this post is filed under Cuisine - Japanese, Location - Vancouver
My trips to Vancouver are incomplete without a visit to Ajisai, a great little sushi bar in Kerrisdale. I've been there several times now total, and it has always been great. The restaurant is quite small, and the counter only has about 6 seats, but the service is friendly, the room is warm and pleasant, and the food is consistently high-quality and very reasonably priced.
nigiri (per piece): toro - C$2.25, hamachi - C$2.25, aji - C$2.5
dynamite roll - C$4.5, special unagi/scallop roll - C$6.5
The majority of the tuna served in Vancouver seems to be albacore, and thus lacks the redness so commonly associated with the fish. This doesn't mean it tastes bad. The toro was fat and buttery; quite a bargain at $2 Canadian each. The hamachi had a nice texture and crisp taste. The aji was a special that day - it lacked the vinegar I usually see it served with, but was still very good. The dynamite roll is another steal. Ajisai adds some corn flakes into it for a crunchy bite. A lot of restaurants have started to do some similar stuff (tempura bits are increasingly popular), but Ajisai years ago was the first time I'd experienced this. The unagi roll was also a special, and was basically unagi combined with chopped scallop and avocado. Two rolls in one! It was tasty.
negitoro maki - C$3.25
uni nigiri - C$2.5 each
gindara - bbq black cod - C$9.75
We had a minor mix up and instead of getting two negitoro cones, we got two rolls. We didn't mind of course, and the rolls were delicious despite being in cut form. Uni. Let me say this about uni: my dad sure was right. I never really enjoyed uni much until my trip to Hokkaido, uni capital of Japan. When I tried it there, my love for uni began. Now I eat it pretty much whenever I can. Uni at Ajisai was sweet, creamy, and very good. Not spectacular, and a little on the small side, but still delicious. I'd order it again, especially at those prices. Gindara, or black cod, was another daily special and we opted to go for one hot dish. We were deathly scared of that small pile of natto at the bottom right, but luckily none of it was touching the fish. The cod was good, but fairly ordinary. I wish I had Ajisai here in Boston - great sushi for great prices. Next time maybe I'll try getting omakase.
Looks great. I wouldn't mind some of those rolls as Superbowl Sunday finger-food.
posted by John D. on February 4, 2005 07:46 PM
The best sushi in Boston is at Oishii (one stop after Reservoir on one of the green lines). The restaurant sounds very similar to this place
posted by Brian on February 5, 2005 12:53 PM
Ajisai really is a gem of a place. I'm glad you discovered it and enjoy them. See my own review of them submitted to Vaneats.com
http://www.vaneats.com/features/saab.ken.ajisai
Bon appetit
posted by SaabKen on February 5, 2005 11:58 PM
John - hah, I wish I could have had Ajisai during the Superbowl. But I'm not gonna complain about the Reef Cafe food I had.
Brian - I've been to Oishii before and was a bit disappointed. It's certainly good, and the best place I've been to in Boston, but definitely below what you can find in NY, SF, or Vancouver (and I'm sure LA).
SaabKen - I discovered VanEats only recently, but it's definitely a resource I'll be using for my future Vancouver eating. :D
posted by Arthur on February 8, 2005 11:14 PM
Great Pictures as always! I love uni, too!
BTW, the one at the bottom with gindara, I guess it is miso i/o natto as miso is served in that way sometimes. Anyway, please try next time at Ajisai. Scared? :)posted by t-mi on February 24, 2005 03:25 AM
Nothing petrifies me more than natto. Except maybe ketchup. I think I'd rather eat tororo than natto though...
posted by Arthur on February 24, 2005 03:49 PM