Sushi Date - Saskatoon

The atmosphere of this restaurant is quite peculiar. The booths are surrounded by unfinished wood adorned with random pencil graffiti—more reminiscent of a bathroom stall than art. There are curtains over the booths, but they don’t provide much privacy, as the space between them is just a frame that leaves your back exposed to the next table. This raises the question of why they bothered with the curtains at all, considering they only hinder your server's ability to see your needs (like empty glasses or plates). However, the sushi itself is quite good. I wasn’t fond of the sauces and mayos on some of the rolls we tried, but the simpler rolls were enjoyable. I particularly regret not ordering more spicy salmon rolls—they were delicious, so that will definitely be on the agenda for next time. The ingredients appeared to be of high quality, and the smaller rolls were well made. I was pleasantly surprised by the food quality, especially given my initial doubts about the restaurant's environment. On the downside, the service was lacking. The menu doesn’t provide descriptions for most items, which can be a challenge since there are many options. If you want to know everything before making a decision, you’ll likely end up interrogating your server for quite some time. As someone who isn’t a sushi expert, I would appreciate a bit more explanation, especially for rolls with unique names like ‘Kawaii Roll.’ For the record, I think that one might be a dessert roll with banana, but it could have also been the ‘Golden Roll.’ We didn’t receive any explanations about our orders, so we took a chance and picked rolls with ambiguous names, which surprisingly led us to try some new and tasty dishes. The banana roll turned out to be a delightful surprise; I didn’t expect to like ‘dessert’ sushi, but it’s worth a try if you’re at an AYCE place like Sushi Date. Be advised that there may be long waits for water refills—ours took about an hour—so you might need to track down a server yourself. As for the price, it was a bit on the high side. The AYCE dinner is $25 per person. While the sushi is quite good, the service detracts from the overall experience. I think I’d be more inclined to come back on a night when I’m hungrier, but honestly, my girlfriend and I usually fill up well before reaching $50 at a place like Sushiro. I would only see the value in this pricing if we were both serious eaters.

Being originally from the West Coast, I can confidently say that the sushi quality here meets expectations based on what I tried. **Salmon Sashimi: (4.5/5)** The salmon was incredibly fresh, thick, and had a wonderful texture that reminded me of why I love sashimi. The portions were decent as well—definitely a good cut of fish. I would absolutely order this again. **Tako (Octopus) Sashimi: (4.5/5)** The octopus was nice and chewy, with just the right amount of bounce. I appreciated that the thickness of the slices was consistent. I've noticed that many Japanese restaurants are now cutting their octopus too thin, possibly due to rising costs. The pieces were slightly smaller than the salmon (around three-quarters the size), but it was still what I expected. I would definitely order this again. **Ika (Squid) Teppanyaki: (4/5)** The sauce for the teppanyaki was fantastic—a perfect balance of sweet and salty, with just the right amount of umami. The portion of squid was generous, and there was a nice char from the grilling. However, the legs had a bit too much char, and the tips were slightly burnt, but it didn't detract from the dish too much. I enjoyed the addition of cooked lettuce at the bottom; it provided a nice contrast to the bold flavors and soaked up some of the sauce. I'd order this again. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. I expected worse based on some negative reviews, but this experience shows why it's worth taking a chance on new places!

The service exceeded my expectations, and the food was quite good. Considering I’m from Vancouver, I can say this is one of the better sushi places in Saskatoon. The decor and lighting were pleasant as well. I will definitely be returning.

Great atmosphere. Amazing sushi. Fresh and tasty. The food was slightly overpriced but nevrtheless, I will definitely go there again. The new owner has completely transformed the restaurant.

Went for AYCE. Was happy with everything I ordered. The sushi, fried rice, soup and skewers were all great. Would have rated higher, but service was a little slow on a water, tea refills, and checking on us. (The sushi and food did come out quickly though). Also, I'm not sure if they are in the middle of redecorating, but the decor needs some work, looks a little underdone. But over all, the food was the best part of the restaurant.