Sushi by Yuji

August 23, 2015August 25, 20153 Comments

Sushi by Yuji pictures have been showing up all over my Instagram, so I decided it was time to give it a try. Located on Kingsway between Victoria and Nanaimo, this little sushi shop is a hidden gem.

The place will fit probably only around 20 people and is run by chef Yuji himself and two waitresses. Simple, casual decor but not cramped. Service is a bit slow though because Yuji prepares basically everything by himself.

Seaweed Salad

We started off with some Seaweed Salad, which we were a bit disappointed with. Since we knew the place was supposed to be pretty authentic, we thought the seaweed salad wouldn’t be the ones that you get at the supermarket. Turns out it’s just that typical stuff. Flavourwise, it was well seasoned and the seaweed was crunchy.

Wild Sockeye Salmon Sashimi

For salmon sashimi, they only sell Wild Sockeye Salmon here, so we ordered it anyways and it came with 9 pieces of sashimi. This was cut nicely and the fish was very fresh. The size were a little on the smaller size though (I feel like this picture makes them appear larger).

Toro (Tuna Belly) Sashimi

We also got an order of the Toro Sashimi. This had 5 pieces and the tuna belly was extremely fatty and melted in your mouth. However, I was disappointed with some of the pieces since they weren’t cut properly. It was sort of like broken?

Toro (Tuna Belly) Nigiri

We also all had the Toro Nigiri which is a must order! Melt in your mouth sushi! So delicious! I also like how they already put wasabi inside. Oh and be sure to order this early, since most people will order this here. When we tried to put in a second order later in the evening, they were already sold out.

Tobiko with Egg, Negitoro with Egg x2, Negitoro Gunkan

What I really came here for were because I saw those pretty pictures of the gunkan. The Tobiko with Egg comes as your regular tobiko gunkan but topped with a raw quail egg. This tasted delicious! I remember trying this at another restaurant and not liking it, but I think it was because the quail egg wasn’t very fresh. This was completely different and absolutely delicious. Crunchy and creaminess in your mouth at the same time. The Negitoro with Egg is the same concept and was also delicious and a must order. If you are not a fan of the raw eggs, then you can get them without as well for 50 cents less.

Tobiko with Egg, Negitoro with Egg, Mentaiko with Ika Gunkan

We got a few more of those after but K also tried the Mentaiko with Ika, which was on their daily special board. Mentaiko is marinated roe from pollock and cod, so some may find it fishy while others enjoy it. I thought it was interesting that they paired it with squid. K said it was pretty good.

Chopped Scallop Gunkan

We all had the Chopped Scallop Gunkan, which had big juicy scallops and the mayonnaise sauce wasn’t too overwhelming.

Tako (Octopus), Hamachi (Yellow Tail) Nigiri

The Tako Nigiri came with a bit of marinade sauce and the octopus was extremely tender and fresh. One of the best I’ve had. E and my dad enjoyed their Hamachi Nigiri which they also commented as being very fresh.

Aji (Spanish Mackeral) Nigiri

E got the Aji Nigiri which had part of the skin attached to it but he didn’t mind it. It seemed like he quite enjoyed this as well.

Yuji Roll & Salmon Toro (Salmon Belly) Nigiri

I also got the Salmon Toro Nigiri, which the belly of the salmon. This was super smooth and creamy! I actually almost enjoyed this more than the regular salmon. We shared the Yuji Roll, which comes with a variety of fillings including tuna, salmon, and shrimp. Everyone enjoyed this roll.

House Roll

Last but not least, we finished off with the House Roll, which we ordered the full order. You can also get half an order. This again was filled with an assortment of fish. Although you know it’s probably the ends of the sashimi, it was still very fresh and perfect for those who love sashimi.

Dinner ends off with a complimentary bag of Pocky for each guest. How cute! Overall, I was extremely happy with Sushi by Yuji. If you love traditional nigiris and fresh sashimi, this is the place to be. They barely have any cooked items here though, so don’t be expecting any of that. You also won’t find any of those creative rolls with tons of sauces on. Prices are a bit higher than most Japanese restaurant but are on par with Japanese owned restaurants. You may end up spending a bit more since they don’t really have those filler dishes, but rather just mostly sushi. Although service was a bit slow, it was very friendly and Yuji even waved and thanked us as we left the restaurant. Small things like this makes a difference. I’ll be back again soon!

Pros:
– Fresh sashimi and well-executed sushi
– Reasonable prices for authentic Japanese food

Cons:
– Wait for food to arrive is a bit slow due to only one chef

Price Range: $20-30

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 4.5 Service: 3 Ambiance: 2 Parking: 4 Overall: 4

Sushi House (revisit)

August 11, 2015August 10, 2015Leave a comment

Sushi House has been around for many years, and I realized the last time I visited and blogged about the restaurant was over 3 years ago! Looking for something quick to eat in Richmond, I suggested we give Sushi House a revisit.

Spicy Tuna Combo

I realized that they have some combos and they are quite well valued! My Spicy Tuna Combo was only $8.50 and consisted of the Spicy Tuna Roll, Negitoro Roll, Tuna, Salmon, and Ebi Nigiri.

All the rolls were pretty well executed and quite fresh.

Very reasonably priced for the amount of food I got. I was beyond full after finishing my plate.

California Roll, Dynamite Roll

S went for his favourite classics and got the California Roll and Dynamite Roll. He said they were well constructed and quite delicious.

Pros:
– Very reasonably priced
– Well constructed and fairly fresh sushi

Cons:
– Fairly small spot so can get packed quickly

Price Range: $10-15

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3.5 Service: 3 Ambiance: 2.5 Parking: 3 Overall: 3

Masa Japanese Restaurant

August 8, 2015August 7, 20152 Comments

Kaneda closed down a few months ago, and everyone at work was pretty happy except for StevieD. When we found that the new restaurant, Masa, took over the spot, most of us were pretty skeptical about it since we thought that it would probably be the same management team. Since your restaurant choices at lunch start to limit after you’ve tried most of the ones around work, I suggested that we should go give it a try. StevieD and E joined me on this adventure. Masa is located above Mac’s convenience store and next to Joey’s on Broadway.

When we visited, it had literally opened for less than a week or so.

We immediately noticed some changes. They kept the section dividers, but it seems like they have done some renovation on the seats and decor. The cutlery has also all changed and it looked pretty upscale, with your own tray and all. Management has also changed to what seems like a Korean owner and staff. Goodbye to the weird old school music they used to play; they now play more upbeat music.

Sushi Course

The menu has also changed quite a lot, and we all noticed that the prices were much higher than the previous Kaneda. It’s not unreasonable, but you can tell that they are trying to be a more upscale Japanese restaurant. During lunch, they have their so called “lunch courses”. All lunch courses are served with miso soup, 3 side dishes and a “special deep fry”. My 3 side dishes and special deep fry never came, but at the time I wasn’t sure if mine came with it, so I didn’t want to make a nuisance. Looking back at the menu now, my course should have came with those dishes. Well, at least my Miso Soup came… This one had lots of kelp but no tofu.

Anyways, I chose the Sushi Course, and your first choice is between a Sunomono or Salad. I chose the Sunomono, which was nicely presented and had a slice of cucumber, cherry tomato, julienne carrots, and alfalfa. The second dish was a choice of tempura or yakitori. I chose the Yakitori and it turned out to be chicken. This was pretty good with two skewers with two big chunks of meat. Nothing too special with the sauce though

Chef Special Sushi 8 pcs Roll & Nigiri

And then the wait began… We soon realized that everyone’s sushi dishes were not arriving. It was already 45 minutes into our lunch, and we were getting impatient since we wanted to get back to work. They should know that most people coming in for lunch work around the area and need quick lunch services. Well, finally after letting our server know that our food still hasn’t come yet, our sushi arrived. Mine was part of my lunch course and it had 8 pieces. Four pieces were California Rolls and the other four pieces were nigiris that the chef chose to make. This included Salmon, Tuna, Ebi, and a Smoked Salmon Oshi. The fish was much more fresh compared to Kaneda, but it didn’t blow my mind. I would be happy eating at Sushi Van for a similar or cheaper price.

Chicken Yaki Udon

E got the Chicken Yaki Udon which came with vegetables and chicken. This was quite a large plate, but I thought it lacked in ingredients. From the looks of it, it looked like it didn’t have much sauce as well. Nonetheless, E said it was okay.

Tamago Roll

E also got the Tamago Roll. This also took 45 minutes to arrive. Seems like they only have one sushi chef? But seriously…this shouldn’t take long.

Best Top 3 Roll Combo

StevieD got the Best Top 3 Roll Combo. This included California Roll, Dynamite Roll, and Spicy Tuna Roll. It was presented quite nicely and StevieD commented that they were pretty good, but he had to eat all of this in 15 minutes. He also commented that it was quite pricey for similar quality to Sushi Van.

Overall, we were quite disappointed with Masa. It’s not that the food was terrible, but it also wasn’t above average. I’m hoping that the slow service was because they just opened, but if they don’t figure that out, then they are going to have angry customers leaving. StevieD for one has already banned the restaurant it seems… I may give it another try in a few months, but with so many other options around town, it may not be for a while that I return.

Pros:
– Decent eats
– Ambiance has been upgraded compared to previous owners

Cons:
– Service was extremely slow (perhaps they just opened)
– Slightly pricey for the quality of food

Price Range: $10-20

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 2.5 Service: 2 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 3 Overall: 2.5

Zakkushi (Main St.)

July 27, 2015July 27, 2015Leave a comment

Zakkushi is a fun place to go if you love Japanese grilled skewers (yakitori) and drinks. They get very busy after dinner time, because people come here for snacks and drinks. We came for dinner, so it wasn’t as packed, but still quite full. Be sure to make reservations beforehand to guarantee yourself a spot since it’s quite small. There are two locations (previously three). What’s left is the one on Denman and the one we visited, on Main St. Both locations are very small, but the one on Main can fit slightly larger groups.

Sockeye Salmon and Toro Tuna Sashimi

Zakkushi is known for their grilled items, but they do have a section of their menu dedicated to a few types of sashimi. We decided to give the Sockeye Salmon and Toro Tuna Sashimi a try. The salmon had a vibrant orange-red colour, but I found it slightly mushy even though it was Sockeye. Usually Sockeye has more bite to it. The toro wasn’t the melt-in-your-mouth type either. The pieces were rather small for the price at roughly $10 for each fish. We didn’t find it too be too good overall. Stick with their cooked food!

Norimayo Tsukune and Teriyaki Tsukune

We then ordered a variety of yakitori. We got some Tsukune, which are chicken meat balls. They come in a variety of flavours at different prices. You order by skewer, and usually meat skewers will start at around $2 or so. The Norimayo Tsukune was my favourite as it had seaweed and mayonnaise on top. Some of us also tried the Teriyaki Tsukune. These are very flavourful, although we found it to be slightly on the salty side.

Teba (Chicken Wing) and Sea Salt Momo (Chicken Thigh)

More chicken! The Teba or Chicken Wings were stretched out on the skewers and grilled. We were all surprised that these were quite flavourless. Seems like they missed the seasoning on these. The Sea Salt Momo were pretty good. The Momo is the chicken thigh. These were salted with the right amount.

Uzura Maki (Quail Egg)

Another favourite was the Uzura Maki. These were quail eggs wrapped with bacon! They were then drizzled with mayonnaise and topped with seaweed. These were a favourite at the table!

P-Toro (Pork)

Another must order is the P-Toro. This is a delicious cut of pork since it’s extremely tender and juicy. However, K was unlucky, and near the end of her pork skewer, she realized it was raw! She told the server and she took the skewer back. She came back with the same skewer that was half eaten but had gotten it grilled for longer. You would’ve thought they would give you a new skewer though… Seemed kind of unsanitary since they placed a half eaten skewer back on the grill…

G Beef

The G Beef was extremely flavourful since it was marinated in teriyaki sauce and topped with garlic chips. The beef was very tender and cooked to medium.

Duck Breast

The Duck Breast was marinated in yuzu citrus chili and had the right amount of fat to meat proportion. The meat was very tender.

Ebi Mayo

We were surprised that the Ebi Mayo came on skewers as well, but these were jumbo and delicious. It came drenched in their house chili mayo sauce.

Ikayaki (Grilled Squid)

One of my favourite grilled dishes is the Ikayaki, or Grilled Squid. The squid was slightly too charred at parts on the top, but nevertheless, it was tender and flavoured well with the teriyaki sauce. It came with a side of spicy mayo.

Mentai Kimchi Yakiudon

We then ordered some rice and noodle dishes to fill up. The Mentai Kimchi Yakiudon features pan fried udon with spicy roe and kimchi. Very flavourful with that hint of sourness from the kimchi. It’s not very spicy though. Perfect for those who like kimchi.

Negi P-Toro Don

The last rice dish was the Negi P-Toro Don. It featured the same P-toro pork, which we loved, along with a half boiled egg, green onion, onion sauce, and nori seaweed on top of steamed rice. You mix it all together, and it is very tasty and flavourful!

Dorayaki Matcha Ice Cream

Onto some desserts to finish our meal off! The Dorayaki Matcha Ice Cream reminded me of Doraemon’s favourite snack. The Japanese pancake is fluffy and filled with matcha ice cream and red bean paste. They are quite big, so great for sharing!

Kinako Mochi Ice Cream

An interesting dish was the Kinako Mochi Ice Cream. This had vanilla ice cream and sticky rice with soy powder sprinkled on top and drizzled with maple syrup. The sticky rice is quite flavourless, but along with the condiments, it makes a very tasty dessert.

Hojicha Pudding

Lastly, we had their featured dessert, which switches up daily. This was the Hojicha Pudding, which is roasted green tea. The flavour isn’t very strong, but you can definitely taste the tea flavour. It was topped with whipped cream and red bean paste. The pudding itself was very smooth.

Overall, Zakkushi was pretty good. Definitely stick to their grilled items, but their desserts are also very good for the price. Great place to have drinks and snacks if you come later at night as they open til late. Ambiance is similar to izakaya style shops, so it is rather loud, but lots of fun.

Pros:
– Yakitori is excellent and large variety to choose
– Desserts are surprisingly very well executed

Cons:
– Can be very busy later at night
– Your bill can add up quickly

Price Range: $25-35

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 4 Service: 3 Ambiance: 3.5 Parking: 2 Overall: 4

G-Men @ NanChuu (Revisit)

July 24, 2015July 23, 2015Leave a comment

It’s been many years since I’ve posted about G-Men @ NanChuu. Not because I haven’t revisited in all these years, but sometimes when I revisit a restaurant, I just simply want to eat and enjoy my food. Well after go-karting with SS, SF, and J, we decided to grab some ramen in Richmond and G-Men was what was suggested. There is literally always a line up here – and I’m not really sure why because I don’t think it’s as good as the ones in downtown. I guess there’s few ramen joints in Richmond, so this will do. We ended up waiting over 30 minutes for a table.

RCMP Ramen

SF was craving spicy so she got the RCMP Ramen which comes with thick noodles in a red chili miso pepper flavour soup. The soup looked pretty red, but SF said it actually wasn’t that spicy.

Tonkotsu Miso Ramen with Ajitama

SS and J both got the Tonkotsu Miso Ramen and paid an additional $1.50 for an ajitama (marinated egg). The thick noodles are in a miso flavour pork bone broth. SS thought this was pretty good.

I didn’t like how the eggs were overcooked. I like it when the yolk is still runny.

Miso Cheese Kimchi Ae Soba

For myself, I decided to be adventurous and try something new. The Miso Cheese Kimchi Ae Soba is soupless according to the menu. The special thick noodle tossed in a small amount of miso flavour pork bone broth. I found that the broth was really thick so it got really salty. It’s topped with a marinated egg, cha-shu, corn, kimchi, seaweed, a slice of cheese, and green onions. I mixed everything together and the cheese and ramen were odd at first, but it actually works out. Not bad, but probably a one time try. I think I’d like to stick with the originals.

Pros:
– Good variety of choices
– Decent and consistent eats

Cons:
– Long waits
– I find the soup base to usually be too salty

Price Range: $10-15

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3 Service: 3 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 1 Overall: 3

Maruwa Sushi

July 21, 2015July 21, 2015Leave a comment

Beef Roll, Chicken Roll, California Roll

Maruwa Sushi is a Japanese restaurant in Ironwood Mall. I felt like I should switch it up with my usual sushi take out spots and try a new one, so we ended up going to the restaurant to place our order. A short 15 minutes, and our food was ready. S got the not-so-traditional rolls as he usually goes for. The Beef Roll and Chicken Roll both looked packed with meat. S said that the rolls were decent.

Chopped Scallop Roll, Negitoro Roll, Salmon Roll

As for myself, I went for my usual favourites, which are the Chopped Scallop, Negitoro and Salmon Roll. I found that they were rolled pretty nicely and tight. However, I did find that there was slightly a bit too much rice. I liked how they put wasabi in the rolls already. The seafood was fresh and overall, it was quite good.

Overall, Maruwa Sushi is a decent choice for take out sushi. Prices are reasonable and quality is pretty good. Service was also quite friendly.

Pros:
– Decent sushi
– Reasonably priced

Cons:
– A bit too much rice to filling ratio

Price Range: $10-15

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3 Service: 3 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 4 Overall: 3

Sushi Van

July 4, 2015July 4, 2015Leave a comment

Roll Combo

Sushi Van is located on Granville near Broadway, and is among one of my favourite spots to have lunch with my colleagues since it’s close by and we don’t really have any other sushi restaurants nearby. It’s tucked away underneath the Vancouver Bullion Currency Exchange, so is a bit of a hidden gem for some. The tiny, but busy restaurant is run by Koreans, but the food is still pretty authentic and there are some decent eats.

My typical order will consist of the Roll Combo, since I find it to be a pretty good deal. For $9, you can choose any of their rolls which are under $6 and you get 5 pieces of assorted nigiri. The nigiris consist of Hokigai (surf clam), Tamago (egg), Ebi (shrimp), Tuna, and Salmon. The sashimi is actually pretty fresh and the rice portion is pretty on par. For the roll I can choose, I usually go for the House Roll, which consists of assorted fish, usually salmon and tuna, crab meat, cucumber, avocado, and masago. You really get a mix of ingredients here, and it works pretty well.

Negitoro Roll

I usually also add on a Negitoro Roll, and then I am filled.

Teriyaki & Sashimi Box

They also offer a variety of bento boxes during lunch hours,and E got the Teriyaki & Sashimi Box. It features beef teriyaki, an assortment of appy size sashimi, appy size tempura, salad, 4 pieces of California Roll, and rice. It’s quite a lot of food for around $12, but the quality is actually pretty good. You get quite a lot of sashimi too, with tuna, salmon, hamachi, and amebi.

Dynamite Roll and Chicken Teriyaki Roll

S went for some of the basics and got the Dynamite Roll which was filled with prawn tempura, avocado, cucumber, crab meat, masago. He also got the Chicken Teriyaki Roll, which is filled with chicken teriyaki and cucumbers. The neat thing about Sushi Van is that they use green tea in their rice, so you’ll find the rice to be a bit tinted in green. Apparently it’s more healthy this way.

Beef Box

Stevie D got the Beef Box, which features beef teriyaki, 4 pieces of California Roll, an appy size of tempura, salad, and rice.

Party Tray A

On another occasion, E and I decided to go all out and get the Party Tray A for just the two of us. It’s designed for 2-3 people, as the menu says, but I guess it’s really ideal for 3 as we ended up having quite a bit of leftover. You get quite a large variety, including the salmon roll, California roll, dynamite roll, spicy tuna roll, calamari roll, and Salifornia roll, which is California roll wrapped salmon and deep fried with BBQ sauce. For around $25, this is a pretty good deal if you share between 3 people.

Overall, Sushi Van offers some decent eats at a reasonable price. It can be quite busy during lunch hours, so service is not always the best. Seating can also be a bit cramped here since it’s relatively small. However, with the limited choices around here, it makes a good spot to enjoy some sushi. Oh, and be sure to try their Tokyo Tower, which is also a favourite!

Pros:
– Decent eats
– Reasonable prices

Cons:
– Service can be lacking during busy hours

Price Range: $10-20

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3 Service: 2.5 Ambiance: 2.5 Parking: 3 Overall: 3

Pepper Lunch Canada

June 28, 2015June 28, 2015Leave a comment

Pepper Lunch has been opened for some time now and it was the most talked about place when it first opened. I remember seeing line ups out the door and the hype was just crazy. Originally from Japan, they offer sizzling hot teppan style food. The Richmond location is the first location in Canada. Your order comes with a special electromagnetic cooker which will heat up to 260˚C in 70 seconds and then remain hot for more than 20 minutes at a lower temperature. Therefore, your food is still kept warm without overcooking.

Well when we visited the restaurant a few weeks ago after work, the place was completely empty except for another table of diners. The hype has died and there are no more line ups! At Pepper Lunch, you order at the front first, then they seat you and bring the food to you when it’s ready. You don’t really get much service.

Beef Pepper Rice

K got the Beef Pepper Rice. The server told us to start mixing the rice and meat together and pour the sauce in to give more flavour. It comes with a garlic soy sauce and a honey brown sauce which are both delicious when mixed together. This was pretty good and the meat was tender. It’s funny because they actually have screens around the restaurant playing videos on how to sizzle your meat.

Pepper Burger Steak

For myself, I got the Pepper Burger Steak, which is basically those Japanese hamburgers. My rice did not come on the plate, but I ended up pouring it in and also using the sauces that came with K’s dish in mine since it tasted so much better! The burger was well seasoned and wasn’t overcooked because of how the plate controls the temperature so well.

Overall, we thought Pepper Lunch is pretty good, but at the same time, it’s on the pricier side. The two dishes we got were on their lower end of the menu at around $10 after tax, but many of their other options are quite expensive. Their steaks for example, can go up to $30! Knowing that there really isn’t much service, it feels like the prices can get quite steep. K also mentioned that Teppan Kitchen at the Aberdeen Food Court essentially offers the same menu, but at a lower price and tastes just as good. We shall see if Pepper Lunch will stay around with all the competition in Richmond…

Pros:
– Quality and taste of food is pretty good
– Fun to have some interaction with your food

Cons:
– Can get pretty pricey depending on what you order

Price Range: $10-20

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3.5 Service: N/A Ambiance: 3 Parking: 3 Overall: 3

Every Day is a Food Day

Category: Japanese

Sushi by Yuji

Sushi House (revisit)

Masa Japanese Restaurant

Zakkushi (Main St.)

G-Men @ NanChuu (Revisit)

Maruwa Sushi

Sushi Van

Pepper Lunch Canada