New and Notable: Tatsu Sushi

OK, set the timer on your smartphone to two hours. Hit the start button. That’s how much time you have until the clock runs out. You need to get your money’s worth at an all-you-can-eat. And, at just a hair over $80 for two people — excluding drinks — this is serious business.

Tatsu Sushi opened its doors six weeks ago. Each table has a grill set in the middle. It’s up to one person at the table to be in charge of ordering. That person will open up the ordering app on a smartphone, and voila! food starts appearing at the table. You have two hours of all-you-can-eat, and it’s all about what you can pack away — no food waste allowed. It’s you vs. the sushi chef. He has a knife. You have your stomach. To the victor go the spoils.

So, Jesse Cole (you will find his byline many times on this website) and I sit down and get to business. We start off with some simple tuna and salmon sashimi, and order some marinated beef strips and spicy pork to drop onto the grill. Pro tip: We quickly realize the centre of the grill is where things will actually cook. The area on the outside is really just only going to keep things warm.

It’s fun to pick things right off the grill and pop them in your mouth, without burning your lips or tongue in the process. The beef is smoky, and there’s a hint of a kick and more than a bit of sweetness to the pork’s saucy coating. With just enough char, it’s great.

Then come the rolls, and this is where the business turns to fun. Our highlights? The Fire Cracker Roll features tempura salmon and spicy tuna, with a lot of crunch. The Mango Melody Roll is a fruity overload. The salmon, crab and shrimp aren’t just accompanied by a topping of mango; it’s also got mango sauce. It’s lip-smackingly sweet.

But our favourite is the Maui Wowie roll. It’s covered in green crispy batter fluff that looks like… come on… you get the Maui Wowie reference, right? It’s wasabi, but together, it makes the smoked salmon and unagi sauce a smoking great choice.