Rating: ????????????
Price: ????????
3416 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6R 2B3
Phone: (604) 568-9406
https://www.facebook.com/GreenLeafSushi/
We came here because of a friend’s recommendation on our 5th anniversary. This restaurant is well known for their “Aburi Sushi” (torched pressed boxed sushi). We arrived about 730pm on a Wednesday evening and the place was still packed. There was a line up of about 30-40 minutes (Google Map said 15 min on avg. ????).
Green Leaf seems to be catering the neighborhood business, it doesn’t have the prettiest renovation inside and outside and the menu items are priced quite reasonable. We really need more of these inexpensive eateries in Vancouver because most of the time, we just want a decent meal.
When we were called to our table, I noticed the staff and the chef were not Japanese; they were Koreans. Similar to other inexpensive sushi joints like Tokyo Joe nearby my home, the Korean’s sushi are known for the larger portion and colorful local flavors. Unlike traditional Japanese sushi, the Koreans enjoy using fresh fruits and vegetable in addition to fish; I very much enjoy the creativity and appreciate the use of local/seasonal ingredients over ingredients fly in from other countries.
I looked at the menu briefly when we were waiting, there weren’t too many I don’t eat. I asked my wife to pick the sushi she wanted therefore I had no idea what they were. I just enjoy a surprise.
All the sushi arrived at the same time, we saw the chef used a blow torch on each roll. Most of them came out sizzling hot and the sauce were melting. They definitely looked good on the table. One thing I noticed was the burned rice on the top layer, I wasn’t sure if it was intentionally crunchy, I just didn’t think it was done right. I couldn’t accept a piece of sushi with the rice that has uneven texture top and bottom. The rice was also very loose, I found it hard to pick them up with chopsticks without falling apart. Taste wise, they are quite good, the burned rice portion were often sticky and hard to chew. A few piece with the cheese on top were just weird tasting.
Pressed sushi used to be a niche thing as only a few Japanese restaurants had them. Green Leaf is offering their own twist and offering them to the general public inexpensively. While it is not going to get any award for being authentic, the flavors and tastes will make it up. If you are interested in larger portion, lots of varieties and reasonably good tasting pressed sushi, give Green Leaf a try. Your wallet and tummy would not complain.