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

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

Man Ri Sung Korean Restaurant

April 12, 2015April 12, 2015Leave a comment

Man Ri Sung used to be located in the strip mall where Banzai is on Westminister. It recently moved to the third floor of Aberdeen Mall and is famous for their peking duck. I believe it is run by Koreans, but they seem to cater to the Chinese. Looking through the menu, there are quite a few dishes that lean towards the Chinese cuisine.

The interior is quite spacious with many tables. It’s great for large groups, and each table has the grill set up on the table in case you order bbq items.

Banchan

Dinner started with complimentary banchan, which included kimchi, marinated radish, marinated bean sprouts and sweet potatoes. These were just average, with the kimchi being probably the best as it was just the right amount of spice and sourness for me. The sweet potatoes were underwhelming. The sauce wasn’t that great compared to other restaurants. Seemed a bit watery.

Pan Fried Potato Noodles

Anyways, we didn’t get their famous peking duck, since you need to pre-order and it was just S and I eating. S chose the Pan Fried Potato Noodles in a small size, and it was quite a huge plate. I think he only ended up finishing half of it. The potato noodles were quite underwhelming. They were not very flavourful and I’ve definitely had better. It also seemed like they lacked beef in the dish.

Short Beef Rib Soup

For myself, I had the Short Beef Rib Soup. I found the beef short ribs to be overcooked so the meat was quite chewy. The soup itself was pretty good, although it lacked depth in flavour. I ended up dipping my kimchi in to give it some spice and flavour. This was just average.

Overall, Man Ri Sung was quite average based on the dishes we tried. Korean food can be quite pricey, but I think some of their items seem to be quite reasonably priced for the portion sizes. It would definitely be better to eat with a larger group so you can share more items. Service was quite slow near the end and I didn’t find it too friendly. I think I would prefer Sura downstairs even though it’s pricier.

Pros:
– Large portions
– Comfortable seating

Cons:
– Dishes we tried were just average
– Service was a bit slow

Price Range: $15-25

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

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

Kongee Dinesty 金津粥品專門店

April 11, 2015Leave a comment

Kongee Dinesty opened up earlier this year in the complex on Garden City. It offers congee and limited dim sum items during breakfast and lunch, but becomes a typical Chinese restaurant during dinner time.

They offer a kitchen with glass windows so you can watch the chefs prepare your food. The restaurant itself is pretty nice with your typical dim sum restaurant decor. The restaurant itself is quite small though. We were lucky to score a spot at around 11:30 am, but it soon became packed by the time we left. The waitress basically put our bill down before we asked to shoo us out, since there was a line forming at the door.

Sampan Congee

Of course we had to try their congee, so we went for the Sampan Congee. We ordered this off their pre-customized congee menu, but you can actually customize your congee for $8.95. With this option, you can choose two toppings of your choice, the congee base and garnish. If you order from 8:00am to 11:30 am, you can also choose an extra side, like Chinese donuts, free of charge. Anyways, we ordered the Sampan Congee and added preserved eggs in addition. Sampan Congee comes with just about everything and it definitely had a lot of toppings. We shared this between four people, and everyone had at least one bowl or more. Quite delicious!

Gingko Nuts and Bean Curd Sheets with Baby Bak Choy

Next, we got some veggies, so we went for the Gingko Nuts and Bean Curd Sheets with Baby Bak Choy. This was a healthy choice and the bak choy was very fresh.

Chinese Donut Wrapped with Rice Roll

Then we went for a dim sum item, with the Chinese Donut Wrapped with Rice Roll. The Chinese donuts were fresh and crispy with the rice roll being relatively thin.

Yee-Fu Noodles with Golden Chives

Lastly, we got the Yee-Fu Noodles with Golden Chives. The noodles were chewy and were not too oily. It came with baby scallops and vegetables, so pretty good for the price you pay.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with Kongee Dinesty. Prices are reasonable, but the restaurant is quite small, so I can see it being packed very quickly. Great place to go if you want to get congee. I especially like how you can customize it.

Pros:
– You can customize your congee
– Items other than congee are pretty good too

Cons:
– Not a place to have long chats – they tend to kick you out
– Not a lot of seats

Price Range: $10-20

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

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

Sugarholic Cafe

March 21, 2015Leave a comment

Sugarholic Cafe opened early this year in Aberdeen Centre. The location has been changing hands many times and it seems that the restaurants in this spot never stay long. The restaurant offers Asian styled Italian food and desserts.

The interior is really girly, with fancy looking chairs and chandeliers. They offer afternoon tea, so I guess that’s why they have this sort of decor.

Prawn Pasta with Creamy Rose Sauce

I chose the Prawn Pasta with Creamy Rose Sauce, which came on top of a bed of green salad. The pasta was a hint spicy, but very delicious. It was topped with seaweed to give it an Asian twist. The only problem I had with the dish was that some of the shell was still attached to the tail of the shrimp, so it was more difficult to eat. Would’ve been nice if the shell was completely removed.

Miso Cream Risotto with Salmon Steak

S got the Miso Cream Risotto with Salmon Steak. The risotto is not like traditional risotto where it’s creamy. I found it more like rice in miso soup with tofu. It was topped with salmon, which S said was just alright. He said there wasn’t any crispy skin. S said that the food is pretty expensive for what you get.

Overall, the food is alright. Nothing too exciting, but I wouldn’t say it’s terrible. I’d like to come back to try their desserts. They are famous for their toast boxes and toast with ice cream.

Pros:
– Ambiance is quite nice

Cons:
– Average eats

Price Range: $15-20

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

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

Uncle Lu 安可盧萬巒豬腳

March 20, 2015March 20, 20152 Comments

Uncle Lu opened up last year and is a sister store of Corner 23. They offer Taiwanese dishes, somewhat similar to Pearl Castle. The interior is actually decorated pretty nicely with lanterns and has a high ceiling. Service-wise, there isn’t much but it’s enough to get through dinner.

Stir Fried Satay Beef with Vegetables

We started off with Stir Fried Satay Beef with Vegetables. The beef was very tender and there was a lot of satay sauce on it. I found it slightly too oily though. Otherwise, a pretty good dish.

Salted Egg Yolk Fried Rice

We also got the Salted Egg Yolk Fried Rice to share. This was really delicious, with the rice being very flavourful due to the egg yolk.

Overall, based on the dishes we tried Uncle Lu seemed to be a decent spot for Taiwanese eats. There was quite a bit of traffic during dinner time on Friday, so I guess they must be doing something right. Prices are reasonable, and they have quite a large variety of food to choose from on their menu.

Pros:
– Decent eats
– Reasonable prices

Cons:
– Not much service

Price Range: $10-15

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

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

Pho TEN

March 15, 20152 Comments

Pho Ten is located across Ironwood mall, in the same strip mall as Original Joes. I’ve heard pretty good things about it, so I decided to check it out for lunch. The restaurant was pretty packed, but we still managed to get a seat. The interior is slightly nicer than most pho restaurants, but some of the leather on the couches were still peeling off…

Spring Rolls

We started off with the two orders of Spring Rolls. The spring rolls were quite small compared to most spring rolls at other restaurants, with very little filling. I also didn’t really like the wrapper they used, although it was still very crunchy. I would skip these spring rolls next time.

Bean sprouts and lime were served with our noodles.

Pho Ga Dac Biet

S chose the Pho Ga Dac Biet, which featured flat rice noodles with boneless chicken and quail eggs in chicken soup. S said it was decent.

Pho Ten Special

For myself, I got the Pho Ten Special, since I like my pho with all the ingredients. It came with rare sliced steak, brisket, fatty flank, tendon, tripe, crunchy flank, and beef balls. You get a good amount of ingredients, but I found the broth to lack flavour.

Overall, Pho Ten is decent. I wouldn’t say it’s the best, but it does it’s job for pho. Service is also pretty friendly.

Pros:
– Decent eats
– Service is friendlier than many pho restaurants

Cons:
– Seating may not be the best
– Just average – nothing too special

Price Range: $10-15

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

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

Yah Yah Ya Ramen

March 3, 2015March 3, 20151 Comment

Yah Yah Ya Ramen opened next to Richmond Sushi just last year and replaced the previous Taiwanese restaurant. I thought the name was pretty funny, so I suggested we give it a try. They specialize in a le-kei soup, which is their pork soy sauce soup. Pork bone, chicken bone, konbu, and vegetables are boiled for over 12 hours to make this soup. It is then flavoured with soy sauce, green onion, and garlic.

The restaurant is not too big and is clean and simply decorated. We arrived around 6pm and were seated immediately. The restaurant began to get packed after a while, and by the time we left, there were some patrons waiting for seats. Seems like it’s quite popular.

Shoyu Ramen

S got the Shoyu Ramen, which is their number one ramen. The menu is fairly simple with really only shoyu, miso, shio, or spicy miso to choose from. For each bowl of noodles, you can choose whether you want the noodles: hard, normal, or soft; the taste: heavy, normal, or light; and the oil: more, normal, or less. S went for hard noodles, with heavy taste and normal oil. The shoyu ramen came with chashu, toasted seaweed, spinach, and half a flavoured egg. He also added extra toasted seaweed. I enjoyed this broth a lot more than the miso. Even though he chose heavy taste, I found the broth to be much lighter than many ramen joints. It wasn’t as salty as I would’ve imagined.

Miso Ramen

For myself, I got the Miso Ramen, which came with chashu, bean sprouts, seaweed, and half a flavoured egg. I chose hard noodles, normal taste and normal oil. The noodles were cooked to al dente, but I found the broth to be quite average and slightly too salty. I would stick with their shoyu soup, which is what they are famous for. The chashu was soft and melted in your mouth. The portions are pretty good and you get a good amount of the toppings for the price.

Pros:
– Reasonable prices and portions
– Service is friendly

Cons:
– Stick with the shoyu – miso was slightly too salty
– Line ups at peak hours

Price Range: $10-15

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

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

Every Day is a Food Day

Tag: Richmond

Ebisu (Richmond) – revisit

Takeya Sushi

Man Ri Sung Korean Restaurant

Kongee Dinesty 金津粥品專門店

Sugarholic Cafe

Uncle Lu 安可盧萬巒豬腳

Pho TEN

Yah Yah Ya Ramen