SOHO – Population: 5. No, not the one in New York…
I have recently discovered yet another quaint hidden gem, this one located in the West Island. In other words, if you don’t have a car, you’ll have a hard time getting there and should probably quit reading unless you’re masochistic enough to spend the 1.5 hours on public transportation.
SOHO is located in Pointe-Claire on St-Jean Blvd., squeezed between Moe’s Deli Restaurant and Patisserie Gascogne, on a large strip mall. Most West Islanders aren’t even aware of its existence, probably due to the giant parking lot (which I refer to as the “no man’s land”) that physically and visually separates the passers-by on the street from its shops. SOHO is a small restaurant, and by small, I mean minuscule. There must be a total of about 30 seats in the entire place; the sushi counter taking up a majority of the area with a piano next to it for the occasional nights when you can enjoy live music.
The reason why I’m boasting about this place is because it serves some of the best quality sushi. Their menu isn’t extensive and prices a tad high, but the seaweed will melt in your mouth like nothing else you’ve ever had. Quality over quantity is what you will get. Now, I know that nearly all my reviews have been fairly positive, so I’ll drop a few bombs and criticize in hopes of keeping my journalistic integrity:
SOHO, although has an amazing freshness to its food, does make you wait for what seems like an eternity, so don’t go while you’re starving because you’ll get cranky before recieving your meal. You’ll wonder why they’re taking so long when they only have a total of about 8 people in the room: it’s because most of their clients order take-out. The prices also seem pretty steep for the lack of originality and the slow service you’ll get.
This is an authentic Japanese sushi place, which means that you will not find silly ingredients such as mangoes or cream cheese in the rolls that North Americans have added and morphed a well-respected, traditional cuisine into a monstrosity they refer to as “Japanese-American fusion”.
PROS:
- Fresh ingredients
- Good cocktails
- Nice decor/ Intimate ambiance
CONS:
- Long wait
- Not accomodating for large groups
- Sushi not served as depicted in picture