I’m picky about food when it’s hot and humid, and there are a lot of restaurants that I simply avoid during the summer because they serve what I consider is “winter food.”
Sushi, on the other hand, is one of my summer favourites. It’s light, cool, low-fat and usually comes in small portions.
The day after Canada Day, a friend of mine and I headed to Chinatown for a sushi lunch. Our first choice was Sushi 88 but it was closed for the day, so we went next door to Yummy Sushi, an all-you-can-eat sushi place I had never tried.
I usually stay away from all-you-can-eat sushi places because they tend to be pricey—and really, how many sushi pieces can you eat in one setting? So while I wouldn’t want to pay $20 plus tax for dinner, I didn’t mind paying $14.99, their lunch holiday rate, since they were open and the menu looked good.
We arrived just as the place was opening at noon and took a seat in the booth by the window. We were brought a large thermos of hot tea and left to decide what to order.
The order forms on the table were clear and customer-friendly, organizing items by category, but little explanation was given. We had to ask one of the waiters how big the portions were, for instance, and learned that “one piece” actually meant “one piece of sushi,” not “one roll.”
We ordered some maki, avocado and yam hand roll, two pieces of tempura (broccoli and eggplant) and a few miscellaneous items.
Verdict? The food came pretty quickly, which is good. The tempura was good, and so was the maki according to my friends. The hand rolls were bigger than expected, and a bit heavy in seaweed and rice. I didn’t eat the last one which only had a tiny piece of avocado and just rice—meh.
For seconds, we ordered more maki, a couple of pieces of tempura and some sushi (tofu, avocado and yam). The size of the rolls was more manageable than the hand rolls and they tasted great.
There is a lot of food we didn’t get to try because it was either fried (we weren’t in the mood for noodles, spring rolls, dumplings, etc.) or seemed quite big (noodle soup, stir-fry, etc.). It can be a good option if you are really hungry and can share the plate with a few people. Some items are apparently for “a table,” whatever that means (I’m guessing more than two women!).
All in all, Yummy Sushi is a pretty nice all-you-can-eat place. I wouldn’t pay the dinner price but it’s a good lunch option if you feel like tasting new rolls that come in small portions.
The Good
- Good choice of all-you-can-eat rolls, sushi, maki, stir-fries, noodles, appetizers, etc.
- Small portions so you can get out of your comfort zone and taste more stuff!
- Free tea.
The Bad
- Service a bit slow, it took a while to get second servings.
- Expensive at night, head there for lunch!
At a glance
Yummy Sushi (By the Chinatown Arch)
702 Somerset Street West (Chinatown)
Ottawa, ON K1R 6P6
(613) 680-9301
The funny thing is that in french sushis seems to be your makis and makis seems to be your sushis!
Really? I don’t think I ever had sushi in France come to think of it… to me maki, are the handmade thingy, no?
Not recommended. Skimpy and appetizing dishes. The food and service have really declined in quality. I recently heard that the tips are not shared properly with the servers and that they no longer serve single customers.
I walked in when the place was nearly empty and was told that I couldn’t order the all you can eat … so I walked out feeling insulted and angry … two things you don’t want to experience at a any restaurant.
Avoid this place it is definitely not recommended.
Haven’t been there in ages so I can’t comment on it. Any sushi place to suggest?