Sherman's Food Adventures: Zipang Sushi

Zipang Sushi

Once again, it was time for my monthly haircut. It's funny how my hairdresser asked if I knew when was the last time I came for a haircut. Of course I know! The last time I came for a haircut, I went to Crave right after, it's right on my blog! Haha, the blog doubles as a personal diary as well. How convenient. Since, I was going to be around the Main Street area, I wanted to eat something nearby. Where to eat? There are many options; but some of them are not open for lunch (Grub and Toshi to name a few). Donna Chang was my dining companion today and she suggested Zipang Sushi. Kevin (604Foodtography) had a post about that a little while back. I was thoroughly impressed with his writeup and positive comments regarding the food. Zipang Sushi it is!

As usual, we went for the best table in the house, the one near the window (light for pictures). Actually since it's a really small restaurant, there was only one table by the window. We really had no rhyme or reason to what we ordered, I think we just randomly blurted out things and ended up with a whack of food. We started out with the Wild Salmon and Tuna Sashimi. Actually, I ate this whole dish myself. No, it's not because I'm a pig! But I am eating lots of swine these days... It's because Donna is pregnant and is trying to avoid certain foods. The sashimi was excellent, fresh and delicious. We also ordered the Zipang Salad, not really knowing what it was. It turned out to be a green salad topped by a massive amount of fried noodles with dressing drizzled all over. The salad was fresh, the dressing had good tartness and the noodles added a crunch. However, we thought it was overkill with the amount of noodles.

We really love Takoyaki and with no hesitation we ordered it. The pan-grilled octopus balls were soft and fluffy with a large piece of tako inside. Bonito flakes, mayo and scallions were served in the middle of the serving plate. Another favourite of mine is Ebimayo, I really like the fried crispiness of crunchy shrimp smothered in chili mayo dressing. However, the one here at Zipang was a bit disappointing. The shrimp were not crispy; in fact, they were a bit overcooked. If you look at the picture of it, if I hadn't adjusted the shrimp, you would have never seen it. It wasn't smothered in mayo, it was drowning in it. One positive is that it tasted pretty good. It should've been renamed Mayoebi. Continuing on the theme of drowning in sauce, the Okonomiyaki was truly over-sauced. Although the pancake was fluffy with plenty of pork, all we could taste was the sauce. Donna had scraped some of the sauce off; but it was still overwhelmed by the residual flavour.

We knew the last dish was not going to be saucy since they were 2 sushi rolls. The first was a Caterpillar roll, which consists of unagi, cucumber and avocado on the outside. This was a pretty standard roll, it was good to eat; but it could've been from any other good Japanese restaurant. However, the Cactus roll was more distinctive. Essentially a California roll with crunchy tempura bits inside and toasted sesame seeds outside, there was plenty of crunch in this roll.

Donna and I left Zipang sushi satisfied and stuffed. The restaurant itself is small; but tastefully decorated inside. The service was good and friendly. Moreover, the food was generally quite good. Food tasted as good as it looked. Only complaint is that they were a bit sauce-happy.

The Good:
- Restaurant has got a good feel to it
- Food is fresh and tasty
- Prices are reasonable for the quality

The Bad:
- It could just be me, but they use too much sauce
- Restaurant seating is a bit tight
- Rolls are not very big

Business Hours:
11:30am - 3:00pm, 5:00pm - 10:00pm (Tue - Sun)

Zipang Sushi on Urbanspoon

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yay Zipang! :) They've change the plating for the takoyaki I see, looks better that way I think (plus the sauce is easier to get.)

Can't say much about the sauce cause the only sauce thing I got was takoyaki and it was all on the edge of the bowl...

The cactus roll is so good, just because of the texture....yum.

Glad you had a good experience. :)!

Angie said...

The sashimi looks good! Any idea which Japanese restaurant in Vancouver serve sashimi with freshly grated wasabi? Thanks :)

Sherman Chan said...

Hi Angie! The only place that I know of is Tojo's. But this is not first hand knowledge. I still have to visit Tojo's myself!

Sicilian Grrrl said...

Ok Sherman, you're killing me with all the seafood and Asian restaurants!

How about some Mexican, Italian or Greek? Also, there is a little Mexican place (I think) on the street behind the Save On at King George and 72nd. I'm pretty sure it's next to the Esquires, or at least close.

I'd kill for some cheesy, creamy chicken enchiladas!

La Petite Vancouver said...

mmmmmmmm ~ look so yummy I might wanna give it a try after reading your post and Kevin's =)

Sherman Chan said...

LOL Sicilian Grrrl! Yes, I'm quite aware I do way too many Asian restaurants. Not to worry, there will be some nice choice non-Asian ones coming up!

Sherman Chan said...

Hi La Petite Vancouver! Yes, Kevin is a gem isn't he? He's got some really good suggestions. I seem to be following him all the time!

Anonymous said...

Did you call me a "gem", Sherman?!?!? ....I don't know.....hahaha that's kind of weird ;)

Sherman Chan said...

Yah Kev, I thought it was very weird as I wrote it, but nothing else came to mind... LOL...

holly said...

I've been trying to get to this place and of course it was closed (Monday) on my first try.

The sashimi looks really fresh and nicely prepared. I think I'll stay away from the Zipang salad as it appears kind of strange.

I'm looking forward to seeing their presentation which they apparently make little candles out of their vegetables. Did you get one?

Sherman Chan said...

Actually I didn't get the funky presentation that Kevin (604Foodtography.com) received. I suspect they only do that for dinner. Yah, the salad was alright, but too much fried noodles on top.

Search this Site