Monday, February 20, 2012

Lunch at Akita Sushi, St. Thomas ON

Please note that Akita Sushi is no longer open.  BUT.  A new restaurant just opened called Asuka Japanese on Talbot Street near the CASO station.  Please check them out frequently.  It would break my heart to lose another Japanese restaurant.  (August 2014)

I searched high and low and only found one other person who would try out the new Akita Sushi on Talbot St. in St. Thomas with me.  Judy and I made a date for lunch and today was the big day.  The menu is two full pages of delicious sushi-ness.  We decided to try as many things as we could by ordering small portions.  

Just a heads up, it says right on the menu that if you waste any food you will be charged full price for it . . . so it is a good idea to only try one or two of something until you are sure you will like it.  

We started off ordering white tuna sushi, California rolls, butterfly cheese, eggplant teriyaki, spicy seafood udon and miso soup.  I ordered green tea which was refilled several times over the meal and Judy had pop.

The white tuna sushi was lovely especially with a little wasabi.  We both really enjoyed it.


The California rolls were quite nice.  Nothing new or exciting but definitely well made and enjoyable.

Our young friend, Blithe, who just happened to be at a nearby table with her daddy, recommended the butterfly cheese, a fried won ton stuffed with a creamed cheese and served with a lovely dip.  We both really loved them and each ordered 2 more.

I'm not a fan of eggplant but Judy loves it so she ordered the eggplant teriyaki (sorry, no photo).  Her eyes nearly rolled back into her head because it was so delicious.  I even liked it and that really surprised me.

The spicy seafood udon (udon means thick noodle) was delicious and had great heat and flavour.  If I was to make a criticism it would be that the serving is too large.  Judy and I split the bowl and really liked it.

The miso soup was like a thick chicken broth with a little onion and tofu(?) and bok choy(?) in it.  Tasty but nothing exciting to say . . . just nice.




The dishes were very pretty and fun.  They were whisked away as quickly as we emptied them.  The service was quite amazing.  I don't think we were ever more than a few minutes waiting for anything. One suggestion here:  I wish they offered real flatware instead of plastic.  They do provide chopsticks.

Our next order was salmon sushi, rainbow roll, more butterfly cheese (as I already mentioned) and shrimp tempura.

The salmon sushi (not pictured) was a really treat for me.  Judy wasn't crazy about the salmon.  But Judy doesn't usually like salmon and I LOVE it.

The rainbow rolls were very nice, 2 topped with white tuna, 2 topped with salmon and 2 topped with another fish but I'm not sure what it was.

And then we tried the shrimp tempura.  We both nearly wept with joy.  The shrimp were massive and tender and nicely breaded and served with a lovely dip.  We each had two of these giant shrimp and they will be the very first thing we order next time.


While we were eating we continued to peruse the menu, making notes of what else we wanted to try.  Our next order was sushi pizza, shrimp tempura temike, deep fried dumpling and beef teriyaki don.

The shrimp tempura temike was really tasty.  The seaweed wrap was fried I think because it was very crisp and held its shape.  It was wrapped around rice, tempura shrimp and thin strips of veggies.  I loved the whole package with some added ginger.  Judy didn't like the wrap much but ate all the filling.


We split a bowl of beef teriyaki don.  It was a lovely bowl of rice with teriyaki sauce and tender slices of teriyaki beef on top.

I forgot to ask what was inside the deep fried dumpling but I think it was ground pork with a lovely drizzle of sauce.  If I'd ordered these earlier in the meal I think we would have ordered several more.

And then the sushi pizza arrived.  My photo didn't turn out which is sad because it was adorable.  It was like a rice cake that was deep fried and topped with a yummy sauce with just a bit of heat, onion and thin slices of salmon.  We tried it but felt the salmon just didn't fit.  We took the salmon off and ate the whole pizza.

We still had so many things we wanted to try but just couldn't stuff in another bite . . . except dessert of course . . .


Judy ordered the deep fried banana with chocolate and I ordered the green tea ice cream and split them between us.  Oh my goodness they were good!!!!!!!!  We will be leaving more room for dessert next time because there were more things to try.



I recommend Akita Sushi highly.  I think there are dishes on the menu that will even excite the non-sushi eaters in the family such as the rice bowls (don), soups, tempuras and teriyakis.  Lunch is $12.99 and Supper is $20.99.  Our drinks were included and we received a 10% discount to celebrate their grand opening.  I believe the discount ends at the end of February.

Judy and I will be going back again VERY SOON!!!!!


15 comments:

  1. Pam, Thanks for the well-worded review. John, Katie and I went last Monday, and she was there again today for lunch in the small room. The food is good and the prices are well worth it.

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    1. What would you recommend we try next time we go, Beth?

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  2. So you have to PAY if they make something you don't like?????? I understand the concept of discouraging waste but......

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    1. Hi Scott,

      I think it is traditional in this type of restaurant. The idea is to avoid people ordering tons of food and then not eating it.

      I've lost track of the number of times in King's Buffett when people have loaded their plates with crabs legs and whatever and then eaten 2. That just irritates the heck out of me.

      We didn't like the salmon on the sushi pizza and left it on the plate. I didn't get charged for it. I bet if I'd ordered a dozen white tuna sushi and then just taken a bite out of one it would have been a different story.

      You never waited for more food. It was amazing, especially since the place was very busy. They even had to bring out extra tables in the centre room.

      I think it is a clever idea to prevent waste and encourage people to try lots of different things.

      Pam

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  3. amberwolfone@gmail.comMarch 3, 2012 at 4:45 PM

    Is one unable to take the left overs home?

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    1. Hi Amber. . .

      If you order from the all you can eat menu you cannot take home leftovers. I would imagine you would be able to take home leftovers if you ordered from the other menu.

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    2. I have been to many sushi restaurants and the deal is, you pay for what you do not eat, but you can take home your leftovers from all you can eat. You pay for the leftovers just like you would if you were leaving them on the table.

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  4. My husband and I recently ate lunch at Akita Sushi in St.Thomas and we were quite pleased. We're used to fulfilling our sushi urges in Toronto and felt that Akita Sushi stood up well in comparison to the quality of sushi that we're used to.
    The speed of service was satisfactory. What was supposed to be hot was hot (we actually burned our mouths a few times because we couldn't wait to try the appetizing dish set before us!) and what was supposed to be cold was cold. We liked the as-you-go style of all you can eat and will certainly be back again for lunch. (if I have my choice in the matter, it will become at *leas* a monthly treat!)

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  5. As I was searching for a website for this establishment I came across this review, and in doing so I felt compelled to offer this bit of info.
    I love Sushi, plain and simple. So as a resident of StT. I was overjoyed to hear were were getting one. Since it opened I have been there 6 times(told you I like sushi). Yes, the food is good, but unfortunately the service has gone down hill, fast! The last 3 times I have been there we have had to ask several times, to get a second order. They are prompt with the first order, but when it comes to ordering a second or third time(we only order a few things at a time) its like pulling teeth. We went there 2 days ago(for the last time, I might add) and eventually we just paid and left because we were tired of reordering and not getting served. Its back to London for sushi for us now.

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  6. I was there last night and did not find that to be the case. You may have just been in there on an "off" night.

    Pam- you have to try crispy spicy salmon maki - or maybe tuna if you weren't keen on the salmon. It is hands down my favourite roll.

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    1. I love salmon and tuna . . . I always order the tuna rolls first before anything else . . . I don't think I've tried the salmon maki . . . I'll make sure to try it soon.

      I was in for lunch with Mom, Nanna and my great-niece last week and the service was great and they had more new items. Not crazy about the mango rolls but the coconut chicken was lovely.

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  7. A very useful blog entry.
    Thank you.

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  8. Can't understand WHY more people aren't supporting Akita in St.Thomas- GREAT sushi. We went last night and the place wasn't very full. Every last piece of shashimi, sushi, rolls etc were all very tasty, fresh and beautifully presented. Get out there to support this place or we won't be so fortunate in this town to have fresh sushi!! Talked to the owner and asked how the place was doing and that we were thrilled to be there... she shared that they have been slow and they don't understand why as everyone says the food is so good. I asked if I could share some feedback about "quainting" the place up a bit- no dance music- play authentic asian music, green it up a bit with some large plants and tiny white lights and if they can bring in some colourful silks to make it a bit more intimate... very receptive and thanked us. They also need a facebook page and "Like" options with a give-away sushi for 2 each month?? Shop, eat and support local please....

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  9. PS- LOVE their miso soup...

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  10. Love sushi...Love this place. My children always asked me when we are going out for sushi. So I said, "You want to go out for sushi?" Their response, "Are you serious?" I must say they were quite excited about going.

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