the eatery - storefront

  • Name: The Eatery
  • Type: Sushi
  • Locations: West Broadway & Collingwood — see website
  • Website: http://www.theeatery.ca/
  • Eating Options: sit-in, take-out
  • Reservations: optional
  • Accepts: cash, debit, all major credit cards
  • Photos: see my Flickr photoset or click on the links below
  • Video of interior: see below

Review:

Mike has been known to pawn his leftovers from the Eatery to Bruce, and after Bruce mentioned it to me and sent me to its very-Astroboy website, I had to try it. God only knows how much I loved my fill of Astroboy on the CBC cartoon slate. Ah, good times.

The place was dark, loud, and crowded, with anime-pop blaring from every speaker and Art Deco-ness bursting from every corner. The lounge had space-age display cabinets proudly boasting its Astroboy figurine collection. From the ceiling hung a giant lizard of styrofoam, every inch covered in 80′s toy memorabilia. The Kits crowd was there in full force, with several large groups and one particularly rowdy birthday party. Near the storefront, the windows were covered by a screen with a very cheesy samurai film projected onto it. Above the movie was a neon-blue sign: “cool since 1983″. A TV in the upper corner was dedicated to an acid trip of “The Eatery” vignettes. I loved it!

We were very impressed by the 3 sushi rolls we ordered. Similar to Alpha, one of my favourite japanese tapas bars, the rolls did not need the usual accompaniment of soy sauce and wasabi. Whatever sauces it came drizzled with were more than enough. In fact, despite the unusual combinations of ingredients, each dish had its own cohesive flavour. It’s hard to describe. In the dragon roll, one didn’t taste the eel and prawn tempura separately; the flavour and texture melded together so well that it just tasted like…well, “dragon roll”. I’m probably not helping you much with this review, but this place is definitely something you should experience if you love sushi as we do.

Tried:

Pepperjack Sesame Chicken Gyoza – $4.95 (5pcs) or $9.45 (10pcs)

Compared to the sushi, which were amazing, this was only so-so. I’ve had better gyoza at Ebi Ten (which isn’t saying much). Wouldn’t order this again unless we’re really craving gyoza, and if so, I’d go with the normal pork variety. The one thing I did like about it was that it was just swimming in gyoza sauce; mmm, sauce.

Dragon Roll – $7.75

Menu description: very addictive! bbq eel over tempura prawns, avocado, and cucumber

I ordered this out of sheer curiosity and was very pleased by the outcome. It was my favourite of the three that we ordered. You have to try it yourself–it’s indescribably good.

Rock’N'Roll – $5.95

Menu description: crab, scallop, mayo, roe, cucumber, tempura crisps

Kurt’s pick. It was mild and light, with a crispy texture resulting from the mound of tempura topping. Nice complement to the super-spicy Volcano and the super-savoury Dragon roll. The mayo and roe helped to combine all the separate ingredients into one moist and lip-smacking bite.

The Volcano – $8.50

Menu description: tuna, scallops, salmon, avocado–tempura style–on a bed of spicy crab

This dish was less sushi and more of an entree. Four or five large pieces of tempura-ed sushi containing all of the above, topped with what seemed to be a spicy red sauce (called dragon sauce, I think) and some sort of mayo. They weren’t stingy at all with the crab bed, which was absolutely delicious. We had to alternate between eating one of these pieces and the other rolls, as the spice level was cumulative. Would order this again in a heartbeat if there weren’t so many other rolls still left to try.

Tataki Attack – $6.95

Menu description: taste that knocks you out. crab, scallop, avocado and mayo wrapped with seared albacore tuna

On returning to this place with Bruce last month, this roll has replaced the Dragon Roll as my favourite. Buttery texture, light and smooth.

Fat Elvis – $6.75

Menu description: slices of tempura avocado topped with
tomatoes, green onions and unagi mayo

I am addicted to avocado so this was a natural menu selection. Would have liked more seasoning on the avocado. Perhaps it needed more salt? Other than that, it was fatty and melt-in-your-mouth good like only avocado can be.

Zen Maki – $6.95

Menu description: the big one! crab, tuna, salmon, prawn, unagi, scallop, cucumber, asparagus, avocado, roe

Ginormous roll that you have to eat in several bites (me), or risk chewing with an overstuffed mouth for 5 minutes (Bruce). Not bad–I probably would have liked it better if I could have had all the ingredients on my palate at the same time.

Miss Piggy Roll – $6.50

Menu description: bacon, scallops, asparagus, roe, unagi sauce

Partly because of my love for the Muppets, and partly out of curiosity. I can under stand the bacon and scallops, but with roe and eel?!

Update: Had this when I returned to the restaurant with Bruce. Salty for a maki, considering all the bacon, but it was pretty good. I had focussed more on the other stuff we ordered, though.

Want to try:

Um, everything? With 32 “funky creation” rolls, 28 “sushi 101″ rolls, and a plethora of other menu choices, I think we’ll be needing to come back here again and again before I’m able to give a full review. My top 2 must-trys for our next visit are listed below.

Deep Fried Mars Bar

Finally found a place that offers it on the menu! The table next to us ordered it, and it came in a stainless steel martini glass topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate drizzle. Looked real good but what we had ordered was already enough for our tummies.

Erotica Roll

Menu description: sexy & seductive! avocado, salmon, tuna with roe & mayo over crab and cucumber

It’s got all the ingredients I love…can’t wait to try it!