Sushi Bella - Vancouver, BC

I know I've sworn off places with coupons but Monkey promised this place was good. In fact, Monkey was the one who convinced, neigh, insisted that I buy the coupon. I feel so pressured to go, especially when there's an expiry date involved. Alright Monkey, we're going but this better be good!  

Small place in Kits without a patio... This place would be busy as heck if there were a patio on a beautiful day like this but oh well. Saves us fr having to wait for a seat...  

Ebi Sunomono - $4 

The liquid is cool and is a nice balance between sweet and tart. There's tons of shrimp in here, which is nice because it's usually just a few pieces. There's also many slices of cucumber, shredded carrots and a tomato - one of the most extravagant sunomonos I've had and on the pricey side but it's also a larger portion. Not a bad start...

The Ugly Truth Roll - $9

Bacon, asparagus, crab mix, cheesy chopped scallop tataki & bonito on top

Monkey swears it's one of the best rolls he's ever had and the reason why we've come all this way.  You had me at bacon.  One bite...  I'm a believer.  This thing is super awesome!  There's the subtle charring flavor from the roll being blowtorched on top, the bonito flakes gives it a bit of umami, the scallop tataki has just a very slight hint of cheese and then you hit the bacon....  oh bacon...  why don't more people use bacon in all foods??  It's smoky thick cut bacon and it's cooked just enough so it's got just a tiny bit of chew and it's smokiness matches really well with the asparagus and artificial crab.  This roll should've been called the Beautiful-Truth-That-Bacon-Should-Be-In-Everything Roll.

The Crunchy Go-Go Roll - $6

Double prawns and yam tempura, avocado, crunchy flake, chili mayo

Basically a Dynamite Roll with one more prawn tempura within and covered in crunchy bits on top as well.  Kinda difficult to eat since it's so large (that's what she said) but we both manage with just a few crunchy bits and some sauce on the face.  There's also that nice chili mayo drizzled on top which gives it a nice bite.  Don't get me wrong, I think this roll is good but it's nothing out of the ordinary.

Assorted Sashimi - $35

Tuna, salmon, saba, hamachi, hokkigai, tako, amaebi, toro

I'm not even sure what everything is!  This plate is both impressive and massive!  Ok, so there's hokkigai (surf clam with the rid tip), tako (octopus), salmon, tuna, saba (mackerel), amaebi (spot prawns)...  I honestly can't remember what everything is but my favorites were the hokkigai (clean, refreshing and not chewy at all), amaebi (in season and totally fresh!) and the saba (mackerel is normally a very fishy fish with an oily skin but they've prepared it well here and tastes excellent with a bit of green onion and radish).  My least favorites were the tako (the octopus was still a bit chewy and was sliced a bit too thick for my liking) and the salmon (go fresh or go home- in this case they used farmed and you can really tell it's inferior quality).  Overall, not bad for the price point!

Oh, and I ate the head of the prawn for the first time!  Monkey kind of gave me a look like "you don't eat the prawn head???".  There's a first time for everything I guess!  Of course you don't eat the entire thing...  It's deep fried slightly so you can break off the legs and nosh on those - they taste like prawn crackers!  Then you split open the head and eat the fleshy parts BUT stay away from anything that looks grey/brown - you don't wanna be eating the prawn's poo.


Overall, Sushi Bella is not an authentic Japanese sushi restaurant but the food and service were both still very good.  Ok, let's just face it, I'd come back just for that Ugly Truth Roll.  That charring flavor was just so addictive!  Sushi Bella is the first place I've been to with a coupon and not felt ripped off so if you do have a coupon, don't be afraid to come by!  (Although Monkey used his coupon so I'm still left with mine...  more bacon rolls for me!).  If you don't, it's not a bad place to dine and of course there are more authentic places out there but there also many more worse places.  If you're in the neighbourhood and craving a sushi meal, Sushi Bella is worthy of a consideration.  Bon appetite!

Pros:

• Friendly and attentive service
• Very good specialty rolls - I love you Ugly Truth!
• Fresh sashimi
• A great deal with a coupon

Cons:

• Serves farmed salmon
• Pay parking on the street and hard to find on weekends
• Moderate to a bit on the high side of pricing - with the coupon it wasn't bad and you also have to consider the the neighbourhood it's located in