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Super Hiro’s

Super Hiro’s – I saw this restaurant while I was picking up some pastries at Thomas Haas; another favourite place for many and as for me as well. This place caught my eye because anything remotely looking like an authentic Japanese exterior would be something I would want to research up on and try it out myself. After some online browsing, I set up a date with a few family members so I can get a more vast variety from the menu. We had ordered a few cooked dishes. First up was the agadashi tofu – nicely plated but the taste wasn’t anything particular unique. Second dish was the chicken karrage. Portions was a little small and the chicken wasn’t juicy – there was more batter than meat – though it batter was light and crispy it didn’t meet the expectation that we had thought. I gave the cook food a pass since I was antipating that the sushi is what makes this place stand out and gotten some great reviews online. I assumed due to the fact that their fishes are either imported from Japan or from other well known cities that the sushi would be pretty outstanding. I had ordered scallop nigiri, the blue fin otoro nigiri, and a platter of sashimi based on the Chef’s choice. The fish was definitely fresh but nothing really stands out. I felt like it was fish that I can easily find in a Korean Sushi Own restaurant. The concept of having the avacado toast but you end up paying for and tasting a normal BLT sandwich but with the hefty price tag for it. I personally think would give ths place a “nay”. You’ll be much more satisifed if you went to Sushi By Yuji / Yugo/ Kishimoto/ or Sushi Bar Mamuri. Your wallet and taste pallet would thank you for it.

@foodblogprec

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sushi

Hakone Sushi

Hakone Sushi – A korean own sushi restaurant in the heart of Coquitlam centre. The vast menu selection with their own twist on specialty sushi rolls and comfort Korean food is a meld of two cuisines that caters to my gluttony very well. The location of this restaurant is hidden inside a plaza on the 2nd floor. It’s run by a husband and wife – husband is responsible for the sushi, whereas the wife cooks up all the cooked food. Although the space is small, there is a constant stream of people coming in to eat. The portion size and pricing makes it fairly attractive to many. As for taste – the sushi is done very well, although I would say the tuna toro was a little too frozen and less fatty than I had expected – which makes me think it wasn’t tuna belly or that quality of the Toro was medicore at best. Whereas their maki rolls – scallop and spider roll were nicely done. As for the cooked food – I had ordered a Korean spicy noodle dish – spicy seafood kal guk soo. When the dish arrived – I was literally caught off guard – the sizes of the noodle was large Pho bowl! I realize that perhaps I had over ordered and didn’t realize that they clearly went above my expectation on food portion size.  The noodles were so comforting and full of seafood goodness with every slurp. I would consider my tolerance for spice is decent, I was surprised on how spicy it was but I couldn’t help but continue going back in for more. Overall, I would give it 2 thumbs up for this place. It’s definitely on the top of my list of comfort food to go back to again and again.

@foodblogprec

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food

Happy Valley Village Restaurant

山里屯灶台鱼 Happy Valley Village Restaurant – This restaurant caught my eye when I saw my friend post it on his facebook. The food is uniquely different as I haven’t had this type of Northern Chinese Cuisine before. I had initially thought it was originally a hot pot with grilled meat skewers on the side. However, as I took a clearer look – this type of style of food is more of stew where you have a choice of meats and flavours to decide from. Afters, you can select the choice of vegetables and other items to mix it together. The fun part of this is that it’s always different since there are numerous number of combination choices to choose from. The most interesting part is seeing the hand made buns get pushed to the side of the wok to get steamed and cooked. It’s definitely a place where it’s ideal to have a number of friends to go with in order to enjoy since it’s communal eating. Overall, what do I think of the taste? It’s not as loud of a taste or as memorable as I was expecting. I assumed since mainly Northern cuisine falls under the spicy and garlic taste I had expected the flavours to be of that. However, the flavours felt to be more earthly and mellow with number layers. I enjoyed the steambuns – it was a great medium to have to soak up all the stew and sauces. I can’t say that this type of cuisine is for everyone but it’s worth a try.  I would definitely consider going back to try out a few other combinations since I’m hoping there would be other flavours I would like better than the first one that I tried.

@foodblogprec

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Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen

Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen – Again – I feel like I am completely lost touch and unaware of the Vietnamese cuisine scene. Like Hoi An Cafe – I have drive pass this restaurant numerous times over the years. I really can’t recall whether I have eaten here before or not. However, my friend raves about this place so much – saying it’s one of the best Bun Cha Ca Dac Biet he has ever had. Their specialty fish cake soup is what their known for. I wasn’t expecting how popular this place was! There was a line up right at 12pm – luckily the wait time wasn’t long at all. We quickly sat down and ordered. Ordered the Bun Cha Ca Dac Biet and Bun Rieu (Special Crab Meat Tomato Based Soup noodle). I had some high hopes for the Bun Rieu since I make my own at home and I was hoping it would blow me away since this place is famous for these two dishes. Perhaps I am pretentious or too picky but I think the one I make at home is better! As for the Bun Cha Ca Dac Biet – the flavours were very clean – a more pork broth flavour base is what I’m assuming to pair together with the dill and the tomatoes. The star of this dish is definitely the fish cakes is what many people come for. I love the fish cakes – the fried fish cakes with the mixed of dill and other ingredients makes the dish comes to life. I will say – this is one one of the best dishes which is what makes the restaurant stands out and have people lining up for it. Luckily for me – I don’t need to have to wait or go to the restaurant for it. So glad they opened up a store which exclusively makes the fish cakes for you to buy! I throw a couple of these bad boys into my noodles soup and it takes it a different level. A try for sure if you want to see how amazing the fish cakes are! 

@foodblogprec

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Hoi An Cafe

Hoi An Cafe – I’ve drove by this place numerous times but never had the urge to go inside to try it. I decided to have a late lunch with my friend there since she recommended it and saying their Bun Bo Hue is pretty good. We also tried their Cao Lau which is a specialty dish which only this restaurant serves. The Bun Bo Hue was nice and spicy which hit the spot for the something to warm you up and has a nice kick and deep broth flavour. The Cao Lau was something very different which I have never tried. It’s very pretty and unique. It reminded me of a Thai or Malaysian dish due to the tamarin flavours. The dishes are flavourful and refreshing from the typical pho places that I usually get. I will have to say – Victoria Drive is definitely making the scene for a new little Saigon with more unique flavours and dishes which helps each place have a niche and plenty of patrons to go from one place to another without worrying about losing out on the competition. I’ll definitely have to come back here to try out their other dishes. A complete win for me. The Vietnamese flavours and dishes are booming and coming back full swing!

@foodblogprec

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Michi Craft Kitchen

Michi Craft Kitchen– Drove by this place a few times when I drive back home. I’ve been been curious of what this place serves since the outside decor looks very chic and appealing. Plus, I had came to the location for vegan food which was pretty delicious, so I’m a little sad that it closed down. This place serves fusion taiwanese food. Their signature dish is stuffed boneless chicken wings! Their menu is pretty limited but each item sounds pretty tantalizing. I ordered the 6 piece stuffed chicken wings. I had original, spicy and the duck yolk. I ordered the creamy squid ink pasta as well. The chicken was nicely fried and the stuffing is all different. Mainly glutinous rice is stuffed inside the chicken – how the flavours paired with the rice is pretty unique. I was pretty surprised at how large the stuffed wings were. I would say the Spicy flavour is my favourite since the other flavours tasted better when you add the dipping sauce with it. The pasta was nice wasn’t soggy or anything. Overall the uniqueness and how the dishes were prepared is interesting and different. However, the flavour profile of the items weren’t amazing or spectacular. I would definitely try it out and give thumbs up for their creativity but the flavour needs a boost to kick it up to a higher level to get my taste palette going.

 

@foodblogprec

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Matcha Cafe Maiko

Matcha Cafe Maiko – Canada– I’m a big fan of Matcha as many people can guess. I had done a review on them before when it first launched it’s Canadian store here in Richmond. Their taste and quality is definitely what stands them out from the rest of the Matcha players in Vancouver. Their matcha can only be sourced from Japan to ensure consistency and the deep umami flavour from the tea leaf. So I was super thrilled when the cafe launch their summer item – Shaved Ice Matcha. A wide disc with matcha ice, mochi and red beans topped on it with a serving of Matcha ice cream. I was so shocked on the portion size and how much you get for the item. It was really huge! I was told by the owners that it’s best to use a straw to drink and to mix the bottom of the ice since it can be bitter or too strong for some people to handle. I loved every minute of it since it’s so picture worthy and portion wise – you need at least another person to share this with you. You can’t go wrong with this item. Enjoy the Summer with this treat! 

 

@foodblogprec

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Elisa Steak House

Elisa Steak House– I was told that Elisa is one of the top three steakhouses in Vancouver, and it’s a under the same umbrella as Blue Water Cafe. It was definitely a no brainer to check it out! Reservations is highly recommended for this place! Stepping into the space, it definitely has the same vibe and layout look as Blue Water Cafe but the lighting is darker. The quality of service is to notch as expected for their reputation. I was curious and trying to compare the list of steak to Gotham’s steakhouse. However, it was hard to compare since their selection and cuts were different. I had to admit that Elisa is branding themselves as a completely different category due to their different cuts and pricing. It’s definitely more pricer yet it’s justifiable since many of their meats are of top grade. They are the only steak house that I am aware of that carries the world famous A5 Wagyu beef. Since it was my first there, I didn’t want to order that since I was more curious on the dry age steak – I had chosen the rib eye dry age steak from BC. We also ordered the beef tomahawk steak as well. First bite – I immediately notices the taste for both the tomahawk and dry age steak was exceptionally delicious. I recall Gotham’s steak was juicy and it has a flavourful beefy taste which I enjoyed wholeheartedly. Yet, the flavours in Elisa is different because I wasn’t just tasting beef but the meat itself can be distinguished by where the cow was grazed and fed. The harmony of what the cow was fed and how it was processed takes the steak to a whole new level. I was very impressed! I enjoyed eating each piece since there was so many different levels of taste whereas if I were at Gotham’s I would quickly get tired of eating the steak since it was more of a single note flavour after a while. Verdict – YES! I can’t wait to try the A5 wagyu beef! 

 

@foodblogprec

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The Workshop Vegetarian Cafe – East Vancouver

The Workshop Vegetarian Cafe (East Vancouver) – This was a random find out of the whim when the place we wanted to go to was closed on that day. I was very thrown off by the interior decor since it looked like a small farmhouse style cafe/market that focuses on sustainable vegan/vegetarian foods. Yet, the twist was their food/menu is Japanese dishes but focuses all their dishes are vegan and vegetarians. I was a little surprised and intrigued by this concept since it’s the first time I’ve heard of a cafe like this before. Their menu choice of savory food is very limited yet each of their dishes sound very delicious and interesting to try. The photos that showed each dish made it even more tantalizing to try. I decided to try their Spicy Tan Tan Ramen. Even without any meat to build the umami flavours, the combination of using mushrooms, the squash, miso and chickpea helps provide that creamy and thick broth. The flavours provided a huge punch especially when you add the spicy oil. Taking the first bite – I felt the broth was a bit too salty yet as I continue on taking more bites along with the hand made noodles – it felt like it was the right level of flavours. It got to be pretty addictive after a while….I had fully enjoyed the noodles very much. I definitely did not miss the idea of needing meat to enjoy the broth. It was done very well. I would definitely their other dishes to see how well they compete with the ramen. I also had to try out their unique Japanese Coffee selection. I decided on a Yuzu Ginger Latte. The latte was very nice and light – the yuzu was definitely noted in the drink. I would have liked more of the ginger to come out to provide a light punch. Verdict – YES! I would definitely recommend in coming back here for lunch or just for nice coffee. Also they have some pretty cute merchandise! 

 

@foodblogprec

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Matcha Cafe Maiko – Richmond

Matcha Cafe Maiko – I checked out their original store in Hawaii prior to the franchise in Richmond opened. I was looking forward in trying it out in Hawaii since the franchisee for the Richmond store swore by how amazing the taste was. They were so determined to be the first franchise in Canada to open. I’m glad they did finally open! I had ordered the signature matcha parfait in Hawaii and the same one in Richmond to compare. Result – The same taste and flavour! I definitely loved the taste. You can definitely tell the quality of Matcha and other ingredients in the parfait are consistent and high. Their main ingredients are all sourced directly from Japan. There is clearly no substitution to cut corner on great high quality tasting matcha ice cream. The matcha isn’t bitter but has a strong fragrance and balance of umami and sweetness that makes Matcha unique. The colour is a beautiful deep hue of a earthy green. I would say this would be more attune to the taste to the general mass market whereas Tsujiri would attract a more refined taste palette that appreciates more quality and earthy taste of Matcha. I enjoy both Tsujiri and Maiko’s matcha. I won’t be able to say which one is better since in my mind it caters to different taste palettes. However, I have no problem in indicating that Nana is not a place I would ever go back for matcha treats. There is no matcha taste – its just pure sweetness which isn’t what I like.

So I would suggest you check out Maiko and enjoy a parfait or one of their lattes. You’ll won’t be disappointed at any of their choices. 

 

@foodblogprec

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