Don't Be Coy for Matoi

Review Snippet
Overall: Great, we will be back again
Food:Japanese
Price: $5-$15
Service: Attentive


Matoi Sushi
#490-3025 Lougheed Hwy
Coquitlam, BC V3B
(604) 464-2778

From the top left; clockwise: Salmon Sashimi, Alaska Roll, Bento Box B(beef), Ramen

In search of japanese fare in the tri-cities, we went on one of our best Sunday lunch adventures yet. 


Everyone, say kon'nichiwa to Matoi. He is small and inconspicuous, shrouded by his contemporaries in the pinetree village area, like Cora's, Whitespot. But don't be fooled by his subtle exterior, this japanese joint is a force to be reckoned with- possibly the best in the tri-cities!


The salmon sashimi tasted better than the other japanese restaurants in coquitlam. It was fresh but, a tad bit warm for our liking. The alaska roll was lovely! You can't go wrong with avocado, crabmeat and salmon. It was really reasonably priced.


Sara ordered Bento Box B. It came with terriyaki beef, nigiri sushi, tempura prawn & vegetables, deep fried wonton with salmon filling (daily special) and a side of salad. Being dumpling experts, we are not easily pleased. The fried wonton was commendable for its creativity but could have done better on taste. The beef terriyaki however, was tender and tasty and the tempura- lightly fried and oh so crsipy! Sara loved that one of the nigiri sushis was tamago which is her absolute favourite even though everyone says its a waste of money. 


The ramen was not as good as sanpachi, given the wide range it has, i guess it was understandable.The soup base was rather plain and simple, light soy sauce base. The egg was alike any other ordinary hard boiled egg, not the japanese tamago. The noodles were surprisingly good, very springy.


We also ordered the chawanmushi, but it was pretty watery and different from the kind we have in singapore, where it's more firm. The upside to this is that it definitely had more ingredients such as carrots, spinach and fishcake. However, the chawanmushi at sushi turn was better, the egg slightly more firm, filled with scallops, prawns and spinach.


Overall, we definitely will go back there again to try different dishes! Especially, to sample the variations of sashimi.-Isabel