Vancouver Restaurant: Ramen Butcher

R is for Ramen Butcher which is a Japanese comfort food restaurant in Chinatown on Georgia Street.  It is a lovely gem admist the hustle and bustle of the streets.  

The Ramen Butcher has its specialty menu which focuses on as the name suggest "ramen".  Since this Japanese Ramen restaurant makes fresh noodles and provides extra noodles as a part of their service.  This is a great way to ensure that people leave with happy with a full belly.  

I've tried ramen before but had never heard of Tsukemen so I had to give it a try.  Tsukemen is a dish where the noodles are served separately from the soup concentrate and instead of drinking the soup, it is enjoyed by dipping the noodles in the soup concentrate.  It's flavorful and fun to be dipping noodles.  After the plate of noodles, they provide "soup wari" which dilutes the conentrate so it can be consumed.  Those who wish may ask for rice to combine in the soup.  It was a fun experience and I was full without the rice.  

This might be because we started with Karrage and they were plump pieces of fried chicken served with sauce and is meant for sharing. 

One friend had the classic Tonkatsu (Pork Broth) Ramen with the marinated egg and thin noodles.

Another friend had the Tori Ramen (Chicken Ramen) served with medium thick noodles and after he finished the extra noodle ball with his leftover soup, that was enough to keep him full.

The Ramen Butcher was a great place to catch up with friends and enjoy the Japanese comfort food.  Everything on the menu was delicious!  They have monthly specials and at $10-$15 per bowl, this makes the Ramen Butcher worth returning for. 

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