the dining diva

Sushi joints in Vancouver are about as common as Starbucks. There seems to be one on every street corner – especially in my neighbourhood – the West End. I think everyone has their favourite hole-in-the-wall. And my favourite on Davie Street is definitely Downtown Sushi Bar.

I began going to Downtown Sushi when I started running more and more errands on Davie. And sushi is perfect healthy, but quick, meal. Fast food for the health-conscious, if you will.

What I’ve always liked about Downtown Sushi is that they have a big menu with innovative rolls, but also my traditional favourites. They have huge windows that open to the street, making it feel a bit like a patio. And now, the even bigger draw for me? They have brown rice sushi (which is getting more common these days, but is still hard to find).

Today I decided to grab some sushi to go as I had an armful of fresh produce from my stop at the West End Farmer’s Market. I ordered miso soup (as usual), goma-ae (a cooked spinach salad with sesame sauce), and a spicy tuna roll and a wild salmon and mango roll both on brown rice.

I was a little shocked when my bill came to $15, but after adding it all up, I guess it made sense. It just seemed a little expensive for what was supposed to be a cheap lunch. But maybe it was a lot of food for lunch. I think my server thought so, as she included two sets of chopsticks in my to-go bag. Well, let’s be honest – not the first time that has happened.

The chefs (who prepare the food in an open kitchen) swiftly made my lunch and it was ready in less than five minutes. Take that McDonald’s!

Unfortunately, my eyes were a bit bigger than my arms, and as I shifted the six bags I was carrying home, the smaller bag with the miso and goma-ae fell to the ground. Pow! Instant soup-in-a-bag. Crap. Oh well. That’s what I get for being greedy.

At least my sushi and goma-ae remained in their designated containers. The goma-ae was definitely tasty (and they didn’t overload the sauce on it – a common complaint of mine with goma-ae). But I don’t really think it was $4.95 worth of spinach and sesame sauce. That’s probably what made my meal add up.

But at least I still got my iron. Did you know the body absorbs the iron from cooked spinach much more easily than it does from raw spinach? It’s also an amazing source of vitamin K and A.  So eat up that goma-ae!

Spicy tuna is one of my favourite sushi rolls. I like the Downtown Sushi version as they chop the tuna quite fine and then place the spicy sauce inside the roll (and not on top as some other places do). It’s just a little bit spicy, but definitely flavourful (I don’t feel I need soy sauce).

Even though I ordered fairly common dishes, Downtown Sushi also has some pretty original stuff, like the Stanley Park roll (eel and yam tempura with avocado), the Davie roll (wild salmon, prawn tempura, spicy tuna and avocado), or the Maple roll (cream cheese, smoked and wild salmon with avacado).

I decided to go middle of the road and order my latest favourite: the wild salmon and mango roll. I discovered this roll when I had my friend, Melanie, over for dinner one night. She said it was pretty common in Bermuda where she had lived for two years. This tropical treat immediately gives you the feeling of summer. Both the salmon and mango are a bit sweet, and now seem like such a natural pairing to me.

The brown rice on both rolls was still tender and sticky (as sushi rice should be) and both rolls were topped with ground toasted sesame seeds – a nice crunchy touch.

So even though there are more sushi restaurants in this town than I’ll ever be able to try, I know my favourite (for now) is Downtown Sushi. But maybe next time I’ll stay seated at one of their tables. After all, consuming one bowl of miso soup per day can help cut the risk of breast cancer.

Downtown Sushi Bar
1205 Davie Street
Vancouver | BC
604.689.2833