Ottawa Foodies

Went here for dinner last night and gorged myself on sushi and cold, frosty Kirin beer.

The sushi was pretty OK: loved my scallop sushi (very fresh, very sweet-tasting in a good way), wasn't too fond of the unagi (not very smoky, very sweet-tasting in an is-this-teriyaki-sauce-from-a-bottle sort of way), could take or leave the yellowtail and salmon skin ones (they're pretty light on fish).

Soy sauce at the table was pretty salty. Very difficult to get just a little hint of it in every bite.

If I lived in Bells Corners, though, I'd definitely go more often.

The food was just delicious. Nothing fancy, just good cooking. We are crazy and went here on Valentines day night... in a snow storm! The service was amazing. We were warmly greeted (after I had changed the reservation a million times) they were so great about it. I felt so bad on one of there busy nights of the year, but they were more then accomadating. We had the sushi to start and our friends had the tempura. The sushi was wonderful, fresh, perfect sizes, melt in your mouth. The tempura was light and crispy not greasy. Wonderful! Three of us had the sauteed shrimp. I don't know what they put in the sauce but it is way too yummy for words. The final diner had a wonderfully cooked beef tenderlion. All main were served with steamed rice & fresh cooked vegetables. (green beans, carrot & turnip) Not traditional by any means, but delicious and perfect sides to the dish. The owner is quite friendly and seems to know his patrons well. He visited our table several times to check on how everything was, which was great since the place was packed! At the end of the night they gave each women a wonderful candle holder and chocolate roses for valentines day. Just a wonderful way to end the evening. Our only question at the end of the night (since we had been here before) is why do we not frequent more often?? We will now!

The sushi here is consistently well assembled, artfully presented, and the rice is perfectly cooked. As you can see in the photo, the kanpyo maki (pickled gourd) is more generously portioned than other places. This gives it a mouth-feel more like raw fish. Good for them!

If you seek good sushi in the west end of town, Taste of Japan is an excellent choice.

The Shrimp Tempura appetizer was average. Not bad but it tasted as though it might have sat for a few minutes before being served. You get 3 shrimp and a few pieces of vegetable tempura, rather than the more common 5 shrimp and no vegetables. Whether this is good or bad depends on your preference. :-)

Wifey ordered the Ika-no Tempura, which is squid tempura. This was fantastic! The pieces of squid were incredibly tender and tasty.