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1995 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.
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The cute entrance to the restaurant. It's so warm and welcoming!
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The inside of the restaurant is quite small with limited seating area. Would be difficult to accommodate big parties.
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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!
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Little octopus as chopstick holders! :)
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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!
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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!
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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.
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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!
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Albacore Toro ($6 each)
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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! :)
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