Kimura Sushi & Japanese Cuisine
3883 Rupert Street
Vancouver, BC
Some time ago, when I went to Chong Lee’s Market (in 22nd Avenue) for some banh mi, I noticed Kimura, a Japanese restaurant “to be open soon”. Of course, having such a restaurant almost in the middle of nowhere would catch some attention. To quote my post on Chong Lee’s:
- Open a restaurant in a weird location/setting.
- Make it ethnic (bonus if Japanese).
- ???
- Profit!
(This of course was inspired by an episode of South Park called Gnomes)
I mentioned this to Sherman and, as usual, our grand plans to get some others to tag along and go on one day never materialized. Until, that is, Sherman drops me a note saying Vandelay and family, as well as Sherman, Viv and family will be going one night and checked if I wanted to tag along. Well, I might be the odd one out on this one (not the first instance either!) but that has never stopped me, specially not for food!
As for the restaurant itself, there is some sort of aura behind it: The restaurant chef happens to be Japanese and spent quite some time in different countries. However, story goes, he decided to settle down in one location and, rather, opening a big restaurant, he chose a small one. One other feature seems to be his love for jazz because that is what was playing the whole time during dinner! (I don’t mind jazz but can anybody imagine reggae?).
Read more…!
Tagged as:
Japanese,
Sushi,
Vancouver
Furusato Japanese Restaurant
10012 Northwest 82 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
When I first started food blogging, at first, there weren’t that many people reading my posts. Well, in a way, that is expected, given that I didn’t really put too much effort in meeting others. After meeting with other food bloggers, let’s just say things started to improve. For the most part, most people commenting were from here in BC. Except for one, whose “name” was “raidar”. Eventually, I found that Chris (raidar’s in-real-life name), who writes Eating is the Hard Part, was from Edmonton. So, not long after I made all the arrangements for this trip to Edmonton, I started to check with people in that province and Chris’ name popped almost right away. So, as with almost any meeting with food bloggers (and, in this case, it does not matter from what province or country, as it happened with Phyllis), what better place to meet than… A restaurant to break some bread! And given that Chris has written so many times about Furusato, and the endless comparison with Vancouver, I suggested we should give this place a try. And to Furusato we went!
Update: Chris’ post is here!
Read more…!
Tagged as:
Edmonton,
Japanese,
Sushi
Two Koi Japanese Cuisine
1552 Commerce Street – Suite 100
Tacoma, WA
As you have noticed already, a lot of times, when I go on business trips, I end up going to a sushi restaurant in a sort of personal quest: that of find whether that claim that Vancouver’s sushi offerings in general are THAT good. In a way, it was disproved when I went to Shiro’s in Seattle, as it was really good (compared to the mid-range offerings in Vancouver). So, on my trip to Tacoma, I did something similar: I went to Two Koi, such restaurant type near the hotel I was staying, for yet another comparison…
Read more…!
Tagged as:
Japanese,
Sushi,
Tacoma
Guu Garden
M101-888 Nelson Street
Vancouver, BC
Every once in a while, I notice new food bloggers dropping by and, well, since I am always up to meet more people, what better way than breaking bread with them? Of course, barring some wacky circumstances like feeling under the weather business trips, hey, I am always up for it! This time, it was Mariko “Mare-Bear” who writes 604 On the Go, who by sheer coincidence, lives relatively close to my workplace. Well, that means trying somewhere nearby, right? Wrong! Initially, we were planning to go to Kosetsu – a newly open izakaya in Robson and Cardero (as if we needed yet one more…); however, when we arrived, we found out they weren’t open yet. That was a bit of a curveball because the sign outside contradicted the waitress who was refusing us entrance. Oh, well, we said, how about we walk to some other place in Downtown? In a random turn of events, we walked by Guu Garden and, well, why not!
Read more…!
Tagged as:
Downtown,
Izakaya,
Japanese,
Vancouver
Shiro’s Sushi
2401 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA
If you were to go to a sushi restaurant, how much are you willing to spend? I am sure that most people won’t be willing to fork more than $30. At that price point, some say something on the lines of “I might as well go to an all-you-can-eat”. To those who plan to bash me for saying that, I will admit, I used to belong to that group. Used to is, of course, the key phrase. I have learned that food that you can’t prepare yourself and have some level of enticement will lead big $$. Of course, like most of you, I have a budget and going to a restaurant that will require me to go for a filet-o-fish afterwards isn’t something I would consider either.
But, going back to the sushi restaurant question. I have observed that, for most people, sushi equals to makizushi or rolls. For the most part, I won’t argue with you if you like it that way; however, it takes away the skill of the chef. After all, if you throw in a jagged/below average cut of fish in a roll, chances are you won’t notice it (unlike, say, sashimi or nigiri sushi). However, I will give them some points due to the fact it can be more “shareable” compared to nigiri sushi, which I usually end up getting, as I usually go out by myself.
That brings then the issue of economics. Between $3 to $10 a roll, most people will be satisfied to a certain extent. Satisfied their sushi craving and ready to move on. But, given the commonality of such dish in Vancouver (are there more Starbucks or sushi restaurants in Vancouver, anyway?), one way to entice customers is to lower their price at the expense of quality. But, when the majority of customers accept that compromise, at times, there is nothing preventing these restaurants to go even lower (usually by lowering quality) to satisfy the customer’s demands. At one point, if people see a piece of nigiri sushi for $4, they might say you will be nuts to pay for that single morsel…
Finally, summarizing all this, it brings me back to the sushi restaurants I have visited: for the most part, these are Chinese or Korean owned, which follows the consumer demand/quality trend mentioned above (some more towards one side than the other). Of course, I have been to Japanese owned and operated, as well (Shima-Ya). However, I also believe I should try something “better” (short of travelling to Japan, like ET and Christina of Doesn’t TaZte Like Chicken did). And, in a fortunate turn of events, I was in Seattle with a meal budget and decided to visit a Japanese owned and operated – Shiro’s Sushi.
Read more…!
Tagged as:
Japanese,
Seafood,
Seattle,
Sushi
Brado Restaurant
1399 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC
Cake-Ya
2415 Clarke Street
Port Moody, BC
Last week, there were a couple of post featuring meals I had with people I have met while food blogging. For the most part, these were events I organized myself. But, in an interesting twist, how about something organized by another food blogger whom I haven’t met previously? Specifically, somebody who, currently, is not even here in Vancouver? It just happen that Phyllis of me Hungry! was in town (who happens to have lived here in Vancouver) and Jessica of Yumorama organized a mini-meeting of sorts, which, in the end, only Sherman and me showed up. Because of a poutine run she had last time she was here, the suggested place was, once again, another poutine place! And one I visited in the past… Brado Restaurant. But, that brings the question… How is Cake-Ya, a small dessert shop located in Port Moody has to do with Brado?! Read to find out more! 
Read more…!
Tagged as:
Dessert,
Japanese,
Pizza,
Port Moody,
Vancouver
Ebisu on Broadway
601 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
I have mentioned previously that a “perk” of blogging is that you get to meet people. In this instance, I got to meet DVP (sorry, won’t mention her name unless she chooses to; instead, I will use a placeholder name, OK?), whom have been a frequent reader in some of the local blogs. Of course, it wasn’t solely for the food; in DVP’s case, she also had some questions about me, not to mention about my other “hobby”, namely photography. But, you know what? At times, no excuses are need to check with me for a meal!
Now, DVP had a particular request: a sushi restaurant. I found out the reason real behind afterwards but, in a way, I was up to the challenge. Unfortunately, it was the Victoria’s Day long weekend and, suddenly, all the places I had originally suggested were closed! In the end, while driving almost endlessly, I thought… Ebisu! So, in the end, to Ebisu we went.
Read more…!
Tagged as:
Japanese,
Seafood,
Sushi,
Vancouver
