Burning Money @ Tako

Before I left Canada, I made sure to satisfy all of my cravings. That meant indulging in juicy burgers loaded with bacon, pickles and Cheddar cheese, gravy-drenched poutine and all the fresh sushi my stomach could handle.

Though I have been able to make it through my first month in Italy without the hankering for the aforementioned fare, today I was feeling a particular craving for sushi induced by both hormones and the sadness of the third day of lockdown. Hearing great things from the locals of Bra, Jasmine and I vowed to try Tako.

Offering a selection of specialty handrolls, tempura, poke bowls and more, we were excited to delight ourselves in a Japanese-style pranzo. Though the prices were a bit steep, I attributed it to large portions, high quality ingredients and the fact that sushi isn’t a typical dish of Bra.

With an average price of €14 for 8 pieces, opening the black matte boxes of Tako, I was a little disappointed at what I saw staring back at me. We had four boxes half-filled with tiny logs of sushi rolls and one container of edamame that was half empty. Needless to say, the portions definitely weren’t large in the least.

While the edamame was fresh and well-salted, there wasn’t enough to be shared between two people. As for the sushi we ordered the following:

Chef Salmone

• Salmon, avocado and candied red onion topped with crispy potato spirals

• Liked the crispy potato element for texture variation but was a bit difficult to eat

Dragon

• Shrimp tempura with an avocado coating

• Not convinced that my shrimp was actually tempura-ed, so that was a bit of a bummer

Veggie Roll

• Avocado, carrots and candied red onion

• Enjoyed the acidic and slightly sweet caramelized red onion, but chunks of raw carrot didn’t make for easy eating

Gambero Rosso di Sicilia

• Shrimp and avocado

• Not much flavour or shrimp inside the rolls, disappointing considering this was the most expensive sushi order

Aburi Salmon

• Salmon, avocado and cooked salmon

• Tasty but nothing exciting or distinctly flavourful

Jasmine also wanted to try the panna cotta, which had a lovely smell and delicate flavour. This dessert, however was also quite a petite portion, but unsurprising considering the pattern noted earlier.

With a total of €78 for 32 pieces of sushi and a cup of edamame, that means each piece of measly sushi was €2,50. Now I know I can eat a meal at aperitivo complete with booze for €5. Based on that logic, I really can’t justify the price. Mind you, we also didn’t order anything terribly elite—just salmon, shrimp and veg. So, why the high price point?

Another issue was with the sushi itself. Though the rolls were tasty, they really weren’t anything special, nor were they fully loaded, which led to issues grabbing the pieces with chopsticks. Plus, given that they came via delivery, the sushi pieces weren't super cold like they would have been when served at the restaurant. In fact, the salmon sashimi topping the Chef Salmone rolls was a bit cooked underneath the crispy potato strands.

The other qualm I had was that the sushi pieces weren’t even cut properly. Every time I went to grab a roll with my chopsticks, I had to fight a little bit with the seaweed wrapping. In doing so, my sushi bites sort of lost their insides and created a bit of a mess.

Overall, I don’t think I’m going to be giving into my sushi cravings again anytime soon. Though I have some recommendations for next time, I think I’m feeling a little more inclined to try making my own rolls next time. After all, if I could manage fresh summer spring rolls and bao buns, how hard could sushi be?

. . .

Any sushi recommendations in Bra?