168 Sushi Buffet is located at 1651 Merivale Road in Ottawa. We’ve previously reviewed the Mississauga and Vaughan locations of this chain. We went for weekend lunch. $2.50 AYCD fountain pop is available, also non-AYCD canned for the same price. Interior was a bit noisy but it was very busy (though we didn’t need to wait), modern and darker. iPad menus are used. Soy at table was rich, not salty and savoury. Ginger is dyed pink. Disposable chopsticks are used unfortunately so we brought our own as usual. There is also a serving robot. 168 really is a buffet, as salads, desserts and soups are available from a buffet station in the centre. The menu will tell you this if you try to select one of them from it. A small bowl of tempura dipping sauce is also provided at the beginning of the meal.
Mishy loved the surimi (I think... it was unlabeled) salad from the buffet and so did I. Spring rolls were good, although not superlative, but no complaints and the sauce was good enough as well with some citrus notes... Mishy added that they were just at the right temperature.. Kimchi was alright, but at least it wasn't super-hot like so many other places make these days. Corn salad, or what I think it was, was actually excellent with a nice flavour that may have been orange.
Mishy loved the lemon chicken, which is one of her perennial favourites; I enjoyed the sauce because the sauce was not sickly sweet and excessive but more mild. Pork shiu mai was delicious and it did not require any sauce. Deep fried scallops (probably surimi) were delicious and also did not any require any sauce with the dollop on top. Mixed vegetable tempura was a bit oily and not very flaky breading, but at least it was tasty and the sauce was good. Chicken curry was Thai-style and was quite good though a bit oily. Beef dumplings were delicious, not oily and may have been from frozen but at least weren't freezer burned or stale; they were better than most places.
For the first time, tom yum soup actually was yum, as usually I don't care for it much at other places; I think here they put some tomato essence or similar on top and it really worked well. Wonton soup was doubly labelled as “Wangtong soup” which I did not realize was a phonetic variant, so I didn’t fish for wontons, but at least the broth was quite tasty. Hot and sour soup I thought would be burnt because it was dark and thick, but in fact it was quite good, maybe even very good. Miso soup was very good to excellent being savoury and fresh, especially being able to add unlimited wakame and green onions. Chicken udon soup was excellent with a very nice flavour, well-balanced seasoning and was made interesting by the addition of other things such as bean sprouts.
Beef teriyaki was almost excellent (quite a few “almosts” here!) as the sauce was quite good and it wasn't a bad cut either. It’s still impressive to find this on the lunch menu in any case. Chicken teriyaki was delicious, not rubbery, and went well with the sauce. Chicken katsu aka torikatsi was quite good as the sauce was well-made and full of classic katsu flavor. Beef bulgogi with a savoury sauce, Mongolian spicy beef and spicy beef were all very good and I ended up ordering seconds for a couple.
Mishy loved the salmon rose and said it was perfectly made and did not fall apart as in many other places; I liked it too, very much, and ended up having many pieces of it. Crab aka surimi nigiri was quite fresh and good, it went well with the soy sauce and brought wasabi, although only a hybrid of the real stuff this time. Salmon nigiri Mishy thought was off for some reason but mine was quite fresh and enjoyable, which is good because Mishy ordered eight of them and then didn't want to help me eat them. Tofu pocket sushi was very good. California roll, although a little short on roe, was also quite good and fresh, which is good because Mishy didn't help me with that one either. Red snapper aka tilapia nigiri was very good as was tomago.
For dessert, Mishy fell-over loved the chocolate mousse in small plastic containers like shot glasses; it was everything she said and more. I loved the cherry cheesecake; it was sweet and creamy and delicious. Green mousse, which I've had before and pretty sure is honeydew, was excellent. Mango shot glass pudding was understated but still quite good with a honey overtone. Mishy loved the mango ice cream saying it was very smooth. This and five others are available from the buffet section self-serve. Chocolate ice cream was delicious and full of bitter chocolate nose. Red bean lacked the elusive flavour but was still quite good and fresh. Green tea ice cream was delicious and quite flavourful. Vanilla ice cream wasn't French vanilla but it was still quite good. None of the ice creams were freezer burned. It was $25.99 for weekend lunch and this is quite a good price these days; the AYCD drinks were also reasonable. Service was very good with speed of delivery and removal of used plates etc., contrary to many reviews I have seen. We certainly enjoyed our lunch ... twice as we ended up at the same place the next day accidentally thinking it was the other Ottawa location, but we stayed nonetheless. I guess it could be concluded it was good enough for a return visit!
Rating: 9 - 9.5 / 10 + 0.5 value adjustment = 9.5 - 10 / 10
