Fresh sushi takeout that’s great for all tastes

• Name + address: Sushi 29, 2662 Innes Rd., Unit A

• Type of food: Japanese

• Appetizers: $3-$7.50

• Mains: $12.50-$95

• Diet: Seafood, meat and vegetarian.

• Wheelchair accessibility: Yes, takeaway only

• LCBO Licensed: No 

• Website: www.sushi29.ca

I’m one of those people who enjoys it when folks write in with their restaurant recommendations. I learn something new and get to pass this knowledge on to the rest of the readership.

After a reader enjoyed Shinka Sushi, I was encouraged by her to give Sushi 29 a try. It was a very welcome suggestion.

With perhaps the exception of Shinka (they did start out as a sit-down restaurant) you can’t expect to get the same level of quality or care in execution from take-away restaurants. Yet Sushi 29 goes to some lengths to give you a proper and fresh sushi experience.

Tempura does not travel well which is why I never order it outside of a sit-down restaurant. I was curious however and found that it was decently made and crisped nicely when reheated in the oven. My suggestion is to place the tempura on a baking sheet in the oven and hit the bake button and set it to 350 F. As soon as the pre-heat cycle is done and your oven is beeping at you, the tempura is ready. 

Their seafood miso soup for $5 was made with a lighter yellow miso and came loaded with octopus, shrimp and surimi. My only quibble was that it contained too much nori but surprisingly the portion was large enough for two. Another quick tip: if you are reheating the miso I suggest taking out the octopus beforehand as it tends to seize up and become a little tougher. Add it back into the soup after heating.

When it came to the nigiri sushi and the maki rolls I was impressed by how well the rice had been cooked and seasoned. As for the sashimi, the fish was nicely cut into individual bite-size portions and it’s something I appreciate. I prefer it when the fish is just big enough to be consumed in one mouthful rather than two or three bites. 

The depth of selection was also not lost on me. One of my favourite items is Ika nigiri, young squid and Sushi 29 delivered the goods with tender and creamy squid laced with a little wasabi. I forgot that this might be the case and ended up loading on more wasabi. My eyes watered tears of joy.

Where can you find lobster or snow crab maki in Ottawa? It’s a little uncommon and I was surprised to see this on their menu and at $6 for a set of six, it proved a real value buy. If you’re a lover of scallops, $4.50 for two pieces of hotate nigiri might cause you to raise your eyebrows at the modest price, but not to worry, the scallops were plump, sweet and tender.

Sushi 29 did exceed my expectations in what they prepared. This is an owner who clearly has experience in this cuisine and takes pride in what leaves their kitchen. The fact that he does so at such fair prices is a service to us all.