Yuki Sushi Izakaya

After weeks and weeks of waiting, we were super excited to see Yuki Sushi Izakaya open on Sunday. We even contemplated jumping off the bus and skipping our other evening plans. Cooler heads prevailed, however, and we decided to postpone our visit to Monday.
We arrive shortly after they opened for dinner service. We were greeted warmly and let to a large, comfortable booth by the window.

the sushi bar

We had some difficulty navigating the menu, partly due to the sheer number of choices. In a typical sushi joint in town, you get nigiri sushi, maki, some sashimi, teriyaki, donburi, and sometimes udon. Here, there were dozens of appetizers, robata, a wide variety of sashimi, and much more. What was interesting were the omissions, obviously intentional. For example, there was no inari and only one kind of udon soup. We had to enlist the server's help on a couple of dishes, but we managed to order a good selection.

The tuna tataki salad, suggested by our server, was exceptional. The freshness of the tuna was complemented well by the fresh mango and greens, as well as the not-too-sweet dressing.

garlic and pepper tuna tataki salad

The cold tofu was for the kids and was scarfed down quickly. The dish normally comes with bonita flakes, which were left off for us.

cold tofu

The mango sushi were almost too pretty to eat. The flavours melded beautifully.

mango sushi (3 orders)

The spicy calamari tofu (or caramari on the menu) was the only deep fried dish we ordered, but if all their tempura is this light and crisp, we might have to order more next time. The sauce had gentle heat that is enough for me to detect, but is not overwhelming for more mellow palates.

spicy calamari tofu

Their yakitori was nicely done. The menu, however, says it comes with three skewers. I don't know if these were two extra large ones, the equivalent of three, or there was a mistake. Given this was only the second night for them, we cut them some slack.

yakitori

The black cod was amazing. I think it was our favourite dish, and we would definitely order it again.

black cod saikyo bbq

Zaru soba is not an especially complicated dish, but it was executed well.

zaru soba

I think we've only had okonomi a couple of times before, so we don't know how it's supposed to be made, but if the one here is representative, we can see why it's popular.

okonomi yaki

To us, the eggplant was probably the weakest dish, but that's only because it was on the plain side. That said, the eggplant was cooked perfectly, soft but not the least bit mushy.

bbq eggplant

Our last dish was an add-on near the end, the second dish suggested by our server. The Crunchy Munch special roll was somewhat similar to a dynamite roll, having tempura prawn, unagi and avocado, but the two sauces gave it a decidedly different taste.

crunchy munchy

The room is decorated in warm wood tones and hanging bamboo blinds offer privacy and some noise dampening.

We were served by three or four waitstaff during our meal, and they were all smiling and attentive. Our server was on top of her game, and handled all our special requests expertly.

With so many conventional sushi places nearby, it's nice to have another Japanese restaurant with more variety on the menu.