Matoi Sushi

This place is not bad as Japanese fast food goes — definitely much better than the mall food but there’s better Japanese restaurants out there… albeit they’re also more expensive. What do I like? The food is made to order. Since they’re usually not very busy you do get a chance to talk to the owner/​chef. I wanted to go for their noodles but he recommended the pork tonkatsu. He said he wanted to «make me a repeat customer» because it’s large. The tonkatsu piece was huge for sure. The flavour was pretty good. The coating was OK as were the two types of sauces he used. The sides were simple. The worse food was the complimentary miso soup which had almost no flavour. Good thing it was complimentary!
If you’re hungry and looking for a Japanese fast food restaurant and happen to be in that area it might be worth checking out. It’s not one that I’d make a special trip out to though.

This place is the best kept secret in Vancouver when it comes to Donkatsu. Not frozen, fresh meat prepared from scratch when you order, not oily, well cooked, huge and just epic!
I don’t need to say no more, u just have to try it. It’s in the H mart food court but don’t get confused with the food court’s donkatsu. This place is near the elevator.

First time to H-​Mart the smell of MSG almost had me floored, but found some serenity at Matoi Sushi, seeing the chicken katsu bento I ordered one and was not disappointed. Besides the location at H-​Mart I would have gave this place 4 Stars. The chicken breasts are the biggest that I have seen anywhere in Vancouver. I recommend this place for take out. $ 7.50 is an excellent price for any meal out.

I always liked and loved sushi but I fell deeply in love with raw fish because of this place. Three years ago I frequented this place among many other sushi bars in Vancouver/​Richmond, but it is most definitely this one that stole my heart. As the months passed and I left Vancouver I thought maybe it wasn’t as good as I remembered and I grew apprehensive for my next return. But I did return last year and I almost cried at how good their nigiri was.
It is super small, but super quaint and full of love for their work. They had pick of the fish from the supermarket that gets imports from Asia and their chefs were the real deal from Japan.
If the other reviews are true and the chefs and management has changed, I weep for the downtown core of Vancouver and am afraid for my next trip back to BC.

Sashi M’s review is telling and a good example of the importance of authenticity. She is the only Japanese that has posted a review, and her’s is the most negative about the food (I first spotted her because she is the cutest reviewer). It used to be fairly good. The chef was Korean, but he trained in Japan and his Japanese wife kept him in line.
He is gone though, and it shows…
I will follow Sachi now, not only because she is cute…

I used to come here a lot before Canada Line when I used a nearby bus stop. I would always get the Curry Udon. Now, they don’t have that anymore. I think the Japanese owner sold it.
I got the Yaki Udon instead.
+ The chicken was pre-​salted, not bland.
+ Lots of cabbage.
— The flavouring was an okonomiyaki-​type sauce that was too sweet for me.
— The noodle was either overcooked or a soft kind.
I guess I shouldn’t knock them too much, since I didn’t have sushi, their professed specialty. But since the location is not on my way to anywhere, I doubt I will be back.
On the other hand, if you are at the H Mart food court and have no cash, Matoi accepts Credit or Debit!

I tried the food here today, and ordered a vegetable combo. The service was quick and the people were friendly. They seem to have a wide selection of food even though it’s a pretty tiny place.
Okay, so the sushi is really good. The combo came with a yam tempura roll, avocado roll, and kappa roll (cucumber). Oh, and it came with a miso soup too. I found it super tasty. but a little too much rice on my yam tempura rolls. The miso soup is great! It tastes like it’s actually made with raw ingredients, unlike the other Japanese places where it kinda tastes like those instant soup mixes.
My problem is. I feel like it’s overpriced. I paid a tad over 6 dollars and it was pretty small portioned. So yeah. Other than that, I really liked it. I didn’t have too much of a problem with this cause both my boyfriend and I walked over to the E-​Mo Noodle place right next to it to order. It’s nice and big, and I found it very yummy. Had the ramen with spicy sauce and black bean noodle. But then. I haven’t had a lot of Korean food experience other than home cooking at my bf’s house (he’s Korean) and one other restaurant. So don’t take my comment here seriously.

I’ll give you 3.5 stars today — not 4 because the service was slow, and not 3 because the noodles were oh so good!
I had lunch with my girl and we decided to try the food options up at the H-​Mart, which we have never been to before. Looking around the foodcourt, people had large bowls and plates of delicious curries and noodles. There were lots of people waiting at Matoi and I had the privilege of ordering. I wanted to get a roll without crab but other than shrimp tempura, the crab was always in it… I ended up getting the BC roll with the Yakisoba noodles with chicken.
The noodles took a while to come, although I was able to see the chef cook his magic in the little kitchen of his. Coming out fresh (and by now I was super hungry)… the plate was HUGE (for $ 6.95)… lots of tender chicken, noodles, cabbage, onions and sauced evenly. Delicious :)
I will have to make another trip to try the Korean Stone Bowl and the other noodles!

The food is excellent. This small but energetic location offers a wide-​variety of Japanese dishes. The chefs are all very friendly, and always have a smile on their faces. Be sure to ask them what their recommendation for the day is! They get fresh fish often, so it’s always great to ask them what’s new. The small location is hidden in a back corner of H-​Mart, but well worth the initial search.

This is a casual Japanese food counter in the H-​mart food court area. They get a small variety of fish flown in from Japan, and prepare a variety of Japanese dishes including a nice seafood miso noodle soup that has an Alaskan crab leg, a rather large prawn, some clams, and a variety of other items. The fish is normally quite fresh, and the service friendly. If you don’t like Korean pop bring some earplugs though!