Sherman's Food Adventures: Shizen-Ya

Shizen-Ya

Sometimes...  and I mean really sometimes, I intentionally seek up healthier eats.  This is especially true when I've had consecutive artery-clogging meals for the week.  Since I was in Downtown for a conference, it meant that I had been eating rather crappy already.  We were only given a certain amount of time for eating, hence Miss Y and I didn't think much about health (well, she did at least).  So for lunch, I suggested we go meet up with Whipping Girl (yes she is alive and whipping) at the neaby Shizen-Ya for "healthier" Japanese food.

Miss Y ended up sitting at another table with some of my other colleagues since the place couldn't accommodate such a large group, especially during the lunch rush. Therefore, I really didn't get to sample nor take any pictures of their dishes other than Miss Y's Assorted Sashimi consisting of 2 pieces of tuna and 3 pieces of salmon.  These were fair in size and good in terms of quality.  I knew this without trying any because Whipping Girl ordered the Ocean Quartet Sashimi Salad consisting of mesclun greens topped with sockeye salmon, albacore tuna, ebi, crab meat, avocado, cherry tomatoes, peppers and sunflower seeds.  This not only looked healthy, we felt healthy eating it.  Ingredients were fresh and vibrant while the miso dressing was just right in flavour and quantity.

The healthy theme continued with the Whole Wheat Tiger Prawn Tempura.  As much as this sounded better for us, the result was something that was doughy and not crispy at all.  In fact, I swear that it was a bit greasy (so is that still healthy?).  On the positive side of the ledger, the ebi was meaty and cooked just right exhibiting a natural sweetness.  For my main, I went for their Beef Teriyaki Combo with brown rice and spinach gomaae.  This was a fairly decent portion of lean beef that was tender with a chew.  There was only an adequate amount of teriyaki sauce that was easy on the sweetness.  I liked the brown rice for this dish because it stood up to the sauce well.

We also got 2 rolls including the Spicy Salmon Roll with avocado and cucumber encased in organic brown sushi rice.  Since the brown rice was firm and almost "meaty", it made the roll more substantial and heavier.  This could've contributed to the mild spiciness.  Otherwise, the roll continued the theme of freshness.  Nicely plated, the Sakura Blossom Roll was constructed with real crab meat, spicy tuna, cucumber and avocado with wild sockeye salmon on the outside.  Due to the amount of ingredients, the firm brown rice was less evident in this roll.  Moreover, the ingredients and the maple sauce ensured that this roll was on the sweeter side.  Despite the fairly considerable amount of food we ordered, we didn't feel bloated nor completely stuffed.  I guess that's the whole point at Shizen-Ya.

The Good:
- Organic ingredients (if that matters to you)
- Healthier option
- Fresh ingredients

The Bad:
- On the pricier side
- Some things must be sacrificed for healthier preparations   

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