Munchie Adventure: Kingyo Izakaya 金魚居酒屋, Vancouver

So I happen to be in downtown again, and my friend acted as my tour guide again :) And this time, there was a surprise waiting for me! Kingyo Izakaya!! Annnd he reserved the Makunouchi (Deluxe bento box where they only serve 10 per day!!) I felt so special =D And it was amazing. Aside from our spot being in the corner and it being right beside the wood wall separating us from the sun (so it got really warm), it was really nice there. The decor was a woody theme, and looked good together. I didn't really have a chance to look at other menu items, since my meal was already pre-planned, with many thanks to my wonderful friend.

Restaurant: Kingyo Izakaya 金魚居酒屋 (visit their website here)
Location: 871 Denman Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Izakaya, Tapas
Price range: $10-20 per entree




Date of visit: September 12, 2012
Atmosphere: 3/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 4.5/5

Let's take a look at the overall presentation first! Looks like a lot to eat (for $16)! =D The waiter explained what every dish was to us, but I couldn't hear everything, so left it to myself to discover :3

We got two, and when put together, looks like one continuous table of yummy-ness =P

I didn't know where to start, so like most Japanese meals, I decided on the miso soup. It looked a bit oily, which wasn't normal, but it tasted so good! Who knew you could improve miso soup? There wasn't tofu in it-- there was daikon! =O Very yummy though :)

Then I don't remember what order I ate things in, so I'll go by whatever order I took pictures in =P This was a little piece of fried fish, there seemed to be more batter than fish, but it was crispy and good. A bit on the oily side, after the first half, I got sick of it (finished it though! don't waste food!)

 This was quite a special dish, it was lotus root with salmon stuffed in the middle.

Crunchy lotus, smooth salmon in the middle-- it was good. And a smart idea. I shall try this at home =P

Then there was this odd tofu. It might've been teriyaki tofu at some time, but when I got to it, I just remember the delicious sauce, and not-so-good gooey coating on the tofu. It was a clear batter which seemed to serve no purpose in helping the dish besides make it shiny. The scallops and mushrooms were really good though! Went great with the rice!

Traditional rolled egg slice. I'm not sure how it usually is, but this was cold and flavourless. Nothing much else to say xD

Tofu salad? There was some thinly sliced crunchy beancurd, some oily sauce, and some tofu. It was tasty, but got a bit salty near the end. Fresh salad ingredients though! Too oily IMO.

THE BEST THING OF MY MEAL!! (Besides the fact that I got to eat this meal =P) This was a little piece of pork belly, might seem simple, but it just melted in my mouth and the fat wasn't disgusting either. It was sooo sooo soooo amazing with the rice! And then we asked the server afterwards what the sauce was, and it turned out to be partly special sauce and mashed potatoes! So special, I wish I knew it was potato earlier, I guessed it was mayo so didn't eat it all =(

I remember this dish was chicken karaage, it was really juicy and tasty. The lime was a good touch, made it easier to down (since I was pretty full at this point). There were three big pieces of chicken, and was nice and crispy-- until I sogged it up with the minced raddish xD

Now this tuna tataki. It wasn't bad, but I've had better. The tuna was rather fishy, but the sauce was good with it cuz it covered up the fishiness =P

Cucumber and pumpkin mush. There's probably a better name, but that's what it basically was. The cucumber was pickled, and the pumpkin was mushed. End of story. It wasn't bad beside the looks of it =P

Last but not least, the pickled dish. Didn't finish it cuz it was a bit strong on the pickled side (really sour). It helped throughout the meal though, refreshed my appetite =)

Oh! Forgot to mention the rice. It was good at the top, then became mush at the bottom, maybe they had them in those bowls for a while then reheated? =S

Heres a look at the bill ;) Weird how they charged for normal green tea, but it was only $1.80 for two people, so it was ok.