Ottawa Foodies

I've seen the sign many times on my way into Chinatown, and the inside of this little restaurant has always looked inviting. So my friend and I took a chance and tried it out. And boy were we glad we did!

Now my friend is way more versed on a sushi menu than I am. I pretty much love it all, but I never really know what to order if I'm just getting a couple of things. So I let her do the ordering for me. Oh, and I threw in an order of gyoza of course! If it was me, I would just rate them on the gyoza alone, and if I did that, they would score really high, they were outstanding!

Tempura sweet potato rolls were also very yummy. The sweet potato was cut into nice thin slithers which allowed for more tempura. And one of the most unique things about this place, you can get white or brown rice! Or a mixture of the two.

We also ordered the Spice Spice Sushi (17pcs). Most restaurants don't give you a choice this good on a mixed platter. Spicy tuna, spicy salmon, tuna, salmon, cooked shrimp, and cucumber. It's seriously my dream combo. Also came with a side salad, we paid a little more and got the wakame.

Then we finished off with a spicy tuna hand roll. Yumm.

Everything was fresh and delicious. Nice little touches like sesame seeds in the cucumber roll and the choice of rice were awesome. The atmosphere was also very warm and inviting. Service was excellent and the prices just right. Apps range between $4 and $9, sushi and sashimi combos from $10 to $35 and specialty rolls which we must try next time, from $6 to $12.

According to their website, they're closed until mid-December for renovations. Even the website looks fancy now.

The windows are now covered in paper. Anybody know what is going on?

I was anxious to try Sushi88 after hearing good things from friends and reading the reviews here.

We had dinner there last night. The most enjoyable part was the service, the least enjoyable was the food. : (

To be fair, I did enjoy my first course.
- I ordered the Sunomono (assorted sashimi atop spring noodles and seaweed in a vinegar dressing). I quite liked it. It came with crab (artificial stick), clam and sweet shrimp. The vinaigrette was nice, and the clam was the least chewy I have had. My main came with a choice of sides so I ordered a salad and it was nice and fresh, with a lovely ginger dressing.

- My friend ordered the seafood and veggie tempura. She said it was overcooked and not very good. She also had the miso soup but didn't comment on it.

For our mains:
- I ordered the Spice Spice combo (17 pieces total: spicy tuna, spicy salmon, tuna, salmon, sweet shrimp, spicy salmon rolls and cucumber rolls). The server asked whether I wanted white or brown rice - first time I had been offered the choice. I asked for a combination. The combo wasn't very good. I enjoyed the spicy kick but I really didn't like the overall taste. First, I didn't enjoy my sushi with brown rice - it was much more dense and just not to my liking (even though whole grains are what I eat generally speaking - just not for sushi). The pieces that had the white rice, they weren't even tasty. I found they simply lacked flavour and the consistency of the rice was off, too 'packed'.

- My friend ordered the Sashimi Just for Me (13 pieces total: salmon, tuna, white fish, clam, snapper, white tuna) and was also unimpressed with her meal.

I am crazy about sushi and unfortunately Sushi88 doesn't get a passing grade.

Oh, I certainly liked it quite well and intend to go back. :)

Actually, I should get their take-out menu (which is sadly not on their website - one would think it would be, to encourage orders!) and compare their prices with Genji's take-out, which is much more affordable than the dine-in. One does have to pay a little for quality. :)

Niall> I am a fan of huge sushi88
I don't find their prices that stiff
matterfact on a budget, that's where I get my fix
and the Chef knows my spice level lol
glad you did think nicely of my lil quiet spot

Finally tried this place tonight, while looking for saké sets in the neighbourhood.

In general, I found absolutely nothing wrong with the sushi, which immediately puts it above most places in the city. Only one piece had an almost-tiny-fraction-of-a-bite-almost-frozen quality, the rest was simply cold without stopping its flavour. Obviously, it can't be really fresh, but we're inland, so one has to be amenable.

I had the pot of "superior Japanese green tea"; definitely sencha leaves - and I was only charged for the cup, and was alone almost until the end, so I don't think it's an error on their part.

The miso soup was flavorful but served near-boiling; I don't think it needs to be that hot and may have hampened some of the taste.

The vegetable tempura appetizer had about 8 pieces; the batter was very lightly applied and was lightly crisp and not soggy; the vegetables themselves were a little watery, but I think that's very diffuclt to avoid - they still had their original flavour and weren't soggy, so better than many other places.

For main dish, I had the Tsunami sushi&sashimi combo: 2 pcs of salmon and white fish nigiri; 2 pcs of salmon and surf clam nigiri, and 1 of red snapper, tuna, eel, crab stickmackerel, scallop and spicy salmon nigiri. Yes, the sashimi pieces were nice and large - and in fact I had three pieces of white fish. The spicy salmon definitely had a bite, and everything was quite nicely prepared; really good sushi doesn't require soya sauce, just like really good fries don't require ketchup, they have a flavour of their own. I didn't pour a drop of soya sauce.

I was not disappointed with my choices, but it's not exactly cheap. Total was $40 with tax and tip. But I'd happily go in for a few morsels - a cup of tea and only a few orders of nigiri or maki for around $15 for a very nice light snack.

I've dined at Sushi 88 (either in person or takeout) several times. I'm always impressed with their quick, courteous service.

I ordered takeout on Friday since I'd had a craving for it all week. It was ready for when I said I picked it up. They were also willing to accomodate a request I made, which I thought was really nice of them.

The tempura was a bit disappointing, even when I considered the 15 minutes it sat in the styrofoam on the walk home. The pieces of shrimp were small, and the vegetables were cut into large pieces so they were still slightly raw.

The sushi was fantastic. I ordered 8 pieces of nigiri - egg, snapper, tuna and yellow tail. The cuts of fish on the nigiri were generous and the beds of rice were a good size. It was quite filling. I also ordered the Philly Roll and the Spicy Tuna. The Philly roll was very good as it had a balance of the cream cheese against the smoked salmon. The spicy tuna was SPICY! It tasted like homemade mayo with pepper and other spices mixed in. Definitely not your usual spicy roll. The entire meal was so filling that I could finish it.

The total came to $37 which I thought was a bit expensive, but fair given the quality of the sushi.

My roommate and I consider this one of our staples, whether we're eating in or at the restaurant. The young staff is fun and seem to like the place. It's fast, the fish is "good" (for Ontario, nothing beats West Coast sushi), and the prices are reasonable.
I miss staples like Agedashi Tofu and fresh oysters here, and it's a shame they've removed scallops from the menu altogether. Cute for lunch, a small group at dinner, or a hot summer night. Our favourite is the Salmon Skin rolls, but the raw rolls are great, too!

Fresh fresh fresh and the prices- you can't beat them. Good tempura too. Reminds me of the little sushi shops that are all over the vancouver and the island- simple retaurants with good fresh sushi, quick service, and reasonable prices. YUM

My favourite source for take-out sushi! An unagi maki, a kanpyo maki, and a bbq salmon skin maki for me please. Salad rounds out the meal well.