Sei Sushi

Sei Sushi
214 King St W

So on Friday I was working like a madman to get machines ready for new hires on Monday, when a couple of my co-workers noticed that I hadn’t eaten any lunch yet. So Katie and Karyn asked me if I wanted to grab lunch with them. Oh, twist my arm. But they were foolish enough to ask me if I had any place in mind…

Since I don’t wander around in the area where I work much, I’ve been doing Google searches trying to find new places to eat at. The only problem is that I work in the entertainment/theatre district, and things can get a little pricey around here. Still, I’m perfectly willing to “suffer” for my art, and the goog did turn up a place at King and University that I haven’t been to.

Sei Sushi is located in the lower level of a building, sandwiched between an Indian restaurant (which is quite good, been there before) and a Swiss Chalet. But it’s very well decorated, with something like a path or a bridge bisecting the restaurant and groups of tables off in little islands. The menu was a little on the expensive side, but each of us were able to find something we liked at a reasonable price.

For me it was the old standbys of the Spicy Tuna and a 6 piece Dynamite roll, each at $6.95. The Dynamite roll also came in an 8 piece roll, but was an extra $2, and didn’t really seem worth the extra money. However, while the prices were a *little* above scale, the quality was excellent. A thin layer of rice covering the nori, and the emphasis was on a good amount of ingredients. I mean, this is what you’re paying for, not the rice. The Spicy Tuna was my favorite variety. Chopped up tuna mixed with the spicy mayo and just a bit of tempura for a slight crunch. Just the right amount of spice made it spicy, yet you could easily taste the fish. The Dynamite roll was excellent with proper shrimp tempura and a little bit of crab stick to fill it out. While I prefer to have more shrimp to fill it out, I’ve decided that this is pretty much the standard. I’m only going to complain if they skimp out and just leave a bare amount of filling.

Finally, Katie suggested we all share a Sushi Pizza, and everyone rapidly agreed. Well, once again when the Sushi Pizza was brought out we were all kinda left thinking. “Huh. Looks good, but that ain’t sushi pizza.” The Rice patty was not greasy in the slightest, which is a definite plus. However, the lack of mayo was sorely missed. I didn’t catch the price, but we all panned it. It was OK, but not sushi pizza, and there was an uneaten piece left over.

Overall, Sei Sushi is a very nice restaurant, not a “100 varieties of maki” type of place, and priced towards the theatre crowd. But I can’t find any reason not to go back again, you pay a bit more, but you certainly get your moneys worth!