Kissato Sushi
2027 Oak Bay Ave
Victoria, BC

Hours: Tues to Sat, 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5 to 8pm.
Phone: (250) 370-5195

I’m surprised that I never noticed Kissato Sushi before in my sojourns to the municipality of Oak Bay, which is one district over from where I live. The main reason is that there aren’t a lot of areas to park my car. It’s almost a must bus in the zone, given how restrictive the area is for vehicle traffic along the strip.

When I am here, I make the most of my time here. The avenue is even more of a throwback to the yesteryear than any other area, and I’m glad there are no signs of modernisation here, except maybe one operation or two.

The best known operations for eats here include the Ottavio Italian Bakery & Delicatessen and The White Heather Tearoom (review link). For where to buy alcohol, I highly recommend The Cork and Barrel; they are one of the few places that keeps a good stock of Strange Brew’s holiday drinks. Also, the Penny Farthing bar can be hit or miss, but as for buying delicious meats, I heartily believe The Whole Beast is tops. I go there to purchase their maple rosemary bacon. 

With all that said, this district has only three sushi operations still running. Sadly, Osaka Sushi (review link) is permanently closed, and I consider them one of the best. Thankfully, Kissato can fit the bill, even though their selection is not as extensive. That is, sea urchin isn’t available. In what they offer is a terrific catalogue of the staples. The fish was especially fresh since my friend Max and I arrived at the opening, and we had enormous appetites going on. 

We dined tapa style, ordering enough of the spicy agedashi and takoyaki to make us do the hula. It was extra crispy and I needed a sunomono salad so sweeten my tastebuds after consuming that saltiness. Sadly, the rice noodles wasn’t anything special when compared to other operations. Having one strike is okay when the mains arrived, a super tasty dynamite and angry salmon roll. The reason the latter was feisty was that it was sweet.

We also got the tuna tataki and it was surprisingly very fresh, like it was fetched off the ocean that day. The rock & roll disk was made with cucumber, avocado, and crab meat topped with seared chop scallop, tobiko, green onion, and seasoned mayonnaise sauce. It was a delicious way to end our meal with, and the rice was just perfect, but even then, we were still hungry and finished the big meal with a rainbow roll (see above). It was perfection, such that we got the prime cuts on the night we went in.

Instead of getting dessert here, my pal and I headed to Parachute Ice Cream out by the Bridge on a different part of town. Okay, we weren’t done yet, but something sweet was needed to end the meal with, before getting ready to tackle Cthulhu. We met while playing our favourite role playing game involving that pantheon of horror mythos, and when I mentioned I’m a foodie too, our adventures are just beginning. 

Don Kennedy is not being replaced, but to have another pal who loves dining out means it’s possible to head out more often. Now that the pandemic isn’t as hugely worrisome going into 2023, I hope to find what has opened up even during this time, whether that be with Big D or Max.

4 Blokes out of 5