My spouse & I have have visited here 20+ times.
Service: Service attitude when interacting with the staff is lacking. Over the past 6 years, my opinion is that it's never been noteworthy nor ever left me feeling happy about where I spent my money. The staff frequently refuses to pick up the phone, which makes inquiries or attempts to place order a routine exercise in frustration (if they are understaffed, then bring in enough people to handle your traffic). In person, there are few if any smiles, generally a brusque attitude - it's not what I would call a friendly store. A more senior female worker that's been there for a long time seems to epitomize this stance, which I would imagine makes it easier for other staff members to emulate what I would consider a low standard of customer service orientation. Some staff are just shy, which is perfectly fine - but this one female (that's been working there for years) with shorter hair and a slightly fuller figure has left me feeling at times as though she was either indifferent to our patronage or that we were the ones that should be thankful for being attended to. It is a bit uncomfortable and confusing.
Food: I used to love this fish market - mostly for it's prepared foods, especially the sushi. This can be purchased in small orders for one person, or pre-ordered in larger portions for parties etc which was wonderful. The fish within this sushi was the reason that the sushi was so wonderful - it was vibrant and flavorful, a testament to how fresh it was. Even the crab used for their California roll or in the center of other rolls was a step above options from other sushi venues - amazing, something to look forward to. The dedicated sushi-making staffer that comes in in the mornings to make their sushi has traditionally done a great job. With numerous other options available for sushi, and having tried the gamut from cheap grocery store to nice sushi venue options, this was a wonderful place to get sushi. I have to speak in the past tense, however, because they have recently cut the sizes of their rolls/servings substantially (almost, if not, two thirds to a half?!). It's nuts - a huge reduction, especially considering that the rolls used to be large. One serving of a "Rainbow Roll", for example, used to be more than enough for one meal and now it's now we need to purchase 2 (because they're much smaller). So it basically costs us almost twice what it used to in order to get the same amount of food. There was no announcement via tag or anything else on the fridge or from the staff as to this change, which would have been a thoughtful consideration so that we, as customers, felt considered during any changes they felt they had to make as a business. ... But then this would require a strong service orientation, and as described, it is our opinion and experience that this is not a priority at this location.
Regarding the basic fish itself: They generally have good prices, and the fish is quite fresh. It does not feel to me like a huge selection while there, but it's a small shop. Many times I cannot find what I had gone in to purchase, but there are usually other options that will suffice. The fish appears to be kept at proper temperatures and in good condition at the counter, and there is a freezer or two with some basics stored for convenient and simple take-away as well.
They (the owner?) were on CTV years ago saying that they were going to open a store location in Kerrisdale. This was somewhat good news as I had been hoping to find another location at which I could find their sushi. Shortly after that tv appearance, and over the years since, I've inquired on this and have gotten nothing but blank stares or expressions of confusion.
In summary: I wish I could give it 2.5 stars, in-between "Meh, I've experienced better" and "A-OK". My low rating is primarily due to the lackluster service (sometimes it has even felt rude, which I would never want myself nor any other customers to experience), especially their decision to refuse picking up the phone with what I would consider too much regularity. I also find a deterrent to returning their recent abrupt and striking change in the portioning of prepared items such as sushi. The fresh fish is good, but not spectacular. I still recommend trying out the venue for yourself so that you can make your own assessment, particularly if you're primarily going for the behind-the-counter or the frozen fish. I give the sushi-making person 5 stars as I doubt it was their choice to slash the portion size, and don't want to rate them lower for what was likely a management-level decision.
If their sushi portioning remained consistent with what it had been, and if they would FINALLY demonstrate the adoption of and commitment to a stronger customer service orientation with regular demonstrations of valuing of their customers (including and ESPECIALLY answering the phone), I think this would easily get a 4.5 rating. read more