Vancouver has plenty of hole-in-the-wall sushi joints, but few of them are led by someone who trained as a sushi master in Japan.

Tatsuya Yamashita, head sushi chef at 1/2 Roll Japanese Grill and Sushi Bar (4148 Main Street), spent 15 years making sushi in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto before immigrating to Canada a decade ago.

It took 10 years of intense training as an apprentice and five years of working under the title of “master” before Yamashita took his craft across the Pacific.

Yamashita spent his first four years in Canada working at Kiyo Sushi in Richmond, arguably one of the suburb’s most traditional Japanese restaurants.

In an interview at 1/2 Roll, the chef said adapting to Canadian tastes was initially a challenge. “Everything is very different here. Japanese people love nigiri and more simple dishes, but Canadians like rolls and things that are more complicated.” He admits, however, that tastes are changing in Japan. “Fifteen years ago in Japan, there were no dragon rolls or California rolls, but now young Japanese people love to eat these western takes on sushi,” he said. “Fifteen years ago, we weren’t even using salmon [in sushi] in Japan,” he added, noting that globalization has affected Japanese cuisine.

While he’s downsized his kitchen from Kiyo, Yamashita is happy to be working at 1/2 Roll, a smaller, more unassuming restaurant that opened in March. Here, he enjoys coming up with new creations.

“For me, if I make good food that my customers like, I am happy. When a first-time customer keeps coming back, I know I’m doing a good job,” Yamashita said.

Using diverse local ingredients, Yamashita likes to reimagine traditional Japanese favourites such as oshi sushi, or pressed sushi, which originated in Osaka. In Japan, this sushi is often made with mackerel, but at 1/2 Roll it’s made with salmon and treated with a blowtorch.

Yamashita also uses sweet ingredients to make dessert sushi. Local and tropical fruits are the inspiration behind his summer dessert roll, which features fresh strawberries, mango, kiwi, banana, and avocado. It’s a refreshing combination that Yamashita calls a “healthier alternative” to heavy desserts—and one that’s surprisingly easy to make.

Tatsuya Yamashita’s summer dessert sushi roll

Ingredients

¾ cup (185 mL) cooked sushi rice
1 Tbsp (15 mL) rice vinegar
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
½ tsp (2 mL) sugar
1 sheet nori
1 banana, peeled
1 or 2 large strawberries, hulled
1 kiwi, peeled
½ avocado, pitted and peeled
¼ mango, pitted and peeled
1 tsp (5 mL) Japanese mayonnaise
¼ cup (60 mL) store-bought or homemade mango purée
1 tsp (5 mL) lemon juice

Method

1. In a wooden bowl, mix rice with vinegar, salt, and sugar, being careful to avoid mashing the grains. Rice should appear shiny. (Add a touch more vinegar if necessary.)
2. Place nori on a cutting board. With damp fingertips, spread rice out evenly and press firmly onto the nori. Flip nori side up and press again.
3. Cut banana in half lengthwise. Layer halves on nori so they curve in opposite directions.
4. Using firm but even pressure, form a roll by hand. Then place a sushi mat around roll and squeeze it to firm the roll further. Remove mat.
5. Cut strawberries into thin slices and place three or four slices on top of the roll, leaving a gap between them.
6. Cut three or four thin rounds of kiwi and place them directly on top of the strawberry slices.
7. Cut two or three thin slices of avocado. Place on top of the roll in between the slices of fruit, slightly overlapping the kiwi.
8. Cut two or three slices of mango and place gently over avocado. Use your hands to mould the fruit to the rice.
9. Gently place a piece of plastic wrap over the roll. Place a sushi mat over the plastic to firmly shape the roll, using even pressure throughout.
10. Remove the mat and, leaving the plastic wrap on, slice the roll into eight pieces.
11. Carefully remove the plastic wrap from each piece and arrange sushi on a plate.
12. If a topping is desired, in a small bowl, stir mayonnaise, mango purée, and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over roll.

Yield: 1 or 2 servings. Recipe has not been tested by the Georgia Straight.