This week’s column is a collaborative effort between me and aspiring North Shore food writer, grade-fiver Nodin C. Ravensbergen, who, at 10 years old, already has an exceptional sense of where he wants to go.
I enjoyed reading his fresh take on Sushi Bella, home to a crew of culinary mad scientists that employ unconventional ingredients in their rogue approach to Japanese favourites.
I visited Bella with Nodin and his dad one recent evening and we undertook an ambitious menu sampling. Below you will find our impressions on the experience.
Though this article toggles back and forth between writers, noted by initials at the outset of our respective sections, the majority of this review belongs to Nodin. Well done, kiddo. I think you’re going places!
Nodin C. Ravensbergen (NCR): Last week I was delighted to have the opportunity to review Sushi Bella with Chris Dagenais, the restaurant reviewer for the North Shore News. I want to be a food reviewer when I’m older because I like food and have a very large appetite.
My father and I met Chris, who was tidy and neat, with black shoes (obviously shined very well) and was very suave. He was sensible and polite, and his skin colour looked like the inside of a peach.
Chris Dagenais (CD): I work hard on my peach-like radiance and am proud to report I achieve the effect without the use of tanning beds. Nodin was enthusiastic about the assignment and wasn’t intimidated by any of the fare offered to him, including hearty mounds of creamy, briny, super fresh sea urchin, admittedly chucked into the mix by me as a test of his foodie mettle.
NCR: On the outside of the building there was a mixture of stone and wood coating, which was cool. As I walked into the restaurant, I also noticed stone and wood tiles on the walls. There was also a lot of bamboo and lanterns all over the place. The restaurant, which seats around 40 people, gained a lot more customers by the time we left.
Chris used his manners and the service was very quick, polite, friendly, knowledgeable, and thoughtful. They knew I was a kid but they didn’t treat me any different.
Everything on the menu, which was very descriptive, sounded delicious and it was hard to decide what to order. To start things off, we ordered Puri-Puri Ebi, which is panko-breaded prawns with a special cocktail sauce. The batter was very light and soft, yet crunchy and very hot! The dish was yummy because of the good balance of ingredients.
CD: This was effectively a panko-ed riff on prawn tempura. With the crispier batter and decidedly western addition of cocktail sauce, the Ebi reminded me a lot more of izakaya-style fare, ideal to accompany a chilled beer or glass of soju.
NCR: Next was the Monkey’s Roll, which was made from crab mixed in a dressing, banana, cucumber and chocolate sauce. The roll was sweet, tasty, and chocolatey. We all agreed that it was a dessert roll, best not eaten as a main course, but we did anyway; sometimes it’s fun to break the rules.
CD: I give Bella credit for creativity on this one but still maintain that crab and banana need not know each other on such intimate terms. While less of an affront to the palate than I would have imagined, the roll featured two imposing towers of banana at either end that felt incongruous with the traditionally understated nature of sushi and simply dominated the flavour profile of the maki.
NCR: We then tried the Grouse MT Roll: shrimp and avocado mixed together on top of a California roll with creamy wasabi sauce. It tasted fresh, like the air up on Grouse Mountain, but the sauce was maybe applied a little too heavily.
Next up was the Lady Mango Roll, which featured avocado, red beets and yam tempura, topped with a special sauce with big chunks of mango. It was succulent.
We also had an Ugly Truth Roll, which had bacon, asparagus, crab mix, cheesy chopped scallop tataki, and bonito (smoked tuna flakes) on top. Extreme!
CD: For my taste, this latter was one of the more exciting dishes of the evening. The playful land-meets-sea marriage of smoky bacon and bonito, softened by the scallop tataki and mild crab mix, worked a treat.
NCR: Last up was the Aburi Nigiri Selection of five different fish-topped rice morsels with various sauces and exotic garnishes. I ate the salmon piece because, don’t get me wrong, I love spicy, but I don’t think I’m ready for tuna and jalapeno nigiri yet, which was one of the creations on the plate. Aburi is a method of searing the fish on nigiri with a torch just before serving.
I didn’t show it on the outside but my head was exploding with ideas about how it might taste.
Searing the fish helps bring out the flavours and oils inside. When I bit into the salmon nigiri, I found it to be crispy and crunchy, juicy, and eggy. Like the Mona Lisa, the trendy salmon nigiri was a pure work of artistic genius.
CD: Nodin is correct to identify this selection as trendy. Aburi-style sushi is red hot in the Vancouver market right now and Bella’s platter is an excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with this approach.
Our meal was $87 before gratuity. Sushi Bella. 152 Lonsdale Ave. 604-987-8633. sushibella.com
Nodin C. Ravensbergen is in Grade 5 at Queensbury elementary in North Vancouver. He and his mom contacted the North Shore News about a school project for which students were asked to explore a career option and interview someone in that field. Nodin chose food critic as a career, and asked to interview North Shore News restaurant reviewer Chris Dagenais. He then also accompanied him on a review.
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. North Shore News dining reviews are conducted anonymously and all meals are paid for by the newspaper.
