Gyoza Bar + Ramen

December 4, 2014Leave a comment

I was super excited to hear that the Aburi Restaurant group had opened another restaurant. Under the same company has Miku and Minami, Gyoza Bar Ramen is now their third restaurant, offering, as the name says, specialty in ramen and gyozas. However, shortly after their opening, I heard that the restaurant was just average and way overpriced. Urbanspoon had some of the lowest ratings as well. I decided it was time to give it a try anyways to see what this talk was about. The restaurant is modern yet rustic, and is very casual compared to their other restaurants.

Japanese Fruit Wine – Ichigo (Strawberry) and Yuzu (citrus) – doubles

We started off with Japanese Fruit Wine. On the left was strawberry flavoured, and on the right was the yuzu. These were already doubles, but they were quite small! Similar to plum wine, these were flavoured as described. I liked my yuzu wine as it was slightly sour, but not overbearing. Very refreshing.

Fraser Valley Pork Teppan Gyoza (7pc)

Next were their famous gyozas. The Fraser Valley Pork Teppan Gyoza is their signature dish, if I remember correctly. We chose the 7 piece dish and it came in a cast iron pan. The gyozas were good with a nice pan fried crisp, but it’s hard to say that they were extremely memorable.

Spicy Garlic Soy and Umami Soy Suace

The teppan gyozas come with two sauces. One is a spicy garlic soy and the second is the umami soy sauce. I preferred the spicy garlic soy sauce as it had more of a kick to it.

Miso Short Rib + Jalapeno-Soy Glaze

They also offer three other specialty gyozas. We tried the Miso Short Rib and Jalapeno-Soy Glaze Gyozas. The gyozas were deep fried and topped with feta cheese, peppers and mushrooms. They were slightly spicy, but I actually didn’t prefer them to be deep fried. These were quite average, but very pricey! Five gyozas for over $12!

Aburi Pork Char Siu

We ordered an appetizer of Aburi Pork Char Siu. Again, it came in a little pan. The pork was quite disappointing to be honest. Nothing special, and I felt that it was under seasoned. It came with a sous vide egg, radishes and a side of bread to complement. Very average and nothing special.

Tamari – Shoyu Tonkotsu Pork Ramen

Lastly, we tried their ramen. I believe their signature ramen is the tomato-saffron ramen, but it is priced at the high price of $17! Instead, we opted for the Tamari-Shoyu Tonkotsu Pork Ramen. The noodles were on the skinny side and cooked to al dente. It was topped with aburi pork char siu, soft boiled egg and kale. I found it odd that they used kale instead of the traditional seaweed. I didn’t find the broth to be very good as well. Something seemed to be missing.

Overall, I would agree with others that Gyoza Bar + Ramen is quite average. I wouldn’t say the food is terrible, but the price is not worth the quality of food. If the price is lowered, then I would be more likely to revisit. Great location in the heart of downtown, and service was decent.

Mega Sushi (Revisit)

December 2, 2014December 2, 2014Leave a comment

Tuna Tataki Roll

Deciding where to eat in Richmond, I decided to do a revisit to Mega Sushi. They are known for their creative rolls, so that’s exactly what we went for. We started with the Tuna Tataki Roll, which is filled with avocado, cucumber and imitation crab. On top of the sushi is torched tuna and a homemade sauce. I found this one to be average. I would’ve liked the tuna tataki on its own.

Mega Roll

The next was the Mega Roll, which I’ve had before. However, it was presented differently this time. The sushi itself is battered and deep fried. Inside, there is deep fried salmon, green onion, and avocado. On top, there is imitation crab, spicy mayo, and tobiko. Lots of flavour and a hint of spice.

Big Boss Roll

The Big Boss Roll looked pretty interesting. It was filled with prawn tempura, cucumber, imitation crab and avocado. On top, there was torched tuna, four sauces, and tons of yam flakes. I loved the yam flakes, but it also got really messy eating this roll. Lots of textures going on here, but the flavours work well.

Godzilla Bite

Lastly, we got the Godzilla Bite, which was presented beautifully. These were square shaped rice patties with seaweed which were deep fried. On top, there was torched tuna and salmon, tobiko, alfafa and a special sauce. I liked how the deep fried seaweed and rice were sort of chewy and sticky. Definitely something different from your typical rolls.

Overall, Mega Sushi offers innovative rolls. They also have your traditional nigiris and other hot dishes, but I think they focus on modern and contemporary style sushi. The rolls are quite pricey, but are actually quite large in size so fill you up very easily. J and I shared these four rolls, and were beyond full. We couldn’t even finish them all! Parking is limited, but there are street parking available in the area. A bit hidden from the tourist areas of Steveston, so I would say it’s a bit of a hidden gem. Great service as well!

Flying Pig (Gastown)

November 30, 2014November 29, 2014Leave a comment

Since I wasn’t able to try Flying Pig the last time, we made another visit during lunch time. Their brunch menu is still offered during lunch. To start, they bring you a few slices of complimentary banana bread. I forgot to take the picture, but I liked how they were a bit sticky, which made them moist rather than being too dense.

Wild Mushroom, Asparagus, Chevre Frittata

S got the Wild Mushroom, Asparagus and Chevre Frittata. It comes with a side of organic greens. A frittata is sort of like a mix of an omlette and crustless quiche. She said it was very good. A good amount of toppings.

Braised Beef Shortrib Jumbo Macaroni

For myself, I got the Braised Beef Shortrib Jumbo Macaroni. It comes in a cabernet mushroom cream sauce. The shortrib was moist and flavourful, while the pasta was cooked to al-dente.

Overall, Flying Pig lived up to the expectations. The Gastown location is actually quite large too, so there’s lots of seats. I still want to try their happy hour menu though, since it is a pretty good deal. Definitely coming back!

Ganache Patisserie

November 29, 2014November 29, 2014Leave a comment

Cassis et Matcha – cassis mascarpone cream, cassis gelee, milk chocolate parfait, matcha biscuit charlotte, blackberries

I’ve always heard great things about Ganache Patisserie, and finally I got to try them. Both desserts were matcha base desserts. The first was the Cassis et Matcha. Cassis is sort of like blackcurrant, so there was a sweet and sour taste to it.

I love how the inside is all leveled with the layers. I really enjoyed the cassis flavoured mascarpone cheese. Very smooth. There wasn’t a lot of matcha flavour though.

Matcha-Exotique – green tea mousse, mango-passionfruit gelee, lychees, black sesame biscuit joconde

The second was the Matcha-Exotique, which is a green tea mousse.

In the middle, there is a mango-passionfruit gelee, which was my favourite part. The cake itself is a mix of black sesame biscuit cake and the green tea mousse. There are lots of textures going on, but it all works. I preferred this one over the first.

Overall, Ganache Patisserie makes quite unique cakes. Not your typical flavours and they definitely aren’t simple. Looking forward to trying their other cakes.

Hapa Izakaya (Taste of Yaletown)

November 27, 2014November 26, 2014Leave a comment

Spiked Pear Lemonade

There are many locations for Hapa Izakaya, but surprisngly, I’ve never been to one. I’ve heard pros and cons about it, so I decided to check it out during the Taste of Yaletown event last month. We started off with some drinks. The Spiked Pear Lemonade was very strong! In a martini glass, it was a mix of Absolute Pears, pear puree, and 7UP.

Tokyo Iced Tea

For myself, I had the Tokyo Iced Tea. Mixed with shochu, this wasn’t as strong in alcohol, and I liked the lemon taste to it. Definitely good taste the oolong tea.

Sashimi Salad

Onto the Taste of Yaletown menu, which was $35 per person and offered 3 courses. First, I had the Sashimi Salad. It had mixed sashimi on top of a bed of organic greens. It was drizzled with a citrus-soy dressing. The sashimi was fresh and I liked the variety, but the the salad was overdressed. The flavour of the dressing itself was good, but it was way too salty. Definitely needs work.

Wild Mushroom Quinoa

Another appetizer was the Wild Mushroom Quinoa. I didn’t try this, but was told it was just average. It included dashi steamed quinoa, wild mushrooms, burdock, carrot, lotus root, and was served with spicy picked vegetables.

Wagyu Soy Butter Steak

Unfortunately, while we were still eating, our mains showed up. I found this quite odd and frankly it made the service quite terrible. I was only halfway into my appetizer, and they didn’t even care to look before bringing out our mains. And to be honest, we weren’t eating extremely slow or anything. Anyways, the Wagyu Soy Butter Steak came with shishito peppers and grilled onion garnish. There were literally only two pieces of meat. As well, by the time we got to our mains, the dish was already cold… Extremely disappointed.

Golden Lobster

For myself, I chose the Golden Lobster. Half the lobster was motoyaki style, with mozzarella cheese and caramelized shallots. The claw was tempura battered and fried. Again, my dish was cold by the time I ate it. I also found it to be just average.

The third course was not dessert, but instead sushi rolls. Both rolls were seared by the waitress at our table.

Chan Chan Roll

The Chan Chan Roll was definitely not a favourite of mine. I ended up barely eating any of it. It had wild spring salmon, crispy skin, asparagus, and a miso-glazed mushroom sauce. It was also topped with a jalapeno slice. However, I found this roll to be extremely bitter! I’m not sure if it was the asparagus or whether they used too much miso. I was just not a fan of this.

BBQ Yakiniku Roll – beef tataki, green bean, green onion, yuzu pepper, onion chips, onion sauce, seared

The second roll was the BBQ Yakiniku Roll. It showed up with raw beef on the sushi, which might be a shocker for some.

After searing it, the raw beef becomes beef tataki. It was filled with green beans, green onions, yuzu peppers, onion chips, and an onion sauce. This was just alright. Nothing too special and the flavours were not very memorable.

Overall, I was quite disappointed with the food at Hapa Izakaya. The service was one of the worst I’ve had as well. You would think that the service would be quite good, but I felt extremely rushed eating. The funny thing was there weren’t any people waiting for seats either. Definitely not worth the $35.

Gyu-Kaku (Broadway)

November 26, 2014November 25, 2014Leave a comment

Pitcher of Beer

Gyu-Kaku has two locations – one in downtown, and the second on Broadway. Since it was relatively close to work, I headed down there to meet up with the girls for dinner. On Mondays, the whole day is Happy Hour, so there are some pretty good deals! For drink deals, the pitcher of Sapporo is just for $9! (It’s a full pitcher by the way, just that I took the picture after pouring.)

Steamed Chili Dumpling

We ordered one of the items off the Happy Hour Menu. The Steamed Chili Dumplings are normally $6.95, but is $4.95 during happy hour. They were your typical dumplings with some spicy sauce on it. Not bad, but it’s nothing too special.

Gyu-Kaku Salad

Gyuk-Kaku offers many set course meals. The best part is that you can have more people than stated on the menu and still order these sets. We chose the Meat Lover’s for 2, although we were a table of three, and we were more than filled. The set is for $55, and when split between 3, it comes to around $20 each. It starts off with some appetizers, including the Gyu-Kaku Salad. Topped with burdock, greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, and hard boiled eggs, it’s quite a salad. It came with a Japanese mayo sauce, which was very delicious!

Edamame

Next up were the Edamame. Lightly salted, and a huge bowl!

Chicken Karaage

The Chicken Karaage came with a spicy mayo dip. I found that there was too much batter compared to meat. This could’ve been worked on.

Garlic Steak, Spicy Pork, Toro Beef Tare

Then our meats came. Each table is equipped with a built in barbeque so you can self-barbeque. However, I found that your meat could be easily burnt when you don’t look after it. My favourite had to be the Toro Beef. It was thin, tender and fatty. The Spicy Pork was probably my least favourite since it was easy to overcook it so it became rough. Many of the meat are already marinated, but they also provide you with three sauces. A spicy, sweet, and ponzu sauce.

Bistro Hanger Steak Miso, New York Steak Miso, Yaki-Shabu Beef Tare

More meat came and another favourite was the Bistro Hanger Steak. Well marinated and tender meat. All cuts were very good. I didn’t have a single piece that was tough to chew. Other than meat, there was always Corn Butter, which were corn niblets that were wrapped in tin foil with butter inside. When you place it on the grill, the heat melts the butter. Very yummy!

Sukiyaki Bibimbap

There was also a Sukiyaki Bibimbap. However, I found that it tasted more like Chinese sticky rice, rather than a bibimbap. I guess it was the type of rice they used. Not bad!

There was also dessert to end the night. Since it’s a two person course set, it only came with two scoops of matcha ice cream, but they were one of the biggest scoops I’ve had. Overall, I was quite satisfied with Gyu-Kaku. Service was very attentive. Our grill was switched multiple times, and they even switched up our beer mugs to frozen ones once in a while. Quality of food is pretty good, and the price isn’t too bad. One of the better barbeque spots I’ve been to.

Crackle Crème

November 25, 2014November 24, 2014Leave a comment

Crackle Crème has been the talk of the town for quite some time now. To my knowledge, we don’t really have a shop that specializes only in crème brûlées. Well now we have it! It’s located in Chinatown, but on Union St., which seems to be a pretty nice area now. The shops around it were all very modern.

The shop is run by one man and offers what I would like to call hipster crème brûlée. It’s literally all those flavours that you find people talking about these days, especially with ice cream. From earl grey, salted caramel, to black sesame, the flavours are always changing!

Other than crème brûlées, they also offer liege waffles. The crème brûlées are pretty expensive, at $5 each. You can get the mini trio for $7.50, but you cannot select your flavours.

The crème brûlées are taken out of the fridge and the owner will torch the sugar in front of you. You can also take these to go, although they should be eaten within 4 hours.

We chose three flavours. They look pretty much the same from the top.

Honey Lavender, Earl Grey, Matcha

The crème brûlées were very smooth and creamy. I’m actually not a huge fan of crème brûlées, since the traditional ones are very eggy in flavour. However, these are completely different! Full of the flavour you choose, they are extremely delicious! The crystallized sugar is also torched perfectly, so it’s not burnt. I found the Matcha to be quite average. It’s good, but nothing too special. The Earl Grey was very strong in flavour. My favourite had to be the Honey Lavender. At first bite, you will think that it’s very “herby”, but soon after, the flavour sinks in, and it’s absolutely delicious! Perfect, if you like floral flavours.

Overall, we were extremely pleased with Cracke Crème. Quite pricey, so it’s something to splurge on, but I will definitely be revisiting to try the rest of the flavours!

The Sardine Can

November 24, 2014November 23, 2014Leave a comment

I’m still on the hunt for the best Spanish food in Vancouver, and I think I’ve found one that’s up on the list. Sardine Can is a tiny little spot in the heart of Gastown. I love how they actually have a sardine can placed outside. However, beware of how tiny the spot is! Fitting around only 20 people or less, this means long waits! We waited over an hour for a seat, but it was well worth it! Come here early if you want to be seated right away.

The inside is decorated with Spanish items and the kitchen is open concept. I’m not even sure if this is considered a kitchen since it’s really small! It feels like one at home, with a bar table across where diners can sit and watch the chefs do their thing. Soccer is played on the TV, just like how they would in Spain.

Tostas de sardinas: Smoked Sardine on Toast

The menu is comprised entirely of tapas, which are perfect for sharing. The prices are also extremely reasonable at around $5-12 a dish. We were recommended that two dishes per person would be a good amount of food. So, we started with the Smoked Sardine on Toast, because I mean, after all, their restaurant has the word sardine in it. I’m not a huge fan of sardines since they can be quite fishy, but I found these quite good! Not my favourite, but if you’re a sardine fan, you’ll most likely like this. Topped with tons of sardine so you’ll get it in every bite!

Patatas bravas: Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, garlic aioli & tomato

Next were the Patatas Bravas, which were probably my favourite of the night! Patatas bravas are one of the most typical Spanish tapas and works perfect with beer or drinks. I loved how they put their own twist on this traditional dish. Here, they used fingerling potatoes and roasted these wedges so they were crispy on the outside. It came with a thick garlic aioli and tomato sauce, which was absolutely delicious when mixed together! Simple dish that is easy to make, but I really enjoyed the flavours. A must order!

Chorizo con Jerez: Full-flavoured chorizo sausage cooked in sherry

Chorizo con Jerez was a bit disappointing. Jerez is sherry, so these chorizo sausages were basically cooked in a sherry sauce. I didn’t like it since I found it really oily and nothing too special. The chorizo sausages had their typical hint of spice, but other than that, it wasn’t any special. You could easily replicate this dish at home.

Gambas al ajillo: Spicy garlic prawns

A Spanish meal isn’t complete without some seafood! We decided to get the Spicy Garlic Prawns, which comes in an addicting broth. Perfect for bread dipping. The shrimp were alright – wouldn’t say they are the freshest or juiciest, but the sauce was what made the dish. The dish is also not as spicy as we imagined.

Pinchitos morunos: Moorish spiced chicken kebabs, pomegranate

Moorish spiced kebabs are very typical in Spain, so I suggested we try the Moorish Spiced Chicken Kebabs. It came in two skewers, with a good amount of chicken on each skewer. I would’ve liked the chicken to be more moist, but the flavour wasn’t bad. It came with a pomegranate sauce and some sour cream.

Pan: Terra breads sourdough

We needed some bread for dipping, as well to pair with the chorizo dish since it was quite salty just eating the sausage. We ordered the Terra Breads Sourdough, which came in a cute tower.

Almejas con chorizo: Steamed clams, chorizo, celery, spicy smoke paprika

We probably shouldn’t have ordered the chorizo dish, since the Steamed Clams also came with more chorizo. The clams were steamed in a celery and spicy smoke paprika stew. Very flavourful and more than enough clams! A good deal for sure.

Atun crudo: Tartare of tuna, orange, avocado, chili lime olive oil

The Tartare of Tuna was really interesting! You would think it’s your typical tuna tartare, but nope. Here, they mixed in slices of orange, avocado, and added chili lime olive oil. This was a very interesting flavour with the citrus element to it. Also, the avocado made the tartare very smooth. It’s a lot of tartare too, so you will have plenty left after scooping it on your toasted bread.

Albondigas: Meatballs cooked in tomato and Rioja

Lastly, we got the Meatballs, which were cooked in a tomato and red wine sauce. The dish comes with 5 large meatballs, and is full of flavour. Very moist and perfect when soaked in the sauce.

Overall, we were extremely pleased with the Sardine Can. Of course, I can’t say it is comparable to the food in Spain, but I like how they take those traditional tapa dishes and put their own twist to it. Everything is fairly simple and doesn’t require too much difficulty in cooking. It’s the flavours they use that make the food so good. Prices are also very reasonable without needing to leave with a half empty stomach. Definitely much more affordable when compared with Espana. Looking forward to coming back again!