Kamei Royale

It's been a sushi sort of week for Hubbs & I.  On the weekend we headed back to Kamei Royale for dinner.  We had been here several times before, but I guess I never thought to review it until today.

Anyway, the place is boothy, and there are several tatami rooms.  The restaurant is quite large, so I've never seen it packed, though some nights it has appeared to be quite busy.  The restaurant is more fancy, given its off-Robson location; it is the sort of place that someone might take their date.  It's also very Japanese, right down to their servers.  The menu is extensive, and yet every time Hubbs & I have ever come, we've had the rolls (depsite being huge fans of sushi).  This visit was no exception.  We ordered their Cherry Blossom, Delicious, Samurai, and Lobster rolls, and two pieces of nigiri toro.

The rolls came out in due time, and were generally quite tasty.  I really liked the Cherry Blossom roll because it wasn't obscured by sauce and was loaded with raw fish, and the seaweed salad in the middle was flavourful and yummy.  The Delicious roll had mango in it, but I couldn't taste any of the mango at all, which was a bit disappointing.  Hubbs loved the lobster roll, and I found it good but heavier due to the deep-fried tempura batter around the lobster.  The Samurai was tasty but the sauce that was drizzled on it had a bit of a kick to it, so my mouth would light on fire temporarily after each bite.  The toro nigiri was super good, and I probably would have been happy to eat that all night.

Overall, Kamei Royale serves some very tasty food.  We've been there before, and we'll be there again.  Kamei Royale isn't inexpensive, however; it will set you back quite a bit more money than some other Japanese places ($13/roll).  You pay for the atmosphere as much as you do for the quality of the food, so be warned in advance.  I do think Kamei Royale is a great choice for sushi novices, though, since their large menu offers both cooked and raw items and can accommodate both adventurous eaters and the faint of heart.

Service: 4 out of 5

Food: 4 out of 5