Sushi &

Sushi &, a newly opened Korean owned Japanese cuisine restaurant in Burquitlam. The restaurant is located in the same plaza along with Insadong and Pho 99. Sushi & renovated the whole restaurant and I appreciate that, rather than just changing the name of the restaurant and leaving the interior the same as the previous restaurant's (although the tables and chairs do look similar). On a weeknight, the restaurant was not very busy and we were greeted by the friendly staff. The restaurant's seating arrangements are spacious, comfortable and another row of seating could have been squeezed in, but I am glad they chose not to.

MANGO ROLL, NABEYAKI UDON, DELUXE ASSORTED SASHIMI, UNI, AWESOME ROLL II, PRAWN AND YAM TEMPURA, AND SOFT SHELL CRAB.

DELUXE SASHIMI, TAKO, AMAEBI, HOKKIGAI, TUNA TATAKI, SALMON, TUNA, HAMACHI, TAI, AND SABA ($19.95).

Starting with the tako, the nice thin slices are easier to eat and has a soft snappy chewiness. I do not like tako sliced too thick or large because it tends to taste chewy. Next, the hokkigai underneath the amaebi (with a slice of lemon in-between) are sliced in halves so it is easier to eat. The hokkigai tastes properly rinsed and has a light crunch as well as a soft snap. Continuing, the amaebi are a smaller size but still tastes sweet. Following, the tuna tataki tastes smooth as well as tasty and has a nice pepper, garlic and sea salt seasoning which does not overwhelm the tuna. Carrying on, the salmon tastes fresh as well as fatty and is sliced generously thick. The tuna is also sliced generously thick, tastes fresh and is the proper lower body portion for sashimi. Next, the hamachi tastes fresh, has a very bright red burgundy colour (the colour is a lot deeper than the photo but my camera could not pick it up!) and tastes refreshing with the green onion. Following the hamachi is tai which we asked to be omitted and the waitress was kind to remove it from the plate after we reminded her. The last item is saba, with a good amount of green onion for a pleasant refreshing naturally salty and slightly fishy taste. Presentation? Pretty nice eh? And I rarely ever comment on the presentation.

PRAWN AND YAM TEMPURA ($7.50). 

The tempura has a thicker than usual batter but tastes flaky as well as tasty, not oily at all. The prawns are jumbo sizes and tastes flavourful, and the yams are sliced thick and tastes moist as well as sweet.

DEEP FRIED SOFT SHELL CRAB ($7.50). The soft shell crab has a Korean style batter which makes the meat taste stiff and overly crunchy, not very enjoyable. Despite the overly crunchiness, the crab is not over deep fried or greasy and is lightly battered.

TUNA SASHIMI. 

The tuna sashimi is the substitute for tai and is also the upper body part which is not a big deal since it was a substitution. Plus, we did receive the proper lower body portion for the deluxe sashimi order.

MANGO ROLL, CUCUMBER, MANGO, CRAB MEAT, EBI, MANGO ON TOP ($5.95). The roll is pretty much a california roll with mango, topped with ebi and drizzled with sauce. The sauce does not taste overwhelming and has a Japanese mayonnaise mixed with mango puree taste. I would have enjoyed the roll more if it was topped with mango (like stated) but not a big deal. The pieces of ebi are not chewy and the roll has a good light amount of rice.

UNI, SEA URCHIN ($2.50). We only wanted two orders of uni but since the waitress mentioned it was fresh (as in the restaurant bought the packaged uni the day of), we added another one. The uni tastes fresh as well as creamy and is one whole slice rather than loose pieces (unlike Yuji's that charged $4.00/piece!). Underneath the uni has some shredded cucumbers and there is not too much rice. The rice tastes perfectly cooked with a hint of sushi vinegar. 

AWESOME ROLL II, CALIFORNIA ROLL, SALMON ON TOP, CRISPY YAM BITS AND POTATO BITS ($7.50).

I used to visit Sushi Town in high school and liked their awesome roll - california roll topped with cooked salmon and bonito flakes which seemed similar to Sushi &'s "Awesome Roll, california roll, salmon on top and bonito for $6.95" (also with cooked salmon after confirming with the waitress). Unfortunately the waitress ordered the Awesome Roll II which I hated. Actually I cancelled the roll after ordering the mango roll but meh, that is not the point. The rice tastes warm, mushy and has a very heavy unpleasant saucy taste, with an extra sauciness of spicy mayonnaise. The crispy yam and potato bits tastes like deep fried seasoned clear noodles and the roll just tastes… horrible. However, for those who prefer heavy sauces, may enjoy it. The topped salmon is also sashimi rather than cooked salmon which did not really make the roll taste better, I could only eat one piece and the rest was unfortunately wasted.

NABEYAKI UDON, SPECIAL ASSORTED UDON. CHICKEN, EGG, PRAWN TEMPURA AND VEGETABLES ($10.95).

The nabeyaki udon comes with two prawn tempura, an egg, one slice of egg swirl, some slices of chinese mushroom, grilled pieces of chicken thigh meat which tastes tender, green onion and shredded seaweed. The udon is served in a nabe (which is nice considering that some restaurants do not use a nabe) and the broth has a rich flavourful clear seaweed taste. The noodles taste perfectly cooked and has a slight soft chewiness. This is one of the better tasting nabeyakis I ever had. 

COMPLIMENTARY CANDY.

I like that the bill shows how much the meal costed per person. Seriously for all this food and only this price? And quality? Worth it! We also had one can of pop comped because of the tai sashimi mix up.

POSITIVES
- Attentive as well as friendly staff and constantly refilled tea (I do need to mention that we were one of the only three to four tables in the restaurant though)
- Comfortable seating arrangements
- Fresh sashimi
- Generous portions
- More than reasonable prices

NEGATIVES
- Misunderstanding about the awesome roll
- Surprisingly this plaza gets busy sometimes and is hard to find parking
- For those who want larger portions of sushi rolls, may prefer Sushi California

LITTLE THINGS

- One of the very few restaurants that actually deserved the 20% tip

- Generous portions are probably due to competition with Sushi California, however, I rather come here

- Probably the best Japanese restaurant in the North Road/Lougheed area

- A lot better than Japolo, Jejudo and Sushi Gen which are near by

Food: 3/5

Service: 4/5