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View Full Version : Review: Ajisai in Panorama



JDMMAN
10-31-2010, 03:15 PM
Review: AJISAI in Panorama Hills (same complex as Tudor Rose)

AJISAI Japanese Restaurant just opened up this past week/weekend.

Ambiance/Atmosphere: 9/10
Very modern "Bistro" style decor with rich dark colours. Open concept.


Food (quality, portions, presentation): 8/10
Menu was concise and I would say "basic". Fresh fish, ample portion sizes, presentation was artsy but repetitive. The sushi chef was definately taking his time on the rolls.

The Callimari Tempura and Scallop Tempura rolls I ordered had the same presentation; other then the texture of the piece of tempura above it was exactly the same. Fake crab, avacado + some tobiko wrapped in seaweed + rice outside. Had the tempura on top with a dill Tzaziki topped with dill and drizzled with a balsamic vingar based sauce.

Service: 9/10
The service was friendly, polite, prompt, and accurate. The servers were prompt at bringing the food out. The rolls were explained/announced when they are placed in front of you. The plates were cleared away quickly when done.

Was checked on regularly. This was probably because it wasn't very busy in the establishment, as it just opened. The two servers would look to be overwhelmed if the whole place was full.

Pricing: 8/10
The pricing is slightly higher then average than most Japanese restaurants in Calgary (Sakana Grill, or Sumo). $6 for a Negri Toro roll of 6 pieces. $10 for Spicy Tuna Roll (medium sized roll)

Overall: 8.5/10
Would recommend at least trying out. Adds an additional choice in the NW. However if I'm really craving GOOD sushi I'd head downtown or towards other establishments. (ie: Sushi Hiro, Sushi Bar Miki)

Hours: (will fill out later)
M-F
S-S

Credit:
Cash, Debit, MasterCard, Visa

Parking:
There is free parking in the lot in the front and around the complex.

v2kai
10-31-2010, 03:29 PM
awesome theyre open now. thanks for the review I'll be checking them out pretty in the near future

topher91
10-31-2010, 03:37 PM
So they do have sushi as well? or just rolls? Soups etc?

I wanna check it out too but wasnt sure what type of Japanese food it was. Thought it was like Japanese Village (no sushi :thumbsdow ).

JDMMAN
11-01-2010, 09:45 AM
topher91 - yes they had nigiri, by piece. They also had sashimi. Nothing crazy just the "regular" stuff.

Very small Udon/Soba selection.

Chandler_Racing
11-01-2010, 09:51 AM
Went there last week as well.

The presentation is very simple, the food was average size in proportion but it was definitely one of the freshest places that I have been to in the city.

I was pleasantly surprised that I won't have to travel down south / downtown to have good sushi.

npham
11-04-2010, 10:33 AM
There's a place in Creekside that is very good as well. It's near the Rona. I cant remember the name, but portion and pricing was average, but the quality was great. The Dragon roll was tasty.

rawsensation
11-07-2010, 03:21 AM
Originally posted by npham
There's a place in Creekside that is very good as well. It's near the Rona. I cant remember the name, but portion and pricing was average, but the quality was great. The Dragon roll was tasty.

Ajisai is so much better than Taiyo. Sushi is a lot fresher the interior reminds me of Sukiyaki house in DT, will be going back for sushi in the NW.

mrsingh
11-07-2010, 10:40 AM
The wife and I had a craving for rolls, so we dropped by on Friday night to check this place out

The location is a right around the corner from us, so that is a big plus right there.

The food was fresh, and the presentation was simple and clean. We did not go to crazy on the menu, and just stuck to rolls, the dynamite and rainbow rolls were quite good and we ended up ordering more.

The service was almost too good, as it seemed we had three waiters trying to serve us at all times, it was almost bothersome when they'd come back every few minutes to ask how they could help you and if they could get you anything else. When we left the restaurant, all the staff turned around to you to say thank you and goodbye, a nice touch...

We felt the cost was reasonable, and the service was great, overall we enjoyed the experience and we will definitely head back.

CaptainReboot
11-07-2010, 06:48 PM
Thanks for the review, I'd like to try it soon. I'm still on the lookout for a good Sushi place in the NW.

I have yet to try Taiyo, even though it's just down the street from us.

403ep3
11-07-2010, 09:07 PM
I live 2mins away from Taiyo and found it good but expensive for the portions.

I will be trying this new place out soon

98type_r
11-07-2010, 11:27 PM
I tried going last week on Monday but they're closed on Monday's, I'll try going again. I've been to Taiyo in Creekside/Kincora, the food is decent but pricing is a bit on the high side IMO.

Skyline_Addict
11-11-2010, 09:09 PM
I just ate there after seeing this thread, and unfortunately I don't think the food was very good at all. To be more fair, I am not a sushi roll lover, which seems to make up the bulk of their menu and what the restaurant caters to more than not.

If you like having hot dishes as part of your meal, Taiyo is WAY better. We had ordered the Diced Steak and Chicken Udon here. I enjoyed the presentation of the Diced Steak and it tasted fairly good. For a "steak" entree though, it was hardly filling. The Chicken Udon was garbage.

Seeing as how this seemed to be a "sushi roll specialist" type of restaurant, I decided to try out a roll, something I don't normally do. We ordered the Salmon roll. Didn't taste special or stood out from any other rolls I have had in the past.

I always have sashimi when I go to a Japanese restaurant. It was average tasting and the pieces were tiny. I think Taiyo's portions, freshness and taste are better.

Those of you who say Taiyo's pricing is higher, I'm not sure what to think other than the fact that you probably order lots of rolls where I prefer hot dishes and sashimi. For two people, we ended up paying over $50 - I spend less at Taiyo, I feel more full and I enjoy the food alot more.

Both restaurants look nice and have a good modern atmosphere.

Taiyo > Ajisai.