I don’t know what to say. This summer had just gone past so fast. This morning I was reminded that summer is coming to an end and this weekend is as good as it gets for the rest of it. So, for a change we decided to just go out to the park for lunch.
The boys had been hankering me to get the Matsuyama Party Platter which we did not manage to do all these while because they wanted an hour advance notice to prepare them. We called the moment they are opened (at 11AM) and placed our order. Guess what, they told me over the phone that they only needed 15-20 minutes. I guess it’s because it’s early enough that they did not need the 1 hour advance notice.
We had blogged about Matsuyama before here. This place had turned out to be our favourite sushi place in Richmond. By the time we got there as the appointed time to pick it up, it was all ready.
BTW, a question … you don’t leave a tip do you when you go pick up your food from the restaurant on your own, do you? And another question … if they deliver to your house, how much do you tip the deliverer? A percentage of the tab or a fixed amount.
They came packed nicely in a round plastic platter. For a moment, I thought they might even give it to us in a few separate Styrofoam containers like some sushi places do. I like this better because it looks nicer. The soya sauce was included in separate containers rather than sachets.
We brought it to the South Arm Park. On a nice day like this, this place is always packed with picnickers. We love this park more than anyone else in Richmond because it is well maintained, large and most important it is very shaded.
The boys were quite impatient to dig in but they know the protocol in the family … pictures first before they can touch the food. Sigh … such is the life of a food blogger. 🙂
This is a 54 piece platter. Although it works out to a lot of pieces shared between just the four of us, I know the boys will finish it all off. They will eat anything except for (1) anything that has cucumber in it, and (2) it is not contaminated by the wasabi. Anything that is 1/2 inch from the wasabi is pretty much left to Suanne and I to eat.
Suanne and I were not fans of wasabi ourselves. We always leave it untouched. However, we like the ginger, especially Suanne.
This above must be what they call the House Roll. It is quite big and filled with stuff like salmon, tuna, avacado, imitation crab meat, eggs, cucumber and salmon roe. Or at least I think that’s what it contains.
The California Roll is the favourite of the boys. It almost always contains only imitation crab meat, avocado and sometimes cucumber. This is not Japanese having been invented in Los Angeles where avocado is first used as an ingredient.
On the home front, we have the BC Roll. I don’t know the history behind the BC Roll but I reckon it must have been invented here in Vancouver. The unique ingredient here is the grilled salmon skin which gives it an oily taste. Could it have been invented by Vancouver’s Tojo?
The surf clam is quite unique in that we don’t see a lot of this in average sushi outlet.
That looks delicious! I’m not a big fan of Surf Clam, the House roll looks amazing.
I’d eat the whole platter myself.
Now I’m jones’in for sushi. Thanks a lot.
As for tipping. If you are picking up take out, there should be no tipping required, unless the chef/owner has gone out of his/her way to get the food for you.
If it was delivered, then a tip is required. Here in the U.S. I tip about 3 bucks for a delivery (to cover the deliver person’s gas) for an order.
I have heard from friends that Tojo’s invented the BC Roll and California, though I’m sure the California Roll is a myth. But your sushi looks delicious. The restaurant gave you a lot of meat in your sushi (inners lol), then rice. Good value for the money :).
No tips for picking up by yourself. 3 bucks for delivery is minimum in the States.
Tojo didn’t invent California roll. That man is a PR monger. California Roll was invented while Tojo was still a kid.
History:
In the 1960s, Los Angeles became the entry point for sushi chefs from Japan seeking to make their fortune in the United States. The Tokyo Kaikan restaurant then featured one of the first sushi bars in Los Angeles. Ichiro Mashita, a sushi chef at the Kaikan, began substituting avocado for tuna (toro) and after further experimentation, the California roll was born.[2](The date is often given as early 1970s in other sources.)[3][4][5]Mashita realized the oily texture of avocado was a perfect substitute for toro.[3] Traditionally sushi rolls are wrapped with nori on the outside. But Mashita also eventually made the roll “inside-out”, i.e. uramaki, because Americans did not like seeing and chewing the nori on the outside of the roll. [3]
After becoming the most popular in southern California it eventually became popular all across the United States by the 1980s. The roll contributed to sushi’s growing popularity in the United States by easing diners into more exotic sushi options.[6] Sushi chefs have since devised many kinds of rolls, beyond simple variation of the California roll. Many sushi restaurants in North America now feature a menu of such rolls.
It’s disrespectful for Tojo to FALSELY claim that he invented California roll. Stealing some chef’s credit is like copy right infringement or plagiarism. It’s very unjapanese, he has no honor. Japanese care about honor! That really shows his character. He would get bad rap in Japan for being a jerk.
According to this blog, Tojo lists the California Roll as one of his “accomplishments”. Whether he is stretching it a little bit to thin (check here) or that’s indeed the truth, I don’t know nor I care. It is an argument similar to the birthplace of hamburger. But let’s face this: the more attention, arguments or discussions are generated, more free publicity to him. No publicity is bad publicity? Regardless, even if I have the money for his omakase, I don’t think I will visit his establishment. It does not have to do with his skills or not; rather it is the extra fanfare.
Anyway, now going back to Ben’s post…
I don’t tip if it is pick-up, although, if they go beyond (for example, while I am waiting, tea is served), I might tip in that case. Delivery… Well, it has been a long time since I have ordered delivery (most places I would order are close enough for me to walk) and my previous experiences have not been that good: it would have been faster for me to walk/drive than wait for delivery. Anyway, I did tip on those cases and the amount depends on the total of my order plus distance plus time it took. At a minimum, $3 as well for me.
As for the food, it looks good. Parking will deter me from visiting this place and, if I go with friends, I will have to convince them against going to Tomokazu/Ninkazu or Richmond Sushi. But, regardless, whenever I go to a “Japanese” place, I seldom order California Rolls. If it is a la carte, I usually order nigiri sushi; if it is an all-you-can-eat, I think there are better options (I would rather order cones, in this case). But, since it is a combination set, I would have them in that case!
I never tip when getting take out but I hate that awkward situation when you have to select no tip on the debit machine or worse when they have the old debit machine and you have to advise the cashier of how much tip you would like to leave. Ummm zero.
nice post
http://www.Vancouverslop.com – updated daily.
In the States, the standard is no tip if the restaurant is steam-table or primarily take-out. 10% for take-out from a sit-down restaurant, since the servers still need to take your order and pack it up nicely, which they need to do while also waiting on tables. Tip for delivery is the standard 10-20%, as most delivery staff rely on tips for their sole compensation.