Jenkins and I have been long-time fans of Ebi Ten so when we learned that there was going to be an addition to the Ebi Ten family in the form of Ramen Jinya, we were eager to check it out. I’m not sure if all of the Ramen Jinyas worldwide are owned by Ebi Ten but the Los Angeles location of Ramen Jinya was voted as one of the 10 best dishes of 2010. With such promising accolades, Jenkins and I had high hopes.

We went to Ramen Jinya for dinner one evening and although it was fairly busy, we only had to wait a few minutes before snagging a table. I decided to choose the shio tonkotsu ramen, which was advertised as the pork premium rich broth and limited to only 20 servings a day. The noodles used at Ramen Jinya are the straight egg noodles rather than the curly noodles and I find that this generally means the noodles have  a firmer texture. The pork was nice and fatty, as was the broth itself but I felt that the broth exhibited a lot of fattiness without the richness in flavour. Although certainly not the worst ramen I’ve had, I felt that there was a bit of a greasy aftertaste to this dish that I didn’t really like.

Jenkins went the slightly less glamorous route and decided instead on the shoyu tonkotsu ramen, which was the original pork broth. Interestingly enough, the original pork broth seemed darker in colour but I found the flavour of the broth to be pretty much the same as my supposedly richer pork broth. I tried this dish again on a subsequent visit and found that both times, the broths suffered from the same greasiness but lacked a richness which is usually present in such ramen broths.

Jenkins and I felt that Ramen Jinya put up an attempt to bring tasty ramen to the other end of Robson Street but if you are really looking for a good bowl of ramen, I’d recommend that you stick to the Denman side of Robson. If you’re in a pinch and desperate for ramen, Ramen Jinya may be the place for you.

Details:
270 Robson Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-568-9711

Summary:
Food: 3 out of 5 stars
Service: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Price: $

A few years back, Jenkins and I went to Sushi Maro for dinner one day. I think it may have even been before this blog was created so it was quite a while ago. In any case, the food was terrible and service was a little suspect so we never ventured back. Recently though, a co-worker mentioned to me that he often gets takeout from Sushi Maro for his family and Jenkins heard a lot of good things as well so we decided to give it another shot. One thing we did notice upon entering was that the decor had changed so it’s possible that there was some type of ownership or kitchen change as well.

We weren’t overly hungry that day so we decided to share only a couple of items. We started with the sushi pizza, which is also one of our favourites from Sushiyama so we thought it would be fun to do a little comparison. It took a while to come out but I think it was worth the wait. The deep fried sushi rice on the bottom maintained a nice crispy exterior and a chewy interior. I thought it was a little difficult to eat since the pieces of tuna and salmon were cut into chunks, which fell off as I bit into each “slice”. That being said, I thought the sushi pizza was quite good, with the creamy avocado and sashimi slices being quite fresh and contrasting nicely with the crispy pizza base.

The Maro combo also sounded interesting so we decided to give that a try. It consisted of a dynamite roll, spider roll, California roll, and a salmon roll.

Nothing too spectacular about the Dynamite roll but I thought it was pretty tasty. The rice was nicely seasoned and the prawn tempura was not over-battered. There was also a good rice to filling ratio. The spider roll was also pretty tasty and pretty solid. Similar to the prawn tempura in the dynamite roll, the soft-shell crab was not over-battered and there was also a good amount of crab in there. My only (minor) complaint was that the crab was probably put into the roll immediately after coming out of the fryer so the entire roll was a little too warm for my liking.

The California rolls were pretty standard but the sesame seeds were nicely toasted, which gave the rolls a hint of a nutty flavour. Sushi Maro uses only wild salmon so the salmon rolls here had a great flavour that is lacking in the salmon rolls made at other places using farmed salmon.

Jenkins and I thought our meal at Sushi Maro was pretty solid. The sushi pizza was tasty and their rolls were well-executed and made with fresh ingredients. Since our original visit, Jenkins and I have gone back quite a few more times for lunch and dinner so we’ve definitely become converts. For a reasonably priced sushi dinner in downtown, Sushi Maro is a pretty good option. I think I still like Yamoto Sushi more as a downtown option, but Sushi Maro is slightly closer for me so I go there when I don’t feel like walking too far.

Details:
220 Davie Street, Vancouver
Tel: 778-371-8332

Summary:
Food: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Service: 3 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

Bistro Sakana in Yaletown used to be on of Jenkins and my go-to places for Japanese food in downtown. For whatever reason, we hadn’t been for many years though so we decided to check it out one day when we were in the mood for Japanese food but didn’t want to wander too far from home. Luckily for us, this was before the weather turned super cold so we were able to sit outside rather comfortably.

We started first with the soba salad. Many items on the menu didn’t have a full description so we originally thought this would be mainly noodle with some veggies thrown in but it turned out to be quite the opposite. The soba salad was actually mostly mixed greens with a few bundles of soba and mixed with a ginger soy dressing. The dressing was pretty tasty but we both found this salad a bit bland.

We also ordered some tuna sashimi, which came marinated with the same ginger soy dressing from our soba salad. The dressing actually went better with the meaty tuna and this dish had a nice freshness to it.

I’m a huge fan of the aburi sushi at Miku so when I saw that Sakana had aburi salmon available, I decided to order it. It was very similar to Miku’s version in that the wild salmon was sandwiched between two layers of sushi rice and topped with some more salmon, mayo, onion shavings, and a slice of jalapeno. Taste-wise, it was close to Miku’s version but I liked how I could taste the charcoal smokiness used to torch the top of Miku’s aburi sushi more. If I wasn’t comparing with Miku’s version though, I would say that the version at Sakana was a good attempt.

Jenkins and I also ordered a variety of sushi and nigiri. The salmon and tuna nigiri was quite fresh and I would say better than average. The same also went for the negitoro roll. I can’t remember the name of the roll at the bottom but it was almost like Sakana’s version of a house roll, with tuna, salmon, and avocado. I liked the meaty freshness of this roll and the light drizzling of sweet soy went pretty well with the ingredients in the roll itself.

By this time, Jenkins and I were still a little hungry so we decided to splurge for dessert as well. The deep fried banana was Sakana’s version of Jenkins’ Malaysian favourite. The lightly tempura battered bananas were sweet and creamy, going quite well with the big scoop of vanilla ice cream right in the middle. The caramel was not overly sweet, which I liked since it didn’t overpower the ice cream and bananas but I felt that the chocolate flakes seemed a bit dry and weren’t very necessary.

Overall, Jenkins and I had a nice time at Bistro Sakana but nothing particularly stood out to us. I don’t know if my preferences have changed or if Sakana has changed but it doesn’t seem to be as good as my last visit there a couple of years ago. That being said, the ingredients used are all still quite fresh and that is also reflected in the price. As far as dining options go, Sakana isn’t bad if you are looking for Japanese food in Yaletown but it’s also not the best.

Details:
1120 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-633-1280

Summary:
Food: 3 out of 5 stars
Service: 3 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

Jenkins and I were invited on Saturday to preview the latest offering from Vancouver’s Foodie Tour: food carts. I had gone to one of Michelle’s tours last year along Granville Street and quite enjoyed it so I didn’t see why this time would be any different. I thought this would be a great opportunity to try some of the food cart offerings around the downtown area as I had definitely been to less than I would have liked. We met at 10:30 in front of the Granville Canada Line station but it was around 11 before the tour actually started going.

As I had suspected earlier, our first stop was the La Brasserie Street food cart. They were running a little behind that morning, which was why it took a while for us to get started.

I had been to La Brasserie Street a few times before and really enjoyed it each time so I was looking forward to this, even though it was not new to me. The chicken sandwich was just as good as the other times with the crispy fried onions adding a nice crunch to the otherwise soft and moist sandwich. Jenkins noted that he would have liked for some of the larger chicken chunks to be shredded even more so it could soak up more of the house-made rosemary beer sauce.

Since it was the first stop of the tour and the day was particularly sunny, I was glad that La Brasserie Street also gave us each a drink with our sandwiches. In addition, we were also given a butter tart each. Jenkins was pretty smart in getting us to share one since we needed to pace ourselves for the remaining carts. At first, I objected but this ended up being some good foresight on his part. As with the last time I had the butter tarts, I thought the crust was nice and buttery but the filling was a little too sweet for my taste. I also would have preferred some nuts to give the tart a little bit of crunch.

Our next stop was one of Vancouver’s oldest food carts, Japa Dog. I had first reviewed Japa Dog in the early days of Ho Yummy and then again when they opened their Pender Street location so it was definitely another food cart that I was quite familiar with.

We each got half of a Terimayo dog, which is one of Japa Dog’s original offerings. As usual, I added some wasabi mayo to the already present regular Japanese mayo, seaweed, and teriyaki sauce. I quite enjoyed this and it was nice to try one of the original flavours since I usually opt to try the newer creations.

Our next stop was finally to a location that was new to me: Bun Me. To be honest, I had walked past this place a couple of times but never checked out what they had because I’m pretty particular about my banh mi and I honestly did not know what to expect. The baguettes at Bun Me are baked fresh daily and made using a special recipe that its owners had developed.

Bun Me had a couple of offerings and the one we had that day was the lemongrass chicken banh mi. Although we had only a third of a baguette, it was quite a generous portion and seemed to be larger than most other banh mi I’ve tried around Vancouver. The lemongrass chicken was quite juicy and flavourful and if you like your baguette to be crispier and crunchier, then the one at Bun Me would be right up your alley. I was pretty impressed with the banh mi here and wouldn’t mind trying it again the next time I need to buy lunch.

By this point, I was starting to fill up but we still had two more stops to make. Our next cart was Kaboom Box, another cart that I had walked past several times but never tried any of their offerings.

We each got a generous portion of Kaboom Box’s poutine. I’m not sure if this is their regular size or if it was smaller for the tour, but I thought it was a pretty large portion nonetheless. Unlike traditional poutine, Kaboom Box’s version uses a vegetable gravy with miso and is topped with mushrooms and green onions. Having gone to Montreal quite recently, both Jenkins and I didn’t think this was very comparable. I would have liked for the fries to be crispier and although I appreciated Kaboom Box’s attempt to make the gravy more universally appealing, I felt that a regular beef stock has a stronger flavour that allows the gravy to hold up against the fries and cheese. Lastly, and I’m not sure if it was due to the hot day, I found the cheese curds a bit on the soft side and would have liked some more texture and bounciness to it. All that being said, I wouldn’t mind coming back another day to try out some of the sandwiches, especially the in-cart smoked salmon sandwich.

Our last stop was at Nu Greek Street. I was surprised to hear that this was the street cart offering from Nu Restaurant and even more surprised to hear that Nu had recently changed its offering from West Coast to Greek food. To be honest, I had not been all that impressed with Nu previously so I was hoping that their foray into Greek food would be more successful.

We each got mini versions of Nu Greek Street’s chicken souvlaki pita, which came with tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki sauce. The tzatziki sauce was actually made with owner Harry Kambolis’ grandma’s recipe and I liked how it was quite thick and tangy, which went quite well with the moist chicken. Although the pita was a bit bready for my liking, it did a good job of soaking up all the juices from the chicken, tomatoes, and tzaziki sauce.

Jenkins and I had a great time at the Food Cart Foodie Tour. It was nice to revisit some carts we had been to previously but what we really enjoyed was sampling the new ones. The carts that are visited on each tour vary depending on the day. Tours are held each Saturday starting at 10:45AM and end about 1:30PM. They cost $50 per person and tickets can be purchased via Foodis Tour’s website. Be prepared to be stuffed and even though you walk from cart to cart, you definitely don’t walk enough to shed the calories you consumed. Jenkins and I were so full afterwards that we didn’t eat dinner until quite late!

Details:
Time: Saturdays from 10:45AM to 1:30PM
Cost: $50/person
Tickets: http://foodietour.ca

Back in the day, Jenkins and I used to frequent Shiro Sushi quite a bit. It was located conveniently for us and the quality of sushi was always quite good. For whatever reason though, we stopped going. Neither of us could figure out why so Jenkins suggested that we check it out for dinner one day.

Jenkins and I weren’t very hungry that evening so we decided to keep things pretty light and simple. We checked out the daily specials written on the board and Jenkins felt like having some tempura, so we decided to go for the sweet potato variety. Although not the most unique dish, the tempura was prepared quite well, with the batter being light and crispy, which really showcased the slightly sweet sweet potato inside. The sweet potato itself was not overly mushy and retained some texture, which is also why I generally like sweet potatoes more than yams.

I decided to have one of the nigiri combos that evening, which also came with some California rolls. The California rolls were well made, but unspectacular, tasting exactly what I expected a California roll to taste like. I did appreciate how they did not use too much mayo in the crab filling though. For the nigiri, I got a nice selection and my favourites were the tako, salmon, and tuna. All the nigiri had a nice amount of wasabi already included and did not overwhelm the flavour of the seafood itself. I liked how the tako (octopus) came pre-marinated with sauce, which reminded me of my fairly recent adventures in Japan. I should also note that the salmon was wild salmon, although not from BC.

Jenkins’ salmon and tuna don was a bit smaller than he expected but it turned out to be a good size for him that evening since he wasn’t very hungry. The rice was nicely seasoned, with a good amount of sugar and the rice was also cooked just right. This made it the perfect accompaniment with the wild salmon, which was quite flavourful, and the tuna, which was not overly mushy.

Jenkins and I enjoyed our dinner at Shiro and we’re looking forward to going back now that it’s back on our radar again. The service does seem to be a bit spotty at times and there was an unusual wait before we were seated, despite the fact that there were several empty and unreserved tables. However, once we were seated, our server was very attentive and made sure to come by a few times throughout our meal to check on us.

Details:
3096 Cambie Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-874-0027

Summary:
Food: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Service: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

Shortly after Jenkins and I came back from our Asia trip, we were a bit reluctant to go to a Japanese restaurant too soon after our return. However, we were forced to take the punch finally when we were walking around in Kerrisdale late one afternoon looking for a super late lunch. For some reason, there weren’t a lot of places open so we had to settle for checking out the Sushi King House. I used to venture such joints quite a bit during my university days but have to say that I haven’t been to a place like Sushi King in quite a while.

Jenkins and I both decided to order the salmon and tuna don. The first thing we noticed that the rice wasn’t very good. It lacked vinegar and seemed to be overcooked. The bits of seaweed and sesame seeds attempted to hide this but it wasn’t enough to salvage the rice. The salmon was ok and as you can see, quite generously cut. The tuna was kind of bland but I was glad that at least it was defrosted properly.

Just for kicks, we decided to also order some California Rolls to share. As expected, the rolls were quite big and since we weren’t that hungry when we sat down, we really didn’t need to order these in addition to our dons. Similar to the tuna and salmon don, the rice used in the California rolls weren’t the best and there wasn’t anything that really stood out for the rolls overall other than the fact that it was large.

As expected, the food at Sushi King really wasn’t the best but I don’t think you’re necessarily looking for quality so much as quantity in such a place. I do have to say that our server (who also seemed to be the owner) was super friendly and attentive. He regularly came by to top up our teas and also ensured our table was cleared quickly as we finished our dishes.

Details:
5333 West Boulevard, Vancouver
Tel: 604-264-7555

Summary:
Food: 2 out of 5 stars
Service: 3 out of 5 stars
Price: $

One of the things I was most looking forward to for my Tokyo trip was my impending visit to Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest fish market in the world. I had heard countless stories from people going to the market and indulging in a breakfast of some of the freshest fish one can imagine and finally, it was time for me to check it out for myself. But first, I had to brave the line-up to get into Sushi Dai, one of the most popular sushi restaurants in Tsukiji. Although there are several restaurants in the market, there are only two with line-ups and the one with the longest line-up is Sushi Dai.

Jenkins and I got in line at about 8:30AM and after about two hours of waiting in line, we finally made it inside the small restaurant of about 10-12 seats. They must be quite used to the crowds because we ordered our meals before we even entered the restaurant. To be fair, there are only two options: the Jyou (¥2500, standard meal) and the Omakase (¥3900, translated at the door as “trust the chef” ). Of course, it was pretty obvious to both Jenkins and I that we would get the omakase…there’s no way we would skimp out after travelling so far to get there!

The omakase course included ten pieces of nigiri chosen by the chef as the best choices of the day. In addition, we would also get some maki, tamago, and miso soup. Since our sushi chef already knew what we’d be ordering, all we had to do after we were seated was to chat with our chef and marvel at the sushi that was being created before our eyes. What a tough life, huh?

First came the tamago. It was slightly sweet and just cooked, while retaining a nice, silky texture (at least for an omelette). I had the feeling that we’ were in for quite the treat.

Our miso soup came next and I slowly sipped on this throughout my meal. It had a strong miso flavour but was not overly salty and it was also made with some fish bones, which gave it an extra layer of flavour.

And then came the nigiri. First up was the o-toro, which is the fattiest grade of toro (tuna belly). It was unlike anything I had ever had before and just melted in my mouth. I’d also like to note that the rice for the nigiri was amazing. It was perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of vinegar and sweetness and absolutely held up nicely to the o-toro.

Next came the suzuki (sea bass). It came with just the right amount of fresh wasabi and we were instructed to eat this with no soy sauce. I decided after this advice to forego the soy sauce for the rest of my meal and the only thing I was sad about was that I should have done it for my o-toro too!

Tai (snapper) is one of my least favourite types of sushi in Vancouver. However, both Jenkins and I noted right away that the tai we ate here was nothing like what we were used to and was super tasty. I find that the tai I usually eat in Vancouver is a bit rubbery and does not have any flavour to it but the tai at Sushi Dai was almost fatty and smooth in texture. Definitely one of my favourites.

I was looking forward to the uni and this definitely did not disappoint. It was sweet but briny tasting and had a very creamy texture. The seaweed provided a slight crunch and the perfectly made rice tied everything together. I am drooling a bit as I write this post :p

The aji (horse mackerel) was another one of my favourites that day. The fish was slightly firm but very fatty and did not have the overly fishy smell that I find with mackerel normally. The ginger and green onions on top balanced out the fishiness and enhanced the overall flavour of the fish.

I think the hokkigai is something that Sushi Dai whips out to impress us tourists It is so fresh that when our chef places our hokkigai nigiri in front of us, it is still moving! It had a slight crunch and was not chewy at all.

Ikura (salmon roe) is one of the things that I usually leave behind on a sushi platter. I don’t like the odd popping feeling in my mouth as the roe bursts and I also find it too tasty. However, the ikura here was so different and TASTY that Jenkins noted it was like we were eating something else altogether. The roe was only slightly salty and did not have that odd popping feeling…it’s a bit difficult for me to explain exactly why it tasted so much better so you just need to believe me Our chef explained to us that the reason this tasted so good was because it had never been frozen.

Next came the maki sushi. I got a couple of pieces of a toro roll and two pieces with toro, cucumber, and clam.

I had never had baby shrimp before so the shiraebi was pretty interesting. Our chef told us that it was dozens of little shrimp, which he brushed with a thin layer of soy sauce. I found that the flavour was a bit mild but it was interesting to try.

Much to my surprise, I was starting to get full but we still had a few more pieces to go. Next came the marinated maguro (tuna). It had a lovely red colour and a firm, almost meaty texture.

The anago (eel) was one of Jenkins’ favourite that day. The fish seemed to be steamed rather than broiled or roasted and was very moist. It was marinated with a slightly sweet sauce that complemented the anago very nicely.

We were down to our final choices of our meal. We had the option of choosing a repeat of something we had already tried or something new altogether. Namely, we asked our chef what he would recommend and he noted that since it was December, there were a few things in season that we may like. The first recommendation was hamachi and Jenkins decided to go for that one. He was kind enough to give me a bite and it was hands down, the best hamachi we had ever tasted. It was fatty and flavourful with the little sprig of onion on top adding a nice layer of taste to it.

For me, I chose the option which was something I had never tried before and who knows when I’ll try again, which was the cod sperm sac. Laugh as you may but I actually thought this was quite good! The texture was similar to uni in some respects and its slight saltiness went really well with the green onion and grated daikon on top. As with most of our other nigiri, it came pre-marinated by the chef and did not require any additional soy sauce.

Jenkins and I had a fantastic time at Sushi Dai and it met, if not exceeded, our expectations. Service was very friendly and we had a great time chatting with our knowledgeable sushi chef. It was the best sushi we’d ever had and the only sushi that beat it was to be the sushi meal we had the next day with my aunt’s brother. Jenkins and I enjoyed this so much that we tried to make a repeat visit to Sushi Dai during our trip but unfortunately, the timing just did not work out. I suppose I’ll just have to go the next time I’m in Tokyo!

Details:
Tsukiji-Shijo 5-2-1 #6.
Open 5am-2pm, closed Sundays and some Wednesdays

Summary:
Food: 5 out of 5 stars
Service: 4 out of 5 stars
Price: $$$

I had actually wanted to try Kimura Sushi for quite a while but it’s a bit out of the way from where I live and I don’t work in Burnaby as much as I used to. Luckily for me, my aunt and uncle live psuedo-close and since my aunt has been telling me to go check that place out for quite a while now, we decided to go together.

My aunt has been there before so we let her do all the ordering. Sometimes, it’s nice to not have to make any decisions. We ordered some skewers off the daily fresh sheet, including some mini shishito japanese peppers and okra. The peppers were very mild in flavour and not spicy at all while the okra tasted just like how okra should taste and had a nice charcoal grilled flavour to it.

The breaded oysters were fried nicely, with a crispy exterior which gave way to a just-cooked oyster inside. It was really flavourful and went nicely with the tangy dipping sauce that it came with.

The mixed vegetable tempura was nice. There was a bit too much batter for my taste but it was still nice and crispy on the outside.

My aunt decided that it would be a good idea for us to all order the nigiri sushi special, which was an assortment of nigiri sushi and California rolls. First came the California rolls and a unagi nigiri sushi. The California rolls were pretty standard but I liked how they generously coated the exterior with toasted sesame seeds. The unagi nigiri was quite tasty and had a nice grilled flavour to it.

Our nigiri special also came with a small bowl of udon. I’m pretty particular about my udon and I liked how this one was nice and chewy with a good amount of bounciness to it. The shoyu broth was just salty enough and there were a few pieces of fishcake as well.

The assortment of nigiri was quite enjoyable and fresh. I especially liked the super red maguro nigiri was very good and I also liked the surf clam and saba. The rice was nicely seasoned and cooked just right.

As usual, I was quite full by this point but managed to squeeze in some black sesame ice cream. It was very “toasty” tasting from the black sesame seeds and very flavourful. The serving size was also quite generous and it was probably a good thing that I shared this with Jenkins.

Overall, I quite enjoyed our meal at Kimura sushi. Everything was really fresh and it was a nice environment to be eating in. They were a bit slow with service though but as long as you’re not in a rush, it’s not too bad.

Details:
3883 Rupert Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-569-2198

Summary:
Food: 4 out of 5 stars
Service: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

Ever since I found out that Toratatsu was owned by the same people as the now-defunct Shiru Bay Chopstick Cafe, I had wanted to give it a try. However, since it was located on Denman, it was always a bit inconvenient for me to make it out there. Luckily for me, I saw a Groupon for it one day so I had no excuse to skip out on paying it a visit.

While we pondered the menu, I started with a mixed grapefruit sake and Jenkins had a Samurai Rock, which had sake shaken with lime. I had fresh grapefruit juice in my drink so I really enjoyed it.

We started with some small nibbles from the daily special board. First came some deep-fried fish cakes. They were a little greasy but had a nice amount of saltiness mixed with the fish cakes. I also liked how they were slightly crispy on the outside.

The negitoro and garlic toast arrived next. The negitoro itself came with a little dollop of caviar and avocado and I really liked how it was quite creamy and had a nice texture. I would have liked for the garlic toast to have been toasted for longer though.

The ebi chilli mayo was made the same way as Shiru Bay back when it was still in business. The ebi was nice and crispy and although there may have been too much chili mayo, I really enjoyed its creamy spiciness and it suited my preference just fine. The fried wonton skin wasn’t really necessary but it did provide a nice additional crunch.

The Chinese-style braised pork ribs was off the fresh sheet had a nice Japanese twist to them, with some tonkatsu-like sauce and grainy mustard. I would have really liked to have this with rice.

The ishiyaki risotto was made with Japanese rice and came with scallops, mushrooms, and seaweed in a stone bowl. I think because it was cheese-based, the rice never formed a crispy exterior even though it was served in a stone bowl. I think it was mostly personal preference but I prefer the regular ishiyaki offerings to this risotto version.

As part of Groupon, we were also presented with some complimentary black sesame ice cream. The ice cream was not very dark but actually had a fair amount of black sesame flavour. I think this was partially because there were a lot of whole sesame seeds which also gave it some extra flavour. The ice cream was not very creamy and tasted like it had more milk than usual but I did not mind this.

We quite enjoyed our dinner at Toratatsu. The restaurant is pretty small so it’s best to make reservations if you can. I wouldn’t say any of their dishes are groundbreaking but they are all well done and quite tasty. It is slightly more expensive than most izakayas that we visit but once in a while is not too bad.

Details:
735 Denman Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-685-9399

Summary:
Food: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Service: 3 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

Ned and I were both in need of lunch one day and we happened to be working downtown. That turned out to be lucky for us because if we were working in Burnaby, food options may be harder to come by. In any case, I was in the mood for sushi so Ned suggested that we check out Kamiya Sushi by Central Library. I had always walked past it but never made it inside so we decided to walk over there for lunch.

Kamiya has a takeout section for pre-made sushi and that appeared to be pretty popular with many people. We decided to sit in and since it was still a few minutes before noon, we were actually one of the only people inside. I should note that by the time we left (around 1PM), the place was packed and there were people waiting to be seated.

I was feeling fairly hungry that day so I decided to order a combo and added a few items. I don’t recall the name of my combo but I think it was called the California Combo. It came with a standard 6-piece offering of California Rolls, 2 salmon nigiri, and 2 tuna nigir. I also added a tuna nigiri and a chopped scallop nigiri. Although fairly basic, I did enjoy the California roll. The rice was well made and had the right amount of vinegar, which carried through to the nigiri sushi as well. Surprisingly, the salmon nigiri was made with wild salmon and tasted quite good. The toro was a bit small and pretty fatty, which I enjoyed. The chopped scallop had a tad too much mayo for my liking but wasn’t too bad either.

I was pretty satisfied with my lunch at Kamiya. I went in with no expectations and walked away pretty impressed with their offerings. Although it’s nothing out of the ordinary, it was well made and seemed pretty consistent. I’m glad I found another sushi place in downtown that I can now visit.

Details:
345 Robson Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-331-0817

Summary:
Food: 3 out of 5 stars
Service: 3 out of 5 stars
Price: $$