Okoman Restaurant — Restaurant in Burnaby

Okoman Sushi is one of the many Korean/Japanese restaurants located along the North Road corridor between Burnaby and Coquitlam and is in the same complex as Pho Japolo and Thai Chef Casual Thai Cuisine (just on the lower leveL).

The interior of this restaurant is a bit dim in spots due to the layout. From the decorations, it looks very much like a typical Japanese restaurant complete with sushi bar and various Japanese-themed items adorning the walls (including a large wooden boat above the front door). However, one look at the menu and you see that they serve both Japanese and Korean dishes here.

On my first visit, I ordered the Assorted Sashimi ($18.95 for 16 pieces) which included 3 pieces of seared tuna, 3 pieces of sockeye salmon, 3 pieces of tako (octopus), 3 pieces of salmon, 3 pieces of tuna, 3 pieces of tai (red snapper). Most of the sashimi here was spot on and had a fairly generous size. The only one I wasn’t thrilled with was the tako which turned out to be a bit too chewy (perhaps to be expected).

It was good enough that I wanted to revisit and try some other items. This time, I made sure to pick and choose what I wanted with the nigiri. I ordered Hamachi ($2.95), Ikura ($2.95), Unagi ($2.45), Sockeye Salmon ($2.45), Toro ($1.95), Chopped Scallop with Masago ($1.75), Saba ($1.75). Again, most pieces were good here… especially the tender unagi and the toro. I did find that the saba (mackerel) fell apart from the rice though and there was a bit too much rice with the ikura and chopped scallop for my liking.

On a return visit in early December, I ordered their Hotate Battera ($10.50) which is a pressed sushi dish where the rice is formed into perfectly rectangular pieces and topped with scallop, spicy mayo sauce, and tobiko before it’s lightly torched. There’s not huge pieces of scallop here so the scallop-to-rice ratio is a bit off for my person liking but I did enjoy the creaminess and the slight kick from the spicy mayo.

Next up was the Grilled Salmon ($8.95) which is made with spicy tuna wrapped with salmon and then baked and served with sauce. There’s no rice on the inside so this is a fairly meaty item. Overall, I did enjoy it but it’s not as creamy as some similar items I’ve had at other sushi restaurants (ie. the spoon at Victoria Sushi and the sushi bomb at Hyack).

On a subsequent visit in December, I wanted to order their real crab battera but was disappointed that they were out of real crab. Instead, I settled for their Negitoro Battera ($10.50) which is made with tuna belly and green onions. I really enjoyed the texture of the minced tuna belly and how it melted in my mouth.

I’m a bit mixed with how the Yakitori ($5.95) turned out. On the one hand, the meaty skewers of chicken thigh and green onions were quite generous and coated in a sweet tare sauce. On the other hand, I wish that the chicken had more of a char on it.

Who doesn’t love a good Chirashi Don? With a price tag of $15.95, you get all the benefits of having an assortment of sashimi pieces plus the added bonus of rice seasoned with furikake and sesame seeds. The one that they serve at Okoman Sushi is practically brimming over with fresh sashimi. Admittedly, it is difficult to get down to the rice below without eating some of the sashimi first. There was a good selection of different sashimi including: 3pc Atlantic salmon, 3pc snapper (I think), 3pc wild salmon, 2pc hokkigai, 3pc toro, 3pc tuna, 3pc tuna tataki, tamago, and ebi. You really can’t beat the price and the fish (especially the toro and salmon) were really good.

I suppose one day that I’ll have to return for a visit to try their...

So long story short... I have been going to this restaurant for years. I have seen the quality of food and service improved or get worse depending on new owners. Not sure if anyone has noticed this about this restaurant but it changes management frequently. Not sure why. Anyhow, l think today is the last time l visit. I go there often but for sure on Sunday as it is my treat for the week for working hard all week. I order my favorite item sashimi salad which in the past has been served to me in regular pieces as in regular sashimi. A while ago , l ordered it and received it with the sashimi pieces chopped so tiny almost as it is baby food. It look un appetizing to say the least as l had to struggled to grabb every little piece. Since that day, l have made it my job to always tell the server to make it with regular pieces. One server finally told me" you don't need to tell us everytime because we only make it with regular size pieces" so l said " great cause l am also tired of telling you every time because l don't want to eat and Salad that looks like baby food" Guess what?? I go today and l received a salad with chopped sashimi that looked like baby food. When l tell the server she is reluctant to do anything and tells me is my fault for not telling her 🙄 so now l am supposed to eat this un appetizing looking salad. It is not the first time l had to deal with this attitude now , l guess the new owners are trying to make customers run away or something. So yes. This is probably the last time l visit this " hidden gem" as others...

When Okoman first opened I was like the majority of reviewers here, I loved it. It was my new favorite sushi restaurant in the area. But as the time went by the quality really dwindled. The food doesn't taste as good anymore, the newly hired servers are incompetent. (You need to ask them 3 times for refills for your tea until they will listen). Knowing this I decided to give Okoman one last chance, so i went with my friend hoping it wouldn't embarass me as much as I knew it could. Unfortunately for me, what i had assumed would happen, did in fact happen. It was worst than before. My friend ordered a Beef udon (not worth the price for the quality) In which she waited 20 minutes for. I waited, and waited while watching numerous take out orders being completed, and the people around us receiving their food. But after another 20 minutes, my food has still not come (It wasn't a very demanding order either, it was 2 tuna rolls and 2 salmon rolls) I inquired about the food, in which the waitress said "We have too many sushi orders today" in which i wish i replied (If you paid any attention to the people in your resturant, instead of the takeout orders, this wouldn't be a problem). After another frustrating 10 minutes, my friend had finished her food. I was outraged and cancelled my order, Won't be going back.... TLDR: I used to recommend this restaurant to my friends, and it makes me sad that the quality of service and food here have gone down the drain. If you like quality sushi and service, Please don't...