Sometimes, first dates and birthdays for example, you should spend a little more money and go for the gold, or, in this case, Mikado. Sushi isn’t hard to find around here, and even tasty sushi doesn’t have to be expensive, but when it is, you can taste the difference.

Mikado isn’t off the scale when it comes to price, but the quality of food is, making it one of the better sushi restaurant choices. There are several locations, each with slight variations between their menus, but the one I’ve visited the most is the one on St-Denis.

First things first – choosing the sake. Mikado offers Nigori, an unfiltered sake that has a milky appearance, is served chilled and is surprisingly potent. The 375ml bottle lasted the entire meal, offering up a nice drink to complement every dish ordered.

The first dish to reach the table was the wakame salad, a colourful mix of seaweed, shredded carrot, and finely sliced cucumber, in a sweet and tangy rice wine vinegar dressing. It seems an excellent way to open a meal, with its bright, fresh flavours.

Next, a newly discovered favourite – the “Lollipop.” A hunk of crab that’s maybe fried, a little grilled, on a stick served with a sweet, creamy lemongrass dipping sauce. The crab is wonderfully cooked – tender and juicy and warm, bursting with crab flavour.
Follow this with the scallop entrée, four scallops served in shells two different ways. The green tea scallop hits a high flavour note, while the other, served with a nest of friend noodles on top, is more subtle and tricky to heat. I preferred the noodle scallops, with the sweet and salty sauce a wonderful companion for the crispy noodles.

Finally, the sushi! Because we have favourites, we don’t go with a wide variety, but for the ones we know and love. I always want the mackerel, fatty and remarkably tasty. The octopus takes on a more subtle flavour, but its texture makes up for it.
The unagi (eel) is fantasatically done, grilled to the point of having crunchy, blackened bits, but still incredibly moist inside, the whole thing sticky-sweet.
The rainbow roll is a bit weaker, but a good, fresh roll nonetheless.
Not at all comparable to the uni though, which we completely indulged in. The roll with sea urchin, scallop and quail egg was delightful, an unbelievable combination of textures and tastes, and an excellent note to end the meal on.

Mikado

1970 Léonard -De-Vinci
450-922-6030