Truth be told, we were here mostly for the robotic cat server: a motorized caddy that scooted around the restaurant delivering dishes. Dishes that customers have ordered and now can help themselves to, from off of one of its levels of trays.
Therefore, I was surprised to learn that the restaurant is also an all you can eat sushi and Japanese joint. There aren’t too many all you can eat concepts out there left in the lower mainland, so it is good to know one. Although if you don’t have the stomach for it, you can also order a la carte off of their take out menu.
However, I would urge you to take them up on their offer. $36.95 is a reasonable price for an adult, but $25.95 a little steep for a child over 5. All you can eat is a good way to try items one by one, to see what you like and want to commit to a whole of. Plus majority of the specialty rolls out there can get pricy, and you could be only looking at 2-3 for the price of this all you can eat smorgasbord.
You use a QRC code to place your order electronically. Each selection is made one piece at a time, with a service charge for food waste. The menu is fairly extensive covering sushi rolls, maki rolls, cones, nigiri, aburi sushi, sashimi, tempura, teriyaki, soups/salads, BBQ meats, poke, and a variety of noodles.
We found ourselves ordering what we normally wouldn’t like cones and trying new things like the green California rolls. Though full disclosure you get what you pay for with this one. Here it is about value, eating more and having more for less. Don’t sit down and prepare for a gourmet meal course by course. This is fast food sushi and Japanese, premade, food court style cuisine. This is the only way they can offer sushi roll by the piece and have a single gyoza ready in second. We definitely heard the microwave door open and close and the beeping of its ready tone from the kitchen in the back. Where as, the sashimi and nigiri were prepared to order.
There are only 2 robot cat servers, so 2 humans do help in the food delivery aspect. But I am not going to lie, I was disappointed each time it came by way of the latter. The 2 robots are programmed to service different routes, but we did witness a little traffic jam. When that happens the staff are on site to help reset and re-navigate. If you ask nicely you can also interact with these cat bots. We learned that they like being pet on the crown of their heads, and by their pointed ears like real cats, and will even make an emoji-expressions to showcase their happiness. But pet them too long, and they can and will get annoyed. They start glowing red at their base, and dawning the corresponding expression, before turning around and gliding away.
Luckily there is plenty of space for them to do this in the restaurant’s spacious seating area. You are made to feel all the more larger with plenty of widows and generous spacing in between tables. Worth noting is that despite the lift on indoor restrictions, the restaurant is still doing its due diligence to protect its customers. Not only do you get your vaccine scanned and government issued ID checked, they also take down your contact information, scan your wrist with an electric thermometer, and ask you to sanitize your hands with their electric pump; before being lead to your table.
Each table is flagged with a numerical place holder, as it is needed to help direct cat bot to the correct table.
As for the food, I won’t be going into detail over what we had or even listing it. There was just so many and we attempted to try it all. Plus there were no stand outs. As a whole it was average at best, simple and quick food for less. So walk in with that expectation and you will do just fine.
The following is a list of what we did like and what we didn’t, with some notes.
The Aburi was simpler than expected. Nigiri given a quick torch then topped with a dusting of togarashi seasoning.
The Poke was the most disappointing. A few chunks of sashimi cut up and seasoned with course black pepper, topping mixed greens and a small portion of rice. Instead of the above, have your sashimi as nigiri, it tastes better with just soy and wasabi.
I was not a fan of the sashimi. Cut up into slivers, they looked like leftover scraps discarded and repurposed here. But once again, you are here for the all you can eat option, so you get what you pay for.
Having all the cones shown here, I remember why I don’t order them. Not only are they hard to eat with your teeth pulling the seaweed apart, you don’t get a lot of filling in each, and they don’t share well.
The maki rolls were exactly as expected. All the classics like Alaska roll, BC roll, unagi, dynamite, and California. There is a green sauce option only available over the latter two, which is an extra drizzle of a wasabi and mayonnaise mixture.
Our favourites had to be the cooked meats, a little on the fatty side with plenty of gristle, but each had plenty of flavour and char. The short ribs were especially tender. Though I would avoid the tonkatsu pork given how dry the meat gets with a spin in the microwave.
In short this was a quick and dirty meal with all the freedom and non consequences of all you can eat. None of it was the best I have ever had of anything, but we eat ate our money’s worth and we had a good time. And that is what a place like this is here for: value! Cat robot: bonus!
Tomokazu
1128 W Broadway #201, Vancouver, BC V6H 1G5
(604) 677-0434
