Restaurant review: Black Dragon Sushi

 
Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post
 
What is nicer than treating a friend to a nice meal? With family and friends in tow, I recently visited Black Dragon Sushi on Kingsway in Burnaby to try their special brand of sushi.
We started with an order of Kappa Maki and California Roll. These were neatly constructed with a lot of ripe avocado. Although the rice was decently chewy with a proper amount of moisture, it was bland. 
The Oyako Don arrived as a huge portion in a large bowl. There was a lot of chicken, but it was difficult getting to the rice underneath. I found the rice was too dry and the sauce did not penetrate beyond the vermicelli beneath the chicken. However, the rice was still reasonably good, with minimal ingredients, unlike other non-authentic versions of the dish.
Next, we all tried the Prawn & Yam Tempura and Prawn Tempura. The fact that my son could finish one order by himself prompted us to order two dishes, which we enjoyed. There was a bit too much batter, but overall, the tempura was crunchy and not overly greasy. However, as it sat, some pieces became dense inside. 
For $20.95, the Deluxe Assorted Sashimi was fairly good value. Our group was satisfied with the large platter consisting of tai, sockeye salmon, ebi, tako, Atlantic salmon, tuna, toro, hokkigai and salmon belly. Some items were quite good, especially the salmon belly and toro.
Considering the restaurant’s name, we decided to try the special Black Dragon Roll. We enjoyed the roll consisting of ebi tempura and cucumber with unagi and tobiko on the outside. The tempura was still crunchy while the unagi was soft and nicely sauced, but at $12.95, we were not sure why the roll was so expensive. One of the highlights of the meal was the Asahi Roll which included fried oyster with spicy tuna on the outside for $7.95. We could really taste the crispy oyster and the spicy tuna was spicy with a lingering kick.
For the kids, we ordered the Nabeyaki Udon, which included excessive shredded Napa cabbage underneath the noodles. Beyond the cabbage, there was tender chicken, ebi tempura, and raw egg. The soup featured broth that tasted like chicken rather than dashi. Last, we tried the Ebi Gyoza, with large meaty ebi, and tender, moist pork inside. With a nice sear, the dumpling skin was crisp and light. 
In the end, we felt that Black Dragon Sushi was pretty good, especially for a Chinese-run Japanese restaurant with decent food at reasonable prices.
 
Black Dragon Sushi
 109 – 5021 Kingsway   |  604-558-4668
 
THE GOOD:
• Decent eats
• Good portions
• Reasonable-pricing
 
The Bad:
• Pretty decent service (except for one person who seemed a bit grumpy)
• Of course it may not satisfy those who are authentic-seeking food snobs
 
Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.
 
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