Sherman's Food Adventures: Miraku

Miraku

Whenever I see people raving about something like, "this is the best sushi in Langley" on Google reviews and/or Yelp, I get a bit suspicious.  So how do they quantify this?  Have they gone to every sushi joint in Langley?  Also, what is their experience with Japanese food (ie. the best California roll doesn't constitute the best sushi anywhere...).  So when Nikita and I were deciding on which Japanese restaurant to visit, I suggested Miraku since many have remarked it as the "best in Langley".  Okay, I have only been to a handful of places in Langley, but since Nikita and Bluebeard have lived in Langley forever (and I do mean forever as Nikita was born and raised there), they could give an educated assessment of the place.

We started with the relatively expensive Assorted Tempura for $15.95.  When it hit the table, the price tag seemed reasonable since it consisted of 6 ebi and a good amount of veggies.  It was apparent that they were careful with the batter as it was paper thin, yet crispy and not greasy.  The ebi was buttery with a light snap while the veggies were done right.  In particular, the sweet potato and yam were sliced thinner than usual, hence it was not heavy to eat.  For some odd reason (could it have been my camera?), we were served a complimentary appie in the Tempura Salmon Salad drizzled with sweet mayo and vinaigrette.  This was pretty good as the salmon was still moist and the batter was as good as the previous dish.

Onto some sushi, we had the Spicy Salmon Roll, New House Roll and a few pieces of Nigiri.  Sporting the same spicy dressing, both rolls had a saucy kick to them, but wasn't overpowering.  The sushi rice was chewy with the right moisture level.  I found it mildly seasoned.  They were prepared carefully where the rice was even and minimal while the filling was generous.  As you can see in the picture of the Sushi Combo, the nigiri was appealing in appearance and the ratio of fish-to-rice was on point.  We kept it simple for our order of sashimi with the Sockeye Salmon (not pictured).  It was aesthetically-pleasing where the texture was soft with a bite while the flavour was fresh and sweet.

As per usual, we got an order of the Pork Gyoza for our daughter since she can eat all of it by herself.  These were seared on 2 sides rather than one, which created a crispiness on the outside.  They weren't overly aggressive with the sear which meant the smokiness and caramelization was lacking.  Inside, the filling was soft and moist with a good balance of cabbage and pork.  Rather than ordering it in nigiri form, we had the Unagi Donburi instead. I wasn't a huge fan of the presentation in a shallow bowl, but it ate quite well.  The rice was chewy and texturally on point while the buttery unagi was moderately sauced. I mention this because the rice could've used a bit more flavour from the addition of more sauce.  Also, not sure how the plethora of green onions added to the dish.  So is Miraku the best in Langley?  It is purely subjective, but for us, it was indeed pretty good albeit expensive.

The Good:
- Carefully prepared
- Fish quality was good
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Pricier than the others

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