After grabbing Nyquil at Shoppers near West Broadway and Willow Street, we needed a quick dinner so considered Sake Sushi since the restaurant is literally next door. But when looking at a few photos online, the restaurant seemed very average and our other close by options were Ro Sushi and Kisokoma. Ro Sushi did not look too bad but I wanted to go to Kisokoma because a photo of their lobster roll lured me in!
Kisokoma is a Vietnamese owned/operated Japanese cuisine restaurant and resembles a fast food sushi joint from the exterior, interior, menu and to the photos of food. The prices are noticeably a lot cheaper than many Japanese restaurants and there are photos plastered along the walls for those who order with their eyes. In addition, the restaurant has a TV menu too!
The restaurant looks a bit old but the interior is fairly clean along with the table setting. There are seats by the sushi bar, half booth seats along the wall and full booth seats on the other side. The seating arrangements are not cramped and the chairs are fairly comfortable too. As for the food, the restaurant offers plenty of speciality rolls and a variety of very reasonably priced combos.
MISO SOUP ($1.25).
When the waitress brought over the miso soup, I like how she mentioned it was included with an order of Box B. The soup has a rich miso flavour without tasting salty and is served hot.
DELUXE SASHIMI, 16 PIECES ($12.95).
The deluxe sashimi is presented on a boat and includes hokkigai, toro, amaebi, ebi, saba, salmon and tuna sashimi. The slices of orange are also appreciated since I am sick! Starting with the salmon, the sashimi tastes smooth and has a nice buttery flavour. Following, the tuna tastes very fresh as in the sashimi was defrosted less than an hour ago but was not icy one bit. The portion served is also usually reserved for rolls or spicy tuna but considering the price and calibre of this restaurant it really does not matter.
As for the hokkigai, the slices are generic as always and have a soft crunch. Continuing along, the toro tastes very fresh and buttery; definitely one of the better ones I have had lately. I also like how there is a slightly pink hue which means the tuna was a larger one so the toro tasted extra fatty! Fatty as if these slices were served at Miku, people would rave and claim "Miku's toro is the best". Next, the small sized amaebi tastes slightly sweet and the slices of saba have a mild fishy flavour (in the good way). Last up, the ebi tastes meaty and has a soft crunch. Usually I am not a fan of ebi because I dislike the paler looking ones, but Kisokomo serves the darker and more red ones which have a nice bouncy texture.
SOFT SHELL CRAB ($5.75).
The soft shell crab is very small but is well executed. The exterior has a light crisp batter and the soft shell crab tastes juicy.
LOBSTER ROLL ($12.95).
As for the only reason why we came here… is the lobster roll! Since the lobster roll is not offered on the menu (but is posted around the restaurant and on the TV menu), I did not know what the roll consisted of.
The presentation looks great, there is drizzled mango sauce along with roasted black sesame seeds and the sushi is wrapped with an egg omelette. The lobster roll includes cream cheese, cucumber, avocado and a deep fried lobster tail. Usually I am not a fan of cream cheese in sushi rolls because I find the flavour too overwhelming and spoils the roll. However, the cream cheese is only overwhelming on one piece and the natural flavour of the lobster is there. In addition, I like the subtle sweetness from the egg along with the mango syrup and enjoyed the lobster roll. The omelette is also perfectly done with a nice smooth texture and no browning.
BOX B, Beef teriyaki on rice, California roll, prawn and vegetable tempura, salad and fruits ($9.95).
The beef teriyaki has slices of meat rather than shredded and tastes tender. There is also a good amount of sauce and a nice level of sweetness.
As for the tempura, the selection includes a couple of prawns, yam and carrot. The tempura is lightly battered with a crisp as well as flaky exterior and tastes moist. If anything, the prawns are not over stretched but does lack that nice bounce (which we did not care about). Furthermore, the box also includes a generous portion of a california roll. The rice tastes a bit sticky but not heavy on the mayonnaise and is good enough as a filler.
SALMON BELLY ($3.95).
Kisokoma offers robata dishes and we ordered a couple of items, one being the salmon belly. The salmon belly is a touch overcooked and lacks that nice fattiness but does taste tender. There is also a light brush of sweet teriyaki sauce which caramelized after grilling and resulted in a nice syrupy consistency, resembling something like candied salmon.
SCALLOP AND BACON ($3.95).
The scallops taste juicy while the bacon exhibits a soft crunch and the satays have a great charred flavour. I also like how there is no weird marinate and only a nice char along with a brush of teriyaki sauce.
Beginning with the hamachi, the sashimi oxidized due to improper storage and lacks that nice deep burgundy color. However, there is still a subtle hamachi flavour and in no way tastes fishy. Following, the toro tastes very buttery and fresh. The both of us considered ordering an order of toro sashimi but already had too much food at the table :(. As for the tuna and salmon nigiri, there are no complaints.
Last up, we were a bit disappointed considering there is only one small slice of uni per order. However, the restaurant used live sea urchin rather than packaged which makes it more acceptable. Although having said that, I personally prefer packaged uni to ensure that fresh creamy sweetness compared to a possible bitterness from live sea urchin. In this case, the uni has a strong, bitter and burnt rice flavour. As for the rice, there is a nice balance of vinegar and does not taste as gummy compared to the california roll.
The pork filling tastes moist but also very bland and could have used a bit of fish sauce. This is somewhat a biased thought though because I only consider the addition of fish sauce since the restaurant is Vietnamese owned. As for the eggplant, it tastes soft and is topped with bonito flakes.
TOTAL: $71.55 + TIP $11.45 = $83.00.
Kisokoma is an above average Japanese restaurant and the food is not bad considering the business does resemble a fast food establishment. Furthermore, the prices are cheap and the staff is friendly. Our waitress mentioned what each item was as she brought out the food, refilled our cups of tea, checked up on us, and even waited for me to finish taking a photo before pouring the tea (which was not even necessary!). As for the food, the sushi is better than the cooked items and the stuffed eggplant was not very good.
POSITIVES
- Great value
- Fresh sashimi
- Friendly staff
NEGATIVES
- Rice could be better
- Fast food restaurant (for those who care)
LITTLE THINGS
- Lobster roll (3.5/5)
- Deluxe sashimi (4/5) Value (5/5)
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
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