My husband and I ventured out to Sushi Bella’s Kitsilano location last week. The original Bella is located on the North Shore. The sister Kitsilano restaurant opened its doors this past August. Owner/Chef Youngki (Kadel) Kim (formerly of both Executive and Fairmont Hotels) combines Japanese and French influences in his cooking.
[Sushi Bella interior; photo from website]
The interior is modern and comfortable, with good lighting. The wood tables are simple as is the decor, featuring a sushi bar on one side of the restaurant.
[Chicken Karaage]
We started with a couple of appetizers: Chicken Karaage ($6) and Mixed Veggie Tempura ($7). Both were decent portions and well flavoured, though the chicken was a tad on the dry side.
[Mixed Veggie Tempura]
A shared plate of Aburi Nigiri ($20) came next, featuring slightly torched tuna, salmon, amaebi (sweet shrimp), unagi (freshwater eel), hotate (scallop) and saba (a type of balsamic vinegar), with topping and various sauces on the different sushi.
[Aburi Nigiri]
The presentation was beautiful, and all of the sushi tender and flavourful.
[Wild West Roll]
An order of Bella’s Wild West Roll ($7) rounded out our dishes. This roll contains BBQ salmon skin and cucumber with fresh salmon, drizzled with unagi sauce and a finely crisped potato topping. The BBQ salmon was delicate. Together with the fresh salmon and unagi sauce it created a delicious combination.
[Tempura ice cream]
For dessert, we split vanilla ice cream enrobed in a tempura coating ($6). The dish was decorated with a drizzle of dark chocolate, whipped cream, and fruit. I could have done without canned peaches, preferring a portion of seasonal fruit alongside this dish. Luckily a couple of strawberries were present, marrying well with the chocolate, cream, and tempura ice cream.
There’s a wealth of rolls and menu options at Bella. We’ll return to try the Agedashi Trio (tofu done up three ways: mango salsa, traditional, and chili spice) as well as more speciality rolls.
The price is reasonable for the location, taking into account the high quality of the fish. The service was attentive and not too rushed, but then again we were there on a quiet night right before Christmas. I’m sure that without the last-minute shopping rush, this restaurant gets regular traffic, as it’s located right in the heart of the West 4th shopping district.
Sushi Bella is located at 2059 West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano, with the original location at 152 Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver. Visit the website for menus and more information.
