of yam! The prawns were quite skinny but had a decent savoury flavour. The yam, on the other hand, was horrible. Why couldn't we get one more prawn instead? The batter was very thick and hard, and the yam itself was as thin as a potato chip. My teeth cried a little on the inside while trying to break it down.

Aburi Nigiri - C+

As Aburi sushi is one of my basic needs for survival, I ordered the Aburi Nigiri (seared tuna). Unfortunately, it wasn't very well executed as the searing was overdone, making the fish dry and rather tasteless.

Tiger Roll - B+

Since I was still as hungry as a tiger, I had the Tiger Roll all to myself (my dad is not the biggest fan of sushi rolls, so it worked out fine). This large roll came with seared eel, salmon, ebi, prawn tempura, salmon, crab meat, cucumber, and avocado. There was quite a bit of mayonnaise smothered over the roll, but it helped harmonize the flavours of the prawn tempura and the avocado. With regard to the toppings, the ebi was slightly chewy, the unagi was sweet but a bit bony, and the salmon was smooth and buttery. The spicy mayonnaise gave the roll a subtle spicy kick.

The restaurant was rather quiet, and for most of our meal, we were the only diners in the restaurant. However, the server was very nice and friendly during our visit. Food-wise, it is quite apparent that Sushi House's strength lies in raw fish and sushi rolls, not cooked food. Perhaps that's why the restaurant's name is Sushi House, not Cooked Food House.

Episode #126: Red Tuna

Vancouver (Southwest), $$$ (Higher Priced)
www.redtuna.ca

One month into the semester is when university students typically start to experience sleep deprivation. Math is one of my strong subjects, but after being unable to follow along in my math lecture because I kept writing 5 × 0 = 5 on my piece of paper, I decided to catch some sleep on my favourite type of mattress: the bus. I slept all the way into the Dunbar area, whose sushi I had never tried before. I had no idea which of the sushi restaurants in the area would be the best, so I just picked one that served seared sushi.

The restaurant is slightly larger inside than it appears from the outside. Since I arrived at 4:30 p.m., there were very few people inside, but they turned the volume up on the Korean pop music playing in the background to make the restaurant seem more busy. More or less, that worked. Also, doesn't food seem to taste slightly better when the restaurant isn't overly quiet?

Miso Soup - B+

To start things off, I received a hot bowl of Miso Soup that came with my Bento Box D. It had a rich flavour and contained tofu and green onion. It was moderately salty and pretty standard fare overall.

Next, the rest of the Bento Box D arrived, and the presentation was on point as everything was placed neatly. 

Salad - B

Like the Miso Soup, the Salad was also quite standard. It came with mixed greens dressed with the standard tangy and somewhat sweet Japanese salad dressing. There was also a small essence of lemon juice in the salad.

Chicken Teriyaki - B+

The Chicken Teriyaki was savoury, and its flavour was further enhanced by the sesame seeds and green onion. The steamed rice was above average, while the chicken was just a tad overdone.

Chicken Kara-age - A-

The highlight of the bento box was the Chicken Kara-age, which was savoury and quite juicy. It was coated with ample mayonnaise, and I also liked how it was slightly crispy on the outside. They also threw in a small helping of yam fries underneath as a bonus.

Salmon Sashimi - C

Tuna Sashimi - B

The Salmon Sashimi came in huge slices and was very tough and stringy, but at least this meant that I could have my teeth flossed while I was eating it. Who needs floss when you can use stringy Salmon Sashimi instead? The Tuna Sashimi also came with large cuts, but it was quite soft and not stringy at all. However, it tasted slightly fishy to me.

Tempura - A-

The Tempura came with one prawn and one piece each of zucchini, sweet potato, yam, and kabocha. The prawn, albeit a bit skinny, was savoury and had a good snap. The yam and the sweet potato were both cut to just the right thickness, while the zucchini was deliciously juicy. The kabocha, being a bit less spectacular, exhibited a strange discolouration and tasted a bit dry. Overall, the tempura was slightly on the greasier side, but the flavours of the ingredients inside were preserved and brought out well.

Red Dragon Roll - B-

After the Bento Box D, I decided to try one of their special rolls, namely the Red Dragon Roll, which came with avocado, salmon, eel, and cream cheese. Since I typically dislike cream cheese in my rolls, I told the waitress about this, so she suggested yellow cheese instead. I was hoping for some tasty melted grilled cheese, but I guess I was expecting too much. Nope, the yellow cheese was just plopped inside the roll. The roll was served very cold, but I liked how the flavour of the salmon was enhanced by the teriyaki sauce. Unfortunately, there was so little unagi that it was basically undetectable, and the roll was slightly rice-heavy. With only five pieces, I did not think this roll was worth the $10.95.

Seared Tuna Nigiri - B

Seared Salmon Nigiri - B+

At last, I ordered what I came here for - the seared sushi! The Seared Tuna Nigiri was a little over-seared, but they got it right with the Seared Salmon Nigiri. I also liked how the salmon had a touch of mayonnaise on top. The rice formation in both pieces was good as the rice was not packed too tightly.

Overall, I found the service during my visit to be quite friendly. The food was average, and there was a fair share of both hits and misses. I suppose there is only so much that louder Korean pop music can do!