Kingsway Sushi
110-3665 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC
Sushi… Here in Vancouver, if you walk around, you can find restaurants from almost all price ranges. To the uninitiated or the average consumer, the amount/cost ratio is a really odd, yet important factor. “Why would I pay $3 for a piece of sliced fish on top of rice when I can eat as much as I can for a flat fee” (or that’s the supposed to be the idea, read the fine print!). I think that’s the premise which restaurants like Kingsway Sushi operate.
I will admit, in the past, I used to drop by places like this and gorge myself. However, after some “events” in my life, I stopped doing so by myself, though once in a while, if colleagues wanted to go, I will join them (still, not eating the same amount as in the past). But, after my comments of other sushi spots, I thought I should be fair and visit the all-you-can-eat ones.
Kingsway Sushi is part of the Top Gun Group which also runs Top Gun Sushi and Richmond Sushi (not to mention some hot pot restaurants in Metro Vancouver). With all these locations, they ought to be doing something correct, right?
I was sat down quickly in a half busy restaurant and given the menu. I had several lunch options, including a “best deal” menu ($10) or the “regular” menu ($12). The difference is the type of items you can order. I chose the “regular” menu and waited… and waited… Finally, one of the “managers” took notice of me and asked if I was ready to order. Armed with his PDA, I started to list almost every item that caught my attention. Below are the pictures of the items ordered:
Miso soup
Edamame – baby soybeans in the pod
From left to right, BC Roll (roll with salmon skin, lettuce and cucumber with a sweet sauce), spicy tuna and chopped scallop roll
Nigiri sushi: salmon, tuna, snapper, mackarel and tofu pocket
Agedashi tofu, deep fried tofu cubes
Teriyaki chicken
Deep fried herring
Deep fried shrimp balls
Deep fried scallops
Sole teriyaki
Deep fried chicken wing
Motoyaki, baked oyster in the shell with a mayo-based sauce
“Calamari”
Mango pudding
Some items came really fast (in an odd way) while I had to wait for others. For example, the soup and edamame came out almost right away, while the motoyaki took a while (granted, it was still piping hot when it arrived). The sushi/rolls were disappointed (not sure if I can say “as expected”). Since they are mass prepared in advance (to quickly serve the customers, rather than make them to order), the rice was hard due to it losing the moisture. Some of the proteins in the sushi/rolls were, well, lacking. The fried items were mixed. If it just came out of the fryer, they were quite decent, while some of them were left out for a while which compromised the texture and flavour.
Service was mixed bag, as well. I was asked if I wanted to order more while my mouth was full but, at least, the tea was flowing constantly. Also, as mentioned above, some times took too long to arrive. Whether this is on purpose, I won’t say but it might be annoying. As an example, the mango pudding, supposedly a dessert item, arrive way before the motoyaki but, then again, the later had to be baked while the pudding was just “serve”.
Overall, I will have to break down my opinion. If it is for sushi/rolls, forget about it. Do yourself a favour and spend some extra cash for a good sushi spot. However, if you go for the fried items, they are actually not that bad. If you want to gorge yourself… Well, fill your boots. As for myself, there are reasons why I have stopped coming to places like this. This visit did not change my mind.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Urgh, I’ve never been in an AYCE sushi place and never intend to. Too rushed, poor quality, and the whole McDonald’s feel of these places makes me cringe. If there is one type of food where stuffing yourself and maximizing quantity over quality, sushi would be the last thing I would choose. I really don’t know how so many North Americans can do it. Must be the buffet culture that is so pervasive.
I applaud your courage for checking it out, but hope you can enjoy better places in the future.
sushi<3
There aren’t many restaurants like these in London, and I’ve not been to one. There is a restaurant that has a eat-all-you-want buffet for £15, which is quite expensive considering the fact that I prob can’t eat £15 worth from a sushi counter, which has the same quality stuff!
shokutsu, I guess I had to be fair and give these guys a chance. Ah, almost anything for a post… But, in the end, to quote Edgar Allan Poe (in The Raven): “Nevermore!”
Pearl, your reaction should not surprise me; I am certain there ought to be good sushi spots in SouthCal!
monchichi, for good or for bad, their prices are lower than some sushi restaurants in Vancouver. Check for example here. As a result, it does not really surprise me people would flock to these all-you-can-eat places.
I despise AYCE, for reasons you and monchichi mentioned, but $10 really ain’t a bad deal. You can still do worse in other parts of the city just buying a sandwich and a coffee.