Location Review9021 Leslie St., Unit # 7
Richmond Hill, Ontario
I always get excited when I find a good sushi spot in Richmond Hill (Flashback to the first time I tried Tomo Sushi). To find a Japanese restaurant that isn't all-you-can-eat is hard to come by, and to find one that is half decent is even more difficult. Recently I've heard many people tell me Tomo Sushi has gone somewhat downhill. I unfortunately have not been able to go back recently to testify the validity of these statements, but true or not, it never hurts to another option to the rainy-day restaurant list.
Enter Inatei (@InateiJPCuisine). A Japanese restaurant juggling an extensive menu within a modern-chic decor. Aside from just the sushi rolls and bento boxes, they offer a selection of appetizers, robata-yakis (Japanese charcoal grill), whole fish sashimi, and fresh oysters.
Table Setting
Oyster's on a bed ready for shucking!
chirashi ($18.99) -assorted sashimi on rice
Rob is a big fan of sashimi, and he almost always orders chirashi at any restaurant we go to. He seemed to be quite pleased with this one, commending on the freshness and variety. I particularly loved the scallop and hamachi! :)
Not typically found in Chirashi was this little piece that resembled a maki . At first glance it looks like a mini cucumber roll, and I guess it essence it was. Except with the rice being replaced with squid! Despite my impartiality towards raw squid, I quite liked it. A nice way to cut the sliminess of the squid with crunchy cucumber.
Zaru Soba ($7.98)
I love eating cold soba, especially in hot summer days like these! The one at Inatei wouldn't be my favourite, but it held me over.
Grilled Salmon Collar ($8.99)
Japanese Style Baked Scallops ($6.99)
From the Robata Yaki menu we ordered a Grilled Salmon Collar and the Japanese Style Baked Scallops. For $8.99, the Salmon Collar was relatively minuscule, and absent of any real flavours. The Baked Scallops are slightly tastier with a nicely crusted mayo made of imitation crab and tobiko. Unfortunately the cooked food in general is nothing to write home about.
Luckily, where the cooked food falls short, the sushi more than makes up for.
Cucumber Wrap Sake Roll ($6.99)
While this is not anything new, I always end up ordering cucumber wrap rolls. I love the refreshing change that replacing rice with cucumber can create. The first time I had a cucumber roll was at Raaw and ever since I have been in love. The cucumber slices on this Cucumber Wrap Sake Roll is not nearly as thin as the one at Raaw, making it a little clunky to eat.
Spider Roll ($7.50)
The one thing I hate about Spider Rolls is when the soft shell crab inside is stale. Fortunately, this isn't the case at Inatei. Super crunchy crab, cucumber, imitation crab, and lots of avocado, all tightly bound in seaweed and rice. No fall outs!
Dragon Roll ($15.99)
When Rob and I saw the Dragon Roll on the menu priced at almost double the other rolls, we figured there must've been something really special about it. We would be dissapointed to discover that it's a pretty standard Dragon Roll. Not to say that it fell short in composition or flavour profiles, just that we expected a little more from a $16 roll.
Scallop Hand Roll ($3.50)
I'm used to my Scallop handrolls with some sort of mayo or garnishing inside, so to have one with nothing but rice, seaweed, and scallops was a breath of fresh air. You can taste the natural flavours of everything, and it's a great handroll in every way.
Spicy Sake Maki ($5.99)
I ordered this Spicy Sake Maki after Grace (@foodinthecityTO) recommended this as her favourite roll at Inatei. A petite roll jam packed with chunky salmon bits and a mildly spicy hot sauce. Yums!
Salmon Skin roll ($4.95)
Earl Grey Pudding
There is a dessert menu consisting of several different ice creams and other treats, but the complimentary dessert they give you was more than enough to satisfy me. These little puddings come in a shot glass and are incredibly creamy, smooth, and fragrant. They come in a variety of flavours (Coffee, Almond, etc), but my favourite so far is definitely the Earl Grey. I would definitley consider ordering a full-sized portion if they had it on the menu!
Some hits and some misses, but I left with a happy enough tummy to make me want to come back. I'd probably steer clear of the cooked food on future visits though, and perhaps ask for a couple more of those puddings at the end! :)
