Category Archives: Japanese

Kamei Royale on West Hastings

Kamei Royale Japanese Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoLast summer, they had a grand opening at their new location on Hastings. We returned with a group of 15 people for the Christmas holidays. The lady there who I have seen for many years at the old location was still there and was serving us.

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The restaurant now had a modern feel but with traditional Japanese decor. Their tatami rooms that they had all along the walls of the old place were no longer incorporated, instead had chic like bar seats, modern slick booths or tables with chairs.

idearabbit_kameiroyale_hastings6 idearabbit_kameiroyale_hastings7I ordered a Chawanmushi $5.95 with prawn and vegetables in steamed egg custard. It was really fluffy and served in the traditional dishware, it always reminds me of Japan. It’s rare to find a good chawanmushi, let alone any restaurants serving them in the first place. idearabbit_kameiroyale_hastings9

Yakitori $5.50 for two skewers of grilled chicken with traditional BBQ sauce. Really good. Would have liked more of the charcoal-y taste though. idearabbit_kameiroyale_hastings4 idearabbit_kameiroyale_hastings5

I also had a Salmon Nigiri $3 and Tamago Nigiri $2.75. Now I don’t like huge pieces of nigiri, especially with a ton of rice to cheap out, but this was ridiculous. There were barely any rice underneath. I also got confused on the menu because the nigiri were under ‘Sushi’. Yes, sushi is the broad category. Everything with fish and rice together is sushi. Nigiri-sushi is the one with the fish on top and rice underneath. Maki-sushi is the classic rolls with the seaweed on the outside. Oshi-sushi is sushi the ingredients pressed usually into a box shaped mold. I’ve never seen it categorized like this anywhere else, so I was a bit perplexed. But maybe that’s just me.

Others ordered what looked to be some amazing dishes, and they seemed to enjoy it. idearabbit_kameiroyale_hastings8

Tiger Mayo $11.95 Almond coated prawn deep friend served with homemade cajun mayonnaise sauce.

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Sashimi Vancouver $25 (9 pieces) Sockeye Salmon, Yellowtail, Tuna Belly and Albacore Tuna.

Service was pretty good. The server allowed us to take one booth just for jackets and bags as it was winter time, and a lot of people had bulky things. The price is higher, but it’s always been high for Kamei Royale. Quality is always good though. I might have mentioned this in the previous post for the old location. If you have a guest from out of town and want to take them to a Japanese restaurant, this is the ‘safest’ place to go, meaning you will get consistent good service, food and atmosphere.

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Hiro Sushi

Hiro Sushi Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoWith so many sushi restaurants in town, and after trying years of different sushi, and slowly moving up for better quality than quantity, I stopped going to lower-end, cheap sushi places. Not only did I want quality, I have had several bounds of food poisoning, or simply not feeling well after some fishy sushi. It’s just wasn’t worth it.

From the outside, I could tell by the bold red and yellow signage that this wasn’t an expensive place. But Sheepie was up to it.

idearabbit_hiro_sushi1 idearabbit_hiro_sushi3When we entered, there were no Asians dining. Oh oh… and it was less than half empty. The walls were covered in murals of Spanish or Greek like scenery… must have been some European restaurant before. They kept it as it is, and now had Japanese decor hanging in places. idearabbit_hiro_sushi2 I ordered the 3 items with miso soup combo for $10.95. With 88 items to choose from, there’s something for everyone to order. Brown rice is available with extra charge.

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The miso soup came out right after we ordered. It was super quick!

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I chose Yakitori from the Appetizer list. It was covered in panko, and was grilled flat. Unusual, but tasted ok. However, it wouldn’t be something I order again.

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Gyoza of 5 pieces were good.

idearabbit_hiro_sushi6 Salmon Avocado roll had really large pieces, making it a bit hard to it, but otherwise, it was decent.

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Sheepie had the Hiro House Combo $11.95 (14 pieces) of Hiro House roll, Salmon roll and 3 pieces of salmon. The roll pieces were huge. The salmon nigiri was pretty good.

The service and food was satisfactory, but wouldn’t be on the top list of go-to sushi places.

Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

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Sushiyama

Sushiyama Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoI don’t go to ‘cheap’ sushi places anymore as my digestive system is sensitive. But I wanted to check this place out as I needed to be in the area, and needed to take the Sushi Lovers group here.

As you enter, the restaurant splits into two sections, with the sushi chefs in the middle. It was busy and lively, but we got a table right away.

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Sheepie ordered the Box B $9.95, which looked pretty decent: some tempura, salad, deep fried gyoza, rolls, nigiris and miso soup.

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He also ordered a Smoked Salmon Roll $3 and a Negi Natto roll!! $2.50. I was shocked as I knew Sheepie hated Natto. I loved natto, but had never had it in a sushi roll. When it came out, I wasn’t sure… I had it, and it was so gross. Yuck. I guess for Sheepie, it didn’t matter because he only knows disgusting natto. There was a time when I would eat natto for breakfast, about every 2 weeks. But I’m a bit picky when it comes to natto, and I now buy organic ones. I don’t know what it is with these ones, but they just tasted awful. Neither of us could finish it. It was a rare moment as we never leave any sushi behind.

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I ordered the Sushi Pizza $8.75 which is a bit pricey compared to the Bento Box. I had chosen this dish because of good reviews on it. However, I was disappointed, and couldn’t even finish it.

idearabbit_sushiyama6 idearabbit_sushiyama9 idearabbit_sushiyama4The Negitoro Roll $3 was average.

Not sure why it’s got such a high rating. I wouldn’t go back if I didn’t need to.

Taste: carrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrot

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