Sushi Kiku (Japanese)

Sushi Kiku is located at 230 Commerce Valley Drive in Markham. Kiku is quite large and has a modern interior with hanging decorations. iPad ordering is used. Disposable chopsticks are used unfortunately, so I bring my own. $1.50 AYCD pop is available. Kiku was very full on weekend lunch with almost all tables occupied.  Soy sauce at table was very fresh and not salty, all green lid low-sodium. Ginger is not dyed pink. Tea is included and left on table in carafe.

 



Miso soup was very good, savory, full-flavored, and Mishy and I both loved it. Mishy also liked the wakame salad. Green salad was very good with a house wasabi dressing. Sirloin steak (which was nice to find on a lunch menu) was a little bit tough and chewy, but still tasty and welcome. Teppan sirloin steak with garlic also had plenty of mushrooms, and was absolutely fantastic, tender, savory and delicious.

Green Dragon Roll was excellent, and happily did not have any eel in it. Salmon Rose sushi was very good, and another very welcome addition as many places now do not have it on the lunch menu. Bean curd pocket sushi was also quite good. Surf clam nigiri was also quite good with good texture. Red snapper nigiri was almost certainly tilapia but was good and fresh as was white tuna which was almost certainly escolar. Salmon nigiri was also very fresh and good.

Spring rolls were unfortunately very oily, clearly cooked from frozen and rather stale. Chicken teriyaki was very good, with nice sauce, not excessive, and large tender pieces of slightly smoky chicken. Breaded shrimp was excellent with some sauce on it. Shrimp tempura was very light and flaky, and the dipping sauce was fantastic. Sukiyaki soup was excellent, rather like udon soup without the udon, very rich and flavorful broth. Spicy salmon sushi nigiri was very good with just the right amount of spice. Pan-fried mixed vegetables were delicious with excellent seasoning. Mushroom mussel soup had a delicious broth, chicken base with parsley, and although I'm not big on mussels it was quite tasty; the mussel was whole and in a half shell. Chawanmushi is a warm, dinner seafood-flavored custard which although authentically Japanese, should never have left the island. There is a reason it is found almost nowhere else… I give it credit for authenticity however.

For dessert, shot-glass mango mousse, which is a combination of mango syrup and whipped cream, was a welcome relief. Mango yogurt was almost as good. Mango pudding was just wonderful. Banana tempura was quite good with chocolate sauce pre-added and was fried just the right amount. Shot-glass tiramisu was good, and coconut pudding is topped with real shredded coconut and was delicious. Mango ice cream was out-of-this-world creamy and flavorful. Red bean ice cream had a bit of that hard-to-find wonderful flavor in it. Cookies-and-cream ice cream was delicious. Vanilla ice cream was good, as was green tea ice cream. Chocolate ice cream was probably Mishy's favorite dish of the entire meal, she went nuts over it and had several bowls… it was very creamy, dark and rich so I can understand why. Service was extremely fast and friendly and plates were picked up almost as soon as we put them down. Weekend lunch is $18.99. With the exception of the chawanmushi (which I can't fault as that is how it is) and the spring rolls we had a memorably excellent lunch at Kiku for a good price, and I would happily return.

Rating: 8.5-9/10