Ninkazu Japanese

Lately, it seems like I'm shadowing Ben (from Chow Times) or he's been shadowing me. We eat at the same places! Anyways, I've been trying to find other places for AYCE (all-you-can-eat) sushi other than the usual places (Fish on Rice, Kingsway Sushi, Top Gun Sushi, Richmond Sushi, Shabusen, E Bei). I'm also trying very hard to not visit Sui Sha Ya or Kawawa because they are not very good. Moreover, I'm REALLY not going to return to Nordel Sushi since they are overpriced and underwhelming.

So, upon reading up on Chow Times, I stumbled upon Ninkazu Japanese. This place is in a little strip mall sandwiched between Aberdeen Centre and Parker Place. If you can imagine, there are not a lot of parking spots here. You can park at the other surrounding parking lots at your own risk. Anyways, we made it over to Ninkazu and were seated at a nice round table. I often wonder why more restaurants do not have large round tables. These tables are the best for sharing food and having conversations. How many times have you been in a large group and have been stuck at a nice long table? You end up having a conversation with only the people around you. What if you don't like them??? What if you sat beside them only because you were late??? LOL...

Anyways, AYCE lunch is $9.95 (which is quite cheap) and dinner is $22.95, add $1 for weekends and holidays. The menu is pretty standard for lunch AYCE, however it lacks the variety of Fish on Rice (adds limited sashimi, oyster motoyaki and beef short ribs). So we practically order everything off the menu; since the selection wasn't that extensive. The roll sushi was acceptable, fillings were fresh and not a tonne of rice on the outside. The nigiri sushi was fresh; but the fish on top was a bit skimpy (thinly cut). Although the sushi and raw items were just okay, the cooked items were fabulous. The Chicken Karaage (fried chicken wings) were HUGE, being very crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The Tonkatsu (fried pork chop) was very crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside as well. This is one of the few times I really enjoyed Tonkatsu. Usually, it is fried to a crisp and you really don't even feel like you're eating a pork chop. The gyoza were also very well done with a perfectly cooked crispy bottom. The skin was thin and there was just enough filling. The chicken and beef teriyaki were also quite good, with the meat being cooked just right. The only cooked item that was not really all that good was the tempura. The batter was a bit thick and it was soggy.

The dining room itself was one of the nicer ones for AYCE Japanese. Unlike Richmond Sushi, Fish on Rice and E Bei, Ninkazu does not have private rooms. I actually think this is better, especially for AYCE. Service was good, the waitress was responsive to our needs and food came out expeditiously. Overall, despite the average sushi, I think that Ninkazu is a still a good value.

The Good:
- Cooked food was very good
- Comfortable, spacious dining room
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Average sushi
- Limited parking

Ninkazu Japanese Restaurant
#205 - 4231 Hazelbridge Way
Richmond, B.C.
604-279-9077
www3.telus.net/ninkazu/

Business Hours:
11:30am - 3:00pm, 5:00pm - 12:00am (7 days a week)