By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

Japanese restaurants are a dime a dozen in Vancouver, which is why I seem to eat at one of them every week or so. Many of these restaurants are run by non-Japanese owners, which may account for the vast differences in quality. The most recent restaurant to catch my eye was Aomori Sushi in Newton, Surrey.
I started with an order of Appetizer Tempura and it was quite large, with three ebi instead of the two stated on the menu. The tempura batter was very crispy and light, and the ebi was buttery but slightly too soft for my liking.  
For my main, I tried the Chef's Special, which included a choice of specialty roll, miso soup, three pieces of nigiri and three fried gyoza. The gyoza were crispy and not overly greasy, and the filling was moist with a good mix of tender pork and cabbage. The Nigiri included salmon, tuna and ebi, and I thought the sashimi was good, particularly the tuna. The rice-to-fish ratio was a bit off. As for the sushi rice, it had a nice consistency with some chewiness, but it was a bit salty. The black rice bakes salmon roll came as a large purple thing on the plate. I found that there was a bit too much rice for the amount of ingredients, which included imitation crab and cucumber with seared salmon and hot sauce on top.  
On a separate visit, I tried the Ebi Mayo, which resembled the tempura except for the amount of batter. There was a significant amount of batter, which made each piece firmly crunchy, while the ebi was meaty and natural-tasting. I wasn't a huge fan of the sweet tangy mayo as it resembled honey mustard. As part of my combo, I had the standard California Roll. The rice was nicely seasoned, with a nice consistency and a slightly dry chewiness.
For my main, I had the Chicken Teri-Don that featured slightly dry, chewy rice. It was topped with well-charred pieces of chicken.
Most items that I tried at Aomori were decent considering the price point. It isn’t the most authentic Japanese restaurant in Metro Vancouver, but it is not offensive. I really enjoyed the warm service I received on both visits and that goes a long way in creating a good impression.

Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.

Aomori Sushi
12 – 13767 72nd Avenue, Surrey
(604) 543-0858

The Good:
• Reasonably-priced
• Decent eats
• Friendly people

The Bad:
• Might offend those who want authenticity