Amazing that it's been a dozen years since our first review, so definitely time for an update... Atami Sushi is still located at 2200 Rymal Road East in Hamilton, just west of Upper Centennial Parkway. We were able to bike most of the way there from West Harbour GO station along the Escarpment Rail Trail. We went for weekend lunch. There is plenty of booth seating. Disposable chopsticks are used unfortunately, but we brought our own as always. AYCD pop is available for an excessive $4.50, but when we went there it was 30 Celsius and humid, and we biked uphill most of the way, so it was worth it. Soy sauce at table was only slightly salty, brightly flavoured, fresh and savoury. Ginger is dyed pink. Ordering is old-school onto paper templates from the menu. Sadly it took over an hour before any other customers arrived... I don't know why, but was possibly due to the FIFA playoffs at the time keeping most people home.
We noticed that there are some items that are usually on lunch menus that are absent from this one, such as tuna nigiri and cheese wontons. There are still plenty of other good things... especially the beef items! Vegetable salad really was vegetable, a spring mix and other items salad with not much lettuce, with a delicious house orange-ginger dressing, and we both loved it. Mishy thought the miso soup was too diluted, but I tried it and loved it and thought it was quite savoury. Gyoza were top-tier excellent being moist, not oily, fresh and in an excellent sauce. Wonton soup was understated yet very good, featuring white pepper.
Sirloin steak with garlic, and sirloin beef, and beef teriyaki were among the best we've ever had, delicious, savoury, excellent sauce and not holding back on the salt, pepper or other seasonings being perfectly intense to bring out the flavour, and it seemed like quality meat too. Thank goodness they were available on the lunch menu! Mishy said the chicken teriyaki was among the best she ever had, and I was not so superlative but it was still quite good. Shrimp, broccoli, and yam tempura were all excellent, and the sauce was fantastic and had a wonderful flavour. Deep fried scallop aka surimi were very good with a dollop of sauce. There was some amazing seasoning that we both noticed in the chicken skewers which gave them a warm and comforting flavour like pfeffernüsse.
We both loved the Green Dragon roll. Red snapper aka tilapia nigiri had a slightly fishy aroma but was still good. Tamago aka egg nigiri was very good. Butterfish aka white tuna nigiri was excellent, as was salmon and spicy salmon nigiri.
For dessert, we both loved the green tea ice cream; Mishy hadn't even ordered any and just tried some of mine, thinking she was full, and ended up eating almost all of it; it was not freezer burned at all and was very creamy. Mango and strawberry ice creams were also very good and not freezer burned. We both loved the banana tempura. Mocha cake was the same little slab cake found all over southern Ontario. Mango pudding was very mildly flavoured, but creamy and still enjoyable. Weekend lunch is $30.99; this is pretty usual and the overpriced pop only weighs slightly on the outcome. It was a memorably excellent lunch especially with those fantastic beef dishes and we’re hoping it doesn’t take a dozen years for our next return!Rating: 9.5 - 10 / 10 - 0.25 value adjustment = 9.5 / 10
It has a pleasant atmosphere, though a bit dark for some but I enjoy a darker decor. Some reviewers have complained about the service but it was certainly quite fast when we visited so this problem may have been
resolved.
The
soy sauce was good, full of umami and not too salty. This is one of my
"barometers" to the quality of the rest of the food. Salad dressing was
different and good. The hot and sour soup was excellent; not
overpowering with vinegar like most places, but rich and savoury.However because of this, it's different from the usual so may not be for everyone. Miso soup was good but a little weak; I find it has to sit in the pot for at least an hour after being made before it's excellent so this may have been too fresh. Chicken wonton soup had low salt and a nice savoury taste.
The salmon sushi very fresh and excellent. Tempura was a little heavy and oily at first; the sauce a little weak. We added a dash of the soy sauce and it was much improved. The second tempura order (shrimp) was much better; light and flaky. Salmon teriyaki didn't have skin on it; finally someone got this right. Teriyaki sauce was a bit salty. Spring rolls were very good. Fried tofu had a touch of seasoning on it; nice touch which shows the meals are prepared with care. Chicken curry was crispy and breaded with a parsley sprig, rather than being unbreaded as most curried chicken is, but I still enjoyed it.... different is good! Well, sometimes...
For
dessert, we were treated to the best fried bananas we've yet had; thick
and perfectly done. The green tea ice cream was good.Price was $13.99 for lunch. There's also a $20.99 dinner option with sashimi of course, though it's $21.99 on weekends; lunch price doesn't change. They have an eat free on your birthday special, but need six adults to qualify (some other restaurants such as Imperial and
Tucker's Marketplace only require one other full-price adult.) All in all, I was impressed and would return, if not for all the other ACYEs in Hamilton that still beckon.
Rating: 9/10.
