Sushi Gallery
I went to Sushi Gallery for an early dinner and was slightly alarmed when I walked into a completely empty restaurant. It was only around 4:30 pm, so I cast my doubts aside until I heard the sushi chefs conversing in fluent Korean. Hmm... I wondered if the food would be authentic. The place seemed clean and tidy enough with bright lighting, so that was a plus in terms of ambiance.
Another plus was that both tea and miso soup were complimentary. There was a self-serve counter with a tea dispenser and a large pot of miso soup. The tea tasted a bit strange, but the miso soup was not bad with lots of green onions and tofu.
I decided to order from the "Favourite Sushi Combo Collection" on the menu. The spicy roll combo ($12) consisted of 3 spicy maki rolls: salmon/tuna, chopped scallop, and dynamite. I chose salmon over tuna, but honestly I don't think it would have made a difference. That's not to say the sushi was bad, but the spiciness of all the rolls came from the same piquant Korean chili paste that dominated the flavour of everything else. I kind of like Korean chili paste though, so I was ok with that.
The love platter ($18.95) was HUGE. Every part of it was huge. Have you ever seen sashimi slices an inch thick? Wait I shouldn't even call them slices. Sashimi slabs. The salmon was wild salmon, so the flavour was very different from what I was used to. It was mild and not very fatty with a faint fishy taste (not in a bad way). The roll in the middle was the love roll, hence the name of the platter. It was made with both seaweed and yellow bean sheet, giving it an interesting 2-in-1 appearance. Wrapped in one side was salmon, avocado and cream cheese, while yam tempura was wrapped in the other side. The combination of ingredients was good, but I had a little bit of trouble eating it in one bite. Just a little bit :) The nigiri sushi was nothing special, just a thinner (thank goodness) slice of sashimi on rice. Not one of the best I've had, but meh... $19 for this amount of food was good enough for me. And it turned out they had forgotten to give us the ebi nigiri which was part of the platter (which I promptly noticed and pointed out).
We got an extra piece of ebi nigiri to make up for their mistake. Just like the nigiri above, it was nothing special. Not bad, but not spectacular.
Prices here are not bad at all, especially if you order the sushi combos or party trays. The sushi is definitely not one of the best in town, but you get what you pay for.
Note: Is Sushi Gallery the same place as My Local Cafe? They have separate websites and different menus, but they have the same phone number. I'm confused... Is it My Local Cafe by day and Sushi Gallery by night, or has Sushi Gallery replaced My Local Cafe? Anyone know?
Another plus was that both tea and miso soup were complimentary. There was a self-serve counter with a tea dispenser and a large pot of miso soup. The tea tasted a bit strange, but the miso soup was not bad with lots of green onions and tofu.
I decided to order from the "Favourite Sushi Combo Collection" on the menu. The spicy roll combo ($12) consisted of 3 spicy maki rolls: salmon/tuna, chopped scallop, and dynamite. I chose salmon over tuna, but honestly I don't think it would have made a difference. That's not to say the sushi was bad, but the spiciness of all the rolls came from the same piquant Korean chili paste that dominated the flavour of everything else. I kind of like Korean chili paste though, so I was ok with that.
The love platter ($18.95) was HUGE. Every part of it was huge. Have you ever seen sashimi slices an inch thick? Wait I shouldn't even call them slices. Sashimi slabs. The salmon was wild salmon, so the flavour was very different from what I was used to. It was mild and not very fatty with a faint fishy taste (not in a bad way). The roll in the middle was the love roll, hence the name of the platter. It was made with both seaweed and yellow bean sheet, giving it an interesting 2-in-1 appearance. Wrapped in one side was salmon, avocado and cream cheese, while yam tempura was wrapped in the other side. The combination of ingredients was good, but I had a little bit of trouble eating it in one bite. Just a little bit :) The nigiri sushi was nothing special, just a thinner (thank goodness) slice of sashimi on rice. Not one of the best I've had, but meh... $19 for this amount of food was good enough for me. And it turned out they had forgotten to give us the ebi nigiri which was part of the platter (which I promptly noticed and pointed out).
We got an extra piece of ebi nigiri to make up for their mistake. Just like the nigiri above, it was nothing special. Not bad, but not spectacular.
Prices here are not bad at all, especially if you order the sushi combos or party trays. The sushi is definitely not one of the best in town, but you get what you pay for.
Note: Is Sushi Gallery the same place as My Local Cafe? They have separate websites and different menus, but they have the same phone number. I'm confused... Is it My Local Cafe by day and Sushi Gallery by night, or has Sushi Gallery replaced My Local Cafe? Anyone know?
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy this place as a vegetarian, they have separate counters for meat and have an excellent selection of great veggie items. I have never had the fish there, but it is the best sushi I have had in town. Not traditional by any means but traditional veggie sushi is kinda boring.
My Local Cafe used to be there and went out of business. Then Sushi Gallery moved in, late 2011. They held the name "My Local Cafe Sushi Gallery" for a while, probably thinking that familiarity would get them added business. But the older place wasn't so great and when they learned this it seems they started using just "Sushi Gallery" as the name.
@matttastic: Thanks for the info! It's funny because I didn't notice any advertisements or a section of the menu specifically for vegetarian options, but maybe I just didn't pay much attention since I'm not a vegetarian myself. In terms of fish sushi, I think there are a lot of better options in Vancouver. But you're right, traditional/authentic veggie sushi is probably pretty boring. If they actually specialize in vegetarian sushi (from the sounds of your comment), then maybe I should go try it out!
ReplyDeleteKorean ownership should be a good sign. I've rarely been to a Korean owned sushi joint that's disappointed. Their traditional kim-bap rolls are basically maki with weird extra things like ham or egg added, so they know how to do seaweed and vinagred rice. Also, NB that the chef brews his own personal blend of tea so it will be unique. I like it. Great review!
ReplyDelete@Mike: Thanks for dropping by! Yes I've generally had great experiences at Japanese and Korean owned restaurants. Kim-bap rolls are quite different from traditional Japanese sushi, but both are good. As for the tea, it's probably an acquired taste! I personally found it a bit strange.
ReplyDelete