Category Archives: Japanese

Osaka Sushi in Deep Cove

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Deep Cove Osaka Sushi Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoA restaurant on the corner of Gallant Avenue and Burns Avenue, it’s a comfy Japanese restaurant with a patio on the side. Going through a curtain of black nets (I’m assuming to bring in fresh air, but to keep the bugs out), we were greeted by a nice staff – most of them seemed Korean.

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I ordered the Negitoro roll $4.25 which came onto the same dish as Sheepie’s Sushi Combo $12.95. For a roll with 6 pieces and costing more than $4, the presentation was not good. Rice was not all the way to the end, and the pieces were all different heights. But taste wise, it was pretty good, especially after having a Negitoro from Jako the day before that tasted fishy, and I ended up spitting out the last piece because it was so disgusting.

idearabbit_osakasushi2I also had the Gyoza – 6 pieces of pan fried meat dumplings $5.95. This was a bit of disappointment. I don’t think it’s the worst I’ve had, but it was not the greatest either. For $6, the flavour was as if it was from a frozen bag of gyoza that you could get from T&T. I would not order this again. One good thing I did like about it was the addition of sprinkled green onions. No, they usually don’t come with them, but they added a slight bitter taste which I like. Presentation wise was good.

The Sushi Combo seemed quite filling. I had one of the pieces of Salmon Nigiri. The Salmon was lean and was really good. Thumbs up.

Service was really good. Hope to return the following week to bring the Sushi club with a large group.

idearabbit_osakasushi6 idearabbit_osakasushi7We returned the following week with a group for lunch. They had the bento specials, so I had bento Box A $11.95 with green salad, 8 pieces of California Roll, Pan Fried green Yakisoba with veggies and Chicken Teriyaki. The yakisoba (noodles) were something I had never had before. It does have a slightly slimy texture with the sauce, but the taste is good. Overall, the bento was fresh, visually appetizing and tasteful.

Service was a bit slow with the lunch rush but our server was friendly. People who ordered first got their dishes last, which was a bummer – and they waited quite a while. The staff at the cash register wasn’t friendly.

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Kibune

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Kibune Sushi Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoAfter all these years (over a decade) in Vancouver, I don’t know how I could have missed this place! Kibune Sushi opened its doors at this original location on Canada Day, July 1st 1982!

Even when I was walking towards the entrance, it gave me a feeling of home… some little sushi place in the neighbourhood where I grew up as a child.

idearabbit_kibune1The round window by the entrance added a nice touch.When I stepped in, it was even more nostalgic. It felt authentic. Mmmmm… the smell. The atmosphere. The detail of the roof inside the restaurant was interesting. The semi-private rooms with the walls separating each of the tables on one side was nice. Though the tatami were a bit stained…

idearabbit_kibune2They are really busy, so make a reservation if you plan on dining there. Sheepie and I were lucky, and got to sat at the counter. There, the trays were already set and we got our warm hand towels.

idearabbit_kibune5I ordered the Negitoro Maki $5.50. It was really good. I could taste a hint of vinegar in the rice – which you will find in authentic, good sushi restaurants. They didn’t cheap out by having the underside (when you flipped the roll piece) half empty with rice and filling. They were all filled to the end. In fact, in a real sushi restaurant, they would never serve the ends of a roll to a customer.

idearabbit_kibune4New York Maki (since 1982) $5.50. Lots of rice and the fresh green sprouts were a nice touch. Nothing spectacular, and a bit too large for eating without bulging like a chipmunk, or rice and fillings falling apart as you bite in the middle.

idearabbit_kibune8I also had the Yakitori $6 for 2 skewers.Tasty sauce (with a side of hot chiili powders – which aren’t really hot at all), and soft juicy chicken.

idearabbit_kibune6 idearabbit_kibune7Sheepie ordered the Assorted Sushi $17 which came served on a boat. The boat wasn’t anything we haven’t seen elsewhere, but the presentation was really good and the ingredients seemed really fresh. Sheepie always checks under the ‘neta’ (the top raw fish, though) to see if there are wasabi on the rice (or on the neta). If there is, that usually indicates an authentic nigiri. There were. But I can understand why chefs here in North America has decided to take them out as not everyone likes wasabi, and it’s hard to take it out once it’s in there. I had his salmon nigiri and it was pretty good.

The food and service was really good. Is on the pricier side for sushi without the eleborate, high end look of some restaurants like Miku, but it’s definitely more authentic or rather, traditional. They don’t use MSG and they spend a great deal of time preparing their soup.

If you want to travel to Japan, but don’t have the time nor money, try out Kibune for some real Japanese sushi experience. Make sure to call in to make reservations – they are popular and full!

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Sushi Sushi

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Sushi Sushi Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoWe had originally gone to Hitoe Sushi, but were shooed away when they didn’t have any room, and the rest were reserved. We went to our popular Green Leaf Sushi, but was also turned away when we didn’t have reservations, and it was completely full.

We began driving around, and thought of trying out Sushi Sushi. Over the years of trying sushi all over town, we had both started to avoid the ‘cheaper’ sushi restaurants just because it usually ended up being a bit of disappointment, and maybe even a waste of money. idearabbit_sushisushi1

Will Sushi Sushi, run by Koreans live up to our expectations that has slowly risen? idearabbit_sushisushi6First, going into a restaurant where there are dirty dishes laying on the table isn’t a good sign. Sure, if they’ve just left, but if it looks like it’s been sitting there… even if they are short staffed, a yellow flag goes up.

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Yes, I do have a slight pet peeve about plastic plates. I don’t use plastic – even for Tupperware (were all replaced by glass). I don’t have fancy china or anything. You can get decent looking stuff at the dollar store if you know which to buy for very little money. I wasn’t too thrilled with the unnaturally blue plate. Luckily, food was prepared on porcelain. But I’m getting pretty picky… but if I don’t serve and eat on plastic at home, why spend more money to be fed on one?idearabbit_sushisushi7

We had the Sushi Sushi Special Combo for $12.95. You got to pick one dish from section A, B and C, totaling three different dishes, so we picked the Agedashi Tofu, Salmon roll, and TNT roll. The agedashi tofu’s fried flour needed at least another 20-30 seconds in the fryer. It was all soft, though it wasn’t a really bad thing.

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idearabbit_sushisushi2The salmon in the Salmon roll was a bit too big…yes, bigger isn’t always better, especially hard salmon. The TNT had prawn tempura, cucumber, avocado and tuna on top with tempura crumbs and special sauce. I had one piece, but it tasted like any other special roll of any kind. I often don’t order these special rolls myself because I tend to find that they all taste the same. Too many ingredients are thrown in, with the same sauce, resulting in a all-the-same flavour. It was alright.

Oddly, the plate did not come with wasabi nor gari (ginger), though I did have enough for him from my plate. The soy sauce bottle was sticky. Service can be at slow at times…though it’s understandable as there is only one lady on the floor. idearabbit_sushisushi3I ordered the Salmon & Avocado $4.50 was priced average, but was turned off by the brown avocados. The salmon was rubbery and hard.

Their tea however, was green and pretty good.

The hallway down to the facility was unpleasant. Boxes and stuff stacked up. It looked filthy. Bathroom looked run down. I would rather use my own bathroom any day.

Will I be back? No.

Taste: carrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrot

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