Sushi Xtra

Sushi Xtra
423 Queen Street W

It must be Thursday, so it must be time for lunch with my Sister Laura! I swear though, I’m going to make her pick next week. She was bugging all morning, curious as to where we were going to go. Trust me folks, there’s nothing more dangerous than a hungry vegan. They don’t eat meat, and start looking at your arm like they might try it.

Luckily I had an ace up my sleeve, a place really close to where we both work that I’ve eaten in before. The usual Queen st. sort of place. Nicely decorated, but geared up for high traffic. Sushi Xtra, while having a strange north american name, leans towards authentic on the “Gaijin-o-meter”. Or at least as much as a Canadian sushi place can. Nice greeting at the door and a maki menu that isn’t heavy with bizarre mayo and cream cheese concoctions.

Laura, being the vegetable that she is, went with the Veggie Combo ($6.95). A 6 piece roll with alternating Avocado and Cucumber, as well as veggie tempura, rice, salad, and everything else that doesn’t swim or moo. I very nearly tried her deep fried tofu. I’ve slowly developed a taste for all things soy, and deep frying anything adds about 28% more better goodness. But I was still somewhat full from breakfast, and wanted to give full attention to my meal…

I, on the other hand, have no moral qualms about eating our neighbors of the sea. I went with the Spider Roll ($8.95) and was reminded as to why I’ve been here a few times.

The roll was massive. 8 pieces, each the size of a saucer. OK, a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. Why were they so big? Because they were packed with soft shelled crab. I mean packed. There might have been lettuce, tobiko, and avocado in there, but I was busy being blissed out by the crab. I’ve had a few of these in my time, and while it may not be the most artistically presented, it was good and very reasonably priced.

Sushi Xtra may not fall into the “cheap” category, but they’re barely one step above it. A great place to grab lunch if you’re out shopping on Queen West and need a quick bite that tastes like it’s worth every penny!