Bon Crepe

August 19, 2013Leave a comment

After a bike ride at the Stanley Park seawall, K and I trekked down towards the Robson area and went to take a look at Bon Crepe. It is a Japanese owned convenience store with crepes, and other desserts. Inside, you will find all kinds of Japanese snacks, candies, drinks, but even some frozen foods and rice. They also have an assortment of household products and even hair dye. Then in a corner is the fast food area. They had parfaits, crepes, and soft serve ice cream. We went for the Matcha Soft Serve Ice Cream. I’m not sure if it’s because it is real matcha powder, but I found the ice cream to be quite flavourless. The cone itself was also a typical McDonald’s cone. It was okay on a sunny day, but I probably wouldn’t get that again. The ice cream was extremely smooth and for under $3, it doesn’t break your wallet. Their parfaits or crepes may be better since they have other ingredients in it as well.

Guu Garlic (Robson)

August 7, 2013Leave a comment

For my birthday dinner, J took me to Guu Garlic on Robson St. I’ve never been to this location and I heard that each Guu has a different menu, so I was pretty excited to see what was different. We sat at the bar and we could see the chef preparing our food. I still don’t understand how they can just yell the orders and remember what to make. Their communication and teamwork skills are definitely great here.

Kimchi Udon – marinated udon with cod roe, soy sauce, butter, kimchi & green onion

I always get the normal Yakiudon, so this time we tried the Kimchi Udon. It’s not exactly kimchi on the noodles, but the flavour is a kimchi flavour. I’m guessing they didn’t use traditionally prepared kimchi. The noodles were similar to the yakiudon one, and were cooked until chewy. I still prefer the original yakiudon over this one though.

Ishiyaki – Today’s hot stone bowl dish

We also decided to try the Ishiyaki, which is a hot stone bowl with whichever rice they were serving on the day. I don’t exactly remember what the waitress described the dish as, but it reminded me of Italian flavours. Here, she began to mix the rice before I got a picture.

This is what it looks like after it is mixed thoroughly. The rice is filled with meat, tomatoes, green onions, onions and some other ingredients. We definitely thought it didn’t taste like something you would eat at a Japanese restaurant. The flavours were very westernized and I personally thought it tasted like Italian rice.

Tuna Tataki – lightly seared tuna sashimi with green onion, garlic chips & ponzu sauce

Tuna Tataki is always included in my usual orders. This one was seared really well so that the inside was still raw. I’ve had it a couple of times where the tuna is over-seared.

Salmon Carpaccio – Sokeye salmon carpaccio

I’ve had the Salmon Carpaccio at the Richmond location before, and it is always one of my favourites. This was once again executed very well. I just love the sauce and dressing they use on it. Tons of flavour and the salmon is fresh.

Grilled Japanese “Kurobuta” Sausage

Lastly, we ordered the Grilled Japanese “Kurobuta” Sausage from the daily special menu. Kurobuta is the famous Japanese term for pork meat from a Berkshire pig. These pigs are black and are a rare breed, hence the dishes are usually more expensive than a dish made from the typical breeds. These pigs are originated from England, but they are also bred in Japan, and therefore called Kurobuta if they are bred in Japan. They are prized for their juiciness, tenderness, and flavour. It also has much more fat than normal pork meat. These sausages had a crisp outer layer and the inside was definitely much more juicy. They came along with two dips. One was a mustard seed sauce, which I really enjoyed. I thought the red dip was ketchup, but my sausage became really spicy! I later realized it was a spicy ketchup.

We didn’t end up getting dessert or finishing our meal since we had an emergency and had to leave halfway. The servers were very accommodating and cancelled our dessert order right away. I really wanted to try their dessert too… it had green tea ice cream in it. Oh well, next time!

Seto (Revisit #3)

August 4, 2013August 4, 2013Leave a comment

On my actual birthday, J took me to Seto for lunch before my birthday adventure began. He seems to enjoy this restaurant after I brought him here once. Quality is always good and they make authentic Japanese food. I’ve never been to Seto during lunch hours, so it was a surprise to learn that they had a lunch menu and one that was of good value, especially since their dinner menu is usually quite pricey.

Seto Box – Teriyaki Chicken, Sushi, Sashimi, Zarusoba, Tempura, Salad, Sunomono, Soup and Rice

Most of the lunch items are Lunch Boxes. J got the Seto Box and it included a lot of dishes for only $15! The Zarusoba came first, and this one was green. It was a decent amount and J said it was quite good.

Tempura

Next, they brought us the Tempura. One yam, one zucchini, and two prawns. All lightly battered, and didn’t feel too greasy.

And here was the rest of the items in the Seto Box. It had two pieces of salmon sashimi, two pieces of tuna sashimi, teriyaki chicken on rice, ebi, tuna, and salmon nigiri, a salad, and some sunomono salad. Sashimi was fresh as usual, and nigiris were all constructed well.

Saba Nigiri, Salmon Toro Nigiri

J also ordered some Saba and Salmon Toro Nigiris. I didn’t try the Saba as usual, since I think that it’s probably quite fishy. I did try the Salmon Toro, which is essentially the salmon belly, and this was quite delicious. The texture is much more soft and buttery compared to just normal Salmon because the belly area is more fatty.

Lunch Box C – Teriyaki Chicken, Sashimi, Nigiri Sushi, Tempura, Sunomono, Soup and Rice

And last but not least, I had the Lunch Box C. Pretty much the same as the Seto Box, except I don’t have the Zarusoba and Salad. The Seto Box would have been too much food for me anyways, so the Lunch Box C was just perfect. A filling meal and only for a price of $12!

Now that I know Seto has such good deals during lunch time, I think I may come here more often during lunch if I’m craving some quality Japanese food. It seemed that most diners got the lunch boxes because of the good deals. They have quite a variety of boxes to choose from too!

Check out my previous reviews at Seto: https://everydayisafoodday.com/2012/05/21/seto-japanese-restaurant/

https://everydayisafoodday.com/2013/07/17/seto-sushi-revisit/

Guu Richmond (Revisit #3)

July 31, 2013Leave a comment

I’ve been to Guu in Richmond plenty of times, and for my birthday dinner with my family, we somehow ended there again. I wanted to Zakkushi, but we were quite last minute, and they were fully booked up. My family ended up wanting to go to Guu, so why not, since it’s close by.

Complementary Salad

After placing our orders, we were given two small bowls of this Complementary Salad. It was mostly yellow cabbage, and was lightly marinated with a sour sauce. Quite refreshing, but nothing too special.

Beef Tataki – thin sliced seared beef w/ ponzu sauce

As usual, I went with the Beef Tataki, because I always enjoy the sauce that Guu uses. I’ve had some bad experiences with the beef tataki at Guu Richmond, but this time, they were very nicely seared. It wasn’t overdone, and each bite was easy to chew.

Oden – Fish Puff

K ordered Oden, and got the Fish Puff. This was my first time trying this. It had a very funny texture and was a bit bouncy, but soft at the same time. It’s so hard to explain, but it was good! Reminded me a little of fish tofu puffs. The oden was also very delicious.

Kabocha Korokke – Pumpkin and boiled egg croquette

The Kabocha Korokke is also one of my all-time favourites at Guu. It’s essentially mashed pumpkin wrapped around a boiled egg and then deep fried. It’s then topped with a mayo sauce. I also love the pumpkin chips on the side.

Okonomiyaki – Deep fried squid & cabbage Japanese pancake w/ tonkatsu sauce & mustard mayo

This time, I also wanted to try some new items. I chose the Okonomiyaki, and this was really good! I think the mustard mayo really made the pancake taste really good. It had a decent amount of squid inside each piece. This is a perfect dish to easily share between four people.

Aigamo Pizza – teriyaki duck breast Guuu’d style pizza w/ tomato sauce & mayo

And then I decided to try the Aigamo Pizza! Yea, I’ve seen this plenty of times on their menu, but have never thought of trying it. So glad I did, because this was really delicious! There were an abundant of teriyaki duck breast, and each piece was thick, yet had an incredible chew. Extremely tender. We were however, disappointed that half our pizza crust had been burnt. Sort of too burnt to be edible, at least in a health perspective…

Karubi – BBQ garlic sauce marinated beef ribs

My dad is always a beef ribs person, so he ordered the Karubi. There were only a few on the plate, and it came with some mustard on the side. We thought that this was way too salty though. My mouth just felt like salt after and I had to wash it down with tea. Not recommended!

Crazy Salmon Sashimi – lightly seared salmon

We also wanted some sashimi, and like many authentic Japanese restaurants, salmon sashimi is not usually found. They had it in some assortment sets, but my dad wanted just salmon sashimi. Well we saw something on the daily special menu called Crazy Salmon Sashimi, so we asked our server what it was. She told us it was basically salmon sashimi, but it is lightly seared, just like tuna tataki. So we ordered 12 pieces. It was definitely lightly seared and melted in your mouth with a few chews. The only issue we had was the saltiness again! It was topped with way too much freshly ground pepper and salt. It had a very smoky flavour to it, which I didn’t mind, but the saltiness of it was beyond what I could take. It seemed that tonight’s chef seasoned everything too salty!

Yakiudon – Pan fried udon w/ beef, mushroom, green onion & soy sauce and butter

Lastly, we got our usual Yakiudon. Guu’s yakiudon is always my favourite. Their sauce is just spot on, and the udon is cooked so it has a nice chew, and the sauce makes the noodles a little sticky, which I really like.

All in all, it seems that the dishes I usually order are still spot on. And now I will add the pizza and okomiyaki to the list. However, I would stay away from the beef ribs and crazy salmon sashimi. Service was wonderful as usual, and we didn’t need to wait long before our dishes arrived.

To read my previous visits at Guu: https://everydayisafoodday.com/2013/01/04/kitanoya-guu-richmond/
https://everydayisafoodday.com/2013/01/24/kitanoya-guu-richmond-revisit/

Sushi Mori

July 26, 2013Leave a comment

We were in Coquitlam and craving some Japanese food as usual. And of course J is always craving his nigiris. So we urbanspooned around for a while to see what was nearby. Sushi Mori popped up and the reviews seemed pretty good so off we went.

The inside is extremely nice! It’s filled with wooden furniture and cherry blossom trees with lanterns so it glows. It almost feels like you’re in a cherry blossom wonderland in Japan. The place seems to be operated by Koreans though, as they all knew how to speak Korean.

The tableware is extremely cute. The teapot has an ancient feel to it, and the tea cups are so petite! Okay, a little too small, making the need to repour yourself some tea after every sip… We were also given some Edamame Beans to start as a complementary appetizer.

Spicy Tuna Roll

J got the Spicy Tuna Roll, and it was drizzled with a lot of spicy sauce. Essentially just a normal tuna roll, but drizzled with the spicy sauce.

Crazy Boy Roll – Deep Fried California Roll, Masago

Everyday, they also have a list of items that are at a discounted prices. I think the Crazy Boy Roll was one of them for that night, hence we got it. I’ve tried this type of roll at another sushi restaurant, and it is essentially a california roll that has been battered and deep fried. It was covered with a spicy mayo and topped with masago. I thought it was pretty good, but anything deep fried is usually tasty.

Salmon Don

For myself, I got the Salmon Don. There was a large amount of salmon sashimi – a total of 8 fatty pieces. On the side was a bit of marinated squid and seaweed salad. I did find it quite bland though, and the rice wasn’t cooked that great and wasn’t well seasoned. Something was just lacking, and it tasted rather bland. I wouldn’t say that the salmon was extremely fresh either.

Complementary Salad

Halfway through dinner, we were also given a Complementary Salad. Sort of random, but we’ll take it if it’s free! It was actually a really large plate too. I’m guessing they had extra scraps of vegetables or something. It was filled with lettuce, julienned cucumbers, beets, and pineapples. The pineapples were a real surprise for me, but also my favourite part. I love how the sweetness gave the whole salad some flavour. The portion was definitely too big for us though and we didn’t end up finishing it.

Saba Nigiri, Hamachi Nigiri, Ebi Nigiri

And here were J’s Nigiris. I think the Ebi Nigiri was also on the special menu, hence he ordered quite a few. I didn’t try any, as none of the fish are really my favourites, but he said they weren’t good at all. He was quite disappointed and said they were priced at too high of a price for the quality you are getting.

Overall, I wasn’t too amazed by the food at Sushi Mori. J, on the other hand, was extremely disappointed and said he wouldn’t be coming back. I guess I can’t say much since I only had the Salmon Don, and it honestly isn’t too hard to make. J, however, had high expectations for his nigiris, so he wasn’t happy with them at all. We both agreed that the restaurants atmosphere and decor is probably the reason why people come here. Really nice looking place, but definitely just average food. Probably not coming back again.

Sushi Itshoni

July 19, 2013Leave a comment

J and I are always in this complex on North Rd, since he has to do his grocery shopping at H-Mart. I guess we are slowly trying out every restaurant in that complex. We decided to give Sushi Itshoni a try. It seems to be Korean operated, and serves a mix of Korean and Japanese cuisine.

The place was quite full during lunch on a weekday. They seem to have pretty good deals, which might be the reason why.

Complementary Appetizers

We were served some complementary appetizers, like any other Korean restaurant would offer. It consisted of Kimchi, Marinated Seaweed, and Boiled Broccoli. Typical stuff.

Friday’s Bento Box

Every day, they have a menu item on special for around $8. For Friday, it consisted of a Bento Box that had Assorted Fried Tempura, Marinated Beef, California Rolls, and a Green Salad. I have to say the food wasn’t that great. It’ll fill you up, but is very average. The tempura batter was extremely thick, and California rolls are pretty bad.

Cold Buckwheat Noodles

J got one of those Cold Buckwheat Noodles. This one was quite simple and didn’t have much in it other than an egg, tomato and some cucumbers. They also had a variety of other ones to choose from.

I probably wouldn’t come back to Sushi Itshoni again. I mean, the prices are decent for lunch, but the quality isn’t that great. Kind of disappointing.

Seto Sushi (Revisit)

July 17, 20131 Comment

We were in Richmond, and J wanted some authentic Japanese food and some good nigiris. I honestly don’t know too many truly authentic Japanese restaurants, so I immediately thought of Seto Sushi. I always know that I’m going to be getting good quality food, even though their prices can be a bit steep sometimes. It’s worth it if you want some good food though!

Fresh Saba, Saba, Hamachi Nigiri

J and his nigiris… He keeps ordering fish that I would have never otherwise tried, but I guess that’s a good thing. I didn’t dare try the saba, since it looked pretty fishy, but I did try the Hamachi. It had a nice texture and was extremely fresh. Not fishy at all. J said the Saba was also pretty good, but you definitely get the fish taste to it. They also had Fresh Saba on the special menu, so he tried that as well. What I love about Seto’s nigiris are is that they put the wasabi inside the piece of sushi too. Makes it so much more authentic!

Chopped Scallop Roll, Negi Toro Roll, House Roll (4 pc)

Seto doesn’t have any creative rolls, and they stick to the basics and authentic sushis. So I didn’t dare try to explore and try something new, and stuck to some of my favourite items that I reorder every time. The Chopped Scallop is always good with an abundant of fresh scallops and a mixture of mayo sauce. I also got half an order of the House Roll, which is always too big to eat in one bite. I end up dissecting the sushi to eat, but it’s always good. It’s filled with salmon, imitation crab, avocado, and topped with tobiko. J also got the Negi Toro Roll, which looked quite typical.

Pickled Plum (Ume) Yakionigiri

J also got the Picked Plum Yakionigiri, which is essentially onigiri, but slightly grilled. It came with seaweed packets so you could wrap it up yourself, which we had some trouble in the beginning. The pickled plum is extremely sour, so it’s not for everyone.

Again, I was extremely pleased with Seto. Definitely one of the best Japanese restaurants in Richmond.

To see my previous post on Seto: https://everydayisafoodday.com/2012/05/21/seto-japanese-restaurant/

Tsuki Sushi Bar

July 4, 2013Leave a comment

I’m so behind on my posts again, but now that school is over, I’ll be more consistent with posting on time… Anyways, M, J and I wanted to grab some lunch and they put me in charge of where…as always. Trying to find something that everyone would enjoy and had good ratings, I ended up suggesting Tsuki Sushi Bar. The sign is pretty tiny, so I legit stood at the intersection for two minutes with my Google maps, trying to figure out where it was.

I was late, so the two had already gotten a seat. Inside, it’s very spacious, but there aren’t too many seats. I’m guessing it can be quite packed on a busy day. There’s also a sushi bar where you can see the sushi chefs prepare the sushi.

I love the wooden tables, and the lighting gives it a very clean and fresh look. We had a long table, so we did have to share a table with a few other diners, but we were still given enough space to have our own conversations.

Complementary Miso Soup

Shortly after placing our orders, we were each given a complimentary miso soup.

Sockeye Salmon

J got the Sockeye Salmon which was glistening in colour. It was fresh and sliced to the perfect size. Really good!

Enoki Mushroom Salad

M got an Enoki Mushroom Salad, which I believe isn’t on their menu normally. It was one of the items on their chalkboard for daily specials. It was flavoured nicely and was a refreshing appetizer.

Tuna Tataki – Seared Tuna with Ginger, Garlic, Tosazu Vinegar

J and I also shared the Tuna Tataki and the pieces were huge! I think you got around 5 pieces, but each piece was cut quite thick. It was lightly seared and there was a good bite to it.

I have no idea what M ordered, but I’m guessing the red nigiri is Sockeye Salmon. I think the white one was on their chalkboard, and I honestly have no clue what he ordered as the craft roll… It looks really good and he said it was delicious.

Smoked Salmon Nigiri, Scallop Special Nigiri, Special BC Roll(Seared Salmon and Ikura on top of BC Roll), Alaska Roll (Dungeness Crab, Cucumber, Masago w/ seared Sockeye, Mayo on top)

J got the Smoked Salmon Nigiri which was literally a piece of smoked salmon with a slice of lemon on top. Looked pretty good! As for myself, I got the Special Scallop Nigiri, and I enjoyed this as it was different from other restaurants where they slather a bunch of mayo on it. This one was strictly scallops, and you could feel the texture of each scallop. We also shared the Special BC Roll and Alaska Roll. The Special BC had salmon on top of an ordinary BC Roll, but the salmon was ever so lightly seared. It was also topped with lots of tobiko. Not bad! And the Alaska Roll was bascially like any other Alaska Roll, except they used dungeness crab instead of imitation crab.

I was quite pleased with each dish. It seemed that they took the time to craft them with care and they were all presented nicely. The price point also isn’t too bad. It’s actually quite reasonable for the quality of food you get. Most of the craft rolls were a little under $7 and they use some pretty good ingredients.