Sushimoto

Right next to the Holdom Skytrain Station in central Burnaby, is a comfortable, friendly, slightly surreal sushi joint called Sushimoto. It’s a somewhat sleek and very unique venue.

Aside from the great fare, the room is full of interesting knick-knacks. Some traditional Japanese, some quirky eye candy. There’s the requisite paper lanterns but there’s also a cool collection of action figures.

The detail on Tony Montana is freaking eerie…right down to the five o’clock shadow!

I’ve been meaning to hit this place up for quite awhile. Since I first saw their vibrant menu and then read the continuing stream of positive commentary, it was obvious that this was a spot to go to for stellar eats.

Sushimoto offers up some pretty decent lunch specials. One of them is the Maki Roll, Miso Soup, Sunomono Combo. For $9.99 you choose from one of eight specialty rolls and your choice of Vegetable, Tako or Ebi Sunomono.

Quite a substantial sunomono. Nearly double the size I’ve become accustomed to in a combo setting. Clean, cool and very fresh.

The Red Hot Chili Roll really hit the mark. Great sushi rice to start…perfectly cooked and seasoned. A nice, creamy scallop filling topped with spicy tuna and drizzled with spicy sauce & mayo. It has a bit of zip…no serious heat factor, though.

While Dino and I opted for a wide array of dishes, our third wheel struck out on his own. From all accounts, the Miso Udon was a hit. Looked damn fine. His other pick was the Ocean Roll.

A basic California Roll topped with smoked salmon and spicy mayo. Again, by lack of complaint, I’ll guess this was fine as well.

After splitting the lunch special, we went with a trio of appy items.

When seeing these were dubbed Mad For Garlic Gyoza, the salivary glands perked up immediately. What hit the table were fairly pedestrian, almost grocery-store-freezer-department quality. Quite tasty but very standard. A minor hint of garlic. Not the truckload I was anticipating.

The Takoyaki, on the other hand, were top-notch. A good balance of soft, sweet and salty with a chewy bit of tako (octopus) inside.

Though a bit pricey at five for eight bucks (Okonomi gives you seven), these are great Prawn Tempura. Not as crispy as most, due to a different type of flour, I’m guessing. It’s a smoother texture than normal. Any ideas, folks?

After a very decent stream of plates we had a hankering for just one more.

This is the Amusement Roll. I’m not too sure how it got that handle. My guess is that it’s very amusing to watch someone (me) shovel this gigantic disc into his face.

This is one massive roll with a big roster of ingredients. There’s crab, salmon, unagi (BBQ eel), ikara (salmon roe), cucumber, soybean skin, cream cheese and a topping of wasabi mayo and unagi sauce.

A very sturdy roll this is. I’ve had me some ginormous rolls. They’re usually bigger in width. This is the size of a hockey puck split lengthwise. The fact that it holds up to being held up shows how well it’s made. I expected it to crumble before my eyes. Sushi architecture at its best!

Although some things are a buck or so higher here, the food is well worth every penny. The cool vibe and friendly staff make a return visit inevitable.