Shishinori

September 27, 2014Leave a comment

Shishinori opened up quite recently and is located near Broadway and Cambie. S recommended to go here after seeing all the pictures on Instagram. You order first inside, and can take a seat anywhere. We ended up sitting outside sine it was a beautiful sunny day. Their menu consists mainly of salad rice bowls, and although I’m not a salad girl, I was quite impressed.

Ahi Tuna Carpaccio Bowl, Iced Acai Berry Tea, Matcha Jello

The bowls range from $9 up to $12. By adding an extra $2.50, you can turn it into a meal. The meal consists of your choice of beverage and dessert or soup. S got the Ahi Tuna Carpaccio Bowl, which came with thinly sliced ahi tuna carpaccio. I was suprised that there were so few pieces. She said it was more like eating tuna sashimi. Her bowl came with a large amount of veggies – it looked like a lot more than mine. She made it into a meal by adding the Iced Acai Berry Tea and the Matcha Jello. Her acai berry tea was super sweet though. It definitely looked better than it tasted. You would think that the iced teas would be rather strong in tea flavour instead. The Matcha Jello was also really odd… They added something similar to condensed milk on top, and the jello itself was barely sweetened. Quite disappointed with the jello for sure.

Curried Chicken Bowl, Iced Strawberry & Orange Tea, Matcha Jello

For myself, I chose the Curried Chicken Bowl. I was actually surprised how quickly our food came out. My curry wasn’t sizzling hot, so I have a feeling that the hot portions of the food are pre-made. It came with loads of potatoes, carrots, and not as much chicken as I would’ve liked. On top, there was also half a soft-boiled egg. There was also brown rice underneath, so even though it was only salad on the side, it filled me up well. The salad was actually really good. It consisted of different greens, onions, carrots, edamame beans, lotus root and a light soy dressing. The way they put everything together was just visually appealing. I also made it into a meal by adding the Iced Strawberry & Orange Tea. Again, it wasn’t as great as it looked. I found mine to be quite diluted this time. And of course, the jello wasn’t great.

Overall, Shishinori is a great place to grab a healthy meal. I guess eating salads don’t have to be so boring anymore. I would stick with their bowls however, and skip making it into a meal. The drink just looked pretty in the Mason jars, but the flavour needs work. The only downside about Shishinori is that they close relatively early – at 8:00pm. I wish we could sit around and order their desserts as well, but they already started cleaning up.

Red Tuna

September 25, 2014September 25, 20142 Comments

After a long hike at Garibaldi, we decided to grab food before heading home. Somehow after searching on Urbanspoon, we ended up at Red Tuna on Dunbar. My UBC bus used to go down this road every day, yet I have never noticed Red Tuna. Well, there were actually quite a few tables of diners here on a random weekday. I believe the restaurant is Korean owned, since their menu has a some Korean items and the servers looked Korean.

Combo

They have a regular menu with things such as specialty rolls, but they are over $10 each. All of us ended up going for their combos which seemed to be a better deal. I don’t remember exactly what Y’s combo number was, but it included an assortment of Tempura, 2 pieces of Tuna Nigiri, 2 pieces of Salmon Nigiri, Chicken Karage, Chicken Teriyaki on Rice, and a Salad. Y said that the nigiris were alright, but the chicken karage was pretty weird. Everyone also agreed that the sauce on the salad was terrible. No one ended up eating it. It sort of tasted like celery? Not sure, but it wasn’t your typical Japanese salad.

Sushi Boat A

As for myself, I went for the Sushi Boat A, which surprisingly did not come on a boat like its name. My order came with 2 pieces of salmon nigiri, 2 pieces of tuna, 2 pieces of ebi, 1 piece of hamachi, 1 piece of tamgao and a 6 piece roll of tuna maki. I found everything to be quite average. It wasn’t terrible, but nothing that was very memorable. The hamachi was probably the most memorable, being that it was extremely hard to chew on for some reason… Other than that, everyone was decent and I guess for under $15, this isn’t too bad.

All in all, Red Tuna is average, but I probably would not revisit anytime soon. There are much better sushi joints out there.

Ajisai Sushi Bar 味彩

September 23, 20141 Comment

Ajisai Sushi Bar is located in a little nook in one of Kerrisdale’s walkways. It’s pretty hidden, so you won’t notice it unless you actually walk down this alley. Offering a menu of authentic Japanese sushi, it’s a fairly small restaurant and is famous for the line ups. Luckily, when we arrived for dinner, it was only a 15 minute wait, which really isn’t too bad. Definitely not a great place for large groups though.

The seating is really just bar seats, with a line in front of the sushi chefs, and the other seatings against the window.

Tamago Nigiri

K and I started off with the Tamago Nigiri. The colour wasn’t the bright yellow ones you find at cheap restaurants, which is always a good sign. It was slightly sweet and there were some other ingredients inside, which made it very flavourful. I liked how you could actually feel the layered texture when you chewed on it.

Scallop, Red Tuna, Toro, Masago with Quail Egg, Negitoro, Baby Yellowtail

These were J’s selections. I’m not exactly sure which roll he got, so I won’t comment on that. However, the baby yellowtail was a special on the menu and he said was very good! He was ultimately satisfied with his plate.

Natto Negitoro Roll, Tuna, Negitoro, Unagi

K’s selections included the Natto Negitoro Roll, which I don’t normally see in many menus. I find that their menu has many half/half rolls, which is quite interesting. Her unagi was also quite a large piece!

Scallop, Chopped Scallop, Negitoro Roll

As for myself, I chose some nigiris and a maki roll. The Negitoro Roll was really good! It was filled with a good amount of negitoro and I liked how there was wasabi already in it. My Scallop Nigiri was very fresh and came with a piece of seaweed underneath which I found interesting. As for my Chopped Scallop Nigiri, it was one of the better ones I’ve had. The scallops were fresh and there wasn’t an overload of mayo.

Ika, Red Tuna

I also ordered the Ika Nigiri, which was very tender and came with a leaf underneath to bring it a minty flavour. My Red Tuna Nigiri was okay. I wish it was more tender. This one didn’t seem as fresh as the rest.

Overall, Ajisai is a great place to go for good quality authentic Japanese sushi. However, the prices are a little steep, so it’s not a place to go crazy unless you have a huge budget. Their menu has a lot more variety compared to say Sushi Hachi. You’ll find non-authentic rolls here as well, so I guess that’s why it’s so popular. Be ready for a wait here!

Sushi Nanaimo

September 20, 2014Leave a comment

After hiking, we went to go look for some cheap sushi. We decided to go try Sushi Nanaimo, which is in the East Village. Sushi Nanaimo is very similar to Sushi Garden and is also run by Koreans. So, if you’re looking for authentic Japanese food – this is not the place for you. However, if you want cheap and large quantities, then this is a great option! There’s always a wait here, and we waited roughly 30 minutes to get a seat. We noticed that many people get take out here.

Spicy Salmon Sashimi (1/2 Order)

I knew the menu would be similar to Sushi Garden, so I went for my favourite Spicy Salmon Sashimi. Cubes of salmon with a spicy sweet sauce and topped with sesame seeds and green onions. It also comes with cucumber cubes. It’s not the most amazing salmon, but it does the deal for the price it costs. This was only half an order and was only around $6.

Agedashi Tofu

J ordered the Agedashi Tofu. Nothing too special. Typical fried tofu. The batter was light, but I felt the sauce to lack any oomph to it. Didn’t really do much.

Tray C – California Roll, Red Roll, Mangodise Roll, Chopped Scallop Roll, Dynamite Roll

Since we were quite indecisive in what to order, we decided to go for Tray C, which is supposed to fill 3 people. However, it’s more than enough for 3 people. It could probably fill up 4. It came with 5 different rolls, which were all fairly good. My favourite was the Red Tuna, which featured chopped scallop inside and topped with spicy tuna on top. The Mangodise Roll was also pretty good, which imitation crab filled inside, and ebi and mango on the top. The rolls aren’t spectacular, with them looking quite clumsily made. But what can you expect for the price you pay? Tray C also included the nigiris shown below and it came to a total of $36 for the two plates!

Tray C – Chopped Scallop, Ebi, Tuna, Salmon, Hokkigai (3 pc each)

As mentioned, Tray C also comes with 5 types of nigiris (3 of each type). The tuna and salmon is not as fresh, but they are large pieces. It’s similar to eating at an all you can eat restaurant, but slightly better. The Chopped Scallop was quite a disappointment. It didn’t taste fresh, but rather a little fishy. They seemed to add a lot of mayo to cover up the fishy taste. It was also very mushy.

Overall, I wouldn’t go for the nigiris at Sushi Nanaimo. However, their rolls are not bad for the low price. I also recommend getting their spicy sashimi. Don’t come into Sushi Nanaimo expecting authentic sushi. Just come in with a hungry stomach and you’ll be happy that you leave with your wallet still full.

Kintaro Ramen

July 7, 2014Leave a comment

Miso Ramen – medium broth and fat Cha-shu

After a sunny afternoon of biking at Stanley Park, K and I were hungry for food. Since we were on Denman, we began walking towards Robson and of course we came across Kintaro. I’ve been to Kintaro years ago, when it first got all hyped up with the long lines. This was before I started this blog, so of course I had to document it this time. Luckily, it was an odd time to have dinner as it was a bit too early, so we quickly got a seat. Soon after though, there began to form small lines. Definitely still not as crazy as years ago, since there are several other ramen shops in the neighbourhood now. Anyways, I decided to get the Miso Ramen. For the broth, you can choose heavy, medium, or light. As for the Cha-shu (bbq pork), you can choose fat or lean. I chose the medium broth and of course the fat cha-shu. My bowl came and it was a deep yellow broth. A spoon of the broth told me it was going to be a satisfying meal. Their broth is so rich and flavourful! The ramen is chewy and the cha-shu had just the right amount of fat and meat. A good portion of noodles, topped with bean sprouts, green onions, and corn. You only get one slice of cha-shu though, which is similar to many of the other ramen shops. However, the price at Kintaro is always very reasonable.

Cold Ramen

K went for the Cold Ramen. I’ve never actually tried this one, but it looked very colourful! Since it was such a hot day, it was probably actually a good idea to get this dish rather than the boiling hot bowl I had. It came with a variety of veggies and kelp. She had the cha-shu on the side, so I had them. The cha-shu in her bowl was definitely not as good as mine. It was much more rough and also had no fat on it. I guess it would’ve worked well with her noodles, but definitely not with mine. She had a light sauce to go with her noodles. She said she was quite satisfied with her noodles.

Overall, Kintaro is always a good spot to grab some ramen, especially after hitting up Stanley Park. I find that their ramen are much more reasonably priced, compared to some of the other nearby shops. Small shop with limited seating, but people eat ramen quite quickly, so the line usually moves quickly.

Gudrun

June 30, 2014June 30, 2014Leave a comment

When K came back, I suggested we go try Gudrun. It’s been opened in Steveston for quite some time, but I always just past by it without looking into it too much. Finally, we decided to go on a rainy weekday.

They seem to change their menu daily, based on what’s fresh in the market. Their menu is fairly simple with probably under 10 main menu items.

The inside is dimly lit and filled with wooden tables and chairs. There’s also a long table – great for large groups. It’s an open kitchen and there’s also a bar table. The service was amazing, with our server being super friendly and checking up on us occasionally. He might also be the owner, but I’m not sure. It was really relaxed and chill, and we didn’t feel rushed or pressured to order more. He would actually chat with customers, but he saw us having our own conversation, so he gave us plenty of space. I also love how they have pillows so you can feel like you’re at home. Absolutely love the ambiance here!

Mac & 5 Cheese with Side Salad

K got the Mac & 5 Cheese which came with a side of salad. The Mac & Cheese was definitely very cheesy and creamy. It might be a little pricey for a mac & cheese, but you can tell that this ain’t any cheap Kraft Dinner!

Meat Sandwich – sopressata, red peppers and cheddar

J and I both got the Meat Sandwich. It came with sopressata, which is an Italian dry salami. It also came with a side of salad, which had a really good light dressing. A bit of those tiny little pickles and olives too. A very simple dish, but it tasted amazing!

The sandwich was also filled with red peppers and cheddar. I loved the pairing of the peppers and salami. It wasn’t too salty, and the bread was grilled perfectly!

Overall, we were extremely pleased with Gudrun. It may be a bit pricey, but the relaxing environment really makes it a great place to chill and catch up with friends. They also have a large selection of wines and meat or cheese boards, which would be perfect for a late night hangout. Fresh ingredients with well-executed dishes and impeccable service!

Espana

June 29, 2014Leave a comment

Espana Sangria – red wine, Spanish Brandy, Licor 43

For K’s birthday, I suggested we go relive some Spanish food and check out Espana. I realized that there’s barely any Spanish cuisine here in Vancouver. A lot of Latin American or Mexican food, but not traditional Spanish food. Espana is located on Denman Street, near the Davie area and there were tons of restaurants nearby. They don’t take reservations, but we luckily got a seat quite quickly. It’s dimly lit inside and it’s got a bar table as well. Seems like a great place to grab tapas and enjoy a glass of wine. For drinks, we decided to try their sangrias. Mom got the Espana Sangria, which I think was the best. It was mainly red wine with some brandy and fruits. The rest of them got the Tinto de Verano, which is red wine with lemonade. I really enjoyed the drink in Barcelona, but I didn’t quite like the one here as much.

Kalimotxo – Red wine, Coca Cola

For myself, I decided to try something weird and got the Kalimotxo, which was red wine and Coca Cola. It was such a bad choice. It tasted quite bitter and I wouldn’t recommend anyone getting it.

Iberian Ham Croquettes – quince & sherry aioli

Their food is all tapa size, so it’s meant for sharing. Of course, we had to get the Iberian Ham Croquettes. It came with an aioli sauce and they were fried to a light golden brown. I actually really enjoyed the light batter they used here. I think it might be better than some of the ones I had in Spain! You also got a slight Iberian ham flavour to it.

Serrano Ham – aged 14 months

Next, we got the Serrano Ham, which came with some toast that had been lightly slathered with olive oil. Serrano ham is another type of ham and is bred by white pigs. I believe it’s not as expensive compared to Iberian ham, since Iberian ham is only made from Iberian pigs which are acorn-fed. I actually preferred the Serrano ham though, since it doesn’t have that strong pig taste that I find Iberian ham has. Well, I guess that’s why people like Iberian ham so much, because of that taste.

Marinated White Anchovies, Piquillo Peppers & Quail Eggs on Toast

We decided to try their toasts, but they were fairly different from the ones I had in Spain. I think the main difference was the bread they used. It wasn’t thinly sliced like the montaditos we had. This was quite an expensive dish, with only two slices of toast. We chose the one with Marinated White Anchovies, Piquillo Peppers & Quail Eggs. All ingredients that are fairly common in Spanish cuisine. The flavours actually worked together very well.

Grilled Flat Iron Steak – patatas bravas, moritz mustard aioli

The Grilled Flat Iron Steak was probably our favourite dish. The steak was cooked to medium rare and was super tender. It came with a msutard aioli and some fried potatoes as well. Patatas Bravas are very common in Spanish tapas, but this was a play on it, with the sauce being a little different from usual. The steak was definitely a stand out though.

Grilled Octopus & Chorizo – roasted pepper, sun dried olive & caper bread salad, romesco sauce

The Grilled Octopus & Chorizo was a bit of a disappointment. It was a lot of the other ingredients, but lacked pieces of actual octopus. There were probably only 4 small pieces of octopus. It was more like a salad, with roasted peppers and other greens. You’ll also find a chorizo piece here and there. Felt like they lacked the main ingredients of the dish.

Ox Tongue & Warm Potato Salad – mustard, quail eggs, white anchovies, paprika aioli

The Ox Tongue & Warm Potato Salad was also a huge hit at our table. The ox tongue was sliced very thin, compared to what we normally get in Asian cuisines. It was so tender! Along with the quail eggs, anchovies and the mustard and aioli sauce, it was definitely very flavourful! It also came with some cubed potatoes.

Daily Paella

Last but not least, my parents wanted to try the Daily Paella. It takes a long time to be ready, so you need to order it right away. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed with the Paella. It’s not Valencian style, but rather topped with lots of beans, white anchovies, and arugula. The flavour wasn’t my cup of tea at all. It tasted like tomato based beans. Super expensive too! It was around $32 I believe. And I thought the ones in Spain were expensive…

Overall, I was slightly disappointed with the food at Espana. It was nothing compared to the food I had in Spain. I find that their menu is not very traditional, but they grab bits of the Spanish cuisine and play around with the typical ingredients. Not exactly like the food I had in Spain. But I guess this is a good spot to try some Spanish flavours, since we really don’t have many Spanish choices in Vancouver. I also found the menu to be quite pricey and the portions were very small. Still, a restaurant with great ambiance. I’d come back for a small tapa and drinks.

Yolk’s Breakfast Restaurant and Commissary

June 26, 2014Leave a comment

Manmosa – P49 HayFever Saison, fresh squeezed orange juice

After exams ended, I met up with my Barca buddies K and U for brunch. I suggested we go try Yolk’s Breakfast Restaurant and Commissary. They have a food truck, but they also recently opened a restaurant near Knight and East Hastings. It was a far drive for me, but definitely worth it! We waited roughly 10 minutes and were given a seat. The restaurant is actually fairly large compared to many other breakfast spots. They don’t take reservations, like many of the popular breakfast restaurants. Our server was friendly and checked up on us once in a while. We first started off with some drinks. I went for the Manmosa, which came with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a bottle of beer. I was a bit skeptical of mixing beer and orange juice together, but it turned out great! It’s supposed to be the manly version of a manmosa, but I could care less! A bit of alcohol to start our day off!

Mimosa – sparkling wine, freshly squeezed orange juice

U got the girly version and chose the Mimosa. It comes in a skinnier glass and is already premixed with sparkling wine and orange juice. She said it was pretty good!

Yolk’s Caesar – Bacon infused East Van Vodka, Clamato juice, freshly grated horseradish, Worcestershire, Tabasco, lime, celery shrub

K got the Yolk’s Caesar. Very typical and nothing too fancy with the play on ingredients.

Hand Carved Honey Ham on truffle-lemon hashbrowns and English Bangers

For food, Yolk’s is famous for their Poached Free-Range Egg Sandwiches. Their menu has a cute design for this item, and it guides you through the options for this dish. You can choose the topping, whether you want two eggs or one, english muffin, hashbrowns or gluten-free buns, a sauce or cheese, and any additional sides. K got the Hand Carved Honey Ham, which came with fresh spinach & Yolk’s made Dijon. He also got two eggs and double everything. He chose the truffle-lemon hashbrowns instead which cost an additional $1.50. He had the double smoked bacon last time which he said he preferred. Other than the eggs, he also got the English Bangers which were perfectly grilled sausages. He said they were delicious!

Chicken & Waffles – organic fried chicken, Belgian waffles, chicken gravy & pure Canadian maple syrup

U didn’t go for the eggs, but rather their Chicken & Waffles. Yolk’s has a fairly simple menu, hence probably why they can execute good dishes. The chicken & waffles is also one of their famous dishes and it consists of organic fried chicken between two Belgian waffles. It also comes with a chicken gravy, but we all agreed it didn’t taste like gravy and was very bland. U said that the chicken and waffles, however, were very delicious! The chicken was moist and flavourful.

Poached Free-Range Egg Sandwiches – Portobello Mushroom on truffle-lemon hashbrowns

For myself, I also went for the Poached Free-Range Egg Sandwiches. I chose the third option which is Portobello Mushroom. It came with an aioli sauce and fresh arugula. Just like K, I chose two eggs and double everything and had my eggs on truffle-lemon hashbrowns by adding $1.50. I also chose the real hollandaise as my sauce. Cutting into the eggs, they were perfectly poached with the yolks running out. It doesn’t look like too much on the plate, but I was beyond full by the end of the meal. There’s plenty of hash and they were seasoned well! The option for two eggs and double everything comes to around $10.75. Since we substituted for hashbrowns instead of the English muffin, the total cost was $12.25.

Overall, I highly recommend Yolk’s for a breakfast spot. I know some people wait an hour for this, which I probably wouldn’t, but since I only waited 10-15 minutes, I really didn’t find it too bad. Plus, they have great drinks and the portion sizes of food are just right. A pretty reasonable priced breakfast. Only downside is how far it is for me!