Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen & Sushi Bar: I got Lucky

I love sushi! I've heard so much about Kishimoto Japanese Restaurant on Commercial Drive, so I finally decided to go. Please note that they do not take reservations and you have to walk in and write your name down! On the brighter side, they can text/call you when they have seats so you can walk around! The place is fairly small and we were told that it'd be almost an hour wait for table for 2. After waiting 15 minutes, we were going to go elsewhere and hence, we walked back to the restaurant to let the hostess know to remove our name. She did not seem disappointed as this probably happens often at this restaurant! As I was walking out the door and outside, she called me back and said they have a table ready for us as somebody else left and cancelled their table! Joy! 

Salmon Oshi (wild salmon/jalapeno/creamy sauce/cracked black pepper/torch seared)

Salmon Oshi must be one of their most popular dishes as this has popped up on my instagram numerous times! It is without a doubt that this dish is popular - it was amazingly delicious! Kishimoto is known for their reasonable prices and fantastic plating and without a doubt, I was indeed impress with their fancy plating!

Caterpillar Roll (unagi, cucumber, unagi sauce, wrapped in avocado, mayo and ikura on top 

Again, the presentation was a full 10/10. Ingredients tasted very fresh, each piece was detail oriented, and I was only wanting seconds!

Toro

To me, the toro was good, but not great. To be fair, I'm not a huge fan of tuna sashimi to begin with. For freshness, it didn't taste 10/10, maybe a 9/10. 

Unfortunately, I don't recall what this was called but it was one of their seasonal specials. This dish came on ice and while there are the sashimi pieces, the head is fried! 

3 types of sauces!

Entrance

Another look at the details put in to the Salmon Oshi dish! 

Overall, very yummy indeed. I would say Kishimoto is definitely one of my favourites in Vancouver. Not only do they have unique rolls, but also fresh and delicious. Also, for the average prices, you also get fantastic plating. Nevertheless, be prepared to wait! They are busy and popular and hence, no surprise you'll have to wait if you go during a popular time! 

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Sushi Aria: First restaurant meal of 2016!

Happy New Year! Wishing you all a year filled with happiness, good health, and good food!

My first restaurant meal this year was at Sushi Aria, which opened a few months ago. This location was a travel agency, then a modern dessert place, and finally a sushi place now. Situated between Copa Cafe and Corner 23, and across from Landmark Hot Pot, I think it's perfect to have a sushi restaurant in this area. We came here on a Saturday evening without reservations, and we were seated quickly!

Sushi Aria

Menu

Agedashi tofu $4.75

The agedashi tofu was lightly fried and gave off a nice crispy outer layer even when dipped into the sauce.

Salmon teriyaki with rice $8.95

The salmon teriyaki was nicely cooked and still maintained a smooth texture. This plate had lots of bean sprouts (yay for veggies!), however, I think it had too much pepper. The pepper made this dish a little overly spicy.

Chopped scallop roll $3.95

The chopped scallop roll was satisfying as it was filled with lots of scallop! I also liked how there isn't too much rice on the roll.

Alaska combo $8.95

The Alaska combo came with 2 salmon nigiri, 1 tuna nigiri, 1 ebi nigiri, and a full order of Alaska roll. Alaska roll is usually my go-to sushi roll because I love California roll and I love salmon sashimi. So, Alaska roll is just the perfect combination for me. However, where's the imitation crab meat in this Alaska roll?! Even though it was filled with chunks of avocado, which made this roll creamy, it just didn't taste right without the imitation crab meat. As you can see, there's something on top of the Alaska rolls (and no, I'm not referring to the salmon), but the mushy, creamy-like orangey which I have yet to figure out what it is. My friend says it's crushed tempura.

Nabeyaki udon $6.95

I thought the Nabeyaki udon was one of the best nabeyaki udons I've had. The udon noodles were done just the way I liked them - a little bit chewy and the soup was rich. However, it was lacking a bit in terms of toppings as it basically only had chicken, mushrooms, and little veggies. I must comment on the way they thinly sliced the carrots because it complemented the noodles well. However, nabeyaki udon is not complete without fish cakes!

One thing I really liked about this restaurant is that it is very spacious! Most of their tables are booth seats and hence, a very private space. Finally, I must mention that the waitresses were constantly filling our cups with tea. We stayed there for quite some time and I was really surprised that I had never for once needed to ask them for to refill our tea. Thank you for keeping us hydrated and warm with the green tea! 

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1/2 Roll Japanese Grill & Sushi Bar: 2 disappointments, but will try again

1/2 Roll opened not too long ago and is situated on Main street off King Edward St. We were actually planning on going to Hawker's Delight, but because that was quite packed and it didn't seem like it had air conditioning, my friend suggested we go across the street for some sushi.

1/2 Roll used to be Itadakimasu, which is where the sushi in cute little balls (that were surfacing on my Instagram) came from. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to try Itadakimasu and now it has probably changed owners and is now known as 1/2 Roll. As their name says it, this sushi restaurant allows you to order half rolls, which I think is quite nice. If you're just going with one other person (like I did), then that allows you to have more variety. However, it didn't seem like their menu was promoting the 1/2 roll concepts as when the menu came, I totally forgot that we could order half rolls.

We ended up getting takoyaki ($4.95) and a House Combo ($21.95). I don't know what happened to me, but lately I've been shy of taking food pictures. You'd think that the more you do something, the better you'd get. But this has been the other way for me. Anyways, back to the takoyaki... that was a disappointment for me. The order came with 5 takoyaki's and I thought they were too oily, the batter was too sticky, and they were quite small. I'd rather go to the night market and get some there.

On the other hand, the House Combo was quite impressive when it first came. Considering the price, I would say it's a cheap eat. From left to right in the picture: House roll, dynamite roll, spicy tuna roll, California roll, tuna roll, sockeye salmon roll, tuna and salmon sushi. This definitely was able to fill us both up. However, even though the salmon looks good, it had a slight fishy taste to it....which leads me to think that it isn't so fresh.

House Combo

One thing I have to get at a sushi restaurant is green tea. Not only do I love having sushi with green tea, but I think the green tea that they serve can say a lot about a sushi restaurant. (Though, I'm still trying to figure out what it is saying.) Usually, I'd prefer genmaicha (green tea with roasted rice) with my sushi. This restaurant served more of a matcha green tea, which was still very good and tasted authentic. In addition, I really liked their cute ceramic cups.


I really liked the wallpaper in this restaurant. It brought a nice sense of environment that made me feel like I wasn't in Vancouver. I did hear that these were from Itadakimasu, the previous restaurant. Is that true?

One thing I found that was a little unique/weird about this restaurant is this table. It's kind of smack right in the middle of the restaurant and it holds some toothpicks, a plant, candies, and their business card. 

Even though the takoyaki and the salmon sashimi were a disappointment, I'd still come back to this restaurant to try other things offered on their menu. Plus, they have reasonable prices and provided a pleasant customer experience.

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Sushi California (Broadway): Great rolls, but not great for long conversations

Every time I pass by Sushi California, whether it's 12pm, 4pm or 7pm, it's always packed. Hence, I just had to see what it was all about as I knew the previous restaurant at this same location had very little business since that area has many restaurants already. 

I went right when they opened and so we were seated quickly. Upon skimming through their menu, I already noticed why it may be so popular - their prices are very reasonable. I decided to get the Crunch House Roll and the Box Sushi. 

Crunch House Roll consisted of crab meat, avocado, tuna, salmon, wrapped and deep fried $4.50

Box Sushi had smoked salmon, shrimp, scallop, avocado and sliced lemon $4.95

Crunch House Roll and Box Sushi

The Crunch House roll was definitely phenomenal. Everything tastes better when deep friend. Outside was nice and crunch, while inside was filled with soft yummy crab meat.

The Box Sushi may look nice with the slice of lemon, but I didn't want to eat the peel so I had to take that off one by one. There was also very barely noticeable scallop. This is the first ever box sushi I've had and while I do agree that the presentation looks very nice, the chunk of rice is proportionally too much, as shown below.

Crunch House Roll and Box Sushi

Yes, there's a small bit of avocado in the middle of the rice (it's not wasabi).

Box Sushi

Crunch house roll  

Add caption

The Assorted Sashimi platter was beautifully presented.

Assorted Sashimi $14.95

Takoyaki is great for sharing as an appetizer, but I felt like these takoyaki here are small.

Takoyaki $3.95

By the time when we were done and on our way out, the restaurant was already full and had people waiting for seats! 

For such unique and creative rolls at super reasonable prices, I'd definitely come back here. Not to mention that it's super convenient and transit-friendly! However, I do not recommend this place if you're looking for a long chat with a friend or date, because they'll have people waiting for your seats. Nevertheless, you could go across the street to Marulilu Cafe or across Cambie street to Moii Cafe to carry on the conversation!

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Sushi Garden: Affordable, wide variety, but be prepared to wait!

When I talk about sushi in Burnaby, I hear Sushi Garden a lot. Hence, I had to go see what it was all about. The pictures and this post will actually reflect my second visit there as I did not take any pictures on my first visit. Yes, I've already returned to Sushi Garden once. If you do plan to meet up with friends at Sushi Garden, be sure to clarify which location as there are 2: one is right across from Metrotown Shopping Centre (4635 Kingsway) and the other is on Lougheed Highway (4269 Lougheed Hwy). Both times, I visited the one on Kingsway as it at a more convenient location for me. 

We got there on a Monday at around 6:30pm and it was packed! We waited for about 30 minutes before we got a seat for 2. As we got to look at the menu while we were waiting, we already knew what we wanted.

Recently, I've discovered spicy salmon sashimi and have been craving it since I last ate it. This is like a Korean x Japanese dish as the spiciness comes from the kimchi that the sashimi is mixed with. I loved it as it was very appetizing.

Spicy Sashimi $8.95

Their combos are super good deals as for less than $10, you get a roll and the common nigiri. In this dynamite combo, the nigiri included 2 salmon, 1 tuna, and 1 ebi (shrimp). As you can see, the piece of salmon sashimi is quite big, but as for quality and freshness, it was mediocre - like in typical average sushi restaurants reflecting the price.

Dynamite Combo: dynamite roll + nigiri $8.30

Now there is one more piece in that picture that is not included in the combo that I had ordered separately. Yup, that is the tobiko (fish roe) with quail egg.

Tobiko with quail egg $1.50

Even though I'm not a fan of fish roe, I wanted to try this combination with quail egg. Basically, you should eat this in one bite because you want to break open the yolk in your mouth and have the creamy yolk mix with the popping tobiko. I think this is a rather nice combination as they both complement each other to give a unique texture. 

I can see why Sushi Garden is rather popular. At a rather central location, their prices are super affordable and they have a wide variety of sushi catering to everyone's favourite sushi and rolls. 

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Shiro Japanese Restaurant: Stunning Salmon Sashimi Rose

For me, there are so far two Japanese restaurants in Vancouver that serve the freshest ingredients. One being Ajisai Sushi Bar and the other one is Shiro. Similar to Aijisai Sushi Bar, they are also very busy and they don't take reservations. So prepare to wait if you go at a popular time, as the place is relatively small. 

Shiro Japanese Restaurant

Shiro (Cambie and 17th Ave.)

You can sit at the sushi bar where you can watch the chefs prepare the dishes infront of your eyes.

Shiro sushi bar

Now, before I go on to the food, I'd like to mention that I really like their toasted rice green tea. It tastes different than the green tea from other Japanese restaurants and I'm going to say it's probably more authentic even though I'm not sure what that exactly means. I also like how their cups are customized to their restaurant. (Bonus points for that). Now on to a more exciting topic. I ordered the salmon don and I was not one bit disappointed. 

Salmon don

First, the salmon don is visually stunning. Just look at that rose. Look at the colour of the fish. Wow. It wasn't like the average fatty smooth salmon sashmi. The wasabi is homemade and goes great with the fish and the Japanese rice. If you get this for lunch, you also get a miso soup. Not too fond of miso soups and haven't had enough to tell if this one was any special.

Of course the salmon rose deserves a close-up. Beautiful. There's actually alot of pieces of salmon so I was very satisfied. This was around $12 and is great for salmon sashimi lovers or those who only eat raw salmon (like myself).

Salmon sashimi rose

My friend got the chirashi don. Again, visually stunning. I think I've been paying more attention to food presentation (thanks to MasterChef). My friend absolutely loved it because everything was so fresh.

Chirashi don

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One More Sushi

I had a work dinner at One More Sushi, located at the village of UBC's campus. I wouldn't say the restaurant is small, but my workplace had the entire restaurant booked so there wasn't anybody there who wasn't with us. 

Here, I got the bento box. Bento boxes are one of my favourite items to order because you get a bit of everything. 

Bento Box B with teriyaki beef, tempura, California roll, salad and oranges

Tempura from Bento Box B

Teriyaki beef

Salad

Rice is a huge part in the Japanese culture, even in their alcoholic beverages. Fermented rice is what's used to make sake. The sake was served warm. It was nice to try the sake, but not a fan of it.

Sake

While the California rolls and teriyaki beef with rice in the bento box was delicious, it was typical and mediocre. However, the green tea ice-cream amazed me. Usually I hesitate to get green tea ice-cream because I find that it's not like vanilla or chocolate ice-cream where it tastes good regardless of where it's from. With green tea ice-cream, I've had ones where I did not want more than a spoonful. I figured that since I was in a Japanese restaurant, I'd give the green tea ice-cream a try. This one was absolutely delicious and I wanted seconds.

Green tea ice-cream

Though there are a handful of places for sushi on campus, One More Sushi is a convenient and affordable restaurant for students who are looking to dine-out on campus.

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