FIRST POST ON SUSHI & [HERE]
A post I have been procrastinating is my revisit to Sushi & because the dinner was not as good as the first. On the revisit, the restaurant was busier and although there were plenty of available tables prior to an hour before closing, we got stuck in a corner where it was hard to get noticed. After settling down, our waitress mentioned that any order of nigiri or rolls will take at least twenty minutes, which I appreciate for letting us know in advance.
EDIT - I was not expecting a third visit but since it happened, it is combined with the revisit and starts at the end of my post.
MISO SOUP ($1.25).and Sushi Town.
DELUXE SASHIMI, TUNA TATAKI, SALMON, TUNA, TAKO, SABA, HAMACHI, TORO, HOKKIGAI, AMAEBI AND IKA ($19.95).
As usual, we requested to omit tai and ika, but… I guess the ika was overlooked. Also, I thought it was odd for ika to be included since our waitress mentioned that the deluxe sashimi never comes with it. Anyways, my second thoughts were, where is the bridge plating? I assume the restaurant was really busy and possibly ran out.
SOFT SHELL CRAB ($7.50).Fortunately after waiting fifteen minutes, our waitress noticed us as she was bringing the soft shell crab and we mentioned the ika in the deluxe sashimi. Also, since she immediately ran off, we waited another ten minutes to grab some side plates. As for the soft shell crab, without reading my previous post, I forgot it is heavily battered! What a careless mistake. The odd thing is, we requested for a light batter and it is actually heavier than the first visit when we did not make a request. The soft shell crab tastes extremely crunchy and the batter overwhelms the taste of the meat, although it is not greasy or soggy. Overall it is such a shame because the soft shell crab is quite meaty. However, the soft shell crab did not go to waste since we packed it up to microwave, and softened the batter which then tasted a lot better.
GYU DON, BEEF AND EGG ($7.95).
The egg on top should be placed between the meat as well as the vermicelli to hold the sauce because instead, the sauce went straight to the bottom of the bowl. Not only that but overall everything tastes really stiff and compressed. The perfect version by Chef Piggy - well-soft cooked tender rice on the bottom, pan fried egg with vermicelli on top, then topped with pan fried vegetables followed by the beef and finish with teriyaki sauce poured on the meat (sarcasm, as every restaurant has their own way).
HOUSE ROLL, CUCUMBER, AVOCADO, TUNA, SALMON, TAMAGO AND CRABMEAT ($4.95).
I wanted to order the Awesome Roll but because on the first visit the restaurant gave us the Awesome Roll II, I was hesitant and did not want another misunderstanding or to waste food, so went with a simple house roll. The house roll is quite large but unfortunately the roll is cut too thin which caused each piece to fall apart, asides from the end pieces since they have a good thickness. Other then the broken rolls, the rice tastes mushy and never had a chance to cool down before assembling.
DELUXE SASHIMI, TAKO, TORO, SALMON, AMAEBI, TUNA, HAMACHI, HOKKIGAI AND TUNA TATAKI ($19.95).
After a long wait for the sashimi, it arrived and was served on the usual bridge LOL. Come on… the bridge does look nice and is more unique than the typical boats. The substitute for ika seems to be an extra slice of salmon as well as tuna, but is also missing the saba from the first plate? I am not sure how the restaurant serves the deluxe sashimi but according to the menu, there should be twenty four pieces and on the first visit, we received the exact same portion but with four slices of saba. 
Either way, the value is pretty good. The sashimi tastes fresh and usually I would go into more detail, however, since my second and third post is combined, I will mention them below later. Although I do want to mention that the proper lower body portion of the tuna is served and for the tataki, the proper mid section.
AMAEBI NIGIRI ($1.80) Despite the restaurant having good intentions and using three pieces of amaebi since they are quite small, I prefer at least a medium sized one and would not order these again. As for the ikura, this is just overkill. There is twice the amount of ikura than usual and although some may prefer this, I find it extremely mushy and not that great. Ikura is very slimy especially when some restaurants do not slightly rinse them and when there is too much, the rice tastes too mushy as well. Again to be fair, Sushi & has good intentions and this can be expected considering the type of restaurant.
TOBIKO WITH QUAIL EGG ($1.60) AND UNI NIGIRI ($2.50).
TORO NIGIRI ($1.35).
POSITIVES
- Comfortable seating arrangements
- Great deluxe sashimi value
NEGATIVES
- Cooked foods are below average
- Rice not cooled down before serving sushi
- Hard to get service when there is plenty of staff (four to five people on the floor) in only a half full restaurant
- Rolls may be more poorly made than a comparable restaurant such as Sushi California
LITTLE THINGS
- First post on Sushi & [here]
- Third visit starts below!
Food: 2/5 (sashimi 3/5)
Service: 2/5
A MONTH AND A HALF LATER...
Despite not wanting to come back after the last revisit, BF wanted to based on convince as well as for the very reasonably priced deluxe sashimi, and uni. On the weekend, the restaurant was fairly slow and our service was just as good as the very first visit, when the restaurant was empty as well. As we walked in, we both agreed to only ordering sashimi as well as nigiri since the rolls and cooked foods are not that great. The restaurant has an upbeat atmosphere as the sushi chefs are prompt in greeting everyone who walks in, and the staff is friendly.
MISO SOUP ($1.25).
DELUXE SASHIMI,
HOKKIGAI, TORO, TUNA, HAMACHI, SALMON, TAKO, SABA AND AMAEBI ($19.95).
Out of all three visits, we have never had any complaints regarding the sashimi at Sushi &. The restaurant serves sashimi at a good temperature and the portion is pretty reasonable. Starting with the hokkigai, it has a nice snappy texture and a naturally sweet taste. Next, the toro tastes fresh as well as fatty, quite delicious and melts in the mouth. I also like how the slices are in a long narrow formation rather than a thin folded slice. Following is the tuna which is the upper body portion that is mainly reserved for only rolls or spicy orders, tastes fresh and not mushy. Moving to the hamachi, the cut is near the belly and tastes slightly fattier, one of my favourites. Next, the tako is sliced thin and does not taste too chewy, I hate thick slices of tako. Further on, the salmon tastes fresh as well as buttery and quite tasty, I personally prefer atlantic over salmon for that fattier taste (only when having sashimi though!). Second to last is the saba and although there are no green onions and/or ginger, I like the flavourful light pickled taste. And last, the amaebi tastes slightly sweet.
SALMON ($1.20), TUNA ($1.20), TORO ($1.35), HAMACHI ($2.00), SABA ($1.25), TAMAGO ($2.00), MASAGO ($1.25), UNI ($2.50) AND TOBIKO WITH QUAIL EGG ($1.60).
Man... I am not at an AYCE restaurant and there is no need to serve so much rice! Not only is there way too much, but the rice was also loose and every nigiri fell apart! Other than the annoyance of every piece falling apart, in a way it was not that bad because we picked up half the amount of rice and ate it with the sashimi. Everything is pretty much the same as what is included in the deluxe sashimi. If anything, the uni was made much better on only the first visit with a less amount of rice.
TOTAL: $51.00 + TIP $9.00 = $60.00.
Overall we tipped 17% to make an even amount and because the staff was friendly.
POSITIVES
- Deluxe sashimi is a great value
- Clean and spacious interior
- Attentive and friendly staff (when not busy)
- For those who like large portions?
NEGATIVES
- Similar to Sushi California and Sushi Town
- Orders of nigiri have too much rice and could have used a few more squeezes
LITTLE THINGS
- First post on Sushi & [here]
- I prefer Kaya Japanese or Hanamori which are close by
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 2.5/5
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