The Eatery

The Eatery is probably one of the most fun places to get sushi that I know of in Vancouver. I found this little sushi joint about two years when some of my classmates invited me out for dinner. I thought the place was very wild and funky. Something I don't often see at a typical sushi place.

The second time I visited The Eatery was not too long ago with some co-workers, I had ordered the avocado crunch and I was just obsessed and I asked Michael to come with me for a second round of that decadent little roll.

Funky.

The Eatery at 3431 West Broadway is funky. There are lava lamps above the bar area and there are almost life sized super hero figures hanging on the wall. There's also a DJ spinning in the corner. Add in quirky little quotes posted throughout the restaurant and on the menu and you have a hell of an unusual dining experience. But we're here for the food, and we didn't leave disappointed.

Michael and I aren't great believers in fusion food but the Eatery is somewhere that has mastered fusion sushi and transformed it in to something fun. They've really done their research on how to do "fusion" properly, I don't see that too often.

The owners have a sense of humour :)

First thing first. Get a reservation in advance. They tend to get you to play the waiting game and it's not fun. The restaurant is not too big and you can see people eating right in front of you while you wait and starve. You have been warned.

Another factor is I don't feel that The Eatery is somewhere I'd go to eat and get really good service. I feel that from my experiences I felt a lot of the servers were a little rude and took very little in regards of the diners needs. But oh well, the place makes pretty good food, what more could I ask for. 

Since it was Michael's first time at the place he let me take control of ordering the rolls. Oh man, I love ordering their rolls because of their funny names. Sometimes I try not to get too carried away and order too much. Also when you let me take control of rolls, you will begin to nice a pattern.

Our plethora of rolls

Of course I ordered the avocado crunch ($5.50) which is avocado and cream cheese fried in to a tempura batter. I loved that there was crunch from the tempura and the mild creaminess of the avocado that's molded in to one ball. But then there is the slight cream cheese that hits you unexpectedly with a tang.  Michael thought it was extremely creamy, almost like a cream puff with a marshmallow filling. He thought there was a little sweetness in there too that the avocado gives you when you bite in to it.

Our second roll was the erotica roll ($6.95) which was avocado, salmon, tuna with roe, with crab, cucumber, and mayo. Michael both agree that it tasted very much like a California roll. I thought the crab's taste over powered a lot of the other mild ingredients and I could only taste the crab. Which I think that's what's giving the California roll type of feel.  Michael feels there was a good amount of the fish and roe which also tasted very fresh. The salmon tasted similar to the tuna one but there wasn't a lot of that mayo taste coming through.

Our last and final roll was the Viva Las Vegas ($7.95) which the menu claimed that this is what killed Elvis! I thought it was very delicious,  the roll is decked with crab, eel, avocado, cream cheese, and spicy mayo. I was looking for something with packed a lot of heat. The Vegas one had a fair amount of heat but I wish there was more. Maybe I would have gotten the heat if I ordered the X - rated roll. But overall I thought there wasa. Lot of elements to the Vegas. There was eel and there was the crab which I kind of thought it was a little lost in there because maybe there was also the cream cheese and the spicy mayo.  Michael thought the same that we're a lot of components in there and he referenced it to a chowder soup. Since there was a lot of ingredients happening its hard to differentiate them apart. He could taste the crab and the eel, and the avocado came throughout it mixed in with all the other ingredients in there eventually. 

Did you notice the pattern? All three rolls that I ordered contained avocado, well I just love my avocado!

Salmon tar tar

Another dish we ordered was the smoked salmon tar tar ($9.50) it had three types of salmon with black sesame, chives, and creme fraiche. There were wonton chips on the side made out like nachos which we thought was pretty cool, Michael thought it added a real nice touch.  I couldn't really make out the creme fraiche but I could definitly taste the smokiness. Everything just molded together ever so nicely. The salmon was just to die for, it was so good it was like my whole body just melted. There was also a little green salad on the side which Michael capped on to his salmon with the wonton chips. He thought it added an extra freshness to the mushiness of the salmon. I didn't really bother too much with the greens because it looked really dry that made it look not too appetizing.

Cheap wings

We also ordered half a dozen of wings ($0.35 each) and we got the salt and pepper flavor one. We didn't really have much of an opinion on those wings. We felt that there wasn't anything special to them, Michael purely got them was because they were so cheap. It was practically a steal.

Yaki-tori

We then got the yaki-tori ($5.25) which was three chicken skewers with a honey soy sauce. Michael loves anything that's served on a stick. I'm not sure why but I wasn't surprised that he wanted to order that. We both agree that the chicken skewer tasted extremely tender just fell off the stick practically. Michael thought the teriyaki sauce was very tastefully done, like the ones you would get at a fancy Japanese restaurant. Michael thought it was salty too, a little more salty than sweet but he ended up liking it anyway. I felt it a little too salty. 

Michael and I left the restaurant feeling super stuffed. We were about to fall in to a deep food coma. The eatery is somewhere that I would recommend if they are looking for somewhere to fun to eat at. The Eatery definitely has great energy and great food. It such a delight always just walking in to the restaurant because of their wild decor. 

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Ramen Izakaya @ NanChuu

Michael has been raving about this Ramen place for the longest time since his friends had took him there once. I was only prepared to be amazed when I see this oh so great ramen place.

Ramen Izakaya is located at 8391 Alexandra Rd., the Rodeo Drive of food in Richmond if you will, all the great diners, restaurants and cafes are located on that tiny strip. I honestly didn't know what to expect of this place except what Michael has told me.

I loved the interior of the restaurant, it really did look like the ramen restaurants I have been to in Tokyo. It was loads of fun walking through the restaurant to our table, you can just feel the authenticity come through from the environment and the staff.

A whole row of condiments to choose from at each table

Ramen Izakaya creates everything from scratch, especially the pork bone soup, which is boiled for hours before serving. When we sat down at our table I loved that there was a guide to how to eat ramen, and there were the exact condiments that we can put in to our bowls to accommodate with our noodles. My mom loves ramen with fatty pork with soup, so I know good ramen when I see it. This one was fabulous.

Fried chicken with garlic sauce and salad

I had a crave for chicken so Michael decided to order one of their specials, the fried chicken with garlic sauce and salad ($6). The chicken was like summer on a plate, it tasted citrusy with a touch of garlic, just enough not to overpower the chicken's flavour. The chicken was fried and you might think fried chicken is oily and greasy but this was far from that. It was very light and the salad was very refreshing just like summer should be. Michael thought it had a bit too much of the garlic sauce on it, which took a bit of the crunch out of the fried chicken, but he thought the flavour was perfect.

Takoyaki

Michael ordered the Takoyaki (four pieces for $3.75) and it was so delicious I'd have to say it was best I've ever had. The exterior was lightly crisped and the inside just oozed out with squid. The sauce was so good it had tang and gave the takoyaki a little zing.  In hindsight, Michael wishes he ordered the larger portion with eight pieces.

Tonkotsu Ae Soba

For entrees I had the Tonkotsu Ae Soba ($8.75), ramen cooked in their signature pork soup and then drained. What caught my attention was not only because it was soupless but it was also the staff favourite. Sold! When my noodles arrived, I found out it wasn't technically soupless there was some soup on the bottom but it didn't bother me. Of course I was keen on following the how to eat ramen 101.

First I didn't allow it to cool down. Second I tasted the ramen without any of the condiments. Third was to add whatever condiment you wanted, for me that was a hint of garlic and the special vinegar and soy for ramen and goyza. I loved that I got to add the condiments in to the noodles because I have never tried that before. It's definitely not packaged noodles. Along with the noodles was a half a boiled egg with the yolk oozing out. My one problem with my bowl was that there was bean sprouts with the noodles. I thought they gave a nice crunch but there was a little earthy taste for me that  I thought it didn't go well with the noodles and broth. That's just my own judgment though.

Tonkotsu Miso Ramen

Michael had the Tonkotsu Miso Ramen ($8.95), a full bowl of pork broth with lots of miso added to cover a bed of ramen noodles. His dish didn't come with as many toppings as mine but there was a decent serving of pork slices in the bowl, chopped green onions, bean sprouts and a thick slice of seaweed included. Anything involving miso soup usually gets Michael sitting up so it wasn't that surprising that he wolfed down his noodles and started drinking the soup, too.

I actually can't wait to return to this ramen place, there are so many other things I can't wait to try on the menu. Everything must be delicious!


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Guu Original

Many people rave about Guu but I hesitated going with Michael because their dishes are quite small. Guu serves many Japanese tapas that taste spectacular, but the most of the time when I go with friends I leave the restaurant still hungry.

There are a few Guu locations throughout Vancouver and one in Richmond. Michael and I didn't know where to eat after a brief shopping trip in Downtown, and we wanted to go to a place that served good food without burning a hole in the wallet. We couldn't think of any better place to go than Guu on 838 Thurlow St, just steps away from the heart of Downtown.

Front and centre!

Guu's Thurlow location is a complete Japanese experience, the staff are so full of energy, we usually sit right front and centre at the bar area, where we can see the chefs in action. We love seeing the chefs when they cook. It was a good thing we came a few minutes early, since there was already a small line up beginning to form outside.

Chicken karaage

Since it was a Japanese tapas restaurant, Michael and I shared our food. First I ordered the karaage ($5.40), fried chicken served with mayo on the side. The chicken was crispy on the outside and was a crunchy delight. The inside was moist and the meat was so smooth. I love Japanese mayo, it tastes a little different from western mayo by being a little more tangy and creamy with a stronger aroma than western mayo.

Kimchi udon

The first time I went to Guu in Gastown, my best friend ordered the kimchi udon ($7.80), and it looked fabulous, especially since she gobbled it so fast, I assume it has to be good. I ordered it this time and it arrived in a mentaiko type of sauce, which is a cod roe served with salt and red peppers. It tasted super creamy and rich. Perfect balance with the spicy kimchi. Michael and I both agreed it was delicious.

Beef short ribs

Michael also ordered his beef short rib ($5.80), no surprise there. He thought the beef was a little too salty though. It came with about six small pieces, but the flavour was a bit overwhelming for him.

Grilled scallops on bread

The best thing about tapas bars are you get to try a bit of everything, we then got into our seafood groove and ordered the hotate butter, grilled garlic and buttered scallop on onion and a bread biscuit ($5.60). It came with four small but delicious pieces of scallop and plenty of flavour from its toppings. We did have trouble keeping the scallop on the bread while picking it up though.

Takoyaki

Next up, an order of Takoyaki ($4), dough battered balls of deep-fried octopus, something Michael and I love sharing together. I thought it tasted just like any other Takoyaki should taste like. Soft and flavourful and rolled up in a gentle ball with diced octopus inside. I liked that at Guu instead of the drizzle mayo they served a mustard drizzle. It was sour and tangy, and just tasted different.

Ochazuke

Lastly Michael ordered the ochazuke ($4.30), which is traditionally rice and tea with flavoured toppings. Ours arrived with seaweed, flaked fish, onions, bits of pork and wasabi. The soup certainly tasted different, Michael and I both agreed it was very refreshing and light.

I think Guu is a fun place to go with friends, the more the merrier, that way there are more things to share together. We noticed many other things on the menu worth coming back for.

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Charcoal Sushi

What a hot day it was! I didn't have much of an appetite and if I did it would've most likely been a bucket of ice. But a gals gotta eat with her man.

Michael randomly searched for a place in Richmond and we ended up going to Charcoal located at 7997 Westminster Hwy. They serve sushi and do it yourself barbeque. I have been to Charcoal before with my parents and friends, I never thought anything special of the place except the fact that it was a more cleaner then many other sushi places in Richmond.  Michael had never been and I didn't want to burst his bubble, so the good girlfriend I am I went with him anyways.

The restaurant is a decent size about 10 tables or so, and there is a little stove built in to the table where you can grill your delicious meats and veggies. The enviroment of the restaruant is modern with stoned walls and a good ventilation so all that barbecue smoke doesn't build up in the restaurant. I personally don't really have the patience to grill my dinner myself in a restaurant, it gets pretty frustrating when I am hungry the last thing you want to do is wait for your chicken to cook a front of you.

Tuna and avocado roll

Michael and I wasn't that hungry today so I ordered a tuna and avocado roll ($4.25) which of course is just tuna and avacado. The tuna didn't have much of a taste but the avocado added some texture and a faint taste to the tuna. But nothing like some good old wasabi would do the trick.

Ebi Sunomono

Michael had the classic chilled dish Ebi Sunomono ($3.95) which had prawns, cucumbers, lemon, and vermicelli salad. Michael thought the appetizer was perfect, sunomonos are usually cold sour noodles which are supposed to stimulate the appetite before a meal.

Classic Roll

As for the dishes that Michael and I shared, we first had the classic roll ($7.99) which had eel, yam tempura, with sliced avocado. For an original roll it didn't taste that classic to me,  I have had MUCH better original rolls, this taste description is going to be short,  there isn't much to say, the roll had no taste, even the mayo and teriyaki sauce did nothing for me. This roll just didn't cut it for me. Wheres the flavour flave? it tasted like I was just eating rice with random stuffing inside. Michael on the other hand did enjoy the roll a little more then I did, he thought the tempura gave it a nice crunch and the price was pretty good for something with barbequed unagi (eel) in it.

Sauna Clams

Now, something Michael and I can both agree on is the Sauna Clams ($5.95). We both thought the clams were going to be pint sized but we were far from being right. The clams were very big and was served in a clay pot, which was still bubbling when it came to our table. It was served from a broth that was very flavourful it had a little tang and sour taste to it. It went very well with our big clams.

Beef grill

Michael and I also shared the beef grill ($12). Michael thought it was going to be one of our DYI projects on the table since the picture showed some raw beef with veggies, but he was really disappointed when the beef came out cooked. Nonetheless we both agreed that the beef was served very moist and tender. It was very easy to chew as if it was just going to melt in your mouth. Underneath, it came with buttered onions and mushroom.

Overall Michael and I think Charcoal isn't very special and doesn't stand out in Richmond's restaurant industry. It's not somewhere that we would go out of our way for their food. Their menu isn't special or unique to make us want to come back.

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Torarenbo

There are so many sushi places in Richmond so it's really hard to say which one is our favourite. Michael and I were on a bit of a time crunch over the weekend and wanted to grab a bite before a comedy show.    

We randomly picked Torarenbo, located at 8191 Park Rd, I've been here before with my parents but Michael wanted to go to try out their barbecued fish.

Spicy tuna roll

We shared everything that we ordered, except for my spicy tuna roll ($4.25). Michael doesn't like raw spicy anything. Whenever I'm at a casual sushi restaurant I always need to get spicy tuna roll, I don't know why, it's just a routine of mine. If my best friend is reading this, I think she would understand and give me a hand hug to that. I thought the spicy tuna roll was pretty mediocre just like any other spicy tuna roll I have had in Richmond. But the tuna tasted fresh and I loved the spicy kick it gives.

Gyoza

 
Michael and I shared gyozas ($4.50), yum, one of my favourite. Usually when I am at casual Japanese restaurant, the gyozas are pretty simple. But surprisingly the gyozas from Torarenbo were really good, once you bite in to it there are juices from the pork that comes out. It was really flavourful and the vinegar on the side made everything else more perfect.

Angry Bird roll

I love sushi rolls that restaurants create on their own, I think it's original and the restaurant adds some fun in to the sushi concept. Michael and I ordered one of the Torarenbo signature rolls, The Angry Bird roll ($6.85).  This caught my eye from the menu was because none other then it's one of Michael's favourite game on his phone. It contains chicken, we can see why the bird is angry, served with spicy mayo, seaweed, and tempura flakes. I thought the roll was good but the spicy mayo did nothing, it tasted like regular mayonnaise. I was hoping to have a little more heat. But the crunch from the seaweed and flakes were nice.

Zaru Soba

Michael ordered Zaru Soba ($5.95) one of his favourites, it was presented in a much nicer way then we have seen from other  casual sushi restaurants, it had the garnishes such as onions, sesame seed, and a quail egg on the side to mix it all in with the soy sauce to dip with the noodles.  I thought even with such elaborate garnish on the side, the noodles and the soy sauce together was very bland, the soy sauce and everything else did nothing. But I did think that the buckwheat noodles were cooked nicely and didn't taste chewy.

Barbequed Saba

Finally the barbecue "Saba" mackerel ($8.25) that Michael has been hearing about. He thought it tasted fabulous and that the meat was very easy to chew, smooth, and juicy. Myself on the other hand, thought it tasted okay. I wouldn't say it tasted as smooth as Michael have thought. I think I have had better barbecue fishes else where.

Overall my opinion on Torarenbo has not changed from the first time I was there. Since today Michael and I were on such a rush, I didn't really mind where we ate. Torarenbo to me is just a casual sushi restaurant in Richmond that serves mediocre Japanese food, a good place to make a pit stop if you have a sushi crave kicking in. If I wanted really good sushi this isn't place for me.

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Santouka Ramen

Santouka Ramen on Robson Street

There are so many Japanese ramen noodles restaurants in Vancouver, yet we haven't been to a single one yet. We decided to try Santouka Ramen today, located at 1690 Robson Street on the edge of Vancouver shopping district.

The restaurant is very small, as in Michael and I can hear literally hear the conversation at our next table. There is also tables set up facing the kitchen to make it feel like a "noodle bar" type of a vibe. Since the restaurant is so small it does make me feel like I am in Japan, which is fantastic because it really gives it an authentic feel knowing that everyone who works there is from Japan. Michael found out that Santouka Ramen  is actually a franchise from Japan, it doesn't get more authentic then that.

Kara Miso Ramen (a little bit spicy)

I was hungry and I was ready to eat my little face off. Michael and I both got a ramen and rice combo. I chose the Grilled Salmon Bowl combo ($14.50), while Michael chose the Ikura Salmon Roe combo ($15.90). All the noodles were served with barbeque pork cheek, bamboo sapling, fish cakes, seaweed and their signature broth. We got to chose what goes with our broth and I got the Kara Miso which was a little spicy but not so hot that I am chugging water with every bite I take. It still had a hint of Miso taste to it which was nice.

Classic Miso Broth Ramen

Michael go the classic Miso broth, which was rich in flavour with a hint of creaminess. Michael and I really liked the noodles served with our broth. Everything went so well together, the little bamboo gave the noodles some texture. The noodles were prepared  really fresh and soft, it was an obvious that the noodles didn't come from a package. Everything went really well even though it was simple it worked. Just one delightful slurp. By the end, Michael wished he had more noodles.

Grilled Salmon with Rice

Although the noodles were delicious, my favourite part was the rice sidedish. I had grilled salmon with rice, served with seaweed, and Michael got salmon roe which were salmon eggs, under a bed of scrambled chicken eggs, served on rice.

Ikura Salmon Roe on Rice

I don't know what they did to the rice but it tasted it  fantastic. It had a seaweed taste to it with  some sesame hint to it. Michael said his chicken eggs had the tomago sweetened flavour, paired with the moisture from the salmon roe, it really went well with the rice. As for myself, the salmon was nice and flaky it wasn't dry at all. I could just gobble up my bowl again if I could.

Overall the experience was really good I wouldn't mind coming back here with Michael  to eat our combo again. Maybe we'll make new friends with the table next to us next time as well.


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Posh Hot Pot

Michael and I had a short day Saturday and were looking for a place to eat after we paid a visit to one my friends graduation events. We stumbled upon Posh a Japanese style hot pot restaurant located at 1123-3779 Sexsmith Rd., right beside the popular Pearl Castle bubble tea cafe.

A little different from Chinese hot pots, it's much thicker

I am not a fan of hot pot and I could probably fill a phone book with my reasons. But we've both heard so many good things about Posh from our friends, and Michael seemed like he was really keen on trying it. It was also $17 per person for the all you can eat dinner menu. So I thought I would take a chance with him. The restaurant is very small and has only a few tables, seating at most two dozen or so, but the environment was  simple and modern.

Bok choi, enoki mushrooms and baby corn

Michael and I sat at the bar area, it was a little squishy but it made the dining experience seem more cozy. Another thing I liked about this hot pot restaurant is that it is very different from other hot pot places we've seen before. Where many of them are dirty, loud, and lack customer service. But Posh has none of that. The waitress was nice enough to explain to us the process and the how-tos, considered a rarity at Asian restaurants. There was water and soy sauce for us to pour in the pot when it gets dry, and when we eat our meats, dip the cooked meats in to the a sauce of raw egg, giving it a nice creamy texture.

The cooking element, adjust temperature as needed

The "pot" arrives with cabbage and broth inside, under a cooking element. In goes the vegetables that we had ordered, such as enoki and shitaki mushrooms, radish, potatoes, radish,and bok choi, combining their tastes nicely with the broth. What I thought was unique from this broth was that it there was a creamy and buttery taste along with the soy sauce, which I found very tasty. What can be wrong with butter?

All you can eat pork and beef!

For meats, Michael and I ordered pork and beef, both meats were very tasty, they were thinly sliced and soft to chew. It was weird dipping in to a raw egg though, at first it just felt it was meat going in to a raw egg but after I did taste the creaminess of the egg going along with the meat.

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