After hearing good things about Kampai, I had to see for myself. I brought my mom here on a Sunday night, we arrived around 6:30pm and got a seat right away. Kampai has been at this location for 8 years and they have their regular customers. The interior consists of traditional Japanese décor with a sushi bar a regular bar. There is a pretty good selection of fish with your typical maki rolls and a few additions.

236 King Street West, Hamilton  |  Facebook  |  Website  |  Menu  |  Map

My mom instantly recognized the owner because she used to run another Japanese restaurant by Limeridge Mall about 10 years ago. Surprisingly, she also recognized my mom! We ordered the sushi and sashimi dinner and kage udon to share.

The sushi and sashimi boat came in a beautifully decorated wooden boat. I’ll try my best to name all the seafood that came with our dinner: salmon, tuna, white tuna, salmon rose, eel, red snapper, salmon, shrimp, and one mysterious fish. The texture of it was different from the other fish. It resembled raw shrimp, bubbly instead of smooth and buttery. The fish was very fresh. You can really taste the difference between all-you-can-eat restaurants and a la carte restaurants like Kampai. I was able to taste the sweetness of each fish and it almost melted in my mouth. The sushi wasn’t bad either – the rice needs more work. A restaurant in the GTA that has phenomenal rice is Initei.

Moving on to the udon. The broth was clear and flavourful. It tasted as I expected udon broth to taste. Udon is one of my favourite noodles. You can easily stir fry it, toss it in a sauce or serve it in a soup.

Kampai has fresh fish, comforting food, good portions and reasonable pricing. You’ll also find awesome and welcoming service from the staff. I was surrounded by happy faces, happy atmosphere and I enjoyed my food. I’m glad I finally came here, I’ll definitely be back. Cheers!