Restaurant review: Dundarave Sushi

By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

Finding fairly affordable eats in Vancouver is not necessarily a tough thing to do, especially with the large selection of Asian restaurants.
However, finding cheap eats in West Vancouver is akin to finding cheap parking in Downtown Vancouver. But, if one looks hard enough, you might find something that doesn't empty your wallet. 
We figured that Dundarave Sushi could be that "inexpensive meal" we were looking for while out in West Van one night.
We started with a simple Wakame Salad. There is nothing much to say about it other than it was crunchy and nicely acidic.
Next up: the House Roll and Smoked Salmon Box Sushi.
Relatively tightly constructed, the house roll was okay, with fresh avocado and equally fresh salmon. We found the rice quite mild and a touch sticky, yet fine nonetheless.
As for the pressed sushi, it wasn't too dense while the amount of smoked salmon on top could've been more substantial.
Next, we had the Assorted Sashimi, consisting of baby scallops, tai, salmon, tako, tuna and hokkigai. 
I liked how the pieces were not too thick while not too thin either. Nothing was amiss and even the octopus tentacles were texturally on point.
Then we had the Tempura Udon.
For me, the soup was a complete fail, as it tasted predominantly of soy sauce. No dashi here. The noodles were okay though.
As for the tempura, it was greasy to the point where some pieces still dripped with oil. Hence, the yam and sweet potato were slimy.
On the positive side, the batter was not too heavy.
Adding more carbs, we got the Chicken Katsu Don as well.
The large piece of katsu was okay, with moist and well-seasoned meat.
However, the exterior was drenched in an overabundance of sauce, which made everything too sweet. Even when combined with the chewy rice, it was still too powerful.
Lastly, we had the Chicken Karaage, which was not very good.
It was either fried too long or re-fried, as the texture was more like jerky than chicken meat.
It was well seasoned though, with a slight pepperiness.
Overall, we found the food a bit hit and miss at Dundarave Sushi.
It's definitely not the most authentic experience, but okay if you want a bite to eat that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.

2459 Marine Dr, West Vancouver
Tel: 604 922 5588

The Good:
• Inexpensive
• Decent portions
• Despite what others have said, we got good service

The Bad:
• Hit and miss food
• Not a whole lot of seating

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