guitarpjDunbarSince March 24, 20083 Reviews
(3.6)- Food
(4) - Service
(3.3) - Value
(4.5) - Ambiance (3.3)
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(3.6) (4) (3.3) (4.5) (3.3)Suika is, in my opinion, the best izakaya in town. Kingyo (same owner) is certainly comparable, but I find the menu at Suika more exciting and more innovative. Everything bursts with flavour and the sauces and dressings they use aren't to be found anywhere else in the city. I lived for three years in Tokyo and have tried my fair share of higher-tier izakaya in Japan; I find Suika to rival even those. Japanese friends that I take to Suika are blown away, with many even questioning how izakaya fare could be so good outside of Japan. The atmosphere is excellent. As the first reviewer mentioned, it is a perfect combination of old and new, and it pulls everything off in a comfortable and lively way. The service is top-notch, and the servers and kitchen staff are all extremely friendly. The head chef and many of the servers remembered me after the first time I went there and now all come over to greet me with each visit. If you EVER have a bad experience here I would be surprised and would urge you to go back for a second chance as this place is THE. REAL. DEAL. I recommend the Negitoro Battera, Shimesaba Battera, Asian Kakiage and the Toro toro tontoro, though everything I have tried there has been delicious. The appetizer taster box is really good for a starter as well! Do yourself a favour and give this place a try. Believe me, it's far better than the rest...and I've enjoyed all the rest.
First off, let me tell you that I lived a 15 minute walk from the Tsukiji market in Tokyo for 3 years. I know my sushi. While Sushi Aoki may not be trendy or even "nice" inside, it's clean and that's all that matters when you consider the food. All I can say is FRESH AMAZING FISH!!!!! If you want to know the true awesome-factor of this restaurant you need to get away from your California and BC Rolls, and rolls in general (not to say their rolls are bad, far from it), and get into the real stuff. Sushi Aoki has among the best saba (mackerel) and uni (sea urchin) that I've ever had. Their hamachi (yellow tail) is top-notch, and their Aji is delicious. I'll just go out and say it, they have better fish than most places that charge twice the price. If you want to get a taste of what I'm talking about try their Chirashi bowl (the regular is huge!). For 14 bucks you get what you would pay 25 for anywhere else. Their assorted sashimi plates are two-thirds the price of what anywhere else would charge and way better! Why this place doesn't have a line out the door during all their opening hours is beyond me. Aside from fish their raw oysters are incredible (1.85 each?! are you kidding me?!?!) and are a must try. I haven't gotten much in to their hot food as I'm always drawn to their raw stuff but their Prawn Gyoza are great, and their bento boxes are the biggest steal of anywhere in town. Do yourself a favour and go to this sushi restaurant! What is more, ignore any bad reviews you see as the people who wrote them were either disillusioned by bad service (it CAN at times be slow, but it's worth it!) or have absolutely NO IDEA what they are talking about. Just keep in mind, they are no longer open for lunch time. Now what are you waiting for?!
Kitsilano Sushi is decent for the price. The atmosphere isn't special, the service can be a little cold, and the food has it's ups and downs.
This is NOT a Japanese owned sushi restaurant and there are several things that show in their food. 1: The Tuna and Salmon are actually quite decent while other fish tends not to be fresh or tasty. The Ikura is HORRIBLE and all of these factors are typical of a non-Japanese owned Sushi shop. Also stay away from the Thai or Saba. 2: The Teriyaki tends to be too sweet. I must admit I don't mind Teriyaki like this every once in a while but it is not of high quality (though the price is right!) 3: The tempura tends to be too oily, though most restaurants are guilty of this. 4: The rolls often come with too much mayo.
Despite all of these things I actually do enjoy my meals there for the most part. I lived in Japan for several years and have developed a strong sense for quality in sushi which I don't find here, but for the average Vancouverite it is probably passable. I only really go here on Sundays when all the Japanese owned shops are closed. I have never had a bad experience, and like I said the food is alright for the price.
