Ottawa Foodies

A great disappointment.

Kinki used to be the one sushi place I could depend on for quality creative Japanese food, but it seems to have lost all inspiration on ingredient quality and even presentation. But most disappointing was the bland taste.

My boyfriend and I have been going to Kinki for about 2 years now, but after last night's meal we don't plan to eat there again.

I used to love the Thai coconut curry soup, but the recipe has changed. It came gluey and overly thick, with the bowl not even half full. After the first bite, I had to send it back (I NEVER send food back). There was no coconut flavour and it was so spicy it would have made me sick to eat it. Our server took it back without question, and even admitted to me that other customers have complained about this soup. I had it replaced with the miso soup, but it was also very disappointing. This recipe has changed as well, and no longer has the nice slices of mushroom in it - or much flavour at all! It was bland and had ramen noodles in it, which I have not been served at this restaurant before in the miso soup. My boyfriend ordered the Yoga maki roll, and said it was bland and had none of the sushi rice vinegar flavour he used to like on it.

The server was very apologetic and offered my boyfriend and I free dessert to make up for the soup. They brought us the molten lava cake (one serving only), which was okay, but nothing impressive. It was very small (about 6 teaspoons worth).

The worst part about the evening was we were so dissatisfied by the meal that we felt like eating something else at a takeout place before going home. However, it took over 2 hours to get our meager meal, and most places (being Sunday) were shut when we left.

I would warn anyone who likes Kinki but hasn't been in a while to approach their next visit with caution. It felt like spending 5-star prices on 2-star food.

I will not be returning.

Visited Kinki last weekend with some relatives from out of town. Our party of ten was accomodated in the basement (all in the 26-33 age group). Great atmosphere & music for a dinner before hitting a club afterwards.

We ordered a variety of appetizers (edemame, veggie tempura, spring rolls, dumplings) which were enjoyed by all.

Next we ordered a variety of maki rolls to share. Presentation is impressive. Kinki, Sky High, Crispy Crunch rolls were our favourites. Mango Unagi roll was our least favourite (I've had it here before and was better other times).

Great cocktails and martinis (ladies loved the wild orchid - litchee, and the kung fu). The kinki mojitos were the drink of choice for the guys.

Yes, Kinki is not a traditional sushi restaurant, more of an asian fusion. I don't understand the negative reviews as I have eaten here many times and never had a bad meal.

NOTE: we had two non-sushi eaters, who ordered some other items (duck and chicken based) who also enjoyed their meals.

The service is probably the only negative thing I would say weve experienced in our many visits. Our server was nice this last trip, however not always there when we needed another round of drinks. Also we had one table eating apps while the other tables app's arrived 20 minutes later.

Overall, I would say the meal was enjoable and I would definately go back.

My sister and I took a chance on Kinki for her birthday a few days ago. We ordered the Edamame, Thai Coconut Curry Soup, Tempura Shrimp and Kinki Veggie rolls. We also had drinks, I had the Kinki mojito and my sister the Hello Kitty.

While the food and drinks were pretty good. I have to admit, its not at all authentic, and the restaurant, by judge of the other diners in the restaurant at the time, does tend to rely on the 'bar-goer' crowd.

In addition, the service was rather slow througout the meal, despite there being only 3-4 tables sat in the restaurant and it was VERY overpriced.

I may go back for a second try, but will likely stick to Genji or Ichibei for my Ottawa sushi going.

Cheers!

Terrible fake sushi place which survives on unknowing club-goers and tourists. Before I mention the food, others have confirmed my experience with the service - atrocious. We went in the winter and a waitress was smoking with the front door half open to keep warm while everyone in the restaurant shivered. We waited over 45 minutes for appetizers and the food was just a joke when it finally arrived. We would have walked out except you know you reach that point where you are so hungry that you can't bear to think of finding another place. Pathetic fish preparation, not fresh and the rice was entirely without vingegar/sugar. The chefs obviously have never eaten real sushi let alone been taught to make it. Avoid at all costs. Even the mediocre Wasabi one street over is substantially better. For a $10 cab ride, go to Genji, Ichibei or Suisha Gardens in Centretown and save yourself some frustration.

Was here for a birthday party in April. The menu is different from the website, as has been previously written. That being said, my hot and sour duck soup and 6pc tsunami roll (tuna, something crunchy and spicy mayonnaise on top) were both delicious. Service was a little slow however, which was strange because it wasn't busy.

Janet is hungry - the menu on the website is almost completely different from their actual menu...

When I called in a few days ago, I mentioned this to the guy - and it doesn't seem like they plan on changing that anytime soon...

It's too bad that they have to revert to those methods to draw people in...

I ate at Kinki maybe a year and half ago and really enjoyed it. I went again last week and was very disappointed. I feel this restaurant has gone downhill.

My biggest issue was that they list many items on their website menu that aren't included on the menu at the restaurant.

And speaking of the menu, the one that I was handed was a mess. The plastic sleeves that held the menu inserts were sticky and gross, and all the menu pages were sloppy and mismatched.

Although I wasn't able to order the food I had planned (from their website), the food I did get was tasty. I still don't think I'll go back though.

Ugh. Disappointing.

Coming from the west coast, I expext, at the very least, fresh fish. The "red snapper", according to a Kinki server, is really frozen tilapia.

This overpriced place has a cute patio (love the bamboo!) but the sushi is lame.

ok - who cares about the girl on the website! The hot and sexy waiter is what it's all about :) I would definitely go back for that... he he :) wow. anyway...

I went to Kinki last night while I was waiting to pick up a prescription (long story...) and I ordered the salad (it might be called the kinki salad) with 4 types of greens and miso sauce. I had to ask for more miso sauce because it was a little flavorless. I have to say that I prefer the raw miso salad dressing I make because it is a little sweeter. For some reason, they had a couple of fried crispy chips on top of my salad...maybe it's part of the "kinki sex appeal" lol...anyway I could have gone without that.

I ordered a couple of girly drinks that weren't strong - but hey, what's new? That's not much different from the majority of mainstream restaurants I go to. The better of the two was called "the drunken sailor" or freshman..or something drunken he he

I thought about indulging in the happy hour specials for sushi but I wasn't really in the mood. So i ordered the "diem phoquin gud" which was grilled flank steak with a szechuan cream reduction and crispy shitake mushrooms and fried shrimp on top of vegetables with a side of rice. I ordered it medium rare and oh my God..it was so good and so filling - I couldn't even finish half of it (mind you, I hadn't eaten since morning and wasn't all that hungry anymore).

After first tasting the steak, I almost called the waiter to ask for more sauce..but then...the flavor slowly started to take over my mouth until it finally burst out and left me wanting more. (he he...better then sex). It was so tender and honestly, I think it was cooked to perfection. I liked the contrast of the cream steak slices with the crispy mushrooms. The fried shrimp wasn't greasy and it seemed to have a slight hint of coconut.

It was definitely a meal to remember and I'm glad I tried it but next time I will definitely try the sushi tapas. I'd like to try the twisted brunch one day too. Hopefully, I will get the same waiter ;)

Oh F is H ... you made my day ... showing me that it CAN be done .... Take on the Big Machine and win !

Thanks for giving me some hope.

Leave it to the Brits to push back the McCulture coming from Corporate America.

Reminds me of the famous McLibel trials ... also in England:

www.mcspotlight.org

This is found on the www.mcspotlight.org/ website.

Had edamame here at their 'happy hour' -- fair-sized bowl for $6 -- and was impressed. Beans done just right, coated with enough salt to taste (but not be too salty) and toasted sesame seeds (a nice touch, which added good flavour). A few warmed bean sprouts were added to the top, as a garnish; not necessary, but they didn't get in the way of the main attraction, and they spruced up the look of an otherwise plain bowl of green.

We had the tempura here and I wasn't all that impressed. There was a lot of it for an appetizer - 10+ pieces. The pieces were fairly large and difficult to eat. I found it greasy though it was crispy. There wasn't a lot of batter, either.

I would've liked to have the shrimp tempura (my favourite) but their mixed tempura is shrimp, scallops and crawfish.

I wouldn't order it again.

Great trendy decor, great service, good sushi.
BUT!!
The miso soup wasn't very good; The chunks of tofu were too big and the noodles were overcooked in my opinion.
The sushi is WAY overpriced for the amount you get. It cost 80$ for me and my boyfriend and we were still so hungry when we left we had to pick up more food on the way home.

Fine place for someone with a thick wallet and little appetite.

We ordered the Kinki Roll, Fire Roll, Rainbow Roll, Hamachi nigiri(Yellowtail). The Hamachi was amazing: there was a large slice on a average to smaller bed of rice.

The presentation was very well done - the 12 pieces (happy hour portions) of each roll came on a square plate and was accented using small pieces of palm, ginger and little balls of wasabi.

The rolls were all very good - the Kinki roll could've used a bit more tempura and were slightly awkward to eat. Because of the size we had to bite it (what a no-no) or risk not being able to talk for a good two minutes. The Fire roll wasn't exactly hot or spicy, but definitely had some flavour. The rainbow roll was decent.

Over the past few years I've dined here numerous times with colleagues and friends. Nice decor and ambiance, but the sushi just can't compete with other local establishments. The KINKI roll was alright for a specialty type roll (flash fried and drizzled with a sweet sauce). I can't stress this enough - avoid the hot & sour soup!

The server on my last visit was very knowledgeable about the menu (especially the sake) and our wait time was reasonable. I would return, but not on my own accord - maybe if someone else is footing the bill :)

kmennie, if you want good vegetarian sushi, try the "Land and Sea Roll" at Sushi88 (Sushi 88). It's a typical inside out (sesame coated) maki roll, filled with wakame (seaweed), and cucumber. About as tasty as vegetarian sushi gets! ;)

I'm ashamed to admit this, but I tried sushi for the first time just recently.

From this place. And?

Meh. That's it? Bland, boring.

Caveat: this was vegetarian "sushi."

Had sushi a couple of times here, and each time was pleased -- good flavours and textures, well-presented. Best I've ever had? Not at all. Good enough both times to leave satisfied? Yes.

Last time there, I had the 'mango unagi' maki, which was excellent -- grilled eel and cucumber with a splash of mango drizzle; a good combination, and the eel had a particularly nice flavour. Mrs. Ozonator had the 'ichiban' maki -- salmon and avocado, in a large-ish roll, also tasty.