Samurai Sushi House

We had just finished up at a friend's kids party in Tsawwassen and were wondering what to eat. Yes, it is Valentine's Day, but with 2 kiddies, the thought of a romantic meal by candlelight was not in the cards. We thought about going to Prata Man in Richmond; however, the kiddies were tired and restless from the afternoon activities. We needed to look at takeout and a healthy one at that (my eating habits lately would make any physician cringe). Viv and I agreed on a good ol' standby - Samurai Sushi House.

This small Vietnamese-run Japanese restaurant is across from Oakridge Centre in Vancouver. You're probably wondering, Vietnamese people running a Japanese restaurant? Don't prejudge and don't worry; it's fresh, tasty, somewhat authentic and inexpensive. If you have a potluck or party to host, please do yourself a favour - save some money and time. Go to Samurai Sushi for one of their party trays and your guests will be very happy with you. If you call 1 day in advance to order, you get an extra 10% off their good prices already. If you call in 2 hours before, you get 5% off. So I think you are getting the idea, it's best to get takeout from Samurai.

If you choose to eat there, be prepared to do your best impression of a sardine, since there is only one table and about 8 bar seats. The one thing that sets Samurai apart from other small sushi places is that they don't skimp on the cuts of fish or the size of the rolls. The salmon and tuna on the nigiri are absolutely massive. The rolls are so big, they will fall apart if you try to pick them up. All this for a low price too! You will notice that there is a constant stream of people lining up for takeout at Samurai and that's the key to this place. Instead of charging more or providing less to make a profit, Samurai will make their money on volume alone. I really don't understand why some other restaurants don't see this, they are so short-sighted.

We decided to pick up the party tray B ($20!), which includes 1/2 House Roll, Alaska Roll, California Roll, Salmon Roll, Tuna Roll, 2pc Tuna, 2pc Salmon and 2pc Ebi Nigiri. As a side note, I added a previous picture of party tray D ($35) for reference. As you can see from the pictures, the portions are extremely generous. On top of this, the ingredients are incredibly fresh - this would be a result of such high volume as well. While I was waiting for my order, the sushi chef was cutting some Hamachi from a whole fish, now that's fresh! Since everything is fresh, the food tastes good. With that being said, I don't prefer that the sushi is made with a liberal use of rice, especially on the California rolls. Furthermore, as some might point out - it's not truly authentic Japanese. But, honestly, how can anyone really complain? Prices are good, food is fresh and portions are huge, this is usually a recipe for success and customer satisfaction.

The Good:
- Fresh ingredients
- Huge portions
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Dining room, what dining room?
- A bit heavy on the rice
- Authentic?

Samurai Sushi House
5888 Cambie Street
Vancouver, B.C.
(604) 325-8597

Business Hours:
11:00am - 9:00pm (7 days a week)