Pokéworks: Fresh Poke-- works for me :D

We were touring some relatives from out of town downtown and I've had a couple friends talk about another new poke place in Vancouver, so we headed over to Pokéworks so they could try poke! Conveniently located within walking distance of the convention center (it's basically beside Chewies, entrance faces Cordova), it was a prime location that wasn't too crowded.

Restaurant: Pokéworks (visit their website here)

Location: 150-1021 West Hastings Street
Cuisine: Poke, Hawaiian
Price range: ~$15-20 (Depends on how many add-ons and size)

Date of visit: October 16, 2017
Atmosphere: 5/5
Staff/service: 5/5
Food variety: 4.5/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

It wasn't a busy time when we visited (around 4pm on a Monday), and greeted promptly by staff. They had the typical poke setup, with proteins first, then veggies and other toppings after. I ordered two large bowls ($13.50) from their signature works menu. There is an option to create your own bowl too.

I got the Hawaiian Classic and chose extra kale, diced mango, edamame, cucumber, sweet onion, crab salad, masago, seaweed salad, seasame seeds, and onion crisps, garlic crisps, and shredded nori from their crunch items (all included in price). The ahi tuna was fresh, didn't taste fishy, and went well with their classic sauce. Maybe I was greedy and got too many toppings but I felt there wasn't enough rice to compliment the ingredients.

The second bowl I got was the Shiso Salmon and again, I added most of the above ingredients on top. Personally not a fan of wild salmon, so I enjoyed the fresh farmed fatty salmon. I could feel it was fresh since it had nice bite to it, not mushy at all! Went great with the fresh ponzu sauce! Again, I felt more rice would've made for a more filling meal, but I want those greens to make myself feel healthier =D

Overall, the bowls were huge and full of good quality ingredients. I've been to a Seattle location and Pokéworks offers a good price for what you get, especially considering it's a prime downtown location. Staff were friendly and quick. I hope they can keep up the good work and continue improving! (Had a friend go and her order was completely wrong, staff working at that time had no clue what was going on)

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

Ichiro: Fresh sashimi, great variety!!

Date with Bonnishi! It's been far too long since I've met up with my fav sushi buddy ^-^















Restaurant: Ichiro Japanese (visit their website here)

Location: 12011 2nd Avenue, Richmond
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi, Seafood
Price range: $20-30





Date of visit: September 6, 2014
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

Bonnishi had noted they had cute lunch sets and she was absolutely correct! I looked around and saw people with sets and wanted one for myself. But first, sushi. I tried one of their Ika Uni nigiri ($3.25) and it was really fresh. The ika was crunchy and a bit slimy-- just the way I like it. Uni was sweet and creamy but I wish there was more. Kinda hard to keep the uni on top I guess... cuz it slipped off partly.

Looked like a rocket ship to me xD

Took a while to decide, but finally settled for their Sashimi and Noodle set ($13.95). There were six kinds of sashimi, udon, rice, and edmame. I couldn't finish the rice and wasted it, should've just told them I don't need it ><" Anyhow, udon was chewy with good texture to it. Tasted pretty good.

Onto the different sashimis! They were all super fresh (so I don't repeat myself too much) and plated prettily. Tuna was nice, it wasn't overly-mushy nor sour. Actually tasted like... tuna. Yum!

Then there was salmon, which surprisingly melted in my mouth and wasn't tough like the other wild salmon I've had before!

Now, I've never been a fan of raw sweet shrimp, but this made me change my mind. I actually tasted the "sweet" to the shrimp without that disgusting metallic taste. It was a bit slimy but acceptable.

The spicy salmon was so pretty... flavors weren't overwhelming and the peanut-y sesame sauce was great. It wasn't actually very spicy, just enough to enhance the flavors.

Tuna Gomaae almost confused me, but then I realized it was the sauce that made it like gomaae. It was basically your normal tuna in sesame sauce. Also delicious.

Finally, Ichiro Zuke. Now what is this? I don't really have a good clue, but it was a mix of the tuna and salmon in a soy-based sauce topped with some ginger and radish. The flavors jumped out at me, surprised that they didn't mask the flavor of the fish!

Bonnishi ordered a Wanko and Sashimi Set ($19.50) which included 2 kinds of mini cold soba noodles (salmon egg on grated radish and poached egg), assorted tempura, sashimi (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, sweet shrimp), BBQ eel on rice, and miso soup. Everything looked so delicate and pretty =)

A close-up of her noodles, first the salmon eggs.

And then the poached egg.

And the BBQ eel on rice-- looked like a good size.

Of course neither of us could finish our food, but the quality was definitely worth the buck! Although my nigiri wasn't as worthy... I'd probably be back for their sashimi :3