Another izakaya-style restaurant in Vancouver. I was tempted to try a new place, but with the negative impression from Guu Garden in my head, I was a bit hesitant. Other locations of Guu have good food, though I don’t like the crowded and loud atmosphere. Still, I thought I’d give this one a try.

The restaurant was spacious with an all black interior look, and with like most izakayas, you are greeted with shouts of ‘irrashaimase’ throughout the restaurant. It may be ok when you first enter, but having to hear 5-8 staff shout it (loud) every time a new customer come in gets a bit annoying – especially when you sit by the entrance. I’m sorry, but the entire restaurant doesn’t need to know when a new customer walks in every time. Many seem to not mind it – in fact, they love the energy. Not sure where I get my annoyance from, considering I am sort of Japanese I guess it’s just not for me.

TUNA AVOCADO – $6.80 Yuzu Tuna Tataki $7.80 TOKYO OXTAIL RAMEN – $9.80

Our server seemed to lack English skills and almost reminded me of our server at Guu Garden and Sheepie had a bit of a difficult time to get through to him. Tea costs $2 per pot.

Sheepie ordered the Tuna Avocado $6.80 (tuna sashimi and avocada with plum and seaweed sauce), Kakiage $7.80 with rice $2.00 and I ordered the Yuzu Tuna Tataki $7.80 and Tokyo Oxtail Ramen$9.80 (slowly braised oxtail and noodles in soy broth topped with dried fish powder and scallions).

Portions were small as expected. The Tuna Tataki was pretty much identical to Guu Garden’s. The ramen wasn’t anything extraordinary. The oxtail was just bones, so I didn’t even try eating any of it. The tataki was way overpriced. A small bowl of rice for $2 was pricey too.

Our server kept checking our table like a dozen times. I felt like children that were being supervised all the time. The female bathroom had complimentary mouthwash and pads! I don’t think I’ve ever been to a restaurant that offer pads. But that’s very thoughtful of them.

Well, the food was ok, prices were a bit high, service was a bit odd. The interior was cool and the bathroom was nice. Sorry it just seems that I can’t relate to everyone’s hype with these places. I think I am the only blogger that isn’t a fan of this place >_< lol. Maybe I need to come back during lunch or come with a big group of friends.

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Second Time for Lunch

For our company lunch, we went to Suika for lunch. With my previous experience for dinner, I was interested to see if my impression of the place would change.

We were a party of 5 people. One European could not stand the shouting, nor could I. The Chinese guy said he wouldn’t be able to handle it for more than 1.5 hours. Definitely not a place for a quiet chit chat.

While we were waiting for a table, we were all served lemonade soda – great service! Very Japanese

Then, while waiting for our order, we were served a complimentary large salad bowl. It was simple chopped up iceberg lettuce, but still, a great way to start off our lunch meal.

I was happy with the lunch menu. The sets were a good deal and good portion. We all shared everything.

The Beef Tendon Curry $9.80 was really good. The sauce, unlike most Japanese curry which tended to dry quickly, this was more on the oilier side which was more like beef stew. It was really tasty, and everyone liked it. Good portion for the price. 5/5

Ebi Chili Bowl Set $9.80. Everyone really loved this one. I thought it was pretty good, and it did come as a set, so the price was quite affordable. 4/5

Hamburg Set $12.80. This is the set I ordered. The European told me that he would have never thought to order a hamburger at a Japanese restaurant, but a hamburg is different from what one associates in North America. There are no buns and leafys. It’s a thick beef patty that’s seasoned and with gravy. This one was served on a hot plate with sliced potatoes underneath the patty. It was sooooo soft and juicy. I loved it! 5/5

Miso Ramen $9.80. I had ordered this previously in my dinner, and wasn’t a fan of the ox tail, though the men (noodle) itself, and the brooth is pretty good. One of my company just loooves the oxtail. 4/5

AAA Beef Rib Steak Set $16. This one turned out to be our most unliked dish, despite being the most expensive. It was too fatty for me and most said it was too chewy. 2/5

With the sets, we had a lot of miso soups, rice bowls and pickles to share. We were stuffed by the end. All of us agreed that we wouldn’t need dinner!

Other than the shouting, I’ve been happy with the meal and service this time.

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