Sherman's Food Adventures: Sushi Ville

Sushi Ville

So we all know about the Aburi Salmon Oshi served at Miku - arguably the best in town and also the most expensive.  However, what if I told you about Sushi Ville on Commercial Drive that charges nearly the same price for their Sockeye Salmon Aburi Salmon Oshi (only $1.00 less than Miku)?  I'm sure most of you (me included) would expect it to be just as good or better for that price, considering that Miku also offers up a premium location, great service and higher-end decor.  I spotted the place after visiting Elephant Garden Creamery next door and went back the next week for dinner (and more ice cream afterwards!).

With dry ice bubbling and graced with a toy penguin, the Atlantic Salmon Sashimi was way more gimmicky than necessary.  I give them props for trying to be different though.  They didn't really need to do that as the salmon itself was quite good.  In medium-sized slices, the fish was buttery and lightly sweet.  It was fresh and bright (as much as flash-frozen then defrosted fish can get... Health regulations...).  My daughter wanted the Chicken Yakisoba and I begrudgingly ordered it.  You see, she usually takes a bite of something and never finishes it, but she did put a dent into this one.  However, I thought it was pretty average at best.  I found the noodles dry and lacking in flavour.  There needed to be a more aggressive stir-fry as well as more sauce for moisture and tang.

If you are familiar with the Seafood Salad at Sushi Town/Garden, you will know that it is much more salad than seafood.  The one at Sushi Ville is the complete opposite as there was much more in the way of ingredients than lettuce.  In fact, I thought there should've been more salad as some bites were devoid of greens.  Hence, the one here ate more robust and had more flavours than just the dressing (which was served on the side).  I liked how they put effort into neatly arranging the ingredients on top.  Okay, the Assorted Tempura looked like any other order of this dish I've had in the past.  The batter was light and crispy while the yam and sweet potato were large.  Ebi was buttery with a meaty snap.  So all good.  But the last piece I ate was a banana!  ???  I wasn't expecting that.  But it was good!

Not sure why the Pork Gyoza was served on a cast iron plate when it wasn't sizzling nor hot.  I guess it looked way better than a plate though.  If the cast iron plate was actually steaming hot (like Pepper Lunch), this would've been more impressive.  No matter, the gyoza were actually good featuring a thin dumpling skin and a slightly crispy bottom.  Inside, the pork filling was quite substantial and almost juicy.  Nice balance between pork and cabbage too.  By this time, we were wondering where our order of Nigiri was.  In big font on the wall, it did state that they make everything to order, so we'd have to be patient.  Again, this was plated with the chopped scallop, tuna, unagi and tamago arranged neatly.  As much as this was fine, this was one of the weaker items we had.  The rice was a little dry, tamago was subpar and the unagi was weird with all the stuff on top.

Finally, our specialty roll arrived shortly after this.  The Crunch Shrimp Roll is supposedly their best seller and I foolishly ordered it.  It was essentially a fried California roll with shrimp and seafood on top, then baked and finished with mayo.  I found this rather dry, hard and greasy.  I'm sure this may have something to do with my personal preferences, but I really should have stuck to a basic house roll or something like that.  Finally at the end, we got our order of Aburi Salmon Oshi.  You know what?  It was actually pretty good with a caramelized sauce and nicely charred thinly-sliced jalapeno on top.  Rather than salmon in middle, we found shiitake which added a different taste to the oshi.  Now is it better than Miku for the same price?  No it wasn't, so they might consider dropping it a few bucks.  In the end, the food was a bit hit and miss, but they do have the potential to be better.

The Good:
- They do try to be a bit different
- Service was friendly
- Pretty large menu

The Bad:
- Sushi took forever to arrive
- Pricing should be lower 
- Should put more effort into some of their dishes in terms of execution rather than appearance.

0 comments:

Search this Site