2054 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC
604-255-5550
Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen 岸本 came recommended from a Japanese friend of Little Lee. Every time we drove along Commercial Drive, we've tried to locate this restaurant. It's not that easy to find unless you have the address. And, if you do plan on visiting, get here early. We were lucky to snap the last table at 5:30pm, and right after we were seated, dinner lineup started.
First came the Tuna & Salmon Sashimi, served on an ice block. The fish were fresh and had quality. While the salmon was good, the tuna was better. As I cut the tuna with chopsticks, it was a smooth cut without any fibre. The tuna was tenderly smooth and melted easily. This has got to be one of the better, if not, the best, tuna sashimi I have ever had, locally.
The Black Cod Misozuke was cooked perfectly tender and moist. The sweet miso was subtle and did not overpower the natural flavors of the fish.
The Salmon Oshi Sushi was quite delicious. There were two layers of rice and two layers of salmon, topped with a thin layer of mayo that was torched and garnished with fresh ground pepper and jalepeno. The mayo added a smooth creaminess to the sushi. While not as good as Miku Restaurant, this was good enough to order again
Served in a stone bowl, the Unagi Ishinabe was a bit different than the common unagi-don. First, the eel was sliced, not served as a filet. Unlike Seto Japanese Restaurant 瀨戶壽司 (Buddha Girl's favorite restaurant for unagi-don) where the eel was plump and fatty, the fish here was lean and dry.
The most disappointing dish was the Assorted Tempura. The batter was thick and was only lukewarm when served. Buddha Girl was not pleased.
My first try of this dish and I was pleasantly surprised. The Pork Okonomiyaki came out piping hot, and, to my surprise, it wasn't oily. The pancake looked thick and heavy, but it's really not. Instead, it was filled with ample amounts of cabbage and pork. The bonito flakes and sauces complimented the dish well. We'd definitely order this dish again.
The Mamenoki Roll (edamame, avocado, cornflakes, carrot, mayo, asparagus) was a miss for me. I thought it was bland and boring. The Spider Roll (avocado, soft shell crab tempura, tobiko, cucumber, lettuce, mayo, unagi sauce, seaweed, daikon) was wrapped in a thin layer of daikon, which I didn't quite enjoy, mainly because of the daikon skin. The soft shell crab was done well with a good texture. The Dragon Roll (tobiko, prawn tempura, mayo, unagi, avocado, unagi sauce) was my favorite. The texture of the fried tempura prawn, the creaminess of the avocado, the sweetness of unagi sauce...everything just came together so well.
We really enjoyed our experience at Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen 岸本. Yes, there were a couple of misses, but we were please with the overall quality. This has now become my favorite Japanese restaurant.
Buddha Girl saw another table with a fancy presentation and cried that we must have one too. To get the fancy plate, we must order two or more rolls...not hard for us. I have to admit, the presentation was impressive, even down to the little mushroom-like radish that reminded me of Super Mario Bros. The rolls were snug and firm, holding all ingredients nicely together.
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