Steveston Seafood House: Everyone's here with a coupon!

Had a coupon to this place and was super stoked to try with my partner in crime!

Restaurant: Steveston Seafood House (visit their website here)

Location: 3951 Moncton Street, Richmond
Cuisine: Seafood
Price range: $30+ per person




Date of visit: March 10, 2015
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 3/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 3/5

We were seated in a little corner alcove, which I liked since we could see the rest of the restaurant and sit on a curved bench (as opposed to chairs). Stared at the menu for a while, then realized we were getting a prix fixe menu (LivingSocial coupon $69), so no need to think! We were started with Coconut Prawn and Scallops. There were four of them on spoons, quite a nice presentation. I couldn't physically see the scallops nor taste them, but they must be in there, right? The prawns were nicely cooked and the coconut sauce was fragrant and creamy. A little on the sweet side, but nice to start with.

The second starter was their Beef Carpaccio. A surprisingly large plate, the beef was thinly sliced and covered with balsamic reduction, some sort of hard cheese (aged cheddar?!), sweet onions, and capers. The beef fell apart and stuck to the plate, but after being scraped off and placed on the toasted bread-- delicious! Meaty flavors went well with the tart flavors of the balsamic and capers then the cheese made it creamy and a bit salty. Wonderful party in my mouth. The arugula salad was overwhelmingly saucy though =(

We were then both served a Salad of Mixed Greens. I love lemons, so when I saw lemon on the plate, I automatically squeezed all the juices onto the salad. Bad move. It became far too tart. Anyhow, there was sauce already mixed in, with a slice of tomato and some onions on top. Not a bad size to get some veggies into the meal! Some parts weren't that fresh (the tips were oxidized) but aside from my own mistake, the salad was decent.

Onto our mains, we both were served a Cedar Plank Salmon. The wood was warm and the plating was beautiful. Although all night it felt like every dish had balsamic reduction in it-- as if there is no other seasoning. Or maybe it's the theme of their courses? The salmon was perfectly cooked, juicy and melted in my mouth. I believe its sockeye salmon. Regretfully they over-seasoned the fish with too much salt on top, but after scraping it off, we continued enjoying the wonderful main. Veggies were a little overcooked, so they were too soft and the asparagus was not tender. The rice was scrumptious. It was creamy and al dente, reminded me of Hainan chicken rice-- yummy!

Finally we were served dessert :  Tiramisu. I saw another table be served dessert and was worried it would be disappointing, since theirs looked like a tiny triangle of tiramisu about to fall over. Luckily ours turned out to be quite nice. The cream part was rich and smooth-- I could taste the mascarpone distinctly. The cake however, was really moist and bland (as you can see from the water leaking out on the plate). Otherwise, a decent tiramisu =)

First time in my life seeing a tip of 100%, and first time for Adorables to tip that too! Their service was lovely and attentive, I enjoyed our meal. Almost everyone around us had a coupon for their meal too, wonder if they are able to profit at all?! (picture is of original price)

Mega Sushi: Second dinner did not disappoint!

Still had some room in our tummies, and wanting to make the most of this trip to Steveston, we went to the other end of Steveston and got more food!

Restaurant: Mega Sushi (visit their website here)

Location: 100-3131 Chatham Street, Richmond
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi, Seafood
Price range: $15-$20





Date of visit: June 14, 2014
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Staff/service: 5/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

Ordered a Salmon Sashimi ($7.95) which was wild salmon. Quite happy with the quantity and quality. Salmon was fresh (I think I need a synonym, fresh is getting . . . old xD).

I liked the sprig of celery on top hehe

One order of the Prawn Tempura ($7.95) was rather satisfying. It came in a cute dim sum container, which kept the tempura crispy. They were nicely sized and the batter was light and crunchy.

Chicken Teriyaki ($10.50) came on an iron plate, but I don't recall it being too sizzly. Kinda disappointing. Otherwise, chicken portion was good with lots of bean sprouts under it and rice.

Got a couple nigiris: Salmon ($2.25 each), Tobiko ($2.25 each), Chopped Scallop ($2.25 each) and Tuna ($1.75 each). All were well-proportioned and fresh. I felt that there was too much mayo for the chopped scallop but the tobiko instead of masago was a nice touch ;)

Mango Roll ($8.95) had sweet mango on it with crispy prawn tempura. They added some mango sauce to it to make it more mango-y I guess ^^" Plating was pretty and the flavors went well together as the sweet/tart of the mango cut the oily feeling of tempura.

I ordered a Rainbow Roll ($11.95) before and it was just as pleasing this time. They top it with 5 kinds of fish I believe and didn't fall apart. Very happy. Fish was fresh and delicious.

Salmon Combo ($12.95) was a lot of salmon. I'd have to say there's nothing super special about this because it was just salmon sashimi, salmon sushi, and salmon maki. That's it. Simply for a salmon-lover.

We got a Beef Udon ($9.25) to finish off our meal. The udon was chewy and plentiful. Soup was rich and the beef was tender.

They even gave us little "tubs" to share with ^-^

Everyone was uber satisfied with our second dinner, and with our bellies full, we left Steveston with happy memories.

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

Fishermen Sushi: Oysters Oysters Oysters

The last time I was here, it was still Sushi One! But alas, it has changed, plus, Adorables told me about a sweet deal-- instant interest.

Restaurant: Fisherman Sushi (visit their website here)

Location: 130-12251 No 1 Road, Richmond
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi, Seafood
Price range: $10-15 per person





Date of visit: June 8, 2014
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4.5/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 4.5/5

First off, we were drawn here by the allure of oysters and trying a new place out. Little did I know these delicious little suckers were only $0.75 each. Yes!! Oysters were $0.75 per piece!! Eventually we ordered 16 to share because they were so plump, succulent, fresh, creamy, and delicious. We were only stopped by the fear of dying from zinc overdose xD I don't know how long this will go on for, but get em while they last!

Can't just get full on oysters (we wanted to), so here is some sushi from left to right: Saba ($1.50 each), Hamachi ($2.25 each), Salmon ($1.50 each), and Chopped Scallop ($1.75 each). The nigiri had great rice, perfectly seasoned and great texture. Saba was juicy but a bit "rough", hamachi was disappointing (far too fishy), salmon was average, and chopped scallop was super fresh and delicious.

Overall I really enjoyed my experience here and would definitely come back for their oysters and maybe try their other sashimi like UNI =D I believe Sapporo is also on special for $3.00, now to find out if they have happy hour =P I'm still thinking about the feel of those delicious little oysters in my mouth, mmmmmmm =u=

Mega Sushi: An underwhelming experience indeed.

Before Bonnishii's photoshoot, we met up for some yummies to fill out tummies ;) Was studying with Adorables before this around the area, so we came here! High ratings, should be safe.









Restaurant: Mega Sushi (visit their website here)

Location: 100-3131 Chatham Street, Richmond
Cuisine: Japanese
Price range: $15+





Date of visit: December 8, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4.5/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 3.5/5
Buck worthy? 3/5

Looked at their lunch box menu and it looked really random. Bonnishii ordered a Nigiri Sushi Set ($11.95) which piqued my interest at once point, but decided against it. She rated it to be "underwhelming" and she would "give it a 3".

Adorables ordered the Chirashi don and Udon set ($12.95). So loaded with carby items, but joking about it being "trashy" was too fun to give up =P The Chirashi don was actually pretty good, had some radish in it and lots of sashimi on top. I had the hamachi and it was fresh, rice was nicely cooked.

Now this udon on the other hand was subpar. Perhaps I hold higher expectations for moderate-expensive Japanese restaurants because packaged udon is unacceptable in my books. Even some lower quality Japanese restaurants I've been at had frozen udon. The major difference is the texture and taste of the udon. Packaged udon lacks chewiness and has a slight sour taste to it (due to the preservation process I believe).

BunnyG (our photographer) ordered a Sakura set ($14.95)-- also captured my attention for a little while, but again, had some items I didn't want to eat, hence not picked. He noted his box wasn't enough to fill him up, and tbh, unless you eat very little like I do, you'd probably need to order something on top of the bento to fill yourself.

Finally my items, which came from many minutes of indecision and choices. Got me overly excited only to be... grounded. HARD. Anyways. Ordered three nigiri: Hamachi ($2.95), Uni ($2.95), and Chopped Scallop ($2.25). They didn't have Ika =( Hamachi was fresh and was crunchy (loved it). Uni was what I classify as "semi-fresh" because I did taste some unfresh bits-- if that's even possible. Otherwise very creamy and delicious. The balance of rice : topping was well done. The chopped scallop was good too, very fresh and large pieces of scallop (not overly chopped up).

Also ordered a Rainbow Roll ($11.95) and it was utterly disappointing. Where's the rainbow in this?! Not too impressed. At least the roll didn't fall apart? At least the fish was fresh and there wasn't too much rice in it =) Avocados inside were delicious!

Perhaps Adorable's picture makes it look better =/

Overall the servers were attentive and kept asking how everything was. However, with the lack of consistent quality, I'm not sure if I'll be back. Might go for that Froyo nearby instead =P Or other Japanese restaurants littered in the area!

Linked cranes courtesy of Adorables--is that even allowed?!

Happy Holidays everyone!