Sushi Town

Meal time: Saturday 6:00 PM

This place is probably my most favorite Japanese place in Burnaby. They are usually packed so I'm used to the line-ups but it was to my surprise that it wasn't exactly hustle and bustle on a Saturday night. Normally when you venture in, you'll have to write your name on the whiteboard to reserve your spot. If you're standing outside, they will come out and call your name which is great. The decor is that of your run-of-the-mill sushi joint. The place is also better suited for small groups unless you plan on going during non-peak hours.

It's a rather small restaurant but it's not cramped. Parking is also an ease with the street and neighbouring school parking.

I presume most of the waitresses are in high school and are mostly Korean but there are Chinese too. I usually get great service here which can probably be attributed to my being Chinese but looking kinda Korean. Don't expect to be waited on hand and foot, but so long as you put up your hand, be patient and understanding, you'll get everything you want.

The restaurant is also Korean owned so the sushi is Korean style which I absolutely have no problem with so long as it tastes great.

The main differences between Korean style sushi and Japanese style sushi are:
- Japanese style consists of the basic ingredients and takes a minimalistic approach whereas Korean style is packed with vegetables and meat and looks very colorful and flamboyant.
- Japanese style is dipped in wasabi while Korean style is dipped in sesame oil.

The rolls are fairly sized and come out in 8. You can probably tell what I mean now when I say colorful but then again, these are their special rolls.

Double Dragon roll ($8) ~ cucumber, masago, avocado and unagi inside. More unagi and avocado on the outside. By the way, masago is smelt (i.e. the orange stuff) and unagi is eel. Pretty good and crunchy. Probably my second favorite of the 3 rolls we'll look at.

Mangodise roll ($5) ~ crab meat, cucumber and mango on the inside. shrimp on the outside. i don't really like this roll and it probably has to do with the fact that there's a raw shrimp on top and I don't like raw shrimp. Even without the shrimp, I don't particularly like this roll.

Awesome roll ($9) ~ crab meat, cucumber, avocado and masago on the inside. Salmon, green onion, masago and bonito on the inside. Bonito are the dried mackeral flakes you get that I'd think were gross by itself since I don't like dried fish but taste good here. My picture makes it look unappealing but I can tell you for a fact that it is definitely awesome!

Spicy Tuna Sashimi ($8) ~ Even though I can't take the spicyness without getting at least 5 glasses of water, I can't help but pass this up because 1) for $8, you get a ton, and 2) it tastes great! I believe they marinate their tuna which is why it tastes so good. I know other places would give you the tuna sashimi and put chili paste (i.e. Kawawa, that place in Metro) on the top and call it spicy tuna. For your information, that kind of spicy tuna is crap.

Ton Katsu combo ($9) ~ I think it was $9, that or $8 but I think it's an okay price. You get your standard bowl of rice and some green and two pieces of deep-fried awesomeness. My friend got a chicken katsu so we each swapped a piece. We were unable to tell the difference between the two in terms of taste. For some, that may be a problem. For others, it tastes like any other fried food - good.

Sushi Town offers a great deal of value and the quality of the food is always good. Staple eats are the spicy tuna sashimi and the awesome roll . My only complaint is the wait . Sometimes I'm so hungry that I just want to erase the names of the people in front of me.



Sushi Town
5935 Hastings Street
Burnaby, BC V5B 1R7
Tel: 604-294-6155