HIDDEN GEM IN PICKERING. Pickering is known for its copycat chain restaurants, and most of the japanese restaurants you find are low quality all-you-can-eat places, but that is not the case for Sakura Sushi.
This is an authentic japanese family-owned restaurant, and the quality is top-notched, especially for their prices. You can choose where to sit, so we sat in a cute closed booth. After ordering, we were immediately brought miso soup and green salad, and I never knew there could be such a difference in quality. The miso soup had large, fresh chunks of tofu and plenty of seaweed, and the salad had what seemed like a homemade dressing.
FOOD: I ordered the chirashi ($20) and it came with 18 pieces of sashimi on a bed of SUSHI rice (not just plain white rice). The fish was high quality and the sushi rice (you can tell because it's slightly sweeter and has a hint of vinegar) complimented it nicely. I also had the chance to try the teriyaki salmon in the lunch bento box and it was so light and flaky!
Overall, I definitely recommend this place. The food is amazing and the service was great too. Though part of me wants to keep this hidden gem hidden all to myself...