Aburi King: Aburi Sushi

When you name your restaurant Aburi King, you kind of set high expectations for aburi sushi. Located next to Penang Delight Cafe, Aburi King recently opened in January – taking over the location from Maruyama.

Never missing a chance to try a new aburi sushi restaurant, I arrived for an early dinner and was surprised at how busy it was at 5pm. They brought out a complimentary Fish & Chips Cone (normally $1.50) made with sole fish tempura, avocado, cucumber, masago, and topped with crunchy potato flakes. It was an interesting roll with my initial bites comprised mainly of the small, crispy potato flakes (which I suppose was representing the “chips” part of the roll). I think it could have been better if the crispy bits were spread out throughout the roll however.

I wound up ordering the Bluefin Tuna Aburi Oshi Sushi ($10) and a selection of their Aburi Nigiri Sushi (you pay an extra $0.50 to turn their regular nigiri into aburi nigiri).

From left to right: Toro ($3 + $0.50), Tuna ($2 + $0.50), Salmon ($2 + $0.50), Hamachi ($3 + $0.50), and Ebi ($2 + $0.50). The toro was the best of the bunch followed by the salmon. It very much reminded me of the aburi nigiri that I had at Ikoi in New West.

I preferred the aburi oshi sushi as it had a nice mix of crispy and creamy textures. The bluefin tuna was a good option and was buttery soft but I wish that the creamy avocado in the centre carried all the way through to the end pieces.

The interior of this restaurant is a bit dark in the back of the restaurant (there’s better natural lighting in the front from the large window) and the black painted cinder block walls adds a bit to the coziness. The menu’s a bit limited but I’d be interested to try out some of their non-aburi items to see how they fare.

3883 Rupert Street
Vancouver, BC