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rojhero
12-09-2010, 01:02 AM
Sushi Motto

- Location: 1604 – 14th St. SW
- Phone Number: 403-229-2881
- Hours: Lunch Tu-Fri 11:30AM-2:30PM, Sat-Sun 12:00PM- 3:00PM, Mon Closed
Dinner Tu-Sun 5:00PM – 9:30PM, Mon Closed
- Food rating 4/5*
- Ambience 3.5/5*
- Service 4.5/5*

* Note : Review was made on the 1st day of the Dealifind coupon use and compared to other Japanese restaurants in Calgary. Without considering the situation, the rating would be 4/5, 3/5, and 2/5.


This is my first time making a review. I’m writing this for the benefit of those that purchased coupons from Groupon or anyone else that might be interested. I have zero affiliation with this restaurant.

To understand how this review is biased, I am male (I guess this is obvious given it’s written on beyond), between 20-30 (again, may be obvious), and eat out a lot. I would like to think that I have been to most of the best sushi places in Calgary. These include Zipang, Sukiyaki House, Towa, El’s, Sushi Club, Globefish, Blowfish, Misai, Wa’s, etc. For me, a cheap fix is the Sakana special, a normal/good meal is El’s or Towa, and a splurge (for Calgary only) is Sukiyaki House or Zipang.

Enough about me, let’s get into the review!

Reservations

Called for a reservation at 7:00PM and had no problems. The lady on the other line was very courteous and helpful in explaining that bookings could be made for December 8th.

Initial Impressions

I don’t think there is any parking for the restaurant, so we parked a couple of blocks away on 16th avenue. No big deal. The two sushi chefs welcomed us and it was quite apparent from the second we walked in that there was a full house. We were happy to have made a reservation (it was a condition of the coupon too), because it looked to be a long wait for those who didn’t. We were promptly brought to our table and seated with some menus. The first thing we noticed about the place was how cold it was. We tried to secure a table further away from the door, but no seats were available. We were located at one of the tables closer to the door next to the sushi bar.

Menu, Ordering, and Ambiance

We waited about 10 minutes before they asked about drinks. They sure looked busy. The owners and servers were Korean and in typical Korean fashion, they were running around doing their absolute best to accommodate the guests. It seemed to be a small family run business and although I wanted to ask and chat, I didn’t want them to slow them down. During this time, I had a good look around at what others were eating. I always do this at a new place to scope out the food. All the dishes looked very delicious so this was going to be a tough choice. The menu was well organized. In fact, it was very well presented in comparison to my lunch at a Thai restaurant. Does anyone know why Thai restaurants always have a 10 page, double sided menu? We settled on the tempura udon, chicken karage, deluxe sushi combo, flames roll, and tempura green tea ice cream. I ordered my usual tea and my girlfriend got some water. This combination was pretty typical of what we usually order at a Japanese restaurant. One cooked dish, some sushi or sashimi, a roll or two, an appetizer, and occasionally dessert. We don’t drink much alcohol, so I can’t comment on the sake that was available. Oh, and one strange thing, there was no katsu don! I don’t know why they didn’t have any, but I’ve never seen a Japanese restaurant without it. I love Katsu don!

After ordering, I started to look around and take in the ambiance. The décor was simple and conservative, nothing out of the ordinary for a Japanese restaurant. It looked like some renovations had been done recently especially in the bathrooms. I’d say it’s pretty clean compared to other Japanese restaurants.

Service

There were two servers at the beginning, but as things got busy, I believe one of the owners came out to help as well. As mentioned, they all exhibited typical Korean hospitality. They were extremely efficient, very courteous, and genuinely concerned about our dining experience. There were some mix ups, including our food which I will get to shortly, but you really have to take into account that this was probably the largest rush of customers they have ever had. One thing that they will have to sort out is who is responsible for what. Asian restaurants usually don’t have “zones”, so they have to rely on communication to get things done. Also, it also took a while to flag down the servers.
With time, I think these will improve.

Food

Tempura Udon $11.95 (wait time: 15 minutes)
http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j415/rojhero7/P1020042.jpg

The tempura udon was above average compared to other Japanese places in Calgary. I liked how they used onions in the soup and the broth was quite tasty without a feeling that msg was used. A little more bonito flavor would have made the broth just perfect. The udon noodles were the same as any other restaurant. It seems like udon noodles have the same consistency no matter where you go. Just like the frozen ones you can get at T&T. The tempera was fried quite well and at the right temperature. I say this at the risk of sounding like a snob (which I am really not), but I prefer the batter to be slightly lighter and more crispy. It was already MUCH better than the typical thick soggy mess that I see all too often in Calgary. One more piece of shrimp would have been nice.

Chicken Karage $6.50 (wait time: 20 minutes)
http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j415/rojhero7/P1020047.jpg

This chicken was fantastic. Well fried, not overly seasoned, and with lots of meat. There was so much meat that I wanted to take a bite and show the inside, but my girlfriend gave me this look and I quickly nixed that idea. I have no clue what’s in the batter, but these were addictive.

Deluxe Sushi Combo $18.95 (wait time: 45 minutes)
http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j415/rojhero7/P1020049-1.jpg

The portion size was very adequate and I really liked the Tako (octopus). It was the best and most fresh tasting of any place I’ve tried in Calgary. Most of the pieces were very good, but not as good as some of the fish I’ve sampled at Zipang or Sukiyaki House. I was a little disappointed with the salmon and tuna. From what I saw at the sushi bar, the pieces were pre-cut. I think that may have slightly degraded the taste of the fish. I’d still say the fish was above average in Calgary for freshness and taste.

Flames Roll $11.50 (wait time: 1hr 20 minutes – forgot order)
http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j415/rojhero7/P1020050-1.jpg

I have yet to talk about the presentation of the food but that is only because it had been very similar to any other Japanese restaurant. However, this roll looks amazing and it tastes just as good as it looks! The tempura shrimp was well sized and quite flavorful. It was perfectly complemented with the tuna, salmon, and sauce. I can’t wait to eat this roll again and try more rolls in the future. One thing to note is that they forgot our order. This is acceptable to me because of the situation, but not acceptable under normal circumstances.

Tempura Green Tea Ice Cream $6.25 (wait time: 15 minutes)
http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j415/rojhero7/P1020052-1.jpg

Other than the presentation, there is nothing too different from other Japanese places. It’s always satisfying to eat.

Summary

Overall, I found the place to be a very good Japanese restaurant with average prices. The rolls are definitely something I will come back to try and the cooked food is pretty good. The service will need some more work, but I would say this is as worse as it gets. Overall, I’d say this place is close to something like Sushi Kai. I think it will continue to bring people back even after the coupon has ended.

Remember that this is only the first time I’ve visited. In the future I will try to update with how consistent they are. I’ll be curious to see if the food or service degrades over time because of the deal.

Total cost for two (no drinks): $70 ($58.65 + $11.35 tip), $40 (with the coupon). I find the prices are very typical of most Japanese restaurants in Calgary. It’s definitely a deal with the Dealfind discount. Even without the discount, we would probably visit again.

I could write another story about the two middle aged ladies sitting next to us. They spent the entire time complaining about EVERYTHING. It was to the point where they were a nuisance to our experience. I was not surprised to find out that they didn’t have the coupon. I will have to leave that for another time.

*Edit* Pictures now added and cost corrected (Thanks taemo and clem24)

rojhero
12-09-2010, 01:04 AM
I can't seem to attach my images. Anyone know a good host?

C4S
12-09-2010, 02:20 AM
:) :) :)

Hope they can handle ..

Super Busy ??

taemo
12-09-2010, 08:48 AM
good review.

However I don't think I'll be checking out this place anytime sooner, didn't even buy the groupon.

to the OP, have you been to Sushi Reiko in Bankers hall, to me they had the best nigiri sushi with generous cuts of salmon, tuna.

for me
Sushi King - eat all you can cheap fix
Sushi Reiko - great sushi for lunch


Originally posted by rojhero
I can't seem to attach my images. Anyone know a good host?
try imageshack
http://imageshack.us/

max_boost
12-09-2010, 08:52 AM
Excellent review Roger!

dkmlam
12-09-2010, 11:39 AM
Originally posted by max_boost
Excellent review Roger!

+1

jwslam
12-09-2010, 12:17 PM
Originally posted by max_boost
Excellent review Roger!
+2
I bought 2 of the groupons haha so i'll have to go twice

clem24
12-09-2010, 04:28 PM
Wait I hope that's a typo when you say "Total cost per person drinks (no drinks): $70 ($58.65 + $11.35 tip), $40 (with the coupon)". I'll assume you meant "Total cost" period.

I bought 2 of the coupons as well. Just FYI, it's not through groupon, it's through dealfind. But I do look forward to going, only because everytime my wife and I go to Zipang, it always ends up costing us over $100 with no drinks hahaha.

jwslam
12-09-2010, 04:55 PM
Originally posted by clem24
Just FYI, it's not through groupon, it's through dealfind.

groupon, teambuy, dealfind... SAME SHIT
it's all just "groupons" where you need a minimum buyers to get...

Disoblige
12-09-2010, 05:54 PM
Interesting. Thanks for the review!

cloud7
12-09-2010, 06:48 PM
I hope the owners know what they were getting themselves into by having it on dealfind and didn't impose a limit on the total coupon bought. With more than 4000 bought, they will be very busy for a long time. I wonder what they actually get paid for the coupon after dealfind takes its cut.

rojhero
12-09-2010, 09:23 PM
Thanks for all the nice comments guys.


Originally posted by C4S
:) :) :)
Hope they can handle ..

Super Busy ??
Very busy.


Originally posted by taemo
good review.
However I don't think I'll be checking out this place anytime sooner, didn't even buy the groupon.

to the OP, have you been to Sushi Reiko in Bankers hall, to me they had the best nigiri sushi with generous cuts of salmon, tuna.

for me
Sushi King - eat all you can cheap fix
Sushi Reiko - great sushi for lunch

try imageshack
http://imageshack.us/
Never been to Sushi Reiko. I will have to try it soon since I go to Bankers Hall area for lunch a couple times a week. Thanks for the imageshack recommendation, but I can't seem to get it to link. I have the feeling they don't allow it? I went for photobucket instead.


Originally posted by clem24
Wait I hope that's a typo when you say "Total cost per person drinks (no drinks): $70 ($58.65 + $11.35 tip), $40 (with the coupon)". I'll assume you meant "Total cost" period.

I bought 2 of the coupons as well. Just FYI, it's not through groupon, it's through dealfind. But I do look forward to going, only because everytime my wife and I go to Zipang, it always ends up costing us over $100 with no drinks hahaha.
Thank you for catching those errors. I've fixed the original post. I totally agree that the bill does tend to stack up pretty quickly at Zipang. As much as I like the food, I don't want to spend >$50/person on meals too often. Places like Sushi Kai, El's, Wa's, and now Sushi Motto are great for regular Japanese dining.


Originally posted by cloud7
I hope the owners know what they were getting themselves into by having it on dealfind and didn't impose a limit on the total coupon bought. With more than 4000 bought, they will be very busy for a long time. I wonder what they actually get paid for the coupon after dealfind takes its cut.
About $10(50%) based on a quick google search. There's more discussion on that in this thread:
http://forums.beyond.ca/st/322681/20-for-50-of-food-sushi-motto/

***Wow, I just noticed that my "Deluxe Assorted Sushi" only came with 7 nigiri pieces instead of the 10 mentioned on the menu. I asked the server about this at the time but didn't want to push it. She said it was the deluxe so there was some miscommunication. I'm going to bring my picture and bill to show them next time. LOL.

nykz
12-11-2010, 12:52 AM
To add onto your review,

I decided to go there today after class with the GF for lunch. We decided to park at the McDonald's beside it as others have recommended. Upon entering we were greeted as quick as they could as it was a full house. It was a smaller restaurant, and on the permit they had on their wall, max occupant load was 65 people. There was only one server it seems, and I could see why they requested that reservations be made for those who decide to use the voucher. I believe everyone around us, also had vouchers. The 2 women who sat beside us, left before us and not trying to be rude and eavesdropping, but it was their first time there as well as they told the lady, who seemed like the owner (or perhaps a relative to the owner?).

Anyways... to the food part, we started off with the 6 pc gyoza. Which was somewhat different than what I usually get. As the wrap was crispier than other restaurants and the sauce was a bit more sourish. Lots of vinegar in their sauce for the gyoza, but was quite tasty.

I ordered the Bento B, which included teriyaki beef, 3 pieces of tempura, 3 pieces of nigiri sushi, and a 5pc roll (Forgot the name of this roll..). To elaborate on this a little, as it arrived, I observed the large bento box that it came with, the food came in decent sized proportion. Until I looked closer, the 3 pc nigiri sushi was considerably.. large and thick cut. I was definitely surprised, and as OP had mentioned, this was a Korean owned restaurant, the beef was very similar to what you would expect when you would dine at a Korean restaurant. Definitely unique from the usual stuff you would find at your typical sushi restaurant. The tempura batter was more to the soft side compared to other restaurants, I actually like it like this more, personal preference.

The Flames roll was definitely delicious, very presentable with the way they served it, reminded me of Globefish. The Rainbow on the other hand, was good, but wasn't good enough that I would order it again, it was served a good proportion as well. More bland than the Flames roll that we had first.

The beef udon that I decided to try a bit of, was very average, similar to what you would get at the other sushi restaurants, the beef that was in it was the same as the beef in my Bento. Very soft and not incredibly hard to chew unlike other places.

Of all the things I ate today, I would definitely recommend the Flames roll for those who decide to go, the spicy sauce that they use with it is different, and very tasty! The Bento is definitely a good pick for lunch, as for the price, it came with quite a bit. I believe it was around $11.50 or so, more or less.

Would definitely come back to this place even after I use my other voucher, the flames roll was quite inspiring, and I would love to try the other ones on their menu. Very unique Korean fusion in the food and is different that what I usually eat when I go for sushi so it was definitely fun to switch it up a bit.

The total for the appetizer, bento, udon and 2 rolls was $54.44 which in my opinon was very fair for what we got. The total came to $4.44 after the voucher. As the lady who gave the bill to the ladies beside us before they left, also came to us. Therefore I assume she is the owner, she was very nice, with a accent of course but very courteous and polite. She told us how with these vouchers they've been getting very busy lately, as most people such as myself did not even know this restaurant existed. She said this was defintely a good advertising opportunity for them as it would definitely increase their clientele. I made sure to mention to her that the portions were very good, as in most cases, a lot of restaurants who get over flowed with business due to these type of vouchers and deals start to cheap out on ingredients. Hopefully the portions remain the same if not larger. For the amount of food we got and the service we received, I would suggest everyone else to do the same.

Most of this is probably a blurb as I'm quite tired from my AM classes. Below is a picture I took of the salmon piece that was included in the bento. Quite generous if you ask me
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/9742/img00382201012101317.jpg

To summarize, I will definitely be going back as it was quite the good experience there, very friendly staff and service was excellent. Food was very good for the price, and the portions in my opinion were more than fair. Hope this wasn't too hard to read :)

gmoney82
12-23-2010, 03:49 PM
Thanks for the good reviews...I bought 2 as well. Will be going sometime in the New Year, no rush.

rinny
01-01-2011, 12:21 PM
I went for sushi at this place yesterday...Restaraunt was half full with many tables reserved. Im surprised we got a reservation a few hours in advance as I called 2 days prior and no success at getting a reservation.

The gist:

-Quick and good service
-Flames roll was delicious
-Some other roll we had was delicious (cant remember what it was- had cucumber, tempura shrimp, about 2 or 3 other things in a large roll)
-Clam sushi pieces were good and tender

-SASHIMI ROLL WAS STILL FROZEN!! in the middle! This was not favorable
-SAKE was pretty poor tasting- i mean, i've only had sake once at sushi on Robson Street and it seemed to taste much better. Not sure what was with this

In total:
-3 large rolls/~8pieces sushi/Sake/Miso Soup was ~$70 with GST in/No Tip/Pre-Voucher


I would go back if I had another groupon, buuut since I dont, I wont.

BigMass
01-01-2011, 12:24 PM
Originally posted by rinny
I
The gist:


-SASHIMI ROLL WAS STILL FROZEN!! in the middle! This was not favorable
.

oh man, they don't use fresh fish?

rinny
01-01-2011, 01:10 PM
Are you serious? Do you think many if any sushi places in calgary in the dead of winter would have fresh fish?

I've been told to have sashimi fish it has to be frozen. Not sure if that means its a prerequisite for sashimi or coincident that to get tuna from thousands miles away the fish has to be frozen.

know1edge
01-01-2011, 01:15 PM
part of a health code, has to be flash frozen 2x i believe

In canada at least.

bignerd
01-01-2011, 02:53 PM
Yes all sushi should be flash frozen to kill parasites. I believe it also makes it easier to cut if it is partially frozen.

BigMass
01-01-2011, 03:27 PM
Originally posted by rinny
Are you serious? Do you think many if any sushi places in calgary in the dead of winter would have fresh fish?

I've been told to have sashimi fish it has to be frozen. Not sure if that means its a prerequisite for sashimi or coincident that to get tuna from thousands miles away the fish has to be frozen.

I assumed the higher end places used fresh fish and only the lower end mall sushi used the frozen stuff. Fish markets around the city have fresh fish so it is possible for restaurants to use it.

hmm just read this;

I have been working in Japanese restaurants my entire life, both here and in Japan. I have family that works for tuna wholesalers in Tsukiji. Yes, some places use some fish that is frozen sometimes, but by no means is the majority of fish in a good sushi bar previously frozen. Good quality minami-maguro (southern tuna) is purchased frozen because it has to be frozen on the boats, but bluefin tuna from the east coast and the Mediterranean is used fresh by the best restaurants in the US and Japan. Yellowfin tuna and big-eye tuna from hawaii is used fresh. On my visits to most good sushi bars in Japan, I have never been served anything frozen. Many restaurants freeze salmon and other freshwater fish they serve raw because of their dangerous parasites, but salt water fish is never frozen out of a necessity to kill parasites. The statements in the article saying 50% of sushi uses fish that is previously frozen may be true, but this statistic is likely skewed because low quality sushi made in places like supermarkets makes up more than a third of of the market, and almost all of that sushi is made with frozen fish. If you think that all the sushi bars in Los Angeles are freezing everything they serve you are mistaken - anyone with professional experience in a good Japanese restaurant will tell you that raw fish is served without being frozen.

so i guess it's a mixed bag on the frozen issue

rinny
01-01-2011, 07:45 PM
Excuse me if I sounded hard and condescending. I guess I just equate it to the fact that I live on the coast and know what is in season and what is not. All of the supermarkets are selling prev frozen stock for local type fish (halibut,salmon) , so when you have a no-name sushi bar offering groupons in the prairies it would be an easy assumption to say that their fish is generally frozen, especially warm water tuna found far away.

BigMass
01-01-2011, 07:54 PM
Originally posted by rinny
Excuse me if I sounded hard and condescending. I guess I just equate it to the fact that I live on the coast and know what is in season and what is not. All of the supermarkets are selling prev frozen stock for local type fish (halibut,salmon) , so when you have a no-name sushi bar offering groupons in the prairies it would be an easy assumption to say that their fish is generally frozen, especially warm water tuna found far away.

I'll admit that food is one thing i'm definitely not an expert on. Watch too much Gordon Ramsay and you expect everything to be fresh which is obviously not too realistic. But i know there are fish markets in town that sell fresh, unfrozen fish. I expected restaurants to use this or else i might as well just put Captain High Liner in the oven and eat that. But either way w/e. Not a big deal to me. I learned something.

TheCheff
01-01-2011, 08:32 PM
My father delivers to most sushi restaurants in Calgary. We pick the fish up from customs at the airport. The fish (Salmon/Tuna/Lobster/Oysters) is usually packaged in styrofoam & ice. It is kept fresh and is not frozen. It usually comes from Hallifax, Alaska or the West Coast. I delivered quite a bit of tuna & salmon to Sukiyaki House, fujiyama & kinjo last week actually, all fresh.

I'm not sure about the health code rule about flash freezing but I am about 95% positive fresh fish does not have to be flash frozen.

Muji
01-01-2011, 08:39 PM
The terms "fresh fish", "frozen", "flash frozen", etc can all mean many things depending on the definitions put forth by the regulating bodies for this sort of thing. Plenty of dirty water so to speak, on a side note I know Red Lobster markets their fish as "Fresh Fish" and own the trade name. The fish is frozen when it arrives at RL and it was fresh when frozen..... but it ain't fresh as in just caught and fresh to the plate.

I was told by the Japanese owner of the top sushi spot in Whistler that "all fish used in sushi within Canada and the USA is frozen, it is the law". He went on to say it is due to concerns regarding worms.


This from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sashimi):

Safety notes

A raw food, sashimi can cause foodborne illness because of bacteria and parasites, such as Anisakis simplex (Pseudoterranova decipiens).[2] In addition, incorrectly prepared Fugu fish may contain Tetrodotoxin, a potent neurotoxin with no known antidote.

Traditionally, fish that spend at least part of their lives in brackish or fresh water were considered unsuitable for sashimi because of the possibility of parasites. For example, salmon, an anadromous fish, is not traditionally eaten straight out of the river. A study in Seattle, Washington showed that all wild salmon had roundworm larvae capable of infecting people, while farm-raised salmon did not have any roundworm larvae.[3]

Freezing is often used to kill parasites. According to European Union regulations,[4] freezing fish at -20¡C (-4¡F) for 24 hours kills parasites. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends freezing at -35¡C (-31¡F) for 15 hours, or at -20¡C (-4¡F) for 7 days.[5]

While Canada does not federally regulate freezing fish[citation needed], British Columbia[6] and Alberta[7] voluntarily adhere to guidelines similar to the FDA's.[citation needed] Ontario attempted to legislate freezing as part of raw food handling requirements, though this was soon withdrawn due to protests by the industry that the subtle flavours and texture of raw fish would be destroyed by freezing. Instead, Ontario has decided to consider regulations on how raw fish must be handled prior to serving.[8]

Some fish for sashimi is treated with carbon monoxide to keep the flesh red for a longer time in storage. This practice can make spoiled fish appear fresh.[9][10]

Intake of large amount of certain kind of fish may affect health as described in an article, Mercury in fish. FDA recommends to eat up to 6 - 12 ounces a week of a variety of fish and shellfish.[11]

rinny
01-01-2011, 08:59 PM
All good information. I would certainly expect that higher end restaraunts (Kinjo etc) would have fresh fish.

Definately interesting to see the legal side of things.

Nonetheless, frozen sashimi makes my teef col' and my stomach upset! Or maybe that was the saki? :thumbsdow

smartcar
01-01-2011, 11:12 PM
Originally posted by Muji
While Canada does not federally regulate freezing fish[citation needed], British Columbia[6] and Alberta[7] voluntarily adhere to guidelines similar to the FDA's.
That's because in Canada, health is Provincial jurisdiction. In Alberta all fish served raw must be frozen per the Alberta Food Retail and Foodservices Code:

Sec. 3.3.12 Freezing for Parasite Destruction
a) Fish that is entended to be consumed raw, including raw-marinated and partially cooked fish, shall either be:
i) frozen by the supplier in the manner described below, and obtained from the supplier in a frozen state; or
ii) frozen within the food establishment, as described below.
b) The fish described in a) above should be frozen either:
i) to a temperature of -20°C (-4°F) or below for 7 days; or
ii) to a temperature of -35°C (-31°F) or below until solid and stored at -35°C (-31°F) for 15 hours.

No exceptions for tuna (as in the FDA standards). This is the law in Alberta and restaurants have to comply:
http://www8.albertahealthservices.ca/aboutinspections.html
"Inspections are conducted to ensure compliance with the Public Health Act Food Regulation and the Food Retail and Foodservices Code."

So even the "best" sushi restaurants in Calgary likely do serve previously frozen fish. Of course not thawing it before serving is just bad preparation, can't imagine how it happened since it have to have been frozen when they picked it up to put it into the roll when they made it, little strip of salmon would have thawed in minutes on the counter. I've never encountered this at Sushi Motto, I've always found the sushi quite good.

phreezee
01-11-2011, 02:27 PM
My sashimi was also served frozen and the sushi rice was soggy in everything. This ruined the flavour of all rolls. Cooked items were good and tasted fine. Service was good with plenty of quality checks.
I wouldn't go back, deal or not. Hard to fathom the +80% rating they got, I would have gave them a 60% at best.

GOnSHO
01-11-2011, 02:43 PM
my gf loves this place.. but i find out of all the places she goes for sushi, this one makes her smell the worst when she gets home, like grease/fish

Disoblige
01-11-2011, 03:50 PM
Originally posted by rinny
All good information. I would certainly expect that higher end restaraunts (Kinjo etc) would have fresh fish.

:rofl:

Disoblige
01-17-2011, 09:28 AM
It was alright.

Average. Ordered 3 rolls (Dragon Rolls, Cobra Roll, and California Roll), agedashi Tofu, yam tempura, and a selection of nigiri. Rolls were small, and rice texture was a bit off. Yam Tempura was OK, but a bit oily. At least they got the texture of the yam right.

They shine better in the sushi, than their rolls. For example, their Toro is better than some places (fresh, with nice fatty ripples), and Mackerel was actually quite fresh. Their chopped scallop is extremely bland though. Anything with spicy sauce is different than the normal cock sauce and mayo (expected since it is Korean), and I enjoyed it. Don't bother on the unagi, it's terribly dry. They ran out of Yellowtail so could not rate that.

Would not go if there was no coupon (Bill was ~$75.00 w/ ~15% tip for two guests, green tea, no dessert). Went to McDonalds drive-thru after and got a Apple Crisp McFlurry and boy it was delicious!

Service was quite good. Busy night, we had quick service and the staff took care of us well. Have any of you noticed that at the tables for 4, the chairs are way too big for the table itself?

clem24
01-17-2011, 11:13 AM
Went with the fam Saturday. The only times they had available were either 5PM or after 8. We took 5.

Summary: *very* expensive for what you get, sushi quality is only average (rolls) to poor (sushi and sashimi), Saba Shioyaki was excellent, service was great considering how busy they get, and got the sense that they a.) needed their dishes back in a hurry, and b.) wanted you out ASAP.

We got there just a little before 5. Being that they re-open at 5, we were forced to wait for a few minutes for them to setup. Not a big problem. My fault for being 5 minutes early I guess. Throughout dinner, they constantly came by to check our tea level, see if we needed anything, and how the food was. I could find no fault with their service. But they did eye dishes like a hawk so that they can claim them right away and they did do a good job of conveying the fact that they wanted us to leave as soon as we were done. Understandable and perfectly fine by us, but for some, don't expect to sit there and chat after dinner. So if my daughter whined, we'd have to feed her at the McDonald's. Luckily she didn't. We were out by 6:15.

Here's the run down of what we ordered:

- Seaweed salad: good, standard fare. Tasted like the pre-packaged stuff that you can find at any Korean market. ~$5. Price is average.
- Saba Shioyaki: the star of the show. It was a huge portion. It was also grilled to perfection (skin was thin and crisp, the inside was soft and juicy), salted/seasoned perfectly. No complaints. ~$9. Great deal.
- Flames roll: good. My wife likes how it was small and easily downed in a bite, compared to most places with huge rolls, and the huge size is a result of too much rice. Had good flavour and the deep fried garlic was a nice touch, though the tempura shrimp inside wasn't exactly fresh (probably been made at least 20 minutes prior). ~$10. Price is high given the ingredients.
- Dragon roll: average. Nothing too spectacular. The portion of eel on top was a little small and the avocado they stick on top of the roll only extended to 1/3 of the roll. ~$10. Price is average.
- Tuna Tataki roll: hmm.. I don't even remember what these tasted like. That's how forgettable it was. ~$10. Price is average - high.
- California roll with real crab meat: Poor. Kind of bland. ~$7. Price is average.
- Tamago nigiri: My 3 year old loves these. He downed 2 easily. I can only assume it was good. ~$2. Price is average - high.
- Sushi and Sashimi combo: Poor. The sashimi was on the cold side. The slices were of good size but quality wise, generally poor. The salmon lacked the buttery taste it usually has, the tuna tasted like nothing. The worst was the snapper. It had a different coloration (brown-purplish) than standard snapper (red), and it was dry, leathery, and generally not good. Sushi was also standard fare (tuna, salmon, the disgusting snapper, ika, ebi, tobiko and one more I can't remember). At $30, this is a huge rip off given small quantity and very poor quality. I think there were about 10 slices of sashimi, 7 pieces of sushi, and a 6 piece roll (tiny). I judge a sushi restaurant by the quality of the nigiri and sashimi, not rolls, and if they can't do this properly, then it's a thumbsdown in my books.

Total before tip was $95. This is very expensive given the quality. We left without any sort of smile on our face, like we usually do with Zipang (and that usually would only cost us maybe $10 more and we'd been equally as full plus would have also had dessert as well). With the coupon, I paid $65 + tip. Would I go back? Yes, but only because I have one more coupon I need to use up. Would I go back after that? No way. If they offered me $30 off again, would I go back? No. My advice: stick with the cooked food. If you want great sushi: go to Zipang. If you want great rolls, go to Misato or Sukiyaki House.

My overall rating:

Food quality: 2/5, saved by the saba shioyaki and the rolls.
Value: 1/5, saved by the saba otherwise 0.
Ambience: 2/5, looks like an attempt to look Japanese but really it looks like they converted a cafe into a Japanese restaurant and it still looks like a cafe.
Service: 4/5, can't fault them here. Food came out very fast, which is good when you've got a 3 year old and 6 month old in tow. 1 hr. 15 mins start to finish.
Overall: 2/5

bignerd
04-11-2011, 09:44 PM
Went friday night.

Service was very very good, did not wait for anything as far as having our order taken, receiving food or having dishes removed.

Ordered Edamame, Agedashi Tofu and some chicken skewers. Fairly large order of agedashi, the batter they use was a little tougher than other places but still tasted good and came out so hot I couldn't eat it right away. Chicken teriyaki skewer was good but average.

Had a spicy tuna roll, philly roll, dynamite tempura shrimp roll and some salmon and tuna nigiri, unagi and the egg one(sorry name escapes me now).

Salmon and tuna nigiri portions were huge I thought, could not even see the rice underneath. I don't eat a ton of sushi but my husband does, he did not like the spicy sauce on the tuna roll as someone above had mentioned. Dynamite roll was okay, a little too mayonaise-y for my liking. Philly roll was ridiculous, may as well have been a cream cheese roll-the cream cheese was literally about as round as a quarter-I picked most of it off until there was a reasonable amount.

My husband thought the unagi was fine and he enjoyed the rest of the sushi. None of the sushi was too cold or still frozen.

Was still very busy when we were there, saw a couple of people using vouchers still. I would go back again but have other places I prefer.