Miura Waffle Milk Bar

March 22, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Cookies & Cream Waffle
oreo, whipped cream & chocolate sauce

Banana Caramel Waffle
banana, whipped cream, cookie crumbs & caramel sauce

Tiramisu Waffle
cream cheese custard cream, coffee jelly & chocolate sauce

Finally got to try the well talked about Miura Waffle Milk Bar! They are apparently family owned and operated, and upon entering, we were greeted by a very friendly waitress. I believe they are Japanese owned. They basically offer both savoury and sweet “waffle sandos,” which basically means waffle sandwiches in Japanese. They also specialize in flavoured milks and drinks, which I never got a chance to try. I did a little digging on their site and found that they have flavoured milks and yoggy milks. It’s pretty cool since they actually have milk that are flavoured with real fruits and juices, and the yoggy milk are yogurty milk drinks that are thicker than plain milk. Next time, I will definitely try. All my friends got sweet waffle sandwiches since we were really look for a dessert place. However, I believe that their savoury ones are quite popular since most customers had ordered them… I never got to try the Banana Caramel, but I did prefer the Cookies and Cream to the Tiramisu one. I found the Tiramisu to be a little bland since the coffee jelly was not strong in flavour. The Cookies and Cream actually had a good crunch to it and was much more flavourful. Overall, they were still very good, and I would love to try their savoury waffles and drinks next time. The store is quite small, but people seem to always be going in and out, so that’s a good sign!

Aoyama Cafe

March 20, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Seafood Curry Japanese Spaghetti

Seafood Salad

Went to Aoyama Cafe at Aberdeen Centre to have a small little birthday dinner with the girls, and the restaurant was surprisingly quite empty on a Saturday night. I’ve been here a few times when it had just opened and I think they had more customers back then. I had the Seafood Curry Japanese Spaghetti and it was alright. Had a good portion of seafood and had a hint of curry flavour that wasn’t too strong. Nothing too special though, and I’ve had better spaghetti. My friend had the Seafood Salad, which actually looked quite appetizing amongst all the greens. Overall, I think it’s decent for some unique Japanese fusion food, but I think it is a little overpriced for the portions and overall taste. I think I’ve had better pasta, but I have to say, I am always pleased with their service since it’s quick and friendly. They also have awesome desserts and drinks, so I would definitely recommend going for that. It’s worth a try if you haven’t been, but definitely isn’t my go-to place.

Hapa Umi

February 8, 2012May 4, 2013Leave a comment

ALBERTA AAA BEEF TATAKI
Garlic ponzu, green onion oil, spicy daikon

Ahi Tuna

SCALLOP
Scallops, cucumber, ume mayonnaise, egg crepe wrapping

DYNAMITE
Tempura shrimp, green beans, mayonnaise, teriyaki sauce

KAKUNI AND SCALLOP
Soy-braised pork belly, seared scallop

WARM CHOCOLATE CAKE
Banana tempura, ginger caramel, coconut ice cream

I saw that there was a Groupon for Hapa Umi for $30 for $60 worth of food and thought that was a pretty good deal and decided to get it. Even though I had my Groupon, I really don’t think the food was worth its price. Portions were quite small, and there weren’t many choices to choose from on the menu. The sashimi selection was very limited and they didn’t even serve tuna toro. It seemed like they were trying to westernize their menu, so it wasn’t a lot of authentic Japanese food. Food was however quite fresh, and the desserts were okay. The beef carpaciccio was not bad, but nothing spectacular about it. I guess nothing was bad, but just not good enough to make me want to keep coming back. Going in with the perception that Hapa Umi was a higher end izakaya, which the ambiance gives and their price points prove to be, I was left disappointed and felt the food really wasn’t worth the price. I think if you want to go to a good izakaya place, I would recommend to go to Guu instead!

Kaneda Japanese Restaurant

January 31, 2012May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Assorted Sashimi, including Salmon, Tuna, Hokkigai, Tako (Octopous)

Beef Sashimi

Lobster/Kani, Chopped Scallop, Shark Fin, Mirugai Nigiri Sushi

Tobiko, Toro, Unagi Nigiri Sushi

Dynamite Roll, Alaska Roll, California Roll, Chopped Scallop Roll

Fresh Oyster, Gomae, Agedashi Tofu, Fish Soup, Prawn Tempura

Yakitori (Chicken Skewer), Beef Short Ribs

I was flipping through an asian food magazine and found that a new restaurant called Kaneda Japanese Restaurant had opened on West Broadway. I hadn’t had all you can eat sushi for a very long time since I hate that feeling of stuffing myself just to get my money’s worth, but I was definitely craving some this weekend. Decided to give it a try, but I have to say I was quite disappointed. I looked at the reviews and I saw that they had pretty good reviews, but I have to say that the food and service is not up to par. The food took extremely long to arrive and the order of food came in an awkward order. You would expect to get all your sashimi and salads first, but no, things like beef short ribs came before salmon sashimi was served. Salads as simple as gomae and shrimp sunomono took what felt like 30 minutes to come. You would assume that all you can eat places would have things like salad all prepared ahead of time since they need to send them out in bulk amounts. But no, they took forever, and they didn’t taste any better than other all you can eat places that served them right away. Our sushi was also all mixed up, or it was either that they didn’t have it and just substituted our food without asking. We ordered lobster nigiri sushi, but it tasted like imitation crab, and our albalone nigiri sushi never came, but something that was clearly chopped scallop, which we had not ordered, came. Would’ve appreciated if they let us know beforehand there wasn’t the items and they shouldn’t have just substituted it for something else. All the cook food, like skewers and agedashi tofu were pretty good though, and they presented the sashimi on a very nice platter. Food just took way too long to come though, and we had to even ask our server where our food was. He replied that there was only one chef preparing the sushi. Understaffed on a Saturday night? The restarurant wasn’t even full too though, so maybe that’s why. Service was just way too slow, and even when we asked for our bill, it took them 10 minutes to get it to us. Definitely not going back, but I have to say they have a large variety of food to choose from for all you can eat at around $25 a person.

Tsukiji

January 8, 2012May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Assorted Sashimi (Salmon, Tuna, Hamachi, Tako, Hokki, Hotate) and Uni (Sea Urchin)

Chopped Scallop Roll and House Roll (Prawn Tempura Roll Topped with Unagi, Avocado and Masago)

Nabeyaki Udon – Thick Noodle in Soup with Prawn Tempura, chicken, and Vegetables (Forgot to take the one in the big bowl!)

Negitoro Maki (Chopped Tuna Belly with Green Onion)

Unagi Don (Grilled BBQ Eel)

Karubi (Beef Short Ribs)

Went to Tsukiji for Christmas Eve Dinner since my family didn’t want to crowd at other restaurants, but Tsukiji was actually quite full too. They brought us to rooms where we actually had to take off our shoes and sit on mats, so it gave us a little Japanese ambiance to it. Food was quite good with good quality, but I have to say the portions are quite small for the price. We had to keep ordering after our first orders of food came since we were all still hungry! Place is still great though, and I’ll probably come back again!

Tokyo Joe Ramen Okawari

December 15, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Salmon and Tuna Sashimi

Assorted Sushi

Curry Ramen

Okawari Ramen – Japanese style Cha Shu Ginseng Noodle Soup

Tokyo Joe opened their ramen chain a few months ago in the save on foods mall in Richmond, just across from their sushi chain! I haven’t actually tried the sushi chain, but decided to try their ramen first. Upon entering, we were greeted by enthusiastic Japanese waitresses and the restaurant was quite empty. But a few minutes after sitting down, the place became full! They have specials every week and this week was the Curry Ramen so I decided to try that. The ramen wasn’t actually soaked in a curry soup base, but instead, the fried pork was drizzled with curry sauce, so it was just enough curry flavour without taking over the flavour of the ramen soup. The Okawari Ramen is basically like their house ramen, but it is different from other ramen, where they actually have ginseng in this one! I never got a chance to try it, but it looks delicious! Now I want to try the Tokyo Joe sushi factory across the street!

Zakkushi Charcoal Grill

December 10, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Uzura – Quail Egg wrapped with Sliced Pork & Garlic Beef – AAA Beef with Teriyaki Sauce and Garlic Chips

Kobe Beef Tsukune (Meatball) & Shitake – Shitake Mushroom with Grated Radish, Daikon and Ponzu Sauce

Momo – Chicken Thighs & Yaki Ebi – Prawns with Butter Soy Sauce and Garlic Chips

Teba – Chicken Wing

Nori Maya – Terriyaki Sauce, Mayo and Seaweed Chicken Meatball & Tsukune – Teriyaki Sauce and Garlic Chicken Meatball

Mmmm! Zakkushi Charcoal Grill is all about grilled skewers! They do however have salads, sashimi and other tapas, but I just ordered a bunch of skewers since there were so many to choose from! Prices range from about $1.40 to $2.90 per skewer and they are all really delicious! Cannot decide which one is my favourite! Zakkushi also has 3 locations in total. This one was at the Denman and Robson location. There are also ones on West 4th and Main. Don’t know how the service is at those locations, but service was prompt and satisfying at this location. Definitely going to go back again to try the other skewers! Too many to choose from!

Donburiya

December 2, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Takoyaki

Chicken Karage

Curry with Pork Cutlet on Rice

I’ve always wanted to try those restaurants down Robson Street – the ones past all the shops. Their store front or ads on their windows always attract me but I’m never in the mood to eat at that time! Finally a day where I was craving some food and of course I walk past Donburiya. This chicken karage picture on their ad outside totally attracted me, and it’s actually not the first time. I remember seeing it a long time ago and wanting to try it. And aren’t I happy that ad pulled me in! The chicken karage comes in a bowl of 4 for $3.50 and are boneless. The batter isn’t very thick so it wasn’t very oily. Also decided to try the takoyaki which I have to say is one of the best I have had. And lastly, the curry with pork cutlet on rice was a great deal as it was a huge plate for only $9.25, compared to places such as Aoyama which charges around $13 for a small plate that isn’t as good as this one! The place is however very small and can probably only sit 20 people and it is more like a self serve restaurant. You pick up your own utensils, seasonings, and water. They do however bring you your food in a tray. So perhaps take out is the way to go. They are famous for their rice bowls which I saw many people eat and it looked delicious. It seemed like a lot of Japanese people were eating here too so it must be good Japanese food! Definitely going back here again!