nagi sushi
2208 st. joseph blvd., unit 104, 613-830-9770,
nagisushi.ca
the interior of nagi sushi in orléans.
peter hum
/
postmedia
open: tuesday to saturday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 to 9 p.m., closed sunday, monday
prices: à la carte sushi $4.50 to $23, sushi platters $45 to $120
access: no steps to the front door or washrooms
ottawa’s long-time and eagle-eyed sushi lovers might be able to spot some familiar trappings at nagi sushi, which opened almost six months ago in orléans.
its two dozen or so chairs were used for decades at c’est japon à suisha. that slater street restaurant helped introduce sushi in ottawa in the early 1980s, and it closed in the summer of 2023 to make way for a condo development. nagi’s tables are not quite as old, but they, too, came from suisha. so did the lanterns now hanging above nagi’s new, blonde, five-seat sushi counter.
but aside from its basic furnishings, nagi’s biggest connection to suisha is its chef-owner, moriyuki hiroha. the 53-year-old made sushi at suisha for over 30 years, beginning shortly after he came to canada from gunma prefecture in central japan. after suisha closed, hiroha scoured ottawa for a place where he could open his own place. he settled on the orléans strip mall location that nagi calls home, which previously was a south asian eatery.
assorted sushi (maguro, torched salmon and unagi) at nagi sushi in orléans.
peter hum
/
postmedia