I'm Only Here for the Food!

Matoi Sushi
2F – 590 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

It is said you shouldn’t go grocery shopping if you are hungry. If that’s the case, why would there be a mini-food court inside a supermarket located, out of all places, in the second floor of a building in Downtown Vancouver? That’s what I asked when I was walking towards the Vancouver Public Library and saw this sign…

H-Mart is a Korean supermarket chain; if you have been to a Fujiya or T&T, you have a good idea of what to expect. Matoi Sushi along with a Korean and Chinese stand are located on a side of this supermarket (facing Robson) dedicated as a food court. How would such restaurant survive when you have others at street level is beyond me; the fact it is there would indicate the food should be good enough.

When I walked to that stand, I was… Bewildered. How can they have a large menu (mostly rolls, some sushi plus other hot items) in such a small place? I was starting to hesitate but, to no avail, I wanted to try it. So, I made my order and sat…

There are about a dozen or so tables in the area to be shared between the different stands – all of them with the sign above. Anyway, after a LONG wait (easily over 10 minutes), I got my order, their “B” Combo:

To the bottom left, you have your usual miso soup. The soy sauce was self-serve. As for the rest… Some close-ups.

On the top row, from left to right, a piece of chicken karaage, half a piece of korokke (aka, a croquette), a spring roll and gyoza.
On the bottom row, again, from left to right, tuna sushi, salmon sushi and negi-toro. Oh, at the bottom right of the picture, some gari (pickled ginger) – notice it is not the “usual” pink pickled ginger you can find in other “Japanese” restaurants.

There was also some chicken on rice and a small salad. All for under $10.

As for the food itself, it was quite good considering it was made in such a small kitchen. In fact, it is better than some bento sets in some restaurants. Of course, I won’t compare it to something like Yoshi or Irashai Grill. Would I come back? Certainly; however, I must make sure I am not in a hurry, considering the time it took for them to prepare the food. Also, I will have to try the other stands in this area first!