With all the rave on Instagram about one of the best sushi restaurants in White Rock, I made it an excuse to go by on our way to Castle Fun Park. Plus, we hadn’t checked out the pier by White Rock in ages… Anyways, Taka’s Sushi is probably one of the smallest sushi shops I’ve been to. It fits probably around 10-12 diners only, and I’ve heard of the ridiculous waits for this shop. However, we arrived on a chilly Saturday at around 12:00pm and we were able to get a seat right away.

When we first entered, the host (not sure if he’s the owner) greeted us in Mandarin and S and I were automatically sort of confused. I had read that the place is Chinese owned but that the chef was trained in Japan and the wife is Japanese, but I still didn’t expect them to greet me in Mandarin. We soon realized that basically all the diners are Chinese-speaking… I swear these people drive all the way from Richmond and Vancouver to come eat here… Anyways, the interior although small is detailed with expensive decor. The chairs are suede and the chinaware they provide you with are top notch. Even the napkin was thicker than usual and had gold detailing and customized for Taka.

Aburi Nigiri: Sea Scallop, Atlantic Salmon Toro, Albacore Toro, Flounder Fringe, Blue Fin O-Toro

After looking at the menu for a few minutes, the host approached us and asked if we wanted any recommendations. I’m always down to hear what they have to say, so I agreed. However, I noticed that he kept selling to me all the expensive items… He kept convincing me to get sashimi and the most expensive nigiris and rolls on the menu. To be honest, I felt slightly uncomfortable since I knew the prices were rather high, but I wasn’t ready to dish out a $100 lunch.

I ended up choosing the aburi nigiris that were more affordable with one exception: the Blue Fin O-Toro which was a whooping $6.75! The presentation was beautiful, but to be brutally honest, I didn’t think they blew my mind. The sea scallops and the flounder fringe were my favourite though. The flounder fringe completely melted in my mouth! However, the salmon toro, albacore toro and the $7 blue fin o-toro were way overseared. I felt like it was a waste of the fish and perhaps I should have ordered the non-aburi nigiris. And to be honest, I felt that all the sauces on top overpowered the fish and you couldn’t even really taste whether it was fresh or not.

Mango Roll, Crunchy BC

Since S is not a big fan of raw fish, he chose two rolls, one being the Mango Roll, which was filled with mango, lettuce, salmon avocado, and masago and rolled in a soybean sheet and topped with crunchy pistachio bits. This was actually quite good with the mangoes being extremely ripe so you really tasted the sweetness of the mango. However, it was also very expensive at $8 for 5 pieces.

The Crunchy Roll had roasted salmon skin, spring onion, lettuce, yamagobo, masago, and sesame seeds, and topped with unagi sauce. I thought this was just average and tasted similar to a BC Roll, but costed $7.

Handsome Roll

Lastly, we got the Handsome Roll, which the host kept recommending, but it was also the most expensive, being $13. It was filled with spicy prawn and cucumber inside, crawfish tail, salmon, bbq eel on top with crunchy flakes, spicy sauce, unagi sauce, green onions and sesame seeds. As S does not enjoy spicy foods, we asked to have the spicy sauce removed. I enjoyed the crunchy flakes which gave the roll an interesting texture, but again, it didn’t blow my mind for the price I paid.

Overall, Taka’s is great if you enjoy your sushi with expensive ingredients like wagyu beef, lobster tail, and foie gras, but for someone like me who enjoys the taste of fresh seafood, it really wasn’t for me. Plus, the prices per piece can reach $7 which I find a little ridiculous even though the ingredient is expensive. And although I found service to be attentive, I found it to be pushy at times with the host trying to get me to order all the expensive items. At least that was how I felt. Otherwise, I guess this place could be a nice place to go if you’re in White Rock and you enjoy aburi sushi.

Pros:
– Dishes are nicely presented
– Fish is fresh

Cons:
– Very expensive sushi
– Service felt a bit pushy

Price Range: $30-50

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3 Service: 2.5 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 3 Overall: 3