Oysi Oysi

*Restaurant is now closed*

There are somethings in the world that truly perplex me.  Actually, that would make a lot of things - I suppose like why does Rob Ford have so much to eat at home?  Or why are there stop signs in Richmond when spike strips would probably be more effective? Well, something I constantly wonder is how some restaurants stay in business despite being mediocre.  There is a simple answer to this, but I'll leave it for the end of this post.

Meeting up with Grace, we decided to try a restaurant I had frequented in the past.  While I was doing an IT program in Downtown (over 10 years ago), we would have lunch often at Oysi Oysi. So I guess it was long enough for a re-visit right? We decided to try the Beef Hot Pot which was served on a chaffing tray.  The dashi broth was on the sweeter side with full flavour (maybe a bit too much).  The thin slices of beef were sufficiently tender while the Napa cabbage was still somewhat crunchy.  I found the vermicelli to be too soft though.  We also got 1/2 doz. Oysters on the half-shell.  These were kept live in the fish tank in the front, hence, they were naturally sweet and fresh-tasting.

To round out the meal, we shared Combo A which included some pretty thin slices of Sashimi.  Although the portion size was meager, the fish was acceptable where it still had a fresh sheen.  I wasn't a huge fan of the Tempura though as the batter was far too thick and doughy.  In fact, it really wasn't all that crispy in spots due to it.  Furthermore, I found the temperature to be lukewarm.  As for the Chicken Teriyaki, it was decent with a really crispy and rendered skin while the meat was a bit on the dry side. The teriyaki sauce was pretty typical, but at least it wasn't over-used.  For the items we had, nothing was particularly great, yet neither was anything terrible either.  Hence, it proves that middle-of-the-road restaurants succeed in Vancouver, especially when location is on their side.

The Good:
- Relatively comfortable seating
- Convenient for the lunch crowd

The Bad:
- Average "Japanese" food