My friend and I were going to check out the famous Granville Island, in Vancouver B.C., and we knew we needed some energy first. Knowing that I would be eating at Granville island, I grabbed a snack of a spider roll to go from Yamato Sushi, a busy little place right down the road from its competition, Jako Japanese Restaurant. The place was cozy but jam-packed even at 3pm with hungry customers and those picking up takeout. The walls were adorned with colorful pictures of the menu, which is almost overwhelmingly large, and I decided to treat myself to the spider roll which came in at just under 6 dollars. I grabbed the take out box and walked to the Italian place where my friend had a huge plate of pasta and a bowl of tomato soup waiting.
Opening up the box, I breathed in the smell of sushi and gave a small sigh of anticipation. The juxtaposition of fresh, light sushi and the heavy pasta and soup had never been more clear and as I tucked into my first delicious bite I felt a surge of energy flow through me. For those who don’t know, a spider roll is a premium roll which combines battered deep-fried soft shell crab with vegetables such as cucumbers, avocado, and daikon sprouts. My roll was topped with a delicious sesame seed sauce and was accompanied by a generous portion of ginger and wasabi.
I enjoyed my roll immensely, which was quite decadent compared to the cheaper, simpler rolls I had reviewed in my last post. The avocado and soft shell crab were a wonderful combination, but I did find the sauce, while delicious, a tad overwhelming. When I am eating sushi, I prefer a lighter touch to the roll. Nevertheless, I felt my energy replenish and by the time I had finished my last bite I was ready to hit the road. My companion, however, was not, and I had to help her finish her giant dish of food. The heavy pasta, sauces and cheese gave me a feeling of warm, lethargic contentment, and I realized what an effect food can have on your mood and energy levels. Sushi, for me, is the ultimate energy food, which is able to pick me out of a slump no matter how late I am up studying or working the night before. I made sure to save some wasabi and ginger, which I cleansed my palate with after the dense flavors of the pasta. As soon as I felt the burn of wasabi, I was right back in sushi mode, full of life and ready to explore Vancouver again.
I’m not going to write a full review of Yamato Sushi, as I only tried the single roll, but what I got was delicious and gave me the pep I needed for a long day exploring and seeing the sights of beautiful Vancouver B.C.
I have always been fascinated by the creation and culture of different foods, particularly sushi and sashimi in the modern era of Japanese cuisine. I am a classically trained chef and sushi connoisseur, also having operated a food service company and enjoy investigating and experimenting with food around the world.