Japanese Archives - Page 15 of 20

In Coquitlam

TaDa Sushi: New Sushi Restaurant In Coquitlam

December 19, 2011

I was studying for my last final exam and a few of us were growing quite hungry. M knows I like to yell at him when he suggests fast food or some place we’ve been before. So, he found this restaurant on Urbanspoon. It seemed like an adventure since it’s pretty unknown, so we grabbed BusanGirl and headed off from SFU.

It was really hard to find, but as long as you park near Woodys Liquor Store in Square Village, you should be able to find this small place. It’s not on the main road, but more in the parking lot.

Since they were 30 mins away from closing, this place was basically dead. They had a few takeout orders at this time, but no one dining. It’s new, so I’m sure not that many people know about it.

Home Made Pork Dumplings ($7.50) are really amazing!! It had a lot of filling and all the ingredients blended nicely together. This is a Korean dish and in no way Japanese. Since the owners are Korean, theres a reason why this is really good.

I would highly recommend this dish.

Oyster Tempura ($3.99) comes with 5 pieces. The size of the oysters are nice and bite size. It kinda reminded me of agedashi tofu, but with oysters.

Tempura Salmon Donburi ($8.50) was a bit of a disappointment. The sauce they used made the overall dish quite salty. There was also bones in a piece of the salmon. I guess they forgot to remove the bones from one of the pieces.

Chicken Yamisoba ($7.50) has some good chicken, but the salt made the yamisoba quite salty. There seems to be quite a bit of sauce in it too.

Bento Box B ($8.99) comes with teriyaki, assorted tempura, california roll, and a salad. BUT, since BusanGirl is allergic to green vegetables, they gave her 2 more pieces of california roll to substitute.

She enjoyed the whole bento box.

Miso Soup comes with the bento box. Normal like most miso soups.

Overall, the prices are quite affordable and have a large menu. What I love about their menu is how it’s all pictures so you know what you are ordering. Their teriyaki type of items aren’t good, but you can’t go wrong with any of their other items.

Words of Wisdom:

10% off for Take out $25 and over
Free delivery within 1.5km
Hidden inside Square Village near Woody’s Liquor Store
Under $10
$6.99 Lunch Specials
Large Variety in their menu

We Rate TaDa Sushi:

Address:
931 Brunette Coquitlam, BC

Phone:
604 777 0702

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In Coquitlam

Sushi Elephant: Hot Night Roll, Dancing Lady Roll, & Las Vegas Roll

December 18, 2011

Last time I went to Sushi Elephant, M and I did takeout and didn’t get the full experience of dining in the restaurant. Since a bunch of us were bored, we decided to try out more of the different items. They offer daily specials too.

The inside of the restaurant is quite large and can accomodate large groups!

The Tea was really good. I don’t know what type it was, but we all agreed it was some pretty good tea!

Tuna & Salmon Don ($10) comes with 4 slices of salmon and 4 slices of tuna.

Toro Sashimi ($14) was nice and fatty, but it can be quite expensive.

Katsu Curry ($11) was large! You get a big piece of pork cutlet with a mild curry with a mixture of meat and vegetables. It also comes with a bowl of rice. M though this curry was a bit dull and the sauce was thin. The price was good, but the quality could be a bit better.

Hot Night Roll ($10) has prawn tempura, crab meat and topped with spicy tuna.

The Hot Night roll was pretty good! Unique name for the roll too.

Dancing Lady Roll ($8) was something I’ve never seen before. The sushi roll was cut very thinly and plated like a dancing lady.

Las Vegas Roll ($8) has a little bit of everything – salmon, avocado, cream cheese, crab meat and some other stuff.

The roll was quite large and sizeable.

What I love about some rolls is how the outside of the rice is a bit toasted, so it gives it a nice texture.

Chocolate Covered Almonds and Frozen Grapes were a good touch to the end of the meal. I’m not a fan of chocolate at the end of the meal, but frozen grapes are awesome!

Overall, we were both amazed by the quality and taste of the rolls, but certain items can get be expensive. Since this restaurant is Korean owned, it does have a bit of a Korean twist to certain rolls.

Words of Wisdom:

Very good rolls
Daily Specials
Accommodates large groups
Lots of parking
Slightly expensive
Closest Skytrain: Lougheed Town Centre

We Rate Sushi Elephant:

Address:
403 North Rd
Coquitlam, BC

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In Japanese

Ogenki Sushi: Sushi on Main Street

December 10, 2011

Hello Internet! RomanJ, here with another Sushi Restaurant review. Today we explore Ogenki Sushi Restaurant in Vancouver

I have been to this restaurant before with Abbytizer. However, since my last visit the restaurant has changed. Ogenki Sushi has been divided into two restaurants in the same location. One side is called Ogenki Sushi and the other side is Ogenki Ramen. Today I tried out the Ogenki Sushi side of the restaurant.

Ogenki Sushi is in a very small area with modern décor.

Their menu has a list of specialty rolls that look delicious to try as well as other items.

Ebi Sunomo ($3.25) is a very standard delightful dish.

Salmon Sashmi ($9.25) and Cheese Lover’s Roll ($7.95)
The Cheese Lover’s roll is loaded with salmon, avocado, cucumber, cream cheese, smoked salmon and tobiko. This roll is very creamy and blends deliciously well in your mouth.

Salmon Sashimi was pretty standard, not too cold at all. The salmon sashimi felt like it was freshly cut.

Chirashi Don, ($10.95) is a bowl of assorted sashimi on top of sushi rice. The assorted sashimi ranges from, salmon, wild salmon, tuna, octopus, shrimp and tamago. The assorted sashimi tasted wonderful but the sushi rice on the bottom does not bring the whole bowl to justice.

Miso Soup comes complementary with any order of a Don.

Overall, this restaurant has a lot to offer in terms of Japanese cuisine offering Ramen and Sushi. The service was adequate and the specialty roll I tried was delicious. I would probably come back here again to try out the other specialty rolls and of course try the Ramen.

Words of Wisdom

Lunch and Dinner Specials
They serve Ramen and Sushi
Fresh Sushi

We Rate Ogenki Sushi:
Address:
4342 Main St
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.ogenkisushi.ca/

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In Downtown

Ebi Ten Japanese Fast Food: Cheap but Not Good

December 9, 2011

Yet again, I had no idea where to eat lunch, so I headed down and randomly found Ebi Ten. They have Japanese fast food, which I don’t know what that means…but they are known for their decent dons. They are quite affordable and under $10. Good for a quick cheap lunch.

The inside does have a few chairs, but mosts for groups of 2’s. There is one table of 4, but during peak hours it might be occupied.

All meals are well priced. You can upgrade into a combo and get miso soup or a can of pop.

Ebi Ten Plate (Combo – $9.40) comes with assorted tempura, california roll, chicken teriyaki with salad and mayo.

With the upgrade to a combo, I chose the miso soup instead of the pop. Just trying to be a bit healthier.

Miso soup was alright, nothing special here.

The assorted tempura tasted good, very fresh and the batter has a nice crunch to it. The vegetables and ebi were cooked perfectly too.

California roll came with 8 pieces. I was not a fan of it. They were constructed poorly and you can see the avocado was going a bit brown.

Chicken Teriyaki with salad and mayo was pretty disgusting. I just really don’t like mayo with my salad. it really didn’t seem like salad at all. Also, the leaves were wilted and not fresh.

I think I probably chose the wrong dish to have here since most people were ordering the bowl items instead. Best to stay away from the Ebi Ten Plate.

Words of Wisdom:

Under $10
Go with the bowl items or specials
Do not get Ebi Ten Plate
Poorly constructed sushi

We Rate Ebi Ten:

Address:
388 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

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In Downtown

Shizen Ya: All Organic, Uses Brown Rice and Delicious!

November 27, 2011

Shizen Ya is Japanese restaurant they specialize in organic and fresh Japanese food. They only use brown rice in their sushi with no extra charge. They pride themselves of not using additives or MSG. When you eat here, you know you are getting quality without any hidden ingredients.

The interior is quite narrow and small, so if you go with groups of 4 or more, it is best to make reservations.

Hot Green tea comes complementary and it’s pretty good tea.

Salmon and Avocado Roll ($2.95) is made of organic avocados, fresh salmon, wrapped in brown rice and seaweed. MeatGirl and I really loved this roll since it was so fresh! You don’t need soy sauce with this roll since the flavours of the ingredients is all you need to taste. No need to mask that taste with soy sauce.

The Lunch Combos all come with brown rice, spinach gomaae, and organic salad. All lunch combos are under $10, which is a great deal.

Organic Salad was lightly dressed and was really fresh.

Spinach Gomaae comes on the side of your main dish of your lunch combo. It has a sesame sauce made out of real sesame.

It is also available ala carte for $2.95.

Beef Teri Combo ($8.95) has juicy and tender Tokyo cut beef with vegetables and teriyaki sauce with the side of brown rice.

Kheema Curry Combo ($7.95) has shredded chicken breast, five kind of bean curry with the side of brown rice. AvocadoGirl said the curry was a bit spicy. If you like a little bit of spice to your curry, then this is a good choice. It tastes super healthy too.

Chicken Breast Combo ($9.95) has braised chicken breast with an organic miso teriyaki sauce and brown rice. The chicken was a bit on the dry side, but not too dry. The sauce helped the texture.

Overall, for the lunch combos are pretty good quality and you’ll get full. On the bright side, it’s healthy too! Portions are pretty good.

Words of Wisdom:

Great lunch and dinner combos
All brown rice and no white rice
Vegetarian and vegan options
Limited desserts

We Rate Shizen Ya:

Twitter:

Website:

In Izakaya

Kingyo Japanese Izakaya: Kingyo Craze Dining Package

November 25, 2011

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Kingyo Craze” dining package and write a review about it. I got a complementary dining package for myself and bought an additional one for a friend to keep the review as unbiased as I could. This review does not guarantee 100% similar service you might normally get from this restaurant.

Kingyo Japanese Izakaya is one of the better Izakaya restaurants in Downtown (according to this article from Vancouver Sun). I’ve been here in the Summer with CandiedZen and we had a great time…except it kinda broke our wallets since we are both students.

This time around, I came with CandiedZen again to try the Kingyo Craze Dining from VANEATS.ca . Seemed like a good deal since the dining package for one person is $19 for 5 courses.

The interior is quite nice. It’s not a super large place, so it’s always good to make reservations.

Fresh Housemade Ginger Ale, which I have forgotten the price was quite refreshing! It’s a good drink if you feel like not drinking anything alcoholic.

Fresh Melon White Wine Sangria ($7.50) has fresh melon, calpico, white wine, melon liqueur, soda and lime.

Sashimi Salad – three kinds of sashimi (changes daily) on a bed of organic springs dressed with soy based vinaigrette and garlic oil

On the day we arrived, we had salmon, scallop and tuna I think. They had the right amount of dressing over it and the yuzu jelly on top and the crispy lotus room complemented nicely.

Chicken Breast Tender & Cod Roe Spring Roll served with a side of mayo & special soy sauce

This was probably my favorite dish out of the entire meal. The chicken was super tender and it complimented the code roe and the filling nicely. Having that in the crispy spring roll shell …then dunking it into the mayo +soy sauce = nom nom nom nom.

One of the dishes came a bit later than the first one and the consistency was a bit off. The color of the spring rolls as you can tell are much different too.

Despite this little issue, it still tasted super good! Something about the savory filling with the crispy shell dipped into the mayo and soy sauce just lit up our palettes. If you don’t end up getting the dining package, just order it off their menu because this dish is AMAZING!

Deep fried tofu and mushrooms served in a sizzling stone bowl

The waiter comes to the table with a two bowls – one with the hot stone bowl with the tofu and another bowl with the mushroom and sauce. It’s a good dish for the winter time. Even though it’s all vegetables, it will fill you up.

No, its not spicy and those green things aren’t jalapenos, but it’s Okra. Okra is delicious FYI.

CandiedZen really loved the stickiness of the tofu skin, but she felt the sauce reminded her of Chinese food rather than Japanese.

I thought the taste was very familiar but I really couldn’t put my finger on it. I loved the tofu and the mushrooms, but I found the sauce a bit salty for my taste.

Seared Negitoro Sushi – chopped tuna & green onions with seaweed paste and Kingyo’s original sauce

This totally reminded me of the Negitoro Battera from Suika, but except they have the seared top. This item is not on the original menu, but CandizedZen and I tried to push them to add it onto the main menu. (Lets hope they do because it was good).

We liked this because they held together firmly and was quite light. The 2 sauces on top complimented the negitoro nicely. Hidden inside the rice is a small piece of avocado. It was quite interesting to discover.

Petit Almond Tofu – Kingyo’s famous super smooth and refreshing almond tofu with persimmon sauce

I don’t think we had the persimmon sauce on top. Not sure why it wasn’t there. Regardless, we enjoyed the plain almond tofu. It comes is a really cute small dish with a wooden spoon. I love almond pudding, so this is good! It’s a good ending to this meal since it’s not too heavy.

Frozen Grapes finish off the meal! This is always my favorite part of the meal, I know it’s silly but I always anticipate the grapes.

Overall, CandiedZen and I thought this package was worth the price of $19. On a regular day, you could probably spend $30ish per person… I think once we spent almost $100 here. Good amount of food and you can really see the variety in their menu.

If you haven’t been here before, it would be a good way to see what Kingyo can offer. You can grab this package from VANEATS.ca

Words of Wisdom:

Make reservations on the busy nights
Have lunch and dinner
Good variety of items on the menu
Good place to bring a date

We Rate Kingyo Japanese Izakaya:
Address:
871 Denman St
Vancouver, BC V6G
Website:
http://www.kingyo-izakaya.ca

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In Downtown

Zero One Sushi : Rainy Day Meal

November 21, 2011

I was at Harbour Center and didn’t want to walk too far since it was raining. M, Scarface and I went to Sushi Zero One for some cheap fast sushi.

They have fairly cheap and affordable sushi. It’s not the best sushi, but it’s decent.

It is very small and has limited seating, most people take out instead of sitting there. It’s pretty empty near dinner time, so there are seats available to sit down. It’s not a good place for big groups…probably parties of 3 are the largest.

They have complementary tea and water on the side if you didn’t want to buy a drink.

Tea, I love good ol simple tea.

Gyu Don (Large – $6.30) has beef, onions and egg on top of rice. It was alright, but you probably need some soy sauce to go along with this.

Gyu Don (Mega – $7) has an even larger size – mega. It’s actually quite hard to tell what the difference is. It’s the same sized bowl, but it doesn’t seem like there is a substancial difference in the amount of meat.

Either way it was still decent, but you should still add a bit of soy sauce.

Deluxe Chirashi Don ($9.50) has albacore tuna, sockeye salmon ,ebi ,hotate ,ikura and egg on top of rice. Pretty good for the price, but some of the cuts of the sashimi were a little bit big and was quite a mouthful. I needed to add a bit of soy sauce to the rice to really bring all the ingredients together.

Miso soup comes along with the Deluxe Chirashi Don. It’s normal and nothing special about it.

Their items are alright. They have a large menu with good prices.

Words of Wisdom:

Online ordering form
Limited seating
Free delivery
Large menu
Cheap and fresh

We Rate Sushi Zero One:

Address:

559 W Pender St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.sushizeroone.com

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In Japanese

Ramen Jinya: A Bowl of Comfort From the Rain

November 20, 2011

Ramen Jinya is a chain ramen joint from Los Angeles. It was pretty packed during lunch and it’s not a surprise since people want to escape the mucky weather outside to enjoy a nice big bowl of ramen. With the amount of ramen shops downtown, I really wanted to see how this shop compared.

This location only has ramen and a few sides – Gyoza and Karrage. All items are under $10.

Their website is very misleading, so don’t come in expecting the full menu from their website.

Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen ($8.95) comes with their pork broth and pork chashu, spinach, bamboo, and onions.

Vegetable Soup Ramen ($8.95) is all vegetables! When they bring the bowl to you, it looks like a salad, but it isnt! Underneath is a veggie broth and noodles. You should stir it around before eating.

Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen ($8.95) comes with their spicy pork broth, but it was not overwhelmingly spicy. Just a little tingle to the tongue. It also has pork chashu, spinach, Bbamboo, spicy bean sprout, and green onion. Their broth is flavourful, but I think the bowl of ramen could be larger for the price you pay.

The best part of eating ramen are is their large spoons!

Overall, I think this place is alright to eat at if you are in the area. I still prefer Sanpatchi since they have a larger menu and has more noodles.

Words of Wisdom:

Nice broth taste
Expensive for amount you get
Limited menu options
Closest Skytrain: Stadium

We Rate Ramen Jinya:

Address:
270 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6B

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In Bakery

Cake-Ya: Delicious Purin Pudding and Cake Rolls

November 18, 2011

Cake-Ya is this little shop in Coquitlam that serves Japanese desserts and baked goods. Their location is a bit hidden and very small.

They have zero seating and it looks more like a bakery. FoodQueen and I decided to give this place a try, but then we realized there were no seats inside, so we walked up a block to share a cake roll at Starbucks.

A lot of the items can be sold out by 2pm, so if you know what you want, best to call ahead of time for them to save you whatever you want.

Strawberry Cake Roll ($6.50) has a very light cake surrounding fresh whipped cream and strawberries. The price for it was pretty good! I liked this roll because the cake is just so light with the whipped cream, you don’t feel heavy.

They only sell the cake rolls as a whole log, so it’s one of those items you must share.

I also bought 4 of the Caramel Cream’s (aka Purin Pudding). Green Tea, Black Sesame, Original and coffee. They ran out of a few flavours since I didn’t call ahead of time to reserve.

Custard Caramel Cream ($2.25) is probably one you must try. It’s the original flavour and you can’t go wrong with that. I gave this one to my little sister and she gobbled it up. She’s a picky eater but she loved this.

Green Tea Caramel Cream ($2.50) was also good. My mom commented saying the texture was very smooth and creamy. She was quite impressed.

Coffee Caramel Cream ($2.50) was quite interesting. The taste of coffee was strong. I found it was a bit rich in my opinion.

There’s so many ways to eat these desserts…in the cup or just flipped over like the ones above.

Words of Wisdom:

Take Out since there are zero seats
Call ahead of time to reserve specific items you want before it runs out
Cash Only
Good prices

We Rate Cake-Ya:
Address:
2415 Clarke St
Port Moody, BC V3H
Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CakeYa

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In Four Beakers

Aki Japanese: Lunch Combos Are The Way To Go

November 13, 2011

After going to Aki Japanese twice for lunch and once for dinner…I have to say I really enjoy their lunches much more than their dinners. Even though they have been around for a long time, I find their lunch is the best. With so many other Japanese restaurants surrounding the area, their dinners are not as good as others.

I came to lunch with my coworker that had a so-so experience here for dinner. Sometimes places require a second chance to discover how amazing they can be.

Lunch Box A ($10.75). This combo has miso soup, sunomono, short ribs, tuna and salmon sashimi, chicken karrage, pickled vegetables and rice.

She liked it since it has a little bit of everything. By the end of the meal, she was full!

Sushi Combo (~$11) has 4 pieces of nigiri, tuna and salmon sashimi, california roll and a few maki rolls. I was feeling like sushi, so this combo filled up my cravings. The quality of the fish is really good. The rolls were well built too.

Overall, we really enjoyed our lunch here! If you want a good experience and not kill your wallet, best to come here for lunch.

Words of Wisdom:

Closest Skytrain: Burrard
Decent pricing
Good quality
Lunch Boxes best for lunch

We Rate Aki Japanese Restaurant:

Address:

745 Thurlow St
Vancouver, BC

In Japanese

Yamato Sushi: 24 pieces of sushi for $5.95 is a steal!

November 7, 2011

Back to Yamato Sushi on Davies since it’s cheap and you get your moneys worth. $5.95 for a combo is definitely worth it! CanuckGirl and I love going here after yoga since it’s close and open late.

I had the Sushi Special E ($5.95), which has Kappa Maki, tuna maki, salmon maki, and avocado maki with salad and miso soup.

The salad was good as usual. Lettuce with the citrus sauce like most places. If you do take out, it won’t be included in the meal.

Miso soup accompanies the combos as well. There is nothing special about it since it’s similar to most other Japanese Restaurants.

This combo comes with 24 pieces of sushi, which isn’t bad at all. The maki rolls were well made and had good variety. You will get full from this.

Overall, the prices are great and the food is decent. You get what you pay for, so don’t expect this to be the best sushi you have ever had.

Words of Wisdom:

$5.95 sushi special combos are worth the price!
Decent food, nothing super amazing
Not authentic Japanese Food
Best to get sushi rolls

We Rate Yamato Sushi:
Address:
616 Davie St
Vancouver

In Coquitlam

Sushi Elephant: New Sushi Restaurant on North Road

October 30, 2011

I always visit the North Road area, so when I saw this huge blue sushi restaurant and I thought I should check it out. Their interior had a very strange layout. When you walk in, you are greeted by someone at a counter and you see 2 couches and thats it. The main dining area is hidden behind that wall. It kinda reminds me of a sketchy massage parlour if you know what I mean.

Nonetheless, it’s just a restaurant and I’m a bit delusional. M and I decided to just do takeout since it looked pretty dead inside and M didn’t want to dine-in. He’s weird like that. Sushi Elephant specializes in Japanese food, but I think they are Korean owned.

Spicy tuna combo ($10) has the spicy tuna roll and 5 pcs of nigiri. The price was decent, but a tad on the expensive side.

The nigiri was really good! It came with 2 salmon, 2 tuna and 1 ebi. Quality of the raw fish was really good!

Spicy tuna had a lot of filling which M and I really liked! It had a good amount of spiciness to it and it was again really good!

Miso soup comes with all combos. Like most restaurants, its quite average and there isn’t anything special to it.

We then got the Elephant Combo ($16), which has the sexy dynamite roll and elephant roll. You save $2 and get a miso soup.

Sexy Dynamite Roll is battered on the outside and then deep fried. It has crab meat, ebi and avocados. It was really well made and I was quite surprised.

Elephant Roll has salmon, ebi, avocados, crab and a spicy sauce on top. It was also very good and the sauce just added the little bit of spiciness it needed.

Overall, we were both amazed by the quality and taste of the rolls, but certain items can get quite expensive.

Words of Wisdom:

Very good rolls
Lots of parking
Slightly expensive
Closest Skytrain: Lougheed Town Centre

We Rate Sushi Elephant:

Address:
403 North Rd
Coquitlam, BC

In Japanese

Aki Japanese: Oldest & Most Authentic Japanese Restaurant

October 29, 2011

A bunch of the SFU Food Bloggers – FoodQueen, ImBusyEating and GoodEat decided to get together and have dinner at Aki Japanese Restaurant. It’s one of the oldest and most authentic Japanese restaurant in Vancouver. Since none of the other bloggers have visited here, I thought it would be a great place to go.

There’s lots of space inside the restaurant, but it usually gets packed during peak hours. It’s definitely more busy during lunch on the weekdays.

Steamed clams in sake sauce ($8.50). It has a very nice broth and it does not taste alcoholic at all.

Assorted sashimi (3 kinds – $13.50). It has snapper, tuna and salmon. They tasted really fresh, but I found that it was quite expensive for just 9 pieces.

Chicken Karrage ($8.95) is Japanese fried chicken. It is nicely battered and has a nice crunch when you bite into it. The chicken was also quite moist.

Black Cod ($11.50) was alright. I didn’t find it as “melt in your mouth deliciousness” compared to other places I’ve been too. There were also bones, which kinda confused me a bit.

Yakitori ($4.25) was really good! delicious!

Spicy Tuna ($4.50) has minced tuna with a good amount of spice.

Yakisoba was not on the menu, which I found super strange since it’s one of those items that are usually on the menu. It was good, but not as good as Guu.

Overall, we really enjoyed our experience! I still find that going here at lunch is still a better bang for your buck.

Words of Wisdom:

Closest Skytrain: Burrard
Decent pricing
Good quality
Reservations are recommended since it can get busy
Lunch Boxes best for lunch

We Rate Aki Japanese Restaurant:

Address:

745 Thurlow St
Vancouver, BC

In Japanese

Ebisu: Cheers Ebisu Dining Package

October 28, 2011

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Cheers Ebisu” dining package and write a review about it. I got a complementary dining package for myself and I brought along 2 of my friends to keep the review as unbiased as I could. This review does not guarantee 100% similar service you might normally get from this restaurant.

Ebisu is a great place for drinks and tapas. I remember going here a lot before when people would hold birthday parties here. It’s actually a very popular place for people to dine at before they head off to the club.

There is lots of room in the restaurant. Good for large groups or small groups. The weekdays are not that busy, but when it’s Friday and Saturday, it does get busy, so best to make reservations.

When you arrive at the table you are given the hot towels to wipe your hands. Great idea since it’s cold and flu season!

For the Cheers Ebisu dining package ($25) from VANEATS.ca , you get:

4 pcs of Chikuwa Cheese
2 Cajun Tuna Tacos
2 pcs of Tiger Mayo
2 Kansai Steak Sliders
5 pcs of Chicken Karaage
Thunder Fries
1 pitcher of Sapporo

Pitcher of Sapporo

It’s really good to drink beer with the whole meal since there is quite a bit of fried foods with the meal. In the pitcher, you can get about 4 glasses from the pitcher.

Thunder Fries, fresh house-cut fried sweet potato sticks served with our popular house cajun dip

We were quite impressed by the thunder fries since they seemed like fries with steroids. They were really big and thick and had a good taste of the sweet potato. The cajun dip went well with this nicely!

Chikuwa Cheese, deep fried fish cake stuffed with melted mozzarella cheese

I’ve never had anything like this fish cake with cheese?! It had a chewy texture and then the ooey gooeyness. Yum.

Chicken Karaage, deep fried boneless chicken

I also liked the chicken karaage, there are no bones, so you don’t need to get your hands dirty. It was moist and had a good flavour.

Kansai Steak Sliders, sauteed sliced beef marinated in yakiniku sauce sandwiched with avocado, onions, mushrooms & mayo

I didn’t really like the sliders since they were on the salty side. There could have been a bit more avocado to cut through the saltiness. M had no problems with it, but maybe thats because he’s a man. I don’t know, probably a thing of personal preference.

Tiger Mayo, deep fried Black Tiger prawns complete with our chefs sweet chili mayonnaise dip

The tiger mayo did not have very much flavour on it’s own. I also think we didn’t get the sweet chili mayo dip, so we just dipped it the thunder fries sauce.

Cajun Tuna Tacos, seared fresh tuna & shredded mixed salad dressed with our tantalizing house ginger sauce

The tuna taco was good, but it was very hard to eat without the shell breaking. I’ve had this years ago and it’s still tasty, but make sure you have a plate in front of you to catch everything when it breaks.

Take sake ($9.50) comes in a cool bamboo container. M didn’t want any of the beer since it makes him full, so he decided to get himself the sake. He dubbed this sake, the sake that kept on giving because it seemed pretty endless. Until…well it ended after many many shots. He liked the crisp taste too.

Jalapeno Shrimp ($6.95) is shrimp seasoned with jalapeno flakes, battered and fries. It sits on a bed of fries too. We thought it would have been spicier, but it’s not too bad. everything was nice and crispy.

They also give you ketchup and hot sauce so it went well with the Jalapeno shrimp.

Overall, we found the the dining package was worth the $25 since a pitcher of beer can come to $15. There is quite a bit of fried foods, but the beer will cut right through all of that. I grabbed 2 other friends to eat this with me and it filled us up. This package is supposed to feed 2 people, but I think it can be feed 3 if you add an extra dish to it.

You can purchase the Cheers Ebisu Dining Package at VANEATS.ca for $25, there’s only 150 available, so get it fast! Starts November 1st and is redeemable till the end of the month!

Words of Wisdom:

Pay parking in the rear end
Reservations highly recommended!

We Rate Ebisu:

Address:

827 Bute St.
Vancouver, BC

In Downtown

Osa Tako Hero Takoyaki Food Cart: Best Takoyaki Ever

October 27, 2011

A new food cart has popped up at the other end of Pacific Center! I was just walking by and I just had to stop dead in my tracks to try this place out.

Osa Tako Hero specilizes in authentic Takoyaki. Their whole cart is theme like an cartoon RPG game. I was actually quite surprise and confused at the same time.

Their takoyaki is made of octopus (tako), a secret batter, green tea, cabbage, carrot, onion and seaweed. All their ingredients are fresh.

I took me a long time to figure out how to read the menu since the RPG theme made it so confusing. All you need to do is read the “hero magic scroll” and follow the steps!

Choose how many balls you want (5,7 or 10)
Choose your sauce ( takoyaki sauce +mayo or spicy takoyaki +mayo)
Choose your toppings ( Curry powder, shredded cheese, seaweed, maple syrup, or bonito flakes

Spicy takoyaki sauce + Curry Powder (10 – $5.99) I really had no idea what I was thinking when I made these 2 flavour combination. It didn’t taste bad, but I think it would have just been better with the traditional mayo and the bonito flakes instead.

I love how they make the takoyaki!!!!! It was nice and soft on the inside with a large piece of octopus on the inside. The octopus tastes really fresh!! It literally blew my mind! SO much better than the ones at the Richmond Night Market. If you are a takoyaki fan, you must try this food cart out!!

Overall, very impressed by the taste and quality. Best I’ve ever had!

Words of Wisdom:

Very well made!
Good Price! Under $10
A large selection of toppings!
stick with the normal teriyaki and mayo sauces with bonito flakes
Best takoyaki I’ve ever had!

We Rate Osa Tako Hero:
Location:
Howe & W. Pender – in front of Pacific Center Mall entrance

Website:
http://www.osatakohero.com/

View Larger Map

Vancouver

In Izakaya

Ramen Sanpachi (Broadway): Way More Than Just Ramen

October 18, 2011

I usually go to the Ramen Sanpachi on Robson, but one day CandiedZen and I found ourselves venturing far down Broadway since we couldn’t decide where to eat. Eventually we ended up at Sanpachi kinda close to UBC. They have a different menu beyond just the typical ramen and sides.

It took me a while to figure out why this place looked so familiar and it was because it use to be Pier 3132.

Tea comes in a cute tiny pot and a cute Japanese cup.

Seaweed Salad ($3.75) is very light and refreshing.

Oyster (3pcs -$4.95) are fresh and is so good. CandiedZen and I actually ordered 2 plates of these since we couldn’t get enough. Tabasco sauce is a must if you want that extra kick.

Beef Tataki ( $5.45) comes with several long strips of the beef. It tasted pretty good but I didn’t like how it was cut so long. I much prefer it cut more into a square-ish shape.

Dynamite Roll ($3.50) just had the shrimp tempura, cucumbers, greens and tobiko wrapped in seaweed and rice. It’s nothing special.

Salmon Croquette ($7.50) comes with 2 pieces of the rice balls with bits of cooked salmon inside. This dish was ok, the salmon pieces were a bit small, so it was hard to really taste the salmon.

Cha Shu Ramen with Nori Mayo (Half -$8.25), normal and delicious as usual.

Nori Mayo that comes with the ramen was delicious as usual. It’s best to eat these when they arrive at the table or else the seaweed gets soggy and doesn’t taste as good.

Overall, they do have more variety than the Robson location. I would definitely recommend the ramen and oysters!

Words of Wisdom:

Decent ramen at decent price
Around $10
Combos are my favorite
The Izakaya items are a bit expensive for what you get
Oysters are good

We rate Sanpachi Ramen:

They are located at:

3132 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC

In Downtown

Hapa Umi: Delicious Food in Small Portions

October 10, 2011

Hapa Umi is the higher end version of Hapa Izakaya. They are located near Waterfront and serve up some unique Japanese dishes. I bought 2 Living Social Coupons a while ago, and since they were about to expire, I really needed to use them. I brought along 3 friends to join me on this delicious journey.

I tried making reservations a few days in advanced, but they were super busy with other reservations. I got an 8:30 slot, but we were so efficient that we arrived at 8 instead. The hostess was very nice and was able to seat us earlier.

The interior was quite nice! Theres even an area of seating where you can look at the water.

The menu has three courses and you had your choice of any 3 items.

From the booths that we sat at, we were able to see the chefs in action putting together our dishes.

Since no meal at a Japanese restaurant can be complete without beer, InsecureGirl got the Hapa Lager and I got a Sapporo.

Halibut Ceviche has fresh cuts of halibut sashimi with sliced cherry tomatoes, topped with onions, lemon-lime soy marinade and shiso-infused olive oil.

Very nice and delicate taste! It definitely has different texture, but I think I still prefer my usual tuna.

Pemberton Medows Beef Tataki has the thin slices of beef with garlic ponzu, green onion and spicy daikon.

KoreanGirl, InsecureGirl and CanuckGirl all liked the quality of the dish, but it did seem a tad small.

BC Wild Spring Salmon has the pan seared salmon on skewers with gnocchi, roated cauliflower, cauliflower puree, grilled zucchini with a soy-maple shallot butter.

Tofu two-ways Tofu steak with crispy tofu, scallion-ginger soy, peppers and a basil cream. One tofu was deep fried and the other was pan fried.

This dish was alright, good flavours but I found the portion sizing to be quite small for the entree. Very good quality, but it still left me hungry.

AAA Alberta Beef Tenderloin Steak came medium rare with vegetables and some other sauces. This wasn’t written on the menu since they needed to make a few substitution on a few items. InsecureGirl said this dish was pretty well executed, but was also a tad small.

Their dessert menu is separate and our eyes just lit up when we saw it.

We ordered 2 orders of the Cannoli and the cheesecake, but they decided to present it to us in a larger plate so we all could share.

Umi Cannoli ($9) citrus cream cheese filling, shiso and strawberry compote with sour cream ice cream. These are the small circular things on the plate. There were really really good, but its not the type of cannoli you would see in the stores. This is more flat like a cookie with delicious filling. I could eat these all day!

Souffle Cheesecake ($9.50) has strawberry and shiso compote too. The cheese cake was quite dense and did eventually slowly fill us up.

Overall, good quality and taste of the food, but the portions and price are completely different spectrums. It can get quite expensive.

Words of Wisdom:

Japanese modern fusion type of food
Great taste
Small Portions
More higher end compared to other Japanese Izakaya Restaurants
Great place for Business meals or special occasions

We Rate Hapa Umi:
Address:
909 W Cordova St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
hapaumi.com

Twitter:
@hapaumi

Vancouver

In Japanese

Suika: Suika Me Silly Dining Package

September 29, 2011

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Suika Me Silly” dining package and write a review about it. I got a complementary dining package for myself and bought an additional one for a friend to keep the review as unbiased as I could. This review does not guarantee 100% similar service you might normally get from this restaurant.

I’ve been to Suika before and its always seems so busy, even for a weekday! Suika is a Japanese Snack Bar on Broadway. They are similar to the other Izakaya restaurants in Vancouver. VANEATS.ca is offering a “Suika Me Silly” Dining Package in October, which has 6 different items for $16. I came with InsecureGirl to see if the dining package lives up to expectations.

The first thing I noticed was that almost all the tables had reservations! I felt bad since I didn’t make a reservation beforehand, but they were nice enough to find a table for us. (If I accidentally took your table, I am very very sorry!!!!)

I love their lights! It’s made from old Japanese glass bottles. Seems pretty cool and makes good photos.

Before InsecureGirl and I dug into the dining package, we needed our fix of Japanese beer! The dining package does not come with drinks, so you have to order it on top of the dining package.

Asahi Black ($6.40) is InsecureGirls pick of beer. Asahi Black is a dark lager made with barley, maize and rice. Even though it is called “black”, it is in no way like Guiness! It’s not very heavy or bitter. Just like the normal Asahi, it is still crisp and light, but with a strong nutty taste.

Sapporo Pint ($5.80) is my favorite beer of all time. The taste is light and crisp, but not as heavy as the Asahi Black. Its great with raw food and doesn’t leave a strange taste lingering in my mouth.

“Beef Tataki”, smoked AAA beef filet tataki.

This is the first dish that will arrive at your table. It is thinly sliced beef filet with the accompaniment of crisp garnishes. InsecureGirl and I both liked it, but I found the slices to be a little bit too thick for my liking. InsecureGirl didn’t think it was too thick, but it is a bit thicker than the beef tataki at Guu. It’s just personal preferences. If you just focus on the quality, it’s pretty good. The beef is nicely marbled with fat, so it is tender.

“Ma-Po Rice Cake” and “Corn Kakiage”

This will be the second plate that will arrive at your table. It has 2 different items.

“Corn Kakiage”, organic corn niblets fried with cilantro batter, soy sauce and butter

We really really loved this dish. Its something different that most restaurant. Plus, corn is just delicious! The cilantro batter holds all the niblets together and doesn’t fall apart too easily. The addition of the butter complements the corn nicely…thus thats why butter and corn is so popular.

“Ma-Po Rice Cake”, deep fried rice cake w/spicy ground pork sauce dusted w/Japanese pepper

InsecureGirl and I did not really like this dish. The sauce tasted nice, but we didn’t think it matched well with the rice cake. If they had fried tofu instead, it would have been good. It was just so hard to eat the rice cake since it’s so sticky and had to chew.

I personally find that rice cakes are a korean thing and the ma-po sauce is a Chinese or Taiwanese thing. It was just weird mixing the two. Some people may disagree.

“Negitoro Battera”, pressed sushi with tuna belly, scallions, avocado & sesame topped with home made soy dressing & seaweed sauce

InsecureGirl was not really impressed by this dish since she’s had it during a previous dinner here. She finds that there is too much rice and the flavour of the negitoro does not shine through.

I found that this pressed sushi falls apart quite easily, but the seaweed sauce was a good accompaniment to the negitoro. I also agreed that it can be hard to taste the flavour of the negitoro with all the rice.

Not that many restaurants offer the “pressed-sushi”, so it is something new to try.

“Aburi Shime-Saba Sushi”, seared cured mackerel pressed sushi served with mustard soy dressing

Yet again we both found that is also fell apart easily and had a lot of rice. The mackerel on top tasted very nice. It does have a fishier taste than salmon, but some people like that.

“Matcha Brulee”, frozen matcha creme brulee with fresh whipped cream & red bean sauce

This was really good. I have never had frozen matcha creme brulee before. It was like eating ice cream.

Overall, we felt that the ‘Silly Me Suika’ provides a good value for $16. To a newcomer to Suika, it’s a good way to get a sense of their menu offerings. Usual dishes are priced at $7ish, so you do save money.

You can purchase the Silly Me Suika Dining Package at VANEATS.ca for $16, there’s only 50 available, so get it fast! Starts October 1st and is redeemable till the end of the month!

Words of Wisdom: