Yoon's Kitchen: New Korean Fusion in the neighborhood!

Seeing Sushi & Roll close down was disheartening to me, since I did enjoy their food, but seeing a new Korean restaurant in this area was equally exciting (I think it just opened this month, not even Yelp/Zomato official yet!). There aren't many Korean joints around this location, so it's a wonderful addition (I hope they can continue and stay!).



Restaurant:  Yoon's Kitchen

Location: 3017 St. John's Street
Cuisine: Korean, Japanese, Asian fusion
Price range: $20+ per person




Date of visit: November 29, 2017
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4.5/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 3/5

The place was pretty empty when we got there around 6pm, 3 tables of people. We were greeted warmly and seated promptly. The place looked clean and neat. I guess the fusion part is that they still offer some Japanese sushi.

First to arrive was the Bossam ($18.99) which is a boiled pork belly dish with sauce and wrapped in greens. The pork was nicely marbled and seasoned well. The napa cabbage it came with was crisp and contrasted well with the soft, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly. I'm not sure what the spicy dish was but it tasted like radish, and added crunch and flavor to the bite. Side dishes weren't remarkable, there was kimchi, bean sprouts, zucchini slices, and a ball of sweet mashed potato.

I couldn't resist getting a sushi roll and I love scallops so I got Under the Sea ($6.95). This is a torched spicy chopped scallop roll with surprise cream cheese. I say surprise because it wasn't a listed item on the menu. Overall the taste was average, fresh scallops were overwhelmed by the cream cheese and sauce. I wish they had went easy on the spicy sauce, otherwise a well made roll.

Can't forget the Korean style rolls so we settled on the original Gyori Kimbab ($5.25) with fried egg, spinach, crabmeat, fishcake, pickled radish, burdock, and carrot. This was the only dish that was good bang for its buck. The roll was quite large in comparison the the previous and although simple, the flavors went well together and in good proportion. I enjoyed this quite a bit!

Onto hot foods! We got their Soon Dubu Jjigae ($11.99)--otherwise known as soft tofu stew. We chose the mix, which included seafood and beef. Considering how much I'm paying for it, I was disappointed with the quality of this. It wasn't as rich as I'd had at other places and a little on the salty side. No egg went with it either.

The rice that accompanied the dish was really well made though, and they pour cold water (which the waitress leaked all over my jacket and didn't notice, but we'll let that slide) over the hot stone bowl with the remaining rice to make a soft rice stew thing. The pot was so hot it boiled out of the pot!

Silly us, we got another rice dish, the Hot Stone Bibimbab ($12.99) had mixed veggies, beef, and an egg atop rice. Bowl was big but the ingredients only filled half the bowl, which kinda makes it look bad. It tasted good though! The hot stone kept the rice warm for the duration of our meal and we got crispy rice at the end, one of my dad's favorite parts of the meal!

Before we got our bill, the waitress brought us a sweet rice drink (on the house). I hear that rice water brightens and whitens the skin, so maybe this is the secret to how Koreans maintain their beautiful complexions! Anyways, it was a light sweet drink and quite nice to end the meal. My mom thought it was a little too sweet for her liking.

Overall, I enjoyed the meal. The food was above average and flavors were great. Service was friendly and almost the right amount (sometimes it was hard to find anyone since there's only two people running the front). Not that great quantity-to-price-wise because this isn't Vancouver, people will expect more food for the same price since there's a lot of competition around with equal quality and price but more quantity-- people want good food for a good price. Alas, they're still pretty new, I don't even know when they officially opened (or maybe they're not), a good location for them though and I see a lot of potential!

Danbo on 4th: Rich broth, great ramen!

Azota Photography and her husband came up from the States to visit, so what other place to bring them than a ramen place in Vancouver!

Restaurant: Ramen Danbo (visit their website here)

Location: 1833 W. 4th Avenue, Vancvouver
Cuisine: Ramen, Japanese
Price range: $10-$15



Date of visit: August 27, 2016
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 2/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

I ordered the Blazing Hot Rekka Ramen ($10.95) at level 5 spicy (I believe they have 5, 10, 15, 20). You get to customize your noodle thickness and firmness, as well as broth thickness, amount of lard, and spiciness. Like many traditional ramen joints, they offer Kaedama ($1.00 for half order, $2.00 for full order), which is an extra order of noodles. I got the thin noodles firm, and standard broth with a little lard. I like the rich flavor of the broth and how I can customize the amount of lard. The noodles were the perfect firmness I liked them at. The chashu pork had some bite to it but was still tender and so delicious! We even ordered an extra serving on the side ($2.25). I found the spiciness was at a good level for me, but did drown out some of the umame flavor of the broth itself.

I got the Classic Tonkotsu Ramen ($9.45) for Adorables, which comes in their signature tonkotsu pork broth. This was amazing! I could fully taste the richness of the pork broth, even though I only ordered standard thickness. It comes with a lot of scallions and two pieces of chashu pork. Thoroughly enjoyable!

AzotaPhotography's husband ordered an extra half order of noodles halfway through the ramen, and it came quickly-- and disappeared just as quickly! It was definitely a wonderful meal, although the wait is usually quite long since it's a small location. A little stuffy inside, especially because we're eating hot noodles!

Sushi Aria: Generically acceptable sushi

Craving sushi and saw this new place nearby, so we decided to give it a try! There's lots of street parking, both paid and free 2hr parking nearby. I wasn't noticed for a while before being seated, but did get a seat eventually (it was near empty) and the waitress was friendly.

Restaurant: Sushi Aria

Location: 4018 Cambie Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Price range: $10-15/person



Date of visit: January 25, 2016
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 3/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 3.5/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

Similar to other Korean-operated Japanese restaurants, the menu offered reasonably priced sushi and I didn't expect anything super fancy. There were quite a few special rolls, and I saw others order it-- looked pretty good! I was debating between udon or rice, but the server recommended the rice, so I got their Al Bab ($6.95). It was rice in a hot stone bowl topped with tobiko, masago, pickled veggies, carrot, cucumber, and seaweed mixed in a light soy sauce. The bowl was hot and they mixed it for me, taste was interesting, never had something like it before but felt it wasn't as "delicious" as she sold it as.

Next to arrive was the Sashimi and Sushi Combo ($9.95) which had two pieces salmon and tuna sashimi, and one ebi (I swapped it to ika free of charge), tuna, salmon, chopped scallop, and masago nigiri. I was quite happy with the ika, it was gooey but had some spring to it. The others were equally average. Disappointment was the mushy tuna sashimi and "tendonous" (veiny?) salmon sashimi. Good portions though!

Last thing was a Deep Fried California Roll ($3.75). Considering the price, I shouldn't have expected much. It was crispy on the outside and topped with a tangy sauce + spicy mayo. The insides were average imitation crab and creamy avocado, but it was too warm and made it quite heavy. Adorables did not approve of it.

They give cotton candy instead of candies here! Fun =D

Overall it was hard to get service when you wanted it, but I guess it provides some level of privacy if you wanted it. They were good in making rounds to fill up our tea, and generally welcoming.

Kaiju: Underground Gem!

Having just got off the plane after a 4 hour flight, I was kind of tired and HUNGRY! Adorables picked me up and away we transited (for 2 hours QQ) to food!

Restaurant: Kaiju (visit their website here)

Location: #51-384 Yonge Street, Toronto
Cuisine: Japanese, Curry
Price range: $10-$15



Date of visit: June 6, 2015
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 5/5
Food variety: 3/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

I was surprised that this was located in such a seemingly deserted food court in downtown Toronto. Nonetheless, the owner was very friendly-- he offered us tofu cheesecake to try! Decided on a Kaiju Poutine ($6.00), which was a curry-based poutine. Very unique, the fries were very crispy outside and moist+fluffy inside. Cheese melted nicely inside the Styrofoam box and was delicious. Only thing that I was impartial to was the curry. I found the curry too sweet and a little bit grainy, just not my cup of tea.

We also got the Pork Katsu Curry ($8.00). This was amazing! Pork katsu was tender, juicy, and super crispy outside. Paired with the rice and curry-- heaven on earth after a 4 hour flight! I was impressed and wished I had more tummy room for it all.

Overall this was definitely one of the more memorable meals of the trip, being pleasantly surprised with delicious food in an underground hole in the wall curry joint. Also times when I still had MooStachio with me *cries*.

Capilano Sushi: Hidden yummy sushis =D

After working hard and doing the BCMC at Grouse (hike beside Grouse grind), we treated ourselves to...sushi! =D

Restaurant: Capilano Sushi (visit their website here)

Location: 1240 Marine Drive, North Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi, Seafood
Price range: $10-20 per person




Date of visit: May 8, 2015
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

This was definitely a hole in the wall, as I almost missed the place, but its in a little strip mall near Marine Drive with some parking in front of the place. It looked quite clean inside and we figured the owners were either Taiwanese or from Hong Kong =P

We ordered from their lunch specials, which were all relatively cheap! GoddessV ordered a Chicken Teriyaki Lunch Special ($7.99) which came with a lot of food! There was miso soup, chicken teriyaki, a salad, rice, yam fries, and a California roll. Great deal! The food looked really good, and I liked the yam fries!

I ordered their Takoyaki ($5.99) which was very round, fresh, and delicious! The outside was crispy, the insides fluffy and creamy, and good size. I really enjoyed them!

RetroGirl and I both ordered the Everything Combo ($9.99). It comes with miso soup, 2 tuna and 2 salmon sashimi, 1 ebi, 1 tuna and 1 salmon sushi, and a dynamite roll. They had run out of tuna so we just got 4 pieces of salmon sashimi (which I don't mind at all). I swapped out my ebi for another piece of salmon. Everything was very fresh and the salmon was wild salmon. The dynamite roll didn't use crab meat, which was quite refreshing with the crunchy shrimp tempura.

Overall, I really enjoyed the food. If I had stayed with the cheaper options, my meal could easily have been under $10-- pretty amazing for quality Japanese food! =D

Sushi Bar Maumi: Fresh-ish, authentic sushi!

Been hearing a lot of good things about a certain Japanese restaurant in downtown, so finally got Adorables and LeBœuf to join on my endeavor!

Restaurant: Sushi Bar Maumi (visit their website here)

Location: 1225 Bute Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi, Seafood
Price range: minimum charge of $20/person




Date of visit: April 30, 2015
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Staff/service: 3.5/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 4.5/5

I had to change my bookings, but they were accommodating and allowed me to change it to the next day and to three people on short notice! Upon arrival I understood why they had great difficulty changing it from two to three people! It was a tiny little store with about 10 spots. They ignored us for a while because we arrived early and there were only two people running the whole place, but afterwards very nice and friendly. The waitress (owner?) offered us the regular menu and a menu of their daily fresh seafood (which was a long list).

Adorables ordered Assorted Tempura ($11.00) to share. It came with 3 tiger prawns and 5 pieces of vegetable (2 string beans, 1 okra, yam, eggplant, and zucchini). It's interesting having okra tempura, but they did a good job. The other tempura was a bit soggy and too oily, definitely not their strong suit.

Adorables also got a Saba Shioyaki ($10.00). This had a nice simple presentation, and the piece wasn't too hard to eat. I liked the char on the fish and the meat itself was moist and flavorful. However, for the price it felt a bit steep for our wallets.

LeBœuf and I both ordered a Sushi Omakase 10-piece ($25.00) because we couldn't decide on which sushi in particular to get. I was glad we got it because for the price, it was a good deal. I honestly could not remember (or make out) some of the names of the fish she introduced, but definitely not your average albacore tuna and farmed salmon! I know there was sea bream, red tuna, saba, unagi, raw octopus, uni, and... a few other white fish. I felt the white fish were decent, some had a lot of "tendon" and made it hard to chew. All very fresh though!

I was a bit disappointed with the uni, as it was the only one that did not taste fresh. My experience with uni is that it should taste buttery with a bit of sea-- whenever there is a hint of garbage taste, I know its not the freshest. Size of the sushi was proportionate and the rice was nicely made. None of the pieces fell apart easily but wasn't compacted like crazy either. Truly authentic.

I quite enjoyed my experience although I had to sit on a small extra chair, they are very genuine and authentic, while taking care to minor details like plating. Using nice ceramic plates just adds so much to the dining experience. Shall be back to try other things on their menu! =)

Nagano: How about no.

It was a beautiful evening, so I decided to go for a stroll with OldBean. Upon nearing the end of our trip, I got hungry, and decided to give Nagano a second chance (also because it was the only sushi open nearby). The first time I came here (when they first opened), the sushi was falling on the side and there were a lot of bones in my sashimi.

Restaurant: Nagano (visit their website here)

Location: 120-2918 Glen Drive, Coquitlam
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Price range: $15+ per person




Date of visit: April 16, 2015
Atmosphere: 3/5
Staff/service: 2.5/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 3/5
Buck worthy? 1/5

They were pretty friendly when we walked in, then I asked for take out. There was an older lady who was very nice and chatted with me while I was deciding what to get, and a younger lady who...gave me the stink eye. I don't know how I already offended her. Anyhow, I couldn't decide so I just got their Assorted Sushi B ($13.99). It wasn't a very busy night, but it took them over 20 minutes to get our order ready.

It looked pretty decent, the fish was fresh. There were 2 pieces Atlantic salmon, and one piece of tuna, tai, hokkigai, tamago, sockeye salmon, inari, and unagi. I was surprised at how dark the unagi was, it was quite dry and nearly black. I figured they burned it, which they did, but it was crispy! Rice to fish ratio is quite good, I liked it. Kinda confused with the sockeye salmon and hokkigai pieces as to how they were cut, but nonetheless it served to alleviate my sushi craving. Would I go back though? Maybe in another 5 years if they're still around. Or never again.

Kibo: I prefer my meals without mice around. Thanks.

Adorables got a Groupon ($11 for $30 of food) for this place, so we decided to hit it up before it expired! When I arrived it was empty, I had the restaurant to myself. Oh well, probably because it's a random Wednesday night.

Restaurant: Kibo Restaurant and Lounge (visit their website here)

Location: 1261 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Price range: $15+ per person




Date of visit: February 25, 2015
Atmosphere: 0/5 (mice? No thanks)
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 1/5

Server was very friendly and attentive, I was seated promptly and he brought me some water to start. I knew I wanted to try their Salmon Tartare ($8.00) because it sounded amazing online. Presentation was nice, with the tower of salmon tartare in the middle surrounded by four oba tempura pieces. It looked like a flower. 

The tartare was light, refreshing and a bit tart. I liked the cilantro and their use of sockeye salmon. Made it less fatty than others I've had. Oba was great as a chip to scoop the salmon tartare into our mouths. Fresh and crispy! Loved this dish!

As we sat waiting for our other dishes, little critters joined us at the restaurant (besides another couple who also walked in and were seated next to us). I mean mice. YEAH. MICE AT SUCH A NICE ESTABLISHMENT. I was scared for my life. Too bad they were camera-shy. I was tempted to ask if they were pets, but refrained. It was the first time seeing a live mouse for me though. Kinda lost my appetite at this point and was super worried I would die from the food. Our Kibo Roll ($13.00) showed up all pretty. I ate it anyways. It was an avocado and cucumber roll topped with seared tuna and salmon. The Kibo sauce consisted of ginger and radish, but it overwhelmed the whole roll. Far too tangy, gingery, and salty, taking it off, the roll was far more enjoyable. Adorables also mentioned it was too saucy (the bottom was all sauce), which I agreed with.

Finally, the Crazy Roll ($12 online but they charged us $13) arrived. Visually appealing, Adorables was not impressed by the texture of the roll. The deep fried garlic chips on top stuck to our teeth and disrupted the creaminess of the whole roll. The spicy negitoro and avocado went well together as the spiciness cut the sickening feeling of super creamy avocado. I took the roll to go though, the mice kept running around and I just couldn't focus on eating. Nor did I have much of an appetite.

Service was not bad, but sadly, I won't return because of their vermin problem. I hope they'll fix it, but I checked online for their food inspection and it wasn't listed. I guess its a new problem. I'm still breathing, so I guess the mice were just around the store front. First time in my life that there was no tip to the meal. Adorables mentioned that if it were busier we would have never known. Maybe ignorance is bliss sometimes...

Sushi California: New menu, poor execution

BigBlackBab00n was back in townnn! Time for long overdue lunch =D Joined by LittleWeed, we hit up our fav jap place in the area, Sushi California. They had a new menu and looks renovated, quite nice now!

Restaurant: Sushi California

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



Date of visit: December 27, 2014
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 3/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

New to their menu was Hirame ($1.60). I found it a bit too fishy and "veiny". Tasted like a combination of Tai and Hamachi. Rice was cooked and seasoned well. Also got Kanpachi ($2.00), it was fresh and tasty. Flavors are light and the fish was flakey. Also a Chopped Scallop ($1.35) which was overflowing with scallop. It was a bit too saucy though. But fresh and delicious =D (all the nigiris were large size)

Also new to their menu were Fresh Oysters ($4.95). These were poorly executed. They were hit or miss. 2/4 were fresh, 2/4 were not parted from the shell, and one had a broken shell. Only one had no shell bits in the oyster.

They were slimey-- like they hadn't been cleaned at all. Flavors didn't go well with the oysters. Kinda sad, but what did I expect from a place like this? The other stuff was still great (rolls, noodles, etc).

Either way, I enjoyed my kanpachi and chopped scallop. Also ate some of LittleWeed's sushi =P Delish!

Sushimoto: Cheap and great lunch!

Met up with GirlNextDoor for lunch near Holdom Skytrain station, been wanting to try this place out for a while, finally did it!

Restaurant: Sushimoto

Location: 102-2201 Holdom Avenue, Burnaby
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Price range: $10-15 for lunch






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

One of their lunch specials was Chirashi ($9.00). I had never had a chirashi before (shame, I know), but my friends have often ordered them. I felt it was too much rice for a small eater like me. However, for this price, I was willing to try for the first time. Super glad I did. It was topped with 3 salmon, 3 tuna, 2 tamago, 2 tai, 1 ebi, 2 hokigai, and masago. I was surprised there was so much sashimi! I had just enough rice to go well with it (also can't believe I ate so much). Sashimi was fresh and everything was delicious.

I also ordered a Chopped Scallop Nigiri ($2.00) because I couldn't resist. Such a glutton. The scallop was fresh and the rice well done. Yum!

This is a great location for a cheap japanese lunch to fill bellies for under $10! Also, a convenient location, right underneath Holdom Station.

Look at the cool figurines they have at the bar ;D