Ichi Rock [ra:ku]

March 16, 2013April 28, 2013Leave a comment

For dinner, we took a 15 minute walk to an area with more food. S had urbanspooned some popular restaurants, and Ichi Rock [ra:ku] had some pretty good ratings.

The place is essentially run by a young Japanese couple. The man is the one cooking and behind the sushi bar, and the lady does all the serving and order taking. The interior is decorated with a modern twist, with lots of Ikea lights (Don’t ask why I recognize them..). The restaurant itself is quite small and can probably only fit 30 people max. It was still almost half full on a weekday night. Not bad for a small business. Food of course came out a little slower since there is only one chef.

Green Tea

I was surprised that we were actually charged a $1 each for our green tea when I looked at the bill later. However, I was fine with that as the green tea didn’t seem to be too watered down. It also came in fancy little cups!

Risotto Roll – avocado, crab meat, chopped shrimp, cheese, mayo topped with honey mustard sauce (served warm)

S and I decided to share two items. They have a variety of special rolls, but the Risotto Roll especially stood out for us. It said it was served warm! I’ve never had warm sushi, so I was curious what it would be like. It was served on a plate covered in tin foil, and the sushi was covered with sauce, mayo and cheese. It was stringy and definitely reminded me of risotto! Japanese style of course! It was essentially a California roll, but with a twist to it. Quite creative and worth a try!

Okonomiyaki – Japanese style pancake with seafood

The second dish we chose was the Okonomiyaki. I really enjoyed this dish. You can choose from bacon, seafood, or vegetables, but we chose seafood. It was filled with oysters and squid and tons of cabbage. It was then covered with cheese, mayo, fish flakes, and seaweed. I loved how the cheese added a stringy texture to it and it almost felt like there wasn’t any batter to it. Really flavourful and the portion was huge. We ended up sharing it with the other girls.

Overall, I was quite content with the food at Ichi Rock. Although the service was slow, I can understand since they are run by only two people and the friendly service definitely makes up for it. They also have some homemade desserts that looked quite good. The prices are average – not exactly cheap, but not ridiculously expensive. After trying two Japanese restaurants in Calgary, I still find that Vancouver has better restaurants at a better price!

Koto Sushi Lounge

March 14, 2013April 28, 2013Leave a comment

Last week, I went to Calgary for a school competition. There was still snow on the streets and the temperature was in the negatives! Totally appreciate Vancouver weather now… Anyways, we were trying to figure out where to eat for a late lunch, but most places were not within walking distance. We walked out of the Westin Hotel, and one block down we saw Koto Sushi Lounge, so we decided to check it out.

The interior is quite nice. The place was filled with high tables and high booths. Unfortunately, we were eating at around 4 pm, so there was only one other table. There was also only one server working who definitely failed to give a good service. We understand that the place is completely empty, but doesn’t that mean that it’s easier to provide service to us since you only need to keep an eye on one table? But no – after waiting for 10 minutes waiting to place our orders, we literally had to walk up to her to give in our order sheet. The Japanese restaurants here seem to use order sheets a lot even though it’s not all-you-can-eat.

Spicy Salmon Crunchy – salmon mixed with volcano sauce, jalapeno pepper, fried red onion chips on top of a crunchy roll of tempura asparagus, tobiko and mayo
Koto San’s Seared Salmon Roll – seared salmon, Korean sweet and spicy sauce, imitation crabmeat, mayo, cucumber, avocado and sesame
Yammy Yammy Roll – avocado, yam tempura, mayo, mango sauce and crispy yam tempura slice

Our food, however, came quite quickly. We chose three of their specialty rolls. The one in the back was the Spicy Salmon Crunchy. It is definitely full of spice with the jalapeno pepper! At first, I ate the pepper on its own, which was definitely a bad idea, but when you eat the whole roll in one bite, the spiciness isn’t as apparent. In fact, it tasted much better with the spice mixed with the sauce.

In the middle is the Koto San’s Seared Salmon Roll. This was opposite to the first roll, where it was a little sweet with the mango. Definitely good to eat after the first one! A cleanser almost!

The roll in the very front, called Yammy Yammy Roll, was surprisingly really good. At first, I thought it would be a typical yam roll, but it actually had a spin to it. I loved how it came with yam chips, which were really crunchy and gave the roll a nice texture.

Overall, the food was alright. I found the sushi rice to be a bit hard though. The service was definitely poor. Even when we wanted to pay, it took forever to get her attention. The prices are also a bit pricey, but I guess it’s because it’s right in the heart of downtown with business people everywhere.

Shyun Sushi Bar

March 13, 2013April 28, 2013Leave a comment

Shyun Sushi Bar seems to be a hidden gem. It’s not exactly easy to spot, but looking at the reviews online, it has really good ratings.

It serves authentic Japanese food, and I believe that the owners were working that day. We were greeted by a Japanese lady and there was a man behind the sushi bar. The place is quite simple but homey. There was only another table during our time at the restaurant, but it was a weekday night.

I thought their chinaware was quite special. They were decorated as opposed to typical plates that you could purchase on the market.

Gyu-Tata – quick-seared beef tenderloin sliced and immersed in “ponzu” sauce

We started off with the Gyu-Tata, which is basically their beef tataki. It was a large plate and the beef tenderloin was sliced thinly and lightly seared on the sides. Not bad!

Flying Dragon – BBQ eel, yam tempura, cucumber and salmon
Unagi Nigiri

We also got some sushi. We got the Flying Dragon, which had yam tempura and cucumber inside and topped with eel and salmon on the top. It was flavourful with the sauce and therefore you didn’t need to dip it in soy sauce. The Unagi Nigiri was also quite delicious.

Aburi Butter – *not on the menu!

J saw online that there was some sort of clam dish, but we realized that it was just a clam miso soup. We asked the lady if the chef could just cook up some sort of clam dish, and they did! It was flavoured with mushrooms, enoki mushrooms and a buttery sauce. Quite delicious!

Chopped Scallop Nigiri

I love chopped scallop, so I got the Chopped Scallop Nigiri. I was surprised that they had a little bit of tobiko on top, which I don’t see often. The scallops were extremely fresh and it was one of the best Chopped Scallop Nigiris I’ve had!

Sweet Crunch – some vegetables and kaiware

Lastly, we got the Sweet Crunch. It’s basically a california roll with something crunchy inside! I guess it was just a tempura batter, but it added some great texture.

Overall, I must agree with the other reviewers that Shyun Sushi Bar is a hidden gem. It’s authentic and the service is genuine. They also have some homemade desserts that sound delicious!

Ebisu (Robson)

February 14, 2013April 28, 2013Leave a comment

Friday night, I went to Ebisu on Robson St. to celebrate a friend’s birthday. The Robson store is not that much different from the one in Richmond, although they seem to have a larger menu as well as drinks.

Chopped Scallop Roll

I got the Chopped Scallop Roll because I pretty much get it at every Japanese restaurant. It was average and nothing too special.

Chicken Karaage – deep fried boneless chicken served with sweet honey-mustard and Cajun mayonnaise

I also got the Chicken Karaage which was a huge portion. They actually have a one person size too, but we got the larger one. The pieces of chicken were much larger than I had expected, but since it was boneless, all was good. The batter was decent, although quite oily. I enjoyed the honey-mustard which tasted a little like plum sauce, and the Cajun mayonnaise was a little spicy.

Hamachi Inferno – yellowtail box pressed in shiso, burdock, shiitake, sesame and sushi rice seared!

Ebisu is famous for their inferno sushi, so I finally decided to try it. They have 3 fishes to choose from: saba, hamachi or toro. I chose the Hamachi Inferno, and it was presented to us raw.

Then the waitress brought over a lighter, and seared the sushi in front of us. Pretty cool to watch the colour turn.

And here’s the final product! The fish was soft and definitely a different texture from raw hamachi. I found that the sushi rice was a little harder than usual though, but it was definitely something different to eat.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with the food and service at the Robson Ebisu. They offer a variety of interesting rolls as well, so their menu is quite extensive.

Ebisu (Richmond)

January 17, 2013May 2, 2013Leave a comment

For New Year’s Eve, my parents didn’t feel like doing much celebrating, so I decided to go out and eat with K instead. I had just gotten off work, and since it was really last minute, most of the places were booked up. I was really hungry too, so I wanted to go eat right away! Finally, we found reservations for Ebisu in Richmond, but they said they would be bar seats. It was just the two of us, so we could care less! When we got there, I was surprised that Ebisu has renovated and the interior was much more stylish. The servers also all spoke Japanese giving the restaurant a feel of authenticity. And surprisingly, the bar tables were nothing like what we had thought. They were comfy booth seats that basically only seated two customers. It was extremely comfortable and we still had tons of room to move around.

Thunder Fries – Freshly cut deep fried sweet potato sticks served with a tangy house cajun dip

K decided to try the Thunder Fries and they were basically yam tempuras shaped like fries. At first, I thought it would be more like the Western style yam fries, but they were definitely softer in the inside and the outer batter was crisp and flaky like tempura. The cajun dip gave them some flavour and hint of spice.

Healthy Veggie Roll – Red & green pepper, avocado, cucumber, carrot, Kaiware with rice & salsa sauce on top wrapped in color soy been paper

K also got the Healthy Veggie Roll. Sounded super healthy and it came in soy bean paper. I didn’t try it out so I can’t comment on it, but it looked pretty!

Miso Soup

I got the Chicken Teriyaki Boat since I was starving! It came with a Miso Soup, which was nothing special.

Ebi Sunomono

The Boat also came with the Ebi Sunomono which I thought was better than what I had expected. Usually complementary sunomonos are quite sour and the appearance is usually not that appealing. However, they presented theirs nicely and it had shrimp and nicely sliced cucumbers. It wasn’t too sour too which I liked.

Chicken Teriyaki Boat (includes the Miso Soup & Ebi Sunomono) – Chicken Teriyaki, Dynamite & California Roll, Salmon & Tuna Sushi, Assorted Tempura

And here is the Chicken Teriyaki Boat. At the end of my meal, I realized I had eaten a lot! I found the sushi to just be average. The salmon wasn’t anything spectacular either. It wasn’t amazingly fresh or anything, but it was decent. The tempuras really filled me up with all the fried oil. Food was average, but it was a pretty good deal. I think it was around $14 for the whole set.

Kyo

January 6, 2013May 2, 2013Leave a comment

I’ve gone to Kyo before, but the last time I went I was an hour late to dinner and everyone had pretty much finished eating. I ended up devouring a few pieces of sushi and sashimi and that was about it. When my family suggested Kyo, I was super excited to go try it out again. For $23.99 for all you can eat dinner, it’s a pretty good deal with the quality of food you get! It’s not only all you can eat sushi, but also Korean BBQ, which is always a plus!

They have a grill in the center and the service was actually extremely good. They changed our grill once after it got dirty, which you seldom get at other Korean BBQ places. That’s one reason why I normally dislike going to Korean BBQ since many places do not change the grill and you end up with just black coal on your food.

Miso Soup

First up were some appetizers.

Ebi Sunomono

Gomae

I had the Gomae, which was actually pretty good for all you can eat. You got to mix the peanut sauce yourself, and it was just enough for a tasty and refreshing dish.

Lamb

Next, our BBQ dishes arrived. For meat, we only chose to get Lamb, Chicken, and the Black Pepper Beef Short Ribs. Each dish was supposed to be a serving of 4, but we found that they gave much more chicken than the rest. I guess chicken is supposed to be cheaper… The lamb was quite good. It was tender and the marinade wasn’t too strong or bland. It was just right.

Chicken

The Chicken wasn’t as good as the other two meat. It wasn’t tough or anything, but I found that the marinade was a little too salty for my liking. The first piece was good, and then after that, it was too salty.

Black Pepper Beef Short Ribs

The Black Pepper Beef Short Ribs were my favourite. The meat fell off the bones easily, and we weren’t given a bunch of ribs with no meat on it, like what most all you can eat places do. The marinade was also just right for the short ribs.

Prawn

We also got a few rounds of the prawns for the BBQ. They were small, but fresh and were perfect for the grill. For BBQ, there were also a variety of other meat such as beef and pork, seafood, such as salmon, mussels, and squid, and also vegetables, such as corn, eggplant and mushrooms.

Pork Gyoza

The Pork Gyozas were quite delicious for an all you can eat restaurant. They weren’t burnt and didn’t seem to be strong in MSG like some places.

Dynamite Roll & Alaska Roll

The Dynamite Roll and Alaska Roll were quite typical and average. They were quite well made and the salmon was fresh.

Chopped Scallop and Hokigai Nigiri

The Chopped Scallop was one of my favourite sushis of the night. Well, they are basically my all time favourite choice of sushi. The Sushi was actually filled with chopped scallop and they tasted fresh. The Hokigai Nigiri was also fresh.

Tuna Tataki & Beef Sashimi

The Tuna Tataki was quite good. My dad really enjoyed it, but I found that the thin layer of skin that was still attached to be a little disturbing. It was still good, but I would prefer the ones at Guu. But of course, with the price I’m paying for unlimited tuna tataki, it was pretty good. Not to forget, the pieces were also quite large. I probably had more than what I would get at Guu. The Beef Sashimi however, was a disappointment. It was quite tough and didn’t seem to be too fresh. They seemed to be frozen when they were served.

Salmon Sashimi & Tuna Sashimi

The Salmon Sashimi was excellent. The pieces weren’t exteremely large in size, but they were definitely larger than pieces I’ve had at many all you can eat places. The sashimi was extremely fresh as well, which is an important part of sashimi. I didn’t get a chance to try the Tuna, but I was told it was great as well. I do want to mention that upon placing our second order of sashimi, the sashimi basically never arrived until we asked for it. The server wasn’t rude or anything and quickly told us she would look into it. We still had to wait for quite some time, but in the end, our sashimi came, and it was still fresh. Not sure if they sincerely forgot to place the order, or if they were playing tricks, like many all you can eat places do. The great thing is that they do not have a limit on sashimi, but that’s also when they may choose to play tricks.

Chicken Wings

Lastly, we also had some chicken wings just for the heck of it. They were lightly battered and well seasoned. Not bad!

We also had some other items that I forgot to take pictures of because it’s so difficult to capture pictures of every item at an all you can eat place. Everyone just wants to dig in! The Zaru Soba, which was another item I ordered was excellent and I liked how it came in a small portion so you wouldn’t get all filled up just by ordering that. For desserts, they also had mango pudding and jello. Jello was typical and came in a large plate and the mango pudding was light and refreshing.

Overall, Kyo is a great all you can eat place for the price you pay. It’s almost impossible to find all around good quality food at all you can eat places, but I think Kyo is pretty good for the most part. If you’re looking for some decent sashimi, sushi, and BBQ food, Kyo would be worth the visit.

Kitanoya Guu (Richmond)

January 4, 2013May 2, 2013Leave a comment

Tuna Tataki – seared tuna w/ ponzu sauce

Guu is always such a fun place to go for some izakaya food. The ambiance is awesome with the servers and cooks greeting you as you enter and leave. First up, we got some Tuna Tataki which is always delicious at Guu! Fresh and tasty with the ponzu sauce. Their beef tataki is always one of my favourites.

Oden

We also got some oden, but I only tried the Chikuwa. Typical stuff but I was just really craving it.

Chikuwa Cheese – deep fried breaded fish cake & mozzarella cheese w/ tonkatsu sauce & mayo

More Chikuwa! But this one is Chikuwa Cheese, so it was basically Chikuwa which had cheese oozing out of it. The chikuwa was also lightly breaded and fried and then topped with a tonkatsu sauce and mayo. I found that this was just decent. It was a little on the hard side because it was fried.

Kabocha Korokke – pumpkin & boiled egg croquette

The Kabocha Korokke was delicious! It was a pumpkin croquette with a boiled egg in the center. It was also topped with what I believe were pumpkin chips.

Agedashi Mochi

We decided to be a little adventurous and try out some of the items on their special menu. We got the Agedashi Mochi, which was literally mochi that was fried! I love mochi, but usually as a dessert. This was more of a savoury dish. You really had to dip the mochi into the sauce or else it was pretty bland. It was also a lot more sticky than mochi in desserts. It was interesting!

Diced Beef Tenderloin Steak and Mushroom w/ Garlic Onion Sauce – Special*

The Diced Beef Tenderloin Steak and Mushroom w/ Garlic Onion Sauce was on their Today’s Special item. The beef tenderloin was extremely tender and the dish came sizzling hot. Full of flavour and would definitely recommend if you love meat.

Yakiudon (beef on side) – pan fried udon w/ beef, mushroom, green onion, soy sauce & butter

Lastly, we got the Yakiudon because Guu makes one of my favourite yakiudons! The picture doesn’t have the meat in it since we had it on the side. The meat was still extremely flavourful and tender. I love the fish flakes on the top, and it’s always fun to watch them move when the dish is served hot.

Overall, Guu always lives up to expectations. Great place to grab lunch or have a night out with friends. The service is always cheerful and the quality of food is great!

Sushi Bang

October 3, 2012May 2, 2013Leave a comment

Sushi Bang was sort of a random discovery. M and I had just gotten off the bus at Cambie and Broadway from school since we had a meeting at Starbucks there with the rest of our team. M was sort of hungry and decided we still had some time to grab some food. He debated on just grabbing a slice of pizza but when we continued to walk along Broadway, I came across this sign. It said 18 pieces of sushi for $5.95! I pointed that out to M and he stared in awe and the next thing I knew, we were inside Sushi Bang.

It’s a tiny little shop with limited seating, but still pretty much half filled. We sat down, thinking that it wouldn’t take too long, but when the food arrived, it was already pretty much time to go for our meeting. Service was quick up into waiting for the food to come. It took probably 15 minutes, but we thought it would be quicker than that for such a convenient looking shop. Anyways, we ended up getting our sushi to go, but I should mention that the sushi was actually presented quite nicely when it had come. Much better than what I had expected.

Sushi Special – 6 pc California Roll, 6 pc Yam Tempura Roll, 6 pc Tuna Roll, Miso Soup ($5.95)

Well this is what attracted M into the restaurant. Clearly their marketing seem to work since many other customers ordered this as well. This is actually quite a lot of sushi for $6. M said that quality-wise, you can’t say it’s anything amazing, but there’s worse sushi out there. You really pay for what you get.

Calamari Tempura Roll & Dynamite Roll

M also decided to get something sort of funky. The Calamari Tempura Roll was surprisingly really delicious. It had a nice chew to it, and although it reminded me of a dynamite roll in some ways, the chewiness of the squid made it really unique. Really delicious! For myself, I wasn’t too hungry, so I just got the boring old Dynamite Roll. Nothing special and just pretty average.

Sushi Bang is a place to get affordable sushi, but the quality is definitely not up to par. You can’t expect much when you’re paying that price!