Big Ridge Brewing Co.

Restaurant: Big Ridge Brewery

Cuisine: American/Pub Food/International
Last visited: February 4, 2010
Area: Surrey, BC
15133 56 Ave
Price Range: $10-20

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

Food: 2.5
Service: 5

Ambiance: 3.5

Overall: 3

Additional comments:

• Part of Mark James Group (DIX BBQ, Yaletown Brewery etc.)
• Lively neighborhood pub in Surrey
• Great for beer, samples available
• Busy/line-ups on weekends
• Classic pub food
• Affordable prices
• Lots of Chinese stir-fry dishes/bowls
• Felt like Hon’s – very Westernized Chinese food
• Casual, loud
• Restaurant and separate bar area
• Open kitchen
• All ages welcome
• Open late

**Recommendation: n/a

I actually wasn’t aware that Big Ridge Brewery was part of the Mark James Group. When I heard DIX Barbeque and Yaletown Brewery my expectations were set a bit high…too I high I think. Especially since the parking lot was completely full and there was a 30min. line up at 7pm with every single table full.

When I looked at the menu I was already not so gong-ho…I saw a lot of Chinese options and a pub making Chinese food? I had my hesitations. However the kitchen is a big open kitchen and half the chefs are Chinese so I thought “hey maybe it is authentic?”…but then just looking at the dishes going by and talking to some staff it’s pretty obvious it is very Westernized Chinese food. In which case I think I’ll stick to the traditional pub food. I’m not really one for pub food, but I can appreciate it – in this case I would much rather have pub food from the The Hub.

The portions are surprisingly not that big here and I think they really need to invest in some nicer dishes. I felt like I was at a really rough pub and for The Mark James Group I expect a little more “posh-ness”. The food was almost served cafeteria style like Ricky’s All Day Grill. I’m really surprised to see such a high rating for it on Urbanspoon – I thought it was very mediocre.

They are about to release their new menu which consists of a variety of Asian/Indian influenced dishes so if you want to sample those you should go now because they will be choosing the most popular dishes and including them on their new menu.

On the table:

Fish Tacos 2/6

• Beer battered halibut bites wrapped in a flour tortilla with a Sriracha aioli and cilantro-Asian slaw $11.99
• This is one of their special feature items. They’re supposed to include it on the official menu if there’s enough positive feedback and demand.
• It’s supposed to be a main, but for me it was more like an appetizer. The plating really needs some work…or maybe even just another plate.
• It reminded me of the Vietnamese sandwich “Banh Mi”, except those are way better. These tacos are loaded with shredded cucumbers, carrots, daikon and cilantro marinated in vinegar.
• The Sriracha aioli came off as chipotle mayo.
• It came with 3 pieces of halibut bites that tasted like battered chicken. It was a bit dry and overly battered as well. It was crunchy though. I could barely taste the halibut because the pieces were too small.
• Overall it was tangy, slightly spicy and basically something I could make at home.

Vegetarian Pizza 4/6

• The menu calls it “The Best Vegetarian Pizza Ever” – Japanese eggplant, broccoli, roasted corn, balsamic onion, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, mozzarella, Feta, and pesto $12.99
• If the menu didn’t say “The Best Vegetarian Pizza Ever” I would not have ordered a vegetarian dish at a pub. This is a bold statement and I just had to order it. It was more than I expect from a pub, but is it the best ever? No. It was very good though.
• The menu says “Our pies are bigger than the other guy’s” – they weren’t that big. I think they’re 14’’ inch pizzas? I mean it’s worth it, but all these are bold claims which lead me to have high expectations.
• This is a very tangy pizza. The tomato sauce is tangy and with the balsamic onions and sundried tomatoes it was even tangier. The onions were crunchy and needed to be cooked longer though. Or they should slice them rather than dice them and they would have cooked through.
• The tang was balanced very well with the salty Feta and pesto drizzle. They used a lot of both these ingredients and I could taste everything except for the eggplant. There was barely any and the few pieces it had were really dried out.
• The crust is nice and thin and it’s baked in a fire-wood oven, however they need to bake it longer because only the edges were crispy and the rest of the crust was very soft and chewy. However looking underneath it looks like it was baked enough...they need to adjust the heat.
• Overall the pizza is quite good, but they just need to work on the cooking temp/times and execution of ingredients. Not everything should be diced because each veggie has a different cooking time.

Quarter Chicken & Ribs 2.5/6

• ¼ beer can chicken and our famous pork ribs, served with oven roasted potatoes $19.99
• For 19.99 I could get better chicken and ribs elsewhere. It wasn’t bad, but it’s wasn’t that good either. The portion is also surprisingly not that big for a pub/bar restaurant. It was ¼ chicken and 5 ribs piled on top of mashed potatoes.
• They actually do a good job with the sauces and seasonings, but the quality of meat is the downfall. If they changed that it would actually be quite good!
• The chicken was served with chicken onion gravy and it almost tastes packaged. I felt like they used cornstarch to thicken it rather than letting it reduce.
• The chicken wasn’t that juicy and it was actually quite rough in texture – although not necessarily dry.
• I couldn’t tell they used beer but they did use some rosemary on the skin. The skin also wasn’t crispy and got soggy from the gravy.
• The ribs were falling off the bone, but not tender at all. The meat was very chewy which means the quality of ribs they’re using isn’t great. There wasn’t much meat on them in general.
• The ribs were served with a barbeque glaze or sauce. It was sweet and tangy, but didn’t have much of a kick and they needed more of it.
• It comes with roasted potatoes, but I changed it to roast garlic mash – no extra charge.

Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes 4/6

• This was a chunky mashed potato as opposed to a creamy smooth one. It’s made with Russet potatoes with the skins on so they’re nice and flavourful.
• There are bits of potato you can chew into. They were very garlic tasting and quite good! I enjoyed them more than I did the meat.

Cole Slaw 1/6

• I was not a fan of this cole slaw. They used a combo of mayo and horseradish for the dressing. It was very spicy and watery in texture and didn’t match the flavours of the chicken, ribs, or potatoes.

Dessert

• Just showing the menu...I decided to pass on dessert because I was not impressed with dinner…I actually just went across the street to McDonalds for ice cream instead. McDonald’s ice cream is so reliable.

CHAU Kitchen & Bar

Restaurant: CHAU Kitchen & Bar

Cuisine: Vietnamese/Fusion/Asian

Last visited: January 25, 2010
Area: Vancouver, BC (Robson Street/West End/Downtown)

1500 Robson Street
Range: $20-30

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

Food: 3.5 (based on few items I tried)

Service: 4

Ambiance: 4

Overall: 3.5

Additional comments:

• Vietnamese Fusion tapas
• Contemporary/casual fine dining
• The Vietnamese version of Hapa Izakaya
• Vietnamese owned
• Vietnamese chefs
• Attracts Westerners/locals primarily 30-40+
• Quite healthy
• Moderately priced
• Lunch plates $10-13 until 5pm daily
• Lunch and dinner
• Open 7 days
• Serves alcohol/cocktails/wine
• Mon-Sat 11am-10pm
• Sunday 11:30-9:30pm
• Charge for tea
• Free parking at rear

**Recommendation: Artichoke Tea (I don't feel like I tried their best dishes so I feel like there could be better stuff on the menu that I haven’t tried)

CHAU Kitchen & Bar serves Vietnamese fusion tapas and is pretty much the only expensive Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver. It’s not fine dining, but it is casual fine dining. The menu offers about 20 Vietnamese tapas with a contemporary twist and although it seems like “white people making Vietnamese food” it isn’t. The chefs and owners are actually Vietnamese so the quality and style of the food is quite good although I prefer Kingyo (Japanese Izakaya) to this. They are different, but I find that I get more value at Japanese Izakaya. It’s hard justifying expensive Vietnamese food because it’s known for “cheap eats” and there are so many in Vancouver.

I came here after dinner #1 at Sushi Garden so I can’t say I was too hungry to eat again…but obviously I still did. I was with my Vietnamese friend and it’s even hard for her to justify pricey Vietnamese food. While the food was good (ambiance and service are better) the tapas are pretty basic and not creative enough to justify the price. I just didn’t see value with some of the dishes. Oh and as a side note, CHAU is pronounced “Cho” almost like “Joe”, and not “Chow” like many people think it is.

On the table:

**Artichoke Tea 5/6

• Steeped from dried artichokes, sweetened with sugarcane and topped with gogi berries. Caffeine free. $3
• They charge $1 for regular Jasmine tea, but I decided to get the Artichoke tea.
• I really liked this! It’s very natural and naturally sweetened and as sweet as Chamomile is.
• In addition to the sugar cane there’s dragon’s eye (fruit) and gogi berries which enhances the delicate sweetness and leaves a honey and floral flavour.
• Artichoke tea is also very good for you and helps cleans e your liver too.

  

Buddha Bowl 3.5/6

• In a mushroom, lychee and date stock served with tofu, rice noodles and seasonal vegetables $7/$11
• We ordered the bigger size because the server said it’s almost triple everything more worth it. It was a pretty decent portion and definitely big for a tapa.
  
• This was basically a vegetarian version of pho. It seemed like a recipe from Martha Stewart. It was quite westernized and very healthy looking and tasting. The noodles are fresh and not dried which is great.
• There was a mound of fresh veggies like raw shredded cabbage, green onions, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, vegetarian ham, eggplant, lotus root, mushrooms, deep fried tofu, dried tofu skins, snow peas, and honey dates.
• There was no lychee in it; they actually meant “longan” which is dragon’s eye fruit. It has a florally sweet flavour and is quite refreshing.
• The veggies were all blanched in the soup before being served so they were all quite bland on their own. They didn’t absorb any flavours and could have been tenderer, but I guess they assume it will cook in the hot soup anyways.
• The broth didn’t taste vegetarian to me. It tastes like a sweetened chicken broth with a light onion and garlic flavour. It probably is vegetarian but tastes like it's from a can, that's partly why I though ti was chicken. It’s more sweet than savoury and there’s a pink tint which is probably from the ingredients.
• There is very minimal fish sauce but it comes through when you squeeze the lime into the soup. I like my broth more savoury and it’s the most important part of pho so I wish they did a better job with it...by the way doesn't fish sauce make it non-vegetarian?!
• I appreciate the variety of ingredients, but it was also something I could easily make at home. The honey dates and longan/Dragon's Eye are actually more Chinese and they come dried in packages at the Chinese supermarket. (The Dragon's Eye could have been frozen/fresh.)
  
• 

Rice Paper Rolls 3/6

• Green leaf lettuce, cucumber, vermicelli, herbs and a crispy egg noodle centre. Choice of chicken, prawn, pork and mint, tofu, or vegetarian ham $6.50
• We ordered it with prawns and they really spread them out so I couldn’t taste them. They used too much lettuce and not enough other ingredients and they were just really tiny in general.
  
• This was the “fancy” version of Vietnamese salad rolls. It wasn’t even fancy as much as it was a cute idea.
• They were pretty small and I actually like the regular Vietnamese ones better.
• The “fusion” part was adding the crispy egg noodle centre which is actually just a crispy layered wafer that looks like a Pocky stick. It wasn’t sweet, but more neutral like a cracker. It added a nice crunch, and was good, but the concept was a bit junior for a restaurant lik e this.
• They serve it with a sauce that tastes like a mix of sweet and sour plum sauce, fish sauce, and that orange Vietnamese vinaigrette that’s usually served with deep fried spring rolls. I which it was nuttier tasting.

Crispy Pork and Prawn Wontons 2.5/6

• $6
• These were just your standard deep fried wontons, except I couldn’t taste or see any prawns. I would have appreciated a bit more stuffing.
• They were deep fried well though, very crispy and golden on the outside and the pork meat was still juicy. Again it wasn't that impressive for a gourmet Vietnamese tapas place, but I didn't really expect them to be either.
• The pork was well marinated though and I could taste garli c and onions.
• They serve them with sweet Thai chili sauce but it’s more sweet than spicy.
• I don’t think it’s worth the price because there were only 4 and it’s the easiest thing an Asian restaurant can make and serve.

Dessert

**Deep Fried Banana 5/6

• Served with lychee ice cream (I’m not sure of the price, but I’m guessing $6-8)
• The banana was served in a doughnut like batter. It wa s covered with sugar, and then covered with syrup before serving. It was a bit too sweet since the banana is already sweet. I also wish the batter stayed attac hed to the banana but I guess it was too heavy.

  

• The banana was warm and creamy and I liked how they garnished it with chopped mint because it brightens up this rather heavy dessert.
• The lychee ice cream was the best part. There are actually pieces of real lychee in it and it went so well with the banana fritter and mint. All the flavours went together so well.

Vietnamese Pancake 3/6

• A fried Vietnamese pancake served with caramel and lychee ice cream (I’m not sure of the price, but I’m guessing $6-8)
• It was one fried pancake made out of Vietnamese flour – seemed like potato or rice flour to me. It’s thin and crispy and glutinous in texture.
• It was swimming in a caramel sauce that was much too sweet and they put too much on.
• Again the ice cream was the best! It has the real lychee bits in it and with the pancake it gave it a nice florally flavour.

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. 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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!