Ottawa Foodies

Since we live in the west end, this is where we usually head for our sushi fix. There is nothing spectacular about the decor or the menu, but it is very reliable - we never fail to get a friendly greeting and good service, and the food is fresh and well presented. (As an aside, if you want spectacular, head for Vancouver - we dined at several Japanese restaurants there on a recent visit, and they are simply on a whole different level from anything available in Ottawa).

We'll chose a place like Taste of Japan over the AYCE places every time. We were here for lunch recently, and the place was nearly empty. The owner was doing the serving, and there was no other staff in evidence (other than in the kitchen, of course). Clearly the recession, troubles in the high-tech sector, and the AYCE places have all taken their toll. This place is an oasis in the Bells Corners strip of mostly fast food joints, and it would be sad to see them disappear, so consider giving them a try if you're in the area.

Went here for dinner last week on Friday, and was not overly impressed. My husband enjoyed his sushi. But I decided to go with Steak Teriyaki, since I had sushi earlier in the week at Genji.

The steak was a tough cut, and overcooked. I asked for it medium-rare, but it came out sizzling on a cast iron plate that kept cooking it and cooking it.

Another thing that bothered us was that at the end of the meal, we tried to use our entertainment card. I admit we screwed up and came on the wrong night (only valid Sun-Thu). But they refused to honour it, even though it would have only meant about $12 off a $150 bill and they were very slow (there were about three other tables of customers that night). The manager or owner wasn't really that gracious about it - rather rude actually, like we were trying to pull a fast one on him. I understand it was our mistake, but he made a bad business decision, because now we won't return.

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!

Ordered cucumber, cali, kamikaze roll, all 6pc. Extremely disapointed with how small the portions were. They seem to have downsized or are trying to save money or something, who knows, but the pieces were not even half the size as the picture shown by fresh foodie, smaller than something from loblaws even. The kamikaze which was dbl the price of the cali and had the exact same fillings except it was supposed to have tempura bits in it but all I got was a crumb or two or soggy tempura. Bill came to 28$! I don't know about you but I don't suggest coming here for sushi if your a student like me and likes to get his/hers money worth. Never coming back here again and telling friends/family also.

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.