Out & About #513 | Nichiban Sushi 4 U + Pacific Mall

Diana's Oyster Bar was a distant (and not particularly pleasant) memory for me. I hadn't bothered with the various varieties of oysters at the time, nor had the open bar piqued my interest. Besides the immensely delicious crabcakes, it was the sole instance where I had met someone adopting both the entities of a food enthusiast and makeup/style fiend

​A few years (and two cases of plan fall-out) passed before we finally agreed on meeting up again.
Said social media user is based in Markham, and having put Pacific Mall errands on the back burner for some time now, it was essentially killing two birds with one stone.

​I pulled into the parking lot a few minutes past noon, then swiftly met up with her to discuss the plan. The initial route consisted of restocking my K-Beauty inventory, next lunch, and lastly churros for dessert.
Alas, our appetites trounced the desire to shop; we retreated back to the car, then made the painstaking drive to Nichiban Sushi 4 U, our pre-determined (read: pre-researched) midday meal of choice.

Being the impatient one of the two, I committed the terrible mistake of U-turning into the adjacent gas station, nearly annihilating a cyclist in the process. Upon discovering that the asphalt lots did not connect, there was no other option than to turn back onto Kennedy and loop into the correct plaza.
One ought to note the narrowness of the Nichiban plaza, for it only capable of one-way traffic when the compact lot hit capacity. It was thankful that loading time has passed, and that no trucks were parked in the main passageway during our visit.

​Nichiban was a sliver of a casual Japanese restaurant, and apparently geared more towards takeout orders than dine-in. Though, it also appeared to be popular amongst those that worked in the vicinity.

My friend - a seasoned feaster in the Milliken Heights area - did not hesitate to suggest the 888 Combo to share. The twenty-four-dollar platter had been named appropriately: it included eight slices of sashimi, eight specialty rolls, eight pieces of nigiri, along with the standard offerings of miso soup and side salad.

​Both starters were mediocre. Adding to the fact that traffic volumes were on the low end, it seemed odd - and slightly stingy - to me that we were not offered a starter set each. Such small details go a long way in leaving a lasting impression.

The nigiri and sashimi specimens were determined by the chef, but we were given the option to choose our preferred style of specialty roll. Black Dragon was my pick, on the basis that marinated eel has been included on the list of constituents.

​How could one possibly go wrong with tempura and unagi, right? WRONG.
In hindsight, it probably wouldn't have mattered which specialty roll was chosen. Quality was consistently terrible throughout.

The sashimi slices were stiff and tasteless.
The nigiri pieces comprised of limp sashimi slices and crumbly mounds of short-grain rice.
Yet, worst of all was the Black Dragon Roll: it was the most depressing compilation of soggy tempura and atrociously flabby eel strips. Such an abomination deserves no such title, for it was a barbarity against "unagi" as a whole. Even pre-packaged eel strips were far tastier than this especially woeful "special roll".

​It didn't stop here though. The wasabi proved useless in combating the poor qualities of the fish, while the pickled ginger was alarmingly pungent - both indicators of low-budget condiments. Visual display points were also lacking in that tobiko and sauce droplets were scattered about the chipped serving board.

​Service was not lousy by any means, and our tea cups were refilled on more than one occasion. Our cups had initially been filled with green tea (a not-so-floral jasmine, I should presume), then replenished with an exceptionally fragrant barley variation. I shall not hesitate to declare this the sole highlight of the meal, food-wise.

The single stall bathroom was located in a crevice nestled between the entrance and seating area, behind an open storage area. Cleanliness was undoubtedly compromised here, along with proper illumination and the basic amount of space required to maneuver about. One could not escape bumping into the edge of the sink or brushing dust bunnies adhered to the wall; conjure up an image of a gas station facility, but tinier and dimmer.

​In total, the meal had come to approximately fourteen dollars per person. This was absolutely ridiculous, considering not only the horrendous state of the sashimi we had been served, but the fact we had split one item between two parties. An uber-satisfying custom taco bowl from Chipotle would ring in at the same price (after the addition of guac!) and deliver utmost value and content.

It goes without saying that I was more than ready to evacuate the premises and never look back.

GOT7 was spotted!!  I repeat: GOT7 WAS SPOTTED!!!

​After making my runs, we stopped at Mr. Sun. The stall was amongst the first of P-Mall's bubble tea vendors to offer housemade tapioca pearls.

​The Passion Fruit Juice with Brown Sugar Tapioca + Coconut Jelly set me back a hefty six dollars, while upgrading from the Brown Sugar Tapioca to the Rainbow Tapioca incurred an additional fee of twenty cents. Similar to One Zo's signature mix of Mango, Caramel, Crystal, the Rainbow Tapioca blend consisted of Mr. Sun's intriguing sequence of Strawberry, Mango, and Brown Sugar.

​Defined within the beverage were the individual flavours of the Strawberry and Brown Sugar Tapioca. And crafted with Oolong tea at 25% sugar, the beverage was refreshing and positively suitable for late-afternoon pick-me-up. The passion fruit seeds were not particularly noticeable, though that was fine by me.

​Our final stop of the day was El Habanero & Churrobar, where I picked up a trio of Classic Churros.

​These hollow, sugar-coated dough strips were quite possibly the best churros I've tasted to date. While I am in no position to comment on authenticity, I appreciated the warm, crisp properties of the dessert. The Classic Churros bore the ideal about of sweetness without being overly greasy.

​I was also made aware that the small establishment carries savoury items such as fish sandwiches, which, admittedly, sound quite appealing. Seating is available within, but given the open kitchen, one ought to be prepared for the infiltration of greasy fumes. Order to-go may be the simplest way to evade unwanted odours.

​It is also recommended to remove yourself from the neighbourhood prior to 4 PM on a weekday. Rush hour is seriously no joke. It wasn't until well over two hours that I finally pulled into the driveway of my humble abode.

---