Burrito Sensei
199 Bank St., 613-680-0802, burritosensei.com
Open: Monday to Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9 pm., closed Sunday
Prices: burritos and bowls $10.95 to $14.50
Access: one step to front door
When is a burrito not a burrito? It doesn’t take a degree in Mexican gastronomy to have suspicions about the “burritos” served at Burrito Sensei on Bank Street, which can be made with raw fish wrapped in rice, which is in turn wrapped in seaweed.
Clearly, what’s served at this fast casual Centretown eatery — which opened in early March where Vetta, and before that, Cafe Paradiso, had been — is Asian fusion fare that’s Mexican only in terms of marketing. The sushi rolls here are burrito-sized — which is to say, massive — and they’re likely inspired by similar foodstuffs in Toronto, Vancouver and beyond. You could also think of them as variations on what’s known as temaki sushi, or hand rolls, in Japan, which, if you follow the logic of Burrito Sensei’s naming, could be sold in Centretown at a place called Fish-filled Ice Cream Cone Sensei.
But enough snark. In the last week, I’ve had three lunches at the unique but seemingly franchise-ready Burrito Sensei, and I’ve good and less good things to report about the place, which can be packed at peak hours with customers lining up to place orders that not long after are brought to tables once an assembly team has put them together. (Burrito Sensei’s food can also ordered to go, and printable order forms at the restaurant’s website even expedite the process.)
In addition to the sushi burritos, the restaurant also serves poke bowls, astutely leaping on the spreading enthusiasm for the raw fish salads (poke) that originated in Hawaii but in recent years have gone global. A few Japanese side dishes complete the menu.
Of those snacks, we preferred the savoury, well-sauced takoyaki (battered balls with bits of octopus inside, eight for $6.95), complete with garnish of quivering bonito flakes, even if the balls were a little too molten inside. More bland were the sweet potato croquettes (five for $5.95), that really needed their citrus-perked mayo.
Sweet potato croquettes at Burrito Sensei
Of seven sushi burritos, we thought best of the fish-based offerings, which were also more expensive by a few dollars than those made with pork, chicken, tofu or sweet potato.
All were very filling and well-designed with a diverse, balanced set of admirably fresh ingredients joining generous portions of fish and well-seasoned, properly textured rice. For example, the “fired up salmon” burrito ($13.50) featured crisp-skinned cooked fish bolstered by more of that citrusy yuzu mayo and the punch of dill, along with green onions, seared tomato, field greens and avocado. The raw salmon burrito ($13.50), made with kale, red cabbage, tobiko and bits of tangerine, was also well-received.
“Fired up salmon” sushi burrito with a side order of edamame at Burrito Sensei
Salmon sushi burrito at Burrito Sensei
I thought less of a chicken burrito ($10.50) that arrived during a jam-packed lunch after some delay, and with bitter, over-charred chicken. My pals who tried the pork burritos ($10.50) were happier with them, although the slices of pork cutlet in one case were definitely dry, and in another, they were overly cool and seemed as if they had been sitting around a while before the burrito was assembled.
Miso chicken sushi burrito at Burrito Sensei
Pork Jab Burrito at Burrito Sensei
Some closing thoughts on sushi burritos: they’re weren’t easy to eat gracefully. “It’s not date food,” said one friend. Basically, chewy seaweed wrapping and corn tortillas are not interchangeable, and it’s for a reason that the Japanese divide their sushi rolls into bite-sized pieces.
I’m a bigger fan of the poke bowls here, which combine the popular Hawaiian raw-fish dish with today’s trendy rice bowls.
Sentimentality might be factor — I’ve been blessed to eat servings of poke in Hawaii, where even assertively dressed, supermarket-grade poke, available pre-made and in bulk, made me happy.
Burrito’s Sensei tuna poke bowl ($14.50) was enjoyable in its own right, with a buzz of flavour and texture contrasts thanks to chopped fish mingling with cubes of mango, a scattering of crunchy fried panko, avocado, cilantro and fresh greens.
Tuna poke bowl with a side order of takoyaki at Burrito Sensei
Salmon poke bowl with wakame salad at Burrito Sensei
It did occur to me that the same dish with more acidity and, indeed, more tuna, would have been an improvement. Kudos, then, to Burrito Sensei for accommodating custom-made orders that can pull together any protein (available, for that matter, in double-sized portions) with all kinds of toppings, spices, sauces and dressings.
I look forward to designing a poke bowl with twice as much tuna, lots of yuzu vinaigrette, and furikake (a seasoning mix of sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and more.
The occasionally boomy restaurant — a minimalist space of dark, reclaimed wood walls, miniature sake barrels and bottles and Edison lights — is licensed, and serves beer from the taps of a bar at the back of its main dining room. Meanwhile, canned soft drinks and bottled water are kept by the cash. There are no desserts available.
Within Ottawa’s current wave of cheap and cheerful Asian eateries, Burrito Sensei may be the least authentic but the most in sync with the cravings of on-the-go sushi fans. I don’t think the food here currently points to sensei-level mastery, but one can always hope.
Correction: Last week’s review mistakenly referred to Christopher St. Aubin as the chef at Antipazzo. He was with the Old Ottawa South restaurant in early March when it opened, but had left it by the time I ate there in early May.
phum@postmedia.com
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