It’s finally looking like winter here in Canada. What does winter really mean? The weather’s crap, you feel like crap, you look like crap, you need to eat something that’s not crap.
GIF courtesy of tumblr.com
May we suggest to you Kame Sushi & Izakaya: a cozy, little Japanese and Korean restaurant just a short walk from Queen’s campus. The warm and woody atmosphere offers refuge from your sad reality, and we might as well inform you right now that they sell mochi ice cream (so you know this place basically isn’t real).
Photo by Kennedy Taylor Choi
To keep things interesting, we ordered a variety of dishes off the menu instead of platters and platters of sushi. We ordered the chicken teriyaki lunch and the roll combo D, consisting of dynamite and spicy salmon rolls. I also chose the chicken yaki udon.
For starters, we opted for something a little less familiar: avocado tempura with edamame. Finally rounded off our meal with mochi ice cream, because it’s never too cold outside for ice cream. PSA: everything was good.
GIF Courtesy of tumblr.com
Maybe we were really hungry or maybe the food really was that good, but the star of the show was undoubtedly the first thing in our mouths: the avocado tempura.
I’m not a huge avocado fan unless it’s been smashed and seasoned into a guac like this one, so I was a bit skeptical. But, if there’s anything that life’s taught me, it’s that everything tastes better fried.
The tempura are crispy on the outside and smooth on the inside, kinda creamy and weirdly filling. I’m no connoisseur, but trust me when I say they’re good.
I’m boring, so I liked the edamame (aka soybeans) too.
Photo by Kennedy Taylor Choi
Next were the main dishes. First came the teriyaki lunch, a standard dish that you can’t go wrong with. I asked for a detailed description from the server and got “It’s pretty good,” so there you go.
Photo by Kennedy Taylor Choi
The next to arrive was my chicken yaki udon, which was a pleasant surprise. Considering many westernized Japanese restaurants really emphasize the sushi and sort of forget that they offer other dishes, I’ve grown weary of experimenting with different meals.
Thankfully, this dish of steamy, flavourful noodles was just the thing to thaw my hardened heart. 10/10 would eat again.
Photo by Kennedy Taylor Choi
The rolls came and went in the blink of an eye because my friend’s a human vacuum. We’re just going to assume the rolls were delicious. If you’re bored of the standard rolls, try making your own sushi burrito at home, or if you’re the artsy type, deconstructed sushi in a mason jar.
Photo by Kennedy Taylor Choi
One of us spied a picture of mochi ice cream on the wall which turned out to be an actual thing you could order, so of course we ordered it. Mochi’s adorable, mochi’s tasty, and I want to buy it in bulk. You can also try making mochi yourself.
Photo by Kennedy Taylor Choi
All in all, a great meal with great people (and pay in cash to get a 10% discount). These guys know you’re poor and they’re here to help you out.
Three cheers for rad food on a student budget, or save your breath and just go to Kame.