Foods from C'est Japon à Suisha
Comments
2014 Apr 28
It had been ages—ages!—since my wife and I had eaten sushi at a sit-down place, so we decided to head to C'est Japon à Suisha for my birthday.
It did not disappoint, let me tell you. Everything was delicious. The agedashi tofu was a great savoury starter. My sushi was great: I was particularly enamoured by the raw shrimp, something that I'd never tried before.
They've got (to my novice eyes) a fairly decent selection of quality sake, too. We only tried one, but there were so many that we wanted to come back and sample.
I don't know if we'd ever make this our regular sushi haunt, because of the cost (I think our dinner for two, with a bottle of sake and desserts, ended up costing $180 or something). Yes, I know that good sushi should deserve its premium, but there are places far closer that are perfectly fine.
It did not disappoint, let me tell you. Everything was delicious. The agedashi tofu was a great savoury starter. My sushi was great: I was particularly enamoured by the raw shrimp, something that I'd never tried before.
They've got (to my novice eyes) a fairly decent selection of quality sake, too. We only tried one, but there were so many that we wanted to come back and sample.
I don't know if we'd ever make this our regular sushi haunt, because of the cost (I think our dinner for two, with a bottle of sake and desserts, ended up costing $180 or something). Yes, I know that good sushi should deserve its premium, but there are places far closer that are perfectly fine.
2014 Apr 23
I went for a splurge supper with a friend a few weeks ago. I was NOT disappointed. I got the Agedashi Tofu appetizer and the Chirashi sushi. Both were fantastic. Even the rice was out of this world -- hard to stop eating!
But, I just have to comment on the tofu. I've ordered this dish before, and Suisha's is by far the best. The tofu is impossibly light, the sauce savory and the bonito flakes had just the right salty-ocean touch. I'm craving some right now.
But, I just have to comment on the tofu. I've ordered this dish before, and Suisha's is by far the best. The tofu is impossibly light, the sauce savory and the bonito flakes had just the right salty-ocean touch. I'm craving some right now.
2013 Sep 2
Dropped in for lunch at noon on a weekday to treat myself as it had been a very cruddy week. I was initially only going to order the karaage lunch special which included seven pieces of karaage, one small bowl of rice and salad but I decided to tack on some nigiri sushi: tuna, salmon, eel and mackerel.
It wasn't super busy but there were still more people there than I expected. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't have time to get back to the office. Six to seven minutes later, the waitress puts my sushi on the table. One thing to note is that the mackerel sushi is garnished with a small amount of ginger and green onion. Overall, the sushi was good but not mind-blowing. I was slightly disappointed that the sushi had thinner slices of fish when compared to other sushi restaurants at cheaper price points.
The karaage lunch special arrived three to four minutes after the sushi. I was very impressed with the karaage. What I really liked was the contrast between the crispy and seasoned exterior with the juicy, succulent and slightly fatty interior. Putting some lemon juice on the karaage makes it even better. To balance out the meat, there was a generous amount of salad, which I liberally covered with the delicious ginger salad dressing.
I will most likely return here for the lunch specials as they are well priced at 13-14 dollars and they come out very fast. Unfortunately, I may look elsewhere for sushi as I feel that the taste does not justify the price premium.
It wasn't super busy but there were still more people there than I expected. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't have time to get back to the office. Six to seven minutes later, the waitress puts my sushi on the table. One thing to note is that the mackerel sushi is garnished with a small amount of ginger and green onion. Overall, the sushi was good but not mind-blowing. I was slightly disappointed that the sushi had thinner slices of fish when compared to other sushi restaurants at cheaper price points.
The karaage lunch special arrived three to four minutes after the sushi. I was very impressed with the karaage. What I really liked was the contrast between the crispy and seasoned exterior with the juicy, succulent and slightly fatty interior. Putting some lemon juice on the karaage makes it even better. To balance out the meat, there was a generous amount of salad, which I liberally covered with the delicious ginger salad dressing.
I will most likely return here for the lunch specials as they are well priced at 13-14 dollars and they come out very fast. Unfortunately, I may look elsewhere for sushi as I feel that the taste does not justify the price premium.
2013 May 1
The Niko Niko Udon lunch special pictured here includes:
- 3 shrimp tempura
- some vegetable tempura
- a udon in clear broth
- 6 California rolls
This is a favourite of mine here. You get a little bit of everything. The broth is tasty but not too salty. The noodle is just a little chewy, not overcooked. A few of the Japanese spicy flakes also adds a nice kick to it. The sushi is very fresh.
Service is always very attentive despite the place always being almost full at lunch time. As i read the reviews below, i would agree that the quality has varied over time but it is back to high quality now.
- 3 shrimp tempura
- some vegetable tempura
- a udon in clear broth
- 6 California rolls
This is a favourite of mine here. You get a little bit of everything. The broth is tasty but not too salty. The noodle is just a little chewy, not overcooked. A few of the Japanese spicy flakes also adds a nice kick to it. The sushi is very fresh.
Service is always very attentive despite the place always being almost full at lunch time. As i read the reviews below, i would agree that the quality has varied over time but it is back to high quality now.
2011 Oct 29
Upon entering with my friend, I was greeted by the manager with a friendly "Ohayo gozaimasu." We were led to our seats by the hostess who then gave us hot towels to wash our hands. While deciding to order, saw an ad on the table stating that if you order before 6PM from Tuesday to Thursday, the restaurant will take 10% off.
I ordered a bowl of miso soup, chicken kara-age, maguro nigiri (originally ordered toro nigiri but they were out of toro), unagi nigiri, salmon skin roll, spicy salmon roll and spider roll. Miso soup was good on a cold day. It wasn't too salty and there were chopped green onions and cubes of tofu floating in the soup. The chicken kara-age is deep fried pieces of chicken and it was delicious. The pieces of chicken were large and moist. Sprinkling it with some lemon added another dimension to the taste. All of the nigiri and sushi rolls were well-formed and tasted good. The only complaint I have is that the spider roll was enormous. It was extremely hard to get your mouth around each piece.
Extremely good and well worth the price.
I ordered a bowl of miso soup, chicken kara-age, maguro nigiri (originally ordered toro nigiri but they were out of toro), unagi nigiri, salmon skin roll, spicy salmon roll and spider roll. Miso soup was good on a cold day. It wasn't too salty and there were chopped green onions and cubes of tofu floating in the soup. The chicken kara-age is deep fried pieces of chicken and it was delicious. The pieces of chicken were large and moist. Sprinkling it with some lemon added another dimension to the taste. All of the nigiri and sushi rolls were well-formed and tasted good. The only complaint I have is that the spider roll was enormous. It was extremely hard to get your mouth around each piece.
Extremely good and well worth the price.
2011 Jul 26
No comment on this restau specifically - just a general observation... I find 'Chef's choice' is a true test of a sushi place.
The confident, creative places will ensure at least half your plate is something that, if perhaps you've tried before, you haven't had often, perhaps with a novel flourish.
The vast majority of places play it safe, and give pretty much exactly what you got - the ever present california roll, tuna, salmon, nagiri, shrimp, etc.
Which bugs me because if i'm putting my faith in the Sushi Chef, it's to give me what's awesome, not what's to be expected.
The confident, creative places will ensure at least half your plate is something that, if perhaps you've tried before, you haven't had often, perhaps with a novel flourish.
The vast majority of places play it safe, and give pretty much exactly what you got - the ever present california roll, tuna, salmon, nagiri, shrimp, etc.
Which bugs me because if i'm putting my faith in the Sushi Chef, it's to give me what's awesome, not what's to be expected.
2011 Jul 25
I'd been wanting to try this place for years but never got around to it until last week, when my boyfriend and I went for dinner.
Being a fan of pretty much anything that comes out of the ocean, I'm always paralyzed with indecision when confronted with a sushi menu, so I chose the "Fuji" combination: chef's choice of 8 nigiri and 8 roll pieces. I ended up with a California roll and tuna, salmon, shrimp and some sort of whitefish (yellowtail?) nigiri. Everything was perfectly fresh and beautifully prepared, but I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed by the chef's choice. I find California rolls in general quite boring and it would have been nice to have a couple of pieces of more exotic nigiri (although I did enjoy everything I had). It makes sense that the chef would want to appeal to the broadest possible range of tastes (including those who don't like to eat wiggly tentacle-y things), and I guess this will teach me to be more decisive next time!
My boyfriend had the steak teriyaki and thought it was very good, although he was a bit perplexed by the sides of carrots and potatoes. He had been expecting something a bit less... North American, perhaps?
Our server was very polite and attentive without being obtrusive or getting in the way -- a rarity in Ottawa! We both enjoyed our meal very much and I'm looking forward to going back and trying some more of the sushi offerings.
Being a fan of pretty much anything that comes out of the ocean, I'm always paralyzed with indecision when confronted with a sushi menu, so I chose the "Fuji" combination: chef's choice of 8 nigiri and 8 roll pieces. I ended up with a California roll and tuna, salmon, shrimp and some sort of whitefish (yellowtail?) nigiri. Everything was perfectly fresh and beautifully prepared, but I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed by the chef's choice. I find California rolls in general quite boring and it would have been nice to have a couple of pieces of more exotic nigiri (although I did enjoy everything I had). It makes sense that the chef would want to appeal to the broadest possible range of tastes (including those who don't like to eat wiggly tentacle-y things), and I guess this will teach me to be more decisive next time!
My boyfriend had the steak teriyaki and thought it was very good, although he was a bit perplexed by the sides of carrots and potatoes. He had been expecting something a bit less... North American, perhaps?
Our server was very polite and attentive without being obtrusive or getting in the way -- a rarity in Ottawa! We both enjoyed our meal very much and I'm looking forward to going back and trying some more of the sushi offerings.
2011 Jul 20
Went there for Lunch today, and I really enjoyed it. I found the decor nice and such, and I liked some of the items and art they had on display.
The service was nice.
I had the Sukiyaki Beef, Teriyaki Beef and Sushi for lunch. The sushi was a piece of salmon, shrimp, red snapper and a roll. I found the sushi to be okay. Not as good as homemade, but not the worst I'v ever had. It was in the top 30% I'd say.
The beef was really nicely cooked, and the sauce was good, but I found it stringy. The Chicken however was tender and juicy and flavourful.
In short, I liked it for lunch and would recommend it.
The service was nice.
I had the Sukiyaki Beef, Teriyaki Beef and Sushi for lunch. The sushi was a piece of salmon, shrimp, red snapper and a roll. I found the sushi to be okay. Not as good as homemade, but not the worst I'v ever had. It was in the top 30% I'd say.
The beef was really nicely cooked, and the sauce was good, but I found it stringy. The Chicken however was tender and juicy and flavourful.
In short, I liked it for lunch and would recommend it.
2011 Jun 14
FreshFoodie, were you there late? Because amusingly, I went for the first time ever Saturday around 8:30pm til we were the last to leave, two of us sitting in the back past two groups.
We were hungry for good sushi, and I wanted to try something else than Genji. I'm happy I did. Prices are similar - on the higher side - but you do get the quality.
Yaki-gyoza: nice to see both types of gyoza, pan- and deep-pried. I had the pan-fried, and it was light, perfectly cooked, flavourful; could bite into it immediately without it burning your tongue from the meat cooked too much - an excellent start.
Vegetable tempura were thinly-coated, making for still-crisp but warm and tasty bites. Unusual inclusions were the nori sheet and the lotus flower (so my friend thinks). Also: eggplant, yay!
For authenticity, it was nice to see more than one type of natto in the appetizers.
Hamachi-maki: Yellowtail and onion roll. Nice soft flavour, the fish not too cold, pleasant, but maybe not worth the $9 price.
Eel roll: I was hoping for freshly-grilled eel like Ichibei used to do, but it also wasn't long-ago grilled but now cold - it still had some warmth. Maybe if we had been much earlier it would have been freshly-grilled? Worth a try. :) It still was quite tasty, the cucumber adding a nice crunch to the chewiness of the eel.
Philadelphia roll: My friend loves cream cheese as a roll ingredient, and this one was quite nicely done, coming in at the end of the smoked salmon and cucumber for a very nice finish.
Kamikaze roll: oh sweet lord, I nearly moaned loudly in the restaurant. Tuna, avocado, spicy mayo, rolled in tempura flakes. The meld of different textures and flavours on the tongue hit me and just wouldn't let go. I happily abdicated higher brain functions to it. Yes, it's $12 but it's a big roll and there's 8 pieces, so you get both quantity and quality. A clear winner.
We decided we had a little space left, so we split two orders of nigiris. The sea bass nigiri smelled strongly of that "fish" smell, and had some on the taste - I can't remember if I've had sea bass before and if it's supposed to taste this way. We finished with the very nice salmon nigiri which had no reproach. And yes, the rice with it was quite wonderful.
I should note I did not dip anything in soya sauce - it did not need to, having more than enough flavour on its own.
My friend had the ginger ice cream to finish, and absolutely loved it, the solid pieces not being overly ginger-sour. I had the sticky rice with red bean paste rolled in sesame (forget the actual name, and the dessert menu is not online), and it was quite interesting and fun, but difficult to cut. Not overly sweet, but also not overly salty.
I should have tried the green tea - it would not have added much to the total.
Final bill with tax and tip was $94 - definitely not cheap, but two apps, four rolls totalling 24 pieces, four nigiris and two desserts is quite a bit of food. I wasn't hungry at all, and I had not eaten anything substantial that day.
As pointed by FF, one of the combos with one side roll is probably a much better value, but if you want to splurge, this place offers the quality with a different selection than Genji, making them complementary rather than competitive.
Also, finally another Japanese restaurant with a decent and intriguing selection of cold sakés. Next time, if I can be with someone with whom I can share. :)
We were hungry for good sushi, and I wanted to try something else than Genji. I'm happy I did. Prices are similar - on the higher side - but you do get the quality.
Yaki-gyoza: nice to see both types of gyoza, pan- and deep-pried. I had the pan-fried, and it was light, perfectly cooked, flavourful; could bite into it immediately without it burning your tongue from the meat cooked too much - an excellent start.
Vegetable tempura were thinly-coated, making for still-crisp but warm and tasty bites. Unusual inclusions were the nori sheet and the lotus flower (so my friend thinks). Also: eggplant, yay!
For authenticity, it was nice to see more than one type of natto in the appetizers.
Hamachi-maki: Yellowtail and onion roll. Nice soft flavour, the fish not too cold, pleasant, but maybe not worth the $9 price.
Eel roll: I was hoping for freshly-grilled eel like Ichibei used to do, but it also wasn't long-ago grilled but now cold - it still had some warmth. Maybe if we had been much earlier it would have been freshly-grilled? Worth a try. :) It still was quite tasty, the cucumber adding a nice crunch to the chewiness of the eel.
Philadelphia roll: My friend loves cream cheese as a roll ingredient, and this one was quite nicely done, coming in at the end of the smoked salmon and cucumber for a very nice finish.
Kamikaze roll: oh sweet lord, I nearly moaned loudly in the restaurant. Tuna, avocado, spicy mayo, rolled in tempura flakes. The meld of different textures and flavours on the tongue hit me and just wouldn't let go. I happily abdicated higher brain functions to it. Yes, it's $12 but it's a big roll and there's 8 pieces, so you get both quantity and quality. A clear winner.
We decided we had a little space left, so we split two orders of nigiris. The sea bass nigiri smelled strongly of that "fish" smell, and had some on the taste - I can't remember if I've had sea bass before and if it's supposed to taste this way. We finished with the very nice salmon nigiri which had no reproach. And yes, the rice with it was quite wonderful.
I should note I did not dip anything in soya sauce - it did not need to, having more than enough flavour on its own.
My friend had the ginger ice cream to finish, and absolutely loved it, the solid pieces not being overly ginger-sour. I had the sticky rice with red bean paste rolled in sesame (forget the actual name, and the dessert menu is not online), and it was quite interesting and fun, but difficult to cut. Not overly sweet, but also not overly salty.
I should have tried the green tea - it would not have added much to the total.
Final bill with tax and tip was $94 - definitely not cheap, but two apps, four rolls totalling 24 pieces, four nigiris and two desserts is quite a bit of food. I wasn't hungry at all, and I had not eaten anything substantial that day.
As pointed by FF, one of the combos with one side roll is probably a much better value, but if you want to splurge, this place offers the quality with a different selection than Genji, making them complementary rather than competitive.
Also, finally another Japanese restaurant with a decent and intriguing selection of cold sakés. Next time, if I can be with someone with whom I can share. :)
Older
Sushi 6
2011 Jun 12
This is stellar sushi! The rolls are small and delicate, made with rice that is both smaller and softer than usual. If you're used to the cold, almost crunchy, texture of pre-made grocery store sushi or the haphazardly assembled and variable AYCE fare, you will be delighted by the sensuality of mouth-feel available here!
California Roll was perfectly balanced in flavour and texture. Probably the best I've had anywhere.
Kamikaze Roll was very nice, with a small and welcome kick of spice.
Nigiri was as good as I would expect, but I'm not familiar with it enough to judge as I don't usually explicitly order it. My combo box came with shrimp, salmon, and some kind of whitefish. All were super mild tasting and very tender. My experience has been that "bland" is a compliment when it comes to nigiri and sashimi. ;-)
The sushi is excellent but it isn't cheap. California Roll went for $8 and the Kamikaze was $12. Yeah, my whole bento box with soup was cheaper than wifey's two rolls!! Still... you can't ignore quality, so I consider this sushi worth paying for.
California Roll was perfectly balanced in flavour and texture. Probably the best I've had anywhere.
Kamikaze Roll was very nice, with a small and welcome kick of spice.
Nigiri was as good as I would expect, but I'm not familiar with it enough to judge as I don't usually explicitly order it. My combo box came with shrimp, salmon, and some kind of whitefish. All were super mild tasting and very tender. My experience has been that "bland" is a compliment when it comes to nigiri and sashimi. ;-)
The sushi is excellent but it isn't cheap. California Roll went for $8 and the Kamikaze was $12. Yeah, my whole bento box with soup was cheaper than wifey's two rolls!! Still... you can't ignore quality, so I consider this sushi worth paying for.
2008 Nov 27
I'm vegan too. I'm afraid I wasn't impressed at all by the Sushi.
Mers you need to get out more.
Where were the classics for veggies, like tempura Sweet Potato (make sure there is no egg in the batter when you have it) and Avocado - Asparagus, Oyster Mushroom and Avocado - Sticky Fermented Bean Roll or Vegetarian Dragon Roll? Probably because these rolls most likely were developed in the new world.
The veggie sushi here was basic at best.
Mers you need to get out more.
Where were the classics for veggies, like tempura Sweet Potato (make sure there is no egg in the batter when you have it) and Avocado - Asparagus, Oyster Mushroom and Avocado - Sticky Fermented Bean Roll or Vegetarian Dragon Roll? Probably because these rolls most likely were developed in the new world.
The veggie sushi here was basic at best.
2012 May 30
With several other Ottawa Foodies folks, I attended the first-ever Izakaya event here. The experience was excellent overall and everyone I spoke to was very happy to have been part of it.
The focus of Izakaya is on small tapas-like sharing plates and sake. There was a large selection (30+) of small plates to choose from, ranging in price from $4 to $15. Portions were ideal for two people to share, so we asked for a knife and tasted tiny morsels of everything at our table of five. This worked quite well.
The food quality, preparation, and presentation was up to C'est Japon à Suisha's usual high standard. Service was absolutely stellar, with Liz expertly juggling our various food and drink requests and seemingly even reading our minds when we wanted to change a small Sapporo order to a large.
Highly recommended!
For reference, and possibly for future announcements of Izakaya events: www.japaninottawa.com/izakaya/
The focus of Izakaya is on small tapas-like sharing plates and sake. There was a large selection (30+) of small plates to choose from, ranging in price from $4 to $15. Portions were ideal for two people to share, so we asked for a knife and tasted tiny morsels of everything at our table of five. This worked quite well.
The food quality, preparation, and presentation was up to C'est Japon à Suisha's usual high standard. Service was absolutely stellar, with Liz expertly juggling our various food and drink requests and seemingly even reading our minds when we wanted to change a small Sapporo order to a large.
Highly recommended!
For reference, and possibly for future announcements of Izakaya events: www.japaninottawa.com/izakaya/
LF