Sheryl’s 4-star review:
I can believe why this place isn't on Yelp yet. I didn't even know this place existed until last week, when we had a send off dinner for a departing coworker. It's located in the same plaza as the White Spot on Lougheed Highway (going to Poco). Left on Westwood from Lougheed, first left onto Crabbe Rd then the plaza is first left again. Plenty of free parking. A sweeter bonus: Pearl Fever is right in the same plaza...sushi, sake and bubble tea after is pretty much my idea of a weekday trifecta. Since then, I've been back several times for the freshest, yummiest Japanese delights this part of town.
I'm pretty sure it is an authentically-owned-by-Japanese-people place. You can hear the chefs and all the servers communicating with each other in Japanese. Their sushi menu is nothing extraordinary, it's a bit year 2000, though they do it well too. What's really spectacular about this place is how insanely fresh (and CHEAP!) their sashimi dishes are and how well they do Japanese barbeque (order bbq salmon belly, mackerel, eggplant). Please don't go if you're just gonna order teriyaki something. No, no, no. You hafta, hafta, hafta have the sashimi, the changing daily specials and some hot sake! The food is 5+ stars for simplicity, elegance and what-Japanese-sashimi-in-5-star-hotels-taste-like authenticity (order uni, unagi, spicy tuna, hotate or chirashi).
Don't ever do what I did today. Didn't phone in advance to order for pick up and ended up waiting around forever in a very filled-to-capacity restaurant on a Friday night. Hey it's almost Poco, not Gastown...honestly didn't think they'd be that busy. It is a small space they have and I ended up chatting with some of the people waiting for tables. There is absolutely zero waiting space (but I promise it's worth the wait). I initially seated myself at the bar, ordered my takeaway and was watching the chefs do their magic until one of the servers shooed me saying "wait over there, customers coming to sit at the bar". Apparently, I'm not a customer?! Usually I'm offered tea while waiting for take away. Fortunately, being well-versed in Asian communication styles, I didn't take (much) offense. I get it, it's a busy Friday night and I'm not an "eat-in" customer. Didn't need to be sent to "the corner" like a kid being punished. Other than this, I promise they haven't seen the last of me.