Miku – Dine Out 2014

June 7, 2014Leave a comment

My third dine out was at my favourite Miku Restaurant. The last time I visited, it was back when they were still at their original location. Now, they are located right by Canada Place and features a beautiful view. Miku’s Dine Out Vancouver 2014 dinner menu was for $38, although their lunch menu was only for $28. Of course, the two menus are a little different and you get much more in the dinner menu.

The inside was actually fairly empty when I arrived at around 6pm. The sushi bar was empty, but all the tables along the window with a view were taken up. Service was excellent. I was waiting for J and M to arrive, and was checked up multiple times. The service wasn’t pushy or anything though.

Sake Pairing

For an additional $19, we added a sake pairing to our dinner. This was excellent and a good amount of sake to complete our meal. The sake to pair our appetizer was called Umajun. It was the lightest of them all and was my favourite. Next was the Aburi Ginjo to pair our entree. It’s an exclusive sake for their restaurants, but I didn’t like it as I found it too strong in alcohol. Lastly, was the Sparkling Nigori to pair our dessert. It was a cloudy colour and had some fizz to it. Not bad!

Shortly after, we were presented with our appetizers which came neatly in a wooden box. Miku’s Dine Out Menu does is set and therefore you are not given a choice in each course. For the appetizer, we were given 4 different dishes.

Tosaka Seaweed and Tofu Salad – arugula, sweet and sour soy vinaigrette

The first appetizer was the Tosaka Seaweed and Tofu Salad. At first, I thought it would be just a plain old salad, but this was so delicious! It came with arugula, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and tofu. I think what made the salad so delicious was the sweet and sour soy vinaigrette. A great way to open up your appetite.

Ebi Fritter – prawn, sweet chili aioli, soy balsamic reduction

Second was the Ebi Fritter. I’ve had their ebi mayo before, which I had really enjoyed, but we all agreed that the Ebi Fritter was a bit underwhelming. The prawn was huge and fresh, and it was lightly battered, but it wasn’t the star of the show. A nice aioli sauce too and also a drizzle of soy balsamic reduction. It also came with a small salad on the side.

Baked BC Oyster – spinach, miso aioli

Third was the Baked BC Oyster, which was probably my favourite appetizer. The oyster was so fatty and fresh. It wasn’t like those terrible baked oysters with too much sauce on top. It was a light miso aioli.

Tamari Glazed Short Rib – sterling silver AAA, yukon potato puree

The last appetizer was the Tamari Glazed Short Rib. This was a sterling silver AAA short rib, and the meat would just flake off. It came with a bit of wasabi on top to give it a Japanese flare. Under the short rib was a potato puree, which was very creamy and smooth.

Miku Signature Sushi – selection of Aburi, Nigiri, Roll and Oshi Sushi

The entree was the Miku Signature Sushi. This was what I was looking forward to the most. Miku is known for their aburi and oshi sushi. They are extremely creative in their rolls too. None of their sushi require soy sauce since they already come prepared with a sauce. Starting from the left to right, we have the Tuna Nigiri. This was very smooth. Next was the Ebi Nigiri, which came with a pesto sauce. This was just alright. Next was a Hamachi Roll with a wasabi dressing. I believe the one after was called the Red Wave Roll. It had crab and avocado and was wrapped in red tuna. The last two were my favourite since they were the oshi sushi, which means they are pressed sushi. First was the Saba Oshi Sushi, which is house cured mackarel and came with a miso sauce. The last on the right was the Salmon Oshi Sushi, which was pressed BC wild sockeye salmon, topped with jalapeno and Miku sauce. This is always my favourite at Miku. The aburi style creates a smooth, fatty texture in your mouth when you have the fish in your mouth.Extremely fresh fish as usual!

Lemon and Chardonnay Cream – raspberry sorbet, lemon coconut cookie

Lastly, we had the Lemon and Chardonnay Cream for dessert. The presentation was beautiful on a black charcoal-like plate to keep it cool. A lemon coconut cookie sat beneath the raspberry sorbet. On the side was a bit of mango puree and sauce. There was also something similar to a blackberry cheesecake on the side. Not bad, but not their best dessert. I still enjoy their Green Tea Opera much more.

All in all, a good deal for $38 if you want to try a selection of their appetizers and signature sushi. Miku is quite pricey regularly, so this is actually a decent priced menu. You will actually feel filled up just right after dinner. Not overly full, but just right.

Sushi Hachi

June 1, 2014Leave a comment

Finally! Finally, I was able to try Sushi Hachi. I remember coming here with J twice, and each time, it was each fully booked or it was closed. They only open on Tuesdays to Saturdays and only for dinner from 6pm to 9pm! It’s like almost impossible to get a seat here without reservations too, since the restaurant is extremely small. It fits around 30-40 guests too, so they probably only get around 2 rounds of diners.

The restaurant is solely run by a man and his wife. The man does all the cooking, while the wife takes orders and serves food. Therefore, the wait time for your food can be a long time if you arrive at around the same time as other diners. Be sure to make a reservation before coming or you’re likely to be told to come back another day.

Salmon Sashimi

We started off with an order of Salmon Sashimi. It comes with 7 pieces. Very fresh and nicely cut.

Sushi by piece: Scallop, Red Tuna, Toro (Tuna Belly), Tamago

Sushi Hachi is famous for their nigiris because they offer fresh fish. They also don’t do any crazy rolls, so if you’re looking for creativity, this place isn’t for you. The man crafts authentic sushi and looks for quality. We first did a round of nigiris, and you are only able to order them by piece. They can be quite pricey, but they were definitely of high quality. For myself, I had a piece of the Red Tuna and Toro. The red tuna had a very nice bite and reminded me of salmon sashimi. On the other hand, the toro just melted in your mouth. So fatty and delicious!

Sushi by piece: Saba, Chopped Scallop, Mirugai (Geoduck)

Our next tray came, and I had one of each nigiri. First, the Saba was simply seasoned with a bit of ginger to rid the fishiness that saba usually has. The saba was very fresh though, so it didn’t taste too fishy. The Chopped Scallop was extremely fresh with the right amount of mayo and tobiko. The Geoduck was one of my favourites, with a nice chew, but not too tough.

BBQ Squid

Other than nigiris, they also have some authentic dishes and BBQ dishes. We chose the BBQ Squid was extremely delicious! I highly recommend this! It was grilled lightly, and seasoned with a sweet Japanese sauce. It wasn’t over seasoned so you could still taste the flavour of the squid. The squid was also extremely tender!The tentacles were my favourite!

Unagi Don

Dad and E shared the Unagi Don. I’m not a huge fan of unagi, so I can’t comment much about it.

Chef’s Choice Sushi (10 piece + 1 roll)

Lastly, we also ordered the Chef’s Choice Sushi, which is a good value for an individual who wants to try an assortment of sushi. I believe the sushi changes daily, based on what’s fresh on the market. Here, starting from the back row on the left were a 5 piece Tuna Roll, Chopped Scallop, Scallop, and Marinated Red Tuna Nigiri. The bottom row is a bit of a mystery for me as I couldn’t quite figure out each fish. They are fish that I normally don’t consume regularly, so I was a bit confused. Pretty sure there was some Hamachi, Saba, and some type of tuna. Since we only got one of each, I can’t really comment on them. From the ones I had though, they were all extremely fresh!

Be warned that you are likely to be still hungry after a dinner at Sushi Hachi, although you have probably spent quite a lot. That being said, Sushi Hachi is about quality over quantity. The nigiris are quite small, but pricey at the same time. However, it’s a very nice treat when you want some high quality authentic sushi. Highly recommend to try at least once!

Koto Izakaya Sushi & Robata

May 25, 2014May 25, 2014Leave a comment

Chopped Scallop Roll People keep talking about how amazing Koto Izakaya is for their value, so I finally decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I didn’t try their late-night menu, which is when people usually go there since the food is imposingly really cheap. For their regular dinner menu, I didn’t find the prices to be a super good value. Average priced, but the quality isn’t superb. First, we had the Chopped Scallop Roll. It was filled with a lot of chopped scallop and topped with tons of tobiko and sesame seeds. The rice to filling ratio was pretty decent also. Toro Nigiri Next, we got some Toro Nigiri. This was actually pretty decent. However, I wouldn’t say the sashimi was packed on the rice too well. It was quite sloppy. The toro sashimi itself was very fatty and fresh though. Pretty good for the price you pay. Mentaiko Udon The Mentaiko Udon was a huge disappointment. It was simply udon with mentaiko on top. That wasn’t the real problem though. The problem was the mentaiko were all clumped together. It’s like they bought these cheap mentaiko that came in a paste or something and hadn’t treated it so they would split up. So at points, you would be eating a huge clump of mentaiko and it would be really salty. Lastly, we chose two specialty rolls. Koto doesn’t have a website so I couldn’t find their menu names. The one in the front was a roll topped with salmon sashimi, avocado, and massago. It also came with a spicy sauce, so no soy sauce was needed. Behind, we had a roll filled essentially like a dynamite roll, with deep fried prawns, and topped with unagi, avocado, orange and black tobiko. These were both pretty decent, but just as specialty rolls are usually, they were much more pricey. Overall, I thought Koto was just average. I guess it would a much better value for late-night, but I have yet to try. Don’t expect much service here though. It’s pretty slow and you have to wave your hand furiously to be noticed. They literally walk by you without looking. There’s also limited parking, so that might be a problem if it’s really packed.

Suika (Revisit #3)

May 24, 20141 Comment

Suika Mojito (watermelon)

Suika Snackbar reminds me of Guu, and is also always packed. We had our girls catch-up dinner here and the food didn’t disappoint. We got a pitcher of the Suika Mojito, which is basically watermelon flavoured. Super refreshing and delicious!

Corn Kakiage – organic corn niblets fried with cilantro batter, soy sauce, and butter

We started off with the Corn Kakiage, which was basically pieces of corn that had been battered up and deep fried. It was seasoned with a soy sauce and butter. Everyone enjoyed this! You get a nice crunchy batter on the outside, but the corn is still soft inside.

Lightly Smoked Tuna Tataki – with home made chili oil on a bed of sliced onion topped with scallions

Next, we had the Lightly Smoked Tuna Tataki. I found the portions to be a bit small, but regardless, it was still extremely fresh with a great texture. It came with a home made chili oil and was placed on top of sliced onions.

Aburi “Shime-Saba” Sushi – seared cured mackerel prsesed sushi served with mustard soy dressing

We also got two dishes of their sushi. Well, they actually only offer two types on their menu. First, was the Aburi “Shime-Saba” Sushi. Essentially, seared saba or mackerel, and this was done as a pressed sushi. Seared meant that it had been lightly torched. It came with a mustard soy dressing, so no extra soy sauce was needed. The fish was fresh and the dressing was extremely flavourful. Sometimes I find that saba has a fishy taste, but the dressing covers that up.

Aburi Toro Battera – lightly seared pressed fatty tuna sushi with avocado, shiso, sesame seeds topped with home made soy dressing & seaweed sauce

The second sushi we ordered was the Aburi Toro Battera, and this was my favourite. Since it was toro, the tuna was so fatty. With the tuna being seared, the tuna’s fatty oils came up so it was extremely smooth in the mouth. Again, it was pressed in a box shaped, and came with a home made soy dressing and seaweed sauce. This time, I didn’t find that the sauce was too overwhelming, so you could taste the freshness of the fish.

Dynamic Steak – “W” Lbs Beef Rib Steak with Wasabi, Soy & Garlic Sauce

Lastly, M suggested we try the Dynamic Steak. It was priced at $38, so I initially felt like it was quite pricey. However, when I saw the steak, I was in awe. It was humongous piece of steak! On the menu, it states that it is “W” Lbs – not exactly sure what that means. I don’t think this picture does it justice. The Rib Eye was enormous! The inside is cooked perfectly to medium-rare, so some of my friends who like their steak well-done were grossed out by how pink it was inside. I, on the other hand, loved the juiciness of the steak and thought it was excellent. I’m surprised they could handle cooking such a huge piece of steak. It was dressed with a wasabi, soy & garlic sauce, which gave it a Japanese flare.

Matcha Brulee – Frozen Matcha Creme Brulee with Fresh Whipped Cream & Red Bean Sauce

Lastly, I had to get my all time favourite dessert from Suika – the Matcha Brulee. It’s basically “frozen” matcha creme brulee, so it almost tastes like you’re eating matcha ice cream. Topped with some whipped ream and a bit of red bean sauce, this was the perfect way to end our meal! Always a fun time at Suika!

Takumi Japanese Restaurant

May 22, 2014Leave a comment

Burdock Root Salad

Located on West 10th, I feel like Takumi is a bit of a hidden gem. I probably would’ve never known about this Japanese restaurant until K suggested we go try. It’s Japanese owned and offers authentic Japanese cuisine. After ordering, we were given a complimentary appetizer. It was a Burdock Root Salad, which I absolutely loved. It was nicely seasoned with some sesames, and had a great crunch to it.

Sockeye Salmon and Albacore Tuna Sashimi

Next, we ordered some sashimi. We chose Sockeye Salmon and Albacore Tuna. Each order came with 5 pieces. They were sliced at a good thickness and was very fresh. I did find that their sashimi was a bit pricey though, but it was well worth it.

Tuna Tataki

Another appetizer we ordered was the Tuna Tataki. The tuna was very fresh and lightly seared on the sides. The dish was topped with carrot, ginger, green onion and the Chef’s original Yuzu sauce.

Takumi’s House Special, Chopped Scallop Roll, Natto Maki

And then came our rolls. In the front were K’s favourite Natto Maki. Behind, we have Takumi’s House Special. This was filled with salmon, tuna, crab, egg, tobiko & avocado. It was then topped with more tobiko. These were huge rolls and they definitely didn’t cheap out on the fillings. I really liked this roll! Also, we ordered my favourite Chopped Scallop. Also very fresh and filled with lots of scallops.

Yaki-Udon

Lastly, we got the Yaki-Udon. We had it without pork since K is vegetarian. It was filled with lots of veggies and very flavourful. I wouldn’t say it’s the best though. My favourite is still the one at Guu.

Overall, Takumi offers authentic Japanese food with high quality ingredients. Prices are higher than average, but around the same as any high quality authentic Japanese restaurant. Since they are in the Point Grey area, it also makes sense to price it higher. Will definitely return if I’m in that area again!

Charcoal Sushi & BBQ (Revisit #2)

May 18, 2014May 22, 2014Leave a comment

Sockeye Salmon Sashimi

Finally, we can get down to my Vancouver posts! I’m literally 5 months behind now…but I’m sure I can catch up quite quickly! Got home after a 14 hour flight and ended up passing out on my bed while waiting for my dad to come home from work. He woke me up and off we went to have some Japanese food that I had been missing for so long. We ended up at Charcoal, which was packed as usual. First, we got the Sockeye Salmon Sashimi. I was actually a bit disappointed with this. I found that the salmon was still sort of frozen and hadn’t been defrosted yet. It was still fresh and had a great texture, but it seemed to lack preparation. It’s also quite pricey for 4 pieces.

Chopped Scallop Roll and Dynamite Roll

I had been craving my Chopped Scallop Roll for the 4 months away. This did not disappoint me, and it was filled with lots of scallop. Dad got the Dynamite Roll, which was typical. Nothing too special, but filled with a good amount of fillings and a nice balance of rice.

Tokyo Roll

Lastly, we got one of the specialty rolls. We chose the Tokyo Roll, which was extremely colourful. It was filled with prawn tempura, cucumber slices, and tobiko. On top, it was layered with salmon sashimi and a nice mayo and spicy sauce. The best part about these rolls is you don’t need to use soy sauce, since it’s designed to be just eaten on its own.

I was honestly falling asleep from jet lag during dinner, but it was definitely a prime example of good Richmond sushi! Charcoal never disappoints!

Restaurante Japones Wok – Barcelona

January 10, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

I guess my Asian food craving continued, as a few days later, my friends and I decided to go to an all you can eat Japanese restaurant called Japones Wok near Arc de Triomf. It seems that this metro station area has a lot of Asian food. Anyways, for lunch, you can have all you can eat for 9.50 euros. Not bad, considering you’re in Spain. However, the little trick is that you must order a drink as well. And their drinks cost at least 2 euros, even for a bottle of water. You end up paying over 10 euros for your meal because of that. And to think that all you can eat places in Richmond are bad sometimes….well yea, let’s just be grateful for that. At Restaurante Japones Wok, which is considered a very good Japanese restaurant in Barcelona, it really isn’t just Japanese food. You get a mix of Japanese and Chinese food. I haven’t really seen any Japanese locals in Barcelona for the four months I stayed, but learned that most Japanese restaurants are operated by Chinese. So here we have some Chow Mein, Fried Rice, Calamari, Beef Stir Fry, Assorted Grilled Seafood, Seaweed Salad, Gyoza and Sushi. There’s actually a lot to choose from, and they even have a section of dim sum… For sushi, there actually isn’t a lot to choose from, and each piece is very dainty and small. I almost feel embarrassed if I take more than two of each as they don’t put out a lot each time. The fish is definitely not as fresh as the ones in Vancouver, but they are bearable.

What I liked about this place was they also have all you can eat teppanyaki. That’s something that wouldn’t be as common. You choose a variety of seafood, meet, kebabs, and vegetables and place it on a plate. Then you line up, and the chef will grill your items right in front of you. Pretty cool, and the seafood here is quite fresh. I also ordered steak, but I have learned that their steak in Spain is basically a thin slice of beef. It almost reminds me of pork because it is so thin, and after grilling it, it becomes super tough. Not juicy like the ones back at home.

But if you’re looking for some Asian food, give Japones Wok a try. It won’t be authentic, but it can satisfy your cravings in the meantime. Also, they have a variety of candies and gummies along their buffet too! Yes…I ended up eating a lot candy instead…

Toyotomi

September 7, 2013Leave a comment

Salmon Sashimi

I’m currently in Barcelona, so I’m super behind on my blog, so let me finish blogging some of the food back at home in Vancouver. Before I left, I basically tried to eat as much Asian food as I could as I knew I would miss it. Japanese is my favourite, so my mom suggested we try Toyotomi for lunch. We had gone there a few years ago, but now that they have changed it to hot pot, just a sushi lunch menu was offered. When we got there on a Saturday afternoon, there was literally no one. We ordered some Salmon Sashimi, and it came on the ice cubes, just like the ones you get during hot pot. It was fresh and each piece was cut thickly, but not to the extent of Banzai’s enormous portions.

Duo Dynamite Roll – imitation crab meat, cucumber, avocado, w/ spicy tuna and crispy, Maple Roll – special spicy tuna topped with crispy and salmon sashimi, Chopped Scallop Roll

We also got some rolls, and they all came together on a wooden plate. They seem to present their food in an appealing way compared to many other sushi restaurants. The roll in the front was the Maple Roll. It had spicy tuna inside, and was topped with salmon sashimi, masago, and some crispy flakes and green onion. It was full of sauce and you didn’t need to use any soy sauce for it. This one was one of my favourites. The Duo Dynamite Roll was a typical dynamite roll but with two tempuras in it. The portion was quite large, but was quite typical. Last, the Chopped Scallop Roll was just okay for me. I did like that they had black sesame on it, since that makes it a little more deluxe, but I felt like there was too much rice on it, so the texture didn’t taste quite good.

Beef Sashimi

We also got some Beef Sashimi and I believe this was only under $5 which was a steal because the dish was huge. There were tons of beef sashimi in it and they sliced it fairly large. The sauce was quite acidic, but it was really good at the same time. This is a must order.

Chicken Teriyaki Don

Lastly, we got the Chicken Teriyaki Don. It came sizzling in a clay pot and was a very larger portion. Tons of rice, but also a lot of chicken and teriyaki sauce. It also came with some ripped up seaweed. It was flavourful with all the onions in it.

Overall, we were quite pleased with the food. The food also isn’t that expensive, and you will get really full from it. Sort of awkward that there was only one other table of diners the whole time we were there and it’s already a weekend. I guess people usually just come here for the hot pot!