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Most of the eating places on Austin Ave. in Coquitlam fall below certainly one of two classes: extraordinarily crowded with frequent lineups or barely alive. I’ve seen, on many events, instances the place two eating places with lineups of over an hour every encompass a restaurant that’s barely 1 / 4 occupied.
Lately, Mika Sushi changed the second location of Nao Sushi, whose principal location in Burnaby is widespread for its genuine Japanese dishes. Nao’s Coquitlam department was firmly within the first class when it opened, nevertheless it wasn’t lengthy earlier than the hype died and empty tables abounded (my guess can be consistency points, which I skilled in each areas). After a bout of cost-cutting measures and impolite service (based mostly on on-line evaluations), Nao’s Coquitlam department closed its doorways, and Mika Sushi took over.
Mika Sushi is Korean-operated however retains many components of Nao Sushi. The signage options the identical colors, and each the menu and the inside decor are nearly the identical. They even retained Nao Sushi’s lack of consumers. The ambiance was fairly quiet after I stepped in. Nevertheless, with Katie as my eating associate, there is no such thing as a such factor as peace and quiet.
Wild Sockeye Salmon Sashimi – B+
Aji Nigiri – A-
Engawa Nigiri – A-
Seared Toro Nigiri – A
Subsequent up was a appealingly offered plate of nigiri. The Aji Nigiri (horse mackerel) got here with a slight overdose of inexperienced onion, however was clean and contemporary. The rice was packed appropriately. The Engawa Nigiri (flounder fin) additionally had a wonderful clean texture and a gentle however discernible candy flavour. Apparently, they thought that one piece of flounder fin per nigiri was not sufficient worth, in order that they stacked two items on prime of one another. The Seared Toro Nigiri, certainly one of Nao Sushi’s greatest objects, turned out excellently right here as properly. It was juicy and seared simply the correct quantity.
Dragon Roll – A-
One other hit of the evening was the Dragon Roll, an eel roll topped with avocado. The eel was pleasantly mushy and savoury, and the avocado was dressed with a creamy combination of wasabi mayo and unagi sauce. The candy flavours complemented one another. The roll was a bit rice heavy, however this was barely noticeable as a result of there was adequate flavour.
Atlantic Roll – B-
Our different roll was the Atlantic Roll, which got here with avocado, masago, salmon, and a citrus-based French dressing. The avocado inside was appropriately mushy and creamy. Nevertheless, this time, the roll was noticeably rice-heavy, and the French dressing on prime was a lot too acidic to work with the remainder of the roll.
Rooster Teriyaki – B
For our filler, we had the Rooster Teriyaki, which was initially savoury with a pleasant skinny layer of crispy rooster pores and skin. Nevertheless, there was an excessive amount of teriyaki sauce, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than issues began to show soggy. Some items of rooster had been noticeably harder than others.
We skilled pleasant service all through our go to. The meals was modestly priced, however not low-cost sufficient to draw diners based mostly on simply worth (Mika Sushi is surrounded by budget-friendly eating places). Like Nao Sushi in its prime days, the nigiri was stable, with the opposite meals rather less constant. Though Mika Sushi is first rate total, it must provide extra to be able to turn out to be a restaurant individuals will line up for.
