Momo Sushi House
833 Bidwell Street
Vancouver, BC
Once in a while, I check with my work colleagues to see what or where they eat. Hey, I have to go to alternate sources for ideas, you know! One day, I saw a colleague eating some huge pieces of makizushi and had to ask where he got it from. (Now, I did not ask him because of the sheer size; rather, because it was something I haven’t seen previously). A couple of days later, I was on the same rush I have been in the last couple of weeks so I went to this place to grab some takeout. This place was Momo Sushi House.
One thing that stroke me odd in their menu was the address: it made reference to Water Street in Gastown. Did they move? Or this is their second location? Since I did not realized this until after I was back in the office, I did not ask. Oh, well…
Reverse psychology?
I partially knew what to order: their chopped scallops rolls – mainly because that was what my colleague had. However, I wanted a second item and was not really sure what to order. In the end, I almost randomly chose one, sat down and waited… After walking back to my cubicle, I opened the styrofoam container to reveal this:
To the right, the chopped scallops roll and to the left, that “other rolls”, which names escape me but had smoked salmon on top. And now, a close up of each roll:
In other sushi spots, the chopped scallops roll would have the scallops inside; you know, as a roll. Instead, they had a cucumber roll with this mix of scallop/roe on top. Were they “reusing” the other rolls? I can’t say for certain but… As for the flavour, well, there wasn’t that much despite it looks really complex. If it wasn’t for the soy sauce I would use to “dip” it in, I don’t think I tasted almost anything. And no, I was not sick or my taste bud were obliterated.
The second roll was some sort of California/Alaska roll with the smoked salmon on top. It also had some seaweed which gave it a different layer of flavour, which, unfortunately, was necessary, as there was it did not tasted anything else. I will blame this on the surimi/fake crab in the centre, as it has absolutely no taste at all. The avocado partially managed to salvage something but it was a downer overall. As for the salmon, well, again, no salmon taste at all.
Overall, I think it is better than Sushi Robo; however, that does not really mean much, specially considering there are a lot of sushi spots in the area. Service was prompt but I am not sure if it was due to the fact this place is run by Korean folks rather than Japanese (to those who care about this note). Would I come back? I see almost no reason… A definite pass for me.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
i now see so many japanese places run by koreans; the food is still good though!
Whoa interesting scallop roll. That’s a new serving method to my eyes. Looks enticing, too bad it didn’t follow through. Almost like a ‘sushi salad’…Like a chirashi/roll salad, if that makes any sense.
I guess it looked better than it tasted. What a shame, because it does look good.
Japanese restaurant run by Koreans….I only like the one around Metrotown area called : Yakko Sushi – too bad I live so far from Burnaby now lol
Raidar, yes, your description of a chirashi over a maki rather than rice would be on the spot.
Sherman, visual/plating does not necessarily work on me, hehehehehe.
LPV, which one? There are two with similar names: Yakko Sushi Express in Kingsway, which I have blogged previously (check here), and Yakko which is located in Station Square.
Actually, if you think about it, Koreans have gimbap, which is derived from futomaki, so they ought to know something others do not…
The station square. But the express one has the same logo too , prob their new branch I guess?
LPV, absolutely no idea. However, I am willing to give it a try. The question is how they would treat diners who are snapping pictures? (This is because, as you know, the restaurant is extremely small).
Its a shame Momo Sushi didn’t deliver on flavour when you were there. It has been my go-to place for quick sushi lately, and I’ve always been happy with it. From my experience, I’ve never been served reused rolls, and everything has been very fresh. The rolls are occasionally a bit overstuffed, especially with the dynamite and yam, but hey, that’s just good value. The size of the rolls kind of reminds me of Samurai.
The staff is super friendly, and genuinely appreciates the business, so they have the customer service thing down. Give them another shot and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Chris, I apologize for the confusion. I meant “reusing” as in use a roll as a base (in this case, cucumber) and use it for different applications. Think of it as french fries and poutine (where you would take the french fries, add the cheese curds and the gravy on top to make the poutine). In the past, I would have prefered rolls over nigiri sushi; nowadays, that has reversed (though, in a hurry, rolls are OK). Likewise, I don’t relate large portions with good value any more (however, if it is really small for the price, I will definitely cry foul!) – if it does not taste good, giving me more won’t make me change my mind. However, I appreciate your feedback and, because of that, I will give this place another try. I guess another post on Momo Sushi sometime soon?
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