VanVan Izakaya – ChineseBites Media Event

June 27, 2015June 30, 2015Leave a comment

NOTE: As part of the ChineseBites media event, all food was free, but all opinions are based on my own experience.

A few weeks ago, I was invited by ChineseBites to try out the food at VanVan Izakaya along with a few other food bloggers.

It took over the old Benkei Ramen location not long ago, and I have passed by it many times. Something about their name just threw me off a bit, so I never ended up giving it a try.

The interior has many wooden accents and gives you that Japanese izakaya feel.

Raw Octopus with Wasabi

We started off with the Raw Octopus with Wasabi, which is really Tako Wasa. If you love wasabi and raw octopus, this is a great dish for you. I really enjoyed this as the octopus was fresh and you got that kick of spicy wasabi. It comes with seaweed so you can wrap the octopus.

Beef Carpaccio

The Beef Carpaccio came with mayo, balsamic vinegar, and cheese. The cheese was a stronger cheese and I think it might’ve been gorgonzola. The beef was sliced so thinly, that I couldn’t really taste it. I found this dish to be underwhelming.

Russian Roulette Octopus Balls

Next up was the Russian Roulette, which is a must order at VanVan. Not really because they are the best takoyakis, but more because of how it’s a fun dish to order with friends. One of these octopus balls are filled with a super spicy wasabi paste. Luckily, I didn’t get it, but apparently it was a very strong kick.

Beef Short Rib

The Beef Short Ribs were probably one of my favourites of the night. When it arrived, I thought that the beef was cooked rather medium rare compared to other restaurants, but it turned out to be perfect since it was very tender. Short ribs can be easily overcooked to dry, but this kept its moisture. The marinade was also very tasty.

Pork Jowl

The Pork Jowl was also another favourite of mine. They seem to be doing something right with their grilled dishes! It came with a Japanese citrus sauce, and the meat was extremely tender with that nice chew.

Ebi Mayo

Next up was Ebi Mayo, which was topped with a garlic chili mayo. These were only average as the batter slipped right out and the prawns were a bit mushy. I also didn’t really like that chili mayo seasoning they used.

Octopus and Marinated Mackerel Sashimi

Next up, we ordered every type of sashimi they had, which isn’t a lot since they focus more on their izakaya food. We started off with the Octopus and Marinated Mackerel. I really enjoyed the Octopus as it was tender with a slight chew. The Marinated Mackerel was also very fresh and surprisingly wasn’t too fishy for me. I’m usually note a huge fan of saba.

Albacore Tuna, Atlantic Salmon, Scallop Sashimi

Next were your typical Albacore Tuna and Atlantic Salmon. I found the tuna to be rather mushy and wasn’t as fresh as I’ve had. However, my favourite had got to be the Scallops. They were very fresh and had a great texture.

Chicken Thigh Karage

Chicken Thigh Karage followed and I found it to be average. It was crispy, but nothing that wowed me.

Marinated Jellyfish

Marinated Jellyfish tasted quite like your typical, which you can find at Chinese restaurants.

Curry Poutine

Curry Poutine was an odd dish, but actually tasted pretty good. The fries were crispy and topped generously with a Japanese curry sauce and some cheese.

Chopped Raw Salmon

The Chopped Raw Salmon came nicely presented in a box form along with some seaweed to wrap it in. The salmon was seasoned with a sweet garlic sauce.

Dried Squid Snack Tempura

We had originally wanted to order the Squid Tentacles Karage, but apparently they were sold out. Instead, we got the Dried Squid Snack Tempura, which was probably our least favourite at my table. It was literally the dried squid you would get in packs as a snack, but deep fried. I would’ve much rather ate the dried squid unbattered.

Whole Squid

One of my favourites of the night was the Whole Squid, which was essentially grilled squid. The squid was tender and had a nice char on top. The only issue was why do they put mayo on every dish! This really didn’t need any mayo since it was already very flavourful.

Japanese Old Style Omelette

The Japanese Old Style Omelette was again drizzled with an overload of mayo. There is supposed to be some pork in it, but it was quite little. My portion ended up having mostly cabbage and it had this odd sour taste to it. Not a fan.

BBQ Eel Rice in Hot Bowl

Onto some rice and noodle dishes. First up was the BBQ Eel Rice in Hot Bowl. This was pretty good with the eel being very flavourful. However, I wish the rice had that nice char from the hot bowl.

Pork Fried Noodle

The Pork Fried Noodle was alright. Sort of like a yakisoba. But again, I’m not sure why there’s a huge blob of mayo on the side. You really don’t need to mix that in, since the noodles are already flavoured well.

BBQ Pork Rice Bowl

Our last savoury dish was the BBQ Pork Rice Bowl, which I quite enjoyed. The BBQ pork was really tender and I enjoyed the light marinade.

Rice Cake Wrapped Strawberry

We then sampled one of each item on their dessert menu. The Rice Cake Wrapped Strawberry is a mochi ball filled with red bean paste and a whole strawberry. I love mochi and red bean paste, so I quite enjoyed this. However, I found that the strawberry threw things off a bit. It was a bit sour and the texture is much harder, so it didn’t work too well. Although it’s a nice concept, I would’ve preferred it without the strawberry.

Green Tea Soy Milk Pudding

Although the Green Tea Soy Milk Pudding had a weird texture when you scooped it, it was probably one of my favourite desserts. The pudding is in a very liquid form, but you get a good taste of the soy milk with just the right amount of green tea flavour.

Green Tea Ice Cream

We also had the Green Tea Ice Cream, which comes with whipped cream and some red bean paste. Nothing too special.

Black Sesame Ice Cream

And last but not least, we also had the Black Sesame Ice Cream, which is strong in black sesame flavour. Again, it comes with some whipped cream and red bean paste.

Overall, VanVan Izakaya has both hits and misses. I really enjoyed their grilled dishes, especially the short ribs, pork jowl, and squid. They only do sushi rolls during lunch time, but for dinner, you can still enjoy some of their sashimi dishes.

Ramen Jinya

June 26, 2015June 26, 2015Leave a comment

Ramen Jinya, located on Robson, closer towards Cambie, has been around Vancouver for many years. Finally, on a sunny weekend, S and I decided to try it out with K. We went at a pretty odd time in the afternoon, so we only had a short wait. Still, the place is packed any time of the day!

The interior is nice and modern, and seating feels much more spacious than many other ramen shops in Downtown. Service was also extremely friendly and attentive.

Crispy Chicken with Salad

S went for a combo for his noodles, so by adding an extra $4.50, he got the Crispy Chicken with Salad. I didn’t try this but it had a very nice crispy golden batter.

Tonkotsu Miso Ramen

K got the Tonkotsu Mison Ramen, which features pork belly char-siu, kikurage, green onion, spicy been sprouts, and corn. He said it was pretty good.

Tonkotsu Classic Ramen – Shio

S got the Tonkotsu Classic Ramen, which features a shio soup base. It featured pork belly char-siu, Kikurage, green onion, and fried onion.

JINYA Tonkotsu Black

For myself, I went with the JINYA Tonkotsu Black, which is their number one seller. It offers original pork broth with pork belly char-siu, kikurage, green onions, flavoured boiled egg, seaweed, black garlic oil, and garlic chips. I liked how the garlic oil wasn’t overbearing here, but you still got that hint of garlic flavour. The noodles they use in this broth are thin noodles, which I like since I find them more chewy.

Overall, Jinya didn’t disappoint and is a great option for ramen in Vancouver. Service is also extremely friendly. Jinya recently also opened a new store in Kerrisdale, so hopefully that disperses the crowds at the downtown location.

Pros:
– Great broth and noodles
– Friendly service

Cons:
– Expect waits during prime hours

Price Range: $10-20

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

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

Ramen Butcher

June 4, 2015June 4, 2015Leave a comment

Ramen Butcher opened up earlier this year in Chinatown and was definitely one of the most talked about ramen shops for a good time. They are part of the Menya Kouji franchise, which is a Japanese restaurant group with many ramen shops in Asia. The chefs are all trained under Yamagishi Kazuo, who is the inventor of tsukemen, a type of ramen noodles.

Everyone has been talking about the line ups, and I’m definitely someone who hates waiting. So a few months down the line, I was ready to check this place out, hoping the hype would’ve died down. And it definitely did. We had no wait when we arrived shortly just before 6pm, and the shop remained rather quiet throughout the meal. There were diners, but the tables were not fully occupied.

Orange – Tonkotsu broth with miso marinated ground pork

At Ramen Butcher, their ramens are colour coded. Although most of their soup bases are tonkotsu (pork) based, they put a spin on it with spicy, pesto, and garlic flavoured pastes. S went for the Orange, which has the tonkotsu pork broth with rich miso marinated ground pork. It also comes with aburi pork chashu, which you can choose fatty or lean, and a medium boiled marinated egg. S chose lean chashu and it was pretty much your typical chashu without any fat. The noodles here are much more thin and they are freshly made. I actually really enjoyed the tonkotsu pork broth along with the miso flavouring. It wasn’t too salty although we did find the soup a little on the oily side.

Black – Tonkotsu broth with roasted garlic oil

For myself, I got the Black, which features tonkotsu pork broth with roasted garlic oil, aburi pork chashu, and a medium boiled marinated egg. The broth definitely appeared black in colour, and my first reaction to the broth was that it tasted very unique. You get a strong roasted garlic flavour for sure, which I actually quite enjoyed. For my chashu, i chose fatty, and my piece of chashu was literally 90% fat! The fat is more chewy than the “melt in your mouth fat”, but it actually wasn’t that bad. It didn’t leave a fatty residue in your mouth afterwards. The medium boiled egg was also made quite well, with the yolk being runny.

Oh and did I mention that they offer free noodles once you finish your first bowl of noodles and still have soup left? Just let your server know and they will bring you a bowl of noodles to add to your existing soup. We were actually quite full from our first bowl already, but this is great for those who have a large appetite! Overall, Ramen Butcher is a decent ramen joint to try. It seems like people have negative reviews on Ramen Butcher, but I really don’t think it’s as bad as they say. Of course, I would still prefer some of the other ramen joints, like Santouka, but Ramen Butcher is still a great option. Is it so good that I would make a trip out of the way to Ramen Butcher? Probably not. But if I was around Chinatown, it would definitely be an option.

Pros:
– Free noodle refill
– Tonkotsu broth is quite delicious

Cons:
– Broth is a little on the greasy side

Price Range: $10-15

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

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

Rajio

May 13, 2015Leave a comment

Rajio is the third sister company of Suika and Kingyo. Rajio has been on my to visit list for some time now since I love izakaya food and I’ve been pleased with my experiences at its sister restaurants. I gave them a call at around 5:30 asking for a table at 6:00 and the waitress told me yes, but only until 7:00 and that I could come even earlier. No problem since we weren’t going to eat for long anyways, so an hour was perfect.

When we arrived, the restaurant was starting to pick up with the arrival of many other diners. While seating us, the waitress stressed to us again that we would only have the seat until 7:00pm. We get it! She seriously didn’t have to repeat it so many times… Anyways, the interior of the restaurant is quirky with Disney lights and wooden tables. It’s quite a small restaurant, so I would suggest making reservations.

Dinner started off with complimentary salad. The salad used a type of cabbage that I’ve never had before. The texture was quite thick and hard and was quite flavourless. The dressing was quite delicious though, with a bit of sweet and tangy flavour to it. Would much prefer Suika’s salad though.

Black Sweet & Sour Pork Rib

We started off with the Black Sweet & Sour Pork Rib, which came sizzling hot and looking impressive on the plate. The pork ribs were slightly battered and fried and topped with a balsamic vinegar sauce. It had a tangy sweetness to it and was very flavourful. I especially liked the parts which had some fat to it since the meat around those areas were very tender. Some other parts of the meat were rather overcooked and became very dry. I was worried that there would be more bones than meat, but it proved me wrong. Tons of meat for you!

Imperial Kitchen Tested Peking Chicken

Next was the Imperial Kitchen Tested Peking Chicken. This was crispy chicken skin with green onion and Rajio’s original sweet bean glaze wrapped in a warm soft tortilla. S and I were both underwhelmed by this. The portion was so small as well! It only came with 3 small rolls. The chicken skin was crispy, but that was about it. Nothing too special and you really don’t get much value out of it.

Kakuni Bibimbap Stone Bowl

Lastly was the Kakuni Bibimbap Stone Bowl, which featured stewed pork belly, glazed with peppery sweet soy, and placed on top of rice with green onion and savory shrimp. The pork belly was juicy and very tender. The waitress mixed this up for us and the overall dish was very flavourful. You can never go wrong with some juicy pork belly!

And 10 minutes before 7:00, the waitress came by again to make sure we were going to be out by 7:00. Clearing up our plates and letting us know it would be our last call. Like seriously, we get it. No need to be so pushy. Overall, service was pushy and food was just average. Nothing really blew my mind and made me excited to come back and try the rest of their menu. I’d much rather just return to Suika, Kingyo or even Guu.

Pros:
– Fun, quirky ambiance
– Decent izakaya items

Cons:
– Service was pushy
– From the items I tried, nothing blew my mind

Price Range: $15-30

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

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

Kaneda Japanese Restaurant 金田 – revisit

April 24, 2015April 24, 2015Leave a comment

Green Salad and Miso Soup

Kaneda is located just a short walk from work, and I actually visited the restaurant a few years back when it had opened. During that last visit, we had gone for their all you can eat dinner menu. Reading the post I had written back then, I commented that I wouldn’t be returning since the service and quality of food was pretty bad. However, since SD said his last visit was pretty good, we decided to take his word and give it a try. During lunch, they also have the all you can eat menu, but we ordered a la carte. We all went for their lunch bento boxes, which were priced at a great value of $9.00. All bento boxes start with a green salad and miso soup. This was very average. Tasted just like your typical all you can eat soup and salad.

Lunch Box C

For myself, I got Lunch Box C, which featured Chicken Teriyaki, Assorted Tempura, Assorted Sushi and Rice. The chicken teriyaki was very average and I found it quite oily. The assorted tempura had way too much batter, hence very oily. I felt like I was just eating fried oil after a few bites. You do get two ebi tempuras, but it’s coated heavily in batter. The assorted sushi ended up being 3 nigiris. You get salmon, tuna and ebi. I found that the seafood wasn’t too fresh. I guess you get what you pay for. This will fill you up, but the quality isn’t great.

Lunch Box A

SS got Lunch Box A, which featured Chicken Teriyaki, Assorted Tempura, California Roll, and Rice. S also agreed that there was way too much batter on the tempura. He felt the California rolls were mediocre and not memorable.

The lunch boxes also end with a mango pudding, but this was also quite sub par. E and I both agreed that it lacked any flavour and the consistency wasn’t very smooth. There were bits of the batter that didn’t seem to be mixed thoroughly or sifted. Will I be returning again? Probably not. Good value, but quality is below average.

Pros:
– Lots of seating
– Inexpensive

Cons:
– Poor quality sushi

Price Range: $10-15

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

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

Ebisu (Richmond) – revisit

April 20, 2015April 20, 2015Leave a comment

Party Salmon Sashimi

The last time I blogged about Ebisu at the Richmond location was around 2 years ago. Since I ended up giong to Ebisu two times in a week, I thought it would be a good time to do a revisit post. The first revisit was during a weekday dinner time with J, S, and M. We started with the Party Salmon Sashimi, which comes with 12 pieces of sashimi. The sashimi is fresh and each piece was cut to a good size.

Tiger Mayo

Next was the Tiger Mayo, which featured deep fried Black Tiger prawns with mayonnaise sauce. The prawns came on top of a crispy wonton cracker. The prawns were large, but I didn’t find the batter to be light or crispy enough. These were just sub par.

Chicken Karaage

Another appetizer we ordered was the Chicken Karaage. These boneless chicken were marinated with sake and soy sauce, then deep fried. Again, I found them to be just average. Nothing mind blowing.

B.C. Blazer

We also ordered the B.C. Blazer, which was California roll topped with salmon and a special combination of teriyaki sauce and spicy mayo. This was pretty good for a modern style roll, with the roll having lots of sauce and flavours.

Inferno Toro Sushi

We also ordered one of their signature dishes, which is the Inferno Toro Sushi. This is box pressed with sesame and sushi rice and the toro is seared at the table by the waitress. Hidden inside the rice is a shiso leaf, which gives it a distinct flavour. The toro melted in your mouth and this was probably my favourite dish of the night.

Royal Miyagi Oysters

On a second visit, S and I decided to visit during Happy Hour, which is daily from 3pm to 6pm. During happy hour, they have a couple of deals going on. One of them were the Royal Miyagi Oysters, which go for a special deal for $0.99 per piece with a minimum of 3 pieces per order. Since S doesn’t eat raw oysters, I ordered half a dozen for myself. These are tiny oysters and come from the Cortes Island in B.C. They were fresh and sweet. Great with a dash of Tabasco sauce.

Thunder Fries

We also ordered an appie of Thunder Fries, which were discounted to $4.95. These are freshly cut deep fried sweet potato sticks and are served with a tangy house cajun dip. I like the use of sweet potatoes, but I find that the tempura batter is too oily and thick. The dip is pretty good though.

Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings

During happy hour, they also have chicken wings for 49 cents each. We decided to have an early dinner, so went all out with the wings. The minimum order is 10 pieces per flavour, so we chose three different flavours. We started off with the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings, but this was underwhelming. I felt like they barely even put any salt or pepper on it. It just tasted like regular wings, but the wings were way overcooked. They ended up being very dry. Almost felt like eating dry ribs.

Japanese Miso Chicken Wings

The second flavour we chose was the Japanese Miso. This was probably one of the better flavours, but it still fell short. They literally just pour some sauce on top of the salt and pepper wings. They aren’t actually marinated and some of the wings aren’t even covered with sauce. Again, super dry meat. The wings are also extremely small.

Traditional Teriyaki Chicken Wings

Lastly, we had the Traditional Teriyaki Chicken Wings. These were probably the worst. This didn’t even taste like teriyaki. They were slightly spicy with an odd flavour. Very disappointed with their wings and I wouldn’t be returning for wings for sure.

Overall, Ebisu is your typical Japanese chain restaurant. I find the dishes to be pricey for the quality of food you get. If you’re looking for izakaya food, I would much rather visit Guu, which I find executes the dishes much better.

Pros:
– Modern sushi rolls are decent
– Ambiance is pretty nice with a bar in the middle

Cons:
– Terrible chicken wings
– Regular menu is pricey for the quality of food

Price Range: $20-30

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

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

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka 山頭火

April 19, 2015April 20, 2015Leave a comment

It’s about time I visited Santouka, since it’s known as one of the top ramen shops in Vancouver. The last time I tried to visit, they were under renovation. I made sure this time that the shop was open. Luckily, we arrived early at around 4:30 pm on a Saturday and only needed to wait around 5 minutes. When we left, this was the line that had formed. The good thing is that the turnover is usually pretty fast at these ramen shops, so the wait is probably not that long. We got seated at the bar and we got to see the chefs in action. Shoyu Ramen S chose the Shoyu Ramen, which has a pork broth seasoned with soy sauce. All ramens come with two slices of pork, but you can add extra pork for an additional cost. The ramen itself is $10.95, but S decided to upsize it to a large by adding $1. I liked how the broth wasn’t very salty. Shio Ramen For myself, I got the Shio Ramen, which is their signature ramen. The pork broth is seasoned with salt and the soup is mild and creamy. I went for the regular size and when the ramen came, I definitely thought it looked really small. However, I was actually contently filled up. I think the soup is very creamy so you actually get full from it. The noodles were cooked to al dente and the broth was very flavourful. We also added an order of Aji-tama, or soft-boiled flavoured egg, which finished the dish perfectly. The yolks were runny and the egg was marinated well. I wish the ramen itself already came with the eggs. Overall, Santouka is definitely on the top of the list for ramen in Vancouver. I can see why people will wait for this. It’s definitely on the pricey side for ramen, especially for the small portions, but it’s well worth it. Service is average and seating is quite cramped.

Pros:
– Delicious broth and noodles

Cons:
– Seating is a bit cramped
– Always a line up

Price Range: $12-15

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

Food: 4 Service: 2.5 Ambiance: 2.5 Parking: 3 Overall: 3

Takeya Sushi

April 15, 2015April 15, 2015Leave a comment

Takeya Sushi is located in the Seafair Mall on No.1 and is Japanese run. The restaurant offers sit in, but is not the largest or most glamourous looking restaurant, so many choose to order take out. When we arrived just before 6:00pm, there was already a wait for tables. We decided to skip the dine in and ordered take out.

Sushi Combo H – 1 California Roll, 1 Mango California Roll, 1 Papaya California Roll

S chose Sushi Combo H, which comes with three variations of the California Roll. You get your typical California Roll, and then one filled with mango and the other filled with papaya. I’ve seen many restaurants with mango in their California rolls, but was surprised to see the papaya. S thought the sushi was good and yummy. He said he would likely return.

Takeya Nigiri – lightly grilled (Salmon Toro, Tuna Toro, Saba, Amaebi, Unagi, Salmon Roll (3pcs), Tuna Roll (3pcs)

For myself, I went for the Takeya Nigiri. They have Chef’s Specials every motnh, and you can check online to see what’s new. The Takeya Nigiri set was this month’s special. It was a great deal at $11.95 for an assortment of lightly grilled nigiris along with two maki rolls. The fish was very fresh and I especially liked the Salmon Toro and Tuna Toro. These two just melted in your mouth.

I can see why people line up for Takeya. It is a gem in Richmond with affordable, fresh and authentic sushi. Presentation-wise, it’s not the fanciest, since they use paper cups for the wasabi and pickled ginger. However, quality beats it. I’ll definitely be returning and it’s a great choice for take out.

Pros:
– Fresh and good quality sushi
– Reasonable prices

Cons:
– Always long waits for dine in

Price Range: $10-20

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

Food: 4
Service: N/A (take-out)
Ambiance: 2
Parking: 4
Overall: 3.5

Every Day is a Food Day

Category: Japanese

VanVan Izakaya – ChineseBites Media Event

Ramen Jinya

Ramen Butcher

Rajio

Kaneda Japanese Restaurant 金田 – revisit

Ebisu (Richmond) – revisit

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka 山頭火

Takeya Sushi