Oishii Sushi – Gluttony Girl

I’ve wanted to check Oishii out for a long time. While I normally avoid all-you-can-eat restaurants, I couldn’t resist. My friend Leng Lui has gone ten times in the last two months and she raves about the food.

Superman and his girlfriend Reserved picked me up for dinner. Superman and Reserved did all the ordering while I wrote it down on a post-it note. Service was good, despite it being a busy Friday night, there was always a server around.

On our first round, we ordered the “good” stuff from the deluxe menu: Chopped Scallop, Beef Tataki, Salmon Nigiri, Crab Legs, Enoki Roll, Oyster Motoyaki, Seaweed Salad, Egg Drop Soup, Salmon, Tuna and Toro Sashimi.

The nori was crisp and the rice was well-made in the chopped scallop nigiri. The scallop mixture was very saucy and a little too sweet for me.

The beef tataki was nice. The beef was sliced thin, with lots of red onions, green onions, garlic chips and a delicious tart dressing. Oishii does not cheap out with the portion of beef tataki.

I really liked the salmon nigiri. Bite size, the rice was well-made and the salmon tasted fresh. The enoki beef roll was delicious. I would have ordered another one, but Superman overdid the second order so we never got around to a third round.

The crab legs were a win. We never got a crab cracker so Reserved used her teeth. I’m older than Reserved and if I did that, my teeth would break. The crab meat was fluffy and sweet, so I didn’t need to use the side of butter. I was surprised how much meat was inside the shells.

The oyster motoyaki was the only disappointment. I love oysters, but these were small and fishy. Also, I thought the sauce was bland.

The Wakame salad was delicious. Angel-hair like threads of seaweed, each strand tasted subtly of sesame dressing.

The toro and tuna sashimi was fresh and cut in smaller pieces, which made for more pleasurable eating. Another win.

The Creamy Udon was one of the best dishes of the night. The noodles were toothsome and chewy. The mayo sauce was filled with roe, which gave a pop to the creamy goodness.

The squid was tender, with a savoury smokiness. The marinade was flavourful. Another winner.

Of the rolls, I really liked the soft-shell crab. The crab was crunchy and the layer of roe made this roll pop. This was the only roll that had five pieces versus six to eight.

The second round is where things went hairy. Superman told me to order a whole whack of rolls. I’ve never been to Oiishi before so I didn’t know how big the rolls would be. Reserved never said anything either, so I assumed both eat a lot of food. Well, they don’t. Both are average to small eaters.

All the rolls were covered in sweet and creamy sauces. I like simple rolls with no sauce, however, I could tell the rolls were well-made. The rolls were nicely proportioned with various fillings and only a thin layer of rice.

If the rolls were good, what’s the problem? We ordered way too much food. I blamed Superman for over ordering. He told me I wasn’t a team player and not to throw him under the bus. Superman also said I should have stopped them from ordering so much. I responded how could I know how much they were capable of eating and how big the portions were, as this was my first time at the restaurant.

My stomach was about to burst. We sat there like children who couldn’t leave the table until we finished our food. While we waited for our bill, the servers kept coming to our table with food we never ordered. I think there was a mix-up as eventually I could see the food get to the right table. However, each time a server did come up to us, we shouted defensively, “That’s not our food! We didn’t order it!”

We weren’t the only people in the restaurant that were uncomfortably stuffed and struggled to finish the remaining food. As I walked by two tables, one dude was telling his girlfriend, “Come on. It’s just these two dishes and we’re done!” I could hear another person shout, “You ordered it! You eat it!”

I plan to come again but I will order less. I’m not sure how this business can make any money serving all you can eat at this caliber. I want to see this restaurant stick around, so here is my advice to avoid waste. The servers come around often so start off small and go easy on the rolls, which are filling. Go with a group, so you aren’t stuck eating a whole roll yourself. And when in doubt, save that order for the next round.