Kiisu Japanese Restaurant

we have ordered a crunch crunch (half order), lunch special C, aburi tuna stack and a spider roll. portion is generous and ingredients are fresh. among all, I like the spider roll the most. They dun put a lot of sauce, thus, you can taste the real taste of the soft shell crab

Ki Isu is a Korean-operated Japanese restaurant and is one of the more affordable sushi places in West Vancouver with a large assortment of fusion items on the menu. The atmosphere of the restaurant was quite lively even at half past five, and by 6, there were people waiting for seats and the waitresses were running around the restaurant at an almost-comical speed. The restaurant wasn't even that large, so

Worth crossing the bridge.. Some of you may think sushi should be made by the Japanese. But do the same people believe that tempura should be made by the Portugese? The origins of sushi point to... wait for it... China. The Japanese borrow ideas from other cultures and use ingenuity to make it their own. I believe if the chef has the proper training and strong passion for his or her craft, nationality should be a non-issue.
Now that I've said my two bits, here's my review.
I've had the sushi at the Yaletown location a little while back and sadly I was not impressed. The sushi was sloppy and the service was horrible. I just happened to be in West Vancouver and saw a familiar sign across from my favorite pie shop (more on that later). Well, I skipped the pie and decided to give them a shot. Sunday is very relaxed much like the jazz playing in the restaurant. I have to say if you want to experience sushi at it's fullest, you must sit at the bar. I am already familiar with their menu but gave it a look anyway. The chef suggested "omakase" which loosely translates to chef's choice. I gave him a budget of $30 and told him to surprise me and he did just that. The meal I had is not avalilable on the menu and changes according to the chef's whim.
First course was a tempura nori wrapped rare tuna (like a tataki only deep fried) cut into coins with a serving of organic greens, drizzled with wasabi mayo and topped with a ume (salted plum) dressing. Just enough spike and tart to balance the crisp rich tuna. Next was a traditional sunomono salad, no noodles here, just wakame, cucumbers (salted and drained), topped with Tako, Prawn, and fresh Dungeness Crab. The sunomono dressing had a hint of bonito flavor suggesting a stock was used instead of water with the sweetened rice vinegar. Third course, a variety of nigiri, seared Hamachi Belly with a slice of Jalapeño and Ponzu, ice cold Albacore Toro with Wasabi Salt, Shiso wrapped Ika brushed with a sweet soy, and Dungeness Crab topped with Uni, Kaiware and Tobiko.
Needless to say, I was satisfied but thought I received more than my $30 budget.
Apparently the chef added a few complimentary nigiri to make my experience memorable.
If I had ordered this at any number of the high brow sushi bars in Vancouver, the price would be closer to $40 or even $50, and somebody on Broadway would clip you for an even C note.
Passion and training, this chef has both. Alas he's only here Friday to Monday and the bar only seats 4. There is of course the standard fair, teriyaki, tempura, and udon. Sushi rolls in abundance with some interesting signature flair. The sashimi is uber fresh, gyoza are handmade in shop, and soup and sauces are created, not dispensed from a bottle.