Location Review1995 Cornwall Ave
Vancouver, BC
One of the first Japanese spots I went to while I was in Vancouver, was this much recommended spot in Kitslano. Everyone raved about Octopus Garden their fresh fish and authentic Japanese chefs, so one of the nights I went there to have a light dinner. We had practically been eating all day, so our orders were quite minimal, and we stuck to mostly the raw items.
The cute entrance to the restaurant. It's so warm and welcoming!
The inside of the restaurant is quite small with limited seating area. Would be difficult to accommodate big parties.
The Sushi Bar
There is additional seating at the bar, and you have the added benefit of watching the chef at his craft. There's also a collection of octopus figurines and Japanese artifacts to keep you entertained as you wait for your orders!
Little octopus as chopstick holders! :)
Chef's Special Assorted Sashimi for 4 (7 kinds for $38)
Since we had 4 people we ordered the sashimi sampler for 4, but there are samplers for 2 and 3 people as well. The platter comes with a chef's choice of fish, and ours came with a selection of wild salmon, octopus, butterfish, albacore tuna, and more. Everything was just incredibly fresh, and had a natural sweetness to the fish. Worth all of the $38!
Spicy local scallop ($9) -tobiko & mayo
Next up is the Spicy Local Scallop roll, and while this wasn't particularly spicy, I really appreciated the balance between scallop, cucumber and rice. Tightly rolled, easy to eat, and fresh. Not much more you can ask for!
Hand Peeled Dungeness Crab ($10) -avacado, tobiko & mayo
I was a little dissapointed with this roll relative to everything else we ordered, I couldn't really taste the crab which was burried underneath the heavier avocado and mayo.
Searing the Albacore Toro
While the rolls were good, it was really the nigiri sushi that impressed me here. A fresh peice of fish on top a perfectly portioned piece of rice. The Albacore Toro is seared table side, and literally melted in my mouth as I consumed it. Amazing!
Albacore Toro ($6 each)
Uni Sushi ($7 each), Waru Sushi (Butterfish) ($6)
I absolutely loved the Uni Nigiri here. I usually am very put off by the taste and smell, but the one here had almost no after taste. Definitely give this one a shot if you're not an uni fan, it might change your mind!
Overall a great experience here at Octopus Garden. It deserves much of the positive feedback that I've been hearing, and I would not hesitate to come back again. A great spot serving up local fish and seafood from B.C. Hopefully next time I'll have a chance to try some of the cooked food! :)
