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Any one tried the sushi sold at Loblaws?

AshleyW

By AshleyW
in Ontario: Dining

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AshleyW

AshleyW

Posted
Posted

Every time I do grocery at Loblaws, I have to pass through the sushi kiosk at the entrance. They have a sign "Made Fresh Daily" and I intrepret that the sushi there is made every day on site.

I wonder if you have tried them. If so, what is your rating?

CharlotteM

CharlotteM

Posted
Posted

They're OK if you're looking for a quick bite or a snack...now, mind you, I've only tried the california rolls from the kiosks. They're usually made on-site in the mornings.

I'd give them a 6 out of 10.

Jinmyo

Jinmyo

Posted
Posted

Some stores seem to make them, others are brought in.

Depending upon one's standards they would be either entirely unacceptable [raises hand] or kind of not too bad but not good either.

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Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

Pookie

Pookie

Posted
Posted

Most of them are made in a little shop on Queen East, just by the bridge over the Bayview extension( or at least they used to be. I would see them rolling away when I went by in the am.) Some of the bigger Loblaws make their own but not all.

It's not bad but no great shakes. Like Charlotte said, ok for a snack but you are much better off going to a good restaurant if you want the good stuff.

Blather about stuff and crud and food.
Team_Eater

Team_Eater

Posted
Posted (edited)

Store-bought sushi is rarely (if ever) tasty. I would rather go to one of the cheap sushi restos around Bloor/Spadina and get take-out.

Edited by Team_Eater (log)
jayt90

jayt90

Posted
Posted
Most of them are made in a little shop on Queen East, just by the bridge over the Bayview extension( or at least they used to be. I would see them rolling away when I went by in the am.) Some of the bigger Loblaws make their own but not all.

It's not bad but no great shakes. Like Charlotte said, ok for a snack but you are much better off going to a good restaurant if you want the good stuff.

My big box club store used to make them on site. They were OK but used imitation crab and farmed salmon. Loblaws and sobeys would use similar cost cutters.

But now the Box brings the sushi in from Quebec,at least a day old. And their dim sum or pot stickers come in frozen from Ottawa, though sold in a special kiosk.

Caveat emptor! :sad::sad:

Dukeofyork

Dukeofyork

Posted
Posted

I never found them offensive, and indeed they often served a purpose when I was in a rush and couldn't think of anything else I wanted for lunch. But I had real trouble justifying it on an economic basis. The cheap sushi places in Toronto will give you a sit down bento meal for the same price as buying 8 pieces of mediocre supermarket stuff. So really, what's the point?

renart

renart

Posted
Posted

It is mediocre. I don't hate it, but it isn't great either.

If there is someone making the sushi, buying the stuff that is newly made is OK. The stuff that has been sitting in the display cases for a while (the rice gets very hard), I find difficult to purchase even if I'm starving and have a craving for sushi.

Overall? 6/10. Not bad for a snack that isn't too bad for you. I wouldn't go out of my way to get it though...

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gps-shag

gps-shag

Posted
Posted

It's usually not worth the price.

I'd rather get takeout from one of the sushi places on Queen or on Bloor.

Overall for me? I'd give it 5/10. If I'm starving, it's acceptable - only because I know it's fairly healthy, not because it tastes any good.

lexy

lexy

Posted
Posted

Hmmm, well good to know. I've also often walked past the counter and considered it, thinking "I bet that's not good sushi … but maybe I should try it anyway."

It probably depends where you are though. If I were in downtown Toronto I wouldn't buy it; if I were in Timmins or Thunder Bay it would probably look pretty good (apologies to anyone from Timmins or Thunder Bay - I assume that stellar sushi is not on offer there)

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shrek

shrek

Posted
Posted

I tried some from a Loblaws in Ottawa one day when I was starving and in a hurry, and it's edible, but not very tasty.

Dawn aka shrek

Let the eating begin!

Librarian_chef

Librarian_chef

Posted
Posted

The Sushi is tolerable if you get it in the morning, but by midday it is pretty hurting. The Canadian Superstores and some Loblaws make it on site. The Inari-sushi tends to fare the best. Avoid the brown rice rolls as they are a gummy mess.

Mark

qtxniki

qtxniki

Posted
Posted

I'd avoid them in general. They arent very cheap and arent very fresh or good.

They are to real sushi, as boxed grocery store donuts are to Tim Hortons

Worldly

Worldly

Posted
Posted

You're certainly not going to get much in the way of selection, and I think this inherently comprimising to the sushi experience. After all, they need to sell to the sushi masses, and not to be disparaging, but probably to a group less knowledgable about sushi than folks in here.

Secondly, you can't help but not have the freshest ingredients. I'm sure they're careful, and it's safe, but that doesn't mean it will be at its peak. The rice itself does not keep so well in my opinion.

Last, temperature. I'm not sure how others feel, but because I make and eat my sushi a la minute (and then make more - piggy needs more ...), I get nice warm rice and cool but not cold sashimi. If suhsi's like most other foods, the flavours are just nicer when not chilled too much. They have to keep it refrigerated for freshness, but I don't think this helps the final product.

Hey, I'm a rookie - I love sushi, did the class at GBC, but I'm no gourmand. Just my two cents.

presto

presto

Posted
Posted

from the hinterlands of Thunder Bay...we actually do have some pretty good sushi here! If anyone's in town (yes, people sometimes come here, it's not all one-way migration to Toronto!) make sure to check out the "Sushi Bowl" - it's a combo sushi-Vietnamese-Korean place with a nice variety of rolls and sashimi, as well as some interesting V&K dishes.

No, it's not Chinatown in TO, but it's a damn sight better than the stuff at the supermarket!

(getting off regional soapbox now)

Worldly

Worldly

Posted
Posted

Actually Presto, I lived in TBay (each of Port Arthur and Ft. William) for a while, and I think there's a lot to be said for it. Though I have to admit, if I were back for one night I'd probably eat at the Hoito rather than sushi. But hey to each their own :)

AshleyW

AshleyW

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I finally tried the sushi at Loblaws. I went to Hull/Gatineau for shopping last week and also did my grocery at the Loblaws store there. I bought a box of Futomaki for myself to try out. I asked the lady at the kiosk to make a fresh one for me. She asked me to come back in 5 minutes. I ate the sushi in the small eating area immediately and found the sushi pretty fresh and tasty. I will give a rating of 7.8 out of 10 for the one I tried out. It is convenient for a quick lunch.

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