Special sashimi don ($35++ each)!
Sunday Japanese lunch — special sashimi don $35++ each. Premium assorted sashimi over seasoned sushi rice.
Sunday Japanese lunch with BB — special sashimi don at $35++ each. The premium assorted sashimi over seasoned sushi rice format.
We ordered:
- Special sashimi don — $35++ each (two bowls)
The special sashimi don is the upgraded version of the standard sashimi don / kaisen don format. Where the standard bowl has a few different sashimi types, the special version usually adds premium cuts (toro tuna, uni, ikura) and more variety.
The bowl came with the standard sashimi don architecture — seasoned sushi rice base topped with assorted sashimi pieces, with the toppings arranged in a colourful fan pattern across the surface of the rice. Shredded nori sprinkled around, pickled ginger on the side, wasabi tucked at the corner.
Sashimi components varied. The special version typically had:
- Salmon (multiple thick slices)
- Tuna (maguro and possibly chu-toro)
- Hamachi (yellowtail)
- Tai (sea bream)
- Ebi (sweet shrimp)
- Tamago (sweet egg)
- Uni (sea urchin) — usually a small mound
- Ikura (salmon roe) glistening on top
All laid over a generous portion of seasoned short-grain sushi rice. The rice was the proper short-grain version — slightly vinegared, sticky-but-distinct grains, room temperature.
The fish quality at $35++ each is real. Properly chilled cuts, clean fishy flavour (not the off-notes that lower-tier sashimi can have), thick enough slices to provide proper bite.
The eating ritual is the alternation. Spoonful that combines rice, a piece of fish, a swipe of wasabi, a dip in soy. Each spoonful brings different combinations of the toppings — the variety is the entire point of the bowl format.
A small ramekin of shoyu, a wedge of wasabi, and a pile of pickled ginger came on the side.
At $35++ for the special sashimi don, this is fair Japanese restaurant pricing. The ++ adds about 18% (service and GST), bringing the final to roughly $41. Most Japanese restaurants charge $40-50 for the same premium-tier kaisen / chirashi don format.
The Sunday Japanese sashimi don is the format we keep coming back to when we want raw fish without committing to a full omakase or a sushi platter. The don format puts the cost in a manageable single-bowl format.
Overall: 4.3 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid special sashimi don — would repeat.
