G-MEN Ramen Noodle Shop - Review 3

Restaurant: G-MEN Ramen Shop - Restaurant Review 3
Cuisine: Japanese/Ramen
Last dined: October 30, 09

Area: Richmond
#1101-3778 Sexsmith Road
Price Range: $10-20

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

Food: 4.5 (went down ½ a point since they changed the seaweed that comes with ramen)
Service: 2
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Specializes in big bowls of authentic Japanese ramen noodles
• Serves mini donburis and gyozas as appetizers
• Can't select richness of brother/fattiness of BBQ pork
• Small/limited menu
• Not homemade noodles
• Started by owners of Gyoza King Chicco Cafe & Naan Chu,
• Japanese servers, Japanese chefs, popular to Japanese diners
• Closed on Tuesday and Wednesday
• Line-ups, whole party must be in attendance in order to be seated
• Busy/crowded all the time
• Extra charge for green tea
• Free parking

**Recommendation: Tonkotsu Miso Ramen (only served at dinner), Wasabi Nori Ontama Mini Don, half cooked free-range egg (Ajitama), Special ToriGara Shoyu Ramen

This was my 3rd time at G-Men Ramen Noodle Shop. I want to try everything on the menu. It’s one of those restaurants where the menu is small, so it’s possible…and I’m determined. I want to give the best recommendations possible.

I came for lunch and tried the Natto set. My friend ordered the Special ToriGara Shoyu Ramen and I was really disappointed because they changed the seaweed that comes with their ramen. The waitress said the quality of the shredded ones they used to use were no longer good…so they decided to switch brands. I think they should just find a new supplier and stick to the shredded kind because it tastes so much better.

Added note: In my 1^st restaurant review for G-Men Ramen Noodle Shop I said that it was better than Kintaro’s. However I would like to explain this is a bit. It’s not necessarily better than Kintaros, but it’s different. Kintaro’s is a much richer broth (even their light broth is richer than the one here). Kintaro’s is more Japanese whereas G-Men is still Japanese, but the flavours are somewhat catered to Chinese tastes. I think older Chinese people will like G-Men better, but younger people may like Kintaro’s better.

My 1^st restaurant review for G-Men Ramen Noodle Shop

My 2^nd restaurant review for G-Men Ramen Noodle Shop

On the table:

• Natto Ontama Tofu Teishoku Set 2/6
• Fermented soy bean, half cooked free range egg, & tofu on rice $7.50 (I think it was $7 or $7.50)

• Natto: is a fermented soy beans with bacillus subtilis, which is a good for you bacteria. This is the ingredient that causes the natto to be super slimy. When yo u pick it up it creates spider web strings and is super sticky. It’s a traditional Japanese food that is commonly eaten for breakfast on top of rice and it carries several health benefits.
• I never thought I would meet a Japanese food I didn’t like...ok I didn’t NOT like the natto, but I wouldn’t order it again. If it was there I might eat it, but I would go for a lot. It was different. It’s one of those traditional Japanese foods that Japanese people grow up with...it’s definitely an acquired dish and taste.

• Natto is super slimy and the texture of thick mucus. It tastes like your eating smoky beans coated in mucus. Now doesn’t that sound delish!? It’s stringy, sticky and the slimiest thing I’ve eaten to date. It’s less starchy than beans, not really salty, but almost h as a hickory smoked taste. The taste wasn’t bad, surprisingly bland, but the texture was not for me. Every time the natto touched my lips it left a coating of slime and left them really sticky.

• How to eat Natto Ontama Tofu Teishoku Set?

• 
• I felt like such a rookie when they brought me my natto set. I saw all these small dishes and had no idea how to eat it. I actually had to call one of the Japanese waitresses over to teach me how to eat it. I wanted to do it right. There was some translation issues and it's not like she sat beside me coaching me so I didn't do it exactly right. Too bad, because I don't know if there will be a next time. I was like a white person going to Chinese hot pot for the first time…what do you do? Toss everything in? Eat in separately? Where do I start? And what do all these sauces go with? There were just so many components.
  

• 

• Step 1: Toss in the small dish of green onions and mustard. Add soy sauce if you want
• Step 2: Mix it thoroughly. The green onions and mustard helped break it up for me. It cut the sliminess a bit and brightened up the flavour.
• Step 3: After some research, you're actually supposed to add the natto and egg on top of the rice. I reversed it. Anyways, I didn’t like that the rice wasn’t premium sushi rice. They gave you a huge bowl of it and it’s still sticky, but it tastes better when they use it for their mini donburi. However the egg is delicious. It’s one of my favourite things here because they make it perfectly. It’s really half cooked and the yolk makes a great sauce combined with the shoyu sauce it’s served with. Shoyu is a Japanese soy sauce that is sweeter than regular soy sauce. This side dish was pretty much the only thing giving my meal flavour.
• Step 4: Mix again if you wish…as little or as much as you want. At this point I definitely over mixed mine. You’re actually supposed to eat it over a bed of rice. Mine looks pretty gross - it was almost watery I had no idea what I was doing.
• Step 5: Take the soy sauce bottle in the middle of the tray and pour it onto the tofu until desired. Eat with rice or in between your meal. This was a chilled soft tofu served with bonito flakes (dried squid) on top.
• Step 6: Have the miso soup to start or drink it in between your meal. I really like their miso soup. I would give this 4/6. It has real tofu in it and real soy bean skins. It’s not the powdered instant stuff.

• It was almost a vegetarian dish, except for the bonito flakes. I wanted some meat or gravy or something with more flavour and texture. Everything just felt mushy and slimy – the tofu, the beans, the egg. I wanted texture, something crunchy or something I couldn’t swallow without chewing. But it is a for breakfast so it’s not meant to be hearty or saucy. If they made my recommendations it wouldn’t be authentic even though it would probably taste better.
• * Special ToriGara Shoyu Ramen 4.5/6
• Authentic light "torigara" chicken soup thin noodle seasoned with housemade shoyu flavour, topped with BBQ pork, half ajitama (egg), yuzu (citrus Japanese fruit similar to tangerine), seaweed, black wood ear mushroom and green onion. $8.50
• I took away one of the stars. Although this would be the thing to order if you're coming for lunch. If you look at my review #2 I gave it a 5.5/6, but for some reason it didn’t taste as good this time. Part of the reason is because they changed their seaweed to those rectangular ones. This means you get less and you can’t get seaweed in every bite because there’s only two big pieces. It’s not as good because you can’t disperse it and they’re chewier. Even they know it’s not as good. If they’re going to downgrade their seaweed they need to compensate somewhere else. I miss the shredded seaweed.

• It’s still good and I would still order it if I was coming for lunch, but I just don’t crave it anymore. It’s a soy based soup and it's sweeter and more flavourful than the other ramen bowl they offer at lunch - the ToriGara Shio Ramen. Unlike Kintaro's you can't select the richness of your broth, or the fattiness of your BBQ pork; but I think this Shoyu broth in particular tastes better than Kintaro's.

Shabusen Yakiniku House

Restaurant: Shabusen Yakiniku House - Sushi & Korean BBQ
Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi/Korean BBQ/Buffet

Last visited: October 19, 09
Area: Vancouver, BC - Downtown (2 locations in Vancouver)

755 Burrard Street

Price Range: $20-30 ($23 dinner buffet price)

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

Food: 2

Service: 2.5

Ambiance: 2.5

Overall: 2.5

Additional comments:

• Offers Korean BBQ and popular Japanese items/sashimi
  
• Owned and operated by Chinese
• Not authentic Japanese sushi
• Typical all-you-can-eat/buffet standards
  
• Busy/crowded/line-ups
• Good for large groups
  
• Reservations recommended
• Lunch buffet $13 11-2:30pm
• Dinner buffet $23 5-10:30pm
• Open everyday

**Recommendation: n/a

What can I really say? It's another all-you-can-eat Japanese place except it also features all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ as well. It's convenient and good for large groups, not a bad deal, but I wouldn't pick it. It's not quite for me, but I'm not their target market either.

Compared to other all-you-can-eat places it's only better because you get you're Korean BBQ. The variety is decent with all your standard items but the quality and execution is better at others places.

Is the food at least good? Well it's all-you-can-eat for $23...it's not going to be gourmet, but it's not dog food either...although it doesn't look appetizing. It's very basic, slightly below average, and a rough assembly.

I've divided my review into 2 parts because it was too much to digest...ha! Love the pun.
1) Not deep-fried items
2) Deep fried items

As a side note, what I really liked about Shabusen is that they minimize waste by offering 1 piece ordering.

On the table:

• Kimchi 1.5/6
• Spicy preserved cabbage. A traditional Korean appetizer.
• It wasn't authentic here and the colour is off. It wasn't marinated/preserved long enough so the flavour was not strong enough. It was decently spicy, but not flavourful.
• The cabbage was cut too big, and it and I couldn't see any garlic bits, which there has to be.
• Gommae 1/6
• Spinach with what's supposed to be sesame sauce, but there was almost no sauce. It was very bland.
• Ohitashi 1.5/6
• A traditional Japanese appetizer: boiled spinach with soy sauce and Mirin or rice wine vinegar.
• This is simple, I prefer the gommae. Traditionally it should be served with bonito flakes.They didn't really do a bad job because it is a simple recipe, but I think they just used soy, it wasn't tangy enough.

• Sunomono Salad 1.5/6
• A traditional Japanese vermicelli salad appetizer soaked in vinegar, sugar and Mirin. Served with cucumbers and carrots.
  
• The flavour was alright, but there was no baby shrimp or anything on the top. Even a little frozen one would have been good. A lot of all-you-cat-eat places will include at least a couple baby shrimps.
• Salmon/Tuna Sashimi 3/6
• Fresh, but the quality of the tuna is pretty poor.
• Hamachi/Toro/Tomago Nigiri 3/6
  
• Hamachi/yellow fin tuna: the quality wasn't great. Not as smooth, cold or clean tasting.
  
• Toro/tuna belly: not bad. Has a richer/creamier/heartier texture than tuna.
  
• Tomago: a bit overcooked and dry. Tastes like it's been sitting there. Flavour wasn't bad though.
• California Roll/BC Roll 2/6
• The sushi rice isn't good here. There wasn't enough flavour in the rice and it was really poorly presented and executred even for an all-you-can-eat place.
  
• California roll: Too much rice around the roll and wasn't wrapped tight enough so it fell apart.
  
• BC roll: not a fan. Salmon skin was soggy. Lettuce wasn't as fresh, it had wilted leaves.
• Alaska Roll 3/6
  
• My favourite out of all the ones we ordered. It's not bad, but it was cut really really thin.
• Special Shrimp Roll 2/6
• Shrimp, imitation lobster and chopped scallop I think. It was alright.
• Chopped Scallop Cone
  
• I didn't try it.
• Vegetable Teriyaki 3/6
  
• It was actually freshly cut veggies, I thought they would have just bought the bag of pre-cut veggies. They give you a lot too and it tasted fresh. They weren't sauteed long enough though and because they were big pieces it was more on the raw side.
  
• It's lightly coated with Teriyaki sauce which is watered down and very bland. The sauce was probably bottled and watered down. No salt and pepper either.
• Salmon Teriyaki 3/6
• Frozen salmon fillets and it actually wasn't overcooked even though it looks like it. It wasn't marinated with teriyaki sauce, the sauce was just poured on top and served. It actually tasted pretty good.
  
• 
• BBQ Beef Short Rib 3/3
  
• It was well-marinated as in overnight - but the sauce was just packaged sauce or generic sauce.
• I didn't need any additional dipping sauce but it was very very oily and greasy. I could taste the canola oil. I grilled my corn on the BBQ after and my corn was super greasy from the short ribs.

Dinner didn't end here, to see the rest of it visit the 2nd part of the review: The deep fried part.

Kingyo

Freshly grated wasabi

Restaurant: Kingyo
Cuisine: Japanese/Izakaya/Fusion
Last visited: October 23, 09

Area: Vancouver, BC
871 Denman Street
Price Range: $20-30 (average bill per person)

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

Food: 5.5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Izakaya/Tapas style Japanese food
• Trendy, creative/funky fusion dishes
• Small selection of sashimi specialties
• Fresh ingredients/homemade sauces
• Menu includes description of sauces
  
• Seasonal menus
• Japanese owned/operated
• Home made desserts
• Home made ginger ale, and lychee liquor
• Extensive drink menu
• Winner of tons of awards
• Busy/Lively
• Attracts ages 20-35, large groups/couples
• Reservations recommended
• Complimentary frozen grapes at the end
• Recently opened for lunch now (different menu)
  

**Recommendation: Ahi Tuna Carpaccio, any of their daily Sashimi specials, Sockeye Salmon Carpaccio, Pressed Mackerel Sushi

Kingyo is one of my favourite Izakaya places in Vancouver - and we have a lot to chose from. The quality of food is up there and the service is lively with the staff greeting you from the moment you walk in. It has a contemporary Japanese atmosphere, young staff, and funky menu. Kingyo is great because they offer homemade sauces, pay attention to detail and presentation.

I've been here a bunch of times and have tried pretty much every item on the standard menu. However there's always something new to feature on their daily fresh sheet that includes chef's recommendations and daily/seasonal specials. I have yet to be disappointed and it's a solid choice for Izakaya.

What impresses me is the quality of sashimi and the proper techniques they use to cut it. That and the fact that they give you freshly grated wasabi, the best way to eat sashimi.


On the table:

• **Ahi Tuna Carpaccio 6/6
• Thinly sliced ahi-tuna and avocado over Japanese radish topped with garlic chips, kaiware radish wasabi mayo and soy based dressing.

• Take your taste buds on a journey! This dish is amazing and one of my favourites. The texture is perfect and it's so finely executed and delicate to eat with beautiful colours too. Everything is finely sliced - the avocado and tuna the same size, and the "decorations" the same size.
• Nothing is overwhelming because the ratio of all the ingredients is spot on. It's a very refreshing dish from all the fresh veggies and you still get a little creaminess from the avocado and tuna.
• There's different levels of crunchiness, from the veggies, garlic chips (way better than croutons), and masago so it's almost like a salad. The dressing aids to the freshness - it's served with a tangy and citrusy vinaigrette and a wasabi mayo that gives the dish a slight kick...the Japanese radish sprouts also give it a slight spiciness.
• **5 kinds of Sashimi 6/6
• Scallop, local shrimp, local sockeye salmon, hamachi (Yellowtail tuna), ahi tuna
  
• The 5 kinds of sashimi are chef's choice and it changes seasonally according to what is available.

• You can't go wrong with ordering sashimi at Kingyo. They have a small selection of sashimi so you can guarantee it's fresh and very high in quality. Just look at it! It's beautiful pieces!
• They serve it the authentic Japanese way where each slice is cut perfectly with a real sashimi knife. It's bite-size, how it should be, and each fish is cut differently to bring out maximum flavour. He uses proper technique to cut the fish so that you get to taste not only the flavour but the texture of it too. The salmon just melts in your mouth.
• The shrimp is kind of sweet and really slimy.
• The scallops are served with a dollop of mixed caviar which gives it a salty bite bringing out the scallops natural flavour; as well as for presentation.
• **Yellowtail "Japan" sashimi and Ahi-Tuna "Hawaii" sashimi

• Ahi-Tuna Hawaii 6/6
• It's cut in cubes and on a slight diagonal like it should be. The flavour is outstanding and all it needs is a little wasabi. It's firm, hearty, and almost meaty in texture and flavour.
  
• The only thing is I can tell they don't sell much of it (at $13.80) - so it's not as fresh as it should be. Don't get me wrong - you won't get sick from it or anything, but it's not day-of fresh.

• Yellowtail "Japan" 6/6 versus Hamachi (Yellowtail) 4.5/6
• I took a photo so you can see the difference between Yellowtail "Japan" (the lighter coloured one which we ordered separately), and Hamachi, also Yellowtail, but not from Japan (came on the 5 kinds of sashimi boat).
• The Yellowtail "Japan" wins hands down, and at $13.50 it should. It's firmer and has this rich buttery flavour. It has a higher fat content and has more flavour, it's delicious!
  
• 
• Sizzling Stone Sea Urchin Bibimbap 3/6
• Sea urchin, salmon caviar, prawn, squid, & mixed seasonal veggies on premium Koshi Hikari rice served in a stone bowl.

• This is a Japanese spin on a very popular Korean rice bowl the "bibimbap".
  
• They serve it in a very hot stone bowl and the server does the mixing for you at the table. He shows you what you're getting and then does the mixing. They press the rice to the sides of the bowl so it can crisp up. The longer you wait to eat it the crispier it gets and the better it is.
• The texture is a little gummy and slimy from the sea urchin and the saltiness is a fishy saltiness (from the sea urchin and salmon caviar). They used green onions, Enoki mushrooms, celery and water chestnuts to give it crunch which it really needed. None of these ingredients really have flavour though so I found it a bit bland. I understand if they want to show off the natural flavour of the sea urchin, but it was a big bowl of rice and it needed something extra.
• Still good, but compared to the other dishes there's better. I would also prefer the Korean bibimbap to this.
• Tako-Wasabi (Raw or cooked) 4/6
  
• Chopped octopus and pickles marinated in wasabi flavoured sauce. Your choice of raw, cooked, or half and half.

• I ordered it raw, but be prepared for a super slimy dish! This is perhaps the slimiest, gooiest and gummiest dish ever...but it's supposed to be. It's really fresh and it's marinated in its own juices. The pickles and wasabi cut through the sliminess a bit. They use freshly grated wasabi in the sauce and that makes the world of difference.
• I wouldn't mind trying it half and half, but I hesitate because octopus can be easy to overcook and it becomes really tough and chewy.
  
• Raw octopus is also a delicacy so it seems like a waste to cook it.
  

• 
• It's served with strips of nori. Eat it like a taco: add a spoonful of chopped octopus and pickles to a sheet of nori and eat.
• Grilled Black Cod 3/6
• Grilled "saikyo miso" marinated black cod.

• This was good, but also nothing really special or creative.
  
• The saikyo miso is made of fermented soy beans. The one they used for this fish is a sweet miso gravy. The sauce was a bit chalky - which miso naturally is, almost like a sweet peanut butter, but not as thick. It didn't really absorb into the black cod, but was more of a condiment. The fish was really tender and smooth with a nice crispy skin.
• Personally I think the Chinese do a better cod.
• Chestnut & Yuzu Gelato 2/6
• Made in house, but it's not that good.
  
• They definitely use the real thing in creating the flavours. The two together were a good balance because the yuzu was light and the chestnut was thicker and creamier.
• Simply put it tastes like an Asian dessert - not like the gelato you're used to.
  
• Yuzu: a slight licorice taste and you get a hint of lemon peel too. It's sorbet like.
• Chestnut: very potent chestnut flavour. It almost tastes like red bean, which I don't like. A little chalky tasting.
• Chocolate Brownie-cake thing: ew, no. This was really bad. It tasted like it was made with Splenda sugar, it was really fake and there was no chocolate taste. Just look at the texture, you can tell it was dry and dense.
  
• Sake-Kasu Tiramisu 1.5/6
  
• I didn't order it on this visit, but I've tried it before.
  
• It's really boozey! You can really taste the sake and I think they went overboard. It was overpowering. It's also really rich and creamy and it's hard to finish the whole thing by yourself.
• Complimentary frozen grapes served at the end.

Ta-Ke Sushi - Sashimi Review

Restaurant: Ta-Ke Sushi (Sashimi Review)
Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi
Last visited: September 18, 09

Area: Surrey, BC
#104-15335 Hwy 10
Price Range: $10-20

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

Food: 4 (Based only on sashimi only)
Service: 3
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 2.5
Additional comments:

• This review is only based on their sashimi
  
• Japanese owned and operated
• Expensive for this type of restaurant
• Attracts locals within the area
• Extensive menu
• Japanese Fusion items available
• Take-out/to-go
• Closes 9:30pm (Sat.Sun closes at 8:30pm)
• Only dinner service on Sunday

**Recommendation: Tuna Sashimi

Tried this restaurant randomly. It's in Surrey in a rather new/semi-residential area so the crowd it attracts are residents living nearby. It's a rather large restaurant, but the ambiance is that of any other casual Japanese restaurant. They charge above average for all their items and I'm assuming they can get away with this because there are limited options when it comes to Japanese dining in this area. There is one other one, but this one is also expensive. It is owned and run by Japanese people, however it still caters to a Western crowd and I am still confused as to why "bulgogi" items (a popular Korean dish) are on the menu. The dinner and lunch boxes are also expensive for this type of restaurant, so really you would only go here if you lived nearby, was craving Japanese, and you didn't want to drive out to "the city".

I only tried the plum wine and the sashimi because we went here after dinner for a midnight snack - although the restaurant closed at 9:30pm on a Friday! Therefore this review will only be based on their sashimi.

On the table:

• Assorted Sashimi (all raw) 4/6
  
• 3 salmon, 3 tuna, 3 sockeye, 4 herring sashimi, 2 shrimps, 2 scallops, 2 surf clams (The menu says 15 pieces, but I don't know how they're counting it, cause it's not)

• Everything was fresh and that's the most important part. The cut and sashimi grade was not bad, but not the best either. It's still a little more expensive ($18.95) than what you would pay at another Japanese restaurant of the same caliber.
• My favourite was actually the tuna sashimi. I am not a fan of tuna and would much rather have salmon - except at this restaurant the tuna was really good and fresh. I also found a bone in my salmon so that kind of threw me off.
  
• Next favourite would have been the sockeye.
  
• Herring Sashimi 3/6
  
• I think this is the first time I've had herring sashimi. I was really surprised to see it actually. It's more of an exotic sashimi because you don't see it come up too often. It's the yellow one you see in the photo. It tastes like masago but crunchier. So it's quite salty tasting. It doesn't fall apart either - it's the texture of very tightly packed roe - so tightly packed it's almost crunchy. Like a crunchy tamago, but instead of an actual egg it's fish eggs. It was quite enjoyable, but eat it with a little wasabi...as you should with any sashimi.

• I don't have much to compare this to because I don't recall trying it anywhere else, but if you can't find it anywhere else, then try it here - although overall the restaurant wouldn't be worth the drive unless you live within the area.

Drinks

• Plum Wine 3/6
• You can get this at most Japanese restaurants that serve alcohol. It's a traditional Japanese wine made of plums. It's a pretty sweet wine though. It was not bad, something different and interesting to try. I would say it's a nice after dinner drink.