Edokko Nigiri Sushi: Unagi eel bowls in Richmond
This dish and restaurant went viral and got super popular awhile ago but I haven’t had a chance to review them.
Edokko Nigiri Sushi is an unassuming and casual Japanese restaurant in Richmond run by actual Japanese people. They offer sushi and other Japanese meal sets and they went viral for serving up a series of unagi (eel) bowls. This is exactly what we came here to try!
Edokko Nigiri Sushi
3679 Westminster Hwy, Richmond, BC V7C 5V2
Food review
Here is everything we ordered between my husband and I (2 adults). Prices are in CAD and rounded to the nearest dollar for simplicity.
Chirashi gozen ($46)
We came here for a late dinner and did not have to wait for a table of 4 adults. I believe their busiest/peak hours would be lunchtime.
Most of Edokko’s menu is actually focused around Edomae sushi. It is a traditional style of sushi that originated in the Tokyo Bay area during the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan.
The most enticing part of the menu was actually their set meals, which looked very delicious and full of variety. My husband chose this chirashi (“scattered”) don set. It comes with a mixed sashimi bowl, mini assorted tempura, kobachi (small appetizers), chawanmushi (steamed egg) and a miso soup.
This set is not cheap as I would consider a $46 dinner mid-range. The chirashi don was pretty fresh with some unique items in there like abalone ands quid as well as the usual salmon, tuna, shrimp, etc. Kelvin quite liked the tamago (egg) also.
Overall, a delicious set dinner and for the price, it is ok.
Oo Unagi hitsumabushi gozen ($46)
For my dinner, I had to get one of their unagi sets!
They have 3 sets to choose from $29 | $40 | $46. The main difference between the $29 and $40 set is that the cheaper one only has the unagi don and a miso soup. The $40 comes with more small appetizers and dishes to make a full set.
I ended up getting the most expensive set at $46 because I wanted to try the difference. The most expensive set comes with a large unagi don, pickles, seaweed, green onion, wasabi, mini assorted sashimi, kobachi and chawanmushi.
The star difference between the $46 and the $40 set is that they use Oo unagi. This is a larger sized eel and the menu says it is denser in umami flavour and has a softer texture.
Before eating, I also received these instructions on how to eat my unagi bowl.
They first recommend to divide the unagi rice bowl into 4 sections with your spoon:
- The first quarter, you just eat it as it is with rice and unagi.
- The second quarter you eat it with a small amount of wasabi.
- Third quarter, you add seaweed, green onion and wasabi, as well as pour the soup it comes with over it for a sort of ochazuke.
- In your last quarter, you eat it in the style you like the most.
I followed these instructions and I actually pretty much like it just by itself, or with some seaweed and green onion (I didn’t like adding the wasabi in).
I felt the unagi bowl was quite delicious, and the eel was grilled well with flavours and had a really savoury sauce to it. However, I don’t think it was a big difference between the Oo unagi and their regular unagi.
Hojicha panna cotta ($9)
We were quite full but saw they had a dessert menu so we couldn’t help but order their hojicha (roasted green tea) panna cotta. It came in a cute cocktail glass and was served with an orange wedge and hojicha syrup on top.
This was a very delicious, creamy and soft dessert 😍! Super authentic.
Final thoughts
Loewe’s rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Edokko Nigiri Sushi hovers between a 3-4 stars for me. We enjoyed our dinner here and I felt the unagi bowls were definitely worth checking out, but I did feel it was more of a novelty visit. I dined here over a year ago and haven’t had any cravings to go back for their unagi bowls.
For the unagi bowls, I think the middle tier would be the most worth it if you want to try the unagi bowl. But at a price point of $40+ I do think it is not that cheap of a dinner. Even my husband’s chirashi bowl was around the same price but at least you get different types of sashimi and not just 1 thing (eel).
Service was good but I wouldn’t wait more than 15 mins to eat here. Overall, the entire restaurant is authentic.
Sincerely, Loewe