Charcoal Sushi & BBQ (Revisit)

May 30, 2012May 17, 2014Leave a comment

Wakame Salad – marinated seaweed

Tokyo Roll – prawn tempura & cucumber topped with salmon & tobiko

Rainbow Roll – imitation crab, avacado, salmon, tuna, snapper, prawns, hokkigai

The Submarine – salmon, avocado & tobiko topped with seaweed salad

Lotus Roll – chopped scallop, imitation crab & avocado topped with tobiko, wrapped in cucumber

My parents were deciding where to have dinner on the long weekend, but realized many smaller sushi shops were closed that day. And so I ended up suggesting to go to Charcoal Sushi & BBQ since they always have some pretty unique rolls.

We waited for quite a while for our orders to appear on the table, and I guess the server/owner saw us getting a little impatient, so he gave us a Wakame Salad for free. Perfect – since we were actually thinking of ordering it before. Refreshing and had a little spice to it. Finally, we got our Tokyo Roll. It had prawn tempura inside, topped with salmon and tobiko and a sauce that was a little spicy, but gave the whole roll a great flavour. Next we had the Rainbow Roll, which consisted of salmon, tuna and hokkigai on the top of the roll. Looked really pretty! The third roll we got was the Submarine Roll. It had salmon inside and was topped with more seaweed salad. The seaweed gave it a great bite, as well as flavour to the whole roll. Lastly, we got the Lotus Roll, which I had already tried before. It was basically imitation crab wrapped with a very thin piece of cucumber. The menu description also claimed that there was chopped scallop inside, but it was the tiniest bit ever. Still, the Lotus Roll was extremely refreshing and had a great crunch with the cucumber slice.

Overall, Charcoal Sushi & BBQ was quite good with a large assortment of interesting rolls, and I would love to try the BBQ next time.

Twisted Fork Bistro

May 27, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Snails – Tender garlic snails cooked with shallots, mushrooms, herbs and white wine served with tomato basil sauce, arrugula and crushed croutons

Scallops and Bacon – Pan seared scallops marinated in thyme and chipotle oil served with caramelized onion, potato puree, Vancouver Island’s double smoked bacon and house corn relish

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom – Filled with arrugula, and pesto vinaigrette, topped with a cashew dill crust served with lentils, baby carrots and tomato basil sauce

Fresh Mussels – One pound, with cream, herbs and fresh tomatoes, served with frites

Confit Duck – Crispy Confit duck served with bacon braised cabbage, duck jus and finished with fruit ketchup

Lavender Creme Brulee

Chocolate Terrine – Frozen dark chocolate mousse layered with raspberry sorbet, with biscotti crumbs and raspberry coulis

Twisted Fork Bistro has been on my go to list for quite a while now. I was so excited to try it finally since there’s always huge line ups for it. Waited a little more than 15 minutes and finally got a seat. The place is really small, so it usually gets packed quite fast. It’s got a warm, homey feeling to it which I love. They serve cozy French cuisine, and are known for their great desserts.

First off, we got the Escargots, which I didn’t find particularly special or anything. There were a lot of escargots, but the flavour was nothing special. The Scallops and Bacon had a sauce that basically tasted like salsa with corn, and I found it a little too sour for my liking. The Stuffed Portabello Mushroom was just alright again. Nothing too special. As for the Fresh Mussels, I found that there were not enough flavour. It was a little bland for me, and I usually don’t eat very feisty flavoured things too. My favourite dish had to be the Confit Duck. The duck was cooked really tender and the sauce complemented the duck breast very well. And finally, we ordered desserts! Tha Lavender Creme Brulee was really delicious! It was infused with a lavender flavour, which I found very special since not many restaurants serve creme brulee with lavender. The lavender actually worked very well with the creme brulee. Lastly, we also ordered a Chocolate Terrine, which had raspberry sauce, and was extremely rich and creamy.

Overall, the main dishes were just alright, but I really enjoyed the desserts, and would probably come back again for that. Always so packed though, so I’ve got to come here earlier!

Izumi-Tei at Izumi-Ya Japanese Marketplace

May 25, 2012April 25, 2013Leave a comment

After hearing about the crazy buzz about Izumi-Ya’s new all you can eat, I decided to go give it a try. It’s called Izumi-Tei and this was probably just two weeks after it had opened, but it was packed already! I arrived at the marketplace to see that they had sectioned an area off for the buffet. There were already crowds of people waiting for a seat, but luckily we only waited for maybe a short 15 minutes and we were given a seat. The interior was very small, with most tables only fitting probably 4 people max. The workers were also not quite organized, probably because it had just opened.

For dinner or lunch, it was only $9.99 for adults! I heard rumours that they have increased the price now though. My friends who had just went recently were giving me such good reviews about it, so I guess I went in having some high expectations, which was a bad idea. It ended up to be a buffet style all you can eat, but the selection wasn’t too large. Food wasn’t prepared quick enough, so a lot of times, there wasn’t much food left when I went up to get food. And most of the food were just greasy, fried items, which I’m not a huge fan of. They did have an oden section, which was quite different from other Japanese all you can eat places. Sushi selection was limited to dynamite, california, salmon, tamago, and cucumber rolls. There wasn’t sashimi either, but what can I expect with the price I paid. Another interesting item they served were takoyakis! You also got to add the toppings yourself, which was pretty fun. Lastly, they served soft-serve ice cream, which wasn’t anything special again.

They only let you eat for an hour as well, and they stick a little tag on your table with the time you must leave when you’re brought to your table. Overall, was the food anything amazing? I don’t think so, and I would probably choose to pay a few more bucks to eat better all you can eat. But with this price, it is definitely a place to go to if you want to fill up your stomach.

Haroo

May 24, 2012May 5, 2013Leave a comment

Bulgogi Soup and Rice Cake

Bibimbap and Rice Cake

I actually discovered Haroo on Urbanspoon while looking for a Korean place to eat with a friend in Richmond. Finally ended up going, and the place is so cute! It gives you the feeling like you walked into a Korean family’s house. Super homey and comfy! The man who served us, whom I’m guessing is the owner, was so sweet and friendly too. Reminded me of those Korean dads on Korean dramas! Parking at the mall is terrible though, even though it was just a weekday.

But anyways, let’s talk about the food. We ordered the Lunch Sets, since that was really what was only offered during lunch time I think. I found that the food actually tasted quite differently from the dishes I’ve had at places such as Jang Mo Jib and Kyung Bok Palace. The kimchi was slightly more spicy with a different seasoning, and the rice cakes were cooked quite differently. The Rice Cakes weren’t in a spicy sauce, but rather a beef stew type of sauce. I had the Bulgogi Soup which had some potato noodles, beef, veggies and a very sweet and delicious soup. For $10, each dish was in a smaller portion, but everything together made it a filling meal. I didn’t find that the food was anything special or extra delicious in any way though, but I really did like the service and the atmosphere. It felt like home and was a great place to chat with friends.

Seto Japanese Restaurant

May 21, 2012May 3, 20132 Comments

Miso Soup, Takoyaki, Seaweed Salad

Katsu Don

Chopped Scallop Roll, Yam Tempura Roll

Seto is always one of my favourite go to Japanese restaurants in Richmond. This is where you can get authentic Japanese food at an affordable price. It’s always packed on weekends, and without reservations, you pretty much can’t get a seat. But we went on a weekday, and it was pretty empty. Kitty came back from Toronto and desperately wanted Seto, and so off we went along with Jack. I had just gone downtown with Kitty for some Japadogs, so we were both still pretty full. I ended up getting the Takoyaki and Chopped Scallop Roll. Both were as always up to standards. Definitely would recommend Seto if you are looking for authentic Japanese food in Richmond.

Boston Pizza

May 18, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Long Island Iced Tea

Nachos – Freshly made, hand-cut tortilla chips layered with cheddar and pizza mozzarella, topped with chicken

This is from a while ago now, but went to Boston Pizza with Jack for some late night casual drinks and some food to chat. The Long Island Iced Tea was pretty watered down so it actually tasted pretty good with less alcohol in it. We shared a plate of Nachos which was a huge portion! So cheesy, and the jalapeno peppers were so spicy! Still really delicious, and a great place for some drinks and snacks!

Marble Slab Creamery

May 13, 2012April 25, 2013Leave a comment

Stopped by at Marble Slab Creamery, hoping to get some ice cream after dinner, but my friends and I got attracted to the poster above… Ice Cream Cupcakes! Two delicious things put into one? Definitely got our attention. So yes, we ended up buying the pack of 6 instead of ice cream. We were hoping that we could just all dig in and try the different flavours, but to our surprise, the ice cream was really frozen. And we could barely even dig our plastic spoons in it, so we ended up each choosing one to indulge in. I have to say we weren’t too satisfied. I had the Raspberry Cheesecake, and I found the ice cream just way too hard. It wasn’t anything special, and just felt like frozen ice cream with a waffle cone. Definitely will go for their regular ice cream instead next time.

Manzo Itamae

May 11, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Sukiyaki Beef Hotpot

Deep Fried Mango Ice Cream

I’ve been to Manzo Itamae a few times now, but this time we came for the Deep Fried Mango Ice Cream my friend was talking about. I started myself off with a Sukiyaki Beef Hotpot just cause I hadn’t tried it before and wanted something that wasn’t sushi. I got the small size, but it was enough for one person. It came with these clear noodles and lots of beef, tofu, and veggies. Not bad! And lastly, for dessert, we got what we came for. The Deep Fried Mango Ice Cream! The server poured the alcohol over the ice cream and lit it on fire. You can still see the flame in the picture. Pretty cool! As for taste, I wouldn’t say it was anything special. It was just mango ice cream that was encrusted. I also found that the alcohol was way too strong, which didn’t work too well with the dessert. I believe it was something like Soho, which has a lychee flavour to it, but the alcohol bitterness was still too strong for me.