Ninkazu Japanese Restaurant- Raw Oysters, Fruit Jell-O, and Shark Fin Sushi

For my birthday celebration with Dup, Dirtygirl, Pudding, Meta Knight, and Cupcake, we went to Ninkazu for an AYCE (all-you-can-eat) feast! I totally forgot to make reservations and we were told it would be a 45 minute wait. Luckily, we couldn’t decide on where else to go, and they somehow got us a table in about 20 minutes. Yay!

 We were super duper hungry because we played sports beforehand so please forgive me for the blurry pictures. I tried to take a picture as soon plates landed on our table but I couldn’t let the camera focus fast enough before chopsticks started digging in! :P We are a savage bunch.

We ordered off their Deluxe Dinner Menu ($22.95) because I specifically wanted the raw oysters (Kaki Pon). I absolutely love raw oysters!! These were of decent size (considering you can get as many as you want) and tasted quite fresh. I pretty much finished the whole plate... :D

The Ebi Sunomono was average. It’s refreshing, sour, and a great way to start off the meal.

I didn’t try the Chopped Scallop Cones but I assume they were okay because I heard no complains. The Soft Shell Crab Roll was super good 2 out of the 3 times we ordered it. Our first time ordering it, awesome.  Second time, tasted like mush. Third time, awesome! So if you get a bad roll, just do what we did and order it again Muahahaha.

I was pleasantly surprised that they took the effort to make the presentation of the sashimi look pretty! In this platter, we had Salmon Sashimi, Toro Sashimi, Tako Sashimi, Hokkigai Sashimi, and Tuna Sashimi. These were all pretty decent. My only criticism would be that their Toro was frozen which is always a no-no.

Ugh. The Tuna Tataki and Beef Tataki were completely frozen! *shudders* AVOID.

In front is the Sweet Potato Tempura and behind is the Korean Salmon Sashimi. Dangit!  I didn’t try any of these... they must have been out of my reach!

These Chicken Karrage were not horrendous but not great. They needed some definite seasoning. Or salt and pepper.

Wow what a sight! On this platter, there is Tamago Sushi, Abalone Sushi, Masago Sushi, Shark Fin Sushi, Wakame Sushi, Chopped Scallop Sushi, and Tobiko Sushi. Out of these, I like the Shark Fin Sushi the best because it is extremely flavourful and the chopped jellyfish provides a perfect crunch against the soft sushi rice.

We ordered Ika Sashimi which is essentially raw squid. Cupcake loved it but everyone else thought it was a bit slimy. 

This platter contained more Chopped Scallop Sushi, Ikura Sushi (salmon roe), Mirugai Sushi (geoduck), and Ebi Sushi (cooked prawn). I don’t think I’ve ever had geoduck before and it tasted pretty good!

The Beef Teriyaki was really tasty and I believe Dirtygirl quite liked the Chicken Teriyaki as well.

The Prawn Tempura disappeared right when they landed the table! I felt that the batter could've been crispier but it wasn’t too bad.

The Agedashi Tofu were delicious! Dirtygirl enjoyed them a lot.

And of course, we had to get Fruit Jell-O! You can’t really screw up on these so obviously they were delightful. 

I personally really like the Mango Pudding even though it does not have a hint of real mango in it. LOL Or actually!...Maybe they use real mango puree?

We actually ordered way more but I didn’t have the time and patience to capture every single item! All in all, I think Ninkazu is one of the better AYCE places in Richmond/Vancouver and I would definitely return.

Based on these reasons:

• pretty cheap if you order their Late Night Menu ($12.95)
• their quality is better than other AYCE joints such as Richmond Sushi or Sui Sha Ya
• they have all you can eat raw oysters!! Enough said!
• Their tiny parking lot is a pain

Service Rating: 3.5/5
Food Rating: 3.5/5
Price: $$-$$$$ (can range from $15-35)

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 

Happy Eating!



courtesy of http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/6/8/arghatetoo128573839941021355.jpg