Naruto Sushi

We went to Naruto as it was on the way home and highly rated in Zomato. I don't know when this happened, but B and I have turned into sushi snobs.

The place was small and filled out quite quickly. We took that as a good sign. It was debatable.

First came the Takoyaki. The spheres were uneven and there were not enough flakes on top, so the Takoyaki lacked the movement you would normally find on it. The filling was good enough though. It was a mix of puréed and diced Tako, which gave it a good texture. The sauce was also decent.

Along with the Takoyaki was the Assorted Sashimi Platter. It came with 3 pieces tuna / salmon / sockeye salmon and 2 pieces of Tako / Hokkigai. The tuna was a bit fishy for our tastes, like it's been sitting out for too long. The Atlantic Salmon was fine. The sockeye was too tough. The Tako was a bit slimy in the middle. The Hokkigai was also just fine.

Next came the Nigiri: chopped scallop, ikura, unagi, toro, and Saba. The chopped scallop didn't have the silky pearly texture I normally like. It was rather mushy. The ikura was very fishy and didn't have the salt I craved. There was also very little of it and so I could see the rice underneath the roe. The unagi was very tough and I felt like I was eating sandpaper. The seaweed on all three were tough and unpleasant to chew on. The toro was decent enough. The Saba was quite fishy and felt like it was cooked. All three of the unagi, toro, and Saba could have had half the amount of rice.

Last came the Crazy Tuna Roll, which contained tuna tempura, cheese, cucumber, spicy tuna, Jalepeno and fish roe. This might have been Naruto's saving grace. It was the best dish of the night. The textures worked well together and nothing was overpowering the other.

Overall, I won't return because it's quite mediocre and I'm willing to pay a bit extra for better food. I would recommend it to that old uncle looking for a cheap and filling meal, and maybe those people who aren't adventurous enough to try sashimi and nigiris and just prefer to have rolls all the time.

Sushiyama

We were craving sushi and Sushiyama was on our way home so we stopped in to try a restaurant that had a 4.0 rating on Zomato.

  

Run by Koreans, the decor and atmosphere was quite bland and functional. The tabletops were a bit sticky. Nothing really echoing a Japanese run restaurant at all.

Having a special board was neat and let's you know what's fresh and in season. It makes life a lot easier by limiting what you order, given the extensive menu.

B hasn't had tonkatsu in what seems like a lifetime, so he immediately knew what he wanted. The tonkatsu was good, exactly what he wanted. It was a little on he tough side, but the flavour and crispness was all there. It came with miso, rice and salad.

I ordered a bunch of nigiri sushi. Above, from bottom to top, we have Hamachi Toro, Toro, and Shima Aji. The Hamachi Toro was a pleasant surprise. It was very velvety fatty and not fishy at all, with a hint of lemon. The Toro was not as fatty as expected. The texture tasted very much like normal Tuna, but at least it wasn't fishy. The Shima Aji had very good mouth feel, a bit of crunch and tastes not at all overwhelming like mackerel normally tastes.

From bottom to top again, we have the uni, ikura, and unagi. The uni was the fourth nigiri on the dish that I ate. I think I made a tactical mistake. I should have eaten it first because the seaweed sat for too long and became very chewy. The uni itself was fresh and well prepared - it wasn't too fishy or overly mushy. It was creamy but still had a bit of texture. The seaweed on the ikura was similarly tough, and the salmon roe itself was not as fresh as I'd hope. It didn't "pop" in my mouth and had a stronger fish taste than normal. Lastly the unagi was okay. It wasn't extraordinary, the sauce was fine. I don't hate it, but I was hoping for a melt in my mouth kind of experience, so I was left a little disappointed.

B had the Hokkigai and the Torigai. The Hokkigai was fine. The Torigai was a little bit chewy. They were acceptable; nothing exceptional.

Of course B had to order the Tako Sashimi. It was also just fine. It wasn't mushy or fishy - like some places that don't prepare them well. But it wasn't exceptional either. It was a little on the chewy side. It didn't have the nice crunch that good Tako has. Although the slices were thin, they were a bit uneven - indicative of some poor knife skills.

Lastly, of course we always try the Salmon Sashimi, although I'm not sure why anymore. This salmon was so bland I kind of left feeling like I don't like salmon anymore. Also, the pieces on the left were colder than the pieces on the right, and left my teeth a bit numb. They weren't terrible, but they were so underwhelming, I was a bit angry about it.

Overall, I think Sushiyama has the 4.0 rating because of the price. Some of the fresh nigiri were good, but it didn't make up for the underwhelming nature of everything else. I left the establishment feeling a little nauseated, so I likely won't return. B would recommend it if you're looking for cheap sushi, especially cheap nigiri. I personally would rather pay a little more money for better quality food. The service was prompt and friendly, but sometimes that's just not enough.

Evelyn's Cafe and Grill

Today we were going to go somewhere else for brunch but we passed by Evelyn's, saw their menu and thought, "why not?"

Their food is CHEAP. For a waffle, omelette, two coffees and 15% tip, it still came out to under $20.

The food was solid. It's not what you would expect from such a cheap menu. I almost wanted to pay more. The owner was also very polite and the food was served quickly. Coffee and water were self serve, but that doesn't bother me.

The waffles came with strawberries and blueberries. It was sweet but not overly sweet, and fluffy. Sometimes cheap waffles made out of prepackaged mix can be very cardboard like. That's why we think Evelyn's make their own batter.

The bacon and cheese omelette was okay. It wasn't as fluffy as I normally have my omelettes, but at least it tastes alright. The potatoes on the side were not cooked in enough oil, it could've been a little crispier. Maybe it's home style cooking, so they don't use as much oil, because the plate was not greasy at all when we finished the omelette.

Overall, solid experience for the price. We will return.