Vancouver is known for its plethora of cheap sushi restaurants. I’ll be honest, some of them put me off due to their grungy look or their suspiciously low prices but I’m now a convert!
My father brought me one quiet day to Kin Sushi in West Vancouver to pick up some takeaway for our dinner. The tiny shop does have eat-in facilities though they’re very very basic. Most people come and get their order to go. While you can get lots of special rolls, we ordered their more basic combos – each of these was about $6 (with miso soup!). Here was a California roll, tempura yam (sweet potato) roll and tuna maki.
This was a spicy combo – spicy salmon roll, spicy tuna roll and spicy dynamite (tempura prawn) roll. Of course, it’s not actually very spicy – there’s just a reddish sauce with a tingly heat mixed into the rolls.
I was surprised by how tasty they are – they’re already about 20 times better than the sushi one gets at the major chains in the UK (I’m looking at you, Itsu and Wasabi).
Kin Sushi
1760 Marine Drive
West Vancouver, BC V7V 1J1
Canada
The next week, I met up with one of my best friends, her husband and her daughter for dinner and they brought me to Sushi Town on Marine in North Vancouver. This restaurant was absolutely packed on a Saturday night and there was a 30 minute wait for a table for four.
And yes, the prices were amazing for what you get. This was a Double Dragon roll (about $8) – unagi on the inside and unagi on top too. Lots of eel!
We had the spicy tuna and salmon sashimi (about $9) with the spicy sauce on the side (rather than have it all mixed in – it can overwhelm the fish) and the portion size that arrived was extremely generous.
My friends’ normal order always included the Awesome roll (approx $7) – it’s like a California roll but it’s topped with seared salmon, masago (flying fish roe), spring onions and bonito flakes and then the whole thing is drizzled with teriyaki sauce and spicy mayonnaise. It’s totally and awesomely over the top.
When the tonkatsu (about $8) arrived, I asked my friends whether they asked for one order or two. Yes, this is just one order. Two moist thin tonkatsu cutlets served with rice and salad – it’s big!
A single order of agedashi tofu (approx $4) was a large bowl of tofu cubes! The tofu wasn’t as silky as I like it but it’s still a solid dish.
Sushi Town
1227 Marine Dr.
North Vancouver, BC V7P 1T3
Canada
Of course it’s not the finest sushi you can find in the city but for bang for your buck, you can’t go wrong at these restaurants. In general, I’m not a fan of the tuna served here (not sure what type it is) and I prefer the salmon. The fish is fresh, their sushi is tasty and creative (North American rolls are crazy and crazy good) and it’s all certainly a bargain. It definitely scratched my sushi itch.
Tamarind and Thyme 
Thu, 9 Jan, 2014 at 01:53
wow, that’s fantastic value for what you got! i also steer away from dodgy looking japanese restaurants – unfresh sashimi and the risk of food poisoning really put me off – but you got lucky in vancouver. it looks like you’re doing some great eating!
Sun, 19 Jan, 2014 at 15:01
Vancouver is quite famous for its cheap sushi and since these places have their regulars, I reckoned they must be ok!
Thu, 9 Jan, 2014 at 09:23
They aren’t mucking around with the portion sizes, are they?
Sun, 19 Jan, 2014 at 15:02
Never in North America!
Thu, 9 Jan, 2014 at 11:10
Nom, Nom!
I need the spicy tuna and salmon and the agedashi tofu. I’ve had the tofu before but still not sure what’s it’s all about.
Sun, 19 Jan, 2014 at 15:14
I love agedashi tofu! I think it’s the contrast between the deep fried outside and silky inside that’s addictive.
Thu, 9 Jan, 2014 at 19:53
awesome – you went to sushi town! there are several others around town with epic portion sizes and we go weekly to easily get our fish-nutrition fix for the week!
Sun, 19 Jan, 2014 at 15:19
😀 Sushi Town seems to be very popular in Vancouver!