Chef Phinh Tran makin’ some maki

I didn’t know what to expect when I visited Sushi Zeal. Located in the former Roasterie 2 location in Kensington, I pictured it being a small café similar to Uptown Sushi or Midori. While Sushi Zeal may be similar in size, the quality of its sushi is on another level.

Painted fuchsia with black trim and adorned with decorative paper lanterns, the space is fairly low-key. What impressed my guest and I was the menu. Notably absent from Zeal’s menu are rice bowls, soups and tempura — if you’re looking for anything more than rolls, nigiri or a small selection of appetizers you may want to go elsewhere.

The restaurant isn’t licensed, which I can only gather is based on the fact that it doesn’t have an in-house bathroom. You’ll have to do the key-to-the-bathroom-thing at Sushi Zeal, but it’s worth it.

We started with two traditional appetizers: edamame ($4.35) and a tako (octopus) sunomono salad. The edamame was ample and tasty. The sunomono wasn’t as good, primarily because the octopus wasn’t as fresh as it could have been.

As our first order of rolls and pieces arrived, we dug into the kampyo roll ($2.15). It was an unbelievable value. Combining only Japanese squash and roasted sesame seeds, the flavour of the roll was stellar.

Next, we tried the crispy salmon nigiri ($1.80 each). These bite-size pieces were bursting with flavour and a nice change from traditional nigiri.

Moving on, we had the salsa roll ($9.15). One word: wow. The salsa roll mixed shrimp tempura, a light layer of cream cheese, salsa and asparagus. I never expected to like this strange roll, but it turned out to be a lovely surprise and definitely one worth visiting for.

Our next selection was the koroke roll ($4.35). Featuring deep-fried potato and cucumber, it wasn’t our favourite. The potato flavour was good, and we did applaud it for being unique, but overall it was dry. Potato enthusiasts: add extra soy and wasabi.

Trying another nigiri option, we had the mario chop scallop ($3.80). Also quite inventive, it included chopped scallop, green onion, roe and a spicy sauce in hollowed, cooked cucumber. Besides being a mouthful, the piece just didn’t work with the warm cucumber.

Our last roll was the twister ($9.15). Snap, crackle, pop! The roll consisted of crunchy tempura batter rolled in nori and topped with salmon, avocado and sesame seeds. Plated in a spiral formation, the taste of the roll was as sensational as the presentation.

Sushi Zeal offers unassuming service and a casual dining atmosphere for sushi lovers who desire innovation. I definitely recommend popping in for a bite or two the next time you’re strolling around Kensington.

Sushi Zeal is located at 101 227 10 St. N.W.; phone, 270-9639.