Restaurant: Kiriri Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar
Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi/Sashimi
Last visited: March 20, 2011
Location: Richmond, BC (Richmond)
Address: 8780 Blundell Rd
Price Range: $10-20, 20-30
1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!
Food: 3.5, but for sashimi & nigiri a solid 5
Service: 3.5
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 4
Additional comments:
- Japanese chef/cooks
- Japanese owned/operated
- Traditional Japanese cuisine
- Excellent sashimi and nigiri
- Better for traditional dishes
- Sushi bar/Fresh sashimi
- Some creative rolls/appies
- Local favourite/hidden gem
- Busy/reservations recommended
- Casual/moderately priced
- Japanese beers/alcohol
- Cash/Credit/Interac
- Limited parking
- Lunch/Dinner
- Tues-Sun 12-2pm, 5:30-10pm
- Closed Monday
**Recommendations: Stick to traditional/simple Japanese items like basic sushi rolls, nigiri and sashimi. Tuna roll and Toro nigiri was delicious! Basic, basic, basic and you’ll have a lovely time! Excellent nigiri.
It took me a while to figure out the menu for this place, but once I unlocked the secret it was very enjoyable. It didn’t help that I was seated in front of the sushi bar operated by the owner and chef who had no recommendations, which intimidated the waitress from giving me any either. They were friendly, but it just made my job harder as there were definite highlights and things to avoid. I really burned a hole in the wallet to have to discover the trick to ordering. It wasn’t until 3/4 of the meal that I learned what I should be ordering at Kiriri Japanese Cuisine & SUSHI BAR. Note Sushi Bar. So for your benefit here goes!
Seriously it was such a hit and miss and I kept ordering from different sections until I figured out why people seem to love this place. It’s a local favourite and I’ve come here when it used to be a disappointing sushi place called ZuuShi Garden. I thought that it was the same owners, but a friend told me that it wasn’t, and that it was actually a great place now. So there was only one way to figure out if my friend was worth keeping around, or cutting off for a bad restaurant recommendation =p
I actually bumped into a friend here who insisted that I order the tuna and salmon sushi roll, and I thought that was the most boring thing ever. I totally ignored his recommendation until the very end and I shouldn’t have. He’s a regular too, but I guess that shows how much I trust him as a “foodie” lol. But really, it’s the simple, basic and traditional items that do best here. I’ll stress that through this whole post.
I should have guessed it from the start. When the owner/chef is an older Japanese gentlemen who seems quite traditional, do not go for the fusion or “modern” items. Well wouldn’t that be judging a book by its cover? Yes, it would, but it will save you $40 here. That’s how much I had to go through before I started finding out which of his dishes are worth the investment and value. Also the traditional items that are harder to prepare, or keep in stock, are pretty pricey so it’s not really worth ordering, or even that good. It’s my “fault” for liking creative Japanese “fusion” items and always going for funky specialty rolls, but that’s where mistakes are made here. Stick to the traditional and basic items guys, they’re superb!
Kiriri Japanese Cuisine actually reminds me of Seto Sushi, another fine authentic Japanese restaurant in Richmond. The sushi rice at Kiriri is so well flavoured and made, and the seaweed quality is great. It’s the basic things that they totally nail, but the fusion or innovative items weren’t impressive and even the gourmet traditional dishes were overpriced. They do invest into the sashimi and the freshness of it, so you just have to be specific with what you order. I must say though, for a place that’s so authentic, the soy sauce is not very good. It wasn’t a good quality Japanese sushi and sashimi soy sauce, and it tastes like regular Chinese style soy sauce with a really sharp and savoury flavour rather than sweet.
On the table:
Hawaiian Tuna Tower – 3/6
- Chopped marinated Red Tuna, Avocado & Mango on Sushi Rice $8
- This was visually pleasing, but it wasn’t any more creative than the description.
- It was well assembled and an equal ratio of all ingredients, so there’s nothing to complain about, but I also wouldn’t care to order it again.
- The ingredients were fresh and I loved the creamy tuna, buttery avocado, sweet diced mango, and juicy salty bursts of cod roe and crunchy tobiko, but it still needed soy sauce and wasabi.
- The sushi rice was excellent. It was sticky, chewy, moist and well flavoured, but I wouldn’t have minded slightly more vinegar and sugar. It was fine as is, but personal preference.
- I’d consider this a fusion dish and I just wanted it to be served with a unique sauce, or even just a sweet Unagi sauce. Without a sauce it was just a colourful array of sushi ingredients, so although good it wasn’t as exciting as I hoped it would be.
- My favourite version of this tower was from Miku Japanese – see Chirashi Tart.
Spicy Sashimi – 3/6
- Albacore Tuna or Salmon with Spicy Mayo $8
- This was good and it came with maybe 4-5 of each piece since I ordered half and half.
- The tuna was surprisingly better even though I almost always prefer salmon.
- The pieces seemed like the leftover ends of the sashimi and they were cut in really odd sizes and shapes.
- It was sliced thin instead of cubes and it wasn’t my favourite for spicy sashimi.
- It was very creamy and slightly overdressed with spicy mayo but it wasn’t that spicy at all. I liked the added tobiko for extra salty crunch though.
- It needed more green onion too and overall I much rather have the Spicy Tuna Sashimi from Tokyo Joe’s Sushi Factory also in Richmond – see here.
Spicy Salmon – 2/6
- Spicy salmon, avocado mango roll wrapped in soy paper, topped with salmon sashimi with Jalapeno $10
- This was really disappointing especially for the price. It was a very small roll and it didn’t look appetizing either.
- For $10 I was expecting a gourmet looking roll that was fairly large, but this one didn’t even match the description very well.
- It almost tasted like an ordinary inside out salmon roll, but the sashimi pieces were sliced really thin, so in the context of a sushi roll it was odd.
- After trying more things I just know the basic salmon roll would have been much better.
- About half the pieces had avocado but there was so little of it and the mango that I couldn’t taste or see either at times.
- I did notice the sushi having excellent chew and texture due to the quality of seaweed, execution of rice, as well as the added soy bean wrapper.
- It had a mini pickled Jalapeno on top and there wasn’t even one on each piece. It wasn’t even that tangy and it had a bitter aftertaste and carried a slight heat that kicked in later.
- After trying everything, I know that $10 would be better spent on salmon sashimi than this roll.
Beef Sashimi – 3.5/6
- Thinly sliced beef sashimi with ponzu $9
- There was a lot of beef so it was pretty worth it, but the beef wasn’t sliced thin enough and it was a bit chewy and tough.
- The beef was pretty cold but it didn’t marinade in the ponzu sauce very well because it was too thick to absorb it.
- It’s completely rare and not even seared, so just be prepared. I’m totally fine with it, so it doesn’t bother me.
- The sauce was very citrusy with a sharp lemon tang and I’m pretty sure it was mixed with yuzu sauce. It was very strong alone, but just didn’t flavour the meat.
- The beef wasn’t the greatest of quality and I wish it was better marbleized.
- It’s a traditional dish that could be better, so it’s just not the kind of place to order it although it was still good.
**Tamago Sushi – 5/6
- $1
- Tamago is know as the test to see if a Japanese restaurant has their act together.
- It’s a folded and multi layered sweetened Japanese omelette.
- This one was excellent and near flawless, but it wasn’t as delicious as the one from Aki Japanese, which is seriously the best I’ve had to date flavour wise.
- This one was probably even closer to authentic and perfection in technique though. The layers were seamless.
- This one was decently sweet, moist and had about 4-5 layers, but it wasn’t as juicy as I’ve had.
- It was pretty light on the sweetened soy sauce, but it was sweet. Sometimes they make it with Japanese stock called dashi, but this one didn’t seem like it had any.
- The seaweed and sushi rice is great here and this is when I began to understand what I should be ordering.
Sable Fish Miso – 3/6
- Grilled Miso marinated Black Cod $11
- I had to try a grilled item to see if the secret was in their robata.
- Sable fish is always fantastic because it’s impossible to mess up and just super juicy. But for the price of this one and if I compare it to other Miso Sablefish (Gin Dara) from similar restaurants, then this was a 3/6 and overpriced.
- It was good, but I’ve had better, the best being from Aki Japanese again. That place just owns it when it comes to authenticity and execution.
- The miso was slightly smaller and it didn’t have that grilled smoky flavour or crispy skin. The skin was actually jelly like and soft.
- The meat part was deliciously moist, tender, flaky and juicy and also slightly sweet with perhaps some added mirin.
- I tasted more sweetness more than I did Miso and I think it could have been marinated with dashi (home made Japanese fish or chicken stock).
Spider Roll – 3.5/6
- Deep fried soft shell crab, avocado, tobiko, daikon, cucumber roll wrapped in soy paper $8
- For an entire deep fried soft shell crab being used in this rather large 5 piece roll it was pretty good for $8. However I would rather have the Red Spider Roll (with soft shell crab) at Koto Izakaya Sushi & Robata also in Richmond for $10.99 – see here.
- The flavour of this one was good, but not great, although much better than the spicy tuna roll.
- The roll was wrapped too loosely as well, but the sushi rice and seaweed is fantastic.
- It wasn’t greasy, and it was super crunchy and crispy, but the crab wasn’t juicy either. I couldn’t taste anything else except for the crispy puffy tempura batter and then the fishiness of the crab. The avocado, cucumber, tobiko and daikon just got completely lost.
- The deep fried soft shell crab was a well seasoned flour batter rather than a panko batter.
- Although heavy on the batter, I didn’t mind because it made for for an extra crunchy roll.
**Tuna Roll – 5/6
- $2.50
- For a tuna roll, this has been one of my favourites!
- As I said in my intro, my friend I bumped into here kept recommending the tuna roll and I thought he was crazy. What’s so special about a tuna roll!? I finally caved and ordered it! Boy was I surprised! It wasn’t hard to cave at this point though, because I had “unlocked the secret to ordering”.
- This was a pretty amazing tuna roll, and I know I sound crazy and it looks like an ordinary tuna roll, but it’s noticeably very good!
- The tuna was fresh, creamy, and naturally oily, but the stand out was actually the sushi rice and quality of seaweed.
- I’ve been saying it throughout the post, but the basics (sushi and seaweed) are nailed here.
- For some reason having the seaweed on the outside was a big factor in making the difference. You could really get the texture and flavour of the seaweed, and together with the moist and sticky flavoured rice it had excellent chew.
- Out of everything this just showcased the properly executed sushi rice and quality of seaweed very well. It actually became the part you wanted to taste.
**Toro (Tuna Belly) Sushi – 6/6
- $2
- I had to order at least one nigiri as the perfect note to end off with! I had to confirm if my assumption was true, and it was.
- The nigiri is the definite highlight here and the sashimi is great.
- The fish will vary, so I can’t guarantee the one you’ll have, but this toro you see in the photo, was amazing!! I’m so excited just to see it again.
- It was incredibly rich and buttery and so naturally oily that it needed no soy sauce or wasabi. It was incredibly fresh and almost juicy.
- It was just naturally releasing oils with every bite I took.
- The sushi rice was well flavoured, sticky, moist and chewy.
- Excellent! Tres excellent! I would have been very happily satisfied with 10 pieces of assorted nigiri for $15-20… and a bubble tea for dessert.
- They have a small selection of Japanese ice cream flavours and desserts including a black sesame creme brulee, but there’s a lot of red bean on everything so I passed. Red bean and I aren’t friends yet.
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If the tuna roll, a classic was delicious, how about trying the classics: sashimi, or chirasi, or the chawanmushi, old school but perhaps this chef is best at old school. The problem with the Hawaiian tower is that it’s too big…how can you get it all in your mouth ? No knife and fork here, did you eat it by picking at the parts ? with a spoon ? Too bad the sablefish was great, ever try monk fish liver ?
it just made my job harder as there were definite highlights and things to avoid
Given I have eaten out with you a couple of times, I notice this trend: ask for their recommendations. That is in contrast to my modus-operandi: go for your gut instincts! Sure, I might be shooting yourself on the foot as well but, at least, it allows me to say “if it is in the menu!!!” So, when no recommendation is given (or, “everything is good!”), you might as well follow your gut instincts! ๐
I must say though, for a place thatโs so authentic, the soy sauce is not very good
I don’t think this is a fair assessment. A lot of times, you simply do not need soy sauce.
Itโs my โfaultโ for liking creative Japanese โfusionโ items and always going for funky specialty rolls
*cough* Ah… Music to my ears… Can you repeat that AGAIN??? ๐
I will repeat the comment I have mentioned several times in the past: anybody can make a maki/roll. Throw in some rice, some combination of vegetables and meats, then wrap it into a cylinder. Cut it, add some sauces and there you go. But, for nigiri, it is more visual (and I am not referring to the eye candy of some maki), so faults are more noticeable. From how the meat was cut, to the visual aspect of the meat, to the texture of the rice. So, while for izakaya type dishes modern style is good, for some old school type preparation, if they can’t make a good nigiri sushi, I wonder about their skills.
i actually don’t really like fusion asian cuisine because from the ones i’ve tried, they weren’t very good – plus i sometimes don’t think that the extra cost of having fusion items counterbalances the quality of the items ordered – i guess it really depends on the restaurant since I haven’t been to any that i’ve really liked lol
i never order anything with fruit in my sushi so from your description alone, i can totally imagine what the hawaiian tower must’ve tasted like – definitely needed some seasoning or some delicious sauce to kick it up a notch! i usually get spicy sashimi too but never with mayo – i thought the creaminess might’ve helped tone down the spiciness of this dish but too bad it just masked most of it ๐
the beef sashimi looks like marinated bbq short ribs! that’s what i thought you ordered when i looked at the pic – the only raw beef i ever eat is carpaccio and the butter beef from phnom penh – i don’t think i can handle anything else, especially if it’s that thick lol i thought the avocado roll was wrapped in lettuce too haha
mm the tuna roll that you had looks like a negitoro roll minus the scallions – that’s my fave at any japanese restaurant – especially the toro sushi you had too – i love the creamy buttery flavour of that tuna belly – can’t be beat! ๐
@Bow – yup! Check out my post for Manzo also in Richmond. Great monk fish liver ๐ The Hawaiian Tower was actually an appetizer and similar to a chirashi so it came with a serving spoon. Yup! Chef if best at traditional here for sure.
@Kim – why am I not surprised at your comment.. I still don’t think it’s fair. Nope sorry.. Chinese style soy sauce as opposed to real Japanese soy sauce… it’s like using the crappiest wasabi as opposed to real wasabi. sorry I can’t forgive there. And u like what you like, but I like what I like. I’m only being so blunt with you b/c you’re a friend =p
@Linda – Have you tried Miku or Hapa Izakaya? Those are all fusion-ish places and they’re great! ๐
Ohhh I love mango with sashimi! It’s a very Hawaiian and Californian thing but it works super well! I like sweet and savoury though.
Yup! Tuna belly is definitely indulgent and delicious!! Love it!!
@kim – also I always ask for recs because I want to know what’s good. My gut instincts is always with creative stuff… so that doesn’t work in my case. If they just said “sashimi and nigiri” I might have still ordered the creative stuff only. It never hurts to ask. Quite often I find they’re right at telling me what’s good anyways.
So Kim, are you telling me that Mijune never found a strange, funky specialty roll she didn’t want to try ? Always wondered why she’d pick so many rolls to review…I’d go for the robata(hamachi cheek, grilled asparagus, etc.), not a real fan of rolls. So many rolls seem to have excessive sauce, can one really taste the fish or rice ?
@bow – lol I just love the creativity in the rolls and I don’t find I can get them anywhere. I also love the sauces.. like the sauces on the aburi sushi at Miku. I don’t like when the rolls are too heavy on mayo or not creative, but I’ve had some excellent ones before. Now at Japanese restaurants I try to order one item from every section to determine what I should stick to ๐
I rarely touch on the topic of “creative” maki since I know I might receive flak for it but…I honestly really dislike it. As Kim pointed out, there is really usually no skill involved except for creativity and looks. Majority of the time that I get to try these type of rolls, the expectations fall short in terms of taste. They may look nice but that’s where it ends. Nigiri is the true test of a restaurant for me even though, aesthetically, it is more “boring”.
Anyways…looking past the negativity, the Toro looks amazing. Seems to even have chutoro qualities. The only thing stopping me from ordering Nigiri at Kiriri was the price-point. It’s quite pricey with some things like Kinmedai and Shimaji hitting upwards of $3.50-$4 if I remember correctly. I haven’t yet made a trip back to Kiriri for the Nigiri but I was able to go once more for dinner and it was better than my first visit. I’ve also had two visits for lunch and for the lunch menu is very very good in my opinion. Quite a few options and much more affordable than dinner. I remember the Tonkatsu being one of the better ones I’ve had in Vancouver.
@jer – no love for fusion rolls except for me lol… however I still say try the fusion rolls at Miku… they’re fantastic. There are some really impressive places like Tokyo Joe’s rolls and some at Kodoya as well. There’s Sushi Maki on Commercial that was good too.
Yes it is slightly more expensive but I think it’s just due to their operations thatthey have to charge a bit more. Since it’s family run for some reason I don’t mind forking out the dollars as much, but then the quality and knife skills still better be top notch. Oh god… that toro was amazing, but I think it was a really big and fat tuna… not sure if that was common of every toro they serve. thanks for your additional info. I really appreciate it!
PS: My bill was about $60-70… so yes.. it is an expensive place because portions are a bit smaller and they add up quick!
Just wondering if u would recommend this place, I notice your rated most items in the 3-4/6 with the exception of tuna. I didn’t enjoy spending the extra $$ to find a few items I liked. They had some east coast uni that I enjoyed.
My experience was very similar to yours. I’ve sat at the bar and at the table. Found that the chef/owner and one server to be good. The rest of the staff seems rather new-ish. When I was there the person helping the chef was new into cooking. So he was shadowing and learning from the chef. IMHO, kiriri is ok, but not one I’d recommend. Certainly not worth the travel unless you live in the area.
One of the challenges is that is has a wider selection of items and not the sales volume. Which means the are freshness and preparation challenges. We encountered a slightly ‘off’ sashimi item. I almost always exchange dialouge with the server, owner and chef to get ideas on recomendation. I don’t want to miss out by just looking at the menu. The best and most interesting items are often not on the menu or not highligted.
It is certainly an upgrade from the previous Japanese restaurant. For straight up sashimi and nigiri in Richmond, sushi hachi is better all around.
FYI Foodies,
Kiriri is part of the former Wabisabi on 4th Ave…one of the original places specializing in izakaya-sushi style venue. Wabisabi closed a few years ago ๐
So, it does explain why it’s a bit more $$$ than what we would expect in Richmond. They are trying to keep the same feel of Wabisabi and as well as a limited but carefully selected menu.
@Ryan’s mommy – You’re so fabulous!!! Thank you so much for that awesome insider’s tip!!! We all appreciate it!
@TimeToChow – I think we’re pretty much on the EXACT same page there with your comment and my post lol. I agree with you that it’s great if you’re in the area. Would I make more than a 15min. drive for it? Probably not. Am I glad I tried it? Most definitely! Would I go back again? Yes, but probably not any time soon and I’d still be very specific with my order. I would recommend it for sashimi, nigiri and simple rolls, but I wouldn’t tell anyone to make the drive out. However I do give props to their seaweed and sushi rice which was stellar. If you’re going to make a drive out for sashimi that isn’t in downtown… I’d highly recommend Tokachi in Whalley! Surprise Surprise and surprised you’ll be! My post coming within a week I hope! Salmon and tuna sashimi.. best I’ve had ever.
on another note…the only thing is I still haven’t been able to make it to Sushi Hachi. 5 failed attempts tells me I better make a reservation! I heard it’s gone a bit downhill though? ๐
Tokachi sounds like a gem. Too bad it is in Whalley. Look forward to your post.
I had one, less than stellar meal in the past year at Sushi Hachi. IMHO, they have a fairly set menu and consistent sales/customer base. Combined with the fact the owner/couple really invest in their product they serve, I think they are very consistent. Perhaps with high expectation some may leave disappointed. Definitely get the toro and if you dont mind the o-toro.
I like the rice at Kimura and seaweed at Tojo’s best thus far. It takes 4 years to learn to make sushi rice.
I think you should have short summary Vblogs(>1min) for your postings together with your regular written post.
@TimeToChow – thanks for your feedback, suggestions, knowledge and recommendations!! what a great comment!! I will definitely go to Sushi Hachi and try to remain as neutral as possible ๐ I love Tojo rice too actually… I LOVE Miku rice as well! They have it nailed.. but I haven’t tried Kimura. I wish I could do Vblogs more often, but without the “on call” access to my talented team the quality would suck and you probably wouldn’t watch them lol. Hopefully one day we can do it though!
Hi Mijune,
I’m surprised that you haven’t reviewed Sushi Hachi yet. It really was a great and pleasant surprise to me. Its a little hard to find, but well worth it. Get the chef’s sushi selection while at the bar. Its so awesome to watch him prepare each nigiri piece by piece and place it on your platter. The house roll is also so good.
@joseph – I know!!! It’s embarrassing!! i tried 3-5 times now and it was a fail because I couldn’t get reservations! they close at 8-9pm too!! I need to try harder! Thanks for the recommendations Joseph! I trust you!!
Oh once you know the chef or owner enough, you can ask for chef’s special. Which is quite expensive but everything is traditional japanese food that the chef picks. Basically you eat until you’re full. It’s awesome there. Love the service. I kept telling my friends about it when it opens.
They get fresh fishes on Tuesday and Friday!
@amanda – Omakase!! Chef’s selection!! Didn’t know he offered that! I wish they advertised that when I was there…. thank YOU for sharing though.. that helps!! ๐
Hi Mijune,
I like both Hachi and Kiriri. But last time when I had the Toro nigiri at Kiriri, it looked nothing like that one that you had. Can you confirm if that’s really a regular Toro not a higher grade toro nigiri? I may re-visit Kriri for more sushi next time. I really liked their battera sushi at my last visit.
Hi Mijune,
Please ignore my question above. I was being silly when I asked you to confirm the toro sushi. How can you confirm after weeks from eating it? I will just go there and try it out myself again.
Cheers,
Winnie
Hi Mijune –
I personally love eating at kiriri and go back again and again and I think you should give it another shot! I love eating their ankimo and age-udon (basically a play off a tanuki udon).
Love your blog but I do have to entirely disagree with you on their great spicy salmon! Absolutely love the flavor of their spicy sauce and the taste is anything but ordinary. IMO, easily the best spicy salmon in Richmond no contest.
@Nichoe – Hi Nichoe! I actually really liked Kiriri! I just thought the modern/fusion items weren’t as strong as their traditional Japanese items ๐ It’s one of my favourite Japanese places in Richmond too. I will surely try the spicy salmon sashimi again, but I just wasn’t keen on the oddly cut shapes and mayo heavy sauce. I just prefer the non-mayo based hot sauces for salmon sashimi or less mayo based because. It’s not that I have issues with mayo and I like mayo, but I just like a different kind of spicy sauce. Which other places in Richmond have you tried spicy salmon sashimi? Have you tried the spicy tuna at Tokyo Joe’s? I love that you feel so passionately about the place you support!!! Thank you for commenting!
Hi Mijune!
Actually I was referring to the spicy salmon roll! But fair enough – I prefer these spicier sauces on the side of a creamier, richer consistency. I feel it adds its own cooling element to let the taster enjoy the flavor without being overwhelmed with heat but thats my own personal bias. And theres something about this sauce from Kiriri thats so characteristically different from all the other ones I tried but I cannot quite put my finger on it. Maybe you can shed some light on it ๐
And I have tried the one at Tokyo Joes! Its good but I still prefer Kiriris.
PS: I am also a total foodie haha. I don’t know how many times I have said thats so not authentic.