By Taylor Breckles (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: March 26, 2014
27520 Fraser Hwy, Aldergrove
Hours: 11:30-9:20 Monday to Thursday, Saturday; 11:30-10:00 Friday; and 12:00-9:30 Sunday
Prices: Between $8.50 and $16 for rolls, and up to $20 for combos (excluding party trays and boats)
Benkey Sushi may seem like yet another sushi restaurant, but at least it’s a good one. Located in Aldergrove, the little restaurant is almost hidden inside a strip mall, but it’s worth searching for.
Over the weekend, a friend and I went to eat at Benkey. As we entered the establishment, we were immediately seated at one of their tables, which are separated by paper screens. In addition to adding a feeling of privacy, the screens added a pleasant atmosphere to the restaurant. There were chopsticks already at the table, and upon inspection of them, I noticed that they were good quality. Black and thick, the chopsticks were heavy, but not overly so. While using them, I got the feeling of being in a high-end restaurant instead of a casual one. I even brought mine home, as it seemed like a waste of good materials to simply throw them away.
The only downside to this establishment would be the attentiveness of our waitress. Trust me when I say that a lot of food was ordered, and our waters were quickly depleted; however, our waitress didn’t come around our table to refill them. Because of this, there were some awkward moments as we tried to capture her gaze in order to ask for more water. Eventually we got a refill, but it was just awkward.
A different waitress — not the one that was originally tending us — came around the table to ensure we had received all of our food, which was much appreciated. Because of her, I think perhaps our waitress was new.
As for the food, we ordered deep-fried California rolls, a Rocky Mountain roll, beef teriyaki (accompanied by miso soup and rice), appetizer tempura, and gyoza. All the food arrived around the same time, except for the gyoza which was delayed, but not by much.
The rolls were large, but not so large that they couldn’t fit inside a mouth. The gyoza was soft and filled completely with a little extra dough. The beef teriyaki had a good smattering of sauce and was on a full bed of vegetables — I believe there were bean sprouts, cabbage, and one piece of broccoli; though quite honestly, I ate with reckless abandon because it tasted so good. The tempura was flakey and light, though the sweet potato could have been cooked longer in my opinion. The miso was nicely flavoured, and the rice was cooked nicely as well. Overall, the meal tasted very good.
The prices were good as well. All of that food cost us about $40, which isn’t bad considering the amount of food we received.
There weren’t any after-dinner candies or anything of the sort, which is atypical compared to other restaurants, but that’s only a minor observation. All in all, I would recommend Benkey Sushi if you ever find yourself hungry in Aldergrove.
