gracecheung604 | write on time: Japanese Eats in Arbutus Ridge - Zest

Saturday, July 05, 2014

Japanese Eats in Arbutus Ridge - Zest

Now I realize I'm a little late to the Zest fanclub, but I have to consider myself a card-carrying member now! We checked this neighbourhood favourite last month, during spon prawn season. 
20140523_200611 This picture needs no introduction as these Spot Prawns are well known to all of Vancouver during the month of May. Super sweet and with a firm texture,  these prawns are a favourite of mine. Just a bit of wasabi to bring out the sweetness is all you need. 
Prawn Heads Another treat of the spot prawn is the Deep Fried Spot Prawn Heads. They are crispy little nuggets of golden prawn heads. They are crunchy and pretty tasty. You can eat almost the entire thing, almost like old school prawn chips. 
Sashimi salad We also tried the Sashimi Salad, which is a load of greens and seaweed, accompanied by salmon, tuna, surf clam in a light ginger soy dressing. This was a great blend of textures and flavours, with the salmon being the standout for me. 
Sable FishWe also decided to get a "hot" dish, and settled on Wild Sable Fish. The fish is perfectly cooked and flakey, while the seared skin has a hint of smokiness and a touch of crisp. The kale and beets are all there to highlight the sweetness of the fish. It was my second favourite of the night and I highly recommend this. 
Roll Perhaps the most disappointing dish of the night was the Zest Roll. The contents are albacore, sockeye, salmon skin (a la BC roll), along with some cucumber & one of my favourites, tobiko! What ruined the roll for me was the soft (almost chewy) seaweed, and the lack of flavour overall. The salmon skin was soft too, and just added to the general sogginess of the whole thing. The fish was fresh enough, just the execution of the roll was a bit lacking.
They are also affiliated with Shu Raku in downtown Vancouver, which I have yet to try as well!

Take Note: 


  • It's situated in a strip mall along with a Starbucks but the prices defy this humble settling. 
  • Courses are served one at a time, so you can enjoy each dish as it comes. 
  • Get a seat at the sushi bar and chat with the chefs!

Zest on Urbanspoon

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