I live by Burnaby Heights and have done a poor job at exploring my own neighbourhood. Thankfully the annual food celebration Crave the Heights is back for another year, giving me plenty of reasons to visit. It is a great incentive to explore the area by way of cafe and restaurants with specialty menus or discounted prices to take advantage of.
That is certainly the case with Shen Sushi. I figure such neighbourhood sushi shops are a dime a dozen, so was glad to be lured in by their special Crave the Heights menu, which is only available between September 11th to the 20th.
I have been to the restaurant before, during its prior incarnation. Back then it was a Japanese-Korean ramen shop and now it is Japanese sushi shop with udon. Located by the Burnaby Heights firehouse, they have had the same owners for four years now. Just a new name and awning to solicit new customers, of which included a curious set of googly eyes.
Inside, I liked the mostly woodsy decor. Newer elements stood out against the well loved furnishings.The braided rope that dangled from the ceiling and wrapped around select posts made me think cat tree.
We were here to try their Crave food and drink specials, but seeing as this was my first visit, I also thought to try some items from their regular menu, to get a better feel of the kitchen. I appreciated the effort put into making a lovely book menu. It was just a shame that the prices have been updated with hand written numbers on paper. I understand the expense of reprinting, but it took away from the prestige of having a hard covered, bound menu.
The Crave the Heights featured menu item is their Summer Rose either over Soba noodles or a rice Don. Both of which are served cold for the hotter weather we were still blessed with this mid September. We went for the soba which came with a side of broth to pour over the dish. This was similar to a dashi that gently salted and seasoned the buckwheat noodles with flavour. There was also a creamy mango dipping sauce that was meant to pair with the salmon. What I originally thought peculiar would turn out to be their signature. Lots of their individual sushi rolls feature some sort of fruit, mostly pineapple or mango. This was $18.95 for
the plate, and a dollar more for the rice base instead.
More fruit was found on their Pineapple Salmon Oshi Crave special. The same luscious salmon used above, but pressed into a block, then gently torched and topped with a thin slice of pineapple. I would have liked the pineapple to have been torched and given some spicy heat like tajin. As is, the sweet fruit and the fresh salmon weren’t the best of bedmates. I also found the rice dry, especially compared to how of quality the fish was. This six piece order was $18.95.
And to continue the flavour flow and sweet sentiment there were two refreshing juice sodas to choose from. Either the lychee of pineapple. Both were the sweeter side thanks to the syrup from the canned fruit. This was a tall glass that was generous on the fruit at $6.50.
Not part of the Crave the Heights menu, but a dishes that caught my eye was the Crispy Rice With Spicy Tuna. The restaurant put a lot attention into the presentation of these four pieces. Using two wooden serving boards they had the squared shaped, fried sushi staggered and climbing. Sadly I didn’t find the rice base all that crispy, with only a heavier sear and browning at the bottom. It was just as dense as the paste, which was mix mash of spicy tuna, pan fried rice with tobiko, jalapeno, and unagi sauce. It almost ate like a rice bowl, but in compact format. The topping was too salty, and ironically this would have been better over steamed rice, like a don.
Sadly, this tuna paste would make a second appearance in our Fukubu Sushi Set. With loose descriptions we didn’t know what we were getting when we asked for this, so it would have been nice if our server pointed out the similarities in flavours. There are three set options, each with 3 stuffed inari pockets. Sweet and distinct thanks to this tofu wrapper packed with sushi rice and topped with various proteins, vegetable, and/or fruit.
There was a classic set that was the most approachable and appetizer-like. The seafood featured raw fish and scallop. We got the spicy set with spicy salmon, tuna, and beef. As mentioned above the tuna was the same mix of salty and minor spice as the crispy rick blocks. I found it had too much salt that it overwhelmed. The pineapple cut into it with distraction, rather than a complimentary profile. I ended up having the fruit separate as a palate refresher. Funnily, with this, I got a taste of how it would be like in a rice bowl, as I recommended earlier.
The Spicy Salmon was more complementary to the sweet mango. However, this too was a paste with no crunch from the listed “crunch” topping.
The best one of the three was the SpicyBeef and Cucumber that ate like two bites of meat over rice. I don’t think I would order this set again either, and recommend their fusion sushi rolls instead.
What I did like was their Soft Shell Crab. If looking for something crispy and deep fried I recommend a whole crab that you can can eat the shell of, over shrimp or chicken. Served with their own house made Ponzu Sauce it gave a tangy preserved umami flavour, instead of the more commonly seen mayo combination.
In short, Crave the Heights was a good excuse to check out this sushi shop. Not authentic, but a playful take on Asian fusion, and ideal for those who like a sweeter flavour profile to their food.
Shen Sushi
4219 Hastings St, Burnaby, BC V5C 2J5
(778) 379-8077
shensushi.ca
