As someone who has lived in North Burnaby her entire life (except for that brief stint in Calgary but that’s a story for another day), you would probably be surprised to hear that I’ve never actually been to Sushimoto until now.

I’ve heard so many great things from many people about Sushimoto but just never ended up going! But my mom and I both had a day off so I suggested we try this place. 

Sushimoto is inconspicuously located at Holdom Station, making it easy to SkyTrain to. If you’re driving, the building also offers free 1 hour parking which was nice.

Most Japanese restaurants in Vancouver these days are Korean or Chinese owned. I believe Sushimoto is Japanese owned as I heard staff speaking Japanese to each other. Plus, the menu also had Japanese in it which is not something you’d find unless it was an authentic Japanese restaurant. 

Small salmon sashimi: We were surprised to see that Sushimoto offered a side of free sushi rice with sashimi if requested! That’s almost like making your own nigiri. 

The salmon sashimi pieces was smaller than what you’d get at run of the mill “fast food” sushi restaurants such as Sushi Town, Sushi Garden, Sushi California, etc. But the sashimi tasted very fresh so it was fine with us.

Chirashi don: The chirashi don was on a lunch special for $10. We split this and were quite satisfied with it too. There was a good amount of sashimi and everything tasted fresh.

The sushi rice also came drizzled with the sauce used for the unagi. It was sweet and reminded me a bit of teriyaki. The unagi sauce and sesame made the rice taste even better. 

Maki combo: To end, my mom and I also shared a maki combo. It ended up being too much food so we packed the California roll. 

The rolls were average, nothing special or bad about them. 

All in all, it was a pleasant visit to Sushimoto and I’m glad I finally tried this place. I would definitely come back!

Yay!

The boyfriend and I first saw Sonoya Japanese Restaurant when we were passing by the library, and did not think much of it. When looking on Yelp for a place to try with Takoyaki, I saw that this place had pretty good reviews so off we went!

Unfortunately, our expectations fell short and we found it to be meh….

Sushi Sonoya is located inside the downtown library on the second floor. There are a few small food places and coffee shops here. They have recently renovated and opened under their current name a few months ago.

The restaurant is small but seating was still comfortable, although it wasn’t busy so I can’t comment on peak times. I am not sure if there’s a washroom here, but the library has one a few steps away.

Chirashi don: The chirashi don was smaller than I expected. The salmon sashimi portion was quite small. For reference, the tuna slices beside are the typical size you’d get.

In addition, the sashimi did not taste fresh at all. The octopus was so chewy and bland that I ended up not finishing it. Meanwhile, the shrimp had a bitter taste so I just stopped eating it in fear that I would be greeted with food poisoning later….

The rice itself also wasn’t that filling either, so needless to say it was disappointing and I was still hungry.

Gyoza: The gyoza came piping hot and had a delicious garlic aroma. However, Takoyaki mentioned that there was not much filling inside. There was a lot of air once you bit into the gyoza so that was disappointing.

Magic salmon roll: The magic salmon roll came with crab, avocado, prawn tempura and cucumber inside. The outside was topped with smoked salmon, spicy mayo (sub. regular mayo), unagi sauce, fish flakes, and green onion.

It was quite a filling roll so I was helped Takoyaki finish the last couple! I’m glad I did because I was still hungry after my disappointing chirashi don. The roll was quite delicious. I enjoyed the mix of unagi and mayo sauce.

The smoked salmon and bonito flakes also made the roll more fun. I’m a huge fan of smoked/grilled fish flavours so it was delicious.

The sashimi needs some work because it did not taste fresh. I wouldn’t come back unless I was desperately hungry in this area and had no other options. Usually Yelp is pretty reliable but it disappointed me this time!

Nay!

A couple of years ago, Sangria and I randomly went to Hiro Sushi on Hastings and Boundary. It ended up being pretty decent, so I suggested it to my parents for our weekly lunch outing.

I’m not really sure why this place has such a low rating on Zomato because I found it to be alright – does this lower my reputation as a food blogger 😉

Hiro Sushi is easily missed and not as popular as the other sushi restaurants in the area, such as Tentatsu, Uomo, or Osaka (just to name a few, there are a lot more in the neighbourhood!). Throughout our visit, we noticed many delivery people so that’s probably where they get most of their business from.

It is located under the apartment complex on Boundary and Hastings, with plenty of free street parking near by.

Special lunch combo: I remember the lunch combo was a pretty good deal, so I ordered it again. It comes with your choice of a rice/udon/cooked dish, 3 pieces nigiri, and 1 roll… all for $12! See below.

Beef udon: Despite being a small, I would describe it more as a medium? I was really impressed at how much fresh veggies were in my bowl… zucchini, cabbage, and carrots.

California roll & tobiko nigiri: The California roll had ripe avocado, and a good ratio of imitation crab meat to avocado. Meanwhile, the tobiko was delightfully crunchy.

Bento box: My dad ordered the bento box. He had no complaints about it and was quite full from it too.

Special lunch combo: My mom’s roll combo, whoops, she already ate some of the salmon roll! It came with 8 pieces of each roll which is quite generous, so she had trouble finishing and ended up taking half of it home.

Scallop roll, BC roll, negitoro roll: The boyfriend did not go with a combo unlike the rest of us. He ordered his usual rolls and had no complaints about any of the rolls.

Overall, I wouldn’t mind coming back to Hiro Sushi again. It’s decent enough if you want some cheap sushi and want a quieter place to eat.

Yay!

One of my favourite childhood movies growing up was Matilda! During our mom and daughter trip to NYC in 2016, we watched Matilda the Musical on Broadway and it was amazing. When I heard that there was a Vancouver production, I jumped at the chance and bought tickets immediately!

Why is this relevant? Prior to our show, the boyfriend and I were looking for a restaurant to eat around the theater, on South Granville. The Arts Club partners with select restaurants and offers 15% off on the day of the show, but they probably would be super packed with other guests so we decided to skip that and go somewhere else nearby.

So, I found Masa Japanese Restaurant on Yelp which was a 5 min drive from the theater. It had good reviews, but we found it to be meh.

The restaurant is on the second floor, with the bottom floor being a Mac’s convenience store. It was quite spacious inside and would be suitable for large groups. We came at 6pm so it wasn’t very busy yet, there was only one other table.

Chirashi don: I’ve been enjoying my chirashi dons lately, so I wanted to try Masa’s take on it. I found it to be alright and unmemorable… nothing special, nothing super bad about it. It was a bit on the smaller size.

Chicken katsu: The boyfriend was feeling like a cooked dish that night, and went with the chicken katsu. The price was cheaper than most places, $10 for a dinner dish is pretty good!

He found it to be meh as well, pretty unmemorable but filling. Chicken breast was used instead of chicken thigh.

We left neither impressed or unimpressed… it was alright. I wouldn’t mind coming back to Masa if I was in the area. At least we left full and ready for the Matilda musical (which was great, btw!).

Meh….