Feels like forever since I wrote a restaurant experience post here. I was quite busy preparing for the Baker’s Market and the Make It! craft show. They all went very well, and we already have some supporters. We will be doing another market near Christmas time — super excited! I will be posting more details as the date is closer.
Tuna Goma-ae — $5.75
Anyways, onto a post that was meant to be written much earlier than now. Did I tell you that I love sushi? It is not that surprising because sushi and/or Japanese restaurants are to be found almost everywhere in Vancouver. This post is a summary of my several visits to Sakura Sushi, located in plaza on No.3 Road in Richmond BC. The first time I visited this restaurant was about a year ago. I was a bit skeptical when I first went because the place is so small, which made me wonder how much they had to offer. This is sort of a hidden gem, maybe not so much anymore because it has became more busy lately. The restaurant is run by Japanese people, serving up some authentic flavours. It is quite a tiny place, it can maybe accommodate about 15 people. So you can’t always find seats there, sometimes we just like to get take-out and enjoy at home.
The photo above is the Tuna Goma-ae, it is one of my recommendations for Sakura Sushi, I haven’t seen this dish elsewhere (at least yet). If you like the flavour of toasted sesame, you will like this. The tender and almost luscious tuna here goes very well with the sesame sauce because the tuna itself is not super flavourful so the sesame added the necessary taste and flavours.
Chopped Scallop Roll — $3.75
Sakura Roll — $5.50
My other recommendation the Sakura Roll, it is their original house roll, what they call the “Canadian Futomaki”. I actually quite enjoy well made Futomaki though I haven’t tried theirs. So the Sakura Roll consists of imitation crab meat (the ones found in California rolls), salmon, tuna, Japanese sweetened omelette, avocado and cucumbers. Because all the filling is so mild tasting, you can taste all of the individual ingredients, though it might take more than one bite to eat the whole piece. Maybe it is the sweetness of the omelette and imitation crab meat that I like. The chopped scallop was also tasty and fresh, but nothing extraordinary.
House Salad — $3
My third recommendation is their House Salad, and by the way, all these recommendations are just my own opinion. What I like about this salad is honestly its simplicity. It is just fresh greens, some avocado with shredded daikon and carrots. But the difference was in the dressing, I cannot really tell all the ingredients in it but there is definitely miso. It is a delicious Asian style dressing, it is not acidic, it is rather salty and a tiny bit sweet.
Avocado Roll — $3.25
You can never go wrong with the avocado roll, it is just simple and good.
Salmon Avocado Roll — $4.25
And adding salmon to it? Even better, the texture and richness of the salmon and avocado pairs perfectly.
Tuna Tataki
The tuna tataki was good and refreshing with the ponzu sauce.
Unagi Tamago Roll — $4.50
Like my comment with the Sakura Roll, I like the sweetness of this combination of unagi and omelette. The unagi sauce also adds a nice touch.
Overall, I enjoyed my visits to Sakura Sushi, their authentic Japanese flavours and ingredients. I really like that their food is also very affordable, and with that quality, it is a no-brainer that I will be visiting again. If you are visiting, be sure to check their hours of operation, they are closed 7pm daily and for Sundays and holidays.
Anyways, back to the black cod. The fish was incredibly tender and rich, and the miso taste was very mild, which didn’t overpower the taste of the fish. It was served with some daikon oroshi and a slice of pickled lotus root. The portion, again wasn’t big. The fish was about three-quarters of my hand (and my hand, my friends, isn’t big).
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