Sabu Sushi Bar



7450 82nd Ave

A certain building, just northeast of the perpetually busy 75 street and 82 avenue intersection, has housed an inordinate number of food-related businesses that range from the Buddha Bowl to Juggs Pub. The location seems to bear a curse, since no restaurant has persisted for even a minorly appreciable amount of time. Sabu Sushi Bar is the building’s latest occupant, and they are a tenant worthy of a long term relationship.

Step inside from the concrete parking lot and you enter a self-contained universe of fresh fish, creative lighting, and Japanese pop music. Settle yourself down in one of the comfy booths, order a pot of sen-cha green tea and peruse the lengthy (but not burdensome) menu. Try the okonomiyaki for starters. These, for the uninitiated, are octopus dumplings. They are small, spherical, and pop with the salty and assertive flavours of dashi (a broth of kelp and fermented tuna – itself a cornerstone of Japanese cooking), octopus, mayonnaise and eggs.

Progress to the Bulgogi Roll and the Rock N Roll. The former is a clever nod to the owners’ Korean heritage, and it stuffs a sizeable spiral of rice and nori with tender shreds of beef that are flecked with sesame seeds, ginger, scallions and soya sauce. The Rock N Roll, which is creative in both name and presentation, stars barbecued unagi (eel) decorated with neon orange fish roe. Rock on!

-LS Vors