Noshwellmenu

[rating:2]

Kiku Sushi sits in a tiny strip mall complex next to Burnaby’s Metrotown that houses a couple banks, an insurance provider and London Drugs. Joining the ranks of modern sushi restaurants in Vancouver, Kiku has their own special lineup of contemporary interpretations on traditional sushi.

(Top to bottom: 1. Winter California Roll 2. Tobiko and Tamago Nigiri Sushi.)

Case and I sat down in the spacious booths, serenaded by the gentle pop tunes of Madonna’s Papa Don’t Preach on 103.5 QMFM. The menu looked impressive. The chef has created special house rolls that veer off slightly from the traditional recipe. We ordered some Nigiri: Tamago, Toro, salmon, Saba and Tobiko. In addition, we ordered a spicy tuna roll and Kiku’s own Winter California roll.

The sushi was average at best. The rice wasn’t properly packed and disintegrated upon contact with chopsticks while old standbys like Tuna belly, which is normally a no-brainer, was surprisingly mushy and sinewy. The saba was extraordinarily dry, while the Tamago lacked any discernable flavour. The spicy tuna rolls were pretty decent, but perhaps it was mercifully masked by the spices in the hot sauce. The Winter California roll — well, that was just something that should probably be left off any menu: a california roll drowned in a creamy, motoyaki-like sauce, then torched. It was like dunking sushi in microwaved chip dip. Hideous.

(Top to bottom: 1. Tuna and Salmon Nigiri Sushi 2. Spicy Tuna Roll.)

The service was quite decent, albeit slow for an empty restaurant. The staff including chefs and servers were quite amiable and seemed eager to please, and the presentation of the food was deceptively pretty. Our meal including taxes and tip was $22. But Kiku Sushi was trying to run before they could walk, attempting to match contemporary sushi creations popularized by places like The Eatery, Zipang and even Sushiyama. They should really stick to getting down the fundamentals first.

Perfect for: bypassing your time while you’re waiting for your mortgage to be approved next door.

The Details

4986 Kingsway, Burnaby
604.434.6020

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