I'm Only Here for the Food!

Kitanoya Guu
375 Water St
Vancouver, BC V6B

I wonder how long has Guu been in Vancouver. What surprises me more though is that I have never been to one! When a group of ex-colleagues agreed on meeting after work and Guu was mentioned, I was all up for it. (On that note, some places refer it as “Guu with Otokomae” rather than Kitanoya Guu. Don’t ask what is the difference…)

We agreed on meeting in the Gastown location.

It was not a Friday so it was not as full as one would have expected. Afte arriving, we were given a hot wet towel, called oshibori, to clean our hands. When all the members of our party were there (unfortunately, some could not make it so the party that night was 6), food ordering started and, of course, arriving. Since we are in izakaya, drinks are expected, in this case, a couple of bottles of Asahi beer.

As for food…

Edamame, boiled green soy beans. It was OK, though I must mention I am not crazy about it.

Okonomiyaki, sometimes described as a Japanese pancake. Not sure if that’s an exact description but that works for most people. I asked for this dish. It was not overly savoury but the sauce on top gave it a sweet note. Sorry about the fuzzy picture; I had to quickly take the picture as people wanted to start digging already!

Yakiudon, as if there was not enough carbs already! It was good, as it wasn’t too oily, compared to, say, a stir fry.

Ebimayo. I have been told this is one of the best know dishes: Fried shrimps with a special mayo. If this is a signature dish, unfortunately I must say it is overrated, as I did not find the shrimp too “sweet”.

Dumplings. It was OK, specially if you compare it to a Dim Sum place.

Salmon sashimi. It was OK. Not sure if it is wild salmon but given it is more orange than the usual farmed one, that would hint me they are.

Korokke or Japanese style croquette. In the small bowl to the right, it was pop corn ribs. Now that I think about it, I think we had a bit too many fried dishes… Not extremely excited about either one.

Steak tataki. Is it me or it looks like a carpaccio? Anyway, this was quite good. On a funny note, this is what I was referring to try to take pictures when people are hungry!

For desset, we ordered fried banana with ice cream. The ice cream here was coconut ice cream. I think the banana was not ripe enough but, regardless, it was a good way to finish it. We also ordered an Earl Grey Crème brûlée but did not have a chance to take a picture of it. It was also really good.

As a bonus, we were given frozen grapes. Notice it was not ice-cube frozen, instead, it was as if you were biting to really fine ice or snow.

Overall, if it is food alone, I would say it is just above average. Some dishes are good but others are just OK. However, in my opinion, going to an izakaya is not all about food. Instead is about providing an environment where you can meet with friends, drink, have some food and enjoy the time. In that case, Guu is quite good.