Seh-mi Japanese Restaurant Courtenay — Restaurant in Courtenay

Seh-mi was a nice stop for us in between destinations. The restaurant is clean and the staff is very friendly and helpful. They were a bit short staffed when we visited so the service was a touch slower than we'd expect, but not so much as to cause a problem.

We ordered two different types of meals here -- sushi nigiri and rolls, and a bento box. The sushi/fish was very fresh, and the rolls were well prepared and tasty.

The bento box was a teriyaki chicken box, and had the full compliment of items. California roll on one side, teriyaki chicken on fried vegetables, and nice salad, and some yummy vegetable and shrimp tempura.

The atmosphere was pleasant, although it was a bit cold in the restaurant. It was rather cold outside though, being one of the coldest days of the year, so it could have simply been for that reason. Otherwise, a great place to grab a fresh lunch for a very...

Decided to try Seh-Mi for sushi, haven’t before. Overall it was decent. There are better options out there. The mackerel nigiri wasn’t edible. It smelled and tasted very fishy. Maybe the piece they sliced mine from was going bad?

The bbq eel nigiri was ok. They leave the skin on, and it’s really jelly-like and slimy. Like chewing through and swallowing a glob of snot. I had to disassemble the pieces and remove the skin.

The other pieces of sushi I had were all ok. The tuna was really mushy for some reason. Not at all a pleasant texture.

I won’t recommend this place for sushi, but maybe their hot items would be a go-to over their fish

Ichiban and sushi wara will be my choices and recommendations for fish and sushi menu...

After seeing very good reviews, we tried Seh-mi for lunch. The food was okay to good (e.g., the avocado in the rolls was almost non-existent), and for the prices being charged, I personally think there are better/fresher options in the valley. Service was great! In terms of atmosphere, the restaurant had a bit of a funky smell to it. I've been told they're not the first restaurant in the building, so it could be lingering from a previous restaurant? I don't know.

Update after the message from the owner: Thanks for taking reviews seriously! I don't remember posting photos of our visit. I actually forgot to take a photo of my own dish. Also, I'm absolutely certain we visited your restaurant -- it was within...