Sushi Hanami is a restaurant near MRU that has become a family (and my) favourite for filling Japanese and Korean food.
Because Mount Royal University is their next door neighbour, Sushi Hanami is quite a popular eatery for students nearby. One of my friend who goes to MRU introduced me to this place. It’s also conveniently near my old church, so my family and I used to come here for lunch once church was over. We really like this place because service is fast, food is filling, and staff are friendly.
My sister and I arrived at the restaurant just before they started the lunch service (11:30AM) on a Sunday, and it was basically empty. We were immediately seated, and because we’ve been there many times before, we knew what we wanted to eat.
I ordered the vegetarian bento, which includes 6 pieces of vegetarian sushi (yam or avocado), vegetable tempura, vegetable salad and edamame. My sister ordered the dolsot bibimpbap with rice, beef, mushrooms and an egg.
Before our main meals came, we were given miso soup as an appetizer. The sign for a good & authentic miso soup is that the solids separate from the water if left alone. After about 10 minutes, our meals came out ready. My bento was very filling, and my favourite part would have to be the dressing for the salad! It’s sweet and tangy and seriously addictive!
My one irk in the restaurant is the service. Service is not the best, to put it simply. My idea of good service is when servers heed at your beck and call. For example, if you’re running out of water, they’ll fill it up promptly. They usually won’t fill your glass unless you ask them. Other than that, this is a nice Japanese/Korean eatery!
If you’re craving some Japanese food or Korean food for a moderate price, and is within the neighbourhood, then come by to eat! Otherwise, find higher quality sushi elsewhere.
Recommended? If you’re uber hungry and in the area, why not.
COST: Moderate. Sushi Hanami isn’t so cheap, but it’s affordable for the portion sizes. My $15 vegetarian bento was filling, and the bibimbap was only about $12! Relatively cheap, big portions and filling!
TASTE: Good. The Japanese food is decent. My sushi was loosely packed but the taste is good, and the tempura was crunchy! The Korean food is pretty tasty, particularly because some of the chefs and servers are Korean. My sister loved her bibimbap.
ACCESSIBILITY: Moderate. Sushi Hanami isn’t nearby any train stations, so it may be a bit of a hassle to get here. Driving is your best bet, as with many MRU students do. That said, because it’s nearby MRU, a number of buses service the area. A bit of warning: free parking in the lot last only 2 hours.
ATMOSPHERE: Nice. The restaurant is clean and neat, with a lot of unique decor from Victorian clocks to kawaii banners. Tables are plenty and are spread out adequately. and the waitlist (if ever) clears up quickly.
SERVICE: 6/10. While the servers are quite friendly, the actual service is imperfect. I like to drink a lot of water, but the servers don’t really fill up your glass until you ask them. On the other hand, our food came by quickly (within 10 minutes)!
Sushi Hanami
Address: 4604 37th Street, Calgary AB
Phone: (403) 242 – 3131
Hours:
- Monday: 11:30AM – 9PM
- Tuesday: 11:30AM – 9PM
- Wednesday: 11:30AM – 9PM
- Thursday: 11:30AM – 9PM
- Friday: 11:30AM – 9PM
- Saturday: 11:30AM – 9PM
- Sunday: 11:30AM – 9PM
Website: n/a
This is not a sponsored post.