likebyregina Sushi Mugen is a new two-level Japanese restaurant on Davie Street. Considering as a newly opened restaurant, it is popular with high customer turnover. Its interior is modern and minimalist, with a theme of embracing the nature. The upper floor is spacious, which can fix approximately 26 people and is perfect for birthday parties or big events. The ground floor has an open-kitchen concept, where customers can interact with the chefs.
The restaurant features an extensive menu with varieties of Japanese dishes and creative presentation at a reasonable price. Here are the dishes we tried in the tasting:
- Poke Salad (Salmon) / $12.95
- Mugen Chicken / $10.95 (L)
- Chicken Kara-age / $6.95
- Soft Shell Crab / $9.50
- Nagasaki Udon / $13.95
- Salmon Teriyaki / $13.95
- Mugen Tower Sashimi / $15.95
- Spicy Salmon Sashimi / $14.95
- Grilled Tuna Tataki Sashimi / $15.95
- Salmon Oshi Sushi / $13.50 (6 pcs)
- Rocky Mountain Roll / $7.95 (8 pcs)
- Mugen Bite / $16.95 (8 pcs)
- Mugen Spider Roll / $13.95 (8pcs)
The tasting starts with some appetizers, including miso soup and Poke Salad. It is refreshing and light, with pieces of salmon. Although there are varieties of vegetables, such as beets, avocado, and organic greens, there are only few pieces of salmon, which I don’t think its price can be justified.
Mugen Chicken is one of my favourite. It is a Korean-style fried chicken with house made garlic sauce. It is freshly made, and the sauce is lightly coated on the chicken. So the chicken remains crispy.
Chicken Kara-age is a Japanese-style deep fried boneless chicken. I love the additional of spicy and regular mayo. Though the chicken is cooked perfectly with a moist inside, the chicken is coated with too much batter.
Soft Shell Crab is another of my favourite. This dish is rare to find in other Japanese restaurants, but you can find it here at a good price! The dish adds a kick with spice, which gives it the perfect appetizer to pair with an ice cold beer.
Nagasaki Udon is light, with a lot of ingredients. It is simply an udon with pork and seafood. The only thing I would change is to not use bacon as pork, so the broth will not be oily, and the broth will shine with other ingredients in the bowl.
I was excited when I heard that Sushi Mugen sells Salmon Teriyaki. Unfortunately, it does not meet my expectation. The teriyaki sauce is delicious, but the salmon is on the drier side and slightly overcooked. It is paired with pea puree and mashed potato, which is a nice fusion with the western-style sides.
Most of the dishes here are nicely plated, and the Mugen Tower Sashimi is no exception. With a twist of adding basil pesto and balsamic sauce, it immediately elevates the dish. It is topped with few pieces of salmon and tuna sashimi, with avocado and imitation crab on the bottom.
Mugen Spicy Salmon Sashimi is presented in a creative way, with a mini clay pot and cute wasabi “plant”. I hope the sauce is spicier for the sashimi.
Salmon Oshi Sushi tastes as good as other places. The proportion of salmon and rice is perfect.
Rocky Mountain Roll is an inexpensive choice if you are on a budget. The sushi roll is similar to a California Roll, but also adding yam in it. It pairs with sweet chili sauce, unagi sauce, and yuzu mayo. Yam chips are topped as garnish. It is a relatively heavy and filling roll, but it tastes delicious.
Mugen Bite is similar to a dish that I had before at Mega Sushi. Despite the similar concept and plating, I love how they put seaweed between the deep fried rice. I did not notice that it has salmon, tuna, and scallop, along with many sauces. They might over complicated this dish by putting so much ingredients. Nevertheless, I love the salad around the Mugen Bite, and I highly recommend to eat the sushi with the salad to ease the heaviness.
Mugen Spider Roll is another roll with great value, because it has deep fried soft shell crab as decoration. So you can enjoy the sushi roll and the soft shell crab at the same time. It is definitely an inexpensive but delectable choice.
Overall Impression
I love the restaurant’s decor – simple and minimalist. The creative presentation definitely caught my attention. However, when price is taking into consideration, some dishes are not as worth as others. Comparing to other Japanese restaurants in downtown Vancouver, this place is definitely one of the better ones. I love how they incorporate salad and green in their sushi rolls, so it can be a balanced meal. Some of my recommendations would be Mugen Chicken and Soft Shell Crab. If you are looking for some inexpensive options, Mugen Spider Roll and Rocky Mountain Roll are some excellent choices.
Taste : 3.5/5 • Service: N/A • Ambiance: 4.5/5 • Quality-Price: 3.5/5
| Sushi Mugen | Instagram | Facebook |
| Address: 903 Davie Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1B9 |
| Hours: Mon to Sun: 11:30 AM – 10 PM |
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