Sumo All You Can Eat (Kent)

So you've heard me talk about the comeback or revival of AYCE (All-You-Can-Eat) in the past few years right?  Well, there are a few reasons for that, but the biggest is to do with the prevailing shape of the economy.  People just want good value when they go out to eat.  Hence, restaurants are adapting to consumer behavior.  More often than not, these AYCE spots will be Asian (in particular, Japanese, Indian and Chinese Hot Pot).  So that has brought us to Sumo All-You-Can-Eat in Kent.  Unlike many other AYCE Japanese joints, Sumo has some pretty good reviews.

To order food, you scan the QR code and then select items off your phone.  Dishes are brought to you by robots, so in reality, you could have very little interaction with the staff.  We started off with some smaller dishes in the Sushi Bomb, Tuna Tataki and Yellowtail Jalapenoa.  On a cube of crispy rice, the Sushi Bombs featured spicy salmon on top.  This was a crispy bite that wasn't as heavy as it looked.  As for the Tuna Tataki, it was somewhat spicy due to the dusting of togarashi on the outside.  The Yellowtail was buttery and had a kick from the jalapeno and spicy sauce.

They also have some torched sushi on the menu as well, so we got the Aburi Salmon Nigiri as well as the Aburi Scallops.  I gotta say that these were fantastic, especially for AYCE.  The salmon was buttery and the sushi rice was quite decent being chewy and not dry.  The scallops were buttery and fresh (and we weren't forced to eat any rice with it!).  We got a selection of their sushi rolls including the Rainbow, Dragon, Pink Lady and Sweet Heart Rolls.  They were neatly-constructed and that was surprising for AYCE.  In the end, they were also quite good where the rice was just right and the amount of components exceeded the amount of rice.  I especially enjoyed the heart-shaped Sweet Heart Roll since it was wrapped in soy paper, which made it easy to eat.  The spiced imitation crab filling tasted great too.

Moving onto some fried appies, we had the Chicken Karaage, Tempura Shrimp, Coconut Shrimp and Fried Oysters.  The Chicken Karaage was okay, maybe a little dry, but crispy.  The Tempura Shrimp was a bit overbattered, but the shrimp was buttery.  Oysters were crunchy on the outside and buttery soft with brininess inside.  The star of the show was the Coconut Shrimp as there was a crunchy breading while the shrimp had a moist snap.

Our next set of dishes including Seaweed Salad, Imitation Crab Salad, Takoyaki, Nigiri and Unagi Don.  Strangely, I really enjoyed the crab salad even though it was drenched in kewpie mayo.  The crunch from the veggies did add texture.  As you can see, the Nigiri was pretty legit looking and it also ate well with a proper fish-to-rice ratio.  The Unagi Don was serviceable with buttery pieces atop chewy rice.  Takoyaki and seaweed salad were typical and decent.

In addition to ordering from your phone, there is a small section with serve-yourself dishes including Sesame Glutinous Balls, Calamari, Spring Rolls, Korean Spicy Wings, Edamame Salad, Jellyfish Salad, Bamboo Shoot Salad, Shrimp and a host of fruit and small cake desserts.  Of note, the Salads were actually quite good and well-seasoned.  Nice texture on them too.  Wings were okay, but a bit dry.  There was also Miso Soup in this section too.

Normally, AYCE restaurants serve crappy Ramen.  But believe it or not, the one at Sumo was passable.  Sure, the broth wasn't really that great, but the rest of it was.  The noodles were al dente while the chashu was buttery and torched.  It has legit soft eggs, scallion, wood ear, fried garlic and nori.  Also, the selection of Sashimi was decent as well.  Fish quality was acceptable and you can order as much as you want from a variety that included red tuna, tuna, tamago, ebi, tako, unagi, hokkigai and amaebi.

So far, the meal was great and I wasn't even taking into account that it was AYCE.  However, nothing is ever perfect and the cooked meats were a bit hit and miss.  Although the Grilled Beef looked fantastic, it was actually quite chewy.  The same could be said about the Grilled New York Steak.  Although prepared nicely medium, it was also not tender.  Both were seared well and had good flavor though.  As for the Beef Short Ribs, they were the best of the bunch, being fairly tender for non-tenderized short rib.  Once again, good sear and properly seasoned.

To end the meal, we had the aforementioned sliced fruit and sheet cakes in the self-serve station, but there was also a freezer near the front entrance.  In it, we found various Popsicles and Ice Cream Cups.  Nothing amazing, but satisfying and refreshing after a filling meal.  In fact, if you wanted to take it to go instead of eating it, you could do so!  Considering the quality and variety of food on the menu, the AYCE at Sumo has to be one of the better ones I've had in recent memory.  Of course we always need to have reasonable expectations for AYCE, but even with that, most of the food was "regular menu" quality (except for the grilled meats).  In that case, I do recommend you try this if you are hangry and don't want to sacrifice all the quality for quantity.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Reasonably-priced

- AYCE menu is extensive

- Overall food quality is good

The Bad:

- Avoid the grilled meats

- Was funny watching the robots get stuck sometimes

Afuri Kara Kurenai Downtown Portland

There are certain restaurants that have so many locations in the world, you won't have a problem finding an outpost in a major city.  We all know that Greater Vancouver (the one in BC) has 2 locations of Afuri Ramen, one in Richmond and one in Vancouver proper.  I've had differing experiences with the Vancouver one being better in my opinion.  Now, I got the chance to compare with the one of the locations in Portland (the spicy Afuri Kara Kurenai), right next to the original Voodoo Donuts (yes, we did get some of those too, although Bluestar is better!).

Just like the last time I was in the Vancouver location, we tried the Buta Gyoza.  These dumplings were prepared textbook-style with a crispy and browned bottom.  As you can see in the picture, there was a uniformly crispy skirt which was nutty and aromatic.  The dumpling skin itself was thin and had bouncy elasticity.  Inside, the pork and leek filling was tender and juicy.  It was also nicely seasoned being sweet and savoury.

Before we got to the ramen, we had 2 rice bowls including the Purutoro Chashu Meshi and the Spicy Karaage Don.  For the chashu don, it was a collection of components that created a flavor explosion.  Beyond the buttery tender pork belly, we found the crunch and tang from the pickled veg and the brightness of the green onions.  This was further enhanced by the addition of tangy yuzu and umaminess from the nori.  As for the chicken karaage, it was plentiful with a crunchy exterior and juicy meat.  The spicy mayo and chili sauce was medium in heat and added plenty of flavoring for the rice.  Add in the pickled ginger, nori and green onions and we had some of tang, brightness and umami to complete dish.

Onto the ramen, a visit to Afuri wouldn't be complete without ordering their signature Yuzu Shiro Shoyu Ramen.  If you've read my previous posts about this bowl of ramen, you know it isn't my personal favorite.  But after all these times, it has started to grow on me.  This time around, the chicken broth was super light and fragrant with the brightness of yuzu.  Was it any different than before?  Probably not, but for those who don't want a heavy tonkotsu broth, this is the way to go.  The thin noodles had a good chewiness and elasticity even while sitting in the hot broth.  There was some super moist sous-vide chicken breast chashu as well as a perfect custardy egg.

Moving from light and mild, we went to the Yuzu Kara Kurenai Ramen in also a chicken broth, but with the addition of yuzu spiced miso, chili powder and spicy menma.  We weren't in the mood to have our tastebuds being scorched, so we went for medium hot for this.  That was actually perfect as the spice level was noticeable, but at the same time, we could taste the richness of the miso and even some background brightness from the yuzu.

Now my favorite bowl here at Afuri is hands-down, the vegan Hazelnut Tantanmen.  Yes, that is not a misprint.  Despite being vegan, this bowl of noodles has all the texture and flavors to make up for the lack of meat products.  Beyond the chewy thicker noodles, the spicy miso tare added salty and sweet depth.  Tying it altogether was the hazelnut broth that gave each strand of noodle a delicious nutty and aromatic hug.  But wait, there was more!  The miso cashews only amped the nuttiness and umaminess of the dish and let's not forget the spice too as it also had some kick.  This was not lacking in impact.

We had one last bowl of noodles and this was the Kara Kurenai Tsukemen.  Also known as "dipping noodles" this dry ramen came with a spicy shoyu tsuyu.  As you can see in the picture, this sauce meant business.  We chose medium hot again, but this time, due to the concentrated nature of the dip and the amount coating each noodle, there was some real tongue-numbing instances.  This had most of the same components as the soup version except with thick noodles for dipping.

At Afuri, they also have a selection of Cocktails and we tried Yuzu Limeade, Ube Colada, Housemade Ginger Ale and Mai Thai on Fire.  Naturally, I gravitated to the non-alcoholic and refreshing drinks more.  They did a good job in cooling down my mouth from the spiciness.  I did enjoy the Ube Colada.  It was light and sweet from the pineapple juice. The Mai Thai on Fire was exactly that with serrano pepper infused rum.  It also had some orange liqueur and lime juice for balance.  Overall, this experience at Afuri was quite good.  In addition to some of their classics, they spiced it up figuratively and literally.  If you want so heat in your ramen and drinks, this is the place to be.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- If you want it spicy, it can be really spicy

- Spacious room

- Solid eats

The Bad:

- Seating is quite communal, so if that isn't your thing...

Toya Ramen & Bar

Finally breaking out of the streak of Thai restaurants in Portland, we moved onto a different Asian cuisine with Toya Ramen & Bar.  This modern noodle bar is Japanese-inspired, which is key to the overall understanding of the menu.  They take food in all sorts of creative directions and although they have some of the classics available, there are re-imagined plates as well.  We were excited to try some of their creations as well as taking in the energetic vibe and cocktails.

We began with some small plates including the fantastic Miso Eggplant.  This was full of umaminess with smoky and sweet notes.  There was a slight tang to it that made things appetizing.  Although the eggplant was tender, it was not mushy.  The crunch from the bubu arare added the necessary texture.  We also had the 5pc Hawaiian Kanpachi that was dressing in ponzu jelly, jalapeno and sansho oil.  The buttery pieces of fish were fresh and bright. There was some balanced saltiness with herbal notes and sweetness.  Burdock and seaweed on top came through with crispiness.

We then had the Crispy Gau Gee (or deep fried dumplings).  Although one would think this shape of dumpling and its preparation was only beneficial in saving time and effort, the results were actually quite good.  The outer wrapper was crispy and fairly light without being greasy.  The star of the show was the pork & cabbage filling.  It was moist and tender with some juiciness.  The seasoning was on point with equal parts sweetness and saltiness.

Before we got to the noodles, we tried their Lan-Roc Farms Tonkatsu featuring a panko fried duroc pork cutlet, cabbage, toya "57" sauce and takuan.  Fully-cooked through, but still juicy and tender, the pork cutlet was coated in a crispy layer of panko.  It was quite good on its own but the sauce on the side some tangy spice.  Loved the pickles (takuan) on the side as well as the sesame seed slaw.  It was rather aromatic and provided some relief from the fried panko.

Starting with something more traditional, we had the Shoyu Black.  This looked the part and also tasted the part with a silky chicken broth that wasn't too heavy, but not short on umaminess either.  Naturally, the black garlic oil did some of the heavy lifting with sweetness and almost smokiness.  The ajitama egg yolk was custardy while the egg white was delicate.  Torched and buttery, the pork chashu melted in my mouth.  Noodles were al dente as well.

From here, we moved onto something fusion with the Spicy Tom Yum Men.  Yep, we really didn't get away from Thai food with this meal.  Not complaining as I love Tom Yum!  For this bowl of noodles, the soup base was a clear chicken broth infused with tom yum.  I found it medium-flavored and spiced.  I definitely could've done spicier, but they provided some extra spice on the side.  The lemongrass component really came through being aromatic and gingery.  Noodles were firmly al dente and held up to the soup.  The sous vide chicken breast was supremely tender and juicy while the pork was equally tender.

We had an off-menu item in the Duck Ramen.  We are always game for some duck broth and this one delivered with a mild silkiness giving way to natural duck aroma. Unlike some versions, the duck broth was not salty.  Rather, it featured inherent umaminess and background fall flavors.  The sous-vide duck was perfectly tender as well as the sous-vide chicken.  For this bowl, we found thin ramen that worked beautifully with the duck and the broth.

They also have a selection of soupless ramen and we had a couple including the OG Abura Soba.  If you've ever had Kokoro Mazesoba before (lots of international locations), you would know exactly what this bowl is about.  With chewy noodles topped with shoyu tare, allium oil, onsen egg, pork chashu, green onion, nori and menma, there was more than enough components to ensure umaminess with a peppery and savory flavor profile.

The other soupless ramen we tried was the Caronaramen with onsen egg, chicken butter, speck, black pepper, parm and pecorino.  Yes, this did eat like an actual carbonara except with ramen noodles.  The noodles were firmly chewy and when mixed with the egg, resulted in a creamy and silky coating spiked with the saltiness of the speck and cheesiness of the parm pecorino.  Add in the black pepper, and we had a slight bite as well.

We had 3 desserts including the Hojicha Gelato, Black Sesame Cheesecake and Panna Cotta.  Of the 3, my favourite was the was the cheesecake as it was rich and creamy with a sweet nuttiness.  As for the panna cotta, it was thick and had real umami with the combination of salty miso, peanut butter and chocolate.  Lots of sweet and salty here with the rich taste of chocolate.  I really enjoyed the taste of the gelato as it was nutty and sweet.  I wished it was creamier though.  Overall, the food at Toya was delicious and the fusion aspect worked well in my opinion.  Great place to grab drinks, meet with friends and have some eats.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

 The Good:
- Solid eats
- Good cocktails
- Nice vibe

The Bad:
- I would've liked the Tom Yum to be spicier, but you can get extra on the side (also understand that that you can add flavor but can't take it away)  

New Fuji

From the same group that has brought us great restaurants such as Kingyo, Suika and Raisu, we now have another in New Fuji on 1st Ave in Kits steps away from one of my favourite restaurants, AnnaLena.   The menu here is quite extensive with grilled meats, battera sushi, udon and desserts.  Jess and I decided to come here for lunch so we could take advantage of their Gozen menu.  These combos feature 4 items with an udon, battera sushi, salad and karaage from $30.00 and up.

As such, we got the Uni Kamameshi Gozen with the Uni Eel Kamameshi, Uni & Scallop Miso Cream Udon, Sashimi Salad and 2 kinds of Karaage (Chicken and Corn).  Originally, the rice had a lid on it and we were instructed to mix in the uni and ikura (and chopped shiso and wasabi stems) when the hourglass timer was up.  That we did and the results were fabulous.  The chewy and flavour-infused rice was mixed with generous amounts of buttery eel, king oyster mushrooms, bamboo shoots, uni kombu broth and kansai dashi.  There was a wealth of flavours and textures.  Truly a luxurious rice that was well-worth the price (this gozen was $50.00).  The udon was quite good too with a creamy and sweet broth with a considerable uni flavour.  Sashimi salad was fresh and full of fish while the karaage was solid.  The chicken was juicy with a crispy exterior.  It was well-seasoned too.  Corn was sweet with pops from the niblets.

We couldn't just have that right?  Staying with eel, we had the Fluffy "Rare" Unagi Omelette.  As you can see, there was still quite a bit of moisture in the bowl, but the result was buttery soft eggs blessed with the sweetness of unagi and unagi sauce.  This was a study about soft textures and no, it didn't need any textural contrasting component because the mouth-feel from the eggs was what this was all about.

Another textural-focused dish was the Cheese Tofu that was super creamy and of course cheesy.  This was topped with figs and syrup that made it taste more like a dessert (like a soft cheesecake).  This was spread onto crunchy crostinis and it was super addictive.  The sweetness of the syrup only helped enhance the cheesiness while the crunch from the crostinis added that textura contrast (yes, unlike the last dish).

I always like to order Ebi Mayo whenever I see it on a menu (even when I shouldn't).  Well, it was a good decision this time around as each ebi was quite large and also fried beautifully crispy.  The ebi itself was meaty with a bounce texture.  It was aggressively dressed with a ginger & scallion chili mayo that was creamy and a bit heavy.  However, the brightness from the ginger and scallion did balance that out to a degree.

The other Gozen lunch specials featured battera sushi, so we were having serious fomo and decided to order the full Bluefin Negitoro Battera and half each of the Aburi Salmon and Wagyu Yukhoe Battera.  I found the sushi rice to be chewy, but quite loose.  So when we picked each piece up, it was hard to keep its shape.  In terms of toppings, the bluefin was buttery soft and sweet.  The flavours in this was quite complex due to the addition of apples, shiso, kelp, shiso chimichurii, sweetened soy, scallion ginger sauce and fresh green onions.  Lots of sweetness, umaminess and brightness.  The aburi salmon was buttery soft too with some bright yuzu koshu mayo, sweetened soy, ikura and chives.  The wagyu was beefy and also soft with crispy rice cracker bits, onion, apples, shiso chimichurri, sweetened soy, crushed garlic chips and soy.  So there was texture and also sweetness and aromatics to go around.

We decided on two desserts being the Ichigo Cake Daifuku and Tiramisu Parfait alle Fragole.  For the daifuku, it was good with a fresh strawberry (amazingly during these months) atop a layer of sweet red bean and thin sponge cake.  Then the whole thing was topped with mascarpone sauce and wrapped in mochi.  This was about sweetness and the chewy texture of the mochi.  Quite good and not as heavy as it sounds.  For the tiramisu, it featured a base of cocoa cookie crumbles topped with tart strawberry sauce and sliced strawberries.  From there, it was more traditional tiramisu with sweet mascarpone cream and cocoa powder.  I quite liked this as it was a lot lighter than having espresso-soaked ladyfingers.  Very refreshing, lightly sweet and full of texture due to the cookie crumbles.  In the end, we really enjoyed our meal at New Fuji. It is obvious there has been plenty of thought put into each dish with some sporting many components to create both flavours and textures.  Sure, it a bit pricey, but worth it in my opinion.

The Good:

- Lots of textures and flavours from a multitude of components

- Things are fresh

- Attentive service

The Bad:

- On the pricier side

Mauna Sushi

Okay, so this is like my 16th visit to Mauna Sushi?  I've been here so much that we have lost count.  It is not secret that I absolutely love this place where the food is delicious and prices are fair.  They offer up a variety of dishes including their signature aburi oshi, that is Downtown quality.  For those who don't know, they were closed for renovations for quite some time, but they have reopened with a refreshed interior and a revamped kitchen.  Hence, they can offer up a wider variety of cooked dishes as well as pumping out more sushi with quicker turnaround.  Jackie and I went recently to check them out.

We started off with a few things that weren't available on the previous menu (at least not officially) in the Hamachi Sashimi and Uni Nigiri.  As you can tell in the picture, the hamachi had a nice sheen and fresh appearance.  It was buttery with the taste of the sea.  As for the uni, it was creamy and sweet sitting atop chewy seasoned sushi rice.  Nice to see these options available now as the old selection of sashimi and nigiri were quite basic.

Now they also offer a few more small plates including the Ebi Fritter and the Ika Karaage.  Super light and crispy, the ebi fritters had an exterior texture similar to the deep fried taro dumplings you'd find at Cantonese Dim Sum.  The ebi itself was meaty with a snap while the combination of chili mayo and unagi sauce added just the right amount of flavour.  As for the fried squid, it was coated with just enough batter for some crunch.  Otherwise, the squid itself was the star with a tender bite while being well-seasoned.  It came with a side of kewpie mayo.

So we can't forget about the classics right?  Therefore we had the Aburi Ebi Oshi, Aburi Salmon Oshi, Aburi Saba Oshi and the Aburi Hotate Oshi.  Yep, these are just as good, if not better than the ones you find at Miku and Minami.  Due to its location and lack of high-end amenities, the prices for these at Mauna are also more affordable.  I really like how the components are well-portioned and fresh.  Also, the sauces are on point with proper torching.  Can't go wrong with these.

We tried a couple of new noodle dishes starting with the Kaisen Soba.  Okay, we manipulated the noodles so you could see the ample seafood.  Usually, it is hidden underneath.  Anyways, the noodles were al dente and bathed in just enough moisture to keep them from being clumpy.  There was a rich soy/dashi flavour to it that was savoury and full of umami.  The seafood was cooked perfectly with buttery prawns, soft scallops and tender squid.  Loved the shiitake mushrooms too as they also added body and more umami.

As for the second noodle dish, the Seafood Yaki Udon also had a bevy of the same seafood except we didn't touch it and left it how it arrived (LOL).  Once again, the seafood was perfect with the same textures as the soba.  In this one, there was plenty of mentaiko mixed in with the stir-fry adding a lovely brininess.  There was lots of sweetness provided by the seared onions and the overall seasoning of the dish was just right.

In addition to their popular Explosion Roll, they have now created a King Explosion Roll that has limited availability.  The original one consisted of imitation crab, spicy tuna and cucumber with torched oshi sauce, tobiko and black pepper on top.  The new one replaces the imitation crab with real crab, subs sockeye salmon for the tuna and adds uni.  For me personally, I still would go for the original explosion roll, the flavours work more in harmony.  The marinated spicy tuna with sesame oil notes along with the fairly neutral-tasting imitation crab with the bright crunch from the cukes are complimented well by the pops of brininess of the tobiko and creamy smokiness of the aburi sauce.  The new one has some of those elements but the uni does dominate the flavour profile and hence breaks the harmony.

So we can't pay a visit to Mauna without having one of their awesome Sushi Tarts.  They take everything tasty that they have in their arsenal and employ it into one item.  That is the tart with its sushi rice base, a layer of ripe and fresh avocado, they some spicy tuna, more sushi rice, a layer of sockeye salmon, aburi sauce, chopped scallop and ebi.  Put that all together and we have some elements of the explosion roll but with more distinct layers of impact.  So delicious.

Two more new specialty rolls on the menu are the Galaxy Roll and the "Bird's Nest" Roll.  The galaxy roll had very little rice compared to the considerable amount of hamachi, hotate and spicy prawn with large slices of tuna tataki on the outside.  This was pretty subtle-tasting with only unagi sauce doing the heavy lifting.  As for the bird's nest, it contained real crab, hotate and asparagus on the inside with red tuna on the outside.  The impact came from the fried leeks with ponzu on top.  They were pretty sweet and added crunch as well.

When we were served the Tonkotsu Black Ramen, I was initially quite skeptical.  Normally, non-ramen spots do not make good versions of the dish.  However, this one here was more than acceptable with flavourful broth with umaminess.  The black garlic really came through with its fermented essence.  The chashu was buttery soft while the noodles were chewy.  Even the egg was soft and custardy.

Onto a pair of rice bowls, we had the Chicken Katsu Don and the classic Unagi Don.  The piece of chicken featured a crunchy batter while being tender inside.  There was some egg and seared onions added to the mix.  Underneath, we found chewy rice with enough sauce for effect.  Sure, an unagi don can be pretty typical, but this one featured small slices that were individually seared so it was caramelized and smoky.  Of course there was the sweet unagi sauce on top with the same chewy rice underneath.  Pretty tasty.

Okay, you might be wondering why there is a picture of a California Roll and a Dynamite Roll ending this blog post.  Sure, these are not necessarily the rolls I would personally order here, but they have a lunch special that features a small roll of each and miso soup for only $9.99.  Good deal for those looking at a quick meal or take out.  But for me, it is all about the aburi oshi and specialty rolls.  Glad to see they added some other delicious cooked items to round out the menu.  I guess it means I'll be here even more!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- The aburi sushi here

- Cooked food is solid too

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- Loved how they addressed the limited menu issue and also added another sushi chef to speed up the orders, but due to the physical limitations of the place, seating is still limited