Restaurant: Sushi Garden
Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi
Last visited: December 16, 2011
Location: Burnaby, BC (Burnaby South)
Address: 4635 Kingsway
Train: Metrotown Skytrain
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try!

Food: 3
Service: 3
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Korean owned/operated
• Bang for your buck sushi
• Extensive menu
• Popular for sushi
• Hot items available
• Local favourite
• Very popular/busy
• Line-ups/wait list at 6pm
• Budget friendly/Cheap eats
• Family friendly
• Serves alcohol
• Same owners as California Sushi in Coquitlam
• Free parking at rear
• Dine in/Take out
• Mon-Sat 11am-10pm
• Sunday 11:30-9:30pm

**Recommendations: Alaska Roll, Tuna Gomae

Sushi Garden in Burnaby, BC is probably one of the busiest sushi restaurants in Metro Vancouver. It’s a large restaurant, but it fills up quickly and there’s a guaranteed line up that usually starts at 6pm. I’ve come here on numerous occasions, and it’s not my favourite sushi restaurant, but it’s bang for your buck sushi and it does the job if you’re in the area… especially after a hard day’s worth of shopping at Metrotown mall across the street.

I wouldn’t say Sushi Garden is high quality, but the food is actually decent especially for the price. I really don’t expect too much and if I take it for what it is, it’s good. Cheap sushi in Metro Vancouver isn’t really hard to find, and I wouldn’t make an effort to come here, but it’s an easy go to place if you’re in the neighbourhood. It’s actually Korean owned an operated and we can forget about “authenticity” because when you’re paying $3-4 for a roll, it doesn’t really matter.

The restaurant is for those who have graduated from All You Can Eat sushi and Samurai Sushi, and I would choose this before I would the other two. Sure AYCE sushi can vary depending on the restaurant, but generally, I’m not crazy about it.

If you can’t get a seat here, which is common, then I would also suggest trying Asakusa Sushi just a block away. It’s pretty much the same deal and that one is Vietnamese owned and operated. I like the menu selection better at Sushi Garden, but Asakusa Sushi offers really cheap bento boxes and nicer presentation. Their stuff has a little bit more care since they’re not as busy as Sushi Garden, but their both good options for cheap sushi in the area that actually tastes decent.

On the table:

**Tuna Gomae – 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• $4.95
• The gomae sauce is a bit on the thin side and I prefer mine a bit thicker, but this was still good.
• It was half spinach gomae and half tuna gomae, but the portion was still big and worth the price even if it wasn’t all tuna.
• The sauce was thin in texture, but not in flavour and it was a bit sweet and I prefer mine nuttier with a gritty texture of freshly ground toasted sesame seeds.
• There was some pureed sesame seeds, but not a whole lot.
• The tuna isn’t the highest in quality, but again I don’t expect it for the price. When it’s covered in sauce it doesn’t really matter anyways.
• The best tuna gomae I’ve had so far is at Tokachi Japanese Restaurant.

Tako Yaki – 2.5/6 (Okay-Good)

• Octopus ball, 6 pcs $3.95
• If you’ve never tried tako yaki than these are good, but otherwise they’re pretty standard for tako yaki.
• It’s a popular street food usually made of batter, diced octopus, pickled ginger, green onions and topped with fish/squid shavings, Japanese mayo and okonomiyaki sauce (thicker sweeter Teriyaki like sauce).
• It was creamy, gummy and almost like a glutinous dumpling. It’s like eating a very soft mochi.
• It was a bit mushier than usual with a very tiny piece of octopus and it was a bit tough from being overcooked.
• I wanted more filling, because they were a bit too airy even though they are supposed to be somewhat airy and light.
• I could taste the pickled ginger and onion although it was very little. I appreciated it being in there though when lots of places just ignore it.
• They weren’t amazing here, but they’re not bad either and I wouldn’t mind ordering them again.

Seafood Salad – 3/6 (Good)

• Prawn, smoked salmon, tobiko $5.95
• This was a huge salad and well worth the price.
• It’s definitely not your Hapa Izakaya Sashimi Salad, Guu Sashimi Salad or Nan Chuu Sashimi Salad, but it was also half the price of all of them.
• It was a fresh salad with lots of ingredients and I liked it!
• It was crunchy with lots of fresh cabbage, carrots, cucumbers and lettuce and the chilled and firm Japanese vermicelli noodles (used in sunomono) were unexpected, but appreciated and original.
• The seafood wasn’t all sashimi, but I didn’t expect it for the price.
• There was only one piece of tuna sashimi and then lots of artificial crab meat, some tiny thin slices of salty smoked salmon, a piece of cooked shrimp, a piece of cooked octopus, and a generous amount of tobiko which I loved.
• There was a drizzle of wasabi mayo on top, which I could have used more of, but the best part was the dressing that came with it!

This dressing is their secret house made dressing and it makes everything taste delicious. It’s a vinaigrette and the same one they put on their famous Alaska rolls. It’s a very sharp and tangy Miso like Ponzu-Soy sauce. It’s an orangey-citrus vinaigrette that’s almost like an Asian inspired Italian dressing and it’s a bit savoury and sweet too. It had a grainy texture and you could tell it was made with a fresh puree of onions and apples.

**Alaska Roll – 5.5/6 (Excellent!)

• Avocado, tobiko, salmon $3.95
• This is what they’re famous for and it’s their most popular roll. I order it every time I come.
• I would possibly make the effort to come here just for this roll. It’s one of my favourite sushi rolls in the city.
• It was a perfect one-bite piece of melt in your mouth sushi. You have to love avocado to like this.
• They don’t use the rice to make it look big, but the rice was slightly bland and the seaweed a bit chewy.
• It was super rich and creamy and stuffed with buttery, over ripe, semi mashed avocado that comes across as guacamole.
• There was more avocado than salmon, but I don’t even care because it was good enough to overlook.
• What makes this roll different from all other Alaska Rolls is that they pour a special sauce onto it.
• The special sauce is actually the same home made vinaigrette they served with the seafood salad. I love that dressing!
• The acidity of the sauce really cuts through the richness of the creamy avocado and makes the whole thing pop.
• I wouldn’t mind some crunch of cucumber to break things up, but it’s still excellent!
• The salmon wasn’t great quality, but again, you stop caring because it delivers beyond a $3.95 roll and any other ordinary Alaska roll.
• This roll doesn’t require any soy sauce or wasabi.

Spicy Tuna Roll – 3/6

• $2.95
• Unlike most spicy tuna rolls, where you would just get spicy tuna, this one also had cucumbers, green onion and tobiko. For $2.95 I can accept not having as much tuna.
• The spicy sauce tasted like a Korean chili soybean paste and it could have been Gochujung sauce which I love.
• They don’t use the rice to make it look big, but the rice was slightly bland and the seaweed a bit chewy.
• It was a bit sweet and slightly spicy and I could have used more spicy tuna sauce.
• The best spicy tuna roll from a cheap eats sushi place I’ve had so far is still from Tokyo Joe’s Sushi Factory.

Toro Sashimi (Tuna Belly) – 2/6 (Okay)

• $9.95
• So this is the section I prefer to skip – the sashimi. It’s quantity over quality.
• Toro is one of my favourite sashimi so I just wanted to give it a try here.
• Most cheap sushi places don’t specialize in sashimi since it’s expensive, so it’s really not the place to indulge in sashimi although it’s still very popular with their customers.
• The cut was quite random and it seemed previously frozen and thawed because it was colder than being simply chilled.
• It wasn’t as oily and a bit firm rather than buttery, and it wasn’t toro I wanted to finish.
• The flavour just reminded me of very mediocre tuna sashimi which I’m not keen on.
• I could appreciate this toro sashimi much more if it were in a roll context (eg: Negitoro – tuna belly roll) because then the quality doesn’t become as important and the flavour would be more forgivable and somewhat masked.

Island Roll – 2/6 (Okay)

• Cooked tuna, fish flake with fresh kiwi sauce $4.95
• This was from a previous visit. It sounded the most original and interesting, but I wouldn’t order it again.
• It was basically something you might attempt at home, but I appreciate the creativity.
• It was a bit dry because the tuna was jut a canned tuna and I think it needed to be marinated more. They just marinated it in mayo and not enough of it either.
• The kiwi sauce was mashed kiwi with perhaps some lemon juice for tang.
• The roll was salty and sweet, but more on the sweet side, and the kiwi was a bit overpowering and the roll could have been saltier.
• There was also tamago in it, but it got lost in the mixture and kiwi and tuna was basically all I could taste.
• This roll is actually better if you dip it in soy sauce and wasabi… yes even with the kiwi sauce. It works!

Haru Maki – 3/6 (Good)

• Vegetable, Tobiko, crab meat $4.50
• This is from a previous visit. From the description I would never think to order it, but I’m glad I did because it was unexpected and good.
• It was almost like a Vietnamese salad roll, but instead of vermicelli it was all artificial crab meat. There was a lot of it!
• It was creamy from the avocado and crunchy from the fresh vegetables which included a red pepper, one asparagus, a little lettuce, lots of cucumber and a little bit of tobiko.
• They served it with a Teriyaki Hoisin like sauce which was great.
• There was another Japanese salad dressing that tasted like Thousand Island dressing and I wasn’t keen on that.
• The two sauces didn’t really complement and I liked it better with the Teriyaki Hoisin sauce, which I ended up asking for more of (no charge).

Prawn & Sweet Potato Tempura – n/a

• $7.50
• This wasn’t my order, but I had to snap a photo just in case you’re interested to see what it looks like.

Follow Me Foodie On Dine Out Vancouver 2012!

My thoughts on Dine Out Vancouver & A Preview of the Hapa Umi & Cento Notti Dine Out Menus!

It’s that time of year again. It’s the 10th Annual Dine Out Vancouver from January 20 – February 5, 2012. I don’t know if it really needs any explanation, but it’s basically Canada’s largest restaurant festival featuring 231 restaurants offering a set menu for $18, $28 or $38 – see the full list of restaurants and menus here. Adding to the festival this year are 70 culinary-focused events, tours and activities.

The original purpose of the event was to help give restaurants a boost during a slow time of the year… when most people are still trying to save money and loose weight from the holidays. It’s a bit ironic, but it works and people still love it, or it wouldn’t be on its 10th year.

This is quite an interesting post for me to write and I’ll be totally honest about it. I wrote a semi-controversial post about it last year stating why “I Don’t Dine Out Vancouver” (see here) and basically my thoughts haven’t really changed. I could easily make this into an even longer essay, because I have so many thoughts about it, but I’ll keep it in a Follow Me Foodie oversized “nutshell”.

There’s nothing wrong with Dine Out Vancouver, but I’m actually not the target market for it. Personally I prefer going on a regular night because I find it more representable of the restaurant. I usually find it even better too since it’s not as busy or rushed and I’m not limited to the prix fixe menu. I’ve also found some restaurants to jeopardize the ingredients or portions to meet the cost of the price fixe so I rather just go on a regular night. Last but not least I do like a good deal, but I’m willing to pay for food at a restaurant that I want to try regardless of the extra incentives. I’m not saying I wouldn’t participate in any Dine Outs, and I’ve done them before in the past, but I enjoyed them more for the company than the food.

I appreciate Dine Out Vancouver more as a food festival and I’m happy if it gets people trying restaurants and enjoying food. However I still highly recommend people to go back to their favourites on a regular night because Dine Out is really more or less just a sample. I wouldn’t really base my opinions on a restaurant solely on their Dine Out Vancouver menu. Personally, I’m more interested in the 70 culinary-focused Dine Out Vancouver Events which include Street Food City (Jan. 24-26), Dine Academy, Secret Supper Soirée, and Brasserie Mystère.

If you’re looking for Dine Out recommendations I can pass on what I know since I was invited to the Dine Out Vancouver 2012 media preview. Each group was taken to two surprise restaurants and mine were Hapa Umi and Cento Notti. However my thoughts are just for their Dine Out 2012 menus and not for the restaurant on a regular night.

I have tried Hapa Umi in the past and I still enjoyed it more on a regular night, but their portions were quite generous for the Dine Out menu and I saw the value (depending on what 3 courses you end up choosing). As for new Italian pop-up restaurant Cento Notti in Yaletown, I found it more of a hit and miss and I expected it to be in the $28 category (Update! It is now $28!), but I have yet to try it on a regular night for comparisons sake.

Other suggestions I heard from friends who tried different restaurants on the media preview was that Bitter Tasting Room ($18) was well worth it and impressive. I also heard there was amazing food and portions at Kitsilano Daily Kitchen, and raving reviews about Salmon n’ Bannock Bistro ($28) which I’ve been meaning to try since last year. We didn’t try all the restaurants and I didn’t get feedback from everyone, but those were some highlights.

Hapa Umi – Dine Out Vancouver 2012 – $38 Menu

Appetizers Choice:

Albacore Tuna Tataki – Salsa verde, crispy tortilla ribbons

• I found the portion generous and the quality of the tuna was very fresh and high.
• I could taste the infused smokiness in the sear and there was a slight heat from the Shisito seasoning on the crust, but it wasn’t spicy.
• The salsa verde wasn’t meant to be traditional and it was a nice switch up from an expected avocado puree.
• There may have been a bit of avocado, but it tasted mostly of lime and cilantro.
• The tortilla chips added a great crispy texture and I think it would be fun to see those as crispy fried ramen noodles.

OR

Tofu Salad – Citrus Soy Dressing

• This was even healthier and lighter than the ahi tuna choice and the tofu is organic. It was a huge salad too.
• I probably would have preferred firm smoky soy marinated tofu as opposed to this soft one which kind of fell apart in the salad.
• The tofu seemed like an imitation of fresh mozzarella and I just needed a stronger dressing.
• There were nice crunchy textures, deep fried lotus root, crisp sweet matchstick apples and fresh green beans, but it was a bit bland overall for my tastes and I like tofu.

OR

Edamame Potage Soup – Grilled Sake Sausage

• Oh god. I really hope this is on the regular menu because I would go back to order this a la carte. This again was a good portion.
• This was the richest and heaviest choice for the appetizers which also makes it my favourite. It really tasted the best too though.
• If you like pea soups, this was similar and it was almost like a pommes puree or velouté, which is my favourite kind of soup.
• It was creamy and velvety smooth and was thick enough to coat the roof of your mouth and stick to your spoon.
• I bet the soup was made with dashi (Japanese stock) and it just had a wonderfully rich and developed flavour throughout.
• The sausage was juicy and flavourful with snappy skins and I think there was a hint of mint in the soup to keep it bright and fresh.

Entree Choice:

Umi “Salisbury” Steak – Pork and beef steak, ume emulsion, sweet potato crema, corn-butter poached vegetables

• This dish and steak wasn’t that big, but the steak was full of flavours and it would be fantastic in a burger bun.
• It was cooked perfectly with the juices locked inside and the mixture of pork and beef made for an incredibly tender and flavourful patty.
• There were also crunchy bits of water chestnuts in the patty to give texture.
• There were some nice crispy leeks on top and the ume (Japanese plum) sauce gave it a sweetness similar to apple sauce, but also much sharper.
• The corn-butter poached vegetables were slightly random and perhaps a bit too sweet. Since corn is out of season it would be nice to see butternut squash being used as an alternative to achieve the same sweetness.
• The spoonful of sweet potato crema on the side was cold though and I wish it was plated underneath the steak so it would still stay warm from the heat of the meat.
• Overall all the sauces were sweet, so I did miss some savoury components and even some tang or heat for more balance.

Poached Ling Cod – Yuzu Kosho gel, vegetable and umeshiso fritters, nori paint

• I loved the quality of the flaky ling cod, but I really missed having the skin. I did expect the skin at a restaurant as sophisticated as Hapa Umi too.
• The fish seemed steamed and quite Chinese in style.
• The plate had a lot of components and sauces so I was almost eating everything separately.
• I love nori sauce, but this one seemed pureed with little bits of seaweed rather than smooth and melted like the ones I’ve often had.
• The yuzu kosho gel had good flavour, but it ended up being almost like a gelatinous clear sheet of sauce and it would be great if it was executed as gel capsules. I find gels are best presented in capsules when using molecular gastronomy.
• I wasn’t too keen on the umeshiso fritters because the rice ended up being a bit mushy, but the flavour was there.
• The daikon was juicy and well infused with dashi (Japanese stock) and that was prepared excellent.
• Again there were interesting textures and colours to the overall dish, but it was perhaps a bit overly ambitious.

Tofu Steak – 8 grain risotto, scallion-ginger soy

• This was the vegetarian option and although I do like tofu and vegetarian dishes, I would enjoy this more as a side. It would be a great side to that Salisbury steak.
• The tofu looked like a giant toasted marshmallow and it was lightly deep fried and crispy with a soft and silky middle.
• The risotto had a lot of texture and it was nutty from all the various grains, but it was a lot of one thing.
• Usually a risotto is creamy, but this one was very firm and it contrasted the tofu nicely, but I felt like it was missing an ingredient.
• There were some onions, zucchini, and eggplant sauteed into the risotto and I was more favorable to the concept.

Dessert Choice:

White Sesame Panna cotta – black sesame ice cream

OR

Matcha Mille Fuille – puff pastry, matcha custard

OR

Chocolate Mousse Roll Cake – Chocolate genoise, cinnamon ice cream

We actually ran out of time for dessert and had to make it to the next restaurant

**My thoughts are just for the Hapa Umi Dine Out 2012 menu and not for the restaurant on a regular night.

Cento Notti – Dine Out Vancouver 2012 – $38 Menu (Update! Now $28!)

Mocktail – Agri Dolve Fresh puree of blood orange, white cranberry juice and ginger ale $5

Appetizers Choice:

Baby Beet – Arugula salad, house cured goats cheese, candied hazelnuts

• It was quite a typical beet and goats cheese salad.
• The cheese was quite thick and dense rather than fluffy and soft and it wasn’t that heavy and gamey in flavour, but still noticeably a goat’s cheese.
• I liked the beet chips and the tender sweet red and golden baby beets underneath.
• It brought me back to memories of the Pistachio crusted goat cheese croquettes I had in Quebec City – see Vegetarian Plate (Chevré).

OR

Fontina Ravioli – Sweet onion and thyme broth

• This was very similar to a French onion soup.
• It was a very flavourful soup with a very strong thyme flavour, but I’m not sure how I feel about the little bits of what seemed like dehydrated garlic or onion bits floating on top.
• There were also some minced carrots and I guess I expected the carrots to be infused in the stock rather than visually and texturally there.
• There was one giant ravioli floating in the centre and it was super creamy and rich with a polenta like filling flavoured with melted cheese.
• The filling just oozed out of the ravioli and the skin was also nice and firm which I liked too.

Entree Choice:

Braised Lamb Cheek mafalda pasta – saffron beech mushrooms, tomato concasse

• This was a very saucy and rich dish.
• It was perhaps slightly over sauced, but the noodles were really firm and al dente which I liked.
• The lamb cheeks were decadent, melt in your mouth and delicious!
• They were incredibly tender and glazed with a sweet and tangy demi glace or red wine reduction, and it was nice and syrupy.
• I could see some finding the dish salty, but I have a high tolerance for salt so it was okay for me.
• I also really like sauce so I’m not too bothered by the amount, but it was a lot of sauce.

OR

Lois Lake Steelhead Trout – Tomato/Basil risotto, pickled zucchini salad

• I love Steelhead Trout and I loved that they served it with a crispy skin, but I question how it will turn out when Dine Out hits and they get really busy.
• This was moist and juicy, especially since it had some of the belly, so I hope they can keep the execution consistent.
• I think there are going to be complaints that there are some bones in it though.
• Chef explained that the bones were difficult to remove due to the cut of trout and how it had to be presented, but without being told this, there might be some issues.
• It was topped with an escovitch (pickled salad) which is really common in Hispanic cultures and the Caribbean, but it’s more common to have it with deep fried fish.
• The risotto was al dente, creamy, and strong with Parmesan cheese with a little acidity of tomato and I enjoyed it. I hope this is consistent too since risotto isn’t forgiving.

OR

Roasted Porchetta – Cannellini bean puree, braised pork cheek arancini

• I love porchetta, but I found this one quite dry and tough to cut through.
• I usually look forward to the crunchy crackling skin, but this one was just the roasted loin.
• It was stuffed with dried apricots and there was a lot going on, but it was hard to look past the dryness.
• The bean puree was nice and it reminded me of pureed chestnuts which always goes well with pork.
• The braised pork cheek arancini was my favourite part and it was almost like a deep fried creamy and cheesy risotto croquette.

Dessert Choice:

Cento Classic Frozen Tiramisu

• Everyone raves about this and loves it, but I’ve been eating frozen tiramisu and frozen fruit cakes since I was a kid, so it wasn’t particularly new for me although I did still like it!
• It was almost like a semifreddo and if you like tiramisu for the rich creamy texture, fluffy marscapone and slightly cheesy flavour, that’s not what you’re going to get here.
• This was strong with chocolate and coffee more than heavy with marscapone in flavour.
• The whip was also more like whipped cream than marscapone too, so I did miss the marscapone which is the best part of a tiramisu for me.
• At times the lady fingers can be dry due to the freezing, so I did miss the moisture of a soaked lady finger from a non-frozen tiramisu.
• The bar on top looked like a brownie, but it was actually a very light and dry espresso like biscotti.

OR

Lemon Tart – Marscarpone Creme

• The lemon tart was sweeter than it was tangy and it was actually not very tart at all. I do prefer a zing in lemon tarts.
• I did love the creme brulee crispy top it had and the tart contrast of plump and juicy Amerena cherries (?) were a nice alternative to a typical raspberry coulis.
• The dollop of marscarpone creme was much stronger with marscarpone flavour than the one served on the tiramisu and I really liked it with the lemon tart. I do wish it was the same one served with the tiramisu too though.

**My thoughts are just for the Cento Notti Dine Out 2012 menu and not for the restaurant on a regular night.

Follow Me Foodie to Healthy & Cheap Eats in Vancouver!

Fat and broke from the holidays?

Yes? Well it just means you enjoyed yourself so don’t look back. It’s okay, we’re all in the same boat… or sinking the same boat? If you’re not in this category than pass this post on to your friends that could benefit. It may be insulting, but it’ll be a true test of friendship. If you missed my Foodie Friday segment on NEWS 1130AM radio this morning (11am every other Friday) here’s a quick recap.

Healthy and cheap are surprisingly hard to find, and healthy, cheap and good is even harder. Sure there are your salad bars and under 6 grams of fat Subway sandwiches, but eating healthy and cheap doesn’t have to be boring either. I’m not saying salad bars and Subway are boring (Jared Fogle ate it for how many years?), but there are more options and cuisines to explore.

Sure I could give you a list of vegan/vegetarian places, or you could just google those? Personally I’m a lover of rich, indulgent and heavy foods and could never really count a smoothie as lunch, but at this time of year, “healthy and cheap” is in demand. It’s okay, I get it, and who doesn’t want to save a penny?

I’m also not going to generalize everyone in one giant “fat and broke” category, so the following are just some suggestions for healthier and more affordable options. You decide which quote suits your current situation and bon appetit!

PS: I don’t think you’re fat… and I really hate that word.

Follow Me Foodie’s Healthy & Cheap Eats in Vancouver!

“I want something quick, healthy and cheap, and I’m not vegetarian or vegan.”

Photo from Something Healthy website

Try Something Healthy Wholesome Meals & Juice Bar – Menu items include whole wheat thin crust pizzas with skim cheese, baked sockeye salmon fillet with side of brown rice/quinoa & roasted veggies and freshly squeezed juices and smoothies. It’s quick healthy fast food, with items under 400 calories and less than $10.

Address: 660 Abbott Street, Vancouver, BC (Gastown)

“I ate one too many chocolate calenders and there was only December. I’m a step away from an acne commercial and I’m wearing elastic pants. I don’t mind having a smoothie for lunch and I still have cash for my gym membership… and/or yoga classes.”

Try The Juice Truck – It sounds like you may need a major detox. Menu items include The Pineapple Beat juice (Pineapple pressed with strawberry, apple, beet & ginger), The Strawberry Coconut smoothie (Strawberry blended with coconut meat, coconut milk, banana, raw cacao nibs, vanilla & agave) and there’s even a daily soup special if a drink just won’t cut it. It’s about $6-8 per drink, but the quality of ingredients are high. It’s not necessarily cheap, but who cares when you still have money for yoga!

Address: 200 Abbott Street, Vancouver, BC (Gastown)

“Eating turkey over the holidays is what I called “dieting”, I want my meat without feeling too guilty. Fries are vegetables because potatoes are vegetables.”

Bamboo-Charcoal Dark Miso Ramen

Try Motomachi Shokudo – Craving ramen and think it’s healthy? Not exactly, but here’s a healthier option for it. Motomachi Shokudo is a healthier take on ramen offering lighter broths. The Bamboo-Charcoal Dark Miso Ramen is a blackened soup made with powdered bamboo charcoal and miso ($9.75) and it’s the healthiest option on the menu.

Address: 740 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC (West End/Robson)

“Isn’t there anything more adventurous than brown rice and a salad? I don’t count calories, and my pants are slightly tighter than my cash… “

Photo from Dine Out There

Try Nuba -  It’s Lebanese and Middle Eastern healthy fast food at reasonable prices. It’s not really “cheap eats”, but it’s not expensive either. I’m sure if you count the calories, starches and fat it’s certainly not as healthy as a garden salad, but how many garden salads can you really eat? This is relatively healthy, a bit different, and full of spices and flavour.

Address: 4 locations in Vancouver, BC – see here

“I’m living in an apartment I can’t afford and went boxing day shopping on a line of credit… but I still fit my clothes!”

Try Ba Le Deli & Bakery or Au Petit Cafe – A Banh Mi (Vietnamese sub) is the ultimate in cheap eats. For around $3 it’s one of the biggest bangs for your buck! Ba Le Deli & Bakery and Au Petit Cafe are the two institutions and local favourites for them. The Vietnamese cold cuts, pate or dark meat chicken (depends what you choose) and the French baguette might not be healthy, but you still fit your clothes and are blessed with great genes… and probably look great in a pair of jeans! FYI you can’t use a line of credit for these because most likely the restaurants accept cash only.

Ba Le Deli & Bakery address: 701 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC, or 633 Main Street, Vancouver, BC, or #101A 15277 100th Ave, Surrey, BC

Au Petit Cafe address: 4851 Main Street, Vancouver, BC

Miku Restaurant – Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi

2011 Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Yearblog

Happy New Year! Welcome to my Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2011! This is a recap and yearbook/yearblog of the BEST Follow Me Foodie (FMF) Food and FMF Foodie Moments in 2011.

I wrote a Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2010, so I decided to do another one this year. I don’t even know where to start. It’s been a crazy year, and I’m so grateful for everything that has happened with this blog. I’ve loved every minute of it (even the parts where it hurt to laugh because I was so full) and I’m so happy to have shared these delicious moments with you. Thank you for following me foodie and cheers to another year of gastronomic indulgence!

NOTE: IT’S NOT NECESSARILY “THE BEST“, BECAUSE FOOD IS PERSONAL AND I CAN ONLY DISCOVER SO MUCH IN A YEAR. THESE ARE JUST SOME WORTH MENTIONING IN MY BOOKS… OR BLOG? BLOG. IT’S MORE OF A 2011 RECAP/SUMMARY. ALL EXPERIENCES ARE FROM 2011 ONLY.

Top 20 BEST ASIAN/FUSION Restaurant Dishes & Food in Vancouver:

Suika – Beef Short Rib

Being in Vancouver, we’re spoiled by great Asian/Asian Fusion cuisine, so I decided to make it a separate category. Vancouver dominates and excels when it comes to Asian/Asian fusion cuisine.

Listed in no particular order. Based on the menu item, not the restaurant.

1. Suika – Beef Short Rib

2. Aki Japanese Restaurant – Black Cod (Sable Fish)

3. Pho Tam – House Special Pho

4. Wing Kee – Fresh Steamed Scallops with Vermicelli and Garlic

5. Dan Japanese – Tuna Chili Sashimi

6. Wang’s Beef Noodle House – Beef Brisket Noodle

7. Kirin Seafood Restaurant – Black Cod Braised with Squash and Roasted Pork Belly

8. Jade Seafood Restaurant – Steamed Mushroom Dumpling

9. Rainflower Restaurant – Pan Fried Tiger Prawns with Basil

10. Tokyo Joe’s Sushi Factory – Volcano Roll

11. Empire Chinese Cuisine – Alaskan King Crab Dinner – 4 ways

12. Red Star Seafood – Dungeness Crab with Wild Rice

13. Motomachi Shokudo – Bamboo-Charcoal Dark Miso Ramen

14. Tokachi Japanese – Tuna Gomaae

15. Empire Chinese Cuisine – Deep Fried Alaskan King Crab Knuckles

16. Ichiro Japanese – Dragon Roll

17. Delicious Cuisine – Deep Fried Shrimp with Salted Egg Yolk

18. Hapa Izakaya (Kistilano) – Salmon Shooter

19. Suhang Restaurant – Steamed Soup Buns with Pork Filling (XLB)

20. Jade Seafood Restaurant – Jade Smoked Grandpa Chicken

Honorary Mentions from 2010 list: Miku Restaurant – Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi, Top Gun J & C Restaurant – Baked BBQ Pork Bun, Hakkaido Ramen Santouka – Toroniku Shio Ramen

See “Follow Me Foodie Best of 2010 Asian/Fusion Dishes” here.

See the full “Follow Me Foodie Best of 2011″ here.

Restaurant: Asakusa Sushi
Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi
Last visited: December 17, 2011
Location: Burnaby, BC (Burnaby South)
Address: 4729 Kingsway
Train: Metrotown Skytrain
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3
Service: 2
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Vietnamese owned/operated
• Popular for sushi
• Cheap bento boxes
• Cheap lunch combos
• Casual/quick
• Family friendly
• Budget friendly/cheap eats
• Limited free parking at rear
• Accepts credit cards
• Mon-Sat 11am-10:30pm
• Sunday 5pm-10pm

**Recommendations: Spicy Chopped Tuna. The rolls seemed decent and the bento boxes and lunch specials are cheap.

Basically it’s the cheap sushi restaurant you go to when Sushi Garden turns you down. It’s only a block away and when the line ups are unbearable or Sushi Garden is full, you come here. It’s somewhat plan B, but for many locals it’s often considered as their secret neighbourhood favourite that is still unknown to most.

For me I like the variety and menu better at Sushi Garden, but the execution is a bit more presentable here. Sushi Garden is Korean owned and operated and Asakusa Suhi is Vietnamese owned and operated. It doesn’t really matter who runs it, but it’s not Japanese people in case you’re curious. They’re both cheap hole in the wall sushi joints that aren’t particularly amazing, but they’re good for the price.

I’d say it’s steps up from all you can eat sushi and a step up from Samurai. I can’t really think of anything better for the same price in the Metrotown area, but at the same time it doesn’t necessarily make it good. It’s no fuss, bang for your buck sushi, and it does the job on a dime.

On the table:

**Spicy Chopped Tuna - 4/6

• $5.75
• This was my favourite of what I ordered.
• The portion was very generous.
• The spicy sauce tasted different than most spicy tunas I’ve had though. It was almost like a yellow brown peanutty coloured sauce rather than a red one.
• The sauce tasted like the apple and onion Japanese vinaigrette/salad dressing they put on top of the basic Japanese “garden salad”.
• There was some Shichimi (Japanese chili pepper seasoning) mixed into it for heat.
• The tuna was nice and chilled and cut in random pieces and the sauce was sweet and almost seemed like gommae with some sesame seeds too.
• The spiciness takes a while to kick in and it was a mild-medium spicy if anything.

Sashimi & 1 Roll Combo B (BC Roll & Salmon Sashimi) – 4/6

• $8.25
• I added 5 pieces of Toro (Tuna Belly) sashimi $7.25
• You only save $.50 ordering a combo and I just realized that now. I would rather order a la carte.
• I don’t really order combos, but the lunch combos and bento boxes are really popular and cheap here.
• The portions are also bigger than normal, which isn’t authentic, but it’s almost a given at places like these.

BC Roll (Salmon skin) - 3.5/6

• $3.25 a la carte
• The BC Roll was actually pretty good for what it was and the price.
• It was fairly large (2 biter), but not just all sushi rice.
• The rice was moist and sticky, but slightly on the blander side and the seaweed was a bit chewy.
• The salmon was crispy and grilled and the fish was slightly dry, but kind of what it is usually like too.
• I actually don’t order BC rolls often, so I don’t have much to compare to, but I tasted crispy salmon and the rice was passable.
• It was drizzled with a bit of Teriyaki sauce and it was good with clean presentation and pretty cheap.

Salmon Sashimi - 3/6

• 5 pieces $5.50 a la carte
• It was a step up from Samurai, so it’s not great quality, but it’s cheap.
• I would say stick to the rolls, but it’s okay for cheaper kinds of sashimi like salmon and tuna.
• It was huge slices and I prefer the more delicate thinly sliced salmon, but it was edible and still not bad.

Toro (Tuna Belly) Sashimi – 2/6

• 5 pieces $7.25 a la carte
• I love toro and it’s one of my favourite sashimi, but it was only okay here.
• I wasn’t keen on the quality and flavour of this one and it was served almost too chilled, but not frozen.
• You can get away with “okay” salmon sashimi and not have it taste bad, but not really with toro.

Restaurant: Q Q Sushi
Cuisine: Sushi/Japanese/Sashimi
Last visited: August 17, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Fairview)
Address: 1640 W Broadway
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3 (based on what I tried)
Service: 3
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Chinese owned/operated
• Quick/casual/
• Small/hidden sushi joint
• Specializes in creative rolls
• Large menu
• Sushi combos
• Sushi Special $5.95
• Hot items available
• Budget friendly/cheap eats
• Eat In/Take out
• Accepts Visa/MC/Interac
• Mon-Fri 11am-10pm
• Sat-Sun 12pm-10pm

**Recommendations: Maple Roll

I think it’s fair to call it a hidden hole in the wall. Well it’s nicer compared to say Kedai Makanan Seng Huat in Malaysia, but in the context of fancy Vancouver, it’s more or less a hole. But, the neighbourhood seems to love it!

It was a random choice for me, and I was actually on my way to Suika, but realized I just missed their lunch service. It was already quite late, but I was still craving sushi or Japanese. Being in Vancouver, BC sushi is almost like McDonald’s, it’s everywhere. I literally walked a few shops over knowing that I would find another sushi place.

I’ve never been to Q Q Sushi before and didn’t know anything about it except for the fact that I’ve driven by it. So with my fingers crossed, I walked in hoping for a lucky one!

Oh… what’s that I hear? Chinese music. Yes, it is Chinese owned and operated. Although this fact may turn some people off, I’m a bit indifferent. For all I know the owners could be trained by Japanese chefs, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt.

However it came across as Chinese people making sushi. It’s not necessarily a bad thing though. There are many that can butcher the cuisine, and many that can make it work, and Q Q Sushi actually didn’t do a bad job with the things that I ordered. It’s not traditional Japanese sushi or style, but it’s really cheap and the quality was okay for the price. I’d actually recommend it for cheap eats in the area. It does the job.

Their “famous rolls” are their specialty. I love how they always call them “famous”, but they’re creative fusion rolls presented nicely in larger portions (not nearly as massive as Samurai, and also better).

Since it was my late lunch, I was just in time for the staff lunch break. Usually I’m always curious about what they eat since you would assume they get the “best stuff”. But in this case, it was a heaping plate of baby bok choy, meat and steamed rice. Yes, it’s a Japanese restaurant serving cheap sushi and rolls, but it’s quite Chinese through and through. It even started off with Chinese tea instead of green tea.

Goma-ae – 2/6

• $3
• It wasn’t a traditional goma-ae (spinach salad) and it was sweeter than normal.
• The sauce was a bit watery and honey like in flavour and I think it was jarred goma-ae sauce.
• I just missed the nuttiness and freshly ground sesame seeds of a real goma-ae.

Q Q Roll – 3/6

• BBQ Salmon, smoked salmon, crab meat, avocado, cucumber, masago with QQ sauce $7.25
• I usually order the roll with the restaurant name in the title since it’s their signature.
• It’s a very large roll and well worth the price, but the roll itself was quite standard and nothing new.

• It was piled high with artificial crab and the flavours were reminiscent of a California roll meets a BC Roll with strong flavours of salmon, but no skin.
• It was supposed to be stuffed with BBQ salmon, but the salmon wasn’t barbequed.
• The salmon was actually tempura salmon, so that was kind of a downgrade. The batter was very thin though and you couldn’t tell unless you really looked into it.
• There was good texture because there were crispy tempura bits sprinkled on top.
• The smoked salmon wasn’t the greatest quality, and the QQ sauce tasted like sweeter and thinner Thousand Island dressing, which I’m not too crazy about.
• The sauce wasn’t enough alone and it required some salty soy sauce.
• It was a warm roll and quite fishy tasting and the rice was slightly bland, but not dry, and the seaweed is a bit chewy. It’s still a decent roll for the price though.

**Maple Roll – 4/6

• Salmon, spicy tuna, avocado, masago with spicy sauce $7.25
• It was another large roll and the presentation was impressive for the type of restaurant.
• It had a couple sauces going on that were very good and strong enough alone so that it didn’t require soy sauce.

• It was a sweeter roll and the sauce was reminiscent of sweet Thai chili sauce with Chinese style chili sauce.
• It’s not how Japanese people would execute a spicy sweet sauce for a fusion roll, but being that it’s fusion, anything really goes.
• I think there could have been some maple in it and it was noticeably sweet, but not noticeably maple in flavour.
• The spicy tuna was done tempura and it was crispy, creamy, sweet and spicy, and it actually had quite the spicy kick that lingered, but it wasn’t hot.
• The tuna seemed marinated in sweet soy sauce or teriyaki sauce and there was lots of flavours going on.
• Again the rice is slightly bland, but it doesn’t matter since the sauce makes up for it, but the seaweed is noticeably chewier due to the sauce making it wetter.
• Sure the salmon on top isn’t the best quality, but they didn’t skimp anywhere and the roll tasted very good and I’d order it again.

Spicy Tofu Roll – 3/6

• $2.95
• A basic vegetarian roll that’s dirt cheap and the size is pretty big. You could leave here spending $5 and be full.
• You don’t see a spicy tofu roll very often, so on the table it was.
• It was big cubes of firm tofu topped with a spicy sauce that reminded me of Chinese ma po tofu sauce. Considering the circumstances, it was no real surprise.
• I’m quite sure it was the same sauce used in their Maple Roll.
• It was sweet and spicy sauce that gave enough flavour to the tofu roll, but it didn’t mask the tofu either.
• The rice was a bit bland, but not dry and I could have had this with or without soy sauce.

Restaurant: Hime Sushi
Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi/Sashimi
Last visited: August 4, 2011
Area: Vancouver, BC (Mount Pleasant/Main Street)
Address: 315 Broadway East
Price range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4 (based on what I tried)
Service: 4
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Japanese owned and operated
• Traditional Japanese
• Some fusion rolls
• Sushi bar/fresh sashimi
• Local favourite/neighbourhood gem
• Extensive menu
• Seasonal specials
• Reasonably priced
• Casual/quick
• Family friendly
• Lunch/dinner boxes
• Accepts Visa/MC
• Mon-Fri Lunch 11am-3pm
• Saturday Lunch 12pm-3pm
• Mon-Sat Dinner 5am-10pm
• Closed Sundays

**Recommendations: Tuna & Avocado Salad, Sashimi, and the Ocean Red Roll is promising.

I hear lots about Hime Sushi and I’m given constant reminders on Twitter to go visit it. I love dining Japanese so there’s never a bad time for it, and being in Vancouver it’s not hard to find decent Japanese food, even when it’s not made by Japanese people. But there’s good Japanese food and then there’s authentic and very good Japanese food, and that’s what category Hime Sushi falls into. I didn’t get to try as much as I wanted to and several items sparked my interest, but from what I ordered the place was legit.

I decided to come here for lunch and it seemed more like a casual lunch joint than a dinner spot. However I know it’s popular for both, including take-out, and I’d easily consider it a local favourite and neighrbourhood gem. Lots of people in the area know about it, but I don’t find it as highly talked about as it should be. It’s almost like a “neighbourhood secret”.

It’s a pretty small restaurant with a sushi bar in the centre and Chef Fumio Osaki runs the kitchen with his team of trained Japanese chefs. The food is generally traditional although they do offer a large selection of fusion rolls and dishes. Some of the food is presented nicer than the atmosphere suggests and there’s actually care being put into the food and it’s not just another sushi joint on Main Street or Broadway.

The sashimi is fresh and the quality of ingredients are great and I’d say it’s a solid choice for affordable Japanese cuisine in the area. I actually found the lunch pretty cheap, but some of the chef’s specialty rolls can get quite pricey. Overall it was a pleasant experience and I would come back as it seems like a reliable go-to place. That being said I wouldn’t make an effort to specifically come back unless I was already in the area, as there are other authentic Japanese restaurants at this level that I would flock to first.

On the table:

**Tuna & Avocado Salad – 6/6

• Spicy available $4.95
• Boom! 6/6 right away!
• It came with about 8-10 large chunks of fresh, buttery and creamy chilled tuna and that was already worth it.
• There was an equal amount of fresh and ripe slices of avocado and for $4.95 it’s not to be missed, and it’s delicious too!
• The flavour was incredible and I could have easily drank the sauce.
• It looked really oily, but it wasn’t even noticeable and the ponzu just cut through the oil.
• It was a sweet soy sauce with ponzu and perhaps some mirin and lots of sesame oil, and I ordered it spicy so there was some added chili oil too.
• It was sweet initially, a bit tangy and then a mild spicy which gradually grew to a medium spicy.
• It didn’t burn and it didn’t overpower the dish and the sauce was surprisingly refreshing next to the cold chunks of tuna sashimi.
• The spice lingered and there was a bit of smokiness from perhaps the freshly toasted and cracked sesame seeds and immense amount of sesame oil, but it never got bitter or too oily.
• It almost reminded me of the amazing Tuna Chili Sashimi I had at Dan’s Japanese, but it was even cheaper and maybe just as good from recollection.

Hime Sushi Combo – 4/6

• Hime roll, 4 pcs sushi (or 2 pcs tuna & 2 pcs salmon sushi) $10.50
• This was one of their sushi combos that is available for lunch or dinner.
• For $10 it was a good deal, but I was only saving a $1 by ordering it as a combo rather than a la carte. I didn’t realize that until now… boo.
• Anyways it was a good plate and filling enough for one person for lunch or dinner, so it’s still a good value.

House (Hime) Roll – 4/6

• Salmon, tuna, tamago, vegetable $5.95
• Every Japanese restaurant has their own version of a House Roll, and this was a pretty good one.
• Salmon and tuna are standard and the egg should be as well, but surprisingly not many places will include it. If you get the egg, it’s a good sign, because that takes times to make well.
• Sometimes there’s also avocado and that was the only thing that I kind of missed.
• It was a lot of filling and little rice and they were generous with the ingredients too.
• The sashimi was fresh and big pieces, and the lightly dressed crab with little mayo was plentiful, but artificial, which is expected.
• The double tamago (egg) was a bonus and the crunch of cucumber was a good contrast to the creamy textures going on.

Assorted Nigiri Sushi – 4/6

• Salmon Nigiri Sushi – 4/6
• $1.50 a la carte
• The salmon is pretty good and cut quite well.
• It was fresh, but the quality didn’t seem particularly higher than most standard salmon sashimi I’ve had.
• The sushi rice is a bit on the dry side and it could use a bit more flavour although it was flavoured.
• **Tuna Nigiri Sushi - 5/6
• $1.50 a la carte
• The tuna was thick cut and I usually prefer salmon sashimi over tuna, but in this case the tuna was incredible.
• The tuna was almost like hamachi and it was full of buttery, creamy, flavour and the fat content was great.
• It was incredibly fresh sashimi and it made me curious to order their toro (tuna belly) for next time.
• Ebi (Cooked prawn) Nigiri Sushi - 4/6
• $1.50 a la carte
• This was standard as well and not overcooked, and it was a good size, but again the rice is a bit dry.

• Tamago (Egg) Nigiri Sushi – 4/6
• $1 a la carte
• I was going to order this if I didn’t get it as part of my combo.
• Tamago is my classic test for a Japanese restaurant.
• It was moist, not over cooked and actually very good, but the rice was a bit dry again.
• It didn’t seem as layered and it was more savoury than sweet and the dashi wasn’t that obvious, but it was likely used.
• The best tamago to date is still from Aki Japanese Restaurant – see here.

Dragon Roll – 3.5/6

• Inside: California roll, masago Top: Grilled unagi with avocado and house sauce $9.95
• This is apparently one of the best sellers and favourites, but it was probably my least favouite of what I ordered and I’ve had better Dragon Rolls before.
• This wasn’t bad, but it’s not something I would order again.
• I do appreciate when a restaurant takes the effort to make it look like a dragon, but that’s a minor thing and not the reason why I wasn’t keen on this roll.
• Personally I like the Dragon Roll at Ichiro Japanese for traditional style (see here) and Octopus Garden for a modern style (see here).

• It was filled with lots of crab (artificial) and the roll itself was executed well, but the house sauce and the unagi were okay.
• The roll was very creamy and fatty and quite fishy tasting and there was a decent amount of unagi.
• The unagi wasn’t grilled crispy and it didn’t have a smokiness and it almost had a texture of edible mini bones in it. Some unagi I’ve had will have this quality, but I like the ones that don’t.
• The unagi was just a bit overly slimy and it lost its meatiness.
• The house sauce seemed like a Terriyaki sauce but it was thickened with lots of cornstarch so it got too gummy and gluey and was almost jelly like.
• I thought the house sauce would be more unique and I just found this a bit overwhelmingly sweet and the texture wasn’t saucy but a bit goop like.
• It would have been nice to get a crunch of cucumber or crispiness from the eel to contrast the creamy texture.
• Dragon Rolls tend to be rich because of the eel and avocado combination, but this one seemed even richer with the thick sauce.
• Follow Me Foodie Tasty Twist: I ended up removing the house sauce and dipping it in the spicy, sesame, soy ponzu sauce from the Tuna & Avocado Salad. It worked!

Seaweed Salad – 3.5/6

• Marinated seaweed $2.95
• This came complimentary because there was a small misunderstanding with the ordering and basically they felt bad. It was an unexpected but kind gesture.
• I always order goma-ae salad over seaweed salad, but the seaweed salad was actually very good here for what it was.

• I liked the type of seaweed they used for this and it was the thin strands of stringy ones that are crunchy.
• It was a decent amount of well marinated fresh seaweed that was tangy, sweet, savoury and aromatic from a touch of sesame oil, sesame seeds and some chili flakes, but it wasn’t spicy.
• The texture is acquired and it’s quite slimy and crunchy and they mixed it with some wood ear mushrooms for more texture.
• I’d actually possible order this next time as a light and healthy appetizer to start.

Restaurant: Dan
Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi
Last visited: July 22, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Kitsilano)
Address: 2511 W Broadway
Price Range: $20-30, 30-50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5-5
Service: 5
Ambiance: 4 (sit at the bar)
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Husband and wife operation
• Japanese owned/operated
• Owner/Chef Ken Oda
• Traditional Japanese
• Seasonal ingredients
• Daily fresh sheet
• Neighbourhood favourite
• Local gem
• Cozy/intimate
• Omakase menu $50+
• Fairly extensive wine list
• Premium sake list
• Dinner only
• Wed-Mon 5:30pm – close
• Closed Tuesday

**Recommendations: Sit at the bar. For the first time at Dan, a $50 omakase menu is a great way to go, but for my next time, I will just order a la carte and take chef’s recommendations just because the omakase just seemed to feature the regular menu anyways. If ordering a la carte: Kanipon (Dungeness Crab Sunomo Salad), Tuna Chili Sashimi, any nigiri (sushi) or sashimi, but especially Spanish Mackerel Nigiri, Grilled Sablefish (Saikyo Yaki), Dan Spring Roll, and House made Creme Caramel.

**Insider tip: Call ahead to reserve an off the menu grilled salmon belly as there is only a very limited amount available each night. I saw it, and it was huge and looked delicious.

I’ve driven by it in the past, but I never really stopped to pay attention to it or put it on my restaurant radar list. Dan is easily overlooked and although it’s not hidden, it doesn’t stand out on Kitsilano’s restaurant strip. It’s an unassuming restaurant that’s known and generally loved by the neighbourhood, but its disclosed appearance never really called out to me. That’s what makes it a hidden gem.

I was doing a little research and fell upon the website, and at first I was surprised to see no menu for it, but after trying it, it’s very “Dan” in style to have no menu or do much advertising. It all seemed to match the discrete look and secretive nature of the entire restaurant.

I’m very late to discover it, considering it’s been open since 2003, but I’m glad to have finally tried it. It’s a cozy space, which can be considered a bit narrow and tight, but the husband and wife operation and attentive service live up to the name “Dan”, which translates to warm. Actually he might not seem that warm at first, but he’s just very focused and warms up later.

Omakase is my favourite way of exploring and experiencing Japanese cuisine of this style. For my tastes, I probably prefer Octopus Garden omakase, but my experience at Dan’s was just as pleasant and perhaps even more traditional. Kimura’s omakase is probably the funkiest I’ve had thus far, and also the most “bang for your buck”, but it’s not necessarily my first choice. Most places will probably start at $60-80, so $50 was a very reasonable starting point at Dan. Even if you don’t order omakase, I’d strongly suggest sitting at the bar for the best experience.

It’s not an interactive experience sitting at the bar, and there’s no “omakase show”, but to see the dedication and focus in Chef Ken Oda, was impressive enough for me. The only time he looked up was upon serving dishes, yet he managed to see everything around him and was fully aware of the entire operation of the restaurant. The environment just seemed so controlled, but not corporate controlled, but controlled in the context of him being so experienced. (I actually accidentally knocked a glass of tea over with a menu and I swear he saw it before it even happened.)

I decided to go omakase ($50) which essentially means “up to you” or “chef’s choice”, which I find is a great way to learn and understand a chef’s style and philosophy. Usually omakase will feature items not on the menu, but in this case all the items were actually from the menu. It was a bit unexpected and I prefer off the menu items for omakase. At the same time I didn’t quite mind because if I ordered all the things a la carte it would have been more expensive, and he did showcase the highlights from his regular menu and fresh sheet, although sample sized.

I did feel the omakase was a bit incomplete and did have to order a couple extra dishes, and I just felt like it needed one meat course, or just one more substantial dish… even for someone who doesn’t eat as much as me. For the first time at Dan, a $50 omakase menu is a great way to go, but for my next time, I will just order a la carte and take chef’s recommendations. This is basically because the omakase just seemed to feature the regular menu anyways, but in smaller portions.

Overall I found the dishes quite simple, authentic, and made with classic and traditional techniques. It was safe, and if you value technique over creativity, I’m confident you’ll love this. There’s a couple modern twists to some of his offerings, but his style is definitely much more traditional and he sticks to what he knows and does best, so the omakase was pretty much seamless in timing, execution, delivery, quality and flavour.

On the table:

Green Tea – I was actually surprised it was complimentary. It was good quality green tea too.

**Kanipon (Dungeness Crab Sunomo Salad) – 5.5/6

• Dungeness crab, tobiko & radish sprout in ponzu sauce ($9 if ordered a la carte, portion will be bigger a la carte)
• Oh god. To start off with a dish this good just heightened my excitement and expectations for the rest.
• It was big chunks of juicy, sweet, buttery, meaty Dungeness crab with bright and fresh ingredients and flavours.
• The slight crunch of salty tobiko was a fantastic addition.
• The citrusy tang of the ponzu vinaigrette was not purse your lips tart, but well balanced with just enough sugar and mirin.
• It was an initial burst of tang and then a slight sweetness to follow and it didn’t overpower the natural flavour of the delicate crab.
• The crunch of fresh kelp and well pickled thinly sliced cucumber were traditional to the sunomo and kept the dish refreshing and light.
• I definitely drank the sauce to this and I rarely do that when eating sunomono.
• Omakase always starts with a salad and this is the best salad I’ve had to start an omakase menu with thus far.

**Tuna Chili Sashimi - 6/6

• Marinated tuna, avocado & tobiko in chili oil ($7 if ordered a la carte, portion will be bigger a la carte)
• And to have the next dish even better than the first dish… I had no idea where it was going to go from here.
• Having my second appetizer be a 6/6, was like a firework finale after 30 seconds.
• This is a must try dish and the highlight of my whole meal. I discovered later it was the best seller. I’m not surprised.
• I loved the big pieces rather than the minced up ceviche tuna tartar towers, although those can be good too.
• It was chilled, creamy, buttery, melt in your mouth thick slices of fresh tuna sashimi that was clean cut with a little bit of crunchy salty tobiko and freshly ground toasted sesame seeds on top.
• The avocado was ripe and buttery, but not mushy.
• Together with the tuna it was so interesting because the tuna was even creamier than the avocado.
• I’m not sure if this was intentional, but I liked the unexpected texture since the avocado is usually softer.
• It all marinated in a savoury ponzu soy sauce and lots of sesame oil. It’s probably one of the best Japanese sauces I’ve ever had.
• The sauce was savoury, tangy, and sweet with a flavourful and aromatic heat of chili oil that picked up at the end.
• It was flavourful spicy and not just hot and the sauce was certainly drinkable and I drank this too. It’s not that oily to drink and it was too good to let go to waste.

Chawanmushi – 5/6

• Steamed egg custard soup ($7 if ordered a la carte)
• I love chawanmushi. This is Japanese comfort food.
• The texture of the chawanmushi is probably the best I’ve ever had. It was perfect.
• The only thing is that I wish it had some Enoki mushrooms or more ingredients in it.
• It just had one piece of mushroom and 2-3 pieces of fresh tender and crunchy prawn at the bottom.
• Traditionally it is all about the custard, but it should have a few more mushrooms. Sometimes it even has scallops and chicken.
• Also I like it when there’s more soup, this one did have soup, but it wasn’t as soupy as some others I’ve had.
• The authentic clay pot it’s served in retains heat forever and the first bite will be as hot as your last (temperature-wise).

The texture tasted exactly like how the picture looks.

• Be careful! It’s served piping hot straight from the steamer as it should be.
• The egg custard is like pure silk infused with a beautiful sweet flavour of Shiitake mushrooms.
• It’s almost like a super soft tofu, without the flavour of tofu.
• The egg custard is steamed in a broth of mushrooms, house made seafood stock (dashi) and I think this one even had a bit of yuzu in the broth because there was a very faint licorice flavour in the background. It’s not strong, but it added another dimension to the custard.
• When you break into the silky egg custard, the soup is released, but this one didn’t have as much as usual.
• The custard almost disappeared before I even swallowed it and it’s literally like drinking hot liquid silk that glides in your mouth and slips down your throat.
• Overall I think the best chawanmushi I’ve had thus far is from Kimura – see here, but texture wise, this one was the best.

Maguro Yuanyaki with Nukazuke – 4/6

• Grilled Red Tuna marinated with citrus soy sauce ($10 if ordered a la carte, portion will be larger a la carte)
• This was on the fresh sheet and I wasn’t too keen on it to begin with just because I would prefer most fish at Japanese restaurants to be served sashimi instead of grilled.
• It’s apples and oranges, but I just prefer sashimi seafood and grilled meat if I’m having Japanese.
• This dish is actually a dish of the Buddhist monks and there’s a lot of technique and labour that goes behind making each component.
• Yuanyaki is marinated meat that is grilled with high and dry heat.
• This came early in the omakase and I would have liked it 1-2 dishes later.
• Maguro Yuanyaki – 4/6
• The grilled tuna was pretty much cooked all the way through and it seemed like such a waste of tuna to me, but it’s to be expected for what it was.
• It was intensely marinated in lots of yuzu and citrus soy sauce, but it wasn’t salty, greasy or oily.
• The texture was very meaty and almost like a chicken or a steak and I prefer it more rare because it was bordering on a bit dry.
• The after taste was of minty licorice and it wasn’t tangy despite having a citrus soy sauce in the marinade.
• It definitely had flavour and it was basted repeatedly so the exterior was a bit pasty, and there was smokiness from the grilling.
• Overall it’s not something I would order a la carte, but it was good.

• Nukazuke - 3/6
• Japanese style vegetable pickles ($5 if ordered a la carte, portion will be larger a la carte)
• This was on the fresh sheet and it’s never something I would order, but it’s actually pretty hard to make this well and nobody really offers it, so I appreciated it.
• The pickles were appropriate with the fish, but I would have liked it with beef, but being that this is a traditional dish, I can’t argue with that.
• The pickles were carrots, daikon, radish, and cucumber and they’re made by heavy salting.
• The salt almost becomes like a miso paste and this is how they marinade and pickle the vegetables.
• Surprisingly it’s not that salty and much more mild compared to Eastern European or American styles of pickling.
• Each one tasted different although I’m sure they’re marinated the same, but vegetables absorb flavours differently.
• All the vegetables were crunchy, refreshing and well pickled and infused with an herby flavour of perhaps minty Japanese Shiso leaf.
• It’s not overpowering though, very mild and not bitter, as it can sometimes be if it’s not fermented long enough or the ratio is off.
• The cucumber was a bit saltier than the others, and the carrots were very crunchy and unlike any “crunch” I’ve had before. It was unexpected, but I think it could be because it was a Chinese cooking carrot that tends to be used for soups.

Dan Kakiage – 3/6

• Chopped scallop, prawn, and vegetable ($9 if ordered a la carte, portion will be bigger a la carte)
• This is a specialty, and I’m glad I tried it, but it’s not something I would really care to order again. However I would recommend trying it once because it’s different and it is one of his signature dishes.
• I found this to be a slight waste of scallop and prawn because I couldn’t really taste their flavours or textures since they were all chopped up, battered and deep fried.
• I really loved his addition of chopped lotus root and I think maybe even daikon in the mix because it added great crunch to the tempura which was already very crispy.
• There was a few shreds of shiso leaf and green onions, but it was so mild and just added a slight aroma, but not real flavour.
• I could taste more vegetables than seafood and it was very mild and almost bland in flavour if it wasn’t for the tempura dipping sauce.
• The tempura dipping sauce was home made, but also very mild. I thought it tasted watered down, but this is how tempura dipping sauce is traditionally supposed to taste like.
• It’s very light tasting not that sweet or salty, but personally I do prefer a stronger dipping sauce because otherwise it just didn’t have much flavour overall.
• I think it could have worked better with shrimp, octopus and squid because the soft scallops and crunch of shrimp really didn’t hold up to everything else that was in there.
• The asparagus tempura I didn’t like though and the batter wasn’t crispy or crunchy and almost a bit powdery and soft, however the asparagus itself was tender with a good crunch.

**Chef’s Selections Sushi (Nigiri) – 5/6

• Spanish Mackerel Nigiri, Wild Sockeye Salmon Nigiri, Mexican Prawn Nigiri, Tamago
• His portion of sashimi to rice is spot on.
• He presents it authentically with wasabi underneath and a brush of his home made soy sauce on top. Therefore the less flavourful sushi rice ended up being okay.
• The rice is moist and somewhat chewy, but just lightly flavoured.
• You don’t want the rice to overpower the fish, but it should have flavour on its own too.
• **Spanish Mackerel Nigiri – 6/6
• About $2.50 a la carte
• I would order this a la carte and it’s probably the best way I’ve enjoyed mackerel nigiri.
• It was very simple, but just well executed.
• The mackerel was cut perfectly with slits on the top and the freshness and quality was high.
• It was topped with freshly grated ginger and onion oil and a little bit of house made soy sauce which was a bit less salty.
• The mackerel flavour was fresh, but not as fishy as usual and the ginger was an even better complement than the standard shiso leaf it usually comes with.
• This is worth ordering alone.

• Wild Sockeye Salmon Nigiri – 5/6
• $2.25 a la carte
• I loved how chef includes the wasabi underneath and then brushes his own house made soy sauce over top. This is a very traditional way of serving nigiri and you don’t need any extra wasabi or soy sauce.
• The Sockeye salmon was beautiful and fresh, but the cut was a bit thin and it split. I’m being picky, but I just know how flawless his execution can be, so I had high expectations.
• The only thing that could be better is if he freshly grated the wasabi.

• Mexican Prawn Nigiri – 5/6
• About $2.75 a la carte
• This was also delightful and I loved seeing it on his choice of nigiri since it’s a bit more exotic.
• It was firm, meaty and fresh with a naturally sweet flavour and a good amount of wasabi underneath.

• Tamago (Egg omelet) – 4.5/6
• $1.75 a la carte
• This is my must order and if I didn’t get it I would have ordered it a la carte. For me, it should be a on an omakase nigiri plate as a side, so I was happy it was.
• It’s pretty much the staple item to order that showcases what a Japanese restaurant can do.
• The tamago was well made, not overcooked and nicely sweetened with a bit of sugar and some dashi stock as opposed to the lower grades that use just soy sauce.
• The flavour was good, but it’s just not as layered, juicy of fluffy as I prefer.
• It almost seemed like a smooth slice, and I do like when it’s a bit more airy and sponge like with noticeable layers.
• The best tamago is still at Aki Japanese for me – see here.

Asari Miso Soup – 4/6

• $5 (if ordered a la carte, and $3 just for the miso soup and no clams)
• This is a standard course in an omakase menu and it usually comes somewhere in the middle.
• For miso soup, this is a great miso soup, but it’s just not something I would particularly care to order.
• So unless you appreciate the traditional techniques and labour that goes into making an authentic miso soup, you may or may not see the “wow” factor in this. It is a “wow” miso soup to say the least.
• Most places of this style should be making their miso soup the old fashioned way though, so I wouldn’t expect anything less.
• The one at Octopus Garden was great and I prefer miso soup to be milkier in colour like that one – see here.

• This soup was rich with dashi and bonito flakes, fresh kelp flavour, and a nice salty brine of clam shells.
• It wasn’t too salty and it wasn’t just miso paste or powder, but it was good quality miso soup.
• It was served piping hot with 3 tender clams, but the clams were very gutsy and a bit mushy.
• I do like my miso soup with more kelp and tofu, but this was still a very good and authentic miso soup.

The omakase menu ($50) was supposed to end here with a dessert course to follow, but I still had a few items I wanted to try. Go figure! I did feel it was missing a meat course or at least one more dish. If you’ve been following my blog for a while you probably know what’s coming…

**Grilled Sablefish (Saikyo Yaki) - 5.5/6

• Marinated sable fish in sweet miso sauce $12
• It’s pretty much my must try along with tamago at any Japanese restaurant of this style. I’m obsessed with sable fish, but especially with grilled Japanese sable fish.
• This is probably the next best sable fish I’ve had after the one at Aki Japanese – see Black Cod.
• It was a fairly large piece compared to many I’ve had before and the meat was tender, silky, juicy, flaky and incredibly well marinated.
• The miso sauce was infused into the fish which is the authentic approach. The drizzle of miso sauce on top is the modern approach.
• The smoky flavour was also infused throughout the layers of the flesh yet it didn’t overpower the natural flavour of sable fish.
• It was marinated in a sweet miso sauce, but it was more salty than sweet and saltier than the one at Ichiro, which was also delicious – see Ichiro’s Saikyo Yaki.
• It wasn’t too salty either, but I could taste the marinade and smell the charcoal aroma.
• They did miss a few long bones though and those should have been removed.

I think this made me happiest. The skin was perfect. It was shiny, fatty, crispy, charred and part of the flavour to the fish. It was also served with pickled celery rather than grated radish which is usually the traditional side component to grilled sable fish.

**Dan Spring Roll – 5.5/6

• Tuna, brie cheese, and Japanese basil $5.50
• It’s not hard to put together, but it was a great combination of ingredients and delicious idea.
• I had my radar on this as soon as I laid eyes on the menu and knew I would end up ordering it if it didn’t come with the omakase. Seeing the regular next to me order it and say it was amazing was just the extra bit of convincing that I didn’t really need.
• It’s small, but it’s good! It’s quite rich and indulgent, but absolutely divine.
• It’s incredibly hot and you need to let it rest for at least 5 minutes because of the brie.
• I couldn’t taste much of the tuna, which is cooked all the way through and it could have even been chicken. I think prawns would have worked even better for texture and flavour.
• The brie cheese was apparent and completely melted so it was almost like an oily sauce bursting with rich and creamy brie flavour. There wasn’t much brie, but I could certainly taste its oils.
• The Japanese basil was a nice change from spinach and it added an aromatic flavour and layer to something that was already quite rich.
• It was very crispy and a bit oily as expected, especially since it was dripping with melted buttery brie.
• It would have been even better with some sort of dipping sauce like a sweet balsamic glaze or a shiso infused honey balsamic drizzle.

Carrot Kakiage - 2.5/6

• Chopped organic carrot and leave tempura $6.75
• I actually wouldn’t have cared to order this, which was being featured on their fresh sheet, but the sous chef said it was her second favourite after the Dan Spring Roll.
• This was unique and unlike any tempura I’ve seen before, but it’s not a tempura I particularly value either.
• Traditionally, this style of tempura is a method of getting rid of kitchen scraps.
• It’s made out of leftover vegetables and herbs, so for that reason it’s hard to see value in it.
• It’s 4 relatively large blocks of tempura served with their house made tempura dipping sauce.
• Just like the Dan Kakiage I had above, I felt the same way about this.
• It was interesting to try, but a bit bland especially without the tempura sauce, but the sauce was bland as well. On the other hand, the authentic version of tempura dipping sauce is quite mild.
• The tempura dishes are a bit tricky here for me to appreciate, but they look interesting.

• It looks like it would have a ton of flavour especially with all the apparent herbs, but it actually didn’t.
• There was also hardly any carrots in it except for maybe the one or two slivers that were of course orange and visible.
• It had a very strong watercress flavour and was made with lots of parsley and it was very crunchy but the flavour was very hidden too.
• It wasn’t salty or even that aromatic and it was incredibly light and airy, but I just didn’t see anything special about it besides the appearance.
• I almost thought it was an egg batter in between, but it was just the tempura batter, so every corner of this kakiage is crispy.
• In a way it’s very lightly battered on the exterior but very heavily battered within.

Warm Chocolate Cake with Green Tea Ice Cream – 4/6

• $6 (You might have to add an extra $2 if you chose it for your dessert in a $50 omakase menu)
• Chef’s wife, Tomoko, actually makes all the desserts here.
• This was very good, but it wasn’t really anything I haven’t had before at Japanese restaurants doing the same thing.
• It’s just a little cup of cake, so it’s not too much and it’s not too rich.
• The ice cream was your standard store bought ice cream and it would have been fabulous if she made this too.
• For a restaurant like this I would expect them to make their ice cream, and I bet she could as well.

• The texture of the cake seemed like it was steamed or baked in a water bath.
• It’s an extremely moist, light and somewhat creamy chocolate cake, but a bit oily for me.
• It’s not chewy or dense like a brownie, but more dense than a fluffy sponge cake or airy chiffon cake.
• It was almost like a molten lava cake, but there’s no molten chocolate in the middle.
• It’s not Asian sweet and it was actually sweet, but not overly sweet either.
• It’s made with bittersweet chocolate and there’s actual chocolate in it, and it’s not just cocoa powder.
• Anything warm served with ice cream I usually swoon over, so this was no doubt good, but just not as memorable since I’ve had things similar to it.
• It’s very similar to the Hapa Izakaya Chocolate Lava Cake.

**Housemade Creme Caramel – 5/6

• $4
• This is the most popular dessert made by Chef’s wife, Tomoko.
• I’m usually not a fan of creme caramel, but for what it was, this was a 5/6.
• I would definitely order it again and say it’s a must try. It’s their best selling dessert.
• This is a Japanese style creme caramel so it is different than the Latin creme caramel.
• The caramel is at the bottom and not on the top.
• This was perfectly cooked with a clean and smooth finish and top layer.

• This creme caramel is much lighter and not nearly as sweet as the Latin versions, which is mainly why I don’t like Latin creme caramels as much.
• This was creamy and smooth and airy light and it was almost like the texture of the chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) I had in the savoury courses.
• It was slippery and silky and melted in your mouth like pudding, and the caramel sauce was at the bottom so you had to dig deep.
• The sauce wasn’t overpowering at all and not that sweet either and there was a hint of yuzu in the background for a mild lemony licorice-like flavour. It’s very subtle though.
• It was more like a brown sugar syrup than a thick, creamy and sticky caramel and it had the slight burnt flavour you would get in the crust of a creme brulee.
• I actually think this could have been even better than Cake-Ya‘s creme caramel, which is well known for amazing creme caramel – see my post on them here.

Restaurant: Ichiro Japanese
Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi/Sashimi
Last visited: July 18, 2011
Location: Richmond, BC (Steveston Village)
Address: 12011 2nd Ave
Price Range:

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: 2.5
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Japanese owned/operated
• Authentic Japanese
• Some fusion rolls
• Extensive menu
• Fresh sashimi
• Sushi bar
• Neighbourhood favourite
• Popular to Japanese locals
• Hidden gem
• Moderately priced
• Family friendly
• Lunch/Dinner set meals
• Free parking at rear
• Accepts Interac/Visa
• Mon-Sun Lunch 11:30am-2pm
• Mon-Sun Dinner 5-10pm
• Also own Takeya Sushi (more casual/cheaper)

**Recommendations: Oyako Don (Chicken & Egg on Rice), Dragon Roll, Nigiri, Sashimi, Saikyo Yaki, Dino Egg

It only opened in 2006, but you would think it’s one of those historical restaurants that have withstood the test of time in Steveston Village. It’s developed a loyal clientele of people who appreciate traditional Japanese food made with traditional Japanese techniques. It is a neighbourhood favourite, and although it may come off as “touristy”, it’s legit and I’d highly recommend it. It is a solid choice for Japanese food prepared by Japanese people in Richmond, BC. Mind you, non-Japanese people can make great sushi as well, but I just find it a rare case in the context of Richmond.

If I’m in Richmond and I’m looking for traditional, and not izakaya, I will likely go to Seto Sushi Japanese Restaurant or Kiriri Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar. I now have another option. Ichiro Japanese is slightly pricier, but they put a little bit more care and presentation into their food, and the atmosphere is nicer, so it’s justified.

They also opened Takeya Sushi, which is their more casual and affordable Japanese restaurant only offering rolls, sushi and a small selection of sashimi. I haven’t been there yet, but I hear great things, and I would hope the quality would be similar despite the difference in cost and ambiance.

Upon entrance and absorbing the crowd I couldn’t help but to think that it was a tourist trap, but there was a good mix of the Steveston born and raised diners including Japanese families and halfers. Yes, I am stereotyping, big time, but I think it’s a little natural to access the standards for authenticity of a restaurant by those dining in it. Nonetheless, the food spoke for itself and the skills of the Japanese chefs didn’t come unnoticed.

The menu is extensive and they offer everything from rolls, sushi, sashimi, rice, noodles, izakaya type dishes and robata. Although it is a traditional Japanese restaurant there is a fair share of fusion rolls and creative house specialties. Ichiro’s strength is in the rolls, sushi, sashimi and more traditional offerings, and it’s not an izakaya restaurant, but they don’t do a bad job with those items either.

For the size of the menu, I was surprised that all the items I ordered were upstanding. There wasn’t much hit and miss as everything delivered as promised. Although nothing blew me away as a “must try”, nothing was disappointing and I would make no complaints to come again. The ingredients are fresh, seasonal and good quality, and there’s a good sense of value if you consider the area and complete experience. Being so close to the water, a lot of their sashimi is extremely fresh as well, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Ichiro especially if you’re in the area.

On the table:

Ebi Gyoza – 4/6

• Pan fried prawn, pork, and vegetable dumpling $10.50
• This is one of the house favourites and most popular items, so of course I had to try it.
• They’re good, but I think they should offer 4 for $8.
• It comes on a sizzling hot plate and they’re very fresh and obviously served very hot.
• They could be crispier and leaving them on the hot plate didn’t do anything.
• The value is in the ingredients and execution more so than the flavour, which is likely one you’re familiar with if you’re not a stranger to Japanese gyoza.

• The inside is stuffed with a entire fresh prawn and home made gyoza pork stuffing with chives and it’s all wrapped around a thin home made dumpling skin.
• The prawn was tender with a nice crunch and it was equal amount of both pork and prawn.
• I found them very oily though, and they’re a bit bland without the sauce. The pork stuffing is seasoned, but the gyozas are just much better with the sauce.
• It was a tangy, citrusy ponzu soy sauce with lots of aromatic sesame oil and a bit of chili oil for spice. It helped cut the grease a little and went perfect with the gyoza.
• It’s not particularly amazing or unique, but the highlight is that they included the entire prawn and it made each gyoza worth it.

Steveston Roll – 4.5/6

• Sweet shrimp, salmon, tuna, cucumber, wrapped with salmon $12.50
• The roll is small, as it should be when prepared authentically, however I still find it quite pricey considering you won’t be full off of just this roll.
• This was good, but not particularly interesting or different.
• I see its value in its traditional preparation, well flavoured and moist rice, and extremely fresh sashimi used to make it.
• The ingredients were all sliced julienne which made for a delicately textured roll.
• Each ingredient was well portioned and I could taste each layer, except for the salmon sashimi which was a bit light in colour and hidden in flavour.
• It almost came across as all tuna if it wasn’t for the smoked salmon placed on top to give it that salmon flavour.
• I got the creaminess of the sweet shrimp, which I almost thought was scallop, and then a nice crunch from the crisp cucumber and saltier tobiko.
• It was a good roll with fresh ingredients, but I probably wouldn’t order it again, although I enjoyed it.

**Dragon Roll - 5.5/6

• Imitation crab, asparagus, avocado, wrapped with BBQ eel $14.95
• I saw this being prepared and there’s no way I could have left without ordering it.
• They give you a generous amount of unagi and it’s possible to get full off this one roll, so I think it’s worth the price, unlike the Steveston Roll.
• Since the “Dragon Roll” isn’t an authentic Japanese roll, everyone has their own version of it.
• I’m used to my Dragon Rolls being a bit sweeter and saucier, but this is more traditional and simple in execution and definitely the most unagi I’ve ever gotten in one.
• The antennae was made from deep fried soba noodles and the eyes were sunflower seeds.

• The major winning factor of this Dragon Roll is that the unagi (eel) is placed on top of the roll, and not inside the roll. This is quality and value.
• Many places will have the smoked salmon and avocado thinly sliced on top with the battered and deep fried unagi stuffed inside.
• Instead, this one did offer crab which actually didn’t even taste artificial. It was a good quality artificial crab meat and it was juicy with barely any mayo. It was good!
• The lack of sauce is the more traditional method of preparing it, so I didn’t mind since it was the style. On the other hand, I do like the sweet unagi glaze, so I like it when there is more of that.
• The unagi (eel) was very thick, meaty, tender, yet firm, and definitely the most dominant flavour in the roll. It was fat like a steak.
• I was hoping that the skin of the eel would be barbequed and crispy with a charcoal flavour, but instead it was thick and chewy. (I don’t think robata is really their specialty here.)
• Overall the roll is excellent with flavourful and moist rice.
• If this Dragon Roll had tobiko, a little bit more avocado, some smoked salmon, and a little more unagi sauce and a crispy skin, it would have been the best Dragon Roll ever.
• It did need a little wasabi and soy sauce for dipping though, unlike the Dragon Roll at Octopus Garden, which is also excellent, but for different reasons.

**Sushi/Nigiri - 5/6

• Salmon (Sockeye Salmon) $2, Salmon Toro (Fatty Salmon Belly) $2.75, Hamachi (Yellowtail) $3, Tamago (Egg) $2
• Considering the freshness of their sashimi and extensive selection, it’s a waste not to order nigiri here.
• It’s simple and basic, and my appreciation for nigiri only grew in the last year. Once you have excellent nigiri, it no longer seems like the boring choice that fills you up on rice.
• The sushi rice here is moist, sticky and a bit sweet with good vinegar and a good ratio to the sashimi, but I do like the flavour of it better at Kiriri Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar.

Salmon (Sockeye Salmon) Nigiri – 5/6

• $2
• The salmon quality was great, but not the best I’ve had it. It was fresh, and the cutting technique was good, but the flavour just didn’t taste as rich for some reason.
• Each fish is different though, so it just depends on the fish that’s being cut that day.
• I’d still order this again.

Salmon Toro (Fatty Salmon Belly) Nigiri - 4/6

• $2.75
• For what it was, it was probably perfect here 5/6, but just in terms of what I thought of its flavour is a 3.5/6.
• I prefer salmon belly cooked and I find it a cut that needs heat to showcase its flavour unlike tuna toro (tuna belly), which is better as sashimi.
• This was actually my first time trying salmon toro sashimi, it’s very rare to have it on a menu, so I had to try this exotic specialty.
• It’s not as juicy, rich or oily as tuna belly, and it’s firmer and more crunchy.
• The cutting technique was brilliant and exposed its flavours, but overall tuna toro is better.
• I did order tuna toro as well, but they ran out that day.

Hamachi (Yellowtail) Nigiri - 3/6

• $3
• This was probably the most average the meal got.
• I wasn’t a fan of the hamachi quality here and I found it a bit dull in flavour and a bit firm and chewy rather than creamy.
• I’ve never really experienced hamachi of this texture and colour so it was unexpected and I didn’t prefer it.

**Tamago (Egg) – 5/6

• $2
• It’s my classic tamago. The true testament of a Japanese restaurant, and my must order item when I go for traditional Japanese food.
• It was sweet, but not overly sweet, perfectly cooked, tender, soft, and moist, and well layered.
• It could have been fluffier and juicer and I wanted to taste more dashi stock, but there was dashi in it, and it was still great.
• For now. I will still stand by the tamago at Aki Japanese Restaurant – see here.

**Saikyo Yaki – 4.5/6

• Marinated and grilled cod $13.50
• It’s another one of my must order items when I’m at a Japanese restaurant. I love sable fish in general, but I especially like the Japanese method of preparing it.
• This was slightly pricey, as it normally is, but they did a great job with it and the piece was a decent size.
• It was incredibly well marinated and infused throughout with sake, Saikyo miso, and mirin.
• It wasn’t as salty as simple miso paste and it didn’t overpower the natural flavours of the fish. It was slightly on the sweeter side because they used Saikyo miso and not just miso paste.
• The fish was incredibly flaky, juicy, moist, slippery, silky smooth, buttery and oily with great texture and flavour.
• Although the marinade was spot on, and the fish was delicious, the skin wasn’t crispy and I couldn’t taste any smokiness that’s supposed to come from the grilling (robata) process. Again, as I mentioned in the Dragon Roll, I don’t think robata is their specialty here.
• The best version of this is still the Black Cod at Aki Japanese Restaurant – see here. Aki does specialize in robata, but the sashimi isn’t as great as Ichiro.

**Oyako Don Noodle Combo – 4.5/6

• Chicken & Egg on Rice. Includes small noodle soup – udon or soba $10.95 (Lunch time, dine in only)
• This wasn’t my order, but it’s a lunch time special and fair for the price.
• The portion and quality is good and it’s made upon order.

• **Oyako Don (Chicken & Egg on Rice) – 4.5/6
• This is the most popular donburi you can order and I enjoyed it more than the soba noodles.
• It’s a simple comfort food usually for kids and it’s basically a chicken and onion omelette served over rice with a sweet and savoury broth or sauce poured over top.
• It’s not something I would usually order, but I had a few bites, and based on that, I would order it again. It was traditional and made well for what it is.

• It had a fair amount of boneless skinless chicken thighs that were moist, juicy and tender.
• I was hoping for a much thicker layer of egg though.
• The egg was incredibly fluffy, soft, silky and creamy and made with a good amount of dashi, which is a home made Japanese stock.
• It was savoury and a bit sweet with the caramelized soft onions and a good amount of savoury soy sauce to balance out that sweetness.
• The flavour was good, and a bit teriyaki like, and the rice was moist and not soggy or too wet from the dashi broth.
• I would have liked some green onions too, but this was fine.
• I was hoping for premium quality Japanese rice, but it’s still fine here.

• Soba (Thin Green Noodle Soup) – 2.5/6
• It’s hard to find good soba noodles and these were just okay.
• They were likely the dried kind as you can rarely find them home made.
• It was served hot, but they were a bit overcooked and too soft.
• The soup was savoury and spicy, but it was just your typical soba noodles in broth.

Zuke Rice Noodle Combo – n/a

• Assorted sashimi with ginger soy sauce and rice. Includes small noodle soup – udon or soba $11.95 (Lunch time only)

• Ichiro Zuke – n/a
• Assorted sashimi marinated in ginger soy sauce (a la carte $7.50 and bigger portion)
• I had a piece of salmon so I can’t speak for the whole thing, but the sauce was well balanced with ginger and soy sauce and perhaps a bit of citrusy ponzu sauce.
• The sashimi was fresh and the pieces were cut quite small and most of it was salmon and tuna, and maybe a few scraps of ika (squid).

• Udon - n/a
• I didn’t get to try the udon, but there were no complaints.

Doraemon – 2.5/6

• Red bean paste in sponge cake tempura with fruit sauce and your choice of ice cream (mango, green tea, vanilla) $6.50
• Any pastry deep fried and topped with ice cream is usually a friend of mine, except when there’s red bean… I’d rather have a waffle or custard filled pancake so I’m biased.

• The pancake was one of those premade store bought prepackaged Japanese pancakes stuffed with red bean, so they’re not very fluffy although still soft.
• The tempura batter was very crispy and light and I loved the texture it brought to the pancake. It wasn’t greasy or soggy either.
• The red bean was pasty and not too sweet, but I just really don’t like red bean. The filling never got hot either.
• The pancake is nothing special, but the highlight was having it made tempura and of course topped with ice cream.

**Dino Egg – 4.5/6

• Crispy deep fried ice cream with fruit sauce $6.50
• For deep fried ice cream this was an excellent version of it.
• I have a feeling it might be those premade Mario’s Gelati gelato dessert bombs, but I’m not too sure.
• It tasted like ice cream instead of gelato and the outside tasted like vanilla instead of coconut, but the inside was mango, just like Mario’s version. Whatever it was, it was deep fried and good though.
• The outside was very crispy and crunchy with a thick cornflake batter that didn’t slip off the ice cream. The batter was good alone and the ice cream wasn’t melted.
• Under the cornflake batter was another thin flour batter so it was almost extra crispy with a soft and thin donut like bread layer in between.
• It’s served with whipped cream and raspberry jam and I’d probably order this again.

Restaurant: Kyoto Sushi
Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi
Last visited: July 13, 2011
Location: Surrey, BC (Surrey Newton)
Address: 13651 72 Ave
Price Range: $10 or less, $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 2
Service: 3 (really depends on who you get)
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 2
Additional comments:

• Voted “Best of Surrey”
• Japanese owned/operated
• Extensive menu
• Lunch/dinner combos
• Cheap party trays
• Serves limited bubble tea
• Budget friendly/cheap eats
• Delivery available
• Small parking lot
• Accepts Visa/MC/Interac
• Mon-Sat: 11am-3pm, 5pm-10pm
• Sun & holidays: 12pm-9pm

**Recommendations: n/a, but the Takoyaki was good

It’s been voted as “Best of Surrey” and “Best Japanese in Surrey” since 2002 to 2006 and I just didn’t get it. I didn’t even come in with those expectations and only noticed it when I saw their menu. Sure I didn’t try a huge selection of food, and maybe I ordered the wrong things, but I don’t really see it getting much better. I actually don’t even see it being “Best in Surrey”, so I can’t even say it’s good for the area because it does get better than this.

Yes, it is Japanese owned and operated, but that doesn’t necessarily make it good and authentic. Personally I would rather go to Tawara Japanese Restaurant, Ta-Ke Sushi, Tokachi Sushi, or Akasaka Japanese Restaurant if I wanted to stay in Surrey for Japanese food.

The place looked clean and comfortable and the lunch time crowd wasn’t big at all so it was easy to get a seat. I must say that the service is hit and miss. The young server that helped us most of the time was a sweetheart, but the owner wasn’t very friendly at all. She told, not asked, us to move tables after seating us at one and gave no explanation as to why. It took the other server to kindly explain that someone just made a reservation for that table, but within that hour, no other group ever came. I think boss lady does most of the kitchen stuff though, so there’s a ying and yang in hospitality.

There is a lot of good food in Surrey, but Japanese is not exactly an area it excels in. I could see this being popular for people that live and work in the area, as it’s walking distance to many small businesses, but “BEST IN SURREY”? Really? I won’t compare it to Vancouver standards, but the experience was quite underwhelming.

The prices are very affordable, but they skimped on some ingredients and quality, so I have to say “you get what you pay for” rather than “it’s a bang for your buck”. A few things I ordered didn’t even match the menu description, but it’s not a place I would really bother bringing up the issue with, or really coming back for in general.

On the table:

Deluxe Sashimi – 1.5/6

• 18 pieces $19.99
• This was a pretty sad sashimi platter and overpriced for what it was.
• It’s the “Deluxe Sashimi” too, which is their highest priced platter, which should mean it comes with the highest quality and freshest sashimi of the day, but it wasn’t.
• The sashimi wasn’t that exotic and there wasn’t even any tuna, toro, or Wild Sockeye Salmon on it. Those are almost standard for any sashimi platter, and they are on the menu.
• Besides the selection of sashimi, the freshness also wasn’t there. Some of the fish tasted treated with lemon, and the mackerel seemed cooked or at least made ceviche. Major no no.
• The shredded daikon salad also tasted fishy, like it was strictly meant as garnish and not to be eaten.
• The wasabi was strong and perhaps the best part.
• Tako (Octopus) Sashimi - 2/6
• It was two relatively large strips in the centre and they were a bit dry and seemed treated with lemon first.

• Salmon Sashimi – 2.5/6
• The salmon sashimi was so average and the cut was a bit rough.
• It was pretty thick slices, but to have 6 pieces of salmon sashimi and none being Wild Sockeye Salmon on a Deluxe Sashimi platter was so disappointing.
• It’s not the worst salmon sashimi I’ve had, and it was okay, but I’m not about to recommend ordering salmon sashimi a la carte.
• Surf Clam – 2.5/6
• I don’t mind if surf clam is on a sashimi platter, but the quality tasted like the frozen kind.

• Mackerel Sashimi – 1/6
  
• This was pickled, which is essentially a method of “cooking” raw fish with lemon.
• Mackerel doesn’t keep long as sashimi so after a few days a restaurant would be forced to pickle it.
• It was very tangy and the meat was firm with lots of lemon flavour.
• This was extremely disappointing to have on a Deluxe Sashimi platter.
• Tai Sashimi (Sea Bream) – 2/6
• This was the most exotic the fish got and it was sliced so thin it was almost transparent.
• It had a lemony flavour and not just because it was touching the lemon slice. It should be fresh enough to not require any lemon.

• Ebi (Shrimp) – 2/6
• The shrimp was cooked and again it’s not particularly something I want to see on a Deluxe Sashimi platter.
• Prawn Sashimi – 1/6
• There were two raw prawns with the heads and those were warm and tasted quite fishy with a fishy after taste. I didn’t feel confident eating them, but I was fine afterward.

**Takoyaki – 3/6

• 5 pieces $3.99
• This was not bad, and they’re new to the menu.
• They make them in house and they take a bit longer, but that’s a good sign and they’re served hot.
• Takoyaki is a Japanese fast food snack and it’s pretty much a lightly battered and fried, or grilled, octopus ball or dumpling.
• It was their own version and they drizzled it with some very tangy mayo based sesame vinaigrette (?), topped it with fresh red bell pepper, parsley and bonito flakes.
• The sauce was more sharp with vinegar and I couldn’t taste the nuttiness of sesame, but I think that’s what it was.
• Traditionally it’s supposed to be topped with nori instead of parsley, but this was their own version so I don’t mind.

• They had a thin batter and were quite fluffy, creamy and moist with a small piece of octopus that was a bit overcooked and chewy.
• The fluffy part is just a Japanese pancake batter and it’s almost like mashed potatoes, but it’s a flour batter with no potato.
• The ginger flavour was a bit mild, but I liked the tang of the sauce and sweet crunch of fresh bell pepper which was a nice twist to the traditional recipe.
• I prefer my takoyaki a bit more savoury with a different sauce, but these were still pretty good.

Kyoto Roll - 1/6

• Real crab, chopped scallop, tobiko, cucumber, mayo & spicy sauce $4.49
• It was edible, but the crab was fake, the scallops was almost MIA, and it was avocado instead of cucumber.
• It was almost all artificial crab meat and the scallop was maybe the size of a 12 year old girl’s pinky nail in each peice.
• The “crab” was very creamy and heavily dressed with lots of mayo and it was very overwhelming. The filling was almost wet.
• The seaweed got a bit chewy and the spicy sauce and mayo was just the most standard spicy mayo you can think of. It was spicy, but it was quite mild, but still there.
• The price is cheap, but it’s a pretty small roll. At least the rice was flavoured, although at times dry.
• The worst part is that I purposely ordered this instead of the House Roll because they told me the House Roll used kani (fake crab)… but so did this one! It clearly stated “real crab” on the menu too.
• The server even took it back the first time without me saying anything to confirm that it was in fact the Kyoto Roll. That just made me think she knew it wasn’t too and i just didn’t have an honest experience.