Japanese food tour continues

If there is only one type of food I have to live with for the rest of my life, it would be Japanese food.

Sushi Zero One

It's a blessing for my stomach and a curse on my wallet that my school is surrounded by so many good, cheap, and multicultural places to eat.  Once I heard of the special uni fiesta going on at Sushi Zero One, an authentic and fairly inexpensive Japanese restaurant which specializes in take out.  

Since it is located 4 minutes away from school, I rushed there with my backpack after class in hopes to pick up my share.  The deals included 1/4 lb uni don for $9.95, uni x ikura don for $12, (which were kept on the DL and not widely advertised btw).  After the cashier put in my order for uni x ikura don, she apologized and said "Sorry, we just ran out of uni this afternoon." To which I replied, "Oh, when will you be getting more in?".  To my disappointment, those words came out the chef's lips, "The uni season has come to an endddd." A response which dropped me to my knees (*que the outside rain).  It was hard to believe I had just missed it by only a few hours! UGHHHH!  Damn you client! (JK) In an attempt to find an uni fix, I was once again disappointed with another blow after a phone call to Sakura Sushi which also confirmed the exact same thing.  -__-

I guess to "settle", I ended up with Today's special, Deluxe Chirashi don with miso soup for $9.50 and 2 pieces of toro for $1.75 each.  The toro was only okay.  Not much to brag about... The gigantic rice bowl, on the other hand, came with albacore tuna, shrimp, sockeye salmon, ikura, yellow tail tuna, masago, and sweet egg.   The ikura was also so-so, not plump but also not fishy, but not many chirashi don comes with ikura for less than $10.  The rest of the sashimi were quite good and fresh.  The sushi rice was virtually bottomless.  There was no way I could finish it, especially when wearing a pair of jeans.  Big portion, fresh, definitely worth the value.  

Sushi Hachi

 Only opened for dinner from 6-9 pm, the traditional and authentic sushi shop in Richmond is owned and operated solely by a diligent couple.  Don't go on a Sunday or Monday, you'll be disappointed since they are closed (as I never seemed to learn just yet).  You also may want to make reservations before you show up due to limited seating, and the restaurant is usually packed by 7 or 8 pm (and they don't do take out either).  Hachi only specializes in sushi, sashimi, grilled fish and no other cooked food.

I can probably write a whole essay about how good the toro (tuna belly $2.50) was.  It was melt-in-your-mouth smooth, gentle, almost creamy texture.  I don't know many places that serve toro as good as Hachi.  Having just 2 clearly isn't enough.  

Sockeye salmon sushi $1.50 arrived vibrant in colour.  They tasted more lean than the Atlantic salmon.  I tried out the flounder (left hand, $2.50), it tasted pretty similar to red snapper but maybe slightly more chewy).

Ika shiso roll $3 with squid and Japanese mint.  Shiso is usually used as a garnish for sashimi plates, and it may be an acquired taste for some due to its distinct and strong minty taste.  It certainly was for me as I developed a fond of shiso only after a trip to Japan.  You may noticed 2 pieces of roll were already missing from the picture...some of us just couldn't wait.  The buttery toro tuna roll for $2.50 was a filler.

I used to be scared of eating ikura (salmon roe) $2.50 mostly due to its sheer size.  Out of the fear that if it wasn't not fresh, I would surely have a mouthful of fishy juice (eeww).  But since I placed my trust in the quality and freshness of Hachi, I brought on one ikura sushi at first.  The roe were firm looking and vibrant.  Once I took a bite, there was a burst of subtle salmon flavour mixed with a natural sweetness popping in my mouth.  The ikura was wonderful and tasted like a gift from the sea! Tried and test, I ordered 2 more, and 2 more.  I was hooked, and will be going back for more.

Grilled kanpachi (amberjack) $5.50.  It was torched to crisp.  At first we thought it was way to black, but after peeling off the skin, it was doable.  The meat was flakey and buttery.

The miso soup ($1.50) was served with a prawn head, which is probably my favourite part of the prawn as it carries the most fat and flavour.  The soup had the sweet taste of prawn and even more concentrated flavour from the prawn fat being cooked in with the broth.

If you are a sushi lover and want to taste fresh sushi with quality in mind over quantity, Hachi is definitely a place worth a visit.   The price is a bit more expensive than other Japanese restaurants, but for the freshness and the grade you receive, it is definitely worth the value.

Sakura Sushi
After passing by Sakura Sushi without noticing it for the past 3 months, their coupon, "Spend $7 get a free california roll" finally got my attention.  This sweet deal lasts until May 31st!  Their menu is fairly in expensive as well, with lunch combo's being around $7-$8, and good quality sushi from $1 - $2.  In terms of bang for buck, I can't think of anywhere else with a better deal.

We got miso soup at the beginning of the meal.  There was nothing in it, but it was free, so Yay.  

The chirashi don was very eye pleasing for just $12.  The ikura, you can tell, were slightly wilted and not as plump looking as the ones at Hachi.  They also didn't give a full burst, but they were not fishy.  The chirashi came with mackerel, tuna, red snapper, ikura, scallops, squid, sweet shrimp, ebi, surf clam, sweet egg and octopus.  A full house!

I thought Banzai and Samurai Sushi had a good deal for prawn tempura ($6.95 for 7 pieces).   Sakura Sushi seems to rival the two, $6 for 6 pieces.  The only difference is, Sakura's tempura are a lot better, fresher, and crispier.  The prawn stays crisp, as perfect as they can get without being over or undercooked.  

Nigiri Sushi

Aside from rolls and combo's, Sakura Sushi makes pretty good nigiri sushi at reasonable prices.  They are quite good for value as quality and care are definitely present.  

Uni sushi for $1.50 (regularly $3 / piece) a week ago while it was still in season.  It still came with familiar faint fishy taste that was fairly mild and forgivable for a price of $1.50.  I think the only way to rid that stench is to eat the uni right after you crack it from the shell.  I know I had a lot worse elsewhere and paying double.

Not many people can appreciate the strong tasting saba or mackerel.  I can't handle the ones that are too fishy either.  At Sakura Sushi, the saba $1.25 is served with grated ginger to help tone down the strong taste.  The sushi was quite fresh with minimal fishy taste, very tender with a buttery finish.

I thought the zuke sushi $1.75 was really unique and delicious.  It's basically tuna marinated in soy sauce, sake and mirin (sweet rice wine), which gave it a sweet, delicate flavour with a bit of a kick.

Toro (tuna belly) for $1.75 each.  Ours were seared, but they're normally served fresh.  They weren't melt-in-your-mouth good like at Hachi, but descent, nonetheless.

Other honourable mentions include unagi sushi which is on special for $1 (regularly $1.50).  It was buttery, moist, flakey, sweet, and flavourful.  I was never a fan of eel because I usually find a problem with its texture, but unagi sushi is quite tasty even if you're not a fan of eel.  Also try aji, or Jack Mackerel which is also on the special for $1.50.  Like saba, it has a stronger fishy taste than other fish, but I find aji to be more mild, also very tender and buttery as well.