[Dine-Out] Calgary: Koto Sushi Lounge November 30, 2012

3 words.

Do. Not. Like.

I’ve come here a couple of times before with the Groupon voucher (obviously no posts on those because I’m an awful blogger). The times I’ve used the Groupon vouchers, the food was fine. I mean, you can’t really complain about $30 restaurant sushi. Like, even if the food wasn’t that great, it was still good enough for super cheap sushi.

But a whoolllleeee different story when it’s $60, full-price sushi.

So, tonight we went there for dinner. I really wanted sushi and it was between Koto and food court sushi because I was really really hungry and needed food that was within 5 minutes of the mall.

We ordered 4 pieces of sushi and 4 rolls. Yes, we are only 2 people. Again, we were really hungry. Yes, we ate it all, but it wasn’t enjoyable.

[L to R] Shichimi Spicy Prawn, Dragon

The Shichimi Spicy Prawn, according to the menu, Japan traditional spice, chopped prawn mixed with spicy mayo, tempura prawn, mayo, tobiko, sweet eel sauce, and seaweed powder. One of the main things I don’t like about all these ‘fancy rolls’ is the unnecessary addition of unnecessary ingredients. I mean, why do we need more mayo when there’s already spicy mayo. Also, “chopped prawn mixed with spicy mayo” gives the impression of majority prawns, minority mayo. Noooot 90% mayo and 10% shrimp paste. The main thing that made this unenjoyable: stale tempura prawn in the middle. Like super stale. Like probably cooked it during the lunch rush stale.

Dragon, according to the menu, grilled giant eel, avocado, tempura prawn, mayo, tobiko, eel sauce, and sesame seed. I think their menu is wrong, there was no tempura prawn in this roll. And their “giant” eel was super not giant (see above). Nothing overly wrong with this one.

[Clockwise from Top L] Tamago, Volcano Calamari Maki, Saba, BC Salmon Skin Maki

First of all, the tamago tasted weird. I read somewhere that tamago is a good gauge of how good a sushi restaurant is. It’s probably more accurate for sushi restaurants actually in Japan, but nevertheless. I had half a bite and it tasted so weird that I had to give the rest to the bf so he could try. His words: “It tastes like pollock, like imitation crab meat“. Soooo, ya. Weird.

The Volcano Calamari was okay. Albacore tuna, calamari, cucumber, and volcano sauce. Meh, mediocre. Too much sauce. Rice was too starchy.

The saba was only also okay. I’m a firm believer that mackerel should come with grated ginger and sliced scallions. It just seems like the chef is lazy when it doesn’t.

Guilty pleasure = BC rolls. I really like these little suckers with the salmon skin. This was so. not. good. The salmon skin was limp and cold. Definitely not fresh. Stale like the tempura shrimp. Probably cooked during the same lunch rush period. Could’ve even been Thursday’s lunch rush period.

So. Never eating here again. I’m having the worst case of meal regret. I think I would’ve even preferred mall sushi. At least my wallet would be last affected by it…

KOTO SUSHI LOUNGE
435 4 Avenue Southwest
Calgary, AB T2P 0J4
(403) 457-2898

[Take-Out] Calgary: Bento Nouveau October 15, 2011

The bf and I have been getting sushi from the food court sushi place down in TD Square. Sometimes we just don’t feel like cooking at home or spending a lot of money dining at a restaurant. This place on the 4th floor is great though, an hour before they close, they will offer their sushi at 30% off. They’ve been doing this so far, one time we went, it was buy one get one free, but I don’t see why they would stop offering the discount. They have to get ride of that day’s sushi, and I have to eat dinner, totally a win-win situation!

This is the summer combo:

$9.99 Regular Price

Obviously the quality is not as good as in restaurants, but not bad for about $7.00! It’s still way better than the sushi you get a grocery stores though. I find the rice you get from the grocery store sushi is always dry and hard. At least here, the rice is still soft, it’s cold, but it’s good enough!

Spicy Tuna Roll $6.99

All the prices I’ve listed are regular prices!

Salmon Delight Combo 9.99

Usually one of the bigger combo is enough food for me for dinner. But we like to get two each so we have more variety, and then we end up being way too full, lol, so gluttonous.

Black Dragon 8.49

Close up

BBQ Salmon Roll 7.99

Dinner for two:

All Together

Bento Nouveau
Core Shopping Food Court, Level 4
751 – 3 Street SW
Calgary, AB T2P 4K8
(403) 232-6808

[Dine-Out] Calgary: Shibuya Izakaya June 15, 2011

This was last summer, I think:

$0.99 Fresh Oysters!!

I love fresh raw oysters, so good! I like it better when they’re served plain with the sauces on the side though. At first, I wasn’t a big fan of the soy sauce (don’t mind the chives, yum) coming on the oysters, but it wasn’t bad. If it was up to me though, I would eat it without the soy sauce~

Yum~

We also got an oyster of Takoyaki. I find a restaurant’s takoyaki is a good measure of how good its hot food items are. Some places they have way too much dough, and it makes the octopus balls very soggy and not good. I was good here, I love the generous amount of Bonito Flakes (Katsuobushi) on top.

Katsuobushi Galore!!

Some sushi, of course:

Mango Tuna Roll

Anago Temaki:

Salt-Water Eel Handroll

I really liked Shibuya, and am planning on making a trip there this year. It’s kind of a hassle to get to for me because it’s up on 16th Avenue, I have to plan it or I won’t end up going~

SHIBUYA IZAKAYA
453 16 Avenue Northeast
Calgary, AB T2E 1K2
(403) 277-8823