We raved about our find at Jumbo Sushi just a couple of weeks ago. It was not because Jumbo Sushi is good or anything like that. It was because they serve HUGE JUMBO sized sushi for cheap. It was just perfect for my boys who can devour sushis like there is no tomorrow.
It WAS.
Jumbo Sushi WAS the boys favourite for just two weeks. The family favourite is now the Banzai Sushi House (thanks to the recommendation of Vanessa, again).
Banzai Sushi is located on Westminster Highway in the strip mall across from the Richmond Public Market. It is actually just next door to Tsim Chai Noodles. For some reason, I had never taken notice of Banzai Sushi before … strange.
The picture above is somewhat misleading. We were the first customer as soon as they open at 11AM. Shortly after, it was all packed — certainly a very popular place and to think that I thought there were no sushi places of note in Richmond.
Nanzaro ordered the Tuna and Salmon Sashimi. This is just over $9.25.
But they are HUGE … everyone of them. It was mind boggling seeing sashimi pieces these big. Nanzaro was absolutely delighted with his bowl and tried his best not to smirk at his older brother’s selection. It was not often that Nanzaro beats Arkensen in anything.
Just look at the size of it one more time. It is just this thing alone that I am sure we will be making repeat trips to Banzai Sushi. Size DOES matter.
Arkensen selected from the Maki Combo B. This is $9 and consists of five types of half rolls.
It was pretty decent … it has California Roll and Tuna Roll.
The kicker was what they call the House Roll. We had never seen a bigger roll than this. It is like a California, Tuna, Salmon, Tamago (Egg) and Avocado roll all rolled into one.
It is so big that you can not even pick it up with your fingers without it falling apart, let alone try to pick it up with a pair of chopsticks. Needless to say, there is no way anyone can shove into the mouth in one go.
Arkensen barely finished half of it and had the rest to go. Look at the diameter of the maki … it’s almost the entire width of the container.
Size DOES matter.
The Chicken Teriyaki Don was $7. That was Suanne’s selection. After the superlative sizes of the boys selection, this is more down to earth. I don’t think Suanne will ever get used to eating anything raw.
If I recall correctly, what I had was the Dragon Roll ($8) and Futomaki ($4). I wanted to try something beyond the normal BC Roll, or California Roll.
The Dragon Roll was pretty good. This is something that Suanne took a couple of pieces of because it had elements of cooked food.
The Futomaki was a bit more bland compared to the Dragon Roll. The sweet taste of the tamago dominates the flavour of this roll.
The bill came up to $39 before tips. There was a lot of food. We enjoyed it so much and will come back again. I already know what the boys will order next time … the sashimis.
Banzai Sushi House is branch of Samurai Sushi on Cambie in Vancouver. We had never been to Samurai Sushi but reckon they serve the same gigantic portions.
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That looks delicious! Now I very interested in trying this place. Glad that you guys liked it. I liked Arkensons’ meal!
This is a “fresh” (pun not intended) initiative launched last week, focusing on the sources of fish that the sushi seafood supply chain is built on:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090422.wlsushi22art1832/BNStory/lifeFoodWine/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20090422.wlsushi22art1832
Yes, turnover does affect freshness and minimizes food-borne illnesses (assuming all the preparatory precautions and food safety practices are adhered to). In that sense I’m sure Bansai/Samurai are doing ok.
I guess I was referring more to the quality of ingredients, the seafood and the fact that these places don’t serve “Japanese” sushi the way they were intended. Bad analogy: you can get a double-patty Big Mac for just a few bucks with quantity. But it sure wouldn’t taste the same as homemade burgers from your own BBQ made with the lean, quality beef patties that you seasoned and formed with care, would it ?
I don’t know. I think for me it’s the food turnover that’s more important. Sushi fishes (salmon and tuna) are usually frozen when ordered by the restaurants from their suppliers. They have to be frozen to make it safe to be consumed raw as sushi. It’s the time the fish spend in the sushi display case that’s important. The more popular the sushi house is the fresher is the fish. I think sushi places pretty much have the same supplier of frozen fish. So quantity may not be a bad thing as long as there is a quick turnover of food in the sushi place.
Agree with Andy. Bansai and Samurai are known for quantity and that’s what makes them so popular. There is no quality here to speak of. Proprietors are Vietnamese. If quantity is the only thing you are after, then they “fill” the bill.
In terms of value and quality, we are lucky to live in a city with SO many quality Japanese restaurants to choose from.
Interesting comments here:
http://www.dinehere.ca/restaurant.asp?r=195
http://www.dinehere.ca/restaurant.asp?r=3082
I think Banzai/Samurai are perfect for party trays. Great to bring to a potluck. Definitely quantity over quality. However, it’s actually pretty decent if you think about it. Actually, my friend’s aunt runs Samurai/Banzai. And yes, they’re Vietnamese.
If you listen to the chefs, they are constantly swearing in Cantonese/Vietnamese. Not bad for the price, really depends what type of sushi you are craving for that day.
Banzai Sushi is actually run by Vietnamese folks.
Thanks for the information, Ben.
My parent enjoy Samurai very much. I’m glad to know that they have a store in Richmond.
I have to agree that they serve quantity over quality. But my family have not suffered from food poisoning so far.
Banzai is the same owner as Samurai. Samurai is the one across from Oakridge on Cambie. Both restaurants are quantity over quality.
It’s funny that you say there are no sushi places to make a note of in Richmond. There are actually more then a handful of them. Seto, Kiyo, Ichiro, Takeya, Sushi Hachi and Sakura are some places that come to mind that are authentically Japanese. In my opinion, raw foods should be something you should not risk cheaping out on (to the likes of Chinese branched Japanese restaurants) since in one case of an AYCE restaurant, I had severe food poisoning from the salmon sashimi.
Totally agree with Garry. I have been to and like the list of restaurants. Sakura is the only one I haven’t been and I will give that one a try!
Been there once. Not a huge fan.
Their proportions are certainly big, but I found the presentation and taste lacking.
I prefer quality over quantity.