Thrifty Tuesday - Ebisu Richmond

Ebisu Richmond is within walking distance of the Lansdowne Skytrain Station on the Canada Line.  I've been to Ebisu Vancouver on Robson Street.  This was my first time to Ebisu Richmond.  

Ebisu Richmond is where my brother likes to go for lunch when he is in town and now I understand why.   Lunch at Ebisu Richmond is a real bargain.  We arrived at 1:30pm and were told we had 25 minutes until the last call and only 50 minutes to eat since they close at 2:30pm.  That was not a problem for us.  The benefit of arriving late is that we didn't have to wait for a table.  

Since this was my brother's favourite lunch place in Vancouver, he knew exactly what to order.  We ordered a BBQ Eel sushi boat, Sashimi bento box and an assortment of 3 items from the lunch special which included a dynamite roll, tuna tataki salad, and spicy salmon don.  Each order was less than $15 which included a miso soup.  All of the dishes were elegantly displayed and tasted delicious.  Now I'm a big fan of Ebisu Richmond and hopefully my brother's trips will fall on a weekend when I can go out and enjoy this fabulous lunch menu with him.  

Ebisu Richmond - Tuna Tataki Salad

Ebisu Richmond - Sashimi Bento Box

Ebisu Richmond - BBQ Eel Boat

Check out Ebisu Richmond Lunch Menu - http://www.ebisu.ca/richmond/menu.html

Vancouver Restaurant: Ebisu on Robson Japanese Restaurant

National Blog Posting Month

Blogging Everyday in November

#NaBloPoMo Day 12 - Ebisu on Robson 

When I used to work downtown Vancouver it was easy to go out to try different restaurants because it was convenient and right there.  That was almost ten years ago.  

It is a treat when my brother comes to town about once a year so we can catch up at a restaurant downtown.  This year I choose Ebisu on Robson for Japanese food.  One of the reasons why I choose Ebisu is because I could make reservations conveniently on Open Table.  Open Table is a reservation app where you can easily make reservations without having to call the restaurant.  I find that modifying and canceling reservations on Open Table is super easy.  Plus every time you make a reservation and check in you receive points and when you have enough points they will provide you with a dining check.  Not only do you have the convenience of having a reservation, but with enough reservations they will feed you too.

Anyways, it was a rainy day so I was happy to have the reservation so I could have a warm booth to sit down in.  Ebisu Robson is English friendly and has nice photos of the different types of food and drinks that they serve.  When my brother arrived, he asked me "Why did I choose Ebisu?"  Little did I now it was one of his favorite restaurants in Vancouver and every year when he comes he usually eats at the Richmond location for lunch.  WOW!  

That's good when I am able to choose a restaurant that has good food and is well known.  Now when you see the food pictures below you will also see why we went.  My brother treated me so we splurged and tried a lot of different types of Japanese food including sushi, rolls, and more.  There is so much to choose from on the menu.  I can't wait until next year when he is back and I return to Ebisu on Robson.  

Ebisu Robson - Dynamite Roll

Ebisu Robson - Aburi Sushi Set

I can't remember what the last roll was, it was likely one of the special rolls.  I love seeing food prepared at the table and they seared the roll with the torch.  That mesmerized me so I am blanking out on what this roll was.  One thing I know is that it was delicious!

Vancouver Restaurant - Hime Japanese Restaurant on Broadway

National Blog Posting Month in November

#NaBloPoMo Day 2 - Hime Japanese Restaurant

It was a blustering rainy day and I only had an hour for lunch in a new neighbourhood.  The rain was pelting down on my rain jacket hood as I was shivering.  At first I stumbled into a coffee shop but their sandwiches were not calling my name and did not look like warm food that my cold body needed.  That was lucky for me because then I opened the doors of Hime Japanese Restaurant and the warmth embraced me.  

Instead of sitting cramped at a table with busy people around, being solo, I chose to sit at the bar where I could watch the sushi chefs prepare the rolls and let my mind wander.  After I just sat down a warm mug of green tea rolled into my cold hands and I was knew that I had found the right place for lunch.  The green tea warmed me up quickly and the menu was full of choices.  I didn't have much time to explore the menu so I choose one of the lunch combo.  It was Lunch Combo A which included an appetizer tempura, udon, and california roll.  The green tea kept me company until my lunch was ready.  Hime Japanese Restaurant is a busy place but once I saw my lunch combo, I knew why many people would not only want to order take out, but also enjoy the space and a lunch away from the office.  The food was beautifully displayed on a tray and I couldn't ask for anything more.  The tempura was hot and freshly battered.  The udon soup was delicious and warmed my tummy.  After my brief lunch time there, I was warmed inside and out.  

It's not surprising why this Hime Japanese Restaurant on Broadway has a 4/5 rating on Zomato and 4.0 rating on Google.  For under $10, this is a treat!

Intrigued?  In the area, check them out:  http://www.himesushi.com/

Vancouver Restaurant: Sushi Town Burnaby Restaurant

Sometimes it is great to get outside of downtown Vancouver and head out into the suburbs.  I'm not sure if you call Burnaby the suburbs but there are some great restaurants in North Burnaby on Hastings Street.

Sushi Town is one of them located at 5935 Hastings Street in Burnaby.  It has generous portions and I was completely full after lunch.  Likely I need to remember this next time so my eyes aren't bigger than my stomach.

The spicy salmon sashi serving if probably enough for four people.  It is a place where you can share your rolls and the special rolls are larger.  I ordered a house roll and a mangodise roll.  I really loved the mangodise roll, maybe the presentation made it more appealing.  It was too much food and I couldn't finish the house roll.  In hindsight I should have ordered a smaller roll like a california roll.  I'd definitely share a salmon sashimi.  It was refreshing.  

If you are in the neighbourhood and are looking for an affordable sushi joint in Burnaby, check out Sushi Town.  

Spicy Salmon Sashimi

Mangodise Roll

Vancouver Restaurant - Kobe Japanese Steakhouse

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

I have a few friends who I try to meet once a month for a mini-reunion and we usually go out to a restaurant close by in Burnaby.  This time was different, we wanted to use a coupon since I love my Entertainment Book and Groupons.  I asked my friend what type of food he wanted to eat, he replied Japanese food.  

Yikes!  I could not find any Japanese food coupons in the Entertainment book except for teppanaki because it is more expensive.  I happened to stumble upon a Groupon for Kobe Japanese Steakhouse that was $69 for dinner for 2 people.  Even though there are 3 of us, I figured we could easily add another dinner to the mix.  I had Groupon credit so that was even better.  

We met downtown at Kobe Japanese Steakhouse.  My friend who arrived 30 minutes early was able to relax downstairs in the lounge.  When the whole party arrived we went upstairs to the restaurant where the chefs were set up with a grill in front of the customers and were doing their cooking show.  When you go for dinner at Kobe Steakhouse it is entertainment as well.  There was a couple celebrating a birthday at the same station as us so the chef made an onion birthday "cake" that was a "flame".  WOW!  The chef was a lot of fun and I was mesmerized just watching him cook the food and wondering what cooking trick he had up his sleeve next.

Now that being said, it is a noisy place so not the time to catch up on lengthy stories.  But if you want a dinner that has entertainment entwined all in one, then Kobe Japanese Steakhouse is the place to go.  I would totally buy a Groupon again after knowing the fabulous deal it was.  I loved the steak, tiger prawns, shrimp, and vegetables (the chicken was my least favorite).  Our Groupon had the Emperor's Feast so we got to try a little bit of everything.  Also we were able to split everything between the three of us which was nice.  

Vancouver Restaurant: Shizenya Japanese Restaurant

Shizenya Greens Roll

Exploring downtown Vancouver can surprise you because of the plethora of restaurants including healthy options.  A friend of ours recommended Shizenya Japanese restaurant and it did not disappoint.  It's a Japanese restaurant with a healthy twist of vegetarian and brown rice sushi.  The dishes we ordered were flavourful and colourful.  The prices were reasonable and similar to what we would pay at our neighbourhood Japanese restaurants in Burnaby.  

I loved the sushi and tuna and all of their dishes were photogenic as the dishes were full of colourful vegetables.  Take a look for yourself at our Shizenya dining experience.  

 Shizenya Menu:  http://shizenya.ca/main.html

Tuna Tataki 

Sakura Blossom Roll

Vancouver Restaurant - Hon Sushi Korean Japanese Restaurant

Last month we discovered Hon Sushi in Burnaby and wrote about it here:  http://vancitygirlfriends.blogspot.ca/2016/01/hon-sushi-korean-japanese-restaurant-in.html

During that time we've returned and the food quality has been inconsistent especially with anything that is deep fried such as the calimary or popcorn shrimp.  We were about to give up and not return, but I remembered that they had lunch specials and wanted to give them one last chance to redeem themselves especially since our first experiences were extremely positive.  

Their lunch specials run from 11am - 3pm which is quite generous and since we like to eat a late lunch.  It was 2pm and we had plenty of time to order from the lunch special menu.  

I ordered the Chicken Teriyaki which comes with miso soup for $6.95 and my husband ordered the Dynamite Combo which comes with a salad for $9.95.  The food was freshly made and I was happy again with Hon Sushi.  

I still want to return one day to try their Korean food which I haven't touched yet.  It still remains a nice choice in the neighbourhood for sushi.

Even though people are still asking, this is not Fish on Rice anymore so they don't have the AYCE sushi.  You will need to go to Kawawa Japanese restaurant in Metorown for AYCE (All You Can Eat) sushi now.  

Hon Sushi - Korean Japanese Restaurant in Burnaby

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

So we have discovered a wonderful Korean Japanese Restaurant in Burnaby called "Hon Sushi".  It is where "Fish on Rice" used to be and above "Earls" on Kingsway.  It may not have a Japanese buffet but instead they have wonderful lunch specials which I will be able to explore on my days off work.

When my husband brought me there the first time, it was a nice looking Japanese style restaurant and when I saw the menu, they had a Japanese menu and another Korean menu.  We ordered Japanese sushi and I was pleasantly surprised at the high quality of each dish including the plating.  The decorative garnish are elaborate and each dish comes out exactly the way it shows on the menu.  

Needless to say we've been back a few times to each Japanese food.  One day we'll go back to try the Korean menu but this time all the photos are of the Japanese menu.  Just posting these photos make my mouth water.  

Tuna Tataki Salad

Calimary and Chopped Scallop Roll

Popcorn Sushi Roll

Volcano Sushi Roll

Hon Sushi - #201-4361 Kingsway, Burnaby BC

Japanese All You Can Eat (AYCE) Restaurant - Kawawa Japanese Restaurant

Dear Vancity Girlfriends,

If you like Japanese food, there is an "All You Can Eat" at Kawawa Japanese Restaurant at Metrotown.  

My experience at Kawawa was during the Christmas rush so it was super busy at the mall.  When we walked in the servers were madly seating the people who had been waiting and I knew that if I waited we would be seated next.  I stood patiently until they were done and when I told them how many were in the party, we were seated right away.  Kawawa is a comfortable sit down restaurant where you go if you want a meal and time to catch up with friends.  The service is poor, obviously the servers were run off their feet, so I don't hold that against them.  They did their job well and got our orders in and brought the food out.  Even better is that they didn't rush us at all and let us stay and chat.  We didn't really order well with our first round of ordering, but did better with our second.  With all you can eat, you can try a lot of different food.  We enjoyed the sushi rolls, sashimi, yakitori and my only advice is to order a LOT of food (the portion sizes are small).  Just go crazy and order lots of different things to try.  At $25 per person that is a reasonable price for all you can eat.  

First order of sushi and sashimi (one sashimi each is not enough)

My favourite:  Yakitori

Chicken Udon with Teriyaki (Veggie, Chicken, Beef)

BC Roll and Alaska Roll

More Sashimi

Kawawa Japanese Restaurant Menu:  http://www.kawawa.ca/menu5.html#dinner