Three Japanese restaurants in a week? I needed to satisfy my sushi cravings after a couple of mediocre experiences at two Japanese operated establishments, Hachibei and Ajisai. We actually had lunch here on the following day after trying Ajisai hehe. Sometimes I wonder why people insist that authentic restaurants must mean the food is good. There are plenty of below average Chinese run, Chinese cuisine restaurants that prove otherwise.
Speaking of Chinese restaurants, Shota Sushi & Grill is a Chinese run Japanese restaurant. Shota is located in Kerrisdale and appears to be popular with some celebrities, including plenty of Canuck hockey players. There are autographs above the sushi bar and plastered along one side of the dining room.
Shota Sushi looks fairly big from the outside, but the restaurant is smaller than it appears. There is a sushi bar along with tables in one section of the restaurant and the main dining room consists of lounge chairs. Patio seating is also available for when the weather permits.MISO SOUP AND GREEN SALAD (3/5).
A miso soup along with a green salad are included with an order of a bento box. The soup arrived hot, has a medium rich miso flavour and tastes neither watery nor overwhelming. There are also bits of seaweed but no tofu. The flavour of the miso is actually stronger than Ajisai's.
As for the salad, there is a peanut dressing vinaigrette (which the restaurant should be careful with and disclose since some people are severely allergic to peanut). The salad tastes fresh and includes some iceberg, romaine and mixed springs. A rice crisp is also included but I left it behind. The peanut vinaigrette is actually not bad and I am not a fan of having any peanut sauce with my salads, but there is a mild peanut flavour and lots of tang from the vinegar.
SALMON TERIYAKI LUNCH BENTO BOX, "Miso soup, green salad, california roll and assorted tempura" ($12.95).
The Salmon Teriyaki Lunch Bento Box looks so… empty lol. A cheaper portion for a cheaper price does not make anything cheaper, it actually makes it more expensive.
TEMPURA, Rating: 2/5.
The tempura includes a couple of shrimp, a potato and a pumpkin. Also like exhibited in the photo, the batter is very light, crispy and flaky. Even when having one of the pieces at the end of dinner, the batter still remained crispy and did not get soggy one bit. The batter is also well seasoned and the only complaint would be the shrimp. The shrimp tempura is not even in the prawn category and are extremely small shrimps stretched, like Hachibei's. If I was going to add a full order of prawn tempura, I would be disappointed if I received very small shrimp.
Keeping up with the "small" theme, the size of the salmon teriyaki is pretty ridiculous. The teriyaki is literally the size of two pieces of sashimi. The good news is, the salmon is not overcooked one bit and tastes flaky. The teriyaki sauce is also sautéed with the onions along with mushrooms, which provides that extra flavour and does not taste too sweet.
CALIFORNIA ROLL, Rating 2/5.
The sushi chef cut the pieces of seaweed too short so there was not enough room to properly roll the sushi. This means that the bottom of the roll is not even sealed, which makes picking up each piece frustrating because the bottom is already split open. But asides from the formation of the roll, the flavours are generic and not bad. There is a medium level of mayonnaise, but I would have liked some more sesame seeds.
Every order of nigiri includes two pieces at Shota, but half orders are available.
Being traumatized with not the freshest sashimi at Ajisai, I was firm on asking if the toro and hamachi were fresh at Shota. I further went into details, in Mandarin LOL, confirming that I have had bad experiences such as dry toro or brown hamachi at other restaurants. Our server was friendly when I asked and even confirmed with the sushi chef, while also mentioning "this does not happen here". I appreciate her confirming with the sushi chef because most of the time the servers just say the sashimi is fresh because they assume it always is.SALMON NIGIRI ($3.95) || Rating: 2.5/5
The tuna nigiri tastes fresh and has a mild flavour, but the salmon nigiri lacks that usual buttery creaminess.
HAMACHI NIGIRI ($5.95)
Rating: 3.5/5.
The hamachi on the other hand, tastes amazingly fresh and exhibits that rich deep burgundy color. None of the orders of nigiri are heavy on the rice as well and there is a good balance of vinegar, but the rice tastes only average.
TORO NIGIRI ($5.95) || Rating: 2.5/5
AMAEBI NIGIRI ($6.95) || Rating: 0/5
As for the toro nigiri, stated "fresh" by both our server and sushi chef, it does indeed taste fresh. The toro tastes buttery and fatty, but I would have preferred a richer cut. The amaebi nigiri however, is fairly gross. The amaebi does not taste fresh, tastes very dry and fishy. Moreover, before ordering, we asked if the amaebi includes a head and a different server said yes, which is the only reason why we ordered the nigiri. At the end of lunch however after following up, the sushi chef told our server to let us know that only the sashimi orders of amaebi include a fried head. In my opinion, the restaurant actually had no heads and it was a mistake on the restaurant's end because sometimes the heads are not always supplied. I would have preferred the truth because the orders of nigiri cost more than the sashimi.
RED TUNA NIGIRI ($5.95).
Rating: 4/5.
FML thank you for the red tuna nigiri. The red tuna tastes fresh and smooth, with not even one piece of tendon. Are the Chinese making sushi better than the Japanese? The couple, such as Shota Sushi and Ki Sushi.
ASSORTED SASHIMI COMBO A, "Atlantic salmon, hokkigai, hamachi, tuna and sockeye salmon" ($28.95).
Rating: 4.5/5.
We were told the sashimi combo includes one piece of red tuna… but meh, oh well. The selection of sashimi tastes very fresh, as in if five minutes away from being icy. The sashimi cannot get any more fresh than this in Vancouver because they were literally defrosted prior to lunch services. The sashimi is carefully presented on a bedding of ice and visually looks better than what we received at Ajisai.
First up, the atlantic salmon tastes buttery, creamy and fresh. Following, the hokkigai has been properly squeezed and tastes a bit juicy (despite always being generic packaged pieces). Further on, the tuna sashimi tastes smooth, the proper lower body portion is served and tastes fresh but not icy one bit.
As for the hamachi, the sashimi is as fresh as the package can get. The hamachi tastes fresh along with buttery and has a mild flavour. Last up, the sockeye salmon has a nice lean flavour and keeping up with the consistent freshness, tastes fresh.
TOTAL: $80.95 + TIP $17.05 = $98.00.
Shota Sushi & Grill served the freshest sashimi during our lunch visit because the sashimi was literally defrosted prior to lunch services. The sushi chef was also defrosting the bags of hamachi during our lunch visit as well. But for the same or lower price point, there are similar restaurants of this calibre with a nicer atmosphere or just… cheaper prices. I enjoyed my visit overall because I had Hachibei and Ajisai to compare with within the same week, but this visit is an example of how Richmond Sushi would be a better value because the restaurant is a buffet that serves fresh unlimited sashimi (and mirugai).
With regards to the service, our server was really friendly (the one pictured in the photo) and I really appreciate how she asked the sushi chef about the sashimi. She almost ran after us to see if we needed change before we left out the doors too. None of the staff comes by to refill drinks or remove empty plates however because I guess Shota is Chinese run… lol. But I did not care about the service this time because of the quality sashimi.
POSITIVES
- Friendly server
- Sashimi cannot get any fresher (in our case)
NEGATIVES
- Prices are on the higher end
- Stingy salmon teriyaki bento
- Disgusting amaebi (worse than Ajisa's, but not by far)
LITTLE THINGS
- Nigiri rice is meh
- Worth trying for those in the area, but not worth revisiting
- Better than Ajisai and Tokyo Thyme in Kerrisdale, in my opinion
Service: 2.5/5
SHOTA SUSHI & GRILL
5688 Yew Street Vancouver, BC V6M 3Y3
Telephone (604) 263-8068
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