Gateway Village
771 Vernon Ave
Victoria, BC

Hours: 12:00pm to 8:00pm Daily
Phone: (250) 475-3900
Menu: yoshisushi.ca

ES: In anime, “Yoshi” (where the I is silent) can mean, let’s do it, but in truth, it means excellence, and as a fixture in Victoria for such a long time, I’m sort of inclined to agree Yoshi Sushi is a great place to give your taste buds a treat. Had I truly wanted to go crazy, I could’ve gone for the massive platter of sashimi on my birthday to really experience all the wonders, but to be honest blowfish wasn’t on the menu and what’s offered are the safe staples.

The exception is with a soft shell crab roll, which when properly still warm, can do wonders to excite the taste buds. Or should I say the baos?

DK: My experience with the Japanese language pretty much begins and ends with doing flashcards with my roommate in the TRU dorms before tossing rotten vegetables into the parking lot from our balcony. Don’t know if he ever passed that test, but we did make room in the fridge for more eggs and bacon for our roommates to “borrow.” 

Anyway, not sure where I was going with this. Ed, please get this review back under control.

ES: Although Don and I have yet to find a place to experience the pleasure of baos and soft shell crab together, I can say that’s something we’re still attempting to do. It’s just a question of heading off island to do so since there’s no such place in town. As for what we like in our sushi, the big question is what each of us are willing to challenge.

There comes a time when all the sushi rice tastes the same, and here, there’s just nothing new or exciting to report on that front. There’s a light tang, but just whether Don has the same buds as I do, well….

DK: Yoshi fits into that tier of sushi restaurant with a stage presence akin to the bar band at some club your uncle visited on his trip to Boston. As Ed suggested–reliable, but offering an experience largely indistinguishable from its competitors. Now it’s possible I’m saying this only because I went with safe options–a smoked salmon roll and a dynamite roll — but Ed’s comments about sushi rice homogeneity rings true. 

I enjoyed my rolls fine, but left feeling like I’d had the same ones with the same flavour and texture at many other spots.

ES: The only time I find that a restaurant is exceptional is when they offer raw fish that’s not commonly served. It’s either that or uni. Did I have any? I should’ve asked, but my heart was set on getting eel this visit. 

At least that finisher was good. It’s tough to get the sauce wrong, but as for others being warm, nobody thought about flame roasting it before serving. I like my eel with some crisp; had I been working in the kitchen, I’d have a charcoal BBQ grill running just to give some cuisine an authentic smokey flavour.

DK: Yoshi Sushi’s online marketing features a common tagline–we’ve got something for everyone. It’s always nice to be thought of, but sometimes it’s more exciting being somewhere where the focus is on the chef’s experimenting in ways that please themselves rather than everyone else.

3 Blokes out of 5