Temaki Sushi: Oh sa-sashimi!

*late post* After a "productive" day of studying at UBC, the gang wanted to hit up a sushi place. We were debating between Temaki or BC Sushi-- three girls won with no AYCE =P Now I've only been here for lunch, but considering their quality, I figured dinner should be fine!

Restaurant: Temaki Sushi (visit their website here)

Location: 2156 West Broadway, Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Price range: $15+





Date of visit: February 20, 2014
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

Didn't expect to go all out, but we ended up doing it! Sadly there wasn't enough uni for a full order of sashimi, so the gang let me nom on the two Uni Nigiri ($7.00 for 2) instead. It was very fresh and lots of uni in the nigiri. I loved it. Also ordered a piece of Saba Aburi ($2.50), it was way too cooked and dry =/ Bland flavoring besides the ginger that overwhelmed everything *disappointed*.

We had five people, so two orders of Hamachi Sashimi ($21.98 for 8 pieces). This was fresh and delicious. Didn't taste fishy at all! The flavors were rich and the fish had some spring/bite to it =D

Next was a Tuna Tataki ($11.99). This was very interesting because of the "avocado salad" spread on top. There were cucumbers on there too, but didn't do much to add to the dish besides be nibbled on after. The tuna itself melted in my mouth but the preparation was nothing too special.

On this plate are the Red Dragon Roll ($12.99) which could have had more kick to it, a Spider Roll ($8.99) that was filled with crab and batter (but tasted like the red dragon roll beside it), and a Double Tuna Roll ($12.99) which was the most memorable because I liked the overall flavors together.

Since they weren't full (but I was so I didn't try the rest of these things), they added on an Sockeye Sashimi ($13.99 for 8 pieces) and two orders of Salmon Belly Sashimi ($17.98 for 8 pieces). These looked so beautiful and again, they really enjoyed this.

Finally, we (or well they did) finished off the night Roll Combo ($11.99). This looked less impressive, but did the job of filling bellies (or so I hope!). I believe there was a chopped scallop roll, a spicy tuna roll, and a dynamite roll.

However, on a student budget, this was a bit OVERKILL on our wallets, everyone paid around $30 each-- but considering what we ordered, it wasn't a bad deal =) Just gotta be mindful of what choice of restaurant I choose next time for poor starving students =P

Sushi California: Sushi-comfort-food

Been feeling a bit mopey and stressed lately, glad Little Teemo and Eggtart pulled me out to dinner =) Great company and sushi therapy? Golden.

Restaurant: Sushi California

Location: 501 North Road, Coquitlam
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Price range: $10-15





Date of visit: March 9, 2014
Atmosphere: 3/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 3.75/5
Buck worthy? 4.5/5

I forgot how LARGE their nigiris were so I went ahead and ordered a Salmon ($1.20), Ika ($1.25),  Hamachi ($2.00), and Chopped Scallop ($1.35) nigiri =/ Way too much food. Fish was fresh, the ika was meh though, too gummy and not enough crunch to it. Seafood to rice ratio was too low-- there was too much rice!

I also ordered a Crunch House Roll ($4.50), which was basically a deep-fried house roll! It was nice and crispy, didn't feel oily at all! The salmon and tuna became rather cooked after sitting for a while (residual head I presume), but otherwise it was delish!

Little Teemo ordered a Hot N Roll ($3.95). I didn't get a chance to try the Hot N Roll, but it looked really pretty and fancy for a roll of that price!

She also had a Spicy Tuna Tempura Roll ($3.95) and an Alaska Roll ($3.95), of which I tried the spicy tuna tempura roll. I felt it was a nice texture, not too oily but could use a bit more kick to it ^-^

Eggtart ordered a Crunch Cali ($3.95) aka a deep fried california roll, and a Bills Roll ($3.95), which contained yam tempura. So much rice he almost had a carb coma xD

I tried Eggtart's Sweet Mango roll ($6.95), it was light and fresh, but I wish it were sweeter with more mango flavor to it (he felt it wasn't sweet enough either).

I found their rice to be a bit tasteless, but the texture was good. It was actually quite full for such a late hour (for Coquitlam this is a BIG thing-- most places are closed early haha). I guess for the price paid, it's a great deal =)

Photo credits to Little Teemo

I was in the presence of amazing company. Always nice to know you have people around you supporting you regardless =) *forever grateful*

Maruko Japanese Noodle House: Ramen Round 3-- About tired of ramen by now

Photo credits to Adorables

*and yet another late post* Annnd in the same day I found myself gorging on some ramen again =P This time it was after a fun evening of skating at Robson Square, and everyone was hungryyyy (and cold).







Restaurant: Maruko Japanese Noodle House (visit their website here)

Location: 1333 Robson Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Ramen
Price range: $10-15





Date of visit: December 17, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4.5/5
Food variety: 3.5/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

I was glad there wasn't a minimum charge here, Adorables and I shared a Shio Ramen ($8.95) which was quite good! I liked their light soup base which was also milky and full at the same time (does that even make sense). The ramen was chewy but had that soapy flavor I don't like in ramen =/







Here are some of the things others ordered (dont' recall what the names were but it looked good!)

The cushion fell off and we discovered why these stools were so sturdy!

And some flowers from Adorables <3 #beingspoiled

Anyways, I enjoyed myself here with great company and friendly service. It was actually quite busy despite it being an odd time =) Not the most authentic ramen place I've been to, but for something cheaper it's not a bad option (especially if you're just looking for a little bite to eat).

Ramen Jinya: Ramen Round 2-- 3/10 spicy is VERY SPICY!!

*another late post* Annnd two days later I found myself at ramen once again! This time we went to the other end of Robson where there weren't as many ramen restaurants located together in one place =)

Restaurant: Ramen Jinya 陣家 (visit their website here)

Location: 270 Robson Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Ramen
Price range: $10-15




Date of visit: December 17, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4.5/5
Food variety: 3/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

AT ordered a Spicy (regular) Ramen ($10.25), she found it not too spicy and just right. The soup was delicious!

I ventured and tried their new Red (level 3) Ramen ($11.25). You can choose between 1-10 level of spiciness and I found 3 to be quite spicy already! The spice was amazing though, my mouth was on fire and I was sweating profusely (maybe a bit exaggerated) but it was worth it. The spicy flavor complimented the miso pork bone soup base very well. I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't their thin ramen noodles though =(

RL always gets their Black Ramen ($11.25), which did come with their nice thin ramen noodles, and looked yummy as usual!

Overall I found the restaurant too warm, and alongside the hot noodles, it was an interesting experience to be sweating so much in the dead of winter! xD

Motomachi Shokudo: Ramen Round 1-- there's a minimum charge?!

A late blog post for a place I went to last year, I remember it being freezing cold and we were craving some ramen, so we went to the plethora of noodle shops around Robson and decided to wait here, since it seemed like the shortest lineup!

Restaurant: Motomachi Shokudo 元町食堂
Location: 740 Denman Street
Cuisine: Japanese, Ramen

Price range: $10-15

Date of visit: December 15, 2013

Atmosphere: 4/5

Staff/service: 3/5

Food variety: 2/5

Food quality: 3/5

Buck worthy? 2/5

Not knowing there was a minimum charge of one ramen each, I was pressured into ordering a bowl myself (which I ended up packing most of it for home). I ordered their Bamboo Charcoal Dark Miso Ramen ($10.55) after reading about all the benefits for charcoal for the body =P. This was decent, the soup was nice and hot but a bit oily. The ramen was your typical ramen, nothing too WOW about it. Now the egg on the other hand was AMAZING. I loved the gooey yolk and the soft egg white. YUMMY =D

Adorables ordered a Shio Ramen with Extra BBQ Pork ($10.55), so he got pork from different parts of the piggy. The soup base was much lighter and quite refreshing! There were some really fat pork pieces, but he seemed to enjoy it.

First time having ice water in a teacup xD

I was charged for my container (which I wouldn't have needed if we could have ordered one ramen and a side or smth) but noooooo. They charged an extra $0.50 for it. It's not a lot but it's a matter of principle. Onto the next ramen place~

Suika: Tea costs money xD *derp moment*

Interesting and useful light of the night xD

*late post!!* Date night!! And the fact I've been wanting to come here for... years. Seriously. Ok maybe a bit exaggerated, but anyways, excited to be here, they were super full even for such a late time we arrived (around 8:30/9pm).














Restaurant: Suika (visit their website here)

Location: 1626 West Broadway, Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Tapas
Price range: $25+

Date of visit: October 11, 2013
Atmosphere: 5/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

We started the meal with some oysters (3 for $5.40) and they were scrumptious. I really liked the jelly, scallions and lemon juice on it. The oysters were fresh too! nom nom =D

Next was their Ebiten Agedashi Tofu ($6.40). I don't know if the tofu was supposed to be crunchy or not, but it wasn't. The shrimp on top was a nice size and the tofu was... tofu in special soy sauce. The batter ended up being a bit mushy, but mainly chewy. I prefer a bit of crunch to it xD

Decided upon some sushi, a Toro Battera ($12.80) which was a pressed toro sushi topped with a pureed seaweed sauce on top and something else I don't recall. I didn't like it that much. The sushi itself did not stand out to me nor did the flavors work well together. The seaweed sauce was too slimey and the other sauce made the sushi fall apart ><"

I enjoyed their Chirashi-don ($9.80), where the flavors and rice mixed together perfectly. I believe it was salmon and tuna, which were fresh and melted with the rice.

Now the Pork Feet ($6.80) was interesting. It was literally a pork hock on a sizzling plate. The skin was nice and chewy, not much meat in this part, so it was mainly tendon and skin. A little bit of fat, but otherwise a delicious combination. Lemon helped cut out a bit of the fatty flavor of this dish. It was a bit difficult to eat though!

I couldn't resist a dessert and thus talked Adorables into ordering a Yukimi Daifuku ($4.80) which was basically ice cream wrapped with a mochi layer (glutinous rice). This was delicious. The mochi covering was soft and chewy while the ice cream was smooth and rich. There was red bean and green tea. A bit hard to eat though because it threatened to fall apart and melt ^^"

And typical frozen grapes!

A super friendly atmosphere, I had a great time here! Most entertaining must have been the Ultraman that was playing via projector in front of us, such nostalgia!