Yellowtail sashimi and eel nigiri

Let me preface this review by saying that hubby and I can be a bit picky with sushi. This is not deliberate. It’s just because Japanese food numbers among our most favourite cuisines, and we’ve had the opportunity eat fresh sushi and sashimi at the famous Tsukiji fish market in Japan, a Michelin-starred restaurant in London, and as part of a kaiseki meal in Toronto. We’ve also had the worst of the worst – from supermarket sushi in the suburbs to a dodgy little sushi place in Rome (which made us a bit ill). Yes, we love sushi, and will go to great lengths to find it.

So, what did we think about Ohana-Ya? 

Let’s start with the positive points. The service is fast and friendly. The waitresses were quick to greet us, to take our orders and the chefs prepared the dishes very quickly. The prices were very reasonable and the portions were generous. We ordered a combination of cooked food, sushi and sashimi. The tempura was crisp and hot, and the potato croquettes were tasty.

Korroke, potato croquettes

Now, for the negative. We didn’t like the sushi that we ordered. The rice was too gloopy and tightly packed, which resulted in  clumsily assembled rolls that were chewy and stiff. And I’ve never liked lettuce in rolls. It resembled the quickly-made sushi you get from places that use moulds to form their sushi.

Spider roll and chop-chop roll

The sashimi portions were very generous but the cutting lacked finesse. The pieces weren’t even, and the chef left on some of the undesirable fat and skin. What it boils down to is that the food isn’t prepared with the expert precision one that Japanese cooking is famous for.

Clumsy cutting

So, the bottom line: If you’re new to Japanese food, this isn’t a bad place to try some tempura or pan-fried noodles. It’s inexpensive and the other diners seemed to enjoy their food. But for sushi and sashimi? Maybe not.