BONUS - Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie

The Topic: Quest for Vancouver's BEST Poutine on Davie Street

The Contestants: La Belle Patate, La Brasserie, Fritz European Fry House

4 Poutines later, the results are in!

The poutine at La Brasserie is in a different league, so I almost feel it is unfair to put it in the same category with La Belle Patate and Fritz European Fry House. If I do put it in the competition, their breakfast poutine takes the lead hands down. For a gourmet poutine on Davie Street, La Brasserie seems untouchable (unless another restaurant wants to challenge them…?)

1^st place Most Authentic French-Canadian Poutine - La Belle Patate.

1^st place Best Tasting Poutine - La Brasserie’s Breakfast Poutine

BONUS VIDEO - Breakfast Poutine

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 1 of 4

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 2 of 4

The Best Poutine on Davie Street Part 3 of 4

BONUS VIDEO - Breakfast Poutine

Please subscribe, rate & comment at my Follow Me Foodie youtube channel. Thanks!

La Brasserie offer 2 different poutines: A truffle poutine that is offered as a hot appetizer for dinner (or as a side), and a breakfast poutine that is offered for their Saturday and Sunday brunch. I was lucky enough to try both!

The breakfast poutine will keep you full until dinner and maybe even a bit sleepy…but it’s totally worth it!

On the table:

La Brasserie Breakfast Poutine 6/6

• Poached egg, bacon, truffle oil, Hollandaise sauce, cheese curds, pork gravy $12
• I’m really mad I didn’t get a picture of this for my blog entry, I totally forgot. You can see it in my “Best Poutine on Davie” video though.
• Poutine for breakfast? Really? Yes, really…and don’t complain. But again, why would you? You won’t for this one at least.
• Oh my gosh...could I have died and went to heaven? Figuratively and literally? Yes, quite possibly. But would I have at least died happy? Yes, because this breakfast poutine is freaking tasty.
• Ok first off, put an egg on anything and I’m there. Poach it like the way their chef did it…I’m so there! It was a perfectly soft poached egg and when you poked the yolk it ran all over the fries and mixed in with the Hollandaise and gravy. I’m drooling all over again.
• This was a very well prepared poutine. Many things stood out, but the first flavour I got was surprisingly not savoury, but actually tangy! The tang was from one of the best parts of this poutine: the Hollandaise sauce. It’s made in house and from scratch. It’s buttery, creamy, thick, rich and intensely flavourful with a strong lemon taste. There’s also Worcestershire sauce to add to the tang and give it a kick, it’s one of the best Hollandaise I’ve had.
• The bacon was fresh pieces of bacon. Not those thin bacon strips, but actual pieces of bacon meat. They were lightly pan fried, and not that crispy ( I kind of wish they were though), but they almost had a dry chewy quality to them. It was salty, but not too salty. This is a Franco-German Bistro so they know their pork…thus the pork gravy is great too. The same pork gravy in the truffle poutine they serve at dinner.
• I could definitely smell the truffle oil even though they used less than they did on the truffle poutine. However the truffle oil became secondary to the Hollandaise and to everything else going on. To be honest, it didn’t even need to truffle oil because it was that well prepared.
• With everything combined it really is something can’t be missed. It's surprisingly only $12 too, totally worth it! It’s super hearty, filling, and rich, but really who cares when there’s so much to enjoy? I highly recommend this…but park further away so at least you’re walking back to your car…

Truffle Poutine 5/6

• Fries, cheese curds, pork gravy, truffle oil $9

Added note: This review is a little different because it was for my video blog. Therefore the food at La Brasserie was complimentary, (although I did offer to pay) but my opinions are still honest and as non-biased as I can be. The opinions and views expressed in "The Quest for Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street" review and video are those of Follow Me Foodie/Mijune only. There is no paid advertising and as always I write for the benefit of the customers and not for the restaurants.

Maple Castella - Blueberry Bun

Restaurant: Maple Castella - Review for Blueberry Bun
Cuisine: Bakery/Breads/Pastries/Desserts
Last visited: March 7, 2010

Area: Richmond, BC
#1068 - 8700 McKim Way (In Admiralty Cenre)
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5 (6 for hits, 2 for miss)
Service: n/a (biased b/c they know me now)

Ambiance: 2.5

Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Taiwanese bakery in Richmond
• Specializes in Taiwanese buns/baked goods (sweet & savoury)
• All breads/buns made on site daily
• Amazing breads and buns - cookies not as great though
• Bread are more on the sweeter side
• Always busy, familiar to locals and Chinese
• Taiwanese bakery not Cantonese - so buns are different than Chinese bakeries like Maxim's
• Closed Thursday
• Smells absolutely delicious inside and outside the bakery

**Recommendation: Pumpkin Bread, Pork Floss bread, Pork floss bun with the egg wrapped around it

I’ve written about Maple Castella on a few occasions and have really come to realize that when their breads are good it’s a 6/6 and when they’re not they’re really just okay.

I’m eating my way through all their items and so far, the best is still the pumpkin bread and the pork floss bread.

Everything is made daily and seriously the bread (the loaves) sells out as soon as it comes out of the oven. They only make about 12 loaves of each type of bread a day. It’s small bakery with a small operation so believe me when I say PRE-ORDER. Any of their loaves, even their white bread is sells out at the end of the day. The pumpkin bread is a guaranteed sell out in like 2 hours on a slow day.

On the table:

Blueberry Bun 2/6

• $1.10
• This looks better than it tastes.
• It’s one of their newer items so I was very excited to try it, but it didn’t impress me .

• The blueberry is like a jam with mini whole blueberries in it and it’s not very sweet. I wish there was more becuase I could really taste an blueberry flavour with so much bread. It was kind of like a Taiwanese style Danish.

• The bread part wasn’t even that good. Still quite soft and fluffy but not as much as their loaves. They can do better. It was actually a bit dry and it’s more neutral than it is sweet.

• The bubble like topping should have been more crumbly and sweeter. It’s usually more of a sweet crust made of butter and sugar that gets all crusty and crumbly when baked. This bubble crust was just bread-like.
• For me this wasn’t sweet enough to be a dessert, but more of a snack.

Top Gun J&C Restaurant - Review 2

Restaurant: Top Gun J&C Restaurant

Cuisine: Chinese/Asian/Dim Sum

Last visited: February 21, 2010
Area: Richmond, BC

Unit 2020 Excel Centre, 8766 McKim Way (2^nd floor)
Range: $20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5 (moved up .5, tried more stuff)

Service: 4

Ambiance: 5

Overall: 5

Additional comments:

• Part of Top Gun Group
• Considered a high end dim sum restaurant
• Traditional and creative dim sum dishes (mostly traditional)
• Japanese sushi and sashimi available
• Cantonese cuisine
• Discount if you arrive before 11am
• Ordering form service
• Busy, but plenty of seating
• Fancy set up
• Private room available
• Breakfast/Lunch 9:30am-3pm
• Dinner 5:30pm-10pm
• Closed Wednesday
• Reservations recommended
• Some parking available

**Recommendation: Steamed Diced Pork & Shrimp Dumpling, Baked BBQ Pork Bun, Deep Fried Fish Ball w/Clam Sauce, Steamed Beef Ball, Fried Vermicelli in Homemade Style, Pea Tips and Geoduck rice rolls, Steamed Sponge Cake, Red Bean Almond Tofu with Amaretto, Fried Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf

Top Gun J&C Restaurant is part of the Top gun Group so it is considered a higher end dim sum Restaurant. It competes at the level of Kirin Restaurant and Rainflower Chinese Restaurant.

So I’ve been here numerous times and this was my second visit for a continuation of Chinese New Year brunches.

The 1^st Chinese New Year brunch review at Top Gun J&C Restaurant.

The dessert at Top Gun J&C Restaurant.

On the table:

Pan Fried Radish Cake 3.5/6

• Or pan-fried white turnip cake. (Not sure what it’s called on the menu) $4.75?
• This is a traditional dim sum dish to order during Chinese New Year; although it is also a common dish all year around.
• It’s made in house and available ‘raw’ or not pan-fried (to give as gifts) during Chinese New Year and other traditional Chinese holidays.
• It’s a bit sticky and gluey in texture. It’s made of shredded radish of Chinese daikon, which is neutral in flavour. It’s not spicy and not really sweet either. The radish cake is very soft and the flavour comes from the bits of sausage, dried shrimps and Shiitake mushrooms they add to the mixture.
• The ones here are good, but I’ve had better. They’re a little firm and not soft and creamy enough and the edges could be fried crispier. I could also use more Shiitake mushrooms in the mixture.
  

Pan-Fried Taro Cake 3.5/6

• $4.75?
• This is another very common dish to have during Chinese New Year that is also available all year around.
• It’s almost like the pan fried radish cake but it’s a bit drier and starchier in texture. It’s more potato like and not as creamy.
• It’s a savoury cake made or shredded taro root (which is basically a starchier potato-like vegetable), rice flour, Shiitake mushrooms, sausage and maybe some ground pork as well.
• I actually think they did a better job with these than the pan fried radish cake, however I’ve had better of these too. These ones were a bit too firm again. They are firmer than pan-fried radish cakes, but even relative to other taro cakes they’re still a little too firm and a bit too dry.

Scallops and Black Wood Ear Mushroom Rice Rolls 4/6

• $7.50
• This is one of their specialty items and I haven’t seen them offered anywhere else.
• They’re a bit expensive, but that’s because there are huge scallops in them! They’re big white fresh scallops, not dried ones. Although it would taste delicious with some dried scallops in there as well.
• I wish I got a picture, but you can see the big round scallops underneath the rice roll skin.
• I’m not sure if black wood ear mushrooms were the right match – the crunchy texture (cartilage like) kind of threw me off with the soft yet meaty scallops. I would have preferred Enoki mushrooms instead.
• They didn’t have much black wood ear mushrooms in there anyways though.
• I found it a bit bland and the only flavour was pretty much the sweet soy sauce and natural scallop taste.

**Pea Tips and Geoduck Rice Rolls 5/6

• $7.50
• It’s pretty much sautéed pea tips and geoduck wrapped in rice rolls.
• This is another specialty item that isn’t offered anywhere else. It’s their in house recipe and not traditional, but still very good and very gourmet. So it’s a bit pricier again.
  

• The geoduck is a type of clam, so it almost tastes the same. It’s chewy and they don’t overcook them here, so they are still tender. They give you lots too and they’re cut in nice bite sized pieces.
• I really liked the pea tips in here. A unique flavour combination that worked well. It was a very hearty stuffing for the delicate rice rolls, but I still liked it. Lots of textures – soft, chewy, crunchy. I liked it! The ingredients held well with the sweet soy sauce you eat them with too.
• Good example of messing with a good thing…and it actually working.
  

**Fried Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf 6/6

• $10.95
• This is also quite pricey, but it’s good and they execution is done really well.
• It was very fresh and made upon order. I liked the presentation as well.

• It’s a pretty big pot of fried rice with pieces of salted egg yolk, scrambled egg, pieces of white meat chicken, baby shrimp, a few minced up Shiitake mushrooms, and sliced Chinese broccoli stems.
• It was very flavourful rice and has the same flavour as sticky rice. It’s not sticky though and the grains are separate. They did a great job with the frying.
  

• The yellow pieces that look like squash is the salted egg yolk. I love these! It maybe an acquired taste though. It’s very dry and very crumbly in texture. It’s quite firm and it has a very potent salty flavour. It almost has a bean like salty texture and tastes like fermented food. Well it is – it’s a salted duck egg (did I lose you!? I didn't want to say it and scare you off...) but it's a preserved duck egg. It’s the same egg they use in the centre of Chinese moon cakes.
  

**Steamed Sponge Cake 6/6

• $4.50
• This is a very popular Chinese dessert served during dim sum.
• The one here is very good! It’s hot, fresh, and made upon order.
• It’s very soft, light, fluffy, and very lightly sweetened.
• It tastes like egg rolls or Chinese egg balls in sponge cake form.
• It has a slight almond-y flavour and I loved the presentation! I’ve never seen it served like this. I ate the middle part…I usually don’t care for this dessert…but this one was great! A lot of Chinese people love it.

Gyo-O Kaisen Shokudo Japanese - Dessert Review

Restaurant: Gyo-O Kaisen Shokudo Japanese - Dessert Review

Cuisine: Japanese/Izakaya
Last visited: February 6, 09
Area: Richmond, BC (Continental Plaza)
Unit 2137-3779 Sexsmith Road
Price Range: $20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Dessert: 1.5
Service: 4

Ambiance: 4

Overall: 5

Additional comments:

• Japanese chefs
• Authentic Japanese dishes
• Specializes in udon & dons
• Most meals are for one
• Some izakaya/tapas style fusion dishes
• Portions are decent, a bit bigger than most izakaya places
• A bit expensive, unless you go with lots of ppl
• Extensive menu
• Lunch specials
• Part of Gyoza King family
• Small, casual, and trendy
• Crowded and narrow atmosphere
• Complimentary green tea
• Cash only

**Recommendation: Goma Miso Gyoza, BBQ Salmon Skin, Shoyu Mayo Takoyaki, Bukkake Udon

Of course I can never skip out on dessert...no matter how full I am. There is somehow always room. Unfortualey the desserts weren't fresh so they didn't taste as good as they could and should have been. The mochi was hard and the macaons are stale. They sounded and looked so good too! :(

Gyo-O Kaisen Shokudo Japanese - Lunch/Dinner Review

On the table:

Mochi Ice Cream 1/6

• Mochi with vanilla ice cream $1.50 each
• I was really disappointed by this. It’s made in house, but it’s pre made and tastes like it’s been sitting in the freezer for weeks.
• The mochi skin is very hard and not chewy at all. It’s almost bitty and breaks apart in pieces in your moth. It’s like eating frozen rice.
• The ice cream was just vanilla and it was good, but it was not real vanilla bean ice cream either. This part didn’t bother me though.
• I prefer the frozen ice cream mochis from T&T Supermarket.
• These would have been good if they were only fresh! Maybe they need to individually wrap them before freezing them…that would prevent them from getting that hard mochi skin.

Assorted Macaron 2.5/6

• Pack of 6: 2 Matcha, 2 chocolate, 2 strawberry, $4.50
• This is not really a restaurant dessert as much as it is a “baked good to-go”.
• The macarons are from their sister dessert café Chicco Café located on Robson. They serve overpriced parfaits that are pretty small.
• Anyways the macarons were a bit stale so they didn’t taste as light or delicate as they should be – Say See Bon makes the best ones!

• They’re still the French style macarons which to me are way better than the American macaroons.
• I couldn’t taste the almond flavour in these ones and they weren’t that nutty at all.
• Matcha: was the best of the 3 and they used a lot of Matcha powder but it was a bit masked because they added quite a bit of sugar to it too. The Say See Bon ones taste more Matcha-y than these ones.
• Chocolate: was definitely not delicate. It was almost like an Oreo cookie not a macaron. The quality of the chocolate wasn’t as great so it didn’t taste as chocolate-y as it could have.
• Strawberry: was too fake tasting for me. It tasted like strawberry flavored Pocky sticks – but in macaron form.

Gyo-O Kaisen Shokudo Japanese

Restaurant: Gyo-O Kaisen Shokudo Japanese

Cuisine: Japanese/Izakaya
Last visited: February 6, 09
Area: Richmond, BC (Continental Plaza)
Unit 2137-3779 Sexsmith Road
Price Range: $20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: 4

Ambiance: 4

Overall: 5

Additional comments:

• Japanese chefs
• Authentic Japanese dishes
• Specializes in udon & dons
• Most meals are for one
• Some izakaya/tapas style fusion dishes
• Portions are decent, a bit bigger than most izakaya places
• A bit expensive, unless you go with lots of ppl
• Extensive menu
• Lunch specials
• Part of Gyoza King family
• Small, casual, and trendy
• Crowded and narrow atmosphere
• Complimentary green tea
• Cash only

**Recommendation: Goma Miso Gyoza, BBQ Salmon Skin, Shoyu Mayo Takoyaki, Bukkake Udon

I tried everything on their “Top 5 Menu”, and more or less agree with 1-2 things I would switch around.

What I liked was that every single thing was well seasoned and didn’t require many additional flavours or soy sauce. They do a great job with the most standard dishes like tempura and even udon. The items offered are quite traditional with a few fusion/Izakaya items here and there. It is much more worth it to go with more people or the bill adds up quickly and it gets expensive (like most Izakaya places, however it's still more affordable than ones in downtown). Trying 1-2 dishes I wouldn't have been as impressed. Nonetheless I did get a good sample of everything and overall it was excellent (especially my recommendations) and I would come again.

My review for dessert at Gyo-O Kaisen Shokudo Japanese tomorrow!

On the table:

Tako Wasabi 4/6

• Raw octopus marinated in wasabi and Japanese pickles $2.95
• I like the one at Kingyo better. The one here doesn’t come with seaweed strips so I was just eating raw octopus. I want something to eat it with.
• It’s slimy, but the octopus is quite tender and well marinated. Nice crunchy Japanese pickles and very strong fresh wasabi.
• It’s pretty cheap, so it’s worth it, but they need to serve it with something.

*Yam & Unagi (Eel) Tempura Sticks 4.5/5

• Served with tartar sauce, light Teriyaki sauce, and spicy sauce $4.50
• This is on their “Top 5” menu and it’s one of their popular dishes.
• They’re long and thin strips of tempura “fries” and they were pretty good. Even after they cooled down they were still very crispy and crunchy.
• They are heavily battered, but that’s what makes them so crunchy. The batter is also seasoned so they’re very flavourful.
• The spicy sauce was the best (at the back). It was very mildly spicy and quite sweet with a nice kick. It tasted like Tonkatsu sauce mixed with Sriracha hot sauce or even like Hoisin sauce with a little bit of chili spice and maybe some Worcestershire.
• The unagi (eel) was better than the yam. It was so juicy and came across as salmon but a lot more tender, juicy, rich and creamy. The yam tempura was also really tender and almost like yam fries.

Kaisen Don (Regular) 4.5/6

• Seafood (sashimi) on rice bowl. Served with wasabi on the rim $12.50 (Regular)
• This is one of their signature items, and while it was good I enjoyed some of the other dishes more.
• It came with nice big and thin slices of assorted sashimi. It wasn’t like they “cheaped out” with the thin slices – this just means they cut them properly. They cut them so that the flavour was enhanced and the texture of the fish became creamy.
• The Kaisen Don comes on a generous portion of Japanese rice and although it was flavourful, the rice didn’t taste premium to me. I could have actually gone for more sugar and vinegar in the rice. This was the only thing I needed to add soy sauce with. But they do recommend you to eat it with the special shoyu sauce at the table. There’s also wasabi on the rim of the bowl which is a must for this dish.
• The tamago was really good! It was the perfect tamago, it was fresh, soft and perfectly sweetened. It was very flavourful and it’s one of the best I’ve had yet.
• I like the mini dons at G-Men Ramen better, although different (their sister restaurant across the street).

**Goma Miso Gyoza 6/6

• Steamed prawn gyoza with sesame Miso sauce $5.50
• This was delicious! It’s almost the only place I would order gyoza at again. Usually I find gyoza quite generic everywhere I go.
• The one here is a nice change from the typically pan-fried gyoza. This one was steamed or boiled. The skin was very fresh and slippery and it tasted like they just made it.
• They were stuffed really well and the pork meat was nice and juicy. There were also green onions in it and a nice prawn that was crunchy and perfectly cooked. I could definitely taste the freshness of the prawn unlike the overcooked prawn gyoza at Toratatsu.
• It came with a nutty sauce made of Miso paste; I think sesame sauce and maybe some Teriyaki sauce. It was savoury, sweet and nutty and matched the gyoza perfectly. It was a nice change from the classic gyoza vinegar.

**BBQ Salmon Skin 6/6

• New item BBQ salmon skins on a bed of shredded daikon $4.95
• This was such a hit! One of my favourites. It was nice thing strips of BBQ skin and on a bed of shredded daikon, with some seaweed, Teriyaki sauce and mayo.
• The best part was the cornflakes they garnished it with. It was more than a garnish but it was part of the dish. It was perfect! You have to eat the bbq salmon with the cornflakes. It makes it extra crunchy and gives it a lovely texture. It give the illusion that the salmon skin is extra crispy.
• The use of cornflakes may seem like they’re cheating, but the salmon skin itself was quite crispy even without it. The salmon was really moist and juicy and you can taste the salmon oil flavour.
• The daikon was a nice and refreshing compliment to this dish. It was almost like a bbq salmon skin salad.

Assorted ODEN 2.5/6

• 5 kinds of assorted plate (chef’s selection) with Japanese hot mustard on the rim of the bowl $6.50
• I think this is a really traditional Japanese dish because I haven’t seen it offered anywhere else.
• It doesn’t look appetizing, but it was quite tasty.
• Everything kind of tastes like fish cakes in different forms. Nice to try, but I probably wouldn’t order it again. I wish I could have chosen the 5 items though.
  
• One item we got was a hard boiled egg.
  
• The 2nd item (underneath ingredients) was a boiled deep fried tofu (puff).
• Fish cake or patty - it had carrots and peas in it and it was really soft and didn’t taste frozen even if it was.I actually think it could have been made in house.
  
• Chikuwa (fish case tube) - the long brown sausage thing that looks like a male body part is kind of scary looking and not appetizing but it tasted pretty good. It's made up of pureed white fish, eggs, sugar, starch, and salt. It's hollow, boiled, and quite soft and tender like a sheet of fish meatball rolled up in a tube.
• Fish Mousse...I think? (half eaten in the photo) It was quite good. I actually liked this one the best of all the random stuff in the Oden. It was almost like a fish paste sausage and there were black sesame seeds and shredded carrots in it. It was soft and I could taste the slight nuttiness of the sesame seeds. It was different, but good.
• The broth was quite tasty too. It wasn’t rich pork broth or anything, but it was not canned broth either. I'm pretty sure it was just the standard udon noodle broth.

**Ebi Tempura Ontama Bukkake 4.5/6

• It originally means put everything on the noodle & mix it up! A bowl of udon noodles with ebi tempura and ontama (hot spring half boiled egg) $10.95
• The udon noodles are really good here…like noticeably good. They’re very fresh and therefore very soft and creamy. They have a great texture to them – they’re soft but very chewy and almost stick to your teeth although they’re slippery. It all sounds like a contradiction, but it makes sense once you try it. Try it!
• The egg is the best! You break it and mix in altogether with the udon and soup. Then you pour this special sauce in it and mix it again. It’s almost like a soy sauce but lighter, sweeter and not as sharp.
• The broth becomes a bit thicker after mixing the egg into it and it’s reminiscent of egg drop soup.
• Although it is good, it is a bit expensive, and for this price I would rather have ramen noodles.

Salmon Cheek Karaage 4/6

• 2 pieces $4.95
• This was another score for me and I would recommend it if I didn’t have some of the other stuff. But there are other things that beat this. <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CMijune%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="Street"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="address"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} @font-face {font-family:PMingLiU; panose-1:2 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-alt:新細明體; mso-font-charset:136; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 137232384 22 0 1048577 0;} @font-face {font-family:"\@PMingLiU"; panose-1:2 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:136; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 137232384 22 0 1048577 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:PMingLiU; mso-fareast-language:ZH-TW;} span.street-address {mso-style-name:street-address;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:169418432; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-1431019576 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l1 {mso-list-id:262686009; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-1409131058 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l1:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l2 {mso-list-id:537007898; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-623072532 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l2:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l2:level2 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:o; mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:"Courier New";} @list l3 {mso-list-id:633751104; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-1884007382 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l3:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l4 {mso-list-id:823282087; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-1087362206 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l4:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l5 {mso-list-id:833568960; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-1828266636 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l5:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l6 {mso-list-id:917404576; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-597152472 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l6:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l7 {mso-list-id:1006252652; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:1048112090 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l7:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l8 {mso-list-id:1237086601; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-1054836134 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l8:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l9 {mso-list-id:1262181098; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:748851198 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l9:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l10 {mso-list-id:1327244210; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:334030994 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l10:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l11 {mso-list-id:1388457385; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-689509832 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l11:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l11:level2 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:o; mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:"Courier New";} @list l12 {mso-list-id:1511217900; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-1489858170 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l12:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l13 {mso-list-id:1544949726; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-495167126 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l13:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Restaurant:</b> Gyo-O Kaisen Shokudo Japanese</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Cuisine:</b> Japanese/Izakaya <b style="">Last visited:</b> February 6, 09 <b style="">Area: </b><st1:city st="on">Richmond</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">BC</st1:state> (<st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Continental</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Plaza</st1:placetype></st1:place>) Unit <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on"><span class="street-address">2137-3779 Sexsmith Road</span></st1:address></st1:street> <b style="">Price Range:</b> $20-30</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <b style="">1: </b>Poor<b style=""> 2:</b> OK <b style="">3:</b> Good <b style="">4: </b>Very good <b style="">5:</b> Excellent <b style="">6:</b> Tres Excellent!! <b style="">Food: 5 Service: 4<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Ambiance: 4<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Overall: 5<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Additional comments:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Japanese chefs</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Authentic Japanese dishes</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Specializes in udon & dons</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Most meals are for one</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Some izakaya/tapas style fusion dishes</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Portions are decent, a bit bigger than most izakaya places</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">A bit expensive, unless you go with lots of ppl</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Extensive menu</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Lunch specials</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Part of Gyoza King family</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Small, casual, and trendy</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Crowded and narrow atmosphere</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Complimentary green tea</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Cash only</li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">**Recommendation</b>: Goma Miso Gyoza, BBQ Salmon Skin, Shoyu Mayo Takoyaki, Bukkake Udon</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I tried everything on their “Top 5 Menu”, and I more or less agree with 1-2 things I would switch around. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What I liked was that every single thing was well seasoned and didn’t require many additional flavours or soy sauce. The only thing that was nice was soy sauce was the Kaisen Don and maybe the Ebi Tempura Ontama Bukkake – just because they both came with a lot of rice and not really many sauces. Overall the dons are generally better at G-Men Ramen (their sister restaurant across the street).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">On the table:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Tako Wasabi 4/6<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Raw octopus marinated in wasabi and Japanese pickles $2.95</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">I like the one at Kingyo better. The one here doesn’t come with seaweed strips so I was just eating raw octopus. I want something to eat it with. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">It’s slimy, but the octopus is quite tender and well marinated. Nice crunchy Japanese pickles and very strong fresh wasabi.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">It’s pretty cheap, so it’s worth it, but they need to serve it with something. </li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Yam & Unagi Tempura Sticks 4.5/5<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Served with tartar sauce, light Teriyaki sauce, and spicy sauce $4.50</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">This is on their “Top 5” menu and it’s one of their popular dishes. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">They’re long and thin strips of tempura “fries” and they were pretty good. Even after they cooled down they were still very crispy and crunchy.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">They are heavily battered, but that’s what makes them so crunchy. The batter is also seasoned so they’re very flavourful. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The spicy sauce was the best. It was very mildly spicy and quite sweet with a nice kick. It tasted like Tonkatsu sauce mixed with Sirracha hot sauce or even like Hoisin sauce with a little bit of chili spice and maybe some Worchesshire. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The unagi was better than the yam. It was so juicy and came across as salmon but a lot more tender and creamy. The yam tempura was also really tender and almost like yam fries.</li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Kaisen Don</b> <b style="">(Regular) 4.5/6</b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Seafood (sashimi) on rice bowl. Served with wasabi on the rim $12.50 (Regular)</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">This is one of their signature items, and while it was good I enjoyed some of the other dishes more. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">It came with nice big and thin slices of assorted sashimi. It wasn’t like they “cheaped out” with the thin slices – this just means they cut them properly. They cut them so that the flavour was enhanced and the texture of the fish became creamy. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The sashimi comes on a generous portion of Japanese rice and although it was flavourful, the rice didn’t taste premium to me. I could have actually gone for more sugar and vinegar in the rice. This was the only thing I needed to add soy sauce with. But they do recommend you to eat it with the special shoyu sauce at the table. There’s also wasabi on the rim of the bowl which is a must for this dish. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The tamago was really good! It was the perfect tamago, it was fresh, soft and perfectly sweetened. It was very flavourful and it’s one of the best I’ve had yet. </li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">**Goma Miso Gyoza 6/6<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Steamed prawn gyoza with sesame Miso sauce $5.50</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">This was delicious! It’s almost the only place I would order gyoza at again. Usually I find gyoza quite generic everywhere I go. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The one here is a nice change from the typically pan-fried gyoza. This one was steamed or boiled. The skin was very fresh and slippery and it tasted like they just made it. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">They were stuffed really well and the pork meat was nice and juicy. There were also green onions in it and a nice prawn that was crunchy and perfectly cooked. I could definitely taste the freshness of the prawn unlike the overcooked prawn gyoza at Toratatsu. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">It came with a nutty sauce made of Miso paste; I think sesame sauce and maybe some teriyaki sauce. It was savoury, sweet and nutty and matched the gyoza perfectly. It was a nice change from the classic gyoza vinegar. </li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">**BBQ Salmon Skin 6/6<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">New item BBQ salmon skins on a bed of shredded daikon $4.95</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">This was such a hit! One of my favourites. It was nice thing strips of BBQ skin and on a bed of shredded daikon, with some seaweed, teriyaki sauce and mayo.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The best part was the cornflakes they garnished it with. It was more than a garnish but it was part of the dish. It was perfect! You have to eat the bbq salmon with the cornflakes. It makes it extra crunchy and gives it a lovely texture. It give the illusion that the salmon skin is extra crispy.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The use of cornflakes may seem like they’re cheating, but the salmon skin itself was quite crispy even without it. The salmon was really moist and juicy and you can taste the salmon oil flavour. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The daikon was a nice and refreshing compliment to this dish. It was almost like a bbq salmon skin salad. </li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Assorted ODEN 2.5/6<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">5 kinds of assorted plate (chef’s selection) $6.50</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">I think this is a really traditional Japanese dish because I haven’t seen it offered anywhere else. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">It doesn’t look appetizing, but it was quite tasty. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Everything kind of tastes like fish cakes in different forms. Nice to try, but I probably wouldn’t order it again.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">This fish cake or fish patty had carrots and peas in it and it was really soft and didn’t taste frozen even if it was. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The long brown sausage thing that looks like a male body part is kind of scary looking and not appetizing but it tasted pretty good. It was actually a little elastic-y but not rubbery and actually quite soft and tender. It was a bit fishy almost like thinly rolled fish balls. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The fish tube was quite good. I actually liked this one the best of all the random stuff in the Oden. It was almost like a fish paste sausage and there were black sesame seeds and shredded carrots in it. It was soft and I could taste the slight nuttiness of the sesame seeds. It was different, but good. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The broth was quite tasty too. It wasn’t rich pork broth or anything, but it was not canned broth either. It was flavourful, but not flavourful like a ramen noodle broth. </li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">**Ebi Tempura Ontama Bukkake 4.5/6<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">It originally means put everything on the noodle & mix it up! A bowl of udon noodles with ebi tempura and ontama (hot spring half boiled egg) $10.95</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The udon noodles are really good here…like noticeably good. They’re very fresh and therefore very soft and creamy. They have a great texture to them – they’re soft but very chewy and almost stick to your teeth although they’re slippery. It all sounds like a contradiction, but it makes sense once you try it. Try it!<span style=""> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The egg is the best! You break it and mix in altogether with the udon and soup. Then you pour this special sauce in it and mix it again. It’s almost like a soy sauce but lighter, sweeter and not as sharp.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The broth becomes a bit thicker after mixing the egg into it and it’s reminiscent of egg drop soup. <span style=""> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Although it is good, it is a bit expensive, and for this price I would rather have ramen noodles. </li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Salmon Cheek Karaage 4/6<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">2 pieces $4.95</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">This was another score for me and I would recommend it if I didn’t have some of the other stuff. But there are other things that beat this. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">It was very simple, but they did a good job with it. It was 2 big salmon cheeks and it was very crispy but also a bit too oily. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The cheek part with the meat was so juicy and moist it almost had its own sauce. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The thinner parts of the fish were a bit overcooked and dry so it came off as salmon jerky…but that’s bound to happen so I won’t ding them for that. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The batter is flavorful and tastes like the skin on chicken karage. </li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">**Syoyu Mayo Takoyaki 6/6<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Octopus balls 6 pcs $5.50</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">This was a surprising one! It wasn’t on the top 5, but it would be on my top 5. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">They were very well done and a nice size. They were very fresh and creamy and almost like baked egg whites! It was so soft and really good! They had a nice piece of octopus in it that wasn’t chewy. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">I could have used a bit more pickled ginger taste because I couldn’t taste any and it should have had a little bit of it. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">It was served with mayo and Okonomayaki sauce so it was sweet and teriyaki-like. </li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Mixed Seaweed (Kaisou) Udon 3/6<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Udon with 4 kinds of seaweed served in soup $8.50</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The udon noodles are awesome here. They’re really fresh and chewy and have a great texture to them. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">This was quite unique and original for a Japanese restaurant in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Vancouver</st1:city></st1:place>. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">Types of seaweed<o:p></o:p></b></li><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">It had reddish brown crunchy seaweed that looked like frisee. I’ve tried it before in minced up form at Rainflower Restaurant in their Japanese Conch salad. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Then they had the green version of it that tasted similar. It’s almost like eating frisee greens in jelly form. <span style=""> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Then there was the fresh slimy green seaweed that has a sea salt flavour.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Lastly there is the standard dry seaweed (the dark green sheet). I would have preferred shredded dried seaweed because having the big piece makes it hard to eat. It gets very chewy and I didn’t like the quality of it. The shredded kind I think is a bit more expensive, but it would have tasted much better and it’s more appropriate for a noodle soup bowl like this. </li></ul><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The broth was almost slimy and mucus like because of all the seaweed juice. Sounds good huh?! It was all really fresh but the slime reminded me of the Nato beans I had at G-Men Ramen. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">You have to like and enjoy the taste and texture of seaweed to enjoy and appreciate the Kaison Udon. </li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Lunch Combo 3.5/6<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Udon, ebi tempura don, 3 small appetizers and salad $8.50</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">This was a pretty good deal compared to everything else.</li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><b style="">Ebi Tempura Don 2.5/6<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">This actually didn’t do anything for me. It was pretty much ebi mayo on rice. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">I like ebi mayo better as an appetizer, but even if this was served as an appetizer it would still be only ok. Especially compared to other ones –Ebi Mayo at Toratatsu is better. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">There was a whole lot so rice and a decent amount of ebi tempura, but not enough sauce so it was kind of plain. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The shrimps were tender, but not juicy and they were crispy with a flour tempura batter but also a bit small in size. I would rather have the big prawn tempura and less of them. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">It wasn’t very spicy and it just tasted like mayo.<span style=""> </span></li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><b style="">Udon<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">This is just their basic udon with soup and they include a fish cake, which I think is deep fried. </li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><b style="">3 small appetizers<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Chinese cabbage, crunchy marinated pickled ginger, and enoki mushrooms marinated in a sweet soy sauce.<span style=""> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">I liked them with the udon and ate them together, but you can eat them as is. </li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><b style="">Salad<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Just a bed of mixed greens served with a very tangy vinaigrette. It was as tangy as Italian dressing. They use cornflakes instead of croutons and they got really soggy from the dressing. I’d prefer them on the side. </li></ul></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Dessert <o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Mochi Ice Cream 1/6<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Mochi with vanilla ice cream $1.50 each</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">I was really disappointed by this. It’s made in house, but it’s pre made and tastes like it’s been sitting in the freezer for weeks. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The mochi skin is very hard and not chewy at all. It’s almost bitty and breaks apart in pieces in your moth. It’s like eating frozen rice. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The ice cream was just vanilla and it was good, but it was not real vanilla bean ice cream either. This part didn’t bother me though.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">I prefer the frozen ice cream mochis from T&T Supermarket.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">These would have been good if they were only fresh! Maybe they need to individually wrap them before freezing them…that would prevent them from getting that hard mochi skin. </li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Assorted Macaron 2.5/6<o:p></o:p></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Pack of 6: 2 Matcha, 2 chocolate, 2 strawberry, $4.50</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">This is not really a restaurant dessert as much as it is a “baked good to-go”. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">The macarons are from their sister dessert café Chicco Café located on Robson. They serve overpriced parfaits that are pretty small. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Anyways the macarons are not bad, but they were a bit stale so they didn’t taste as light or delicate as they should be – Say See Bon makes the best ones! </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">They’re still the French style macarons which to me are way better than the American macaroons. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="">I couldn’t taste the almond flavour in these ones and they weren’t that nutty at all. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">Matcha:</b> was the best of the 3 and they used a lot of Matcha powder but it was a bit masked because they added quite a bit of sugar to it too. The Say See Bon ones taste more Matcha-y than these ones. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">Chocolate:</b> was definitely not delicate. It was almost like an Oreo cookie not a macaron. The quality of the chocolate wasn’t as great so it didn’t taste as chocolate-y as it could have. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style="">Strawberry: </b>was too fake tasting for me. It tasted like strawberry flavored Pocky sticks – but in macaron form. </li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
• It was very simple, but they did a good job with it. It was 2 big salmon cheeks and it was very crispy but also a bit too oily.
• The cheek part with the meat was so juicy and moist it almost had its own sauce.
• The thinner parts of the fish were a bit overcooked and dry so it came off as salmon jerky…but that’s bound to happen so I won’t ding them for that.
• The batter is flavorful and tastes like the skin on chicken karage.

**Syoyu Mayo Takoyaki 6/6

• Octopus balls 6 pcs $5.50
• This was a surprising one! It wasn’t on the top 5, but it would be on my top 5.
• They were very well done and a nice size. They were very fresh and creamy and almost like baked egg whites! It was so soft and really good! They had a nice piece of octopus in it that wasn’t chewy.
• I could have used a bit more pickled ginger taste because I couldn’t taste any and it should have had a little bit of it.
• It was served with mayo and Okonomiyaki sauce so it was sweet and teriyaki-like.

Mixed Seaweed (Kaisou) Udon 3/6

• Udon with 4 kinds of seaweed served in soup $8.50
• The udon noodles are awesome here. They’re really fresh and chewy and have a great texture to them.
• This was quite unique and original for a Japanese restaurant in Vancouver.
• Types of seaweed
• It had reddish brown crunchy seaweed that looked like frisee. I’ve tried it before in minced up form at Rainflower Restaurant in their Japanese Conch salad.
• Then they had the green version of it that tasted similar. It’s almost like eating frisee greens in jelly form.
• Then there was the fresh slimy green seaweed that has a sea salt flavour.
• Lastly there is the standard dry seaweed (the dark green sheet). I would have preferred shredded dried seaweed because having the big piece makes it hard to eat. It gets very chewy and I didn’t like the quality of it. The shredded kind I think is a bit more expensive, but it would have tasted much better and it’s more appropriate for a noodle soup bowl like this.
• The broth was almost slimy and mucus like because of all the seaweed juice. Sounds good huh?! It was all really fresh but the slime reminded me of the Nato beans I had at G-Men Ramen.
• You have to like and enjoy the taste and texture of seaweed to enjoy and appreciate the Kaison Udon.

Lunch Combo 3.5/6

• Udon, ebi tempura don, 3 small appetizers and salad $8.50
• This was a pretty good deal compared to everything else.

Ebi Tempura Don 2.5/6

• This actually didn’t do anything for me. It was pretty much ebi mayo on rice.
• Even served as an Ebi Mayo appetizer it would still only be ok. Ebi Mayo at Toratatsu is great!
• There was a whole lot so rice and a decent amount of ebi tempura, but not enough sauce so it was kind of plain.
• The shrimps were tender, but not juicy and they were crispy with a flour tempura batter but also a bit small in size. I would rather have the big prawn tempura and less of them.
• It wasn’t very spicy and it just tasted like mayo.

Udon

• This is just their basic udon with soup and they include a fish cake, which I think is deep fried, and also some seaweed.

3 small appetizers

• Chinese cabbage, crunchy marinated pickled ginger, and enoki mushrooms marinated in a sweet soy sauce.
• I liked them with the udon and ate them together, but you can eat them as is.

Salad

• Just a bed of mixed greens served with a very tangy vinaigrette. It was as tangy as Italian dressing. They use cornflakes instead of croutons and they got really soggy from the dressing. I’d prefer them on the side.

The review on Gyo-O Kaisen Shukudo Japanese dessert is tomorrow!