As the pandemic hit, dining inside restaurants was not an option, but our household continued to order delivery even during the first weeks of the quarantine. One thing we did stop ordering was raw foods: we’re not a household that purchases salad, but it did mean our sushi consumption grinded to a halt. This change wasn’t based on medical opinion, more so paranoia, and it wasn’t until two months after the lock-down that we finally ordered from Kibo Sushi House.

Even then, I cautiously ordered the maki set B ($14.95) where the uncooked ingredient was limited to the salmon in the spicy salmon roll. In hindsight, there was so much tempura bits incorporated into the roll – on top and mixed with the salmon – that I had little to worry about with the raw fish. Tempura bits are such an oily condiment that can ruin the maki; after wiping off the bits on top, the roll tasted better.

The dynamite roll was delicious incorporating a warm tempura shrimp, julienned cucumbers for crunch, avocado, and surimi. Given the rice wasn’t too thick, all the ingredients really shone through creating a flavourful bite and the maki is large (10 pieces instead of the typical eight). Compared to everything else, this was the tastiest bite of the evening.

Kibo’s maki sets also arrive with soup and salad, fairly standard versions of the sides. Instead of diving into the soup, I should have taken the time to reheat it as lukewarm and grainy miso isn’t the tastiest thing. At least the soup was flavourful and bits of fried dough were added in lieu of tofu - you won’t get away from fried carbs at Kibo Sushi House!

I was expecting the ebi siu mai ($6.95) to be a har gow shrimp filling in a siu mai wonton wrapper. Instead, the wrapper was filled with shrimp paste incorporating a lot of flour, so you’re met with a mushy bite. I even pan fried them the next day to give it a crust and only marginally improved the starter.