Japanese Archives - Page 16 of 20

In Japanese

Yamato Sushi: $5.95 Sushi Special Combos

September 24, 2011

After a night of 2 back to back yoga sessions, CanuckGirl and I went to Yamato Sushi for some cheap eats. They are known for their cheap affordable sushi combos and bento boxes.

They have very limited seating, so take-out is quite popular. You could easily just take out and eat at a nearby park as well. The seats are in 2’s and 4’s so it’s not meant for large groups.

Just looking at their menu, there is nothing over $8, unless it’s a party tray. Great for students and people on a tight budget!

The other items that are ala carte are still cheap!

Tuna and Salmon Combo ($7.45) comes with tuna maki roll, salmon maki roll, 2 salmon nigiri and 2 tuna nigiri. You also get miso soup on the side. The sashimi was fresh and it satisfied my cravings of raw fish.

It’s not the best put together rolls as you can see the non uniformity of the maki rolls.

The miso soup that comes with all combos is pretty average, nothing spectacular. Nothing to complain about either.

Sushi Special A ($5.95) has tuna maki, california roll, yam tempura roll, salad and miso soup. This is an even better deal than the salmon and tuna combo. You get way more food and for much cheaper!

All the rolls are well made really good for the price. CanuckGirl likes this place because it’s cheap and you can’t beat their prices.

The salad that comes with this combo is your usual salad with the citrus sauce on top. If you do take out, you won’t get the salad.

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 Four Beakers

Sushiyama: Cheap + Amazing Bento Boxes

September 17, 2011

InsecureGirl and I were itching to eat before we had to go to a friends party Downtown, so we decided to check out Sushiyama, I’ve heard their ebi sunomono was huge and people keep telling me to go.

The owners of Sushiyama are Korean, so don’t expect this to be super authentic. It seems like its a trend for Koreans to open up Japanese Restaurants for some reason.

Deluxe Yama Box ($12.95) comes with miso soup, assorted sashimi, ebi sunomono, gyoza, tempura and spicy tuna roll. For the price that you pay, its a really good deal

The miso soup is similar to most restaurants with the addition of the green onion.

The ebi sunomo is probably the best I have had in a while. This is because of their larger pieces of ebi. They are still not the best ebi, but it makes the sunomono much appealing to devour.

The assorted tempura is lightly battered and had the yummy “crunch” when you bite into it. I think if they added a little bit more salt, the flavours of the ebi and vegetables would pop out more.

The Gyoza is deep fried and comes with 2 pieces for this combo.

The assorted sashimi comes with 2 of each type – tuna, salmon, red snapper and toro. Good sized pieces and they were really good!

The spicy tuna roll was cut up Korean style…like how they cut the Kimbap. It had a good amount of spicy sauce added to the tuna , it is them complemented by the cucumbers and avocado to tone down the heat. Very enjoyable!

In addition to the Combo, we ordered Grilled Black Cod. I forgot what the price was, but it was definitely under $10. InsecureGirl wanted this because it just melts in your mouth! I had it a few time before at other restaurants and it still pretty good here! The meat is very tender and a bit oily.

Overall, the food was decent and it was cheap! The downside is that this place is PACKED and service is quite mediocre. If you can handle that, then you should be alright.

Words of Wisdom:

Very cheap and affordable
Mediocre service
Long Lines
Best to go in 2’s if you hate to wait. the larger the group, the long it will take
Bento boxes are of great value if you want to try a bit of everything

We Rate Sushiyama:

Address:
371 E Broadway
Vancouver, BC

In Gastown

Guu Gastown: Guu’d Food

September 13, 2011

My goal in life is to go to every single Guu in the world! Hopefully that can be achieved in my lifetime….which may be hard since locations keep popping up around the world. Today, my adventures brought me to Guu Gastown for a friends “catch up” dinner.

Even though I put down reservations, we still had to wait in line. I came prepared and came a bit early to make sure we didn’t have to wait too long.

We got seated at their large window…my this wasn’t too bad of a view but it did get colder once the night rolled in. For the people attending the dinner that didn’t know where it was…its a fun idea to scream out the window so they know where Guu Gastown is. Keep in mind, that would be very embarrassing if others started looking at you.

The menu is similar on most days, but they also have a fresh sheet too.

You know me, Sapporo is a must at Guu. We ordered 2 pitchers and they have the tall Sapporo glasses. Yum!

Tako Wasa ($3.50) is marinated cooked octopus with wasabi and its served with sides of roasted seaweed. This is not a dish for everyone. If you hate wasabi, best to avoid. I love this dish because wasabi give your face a nice kick. I am not a big fan of wasabi, but I quite enjoy it in this form with the octopus.

Ebi Mayo ($7.80) are deep fried prawns in a crispy batter with spicy mayo. I really don’t like ebi mayo battered like this. It’s a bit thick and I think the other Guu’s make it better.

Takoyaki ($4.80) are deep fried battered octopus balls with tonkatsu sauce, wasabi mayo, mustard mayo, bonito flakes and dried seaweeed.

It’s pretty good and comes with 5 pieces. So much better than night market!

Saba with Garlic Herb ($7.20) is soy sauce + olive oil grilled mackerel with garlic chips, bill, peppers, herbs, lemon and onions.

I find the best part about this are the garlic chips! The saba has no bones, so it’s great for children!

Guu Tataki ($6.20) is seared beef sashimi with ponzu sauce, garlic chips and green onions. There’s really nothing I can say about this dish since its so delicious!

Eel Cutlet and Egg ($7.20) is deep fried panko breaded eel with kabayaki sauce, topped with a soft egg and japanese peppers. I’ve never had anything like this and CandiedZen and I just thought this dish was fabulous. The crunchiness of the fried eel matches with the soft gooey egg.

Sashimi Salad ($8.20), I was not very impressed by…but it did still taste good.

Guu Yakiudon ($7.50) is pan fried udon with beef, green onions and mushrooms topped with bonito flakes and dried seaweed. Always one of the most delicious dishes!

Overall, the choices on the menu were pretty good. I like how all the Guu’s have similar items, but are executed a bit differently. You really can’t get bored of the different Guu chains. After trying the Gastown location, I still prefer Guu Garden and Guu Garlic.

Words of Wisdom:

Yakiudon, eel cutlet and egg, beef tataki recommended
Very busy during the evenings
Best to get reservations
Closest Skytrain: Waterfront

We Rate Guu Gastown:
Address:

375 Water St
Vancouver, BC

Website:

www.guu-izakaya.com/gastown.html

Twitter:

@GuuIzakaya

In Coquitlam

Sushi California: Cheap & Affordable

September 11, 2011

After a long day, Monster, ConsultingGirl and I headed to Sushi California to grab some cheap sushi. I’ve been here before, but its still one of those go to places for decent cheap food.

The lines were starting to pile up and they wanted to seat the 3 of us at a 2 person table, but was very very cramped. They were quite hesitant to give us a table of 4 since they know they could seat more people soon. With a little bit of negotiating, the waitress let us sit at a table of 4 instead.

Here is a shot of their menu. They have the usual items and it’s not an overly complicated list.

The combos are pretty well priced too.

Seafood Salad ($5.95) looked very disappointing! it came with a bed of glass noodles, lettuce, cucumbers, and carrots. It is topped with octopus, 2 stick of imitation crab meat, slice of smoked salmon, piece of ebi and wasabi mayo.

This was really not what I was expecting. When did salad come with a bunch of noodles?

The salad also came with a huge side of salad dressing. With the noodles, the salad was a bit soggy to begin with, but the amount of salad dressing was way too much. We only added a little bit to it.

The salad didn’t taste good either. I would never order this again.

Salmon Sashimi (Half Order – $5.50) is a good item to order. It is sliced nice and thick so you get your moneys worth!

Chicken Karrage ($3.95) comes with 6 pieces and was very moist inside.

Spicy Salmon ($2.95) is not on the menu, but Monster didn’t like tuna, so she asked them to substitute and they were able to. It comes with 8 pieces and has enough spice to give your mouth a tingle.

California Roll ($2.95) has the usual imitation crab and avocados. It also comes with 8 pieces.

Chopped Scallop ($3.95) was pretty good and comes with 8 pieces. Similar to most sushi joints.

Spider Roll ($6.95) comes with 6 pieces and has cucumber, lettuce and fried soft shell crab inside.

Overall, this is not the best Japanese restaurant in Coquitlam. It just has cheap affordable sushi. You really get what you pay for. The service is not that great and this place is usually packed.

Words of Wisdom:

Good Prices
Horrible service
Very busy during peak hours
Take Out option

We rate Sushi California:

Address:

501A North Road in Coquitlam, BC

In Japanese

Kimura: Changes in Portion Sizes Makes Me Sad

September 3, 2011

It’s always a good end to a day by having a delicious Japanese dinner with friends. Since Fabo is leaving soon to the east coast, she wanted to come here to eat their crispy rice. I came with her before, but I guess it was time for a revisit since it’s been a few month, who knows what has changed.

2L Asahi ($27) was their only option. They didn’t have any pitchers, so we had to get this. I dont think they have anything on tap, so most of their alcohol is just bought from the store.

Hakutsuru Sake ($21) is a cold bottled sake you would also find at any liquor store. I’m not exactly sure why M chose this sake, but I guess he wanted to try something different since he always just orders the hot sake.

Chicken Curry ($11.50) comes with the side of curry, rice and chicken cutlet. M enjoyed this since it really brought him back to the days when he visited Japan. This dish is pretty large, so don’t order too many dishes.

Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice ($4.50) is much smaller than I remember! It has pureed spicy tuna sit on top of a piece of lettuce and on a circle of fried crunchy flavoured rice. It is also garnished with jalapeno, and various sauces. I think there are now 70% of their original size. It was still good, but it was just so disappointing to see it so big, to being so small.

Oyster shooter ($3.50) usually comes with the omakase, but I didn’t want to spent $30 to just have it in my meal, so I asked for an order of it and it was totally fine! It has quail egg on top, oyster on the bottom with ponzu and soy sauce mixture. I am not exactly sure what was 100% in the shooter, but it didn’t taste too bad. Just remember to mix it before drinking.

Everyone else at my table just stared at me as I drank this. They thought it was the strangest thing in the world.

They had a Black Cod Special ($19.50) that comes with grilled black cod, tempura, sashimi, yakitori, kobachi, rice and miso soup! I thought it was a pretty good deal since you get to try so many different items.

The miso soup is always my favorite since it has more than just the water, paste and green onions, He ads some tofu curds into it the soup so there is more texture.

Kobachi just means little dish. It has cucumbers and conch (I think). I’m not 100% sure, but it kinda tasted like it. It was a refreshing dish.

The Assorted Tempura had a light coating of the tempura batter and was nicely fried. What I like about their ebi is how they salt it a little but before battering. When you bite into it, you can taste more the of ebi and it really stands out.

Yakitori in this special comes with 2 skewers. One with chicken and bits of wasabi and mushroom and peppers. Their yakitori is pretty good! I think there might have been cheese wrapped around both of these. Yum!

The sashimi has salmon and tuna. Very thin sliced delicate pieces. I prefer my sashimi small because you can really taste the quality and favours of it.

Black Cod is the main dish of the combo and I have never had black cod till now! It is the most delicious delicate fish you will ever have. It is so fatty that it literally just melts in your mouth!

Another good experience at Kimura, it’s also good to note that some portions of items have changed. Spicy tuna Crispy rice…why couldn’t you have stayed the same size. I guess thats why revisits are good. Fabo was disappointed by the size too since she expected the size to be the same. Despite that little change, we all had a good time…and they way you can tell that is when the bill is over $200…for 6 people… ouch!

Words of Wisdom:

Grilled Black Cod and yakitori is delicious
They now accept reservation again!
Parking in front or in residential areas
Customizable dishes, order off the menu
Sushi is not very good
Best to stick with combos and special to get the bang out of your buck

We rate Kimura Japanese Restaurant:

Website: http://www.sushikimura.com/

Address:

3883 Rupert Street
Vancouver, BC

In Downtown

Japadog Restaurant: Novelty Has Worn Off

September 1, 2011

I have to admit, when I heard they opened up a Japadog shop, I wasn’t very keen on visiting. I mean, they do serve up really unique Japanese inspired hotdogs, but no more street eating culture. I just find the best part of eating Japadog is just sitting on concrete steps and trying to fend off the rain.

For the others, the Japadog restaurant is great for people who just want to stay indoors and sit on some real chairs. The restaurant isn’t very large, so there is still very limited seating. Most people just do take out.

I came here with MedicalGiraffe and MedicalDog when they came to visit. She wanted to show him the world famous Japanese Hot Dog.

You order at the counter on the left and then you can pick up from the right side.

They have many options to their menu. The main one above the cashier has the usual japadog, sweet japadogs, ice cream japadogs and the shake fries.

Near the door is another menu, where they have additional items and substitutions such as vegetarian options.

Here are all 3 of the Japadogs that we ordered – Oroshi, Terimayo, and Okonomi.

Terimayo ($4.75) has a beef hotdog with mayonaise, teriyaki sauce and shreds of dried seaweed. This is probably the most popular Japadog. The bun is toasted on the outside, and you can tell by the grill marks. MedicalDog thought it was good! He thought it was pretty unique and is nowhere to be found in the States.

If you really want to be cheap, you can also remake it at home. very simple and easy.

Okonomi ($6.25) has Kurobuta Pork Sausage with mayo and bonito flakes. “Okonomi” means “what you want”, which if funny for this Japadog because the toppings are already preset.

MedicalGiraffe thought it was alright, but didn’t taste as good as a few years go. Perhaps the novelty of the Japadog wore off for her.

Since I was doing Meatless Mondays with a few people on Twitter, I really had to try my best to not eat meat. So, I just substituted the normal bratwurst sausage with a veggie sausage.

Oroshi with Veggie Dog ($4.74) has a veggie sausage with radish and some light sauce with green onion on top. The bun for this one was slightly different, it seemed to be oiled and then grilled. The taste was alright, every time I eat this, I do feel a bit healthier since I am eating vegetables.

Butter + Shoyu Shaked Fries ($2.39) is the most popular shake fries, but I was very disappointed. It just tasted like McDonalds fries and looked like them too. The flavour of the butter and Shoyu were very very subtle. I actually didn’t full taste it until, I picked up a large clump of the butter and shoyu in the bottom of the bag.

Shichimi & Garlic Shaked Fries ($2.39) were really good! You coud actually taste the seasoning compared to the Butter + Shoyu!

They also have a curry flavour of shake fries too and that flavour is pretty popular as well!

Overall, I found the Japadogs not as exciting when it comes from the restaurant. The food is pretty average, but people eat it for the novelty of it because it is THE Japadog! My relatives from Hong Kong heard about it on the news and just had to get one when they visited. A lot of people have differing opinions about it, but if you love a good hot dog with crazy toppings, come here to Japadog.

Words of Wisdom:

Limited Seating
Under $10
Closest Skytrain: Granville or City Centre
Curry Shake Fries and Shichimi + Garlic Shake Fries are worth a try

We Rate Japadog:

Address:

530 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.japadog.com

In Coquitlam

Fuji Sushi: Your Friendly Neighbourhood Japanese Restaurant

August 26, 2011

Since I live near the Lougheed area, I wanted to try something different with M, BusanGirl and PoliceMan. I was tired of the usual Korean and Japanese Restaurants in the area, so I did a bit of research to find Fuji Sushi. I’ve never heard of this place before and it seems like it’s a local favorite for the people in the Burquitlam area.

When we arrived, the place was packed and there were also a few people in line. They have 2 bigger areas in the back for larger groups and everything else seats 1, 2 or 4. If you do come here with a large group of 4+, it’s best to make a reservation just so you don’t have to wait in line, or have awkward seating.

When we arrived, it took us a while to get our seat. As we were waiting, we actually considered perhaps just going elsewhere, but as we began to walk away, our table became available.

The menu has the usual items you would find in a Japanese restaurant. The prices are decent, but they are slightly higher than other places.

Since I found out that I passed my Finance course at SFU, I really needed a drink to relieve all the stress.

I had to get a bottle of Sapporo to celebrate! I thought it was funny how they gave me a Kirin glass to go with it. It boggles your mind when you drink from it.

M got his usual warm house sake. I don’t think we ever know what brand or type of sake we get. He loves sake no matter what brand or type.

Katsudon ($8.50) has a fried pork cutlet with egg, onions, green onions and pickled diakon. M thought it was quite average, but it wasn’t bad or anything like that.

Dinner Box – Sashimi Combo ($14.50) is comes with tuna and salmon sashimi, beef teriyaki, tempura, grilled salmon, fruit, garden salad, rice and miso soup. BusanGirl and PoliceMan shared this since they both weren’t too hungry. They enjoyed everything, but they did not take a liking towards the grilled salmon.

Miso soup that comes with the combo is just normal. Miso soup isn’t complicated since it’s just mixing water with miso paste. It’s just your standard miso soup with green onions.

Fried Oyster ($4) came with 3 pieces. They are medium sized oysters that are breaded and fried. The oysters were pretty good with a crunchy thin crust. It also tasted quite fresh as well.

California Roll ($2.50) has tobiko, artificial crab meat and avocados. It was alright, but it’s not the best.

Spicy Tuna Roll ($3.75) has a large chunk of tuna sashimi with green onions and spicy sauce. I liked this because even though the spicy sauce isn’t mixed into the tuna, they add enough sauce around it that there is enough spiciness.

Overall, it’s a decent place to go to. It might just be equivalent to California Sushi.

Words of Wisdom:

Bento Boxes are good value
Good fresh quality sashimi
Line ups at peak hours, make reservations
Decent Service

We Rate Fuji Sushi:

Address:

526 Clarke Rd
Coquitlam, BC V3J

Website:
www.fujisushi.com

In Commercial Drive / Grandview

Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen: Great Addition to The Drive

August 22, 2011

My sister found a new Japanese place on Commercial Drive called Kishimoto that serves up sushi and different izakaya dishes. Since I just adore Japanese food to death, I dragging M to come eat with me.

There are a few other Japanese Restaurants on Commercial Drive and at first we accidentally went to the wrong place. It looked nothing like Kishimoto, but it had a similar name. M thought I took him to a crappy place, but we just went to the wrong place. We felt super bad to be leaving, so we just grabbed our stuff and quickly said “umm errr we have to go”. As we walked infront of Kishimoto, our eyes just lit up.

Their interior is quite dark, so it gives it a bit of a romantic intimate vibe. The servers were really nice!

I can’t live without beer, so I got a bottle of Kirin. Kirin isn’t as good as Sapporo or Asahi.

Ebi Chili Mayo ($9.75) comes with 5 pieces of the battered and fried prawns with chili mayo sauce. The prawns were beautifully butterflied so you can taste more of the natural taste of the prawn . I loved how the mayo is on the side since I really don’t like my ebi mayo doused in the sauce.

What I found was that even though this dish is good, it is quite pricey for just 5 pieces.

Sockeye Salmon Ishinabe ($14) is rice and sockeye salmon sashimi with a bunch of other ingredients in a 450 degree stone bowl. This reminded me of the Korean bibimbap, but with a Japanese twist. You need to leave the ingredients in the bowl until the bottom gets crispy. I love the crispy rice, so I let it sit there for awhile.

For the price, you wont’ get super full from the dish. It also tasted really good, but quite pricey.

My favorite dishes were probably the sushi! It comes with such a lovely presentation! It has a tea light candle in the center with red currants. Red currants are currently in season, so its a perfect garnish.

They do little things on the dish that just impresses me. They even turned bits of carrot into a butterfly!

Kishimoto Roll ($5.95) has scallop, salmon, radish sprouts, wrapped in rice and soy paper. It was really good!!! It’s probably one of the best sushi’s I’ve had in a while. Its the type of sushi that requires no soy sauce and the flavours really just shine through. It was not super dense and it was really just perfect.

Little Princess Roll ($7.95) has oba leaf, cream cheese, unagi, mayo wrapped in rice and inari. This roll even has edamame eyes! The roll just melts in your mouth and you really just fall in love with the combination of unagi and cream cheese.

Overall, M and I fell in love with their sushi! We did like the other items, but they got pretty pricey. You really need to look and choose the items carefully on the menu or else you will break your wallet. The quality of the food is amazing and I will probably come here again for their sushi.

Words of Wisdom:

Kishimoto Roll is a must order!
Prices are slightly high on certain items
dark intimate atmosphere
Great service
Free parking in residential areas

We Rate Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen:

Address:

2054 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pages/Kishimoto…

View Larger Map

Vancouver

In Japanese

Yami Sushi Japanese Restaurant: Served with a Side of Hair

August 20, 2011

The @SFUSMN crew were having a car wash on Granville and we got super hungry after washing cars and ever large trucks. We went to a few other restaurants and discovered a lot of them only take cash. Seeing that we like to rely on plastic, we found this little restaurant called Yami Sushi Japanese Restaurant. They serve up your usual items at a sushi restaurant.

The interior is quite small and can seat up to a maximum of 4 per table. They only had about 3 tables, so it really doesn’t fit a lot of people.

Their menu is above so you can check out their full selection.

Sake Don ($9.99) has no sake whatsoever! Sake = Wild salmon sashimi. It comes in a bowl of rice with 6 slices of wild salmon sashimi on top. M loved the texture and taste of the wild salmon and its better than the regular orange one. This dish is very simple, so you may want to add a bit of soy sauce if you want a bit of taste.

Toro Sashimi (5pcs – $6.99) was really good. Melt in your mouth goodness!

Wild Sockeye Salmon Sashimi (5pcs – $7.99) is probably their specialty. It was good on the don and it was good on its own!

You are probably reading this whole article and wondering, where is this hair that she speaks of. It was in their Green salad ($3.50). In the picture above it looks quite innocent…has avocados, cucumbers, apple, tomatoes and mayo.

As you dig further, this hair can be revealed embedded between the lettuce. At first I thought it was mine, but upon further inspection, it was well embedded in the salad and not just fallen on top. I alerted the waitress and they made a fresh bowl without the hair.

The new salad was not very good. I didn’t like the mayo sauce that they had on top. I expected to have a citrus sauce on top instead of a mayo sauce. It’s my pet peeve to see mayo on salads…really not my thing.

Overall, they do have great sashimi, but items like the bento boxes are rather decent. The service was quite slow too, which was funny since it is a small restaurant. There were only 6 of us, so its a manageable size.

Words of Wisdom:

Good Sashimi
Green salad is not good
Slow service
Decent prices
Free parking on road and adjacent roads

We Rate Yami sushi:
Address:

8051 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC

In Izakaya

Electric Owl Social Club: Surprising Asian Inspired Menu

August 16, 2011

It was @wongers birthday and she decided to have it at the Electric Owl. The name of the place sounded very interesting, seemed more like a pub/lounge to me. Since we went there early and it was fireworks night, this place was pretty much desserted except for our large group and some other people.

They serve up items you would see at an izakaya place. This place really confused me because there were chopsticks and most items on the menu didn’t match the look of this place. Their Japanese style snacks are prepared by a Vietnamese chef in an izakaya-inspired room and a live band.

Their whole philosophy is that, like great drinks and creative food, good is always better when there’s more.

There are 2 bars, a large stage, an open dancing area in the middle and lots of seating around the restaurant. Its actually great for large birthdays where you want to have food and drinks. Usually there is nightly entertainment, so there isn’t a need to go elsewhere if you want to party.

On all the tables are the Japanese-like ceramic cups with napkins and chopsticks.

Since the menu was so Japanese, I decided a Sapporo (Pint – $5.30) was a must. Straight from the tap and it comes in the tall glass.

Spicy-cured Beef Tataki ($7.90) is seared NY steak spiced with togarashi seasoning with greens and mayo. The cut of beef was really nice, but I felt that the dish did not have the spice I was looking for. It was not at all spicy. The mayo did not work very well with the beef since it does not give your pallet a good clean feeling compared to the traditional ponzu sauce.

If you are going to get this dish, you might as well go to Guu or any other Izakaya to get the traditional item with ponzu sauce.

Karaage Chicken ($6.90) is deep fried chicken seasoned in soy sauce. It is topped off with leeks and has a side of mayo. M said it was alright, but he wasn’t full from just one dish. You probably need to order about 2 dishes to get full.

Drunken Ebi Mayo ($7.80) is sake-marinated, deep-fried prawns with mayo cocktail sauce. It was alright, but anything out of the ordinary. I liked the side of the cocktail sauce since some other places like to just douse it all in the sauce.

Owl Poutine ($6.20) has fries with teriyaki gravy, cheese curd, green onions, nori, and mayo. You can also add bacon for $1.60. This is one of their popular dishes. It tastes really good!

Matcha Rice Pudding ($4.30) is creamy matcha-infused rice pudding. I liked it even though the presentation is not that exciting. It’s not very heavy and a great light dessert to finish off your meal.

Ice Cream agemono ($5.30) is deep-fried phyllo-wrapped vanilla ice cream with fresh fruit and green tea compote. It tasted alright, but it melted pretty quickly.

Overall, the food is really not the main attraction. It’s a good venue to just chill with your friends and have a drink. They always have large special events, so great social place. Even though their website advertises 2 for 1 ‘appy hour’ from 5pm – 7pm, we didn’t get it. Perhaps it was because we were in a large group.

Words of Wisdom:

Large amount of items are not available on their menu anymore. No brunch, No Bubbletea.
Customizable drinks and super nice bartenders
Lots of large events
Reservations for large groups
Owl Poutine is a must
Free parking in rear
Closest Skytrain: Main

We Rate Electric Owl:

Address:

928 Main Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.electricowl.ca

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/ElectricOwlSocialClub

Twitter: @electricowl_ca

In Japanese

Nao Sushi: Disappointing Food and Service

August 11, 2011

It was another sushi adventure with M and Fabo. After our final exam, we wanted some sushi in the Metrotown area and found Nao Sushi. People in the area rave about this place and their good food, so I wanted to see if it is really as good as people say. They sell similar items to other restaurants like Sushi Town, Sushi California and Sushi Garden.

At first glance this place looked really large and all the seats were filled so it must be a popular place.

Indeed, the inside was full of people. It took the servers a while to get us a seat, even though there was an empty table right in front of us. Throughout the night, the service was not that great and our tea cups grew empty.

Sashimi salad ($7.95) has mixed greens, salmon, seared tuna, ebi, and tako with citrus sauce and crispy wonton crisps on top. The top half of the salad was good, but the rest of it was very soggy at the bottom. There was a lot of liquid and it probably came from the excess water from washing the vegetables.

A plus is that there is a good amount of sashimi with this salad.

Gyoza ($3.50) comes with 5 pieces and was very plain. It seems like this was just pre-frozen and just boiled in water. It’s really not worth what you pay and you can get the same quality by buying the frozen gyozas from T&T.

Veggie tempura ($4.20) was disappointing. It wasn’t cooked well enough so some of the vegetables were very tough to eat… especially for the carrots and yams.

Salmon Sashimi ($9.80) has 7 pieces and was uniformly cut. Nothing wrong with this. The salmon sashimi was slightly more expensive than usual places.

Chopped Scallop Roll ($4.25) was alright, nothing too special at all.

Spicy Tuna Roll ($3.25) was a big disappointment, it has a bit of cucumber and tuna, but it lacked the spicy flavour that makes it a spicy tuna roll.

Sound Trap Roll ($8.50) was delicious. M really liked the sesame on top of the roll and it gives it a nice texture. The inside was deep fried eel and cream cheese, since he is a fan of cream cheese, he loved it. I had a few of them and it was really good!

The prices of some items were reasonable. For the dinner time, the bento boxes seemed very very expensive. I wasn’t too impressed by Nao Sushi and we all didn’t have a good impression either.

Words of Wisdom:

Free parking on adjacent streets
Well priced
Some items poorly executed
Slow mediocre service
Good Sashimi

We Rate Nao Sushi:

Address:

7060 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC

Website:
www.naosushi.com

In Hastings-Sunrise

Blowfish Japanese Restaurant: Best Bento Boxes

August 10, 2011

Blowfish Japanese Restaurant is located a few blocks away from PNE/Playland on Hastings. This small little Japanese restaurant is a favourite amongst the residents in the area. They have amazing priced Japanese food that won’t break your wallet.

Seating is quite limited they have about 6 tables that seat either 4 or 2 people. Most people who come in do take out especially during the peak hours.

I started with the House Salad ($4). It is a very simple salad with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, crispy wonton-like topping with ponzu sauce. It was good a refreshing like how a salad should be.

I’ve been to other japanese restaurants with horrible salads, but this one is good!

Crazy Buster Roll ($11) has crunchy tuna stick wrapped with tuna sashimi and avocado, drizzled with spicy mayo and tobiko. It’s a bit expensive for just a roll.

The roll was pretty good, but I really could not feel the “crunchy” texture of the roll from the tuna. It was probably masked by the rice. The tuna felt a bit dry and it might have been better if it they lightly seared the tuna instead. The spicy mango sauce was nice and it was very subtle and it won’t hurt you. Good roll, but expensive!

Dragon Roll ($12) has 2 prawn tempura & daikon sprouts wrapped with slices of grilled eel & avocado. Yet again, the specialty rolls are expensive!

The taste was also very good! Delicious combination of the eel and tempura. I really like the little tobiko on top since it reminds me of mini dragon balls. They also make crunchy noises when you bite down on them.

Deluxe Bento Box ($12.95) comes with your choice of Chicken, Beef, Salmon or Tofu Teriyaki. Also Ebi, Tako or Vegetable Sunomono Soup with Tempura, Chicken Karaage, California Roll, Green Salad.

This box is super cheap and it worth every penny! It’s equivalent to the specialty rolls, which I found very funny.

The Miso Soup is nothing special. It’s the same stuff you would get anywhere else.

The sunomono we chose was the tako sunomono. It has 2 thick slices of tako, which is octopus. Very good like the ones you would find else where. I like how they give you many choices so you are not just stuck with the ebi sunomono like most restaurants.

The california roll was nicely put together and it did not fall apart. It has imitation crab and avocado inside.

The chicken karrage was good as well. Moist inside and not over cooked. I love this fatty addition to any bento box!

The green salad is different than the house salad. It is mostly lettuce with a citrus sauce.

We chose the salmon teriyaki since its different than the usual chicken or beef. M did not take a liking to this since it was very very salty. Perhaps it was just the way they cooked it..or they accidentally added too much salt.

The tempura was assorted, so you get a few vegetables and ebi.

Overall, pretty good items and large selection on their menu. The best deal from Blowfish are the bento boxes! All the ingredients seem pretty fresh and we were quite impressed by our visit.

Words of Wisdom:

Take Out + Delivery
Very affordable Bento boxes
Expensive specialty sushi rolls
Free parking in parking lot of adjacent roads

We Rate Blowfish:

Address:

Suite 107-2828 E. Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.blowfish101.com

In Cafe

Sajin’s Green Tea Cafe: Best Matcha Green Tea Latte

August 3, 2011

Last week I checked out Sajin’s Green Tea Cafe. I was meaning to visit here a while ago after seeing a post by Janice of Goodeat.ca . The Green Tea Latte looked super good, so I just had to try it out! It is located pretty close to Chapters Downtown, but I was always too lazy to walk all the way there.

They serve up some really really super cheap lunch and beverages like tea and coffee.

The large latte ($3.20) was good. I think a large was way too big for my daily caffeine allowance.I think next time, I will stick with a small. I get jittery if I have too much.

Large Green Tea Latte ($3.20) was SO good! It’s not even comparable to any other cafe I’ve been to. They use quality matcha to get the bright vibrate green color and the taste is amazing. It was a mixture of milk and syrup, so it wasn’t too sweet nor overly milky. I really enjoyed this and no wonder this is their signature drink!

Also, after 2pm, the medium green tea lattes become $2! Good deal!

Overall, I enjoyed the rest of the green tea latte at my desk. It’s 5 blocks away from my office, but I totally have no problem using my entire 15 minute break to sprint there and sprint back just for the latte. After going here, I have actually abandoned Starbucks and Cafe Artigiano for hot drinks.

Words of Wisdom:

Matcha Green Tea Latte!
$2 Medium Green Tea Latte after 2pm
Cheap lunch specials

We Rate Sajin Green Tea Cafe:

Address:

110 – 840 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
sajinsgreentea.blog6.fc2.com

#tidal

In Japanese

Makoto Japanese Restaurant: South Burnaby Sushi Joint

July 31, 2011

Makoto is a Japanese restaurant in the Burnaby South area on Royal Oak and Rumble. I don’t normally go close to this area, but M wanted a short dinner meeting with ScarFace, ChinaHat and AwkwardGirl.

They are one of the top Japanese restaurants in the Burnaby South area, so I wanted to see if it was as good as people say. They sell the usual Japanese dishes you would see at any other restaurant.

The interior is not too big but they can configure the tables so they can sit 10 people. If you are doing this, you probably want to call ahead of time.

They have sashimi, nigiri, rice, soup salads, donburi, noodles, agemono, teriyaki, rolls and other combos.

M ordered the Chicken Yakisoba ($8.50). Yakisoba is fried Japanese noodles and their version includes snap peas, eggs, carrots, and onions. Topped with pickled red ginger and dried seaweed.

ScarFace ordered the Beef Yakisoba ($8.50), which is exactly the same but with different meat. They came way way later than all our meals. Tasted really good, but took way too long to arrive at the table.

AwkwardGirl and I shared the Dinner Combo A ($25.95) It comes with tempura, california roll, salmon roll, nigiri and beef teriyaki. You also get 2 of sunomono, miso soup and rice.

The miso soup is just the regular you would find at other places, they don’t add much to it.

The Sunomono has plenty of shrimp, which I like! Otherwise, nothing else is different about this dish.

The Tempura, which is the appetizer size was really good. It has the usual vegetables and 2 ebi and had a good amount of batter and crispiness.

The salmon and the california rolls were pretty good and well put together.

The 4 pieces of nigiri – salmon, tuna, ebi and tamago. They were quite decent, but the pieces on top are not as large as other places such as Sushi Town.

The beef teriyaki was really really good! It was thinly sized and has a very delicious sauce. The downside is that it was pretty small. The green salad on the side had a nice light citrus sauce and it was also good.

Overall, the food was pretty good. We found that the service was a bit slow and it would have been better if some peoples dishes arrived closer together rather than 10 or even 15 minutes apart.

Words of Wisdom:

Cash Only
Slow and mediocre service
Yakisoba is good!

We Rate Makoto Japanese Restaurant:

Address:

5213 Rumble St
Burnaby, BC

In Japanese

Hi Genki: Dining In An Old Folks Home

July 30, 2011

Located inside the Nikkei Home near Middlegate Mall on Kingsway is an assisted living home for seniors. Of all places, I would not have expected a Japanese restaurant would be inside here. Hi Genki is owned by Fujiya and operated within the Nikkei Home. They sell traditional Japanese food to the public as well as their senior residences.

M took ConsultingGirl and I here since he heard the food was really good.

Trying to figure out how to park your car is a bit confusing at first. Just drive into their underground parking lot, which has complementary parking. Follow the signs in the parkade and walk up the stairs till you see the front of the Nikkei Home. Then walk through the main entrance beside the receptionist to get to Hi Genki. It’s not too complicated, so you won’t get lost.

Their hours are a bit strange, so they are not always open all the time. Not exactly sure if “Sun-Sat” means the whole week or just Sunday and Saturday for lunch, so just call them to make sure.

They have a few special dishes that are layed out at the entrance. Don’t forget to grab a peak at all the dishes just in case something catches your eye. Plus, you will know what you are ordering before hand!

Their regular menu is in a booklet and their specials are on a hand written menu.

The Salmon Sashimi ($4.95) are the normal ones you would find at any sushi joint but was really nicely sliced. It’s not very large, but it is something light and refreshing.

Tonkatsu Donburi ($6.95) is deep fried breaded pork cutlet with egg. This was pretty large and had a lot of rice, you will get full. M really liked it.

Satsuma Curry ($8.95). has fish cake with curry sauce. The fish cake looked super cool and is embedded with carrots and other thin vegetables.

Deluxe Genki Box ($12.50) has salmon sashimi, assorted tempura, chicken teriyaki, rice and miso soup.

The salmon sashimi is the same as the one above. I really like sashimi because its very clean tasting compared to cooked salmon. The assorted tempura had the usual vegetables, but it was not the crispiest we have had. We found the chicken teriyaki to be a bit sweet for our liking. Plus, the size of the teriyaki was quite small and not as tender and moist as other places. Looked a bit burnt too.

The bento box was just ok, but nothing amazing.

Green Tea Ice Cream ($2.95) was yummy and it had a subtle green tea taste. This is probably the usual green tea ice cream of any other restaurant, I doubt they make it themselves.

The Mango Ice Cream ($2.95) was good as well, but it was more sweet than the green tea. I had a bit of both of the ice creams and after eating the mango, the green tea was over powered but the mango. The green tea was hard to taste.

M ordered the Ice Cream Cake ($2.95). It is basically not the “ice cream cake” you usually think of, but a roll cake with ice cream on top.

Overall, the food was good and quite affordable. It was quite interesting dining in such an unusual location.

Words of Wisdom:

Salmon Sashimi is good!
Very Affordable
Free Underground Parking

We Rate Hi Genki:

Address:

6680 Southoaks Cres
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.fujiya.ca/aboutFujiya/hiGenkiRestaurant.asp

In Four Beakers

G-Be Izakaya: Dragon Ball Z Inspired Sushi

July 18, 2011

The last time I was here, they were still doing a soft opening. After many many many month, they finally fully opened. Since M and I were not super hungry, we decided to grab a few dishes since we were in the area. G-Be Izakaya, as the name suggests it’s an izakaya restaurant serving up Japanese tapas.

The interior was still the same and is very very calming in here. It’s not very noisy compared to places like Guu or Hapa Izakaya. It’s a good place … for the older generation or people who want a quiet place to dine.

The menu has dramatically changed since last time. There are way more choices and includes pictures.

Tea still isn’t free, so you have to pay for it. I got the genmaicha green tea ($1.25). You get refills of your pot so it’s not too too bad.

Ebi Mayo ($7.50) was ok, but not the best I’ve had. I really don’t like how it was drenched in mayo. It really overpowers the delicate taste and texture of the shrimp.

Tori Kara ($6.00) is deep fried chicken covered in a rice crisp. The chicken is incredibly moist as usual. I really did not like the salty seasoning that comes with the dish. It was much better with a miso/sesame sauce like last time.

Salmon and Multi-grain Rice Croquette ($7.00). It’s a deep fried salmon and rice ball with a tonkatsu sauce. It’s actually pretty good and tastes super healthy with the multi-grain rice. Unlike the usual potato croquette, the rice does capture a lot of flavour from the salmon.

Dragon Ball “G” ($12) has eel inside the purple rice, covered in avocado and the signature soy-milk croquette on top. It also has a ceasar sauce on the side too. We really enjoyed this roll because it was named after the popular Japanese anime – Dragon Ball Z.

The sushi itself is not that incredible, but it’s really about the croquette on top. It kinda has a texture like mozzarella inside. The roll is quite expensive for what you get, but at least you can eat this and reminisce about the TV show.

Overall, it was good unique food as usual, but it did cost us a bunch for 2 drinks and 4 dishes. Since it’s located at the Grand Villa Casino, maybe thats why the prices are so high. Made me want to gamble a bit before eating dinner, but I know I always lose.

Words of Wisdom:

Free Parking
Most dishes under $10
Healthy ingredients
Expensive compared to Guu
Unique dishes

We Rate G-Be Izakaya :

Address:

4331 Dominion St
Burnaby, BC

Website:
www.g-beizakaya.ca

In Four Beakers

Guu Kobachi: No Regular Menu, but great concept!

July 16, 2011

@floyvr organized an impromptu EatUp with @wongers, @kcclaveria, @alexglee and @crazyut . Since I am a Guu fanatic, I really really wanted to see their “No Regular Menu” concept. We arrived quite early since the @GuuIzakaya account told us to show up early. Since all openings are not perfect, there were a bit behind on opening at 5:30pm. We just chilled outside till we got in at 6pm.

Guu Kobachi is located at the old Toratatsu near Denman and Robson. They serve up fresh sheets, so the menu will change quite often depending on what ingredients are in season.

The interior is quite small and has the same layout as the old restaurant. It is very simple and wooden. The staff are energetic like the other Guu locations. They don’t have a lot of seating, so going at 7pm with a large group will not be best for you. They won’t be taking reservations till August, but they do have a large table that seats a lot of people if you wanted to have a b-day party dinner here. Just something to note in the future.

This is the setting you will get. They even have the chopstick thing that you see at Chinese restaurant.

Marinated Red Tuna Sashimi ($6.80) was the first dish that arrived at our table and we thought it has the cutest presentation ever! @crazyut enjoyed it and said the tuna had a good flavour and was very fresh.

Marinated Red Tuna Marinated ($6.80) is similar to the one above, but it is marinated to soy sauce or ponzu sauce. We found it was not too bad, but the sauce realy over powered the delicate texture of the tuna.

The first kobashi dish to arrive was the Miso Kakuni ($3.80). It is a slowly stewed pork belly pieces with quail egg in miso and soy sauce soup. This was an amazing dish! The pork belly was very tender and just full of flavour. They are in small pieces, so you will not feel guilty consuming so much fat. ** Must get dish**

Long Green Pepper ($3.80). It is boiled long green pepper marinated in a sweet sesame sauce, topped with bonito flakes. It is like a gomae but with green peppers. The peppers were not spicy at all.

Marinated Eggplant ($3.80). It has rectangular chopped cubes of eggplant with peppers, chili oil and bonito flakes. I liked eggplants, so I liked the pairing of the spicy chili oil and egg plant. I know some people at the table were not keen about eggplant.

Cold Tomato Curry ($3.80). Yes, this is a tomato! I didn’t get a lot of curry taste, it just tasted like a cold salted tomato.

Whole Onion ($3.80). Yes strange right? A whole onion. The onion was stewed in chicken stock and I really enjoyed the taste. Since it has been cooking for a long time, there is no sharp stinging taste.

Vege Chips ($3.80). These are assorted vegetable deep fried. Imagine super healthy chips. There were green peppers, potato skins, lotus roots, and other unidentifiable vegetables. Pretty unique dish and it would go great with beer.

Pork Ginger Spring Roll ($3.80). It has pan-fried pork ginger and cabbage inside. You can really taste the ginger in the pork filling. I didn’t really love this dish, but it was alright.

Chicken Gizzard ($3.80). This is chicken gizzard marinated in cili oil. This is an digestive organ of chickens. I’ve never had gizzard before and it had a very strange texture. When you bite into it, it is tough and hard.

Sweet and sour pork ($3.80). One of THE BEST I have ever had in my life! Very minimal breading so you can really taste the texture of the meat with the amazing sauce. ** Highly recommended**

Rolled Chinese Cabbage ($3.80). It is a stewed meat mixture wrapped in nappa cabbage in a tomatoey fish broth. This was a very unique dish and the meat they used for the dish was pretty good quality.

Marinated Conchi ($3.80). This is the meat from conch shells. It is marinated in garlic soy sauce. We found as we kept chewing on the conch that, it was quite salty. Very interesting to try.

Saba in Curry Sauce ($3.80). This is saba (mackerel) in a a curry sauce with potatoes. The saba tasted really good especially with the combination with the curry.

Beef tenderloin Tataki ($8.90). This is mid-well broiled beef tenderloin tataki style. SO GOOD! THis is the most tender beef I have ever had! ** Highly Recommended**

Kara-age-regular ($6.00). Its a simple japanese deep-fried chicken. It has no bones and comes with a side of mayo for dipping. Meat was very moist and had a light coating.

Squid ink calamari ($6.80) was quite different! It’s purple/black! We found that the deep fried calamari with squid ink just tasted like normal calamari. If you really focus on the taste of it, it has a very subtle taste, but it hard to pick up the flavour.

Ebi Mayo’s sister ($6.00) has ebi mayo coated in shredded potato batter. They add a whole new level to crunchiness! I really liked it since it looks like a sea urchin, but hidden inside is a very tasty piece of shrimp! **highly recommended**

Oyster Chazuke ($6.80). This has seared oyster on rice in fish broth soup. The oyster flavour is quite prominent and infused nicely with the fish broth. If you are an oyster lover, you will enjoy this dish.

Sockeye Salmon Carpaccio ($6.80). Was very good!! You can really taste the freshness of their salmon and their light sauces allow for the fresh taste to really since throught! ** highly recommended**

This came near the end of our meal. I think the chef gave it to us because we waiting outside for them to open. I think this was the Assorted Vege Salad ($4.80). It has long strands of carrots, radish, bonito flakes, greens in a ponzu sauce (i think). The stands of the radish were very very long!! It’s like those times when you are trying to split a bowl of noodles but it’s difficult because its just so long.

This isn’t a regular salad. It still has a good refreshing taste and it’s quite large.

Sapporo (Pint-$5.50). This is definitely needed every time you go to Guu!

Overall, we all had a great time and then menu items are quite unique compared to the other Guu chains. Since it just opened, they do have a few issues such as leaky pipes and missing orders. Do give the waitress patience as well since their english is not very good. They are trying their best, but none of us got mad or anything. Do check your bill before you pay because sometimes they might get an order wrong or something hasn’t arrived yet.

I am sure in a few weeks they will improve on a few of their flaws. For an opening day, it went pretty well and the place was packed. We racked up quite a bill of $130, but we did order a lot! It was well worth it.

Words of Wisdom:

Recommended: Miso Kakuni, Sweet + Sour Pork, Beef tenderloin Tataki, Ebi Mayo Sister, and Sockeye Salmon Carpaccio
Well priced items
Good atmosphere
Free parking after 6 at rear ( best not to drive, very limited parking)
Best to get off Burrard and take the bus down Robson
Super busy at peak hours

We Rate Guu Kobashi:

Address:

735 Denman Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.guu-izakaya.com/kobachi/

Twitter: @GuuIzakaya

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KitanoyaGuuIzakayaOfficial

Vancouver

In Four Beakers

Kadoya Japanese Restaurant on Denman Street

July 13, 2011

Hello Internet! RomanJ here! Today we explore one of my favorite restaurants – Kadoya. Kadoya is a chain Japanese restaurant in the downtown core specializing in sushi rolls. One branch is located on Davie Street right beside the St. Paul’s hospital, which is always filled with hospital employees. The other one is Kadoya on Denman Street, right beside English Bay.

Right off the bat, Kadoya on Denman street is way bigger than the one on Davie Street and less busy. They also have the same menu! If you want to try new roles, this is the place to be. On their menu they have a section called Chef’s recommendations and there are over 15 rolls in the menu to choose from.

Abbytizer and I hit up Kadoya, so, as always we order a ton of food – King’s Roll, Maple Roll, Salmon Takai and the Roll Combo G.

Off the Chef’s Recommendation menu, I ordered the King’s Roll ($9.95) . What’s intriguing about this roll is that its comprised of prawn, wild salmon, onion, garlic, tobiko, and topped off with honey mustard. Who would have ever thought honey mustard would go so well with this roll. The honey mustard blended well with everything! Truly a roll to try! It’s out of ordinary and could say fit for a king.

Maple Roll ($8.95) is composed of salmon, cream cheese ( we love that cream cheese), smoked salmon. Anything cream cheese just melts so well with the salmon.

Salmon Taki ($12.00) has green salad, ponzu sauce, sprinkled with dried up garlic and green onion are so good. This dish is also pretty huge. The best value for your money! I could just order this meal, have a drink and I would be set.

Roll Combo G ($10.50) consists of spicy salmon, spicy tuna and california roll. This combo is worth the price and the spicy salmon is good.

The quality of food at Kadoya’s is good, anything off the chef’s recommendation menu has not disappointed me at all. My goal is to try all of the chef’s rolls.

Words of Wisdom: