Suisha Gardens

The setting was out of the ordinary, in a good way.
Food was good but not exceptional for the price.

To be fair, the decor and atmosphere is excellent and I really like the private rooms and meditative walkways. Atmosphere-wise, this is great!

Food wise though, not so good. My dining partner and I each ordered the "12 Piece Sushi (UME)" for $17.95 each. My partner got a dish of soup (fine) and they never bothered to bring me my salad. Neither of us got any tea at the end (and not even a "goodbye" from the waitress). I'd hate to think it's because we asked about the sushi.

When the 12 Pieces pf sushi came, it was actually only 6 pieces of various fish on rice (most was decent, some was a bit old) and the other 6 pieces were 6 pieces of small cucumber roll (maki)... nothing else in the roll except cucumber and rice. I asked politely if this was the "12 piece" thinking maybe they split the order between us and was told "no, that's all sushi". I said that the cucumber roll really wasn't sushi, thta it was "maki", she said "Oh, I guess I should said something when you ordered. Sorry" and walked off. She didn't return, not with tea, not to see if we needed anything else and eventually sent in another waiter to drop off the bill.

Overall, $80 for a total of 12 pieces of sushi and a couple of beers for 2 people was not worth it. And the sushi wasn't even that fresh. My advide, check out other Sushi places and ask about combos first.

Stay away from Suisha Gardens

Great place ... I've never been disappointed. Definitely the best Japanese restaurant in Ottawa.

Amazing food prepared with so much care and really quick and friendly service. the BEST japanese in Ottawa with the most selection. Forget Japanese village with their smaller portions and more expensive food - their half hearted 'show' isn't worth the extra money.

Try the authentic style Japanese rooms (complete with hole in the floor under the table for those not able to sit on the floor, or just the private rooms with western style tables.

The ambiance and service there is fantastic, but it nothing compared the the FOOD! Tempura delivered right out of the grill, crispy and savory, and the teriyaki is melt in your mouth.

You haven't tried sushi until you've tried it here. Highly reccomended.

Ironically, this is Ottawa's best sushi restaurant even though it doesn't even rate against restaurants from some other major cities. The fish is the best of what's available in town (pretty terrible). Presentation is always good as is the ambiance and service. However, as is the curse with all sushi restaurants in Ottawa, the quality is variable. Some nights you will get truly good fish, others, truly terrible. I have a hard time going anymore for this reason. It's too heartbreaking paying $40+ for a bad meal. One thing you must try is the ginger dressing on the seaweed salad.

I was a bit disappointed (may be I have too much high expectation). The food and sushi wasn't the best I've tried. It will be a long time for me to try this restaurant again.