We've been hankering for sushi over the past week... as we had a party to go to down in China Town last night, we hopped out at Spadina & College and nipped into the first sushi joint we laid eyes on: Sushi World.
Before you read further, know that Sushi World is really all about value for your dollar, so if you don't need bells and whistles and just want to stretch your buck, this would be a very good choice.
On to the review!
I can't say much for the look of the place -- they haven't spent much time or money on style at Sushi World, though I will say it's clean and spacious. I also appreciated that the server, upon being asked by another customer if they could open the windows, replied "oooooh, no... too many smokers outside". Yay! Thank you for thinking of my lungs! On this note, our server was very pleasant if a bit shy. We both liked her.
So, the food:
Heather chose the $12.95 spicy roll combo (18pcs, salmon, tuna, and I *think* a cooked salmon roll), while I wasn't feeling too hungry and opted for the vegetarian bento box, figuring it to be more a lunch size due to its cheapcheapcheap $7.55 price tag.
We elected for brown rice, which raised the price tag by $4 ($1 per roll). This seems pretty standard at sushi restaurants, but I'm always irked... I buy brown rice, it is not THAT much more expensive than white rice. Still, at least they have it on offer.
Anywho.
Heather mowed through her maki like a champ, liking the salmon, loving the tuna, and unfortunately disapproving of the cooked roll. I tried all three, and would agree: though I'm not a fan of cooked fish in maki rolls, unagi excepted.
These were perfectly serviceable maki rolls, if a bit on the small side, satisfying but not mindblowing. Still, Heather was stuffed afterwards, and it was less than the AYCE, so we came out ahead.
Now to my bento. So, I'm not hungry, right?. This bento is for people on the verge of starvation! 3 veggie gyoza, 3 large fried tofu hunks, miso soup, salad, 4 asst veggie tempura, 6 sweet potato tempura, a big pile of rice, and an oversized veggie maki roll (cuke, avocado... carrot? I forget). Seriously, it was a ton of food and I was STUFFED. Everything was solid but not spectacular, though the sweet potato tempura was a bit undercooked.
Oh, and I've never been a fan of the simple iceberg lettuce salads commonly served, so blech on that. I should have asked to upgrade to wakame.
So, is this place a 4 or 5 star restaurant? That depends on what you're looking for. If you're more concerned with price, hell, the value here is pretty stellar. I dropped under $9 on my dish and could barely finish it... doesn't get much better than that.
The quality, however, is strictly average -- I've eaten a ton of sushi in my day, and have been exposed to some incredible sushi art, so it's hard for me to go higher than 3 stars for an average but pleasant meal, even if it is on the cheap.
Let's call it a very solid 3, knowing that I'll probably be back for cheap eats another day!
Finally, here's a thought: if you come to Sushi World and want appetizers... just order the veggie bento. 3 gyoza, 10 veggie tempura, and a maki roll will run you about $15 off the menu. So save yourself half price, and get salad, soup, rice, and tofu as well!