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)

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.

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! =)