Archive for the 'Japanese' Category
Monday, January 21st, 2008
Derek has been urging me to go visit King Yo, a new izakaya restaurant that has popped up on Denman St. According to him, it was recently rated as one of the top Canadian restaurants for 2007 in a food magazine. To tell you the truth, I rarely venture to Denman St because it’s always hard to find parking and all the good restaurants there normally require you to either make reservations or get there early. Jenkins and I just so happened to get off work early that day so decided to visit King Yo around 6pm.
King Yo is a pretty funky space inside and even though we were there early, it was already packed. We started off with a pot of Sencha green tea.
As with most izakayas, there was a regular menu and also a sheet of daily specials. We decided to start first with the ebi chilli mayo. There was not too much batter on this although the mayo did not have much chilli flavouring.
We also had the ahi tuna capaccio. The tuna was drizzled with a tangy marinade and a little bit of wasabi mayo. There was also a generous clump of thinly shaved fresh onions on top. The sharp onion taste went very well with the pieces of tuna.
Our server recommended that we try the cheese fondue with shrimp and bread chunks. The cheese fondue was a bit tangy and sweet at the same time. It was not too cheesy (which I like) and also had a strong tomato taste. I mentioned to Jenkins that it kind of tasted like warm antipasto dip. :) There were a few pieces of deep fried shrimp and chunks of bread to dip in the fondue, although I didn’t think there was enough to dip with. This dish was around $12.
Jenkins and I noticed by now that most of the dishes at King Yo are quite small, even when compared to other izakayas. We decided to order some noodle dishes for filler. First came the tan tan noodles. In King Yo’s menu, this is listed as “Our Famous Invincible and Undefeated Tan Tan Noodles”. With a proclamation like that, we had to try it! :) These noodles tasted nothing like regular Chinese tan tan noodles but were still very tasty. It had a light sesame and miso taste but also had some seaweed and ground pork on top. These noodles were $8.50.
We also had a cold ramen salad with some thinly sliced egg and pork on top. This salad was quite refreshing and also had some tang from some pickled ginger. I wasn’t sure if the flavours would go together but this was actually pretty good.
For dessert, Jenkins and I shared the matcha creme brulee. It had a very strong matcha taste, which I liked but the sugary topping was not thick enough and the texture was not very creamy. This was around $4.
I found the dishes at King Yo to be a bit hit and miss. The good dishes (tan tan noodles, cheese fondue, tuna avocado) were quite tasty but with its prices being higher than most izakayas and the portion sizes much smaller, you would expect that all their dishes would be hits. I’m not opposed to going back again although I will probably try some other izakaya places first.
Details:
871 Denman St, Vancouver
Tel: 604-608-1677
Summary:
Food: 
Service:
Price: $$
Posted in Japanese, Asian, Reviews | 4 Comments »
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
It was Jenkins’ dad’s birthday so we went to Otokomae at Kitanoya Guu or more casually known as Guu Gastown. 
Of the three Guus in Vancouver, this is supposed to be the fanciest and a bit more trendy inside. I had blogged about Guu with Garlic back in the summer and it had been a while since I was last at this Gastown location so I was eager to see how the food matched up.
Jenkins’ family had never been to any of the Guus or to an izakaya-style place before so we ordered a bunch of dishes so they would have a good exposure to what this food was all about.
We started with negitoro (chopped tuna belly and chives) with a sour plum dipping sauce. You can spread the negitoro on your choice of saltine (likely Premium Plus) crackers or seaweed. I liked the contrast of the sour and tangy plum sauce with the creamy and slightly sweet tuna. The seaweed was a bit difficult to eat with the tuna though because it was difficult to balance the tuna on.
Ebi Chilli Mayo is one of my favourite izakaya items. The batter on the shrimp here was a bit heavier than the one at Shiru-Bay but still quite tasty. The chilli mayo sauce was also lighter which gave it more of a shrimpy flavour. I would have liked it if this dish was a bit bigger though.
Next came the crab cake in a tomato-based sauce. The crab cake was very creamy and went quite well with the tomato sauce, which was not too overwhelming for the crab. I think this dish would have been nice if there was something to spread the crab cake on to offset the creaminess.
The grilled duck breast with mango and blueberry sauce was very tasty. The tang of the mango and blueberry sauces complemented the juicy duck breast.
I was somewhat disappointed by the oyster gratin. It sounded so good in the menu: oyster, peas, and broccoli in a cream sauce baked with cheese. The oyster pieces were very small though and few and far between. One good thing about this sauce though was that the amount of cheese was just right and it was not too heavy.
This next dish was one of the best of the evening. The grilled saba with deep-fried garlic chips is also offered at Guu with Garlic and comes on a sizzling hot plate. The saba (mackerel) is moist inside and crispy on the outside. One would think that the massive amounts of garlic chips would be too much but this actually went well with everything!
The okonomiyaki at Guu is one of the best I’ve had in Vancouver. It is a Japanese-style pancake and is packed with veggies and seafood. The bonito flakes on top add a nice touch to the dish and the mix of sauces on top complement this very well.
The stone bowl rice came in a sizzling bowl and was mixed for us by our server. It was slightly spicy and came with a mix of veggies and ground pork. Because the rice was mixed at our table in the hot stone bowl, the edges of the rice were still being cooked by the stone and had a nice crunchy texture.
The shio yakisoba was ordered as a “filler” dish and came with some veggies, pickled ginger, and seaweed in a tangy sauce. I found this dish to be a bit plain for my taste although the noodles did help fill us up.
The ebi chilli pie sounded interesting so we ordered that for our last savoury dish. This was basically an ebi chilli soup with a baked puff pastry on top. I was not very crazy about this dish. There were very few pieces of shrimp and the chilli soup did not match the puff pastry.
We ended our meal with a couple of desserts. The black sesame ice cream with maple syrup was excellent. It sounded plain on the menu but I love black sesame ice cream. :) The sesame must have been pre-toasted because the ice cream had a very aromatic and toasty flavour.
The deep-fried banana with coconut ice cream was also very good. The banana had a nice light batter that still allowed the banana flavour to come out. The coconut ice cream went great with the banana and also had lightly toasted coconut chunks in this. If they had take-out versions of either the sesame or coconut ice creams, I would definitely buy from here.
Overall, our meal here was pretty good. The dishes were a bit hit and miss but I suppose that is the risk you run into when you are adventurous. :) The atmosphere in the restaurant is quite bustling and tends to get a bit rowdier later in the evening. The lighting is also a bit dark, which you can probably garner from my pics.
Details:
105-375 Water St, Vancouver
Tel: 604 685-8682
Summary:
Food:
Service: 
Price: $$
Posted in Japanese, Asian, Reviews | No Comments »
Monday, December 17th, 2007
We were back in San Francisco so NTR and UK took me to Hokkaido Seafood Buffet. Although most of the food here is seafood (obviously!), they also had some other non-seafood items as well. Most of the food offered here is Asian style.
After we settled in at our table, we started digging in at the various stations. I was pretty amazed by the selection of food and the sheer abundance of it all. I gravitated toward the mound of fresh Alaskan king crab, mussels, clams, and shrimp. It was all so tasty and you also had a selection of cocktail sauce, lemons, and ponzu sauce to add to your seafood.
I tried some clam soup, which was served in a small bowl. I didn’t like the taste of the broth very much, so I decided to try the clam meat instead. This didn’t taste much better though…and I later learned that it was the soup that everyone liked — not the clam meat itself. Oops.
The coconut shrimp was quite good although I had to scrape off some of the mayo. I also couldn’t really taste the coconut.
The shrimp were a fair size and were nice and crunchy.
I am a huge fan of fresh oysters and of course I had to load my plate with some of these. The ponzu sauce went really well with the oysters.
More oysters…yum!
There was also a selection of various sushi and sashimi. One that I liked was a tempura sushi, which was lightly fried with tempura batter. Although the sashimi was definitely not as good as what we ate at Taiko, it was quite good for a buffet. The tuna was also a pinker colour than what I was used to in Vancouver.
They also had Chinese-style crabs which was steamed and then stir-fried in a clear broth. The pieces of crab were quite big and tasty.
The baked scallop with cheese was a bit rich for my taste but it was interesting to see that it was baked right in the shell.
The shark fin soup was made with imitation shark fin, but you couldn’t even tell the difference. The soup had a lighter taste compared to what I was used to in most restaurants. NTR enjoyed this quite a bit.
When you are seated at your table, each person is given a ticket for one half a lobster baked in a cheese sauce. To claim it, you just head over to the lobster station and the server there will put one on your plate. The lobster itself was quite good although I wasn’t too crazy about the cheese sauce.
You could also construct some Peking duck using the mini buns provided and the generous pieces of duck. I didn’t have any of this but both NTR and UK enjoyed it. I was starting to get quite full by this point.
There were also hand cones that were made fresh so the seaweed was still crunchy.
The black bean clams had a nice flavour and quite tasty. There were also frog legs, which I didn’t try. NTR noted that it was a bit too lean for her taste.
The black bean oysters were very tasty. I could tell they were quite fresh and were just cooked and had a nice consistency. There was also some dim sum (bottom of the picture below) but the selection was small and most of the items were oversteamed.
Now onto the fruits and veggies. I needed to eat some veggies after all this seafood so I scooped some edamame onto my plate. I also had some watermelon, but the strawberries were definitely the better tasting of the two. They were sweet and ripe…I even went back for seconds!
Now it was dessert time. Most of the desserts were pretty standard but there was a good selection of both Western and Asian desserts.
I found that the Asian desserts looked better than they tasted. I think they had been sitting on the plates for a while so they may have tasted better when they were fresh.
I had quite a good time here. I would say that the seafood items are definitely the specialty. If I were to come back, I would load up on the seafood, especially the cold items, and pass on the desserts. We went on a weekend for lunch so it worked out to about $22/person. Weekday lunches are a great deal at about $12/person.
Details:
2200 Bridgepointe Pkwy, San Mateo, CA
Tel: 650-212-2688
Summary:
Food:
Service:
Price: $$
Posted in Other Cities, San Francisco, Japanese, Asian, Chinese, Reviews | 2 Comments »
Monday, December 10th, 2007
I think I can safely say that NTR and UK’s favourite restaurant is Taiko Japanese restaurant in Irvine, CA. They have been going here for years and years…so much that they know all the servers and sushi chefs! They first took me here several years ago and I was completely wow’d by the amazing Japanese food. I was definitely looking forward to coming back here again.
We sat down at the sushi bar and were greeted by the sushi chefs behind the counter. Because NTR and UK are such familiar and repeat customers now, Ono-san, our sushi chef, started making dishes for us without even needing us to order. NTR told me that he will just automatically make what is the freshest for that day. Pretty cool.
First came the hamachi (yellow tail) belly. It is a bit firmer than the hamachi I am used to but slightly more fatty. This was definitely the freshest hamachi I had ever had.
Next came the giant clam and toro nigiri. I had never had giant clam before and really enjoyed its crunchy sweetness. The clam taste was also milder than the regular clams most of us are used to eating.
Toro is one of my favourite types of sushi and this was hands down the best I had ever eaten. The toro was bright pink and the fat was tightly marbled throughout my entire piece. You could really taste the richness of the toro but it did not feel heavy or have a fishy aftertaste at all. It was also firmer than most of the toro I have eaten.
Next came the salmon nigiri and the baby tuna nigiri. The salmon nigiri had some fresh onion slices and bonito flakes on top and was drizzled with Taiko’s special sauce. The crunchy onion slices contrasted nicely with the salmon and was all tied together by the sauce.
I have never had baby tuna anywhere but here at Taiko. It is slightly seared on the oustide and served with onions, chives, bonito flakes, and the Taiko special sauce. The baby tuna was so tender and has a nice mild taste compared to regular tuna. I think it is seared because the tuna is so tender that otherwise, it would fall apart.
Next came the uni. UK told me that this is from Ono-san’s special stash underneath the counter so it was extra good. I just have to say that the uni was amazing. It was so creamy, slightly sweet, and tasted like it was fresh from the ocean. Sometimes, uni has a bitter taste to it but this was not the case here at all.
Next came the tuna nigiri. This was made in a similar fashion to the salmon nigiri and came with bonito flakes, chives, and onions. I really enjoyed the Taiko way of jazzing up some of their nigiri with the special sauce and onions. It adds a nice contrast to the rice and fish.
Next was a special “creation” of NTR and UK’s. They found regular California rolls to have too much mayo so along with Ono-san, created a roll they called the Northern California roll. It was made with fresh crab meat but very little mayo and also had cucumbers, avocado, and carrots. Because there was so little mayo, you could really taste the fresh crab meat which took this to a new level. I also enjoyed the addition of the pickled carrots, which added a nice crunch.
After all these great rolls and nigiri from the sushi bar, we ordered something from the kitchen. Special No. 3 is a hot dish of fresh crab meat, avocado, and some other stuff that I can’t remember. The whole dish is than baked with Taiko’s creamy mayo-based sauce. This dish is really rich and best eaten with rice.
By now, we were starting to get quite full but decided to ask for one more item. Ono-san presented us with the soft shell crab roll and to make it easier to fit in our mouths in one bite, he made it thinner than the usual soft shell crab roll. I liked this much better than the usual short and fat rolls because the rolls normally fall apart after one bite. The soft-shell crab was also larger than normal…you could even see the meat inside instead of just shell!
We were also comp’ed with some spinach salad. The sesame dressing was not as creamy as I was used to but still very tasty.
I had a great time at Taiko. If it was possible, the food here was even better than I remembered, which was already super good. The food tasted so fresh and elevated the taste of all my usual favourites. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is in the area…but be prepared for the looooong waits. Taiko closes for an afternoon break at 2:30pm and when we left the restaurant, there were already people lining up and waiting for the dinner service!
Details:
14775 Jeffrey Rd Ste K, Irvine, CA
Tel: 949-559-7190
Summary:
Food:
Service:
Price: $$
Posted in Los Angeles, Other Cities, Japanese, Asian, Reviews | 5 Comments »
Monday, December 3rd, 2007
Jenkins and I went to Ichiro Japanese Restaurant in Steveston one day. It is located at 12011 2nd Ave in Richmond. My aunt introduced me to this place a while back and I have always enjoyed the variety of set lunches here.
I decided to go with a set lunch that included California roll, Dynamite roll, and cucumber roll. I’m not a big fan of cucumber rolls, so I asked to substitute it with a tuna roll. I always like the rolls here because they are well-sized and fit in your mouth in one bite. There also isn’t too much rice and the California rolls do not have too much mayo. The Dynamite rolls are simply made with just prawn tempura and avocado but very tasty.
My set lunch also came with miso soup…
…and ebi sunomono. The ebi sunomono was not too strong with vinegar flavour and very refreshing. Occasionally, this is substituted with another salad item such as potato salad.
Jenkins had an Oyako don, which is chicken, onions, and egg over rice. He likes this because it is a hot dish and relatively healthy. The sauce from the chicken and egg really permeates the rice and is very tasty.
He also ordered a side of BC rolls to go with his rice. Nothing too special about this, although the salmon skin was nice and crispy.
Another enjoyable meal at Ichiro. I’ve never tried anything out of the ordinary here but the items here are always tasty and well done. Although the service is friendly and your tea is always topped up, it does take them a while to prepare the food, especially during busy lunch hours.
Details:
110-12011 2nd Ave, Richmond
Tel: 604-277-1150
Summary:
Food:
Service:
Price: $ (for lunch)
Posted in Japanese, Asian, Reviews | No Comments »
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