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Sushi California Vancouver Review: Assorted Sashimi & Tempura

🍣 Spot Review: Sushi California (388 W Broadway, Vancouver)

What We Tried: Assorted Tempura ($14.99), Assorted Sashimi ($32.25), Chicken Karaage Don ($17.99)
The Highs: Generous sashimi selection beautifully arranged on a wooden boat presentation.
The Verdict: A bit disappointing with bland tempura batter and soggy karaage. We'll be sticking with Mr. Sushi!

Before doing our usual grocery run at No Frills on a Thursday evening, hubby and I decided to stop by Sushi California on West Broadway for a quick dinner. It's a convenient spot for a pre-shopping bite, but unfortunately, this visit was a bit of a mixed bag!

We kicked off the meal with the Assorted Tempura ($14.99), an 8-piece plate featuring prawns, pumpkin, sweet potato, and surprisingly, carrot! It was actually my very first time seeing carrot tempura served at a sushi spot. While the variety was fun, the execution fell flat. The batter lacked seasoning, and the dipping sauce felt unusually watered down, which really took away from the crunch.


An 8-piece plate of assorted tempura including fried prawns, sweet potato, pumpkin, and carrot served with dipping sauce
The Assorted Tempura plate, complete with carrot tempura.

For my main, I ordered the Assorted Sashimi ($32.25), which arrived beautifully arranged in a wooden boat platter! It offered a great spread across several types of seafood:

  • Tuna & Salmon: Classic, rich, and fresh cuts of raw fish.
  • Tai (Sea Bream / Red Snapper): A mild, sweet, and delicate white fish.
  • Tako (Octopus): Gently poached octopus slices with a lovely, firm chew.
  • Hokki (Surf Clam): Recognizable by its bright red tip, offering a sweet flavour and snappy texture.
  • Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp): Raw, tender shrimp prized for its delicate, natural sweetness.

While having all these options was fantastic, you all know how much I absolute adore salmon and looking back, I definitely should have just ordered an all-salmon platter!


An assorted sashimi platter served inside a wooden boat structure featuring tuna, salmon, tai, tako, hokki, and amaebi
The Assorted Sashimi served in a charming wooden boat platter.

Hubby opted for the Chicken Karaage Don ($17.99), which came served steaming hot in a clay pot. Pro-tip if you order clay pot rice: make sure to stir it right away so the rice doesn't burn or stick to the bottom! Unfortunately, the fried chicken pieces were completely drenched in heavy sauce, leaving the coating quite soggy instead of crunchy.


A hot clay pot filled with rice and saucy chicken karaage topped with sliced white onions and nori strips
The Chicken Karaage Don served in a hot clay pot.

All in all, between the bland tempura batter and soggy chicken, we'll definitely stick with Mr. Sushi for our regular neighbourhood Japanese food cravings!

What about you—do you prefer an all-salmon sashimi order or do you like mixing it up with assorted options? Let me know in the comments!

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