Kishimoto

We were in the area so we decided to go to Kishimoto since it has a rating of 4.4 on Zomato. We were there a lot earlier than our friends, around 5:30pm, so we went in to put our name down. The wait was supposed to be 40-60 minutes. Perfect, we thought. They didn't actually text us after 60 minutes, so we went back to the restaurant to confirm and were seated around 6:45pm.

The restaurant itself was quite small. The entire back area was curtained off for I assume the kitchen instead of more seating. I also think their exhaust fans were too weak because there was a lingering fried or smoked food smell in the air. The benches along the walls were also either too short or too soft (or both). I'm not tall, so when I sank right into the bench, I felt like a child eating at the adult table. It was rather uncomfortable. At least it appeared clean.

First up we had the Calamari. It was really well battered and fried to a perfect crispness. It was very light. I couldn't pinpoint where I'd tasted the seasoning, but it was addictive. I was actually picking up bits of seasoning and just eating it without the calamari.

We saw on Zomato that their "pressed box style" sushi were popular, so we decided to order the Unagi Oshisushi, which is the barbecue eel with creamy sauce and a cucumber on top. As soon as I bit into it, it just melted in my mouth. The smoky flavour from the torched eel was present but not overwhelming and everything else was very well balanced.

As usual, B needed his cream cheese fix, so we also had the Philadelphia Roll. I liked how small the roll was, with only a thin layer of rice. Nothing was overpowering the other and everything went together very well.

We have now decided that the best way to decide whether a sushi place is good or not, is the freshness and the way they prepare their Tako Sashimi. Kishimoto prepared their Tako very well. It was not at all rubbery or slimy. It was easy to bite into and the texture created by the way they sliced it was quite nice. It was very fresh.

Last we had the Ikura Nigiri, which is my must have. Unfortunately, it was way too salty. This is one of the rare occasions where I actually thought they needed more rice in their nigiri to balance out the saltiness of the salmon roe. Otherwise, we were quite impressed by how fresh and crispy the seaweed was.

Overall the service was good, the presentation stellar, and the food above par. We will likely not return as I personally rarely ever wait in line for a meal. While their food was good and well presented, I ultimately visit a restaurant for good food and not their presentation. There are other restaurants in the city that offer similar quality food for a more reasonable price and no wait time. I'd recommend it if you had 2-3 hours of free time.