Chi Kinjo

In the peak afternoon hours, Chi Kinjo is not so much a dim sushi bar and highball den as it is at night. The Stanley Street newcomer takes on a brighter visage with lighter items on its new lunch menu — all without compromising its usual mod-Japanese cuisine concept.

Bigger appetites call for bigger entrées, and $18 will get you The Bento Box — a platter of hamburg steak with XO sauce ginger pork. The meaty mains are accompanied by a variety of side dishes: ume (pickled plum) rice, spinach with Caesar dressing, and an egg roll with wasabi mayo paired with a trio of Japanese pickles. At that same price point, the Chirashi Box is another highlight. Here, sushi rice is adorned with an assortment of marinated sashimi, with yuzu sauce drizzled on top. You get a side of silky smooth chawanmushi too.