Category

Sushi

Category

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Sushi UOmo is located in North Burnaby in the Heights. M and I were looking for a new sushi place to eat dinner at. I’m trying to find more restaurants that I haven’t eaten at in the area and Sushi UOmo was a place I’ve never tried yet.

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This place was busy on a Tuesday and they are open till 10am everyday. Normally a lot of restaurants close on Tuesday since it is one of the least busiest days of the week. It seems to be working that this place is open.

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Miso soup came at the start of the meal. A pretty standard miso soup, but it was a nice touch.

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Hamachi Sashimi is a yellowtail tuna. It has a buttery and rich flavour. It has a higher fat content than regular tuna.

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Tonkatasu is served with salad and rice. A big piece of deep-fried pork. Great as an individual dish or to share.

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Aburi Don was a very interesting dish. It had the rice underneath with the torched tuna on top with an creamy sauce. There is a bit of salad on the side. The sear on top could have been a bit better with more char.

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Shrimp Tempura comes in either 4 pieces or 7. M and I chose the 4 pieces so we could have 2 pieces each. Crunchy exterior with lots of batter around the shrimp.

Overall, Sushi UOmo was ok. The price of their dishes are affordable and you get a good amount of value.

We Rate Sushi UOmo3rated

Address:
4280 Hastings Street, Burnaby, BC

Sushi UOmo Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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My coworkers and I are obsessed with Maruyama and their delicious Japanese food. A week after coming to have the omakase, we decided to come back to try some cheaper items off them menu since we can’t have another omakase. We would be broke.

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Homemade Udon has assorted mushroom, wakame seaweed, and their delicious dashi broth. There is also pea shoots, green onions and tempura bits. It was a good size and I loved the handmade udon. The quality is definitely there.

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Jumbo Prawn Tempura was an extra item. Very large and plump. It also comes with a tiny green bean tempura, which was interesting. Perhaps it was there to add a bit of colour.

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Salmon nigiri was added just so I can a be a little bit more full. He automatically adds wasabi to this, so if you don’t like wasabi, make sure to let the server know. I totally forgot about it and the wasabi really punched me in the face.

Overall, a good 2nd visit and trying more of their cooked items.

We Rate Maruyama4rated

Address:
3883 Rupert Street, Vancouver

Maruyama Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Maruyama has taken over the old Kimura location on Rupert Street. Chef Yoshiya Maruyama was the previous raw bar chef at Blue Water Cafe and has finally opened his own restaurant in East Vancouver.

When my friend told me about it, I got super excited because I love sushi. A few of us went to try their omakase nigiri tasting.

Interior

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The space isn’t very large, there are 4 seats at the bar and a few tables on either side of the restaurant. Always best to make reservations.

Omakase Nigiri Tasting

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We made reservations to sit at the bar so we could get a full experience and have a chat with the Chef.

They have 2 options for omakase nigiri tasting – $25 and $60 option. After consulting with the Chef, we decided to take the plunge and order the $60 tasting as it has more premium fish used in the set.

When the tasting begins, they ask you if you want wasabi on it or not. Half of the group went with wasabi and the other half went without. The omakase tasting isn’t for everyone as it only has a minimum of 7 pieces. Those with a large stomach might not get full.

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Sanma is very soft and has lots of fat. It is brushed with a bit of sauce and covered in a shiso leaf.

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This nigiri, I have no idea what it was. In my notes I wrote down “asa”, but I couldn’t find this type of fish online. Either way, it tasted really good.

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Akaji was what I wrote down, but I think I miss heard so I have no idea what this is. It is encrusted in the chef’s secret kombu topping, which is kelp.

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Isaki nigiri has a slightly chewy taste. Isaki is a grunt fish.

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Tobiuo is a flying fish with a soft texture perfect for nigiri.

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Tai also has a slight chewy texture but it is rich in flavour.

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Scallop Nigiri has a few drop of yuzu and then sprinkled with a bit of sea salt.

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Chutoro is a delicious tuna with higher fat content. Very delicious too.

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Otoro is the most expensive cut of tuna taken from the lowest part of the belly next to the head. It’s high in fat and super flavourful.

Other Nigiri on the menu

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Hokkaido Uni is an additional menu item and when the chef was telling us about it, we didn’t realize it was $19 each. He did warn us that it was expensive and no normal customer would order this and he makes little to no profit off this item.

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He adds a speck of wasabi to the top and its ready to eat. The flavour of the uni was amazing, but it was really expensive. It’s an expensive ingredient, so it’s not for all.

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Anago is sea eel and he torches it before it gets served. For $5.50, this nigiri was more easy on the wallet compared to the uni.

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The flavour and look is unlike what you would find at most Japanese restaurants. It’s fresh and has an amazing taste. He uses his own secret sauce to add on top.

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Matcha ice cream with red bean is how we ended out meal. This was part of the omakase, I think because we weren’t charged for it. or maybe it was because we spent so much.

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Overall, it was a pretty expensive meal, but its nice to splurge once in a while. I find that the nigiri are his works of art and should really be enjoyed. You need a high level of appreciation for sushi to fully enjoy this experience.

We Rate Maruyama4rated

Address:
3883 Rupert Street, Vancouver

Maruyama Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Green Leaf Sushi in Kitsilano has been generating quite a buzz lately for their Aburi Sushi Platter. They have their version of Miku’s Salmon Oshi Sushi, which is driving people crazy on instagram.

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We came here for dinner with the family and waited about an hour and a bit for their large table that fits 8 people. We tried making a reservation in the morning, but they need at least 24 hours notice, so we went a bit early to put our name down since we knew it would be a wait. Even for groups for 4 or 5, they also seem to wait a while.

Always best to make reservations to avoid any waiting.

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Complimentary tea arrives on the table or you can ask for water. They weren’t as diligent filling up the tea, but since the restaurant was so busy, it was ok. You just need to flag down a server.

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Kabocha Korokke comes with 3 pieces. There is a quail egg inside covered in winter squash. It was pretty good, but we wished there were even pieces instead of just 3 pieces.

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Prawn Tempura comes with 6 pieces. Crispy golden and light batter that surrounds the prawn. You’ll need to dunk it in the sauce or else it feels a bit heavy and oily.

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For the family, we shared the Aburi Sushi Platter that comes with 6 pieces of each aburi and the roll that has 8. 6 different varieties with 38 pieces in total. it takes about 30 minutes to prepare, so make sure you order this right away when you sit down.

  • Salmon Oshi Sushi
  • Basil Ebi oshi sushi
  • Yukke Tuna Oshi Sushi
  • Sime Saba Oshi Sushi
  • Hotate Oshi Sushi
  • Aburi Tobibo roll

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All the rolls were really good. Fresh ingredients and lots of favour. It’s a great item to share with the table, but it is about $60 something dollars.

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Salmon Sashimi uses wild salmon, so the quality is really good.

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Tuna sashimi was stellar! Some pieces were basically toro. Melt in your mouth!

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Saba Miso Yaki is grilled mackerel with miso sauce on top. It also have grilled onions and a side of rice.

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Tuna tataki salad was good and lightly dressed with lots of greens on top.

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The udon that my dad got was ok, but it reminded us of kimchi stew.

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Kimchi bacon Ishiyaki was so poorly put together, whoever made it does not know how to cook rice. The rice was so mushy that you know they added too much water to the rice. Since there was so much moisture, it could barely crisp up in the hot bowl.

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Chopped scallop roll, House Roll and Negitoro roll were all well put together, fresh ingredients and super tasty.

Overall, the sushi and the sashimi were very good and fresh. The quality was great, but we didn’t like the cooked items like their udon and their rice bowl. Stick with the aburi sushi and some of their rolls and you’ll have a good time.

We Rate Green Leaf Sushi35rating

Address:
3416 West Broadway, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/GreenLeafSushi/

Green Leaf Sushi Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Carp Sushi and Bento is a little Japanese take out restaurant located near Kingsgate Mall. A friend of ours highly recommended this place for their sashimi and rolls.

M and I decided to come here after work for a quick dinner, it would have been quicker, but I ended up wanting to try so many items off the menu. Sometimes I can be such a pig.

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Once you walk inside this small space, you will see a few things for take out in the fridge, a counter, and 3 tables.

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I think they can fit about 10 people in here. Maybe less?

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We put in our order at the counter, paid and found a seat. They also have a kids combo too.

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You can find other items on their chalk board.

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They gave us hot tea as we waited for our meal to be prepared.

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I couldn’t stop staring at this moo-cow creamer as their soy sauce dispenser. Super cute.

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Salmon and Tuna Sashimi were very good quality. That tuna was so fatty, that it might as well just be toro. 10 pieces of $12 isn’t bad considering the quality of it.

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Moo-cow creamer in action with the soy sauce coming out of its nose.

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Tuna Tataki Salad has the tuna tataki on the bottom topped with greens and a light dressing.

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Truffled Mashed Potato was surprisingly good. The truffle is subtle, but it works well together as a side item to your meal. It is served cold.

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Mini Japanese Curry comes in a small bowl, think of it as a little taster.

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Sea Eel Candied Salmon Roll comes with 8 pieces. avocado, cucumber and candied salmon on the inside topped with the eel.

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OMG Roll has 8 pieces as well. It is topped with spicy salmon and these crunchy ball bits. Good rolls as well.

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Inari is a tofu pocket with rice, seasoning and these tiny crunchy balls. Good and simple.

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Cone trio comes with California cone, crunchy prawn cone and a spicy tuna cone. All three were tasty and put together well.

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Sesame Ice Cream and Green Tea Ice Cream was a nice sweet treat to end the meal.

Overall, all the items were really good. If you want to try a bit of everything and not want to spend too much, the bento boxes are a great option for under $10.

I would come here again. Awesome hidden gem.

We Rate Carp Sushi +Bento35rating

Address:
2516 Prince Edward st
Vancouver, BC

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/carpsushibento/

Carp Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Sushi By Yuji is on Kingsway is best known for their fresh nigri and gunkan types of sushi. After seeing lots of people commenting about my last post about Masayoshi, people told me to check out Sushi by Yuji.

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The space is small and it’s best to make reservations here to guarantee a spot. On the night that we went, they had no more spots for walk ins.

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Surprisingly, the menu is pretty vast with a lot of nigiris, rolls, sashimi, and a few hot items. For their freshest items, look at their board of specials.

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Tea was complimentary. The server was really nice and filled it up often.

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The first set of Gunkan sushi arrived. Eggs on eggs! It’s beautiful not to get.

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Ikura with Quail egg was an explosive sensation in your mouth. Once you start chewing the saltiness of the ikura blends well with the quail egg.

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Tokibo with quail egg was similar but with the flying fish roe. Equally as good but some people don’t like the raw quail eggs. M and I both enjoyed it.

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Chopped Scallop was fresh and delicious.

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Next plate arrived full of negitoro. The plain Negitoro Gunkan was good. Chopped of toro with green onions.

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Because everything looks better with a quail egg, we got the negitoro with quail egg. Delicious as well.

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Salmon toro nigiri was one of the special fresh items. They use wild sockeye salmon, so you will notice the warm red colours rather than the orange stripes at regular Japanese restaurants.

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Salmon Carpaccio gunkan was an interesting item to see. It has green onion, salt and pepper on top. It would have been nice if there was a sauce to go with it.

Very clean flavours and different than most places.

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Yuji Roll has tuna, prawn and salmon with cucumber. It has the rice wrapped on the outside. It was a good roll with fresh ingredients. The flavours didn’t stand out too much.

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Tuna Toro Nigiri was cut thin and was fatty.

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Overall, the quality is there but it can get a bit expensive if you are a big eater. The taste is very clean and doesn’t have any additional sauces to them.

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At the end of the meal, they give you a packet of Pocky for each person. Very nice touch.

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I feel like a kid again. hahaha.

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We Rate Sushi by Yuji35rating

Address:
2252 Kingsway, Vancouver

Sushi by Yuji Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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For Valentines Day, M took me to Masayoshi sushi bar to indulge in their Omakase set for $120 per person. Usually its $100, so not sure why it was a bite more expensive than normal. Even on their regular menu, it states $100. Perhaps it was because it was Valentines Day. Either way, we were excited to give it a try since it’s been on my ‘to-eat list’ for a while now.

When we made the reservations, we had no idea what would be in the set. Even when we arrived at the restaurant, the whole meal was a mystery. It was ok for us, but it seemed to bother the table beside us as they were not very keen on raw seafood…and it made me wonder why they would dine here for the omakase.

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The restaurant is pretty small and seats around 20 people, perhaps a bit less. When making reservations, make sure to request to sit at the bar. We didn’t so we sat further away watching the chef do his magic.

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The other tables still have the view of the chef but it’s definitely not as engaging.

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Orion Beer ($12) is a larger 633 ml beer and its imported so that why its more expensive than the other beers on the menu. Nice, light, and goes well with Japanese food.

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Green Tea ($3) comes in a small pot and they pour a bit of it at your table, they come by when its empty. I thought it was pretty inefficient as I am a tea guzzler, so after a while we asked them to place the pot at our table so we could pour it ourselves. Usually tea is complimentary at other restaurants, but it kinda sucks that they charge for it here and don’t say anything about it.

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Skewers of avocado, tuna and mangoes came in wine glasses on a bed of shredded radish. Very simple and refreshing dish to start off the meal. I like how you can taste the freshness of each item without transforming it too much.

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Shooter of baby eels and quails eggs is a mind boggling item to process as the eyes stare back at you. The way the instruct you to eat it is to just shoot it. I was excited to try it because I am a pretty adventurous eater. M looked at it for a while and shot it down with no problem. It tasted ok and it was a slimey mixture of ingredients inside.

Our neighbouring table just couldn’t eat it.

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Next item is the seafood chawanmushi with a prawn, uni, eel, clam, fish, and other things. Very delicious! So much flavour in this warm egg custard.

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Smoked Salmon Salad is filled with a nose tingling smoke, so when the bowl is lifted, you get a pleasant smell and a slight smoke show.

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On the plate, there is papaya, apple, shio herbs, and nuts. The items didn’t seem very cohesive on the plate, but there were varying types of texture but fell a bit flat in taste.

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Torched Gindara stuffed with mushroom was one of my favourite items here. It really cooked well and infused with a lot of flavour. Plus, the presentation was nice.

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The most entertaining dish was the clear soup boiled in a coffee siphon machine. You have the water in the bottom chamber and the shitake, kelp, bonito and sardines in the top chamber.

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As you wait for the water to boil, it slowly pushes the water up.

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Once they take the fire away, the clear broth comes down. When the soup cools down a bit, they pour it into your bowls.

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After waiting a few minutes, we dug in. Definitely a clean clear broth, but pretty basic.

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Red rockfish nigiri, scallop nigiri, o-toro bluefin tuna nigiri and isaki nigiri was the next plate.

Of these 4, I liked the scallop and o-toro nigiri.

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Tamago, needle fish nigiri,  sardine nigiri, and eel nigiri. These were ok. The tamago was an interesting texture, slightly sweet and with a spongey texture. I thought there would be more layers to it.

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To end the meal, matcha jelly with creme fraiche, gooseberry, blueberry and strawberry. Simple dessert to end the night.

Overall, having the omakase was a good way to taste a variety of items on the menu. They were able to create some fun unique items on their menu, but it is a bit pricey for what you get. I definitely understand they use quality ingredients and the chef has 10+ years experience coming from Tojo’s. I found they try to keep the dishes simple but some execution and flavour combinations didn’t work. It was nice to come here for the first time, but there wasn’t anything else that would draw me to come back over and over again. For the 2 of us, after tax and tip, we spent just over $300, which really hurt our wallets, but on the plus side it lasted 3 hours.

We Rate Masayoshi Sushi Bar35rating

Address:
4376 Fraser Street, Vancouver

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/masayoshisushi

Masayoshi Sushi Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Every Friday, my friends and I love to spend time eating and drinking at Japanese Izakayas to unwind after a week of work. Since we’ve managed to hit most Izakayas in Downtown, I had to do some reasearch to see if any new ones have popped up.

Black Rice Izakaya opened a few months ago near BC Place and I had to take my friends here. I made reservations ahead of time since we had a large group. As a designer, I had to giggle a little that they were using papyrus font for their logo.

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The space is set up slightly odd with a ramp that goes through the restaurant. We found this place was quite packed after work but it was also the One Direction concert during the day I went. The crowd died down around 8pm.

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They also have a bar area near the front.

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The first items we had to order was beer and sake. Friday night traditions.

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The sake cups were housed in this rectangular box. It was pretty cute.

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Spicy Salmon Aburo Hako ($11.95) looks a bit familiar doesn’t it? It’s has asparagus, spicy tuna, sockeye, spicy mayo, jalapeño and then it’s torched.

After eating this, we realized this isn’t an authentic Japanese Izakaya, it was Korean run, so we can see the Korean influence in this roll. It was the type of spice they used in it. Also, most of the servers we heard speaking Korean.

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Tuna Tataki Salad with Avocado ($7.99) has some nice big pieces of tuna and chunks of avocado. The dressing was light and quite enjoyable.

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Aburi Saba Hako ($14.25) has a thick piece of saba, yamagobo, shiroita-kombu and then it’s torches. Very good!

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Yaki Udon ($9.95) was delicious. Nice flavours and textures.

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Ika Ebi Hako ($10.95) bas chopped tiger prawn and squid, then tamagobo, cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. It is then oven baked.

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Ebi Mayo ($9.25) came with 5 pieces, but the mayo part was a bit lacking on this dish.

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Smoked Salmon and Avocado Maki Roll ($3.50) was very simple but pretty good. Everyone loves avocado.

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Galbi Kushi yaki ($3.60 each) is grilled BBQ prime rib. It was a bit tough and not tender at all.

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Black Rice Roll ($8.99) has pacific black cod, avocado, cream cheese, and wrapped in black rice. We found that the cream cheese did overpower most of the ingredients in the role, we could hardly taste or notice the cod.

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Chicken Karage Nanban ($7.95) was crispy and well cooked. It also comes with this delicious sweet sauce.

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Negi Salmon Maki ($3) was a nice twist on the negi toro since we never see negi salmon on a menu or perhaps I’ve been blind. We all really enjoyed it.

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Sockeye Salmon Nigiri (2 pieces – $4.40) we got 3 orders of this as there was 6 of us at the table. Delicious and fresh.

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Volcano Dynamite Roll ($8.95) has crab meat, prawn tempura, cucumber, avocado, topped with spicy tuna and rolled up in brown rice. It was a pretty massive roll. I didn’t really particularly like it.

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Unagi Nigiri (2 pieces – $4.70) comes with 2 pieces per order. It was good.

Overall, Black Rice Izakaya is good but I felt the service to be lacking as it took them forever to seat us, give us water and take our order. An item that we ordered didn’t show up and we didn’t figure this out until after we paid the bill. When we asked, they had no idea what happened to it, so they refunded us the missing item in cash.

They also ran out of serving plates and forks when we were here. We brought a cake and so did some other group that was dining there too, so perhaps that’s what happened.

We Rate Black Rice Izakaya:

Address:
782 Cambie Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.blackrice.ca/

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Aqua Sushi + Organic Juice Bar

Making a revisit to a restaurant is always great as I always discover new things on the menu. The food at Aqua Sushi has always been of great quality and I’ve been making a lot of trips there recently for lunch. My office is close by, so it’s a great alternative to the other restaurants close by.

I recently noticed their Sashimi Brown Rice Bowls that were pretty substantial for a lunch hour meal.

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Spicy Tuna and Negitoro Brown Rice Bowl ($11.50) has all the sashimi mashed up with pickled ginger, veggies, wasabi on a bed of brown rice. What I liked about this rice bowl is that you can mix up the rice, tuna and negitoro all together so every bite tastes delicious. The brown rice by itself is also very delicious.

It’s a good gluten-free alternative, but don’t forget to ask them for gluten-free soy sauce! They also have less-salt soy sauce.

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Wild Salmon and Tuna Brown Rice Bowl ($11.50) has 3 pieces of tuna and 3 pieces of salmon with the wasabi, pickled ginger, greens and on top of the brown rice. A beautiful and healthy lunch. I always take a wasabi lump out as I find its too much.

Overall, great spot for lunch with super healthy options.

We Rate Aqua Sushi + Juice Bar: 

Address:
1764 Manitoba Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://aquajuicebar.com/

Click to add a blog post for Aqua Sushi + Organic Juice Bar on Zomato

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1764+Manitoba+Street+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=1764+Manitoba+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5Y+1H9&z=15 “]

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O Sushi is located right by Vancouver City Centre Skytrain. I’ve always walked by in the past never thinking much about this restaurant. A few days ago when my coworker suggested this place for lunch and I thought I should give this place a chance and have lunch here.

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They were having technical issues with their TVs, so there was a technician working on them during the lunch hour rush. Probably not a normal occurrence, but it didn’t seem to bother anyone.

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The menu is pretty simple with a few combos, specialty rolls and bento boxes. They also so healthier options with black rice. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it has what you need for lunch.

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You order up at the counter and then you are given an electronic device that buzzes when your order is ready at the counter.

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Sashimi Bento ($11.75) has your choice of chicken or beef teriyaki on rice, 4 pieces of sashimi, tempura and salad. It was a decent bento box if you’re looking for a quick lunch in the Downtown area. The quality was average and you can tell by the ingredients they use. There are canned mandarine oranges on the salad with a citrus dressing.

The tempura had quite a lot of bland batter. It could have used a bit more salt. The tuna and salmon sashimi were good but the other sashimi that came with it was more tough and chewy. Chicken Teriyaki was pretty meh.

Decent, but not greatest or worst bento box I’ve had. My other coworkers got udon and the specialty rolls and they thought it was decent too.

We Rate O Sushi:  

Address:
742 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC

Website: 
http://osushivancouver.com/

O Sushi on Urbanspoon

kazu-bar

Kazu Japanese Restaurant opened in 2014 and they are serving delicious sushi in North Burnaby. It’s on Madison and Hastings to be exact. M and I were looking for dinner after work and decided to pop in here.

There have been a bunch of Japanese Restaurants opening on Hastings like wild fire, but none of them are really good until now. Kazu Japanese Restaurant is run by really nice and friendly people and the food is just back to the basics yum. Japanese owned too!

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Their menu is quite limited and you will find the usual items on the menu, but they make it right. Simple but so delicious.

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Tuna and Salmon Sashimi ($7.25) came in small pieces but the quality was definitely there. M just loved this and couldn’t stop eating it.

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Toro Nigiri ($2 each) is one of our favourite items to order and the quality again was very good! Delicious and fatty. M put this into his mouth and instantly started smiling because it was so good.

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Unagi Nigiri ($2.75) is BBQ eel on top of rice. Really delicious too!

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Chicken Karaage ($5.50) was simple and delicious served with a slice of lemon. It is deep-fried boneless chicken.

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Gyozas ($3.75) comes with 5 pieces and they are pork and veggie dumplings.

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Special Scallop Roll with Tobiko ($4.50) also has mayo, masago and cucumbers.

Tamago Nigiri ($1.25) was delicious according to M.

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Tuna Tataki ($9.50) comes with 7 pieces. The tuna is lightly seared on the outside and dressed with ponzu sauce, shiso leaves, and sprouts. Very delicious.

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Overall, M and I enjoyed our experience at Kazu Japanese restaurant. It’s getting quite popular, so try to make it here early or on a weekday. The food is back to the basics simple and tastes authentic. Staff are really friendly too.

We rate Kazu Japanese Restaurant

Address:
4332 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

Kazu Japanese Restaurant on Urbanspoon

hanamori-outer

Hanamori Sushi, located beside the Foggy Dew in Coquitlam has been around for years but recently has gone under new management/owners. I’m not exactly sure how this has impacted their menu, but it seems like it’s still similar.

hanamori-inner

The interior has a sushi bar and a few booths. There is limited seating but we didn’t have too much trouble getting a seat on the weekend. Most people did take out.

hanamori-chicken

Chicken Karaage ($4.95) is battered with panko crumbs. The price was good for the portion, but was like eating dry chicken strips. The chicken wasn’t very moist.

KoreanGirl and I heard a lot about their aburi sushi, so we ordered 2 of each. We are suckers for aburi, so we wanted to see how this place compared.

hanamori-salmon-torched

Torched Wild Salmon ($2.95 each) has rice in the centre wrapped in torched wild salmon, and scallops. Then it is topped with tobiko, green onions, teriyaki sauce and hot sauce. I looked unique but I found that the wild salmon was torched for so long that it was fully cooked. The teriyaki sauce and hot sauce didn’t complement the delicate flavours of the seafood.

hanamori-torched-tuna

Torched Tuna Tataki ($1.75 each) was torched till it was cooked. The light sauce on top did not do much for the sushi.

hanamori-torched-ebi

Torched Ebi ($1.75 each) was similar to the others where they were overly torched and made it rubbery. The sauce on top didn’t pair well either.

hanamori-torched-scallop

Torched Scallop ($2.25 each) was not as torched as the other aburi, but the sauce combinations were not good. You can tell there is a Korean-twist to these with the added hot sauce.

hanamori-torched-toro

 Torched Toro ($2.25 each) was what I have been looking forward to. Toro is highly fatty, so it should fall apart in your mouth when you are eating it. Sadly, it was yet again over torched and tasted bland.

I really wanted to like the aburi sushi, but every single piece was torched too much that you miss the delicate flavours of the raw seafood. Plus, the sauce choices that accompany the aburi did not go well with each other.

hanamori-sashimi

As all the seafood was overdone, we needed a taste of something raw, so we got the Salmon and Tuna Sashimi (Half order – $6). The quality of the cuts were ok.

Overall, I was not impressed with the aburi at all. Maybe I have been spoiled by Miku, Minami, and Sushi K. I’ve eaten a lot of aburi over the past few years and Hanamori Sushi definitely misses the mark on what makes an aburi so damn good. KoreanGirl thought it was not good at all and wouldn’t return.

As we didn’t try any of their rolls, we only focused on what we ordered.

We Rate Hanamori Sushi

Address:
#102 511 Rochester Ave
Coquitlam, BC

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/hanamorisushi

Hanamori Sushi on Urbanspoon

 

ToyWordmark2014-10years

Taste of Yaletown is back for its 10th year full of bites, treats, sips and sights of Yaletown. Every year, Taste of Yaletown brings together the talents of chefs with culinary treasures in the best dining district in Vancouver.

From October 16th-30th, Yaletown kitchens will offer featured menus, special tastings and innovative pairings to tempt the most adventurous foodie. With a fresh approach to fixed price menus of $25, $35 and $45 restaurants will offer combinations of food and drink or even special in-house events.

Minami is participating again this year with 3 different menu options. I was invited for a sneak peak of their dinner menu and I was excited because they are one of my favourite restaurants in Vancouver.

minami-outer

[tabs tab1=”DINNER MENU $45″ tab2=”VEGETARIAN DINNER MENU $35″ tab3=”ZEN LUNCH $25″]
[tab id=1]

Optional sake pairing 15

FIRST – SUSHI
Sake pairing: Dassai 39

  • wild boar bacon salmon oshi bite, sunset roll, maguro and kani maki, tai and hotate temari

SECOND – MINAMI ZEN
Sake pairing: Yu Junmai

  • Stone fruit salad
    endive, goat feta, dried olives, maple sherry thyme vinaigrette, fig balsamic reduction
  • Jidori chicken and foie gras gyoza
    truffle dashi consommé
  • Saikyo miso baked sablefish
    coconut creamed kale, wasabi shoga relish, yuzu miso sauce
  • Braised fraser valley pork cheek
    roasted kabocha-onion puree, apple red cabbage kraut, sweet & sour soy ginger glaze

DESSERT
Sake pairing: Hakkaisan Sparkling Nigori

  • Matcha tiramisu
    matcha-genmai ladyfingers, azuki paste, matcha-white chocolate ganache, sesame crumble

[/tab]
[tab id=2]

Optional sake pairing 15

FIRST – FALL GARDEN PLATE
Sake pairing: Dassai 39

  • fresh market vegetables, soy paper roll, moromi miso sauce, sesame pesto, olive tapenade

SECOND – MINAMI ZEN
Sake pairing: Yu Junmai

  • Stone fruit
    endive, goat feta, dried olives, maple, sherry thyme vinaigrette, fig balsamic reduction
  • Kaiso salad
    baby frisee, umami soy vinaigrette, lotus root chip
  • Crispy tempeh
    spiced tomato chutney, sautéed kale
  • Shiitake mizuna ricotta ravioli
    truffled saikyo miso sauce, organic maple ginger granola

DESSERT
Sake pairing: Hakkaisan Sparkling Nigori

  • Matcha tiramisu
    matcha-genmai ladyfingers, azuki paste, matcha-white chocolate ganache, sesame crumble

[/tab]
[tab id=3]

FIRST – ABURI SUSHI
Sake pairing: Dassai 39

  • salmon oshi, ebi oshi, sunset roll, nigiri

SECOND – MINAMI ZEN
Sake pairing: Yu Junmai

  • Aburi bincho
    wasabi masatake sauce
  • Miso marinated tofu salad
    baby greens, avocado, crispy tempeh, pickled daikon & carrot, umami soy vinaigrette
  • Saikyo miso baked sablefish
    coconut creamed kale, wasabi shoga relish, yuzu-miso sauce
  • Braised fraser valley pork cheek
    apple red cabbage kraut, roasted kabocha onion puree, sweet & sour ginger soy glaze

DESSERT
Sake pairing: Hakkaisan Sparkling Nigori

  • Spiced pumpkin brownie ice cream
    cinnamon-nutmeg spice blend, walnut brownie pieces

[/tab]

[/tabs]

minami-sushi

The sushi assortment has 5 pieces of tai temari, hotate temari, sunset roll, wild boar bacon salmon oshi bite, and maguro + Kani Maki. You really need to savour these 5 pieces of sushi because they taste amazing. Every single bite is a work of art.

minami-tai-temari

Tai Temari was beautiful like a little sushi ball.

minami-hotate-temari

Hotate Temari is scallop cut in half and draped over sushi rice.

minami-sunset-roll

Sunset Roll has spicy tuna, cucumber, smoked salmon, and tobiko.

minami-boar-maguro

Wild Boar Bacon Salmon Oshi Bite and  Maguro + Kani Maki were my 2 favourite rolls because of that amazing Miku sauce. That sauce makes your mouth water.

minami-box

Next is the second course consisting of Braised Fraser Valley Pork Cheek, Saikyo Miso Baked Sablefish, Jidori Chicken and Fois Gras Gyoza, and their Stone Fruit Salad.

minami-pork-cheek

Braised Fraser Valley Pork Cheek has a roasted kabocha-onion puree, apple red cabbage kraut, with a sweet and sour soy ginger glaze. The cheek was tender and full of flavour.

minami-sablefish

Saikyo miso baked sablefish also has a coconut creamed kale, wasabi shoga relish, and yuzu miso sauce. The skin was crisp and the delicate flavours of the sablefish went well with the sauce.

minami-gyoza

Jidori Chicken and Foie Gras Gyoza also comes with a truffle dashi consommé. The gyoza was good!

minami-stone-salad

Stone Fruit Salad has endive, goat feta, dried olives, maple sherry thyme vinaigrette, and fig balsamic reduction. The fruit was really fresh and everything blended nicely together. It’s good to have one of the item a salad to break up the taste of meat.

minami-greentea-tiramisu

Last but not least is their Matcha tiramisu for dessert. It has matcha-genmai ladyfingers, azuki paste, matcha-white chocolate ganache, with a sesame crumble. Oh man, this was good. No more need for regular Tiramisu because this is amazing.

Overall, it’s always a good time at Minami. The $45 dinner menu is reasonable and you get a taste of everything Minami has to offer. If you aren’t keen to spending that much, the $25 lunch is a good option too.

We Rate Minami

Address:
1118 Mainland St
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://minamirestaurant.com/
Minami 炙 on Urbanspoon

miku-door

Behind these beautiful doors are the famous aburi sushi dishes from Miku. Aburi Sushi was inspired by the innovative idea of sear-flaming sushi, which they are best known for. You can’t come here without having a taste of their Aburi Sushi. They also have a sister restaurant called Minami and Gyoza Bar (opening soon).

Miku is a spot where I want to take new people to Vancouver if I want to impress them. It is a bit pricey and will probably hurt your wallet, but it’s a place you need to experience once in your life. M’s relatives were in town, so I had to give them a taste of their delicious Salmon Oishi Sushi that everyone crazy over.

miku-inner

The interior is beautiful and you can get a good view of the Waterfront area if you are sitting near the window.

miku-tofu-salad

Nutrigreens Farm Tofu Salad ($10) is a vegetarian dish that has nutrigreen farm organic baby greens, crumbled miso tofu, pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, crispy wonton and a umami soy vinaigrette. It was really good! Highly recommended!

miku-fishi

Aburi Tuna ($16) has the lightly flame seared albacore tuna with masatake sauce. The tuna is very fresh and flavourful.

miku-chirashi-tart

Aburi Chirashi Tart ($21) comes with miso soup and is part of their lunch special. The tart has layers of spicy tuna, avocado, aburi salmon, prawn, scallop, flying fish roe, ikura and miku sauce. It’s a pretty good lunch item if it’s for 1 person.

Since there was 6 of us for lunch, we all shared a bit of everything.

miku-veggie

Garden Roll ($13) has asparagus, avocado, shiso leaf, ginger, wasabi miso sauce wrapped in a pickled watermelon radish and yellow pepper.

miku-beef

Crunchy Surf and Turf Roll ($15) comes with 8 pieces and it has wasabi marinated jumbo prawns, cucumber, lettuce, wrapped in aburi short rib, jalapeño garlic ponzu and topped with aonori tempura bits.

miku-oishi-salmon

Salmon Oshi Sushi ($16) has pressed BC wild sockeye salmon, jalapeno, miku sauce and then it is flame-seared with its signature sauce.

Saba Oishi Sushi ($16) has pressed house-cured mackerel and miso sauce. Then it is also flame-seared.

miku-oishi

Overall, some items can be a hit or miss, but if you order the Aburi items, it will sure be a hit with your friends that are new in town. Nothing really beats the freshness of the seafood on the West Coast!

We Rate Miku:

Address:
70-200 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.mikurestaurant.com/

Miku Restaurant on Urbanspoon

minami-chef

Mags and I wandered to Yaletown to get a sandwich, but ended up going to Minami, which was the best idea ever. We just needed a taste of their delicious Salmon Oshi Sushi. If you’ve had it before, you know its pretty damn delicious. It’s always one of my favourite dishes in town.

Minami is the sister restaurant of Miku, which made famous the Aburi style or flame searing technique to Vancouver’s thriving sushi scene. I always find they use quality ingredients and have Ocean Wise seafood options.

minami-hot-items

Mags and I both had the Minami Zen ($28) which includes:

  • miso soup
  • Aburi Tuna
  • Tofu Salad
  • Chicken Nanban
  • Beef Tenderloin Skewer
  • 5 pieces of Signature Aburi sushi

It’s a perfect set to really try a bit of everything off the menu. The price is reasonable and you get the most value out of it.

The first 4 items are  served in a traditional Japanese hinoki box.

minami-aburituna

Aburi Tuna is lightly seared with a wasabi masatake sauce on top. It is also garnished with radishes and seaweed. There are 3 pieces of  tuna and it tastes really good.

minami-tofu-salad

Tofu Salad is topped off with wonton crisps and a umami soy vinaigrette. It was light and refreshing and the wonton crisps really give it a nice texture.

minami-chicken-nanban

Chicken Nanban has a sweet and sour soy sauce with an asian slaw. It was ok, but the chicken inside was quite bland and missing some flavour.

minami-beef-tenderloin-skewer

Beef Tenderloin Skewer has a sweet soy glaze and has tsukemono, which are pickled vegetables. The skewer was quite large, but it was hard to chew some parts.

minami-miso

Miso soup came in a large bowl and it has tofu, enoki mushrooms and seaweed. Yummy.

minami-aburi

The 5 pieces of signature aburi sushi did include the widely popular Salmon Oshi Sushi.

minami-oishi-salmon

Salmon Oshi Sushi is pressed BC wild salmon, jalapeno, and the secret miku sauce. The BEST!

minami-toro

I don’t know what this one was but I think it was Toro. It was melt in your mouth delicious! None of the aburi items disappointed. Mmmm Mmmmm Mmmmmmm!

Overall, the lunch was more than I would normally have spent, but it was so delicious. It’s always nice to have a treat at the end of the week especially when it’s pay day.

We Rate Minami

Address:
1118 Mainland St
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://minamirestaurant.com/
Minami 炙 on Urbanspoon

manna-sushi-menu

Working near Science World means very limited food choices. There are some great choices near the Olympic Village, but my coworkers and I have been to all of them. When we heard Manna Sushi opened on 2nd and Ontario Street, we just had to check it out. I’ve seen so many of my coworkers flocking to Manna Sushi for lunch. With the abundance of Japanese restaurants in town, I wanted to see how this really compared. Mags and I look our lunch break here in search of some good food.

manna-sushi-inner

The interior had lots of seating with very simple decor.

manna-sushi-bento

Chicken Teriyaki Bento ($9.95) is only for dine-in customers only. I chose this item because it was more affordable that some of the items on the menu. It was either this or one roll of specialty sushi. Of course I chose this. It has a few pieces of tempura, chicken teriyaki over rice, a salad, California roll, 2 deep fried gyozas and a miso soup. The bento box was average and nothing special.

Mags got the Pork Katsu Don ($9.95), which I forgot to take a picture of because it took so long to arrive. Other people got their orders before she did. It turns out, they thought she wanted it for takeout…which was weird because she would be watching me eat. I really wish I took a photo of the don because it look super disappointing. The katsu was heavily breaded, so there was really thin pork inside. She felt cheated because she really wasn’t getting her moneys worth. It’s a fairly simple dish too, but the rice was flavourless and didn’t have enough sauce.

Overall, it’s subpar food. Manna Sushi is quite new, so they are probably working out the kinks and looking for feedback. In the meantime, I don’t think I will be coming here anytime soon.

We Rate Manna Sushi:

Address:
6 E 2nd Ave
Vancouver BC

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/mannasushivancouver

Manna Sushi on Urbanspoon

Kishimoto-line

Right after work, M and I were deciding if we wanted to go home to cook dinner or just to go out for dinner. After pondering in the car for a while, I thought about Kishimoto and we ditched our cooking plans to chow down at Kishimoto.  Seriously, it’s a good place, but the wait is nuts. It was a little before 6pm and there was already a line forming.

Kishimoto-inner

All the tables were full.

Kishimoto-kitchen

Luckly, the bar was open, so we sat there without hesitation. Plus, I really like looking at the chefs doing their thing. I was amazed because the staff didn’t say much but they had a very good rhythm of execution.

Kishimoto-oishi-salmon

Salmon Oshisushi ($11.75) has a salmon creamy sauce with freshly cracked black pepper, then seared with a torch and an added jalapeño on top. This is one of their signature items. A lot of people compare it to Miku, but it’s still good here too.

Kishimoto-layers-salmon

The time around there is more scorched top and it tasted heavenly. The charcoal makes a huge difference.

Kishimoto-sashimi

Tuna and Salmon ($10.25) comes with 3 pieces of salmon and 3 pieces of tuna. Good quality of sashimi! Plus a nice presentation.

Kishimoto-chicken-karaage

Chicken Karaage ($6.75) is very good. Nice crispy skin with a slightly sweet sauce. The sweet sauce is what makes it different that the usual chicken karaage.

Kishimoto-nigiri

Toro Nigiri just melts in your mouth because it’s so fatty. So good! Don’t put it all in your mouth at once, eat it in 2 or 3 bites to really enjoy it.

Unagi Nigiri was good and full of flavour.

Tamago Nigiri was good as well.

Kishimoto-sign

Overall, we had a great dinner. It is always a bit pricier than most places, but the quality is there. The downside is the wait. Some people waited 45 minutes for a table.

We Rate Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen: 
Address:
2054 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pages/Kishimoto…

Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen on Urbanspoon

tokyo-thyme-sign

Tokyo Thyme has been on my “to-eat” list for a very long time, but it’s always out of the way for me as I live and work far away from Kerrisdale. M was very skeptical like he usually is. We both wanted to see if this restaurant has some good sushi.

tokyo-thyme-inner

The restaurant is decently sized. We came on a Friday evening for dinner and it wasn’t packed at all. There was a larger party there, but it cleared out quickly. It has a homey feel to the restaurant.

tokyo-thyme-tower-set

Red and White Tuna Stack with Quail Egg ($15.50 +$0.50) has a tower of red and white tuna, and avocado. Topped with Seaweed, green onions and the quail egg. It is served with sushi rice and seaweed.

tokyo-thyme-tower

Its really beautiful and its a pitty you have to mix it together and ruin the pretty layers.

tokyo-thyme-tower-mixed

Once you mix it together, you take the seaweed, put on some rice and the mixture. Fold and enjoy. It did taste great but its pricey.

tokyo-thyme-tuna

Tuna Tataki ($12.50) is seared tuna served with spicy ponzu sauce. It’s another beautifully presented dish and come with 6 pieces. It tasted great.

tokyo-thyme-dumpling

Homemade Dumpling was the special on the menu when we dined here. I thought they were ok.

tokyo-thyme-sesame-tuna

Sesame crusted tuna steak ($13.50) has seared tuna covered in black and white sesame, served with spicy sauce and mixed greens. Yet again, its beautifully presented and it’s very original compared to other restaurants.

tokyo-thyme-tuna-sesame

Mmm yummy. Even the salad was good.

tokyo-thyme-nigiri

Tamago Nigiri ($1.75) was delicious. The eel was warm and had a delicious sweet and smokey taste.

Unagi Nigiri ($3.95) was good as well. M really loved it.

tokyo-thyme-toro

Toro Nigiri ($3.25) was melt in your mouth delicious. It’s very fatty and is just so good.

The food quality at Tokyo Thyme is fantastic and original. The downside is the portions are smaller and the prices are higher than most. In my opinion, it was worth it because they use fresh ingredients that are higher quality.

We Rate Tokyo Thyme

Address:
5405 West Blvd
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.tokyothyme.com/

Tokyo Thyme on Urbanspoon