Aikawa

55, boul Brunswick
Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC H9B 1P7
(514) 684-4333

It's been less than 5 years since I started eating raw fish and in that time frame, I've gone everywhere. I started out with the regular avocado rolls and cucumber rolls and moved onto the bigger things. California and Kamikaze became my favourite, finally the integration of fish! Those days are long gone, I hardly ever order those boring items and stick mostly to sashimi, nigiri and chef specialities. 

At this medium sized hidden eatery( behind the main Des Sources strip mall), you will find a great chef presenting some of the best looking food around. The interior of the building is classy yet unpretentious, with enough seating for at least 80 people at the tables, a large bar and 3 private rooms. There are beautiful paintings lining the walls,for added colour and decor, all for sale by different artists. This restaurant is not the most stunning place to behold (no Kaizen sushi), but that's not what this restaurant is here for. It is here to present it's art like dishes and mouthwatering food.

You can go many different routes with this menu; salads, tempuras, teriyakis or raw items. I will talk about my favourites over the half dozen times that i've been there. Being a big fan of raw fish, I always have the tuna and salmon, so fresh and so light that I can never get enough of these two.  Heaven is one of the best sushi dishes in Montreal, slices of red tuna sashimi on a grilled-rice medallion, topped with shiso leaves rolled in salmon(18). Absolutely heavenly! The volcano is another huge hit, spicy salmon, cream cheese, avocado, tobiko and crab meat rolled in seaweed, coated with light tempura batter(18).  The last chef speciality I will talk about is the besame mucho, spicy tuna, crispy tempura, cooked shrimp and avocado rolled in a soya bean leaf(18). 

I never leave hungry, as each dish is quite large and the best part is... the dessert! Not many sushi restaurants have dessert, let alone sushi dessert! My favourite being the Adam and Eve, vanilla ice cream, banana, apple tempura and butterscotch chocolate(13). Pure delight, the mixture of the fruits, tempura and butterscotch chocolate works like magic.


I do truly believe that Aikawa is the best sushi restaurant in the West Island, unfortunately  I wouldn't  go as far as saying the best in Montreal, but still a great feat. Everything from the service, to the food and the ambiance is good in this place, maybe even great. I highly suggest trying the food here, a quiet evening during the week, a party on the weekend or even a delicious takeout platter any time!

Food:8.5/10

Atmosphere:7/10

Service:8/10

Location:7.5/10

Price:8/10

Overall:8/10