Tokyo Sushi Express (Scott Road)

As much as I'm tickled pink that there is a fabulous array of Indian food available in and around Scott Road, it gets kinda repetitive. It's like having too much of a good thing such as a pantry full of snacks, a bank account full of money or Crystal Mall full of luxury SUVs - wait, scratch that one...  Hmmm, maybe scratch is the wrong word to use in this case.  Anyways, with the small selection of other ethnic food around, I decided to re-visit Tokyo Sushi Express since the last time was 4 years ago.  Due to the fact I can only eat so much, I ended making 2 separate visits within the same week (picture is from 4 years ago!).

Both times, the restaurant wasn't exactly ready to go on opening, but the food still came out quick. Presented neatly, the Assorted Sashimi appeared to be prepared decently with just-thick-enough slices of fish.  Consisting of hokkigai, tai, salmon, tuna and ika, the highlights on the plate were the buttery salmon and not-overly-mushy and properly defrosted tuna.  I wasn't a huge fan of the tai though as it was squishy and full of excess moisture.  But really, for the price, I was satisfied with the plate.  Next up, I tried the Tokyo Roll consisting of fried tofu, unagi, avocado and imitation crab.  I found the rice to be on the drier side while missing that glutinous sticky texture.  Granted, I was the first customer of the day and that may have been a contributing factor.  Flavourwise, it was very mild.  I did like the fried tofu though as it was silky with a light crispiness.

To complete the meal, I tried the small Assorted Tempura.  This was not bad as the batter was lightly applied and fried until crispy.  The pieces were properly drained of excess grease so that there wasn't a pool of oil at the bottom of the basket.  As for the ingredients, the ebi had a meaty snap while the sweet potato was soft.  On the next visit, I began things with the Pork Gyoza.  These featured a fluffy and light dumpling skin which was still a touch toothsome.  Inside, the meat filling was succulent and well-seasoned.  I wasn't a huge fan of all the veggies including carrot and green onion since it muddled up the classic flavours normally found in Japanese gyoza.  With that being said, these were still enjoyable to eat.

For my main, I went for the Unagi Don which was topped with a good amount of buttery soft unagi.  It wasn't over-sauced while still being able to flavour most of the rice underneath.  The rice itself was slightly chewy, yet it was more on the fluffier soft side.  I would've like more oshinko to add even more tartness.  For the heck of it, I tried the Delicious Roll just to get another taste of their sushi.  Turns out it was a good decision as it consisted of tart and sweet mango that brightened up the flavours.  The avocado was nicely ripe while the ebi on top had a meaty snap.  Again, the rice was a bit bland, but texturally, it was better than the last time.  In short, Tokyo Sushi Express provides serviceable eats for locals who may not necessarily be all that picky.

The Good:
- Serviceable food
- Friendly people
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Obviously not exactly authentic (if that matters to you)
- Not really ready to serve at opening time