Kazuo Noguchi is a man of few words. Granted, he was born and raised in Japan and spoke Japanese most of his life. Still, you get the impression that even in Japanese he's reserved.
And that's perfectly fine. We'll take modest over arrogant any day. Especially when Noguchi -and his wife Tomoe - let their restaurant do the talking.
Sushi Genki is a small, some might say tiny, sushi cafe. It's a block off the main commercial drag of Main Street, right across the street from a high school. And it's not particularly fancy. Yet in the six years it's been in business, chef Kazuo and assistant/server Tomoe have created one of Penticton's most beloved eateries.
A five-star rating on Facebook. A four and a half-star rating on TripAdvisor, with 140 reviews. But that only tells part of the story.
Walk around town and talk to people, and you'll find Sushi Genki has a rabid local fan base. Drop into the restaurant yourself and you'll find customers who simply won't go anywhere else for their sushi. And they're not shy about telling you why.
Neil Sanders and wife Aranya were there a few nights ago. They say they return once every week or two for several reasons.
"Freshness and price," said Neil. "You can't even compare it. And the hours - this one opens earlier than the competitors. My wife's an incredible cook, so to leave home to eat anywhere else is rare."
Aranya, who's of Thai descent and says she really knows her rice, added that it's hard to find restaurant rice that passes her taste test. But she's found just that at Sushi Genki.
Also there that night was realtor Lee Smith. "It's just great food at a reasonable price," she said while grabbing take-out. "I love the mom and pop atmosphere. I tried it once when they open up, and I've been here basically ever since then."
"I love what these guys have going on. I love that their little boys are here. And the location is great. I can always get in and out fast."
And Dan McLennan of Hedley, who comes to Penticton every couple of weeks to stock up and sing karaoke, said Sushi Genko is a mandatory stop.
When you do get chef Kazuo talking, he'll tell you he likes to keep the menu "simple," concentrating on quality ingredients rather than quantity.
Kazuo, who worked as a chef in Tokyo before coming to Canada with Tomoe and joining the team at the Fairmont Banff Springs Resort, then Quail's Gate Estate Winery in West Kelowna, also likes to change things up.
"One of the reasons people come here is because I'm always doing something different," he says. Those differences depend on what he can source at any particular time, but he and Tomoe revise one full page of the menu every month. "Otherwise people get bored. It's very important to give that to the customer."
The move to Penticton, and to their own restaurant, was not by accident. "We were living in Vernon. But we came here in the summers and we were looking for a small place because I wanted to cook just by myself or with my wife."
The Noguchis learned about a little pawn shop that was moving to a larger space, and they jumped on the opportunity.
We sampled both the "Rainbow Roll" (a specialty roll featuring prawn, avocado, and imitation crab, all wrapped in assorted fish) and a combination of goodies called "Sashimi Teishoku" (sashimi, crunchy spicy tuna roll, salmon avocado roll, seaweed salad, shrimp tempura, and more), and let's just say we now understand what the fuss is all about.
The fish portions were generous and, most importantly, fresh. The tempura batter was crispy and not too thick. The seaweed salad was some of the best we've ever had. It was simply great sushi at a fair price.
Sushi Genki, located at 104 - 95 Eckhardt Avenue East, is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. They're closed on the weekends so Kazuo and Tomoe can spend time with their two young boys.
If you'd rather order online, head to their website. And enjoy!
