Takeya Sushi 竹屋
Takeya is located right beside Safeway in the strip mall on No. 1 Road. I never knew about this little sushi spot until I visited Ichiro in Steveston. The two restaurants belong to the same owners, but Ichiro is more high-end while Takeya features a take-out counter for fast convenient sushi and bento boxes. There is the option to eat in with table service as well. The store is quite small and very casual, so it's not exactly the place to go for a romantic sushi dinner. But the ingredients are unbelievably fresh and the sushi rice is cooked perfectly. We ordered a sushi combo F ($15.95) which includes a negitoro roll and a variety of nigiri sushi. Pretty good value for the price.
We also tried a few of the regular sushi rolls. Starting from the left, we have the queen dynamite roll ($6.75) which is a prawn tempura roll topped with gooey melted cream cheese. This is highly recommended for anyone who likes cream cheese because the gooeyness is a completely different experience from the usual solid cream cheese chunk. The roll in the middle topped with bonito flakes is the takoyaki roll ($4.25) stuffed with small takoyaki balls and bits of pickled ginger. Unsurprisingly it tasted just like takoyaki with a layer of rice over it. It was good, but no different from eating takoyaki by itself. On the right is the spicy tuna roll ($4.45), one of the most popular choices in sushi restaurants. Instead of marinating the tuna in spicy sauce, the sauce was drizzled across the top of the roll. As a result, the spicy flavour wasn't very intense, but I suppose a milder taste is typical of Japanese cuisine.
Based on my recollection of my experience at Ichiro, the food in both places is consistent in quality and taste. Of course the ambiance in Takeya is not as great, but the lower prices and the speed at which the food arrives make up for it.
We also tried a few of the regular sushi rolls. Starting from the left, we have the queen dynamite roll ($6.75) which is a prawn tempura roll topped with gooey melted cream cheese. This is highly recommended for anyone who likes cream cheese because the gooeyness is a completely different experience from the usual solid cream cheese chunk. The roll in the middle topped with bonito flakes is the takoyaki roll ($4.25) stuffed with small takoyaki balls and bits of pickled ginger. Unsurprisingly it tasted just like takoyaki with a layer of rice over it. It was good, but no different from eating takoyaki by itself. On the right is the spicy tuna roll ($4.45), one of the most popular choices in sushi restaurants. Instead of marinating the tuna in spicy sauce, the sauce was drizzled across the top of the roll. As a result, the spicy flavour wasn't very intense, but I suppose a milder taste is typical of Japanese cuisine.
Based on my recollection of my experience at Ichiro, the food in both places is consistent in quality and taste. Of course the ambiance in Takeya is not as great, but the lower prices and the speed at which the food arrives make up for it.
God, I drove by this place a few weeks ago, and I've been meaning to try it for ages. Looks like a take out place that's probably on par with Oyasato and that other place on #2 rd and Blundell.
ReplyDeleteYes try it! The food is slightly cheaper than at Ichiro, but the taste is the same. Good value for what you get :)
ReplyDeleteSlightly? Haha, I heard ichiro could be expensive?
ReplyDeleteIchiro does have expensive dishes, but I mainly order sushi rolls which are not too different in price!
ReplyDelete"...a milder taste is typical of Japanese cuisine."
ReplyDelete=P
Exception: have you tried Japanese ramen?
In response to that, have you tried Korean or Chinese ramen? :P
ReplyDeleteI would consider Japanese ramen very mild compared to those two.
Chinese ramen can have a mild soup base!
ReplyDeleteThese meals look delicious!
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