Sushi and Bento

Sushi and Bento
579 King St W

Well, unless I’ve missed something, I think I’ve tapped out every last sushi place within a 10 minute walk of my office. I’d better start bringing my hiking boots with me to work on Thursdays from now on! But there was one last place left that I had stumbled across during my afternoon stroll a few weeks ago. Just a few doors down from the previously reviewed Toshi Sushi is Sushi and Bento.

It caught my eye pretty quickly if only because of the nice big colourful sign. Something about the font/logo seems modern and inviting to me. Of course, with me no-one really has to go to such lengths to get me to try their stuff. The restaurant itself is a little cozy, but makes very efficient use of the space available. The tables may be a little packed in there, but the use of dividers keeps everything separated, yet not claustrophobic.

I’ve never actually ever ordered something from a sushi restaurants lunch specials menu. This time I did, and I’ll have to say that the menu itself was the reason. Each of the specials is represented by a photo as well as a description, and the pictures are very well composed and taken. I initially went for the Spider Roll combo, but was told that the crab was off. I’m actually going to give points for that instead of take some away. The food they had gotten wasn’t up to par and instead of just serve it, they were up front about it. With a few more moments of though I decided upon the Spicy Rolls combo ($10.95) which contained a spicy tuna and a spicy salmon roll.

The spicy tuna was the “blended” variety that I’ve mentioned here previously, only along with the tempura bit was a little bit of lettuce. I can’t say as I could taste it, or that it added to the crunch, but the lettuce was welcome. Maybe a little bit of extra vitamins in my otherwise meat and starch filled diet. The spice level was just right. Hot enough to taste, but not enough to bring tears to the eyes. The spicy salmon I’ve actually never had before, and while it was prepared in the same way as the tuna, I found the salmon mix to be milder and with more “fish” flavour. Both rolls had plenty of chunks of fish in the “blend” and the fish tasted fresh and flavourful.

Definitely a nice lunch spot with quick friendly service and a comfortable venue. Better value than Toshi, I’d give it a thumbs up and go to Sushi and Bento again if I’m in the area for lunch!