In this post we were on a holiday tour of Kitsilano. On West 4th to explore a handful of their food and retail options, as recommend by the area’s business association. And this guided tour brought us to the new hand roll sushi bar Kagura, for lunch.
Immediately you cannot help, but compare them to the city’s originator of this sushi to order concept. Where the rice is key and fresh seafood is rolled with it and nori, one at a time, with the pace of the customer. Although they have the same concept, Kagura has a completely different vibe.
Here, the ceiling is lowered and the room feels like it is cozy underground. All the seats are situated around the dark wood bar in a U-shape. The premise is you put in your order a head of time and the food gets placed before you steadily. The show and experience are just as important as the food and its flavours.
The rest of the narrow space is decorated with a black and white mural of Japan’s landscape, and a live bonsai tree welcomes you at the food.
Our visit was during their soft launch phase where they were offering a “Kits Set” at a pre-opening price of $18. Whereas this four roll and edamame combo is a regularly $25.
Back then they called theirs “Original Crispy Handrolls” with eight options, three of which are vegetarian. These are 50 cents less than their competitors, and the seafood ones are $2.50-3.00 less.
On this day I tried the Tamagoyaki (Japanese sweet omelet), Negitoro (Chopped Kuro-Maguro), Sake (Sockeye Salmon), and Hamachi (Yellowtail with shiso). Each a perfect balance of rice, seaweed, and your chosen filling. Similar to that of the originators, but different with its own distinct flavour.
Our group loved the fattiness of the Negitoro the most, I just wanted more of the fragrant green onion to help cut into it with some zest. Surprisingly avocado was the runner up, followed by the salmon.
Overall, Kagura is a lovely way to give Kitsilano its own handroll bar. And with its grand opening today, (the day of this post), their offerings have also expanded to made to order tempura.
For those interested in trying Kagura for yourself, they are currently celebrating with the following grand opening specials.
KAGURA Hand Roll Bar
2036 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 1M9
(604) 731-6625
