Sumibiyaki Arashi

Thanks to Ipanemagirl, I finally got to dine at Sumibiyaki Arashi.  Reservations are hard to come-by since Pete Ho's yakitori omakase spot has become a Vancouver favourite since it opened in February of 2025.  The place has already earned a Michelin-star and places #17 on Canada's 100 Best Restaurants.  Make no mistake, Pete Ho's lineage might be Taiwanese, but his training has been under 2 renowned Japanese chefs in Yoshiteru Ikegawa and Kentaro Nakahara.  His restaurant is compact with only 12 bar seats, where one can see him in action.  The omakase course costs $175.00 per person before drinks, add-ons, tax and tip.

The meal began with an Oyster on the half-shell.  It wasn't explained what type of oyster it was, but from my best guess, it appeared to be a type of Pacific oyster, possibly a kushi?  It was briny and sweet with a clean finish.  There was some ponzu, different cuts of blue fin tuna from Nova Scotia and a dollop of caviar.  Really nice refreshing bite leading up to our first yakitori.  However, we were also presented with House-made Pickles consisting of turnip, stems and cucumber.  These were used as palate-cleansers between courses.

Our first yakitori was the Dakimi Chicken Breast with wasabi.  Watching Chef Ho tend to the live flame was akin to attending the ballet where each movement and motion was deliberate in expertly preparing each skewer.  The doneness of the chicken was on point where it was plump and juicy while barely being cooked through.  Seasoning was evenly distributed and we didn't need to add anything else.

From the chicken breast, we moved onto the Chicken Thigh that was coated in tare.  Due to the use of kishu binchōtan, the heat was extremely hot and smoky.  Hence, the chicken thigh, with more fat and the skin-on, was charred with crispy edges.  Textural contrast between those edges and the succulent chicken provided excellent mouth-feel.  Definitely got the smokiness as well as the sweetness from the tare.

I was hoping to have some Chicken Hearts as part of the Omakase and my prayers were answered.  Sporting three gigantic hearts with one smaller one, the skewer was my favourite of the meal.  The hearts were evenly charred with smoky caramelization along with the slight saltiness of the seasoning.  Plump with a juicy interior, the hearts were perfectly grilled.  They rode that fine line between being cooked through and being undercooked.  

Moving away from Yakitori for our next course, we were presented with a beautiful slice of A5 Waygu accompanied by a deep-fried quail's egg.  Without sounding too clichéd, the beef literally melted in our mouths.  It was buttery, silky and super soft.  This was marinated in yuzu kosho ponzu with scallions on top, that was it.  With a bit of crispiness, the quail's egg popped with a completely runny yolk.  After this sinful and rich piece of beef, we were present a Palate Cleanser where the juicy tomato really stood out.

We moved right back into yakitori with the Lower Thigh (which really is the drumstick).  This was even juicier than the thigh and had a bit of the usual tendons found in it.  They were not noticeable though.  Once again, the skin was juicy and flavourful and not flabby.  Smokiness was at the forefront as well with the scallions providing brightness and really went well with the meat.

From here, we had an interlude of sorts with the 6-hour Chicken Paitan Broth that made use of the all the chicken carcasses after they broke down the meat.  This was highly-concentrated with intense sweetness and umami.  It was also silky with a slightly viscous consistency from the collagen.  This was simply seasoned with some salt and a touch of pepper.  Really clean and delicious.

Our next course didn't even involve meat in the Crispy Tofu.  This was firmly crispy, yet gave way to airiness and fluffy tofu.  Really nice textural contrast.  There was the sweetness of nikiri soy as well which was balance off by the brightness of the Tokyo negi, daikon sprouts, myoga, and shiso on top.  Right after, we were served Shishito Peppers that were salted and blistered.  They were tender with just a touch of crispiness in spots on the outside.  Smoky of course with natural sweetness and a touch of bitterness.  No hot peppers this time around!

Continuing on, we had the Chawanmushi with mushrooms.  It also appeared to be crab tomalley on top (?) which added some more creaminess and depth.  The mushroom really came through while there was a noted smokiness.  It was sweet as well with a bright and clean finish.  The egg custard was silky and smooth with very little residual moisture left.  Really good version.

Back to the skewers, we had the beautiful Duck Breast.  Trying not to repeat myself, but really, the duck was prepared expertly where it was cooked to medium being succulent and juicy.  The seasoning was just right where the nikiri soy added just enough savoury sweetness to amp up the umami of the meat.  Skin rendered enough that it wasn't overly flabby.

I knew we would get to the Tsukune eventually and it did not disappoint.  Wrapping around the whole skewer, the chicken meatball was juicy and moist with a delicate bounce texture.  Of course there was smokiness to go with the ever-so-light crispy exterior from the grill.  It sat atop egg yolk and tare which only added to the meatball with silkiness and sweetness.

Finishing with one more yakitori, we had the Wing & Drummette.  As expected, this was also succulent and juicy.  For the flats, the meat was silky while the skin was crisped up and well seasoned.  For the drummette portion, the meat was predictably firmer, but it was still plenty plump and moist.  For this one, I added the tableside numbing spice and it was a nice compliment to the natural sweetness of the chicken and the smokiness from the grill.

Our last item before dessert was the Nyumen Somen in chicken broth and charcoal oil with some ground chicken on the side.  Really nice finish to the savoury portion of the Omakase.  The soup was clean and sweet with rich smokiness.  I added the chicken to the broth and it provided a certain deep in terms of flavour and texture.  The noodles were slippery and still had a chew.

Onto dessert, we were presented with a slice of Melon as well as the Pineapple & Passionfruit Sorbet with poached pineapple.  The melon was supremely ripe being soft and sweet.  As for the sorbet, it was a bit chunky, yet still easy to eat.  The sweetness was measured while the sweetness of the pineapple on top was a treat.  Overall, this was a fantastic meal with expert execution of the skewers and the rest of the dishes.  Really worth the money and deserving of all the accolades.

The Good:
- Expertly-prepared
- Flavours were impactful
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Sometimes, there was limited descriptions of each item

Imran Halal Beef Noodle

For an amazing Asian food metropolitan such as the GRVD, we don't have as many hand-pulled noodle spots as one would imagine.  Refining the category even more so, there aren't many Halal beef hand-pulled noodle restaurants to choose from either.  Have no fear since Imran Halal Beef Noodle checks all the boxes with their location on Robson near Nicola.  The place is spacious for a noodle joint and features counter service which is quick and efficient.  All of their noodles are made-to-order, so they are as fresh as can be.

Prior to our noodle experience, we tried some of their smaller places first.  We had a trio of appetizers/sides dishes including Cold Mixed Wood Ear with Onion, Spicy & Sour Shredded Potato and Spicy Cucumber.  I thought these were solid with crunchy wood ear with a mild sweetness and potato being tender but still retaining a bite.  I would've liked to see a bit more spice though.  Cucumbers were crunchy and fresh with plenty of garlickiness.  We also had the Tea Egg and it was more or less standard being a bit overdone (no way to avoid this).  It did have initial flavour but could've used more.

We got two small meat appetizers in the Five-Spice Beef and the Shredded Peppercorn Chicken.  If we had known the beef would be same found in the soup noodle and the cold noodle, were would've opted for the spicy beef instead.  This one was a bit plain and needed some chili oil and vinegar (found on the table) to wake it up.  On the other hand, the chicken was had some numbing spice to go with some mild sweet and salty notes.  Loved the gelatinized texture of the skin.

There were 3 BBQ dishes available and we got all of them.  They were all well-seasoned with the usual spice mix including a good amount of cumin and a touch of spice.  We got the BBQ Beef Skewers in mild and they were pretty tasty.  The meat was tender with a good amount of spice but it wasn't spicy.  For the BBQ Lamb Skewers, we got it in spicy and there was just a bit more heat, but not significantly.  Meat was also tender and not really all that gamy.  The Roast Chicken Wing Skewers were almost juicy with somewhat rendered skin.  Flavours were similar to the beef.

We had a collection of hand-pulled noodle items and of course we had to get the Lanzhou Halal Beef Noodle.  It came out steaming hot with a broth that was daikon-forward with the unmistakable sweetness of the root vegetable.  It was on the saltier side, but combined with the noodles and the addition of chili oil, there was balance.  The slices of five-spice beef was no different than the one we got as an appie.  It varied between tender and fatty to a bit dry (with those slices with less fat).

Onto something without soup, we had the Lanzhou Cold Noodles.  This came on a large plate with a considerable amount of hand-pulled noodles.  They were chewy and since they were cold, the chew was more robust.  They were tossed with only a mild amount of seasoning and moisture.  Hence, they did get a bit clumpy if not manipulated right away.  There was some Taiwanese cauliflower and also broccoli for some veggie content.  They were crunchy and vibrant.  Not sure of the five spice beef could've been better off mixed in rather than sitting on top?

For our fried noodle, we got both the Noodles with Stir-Fried Cumin Beef as well as the Noodles with Stir-Fried Cumin Lamb.  Once again, the freshly hand-pulled noodles had a remarkable chew to them and that in itself was pleasing.  Theere was some wok hei with caramalized flavours and pepperiness.  Of course the cumin really came through with both plates of noodles.  Overall, the food at Imran was delicious, freshly-made and served in generous portions.  The place was pretty full while we were there on a weeknight and it further reinforces it as a solid place for hand-pulled noodles in Downtown Vancouver.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Texturally on point hand-pulled noodles (made to order)

- Large portions

- Great for people who are on a Halal diet

The Bad:

- Since they hand-pull the noodles to order, you must be patient (but worth it)

- Some pieces of the five-spice beef were dry

The Fishman

After my initial visit to The Fishman back in 2022, I really wanted to go back.  For a place that almost exclusively features fresh (mostly live) seafood, the prices are surprisingly reasonable.  Couple that with expert execution and just outright deliciousness, you can see why they are always busy.  This time around, I am incorporating 2 recent visits into one blog post.  I got to sample a few more items this time and you know what?  I love The Fishman even more so now!

On my first return visit, we started with the Jumbo Prawns.  These could be had in 2 different preparations - Sichuan or Salted Egg Yolk.   We chose the former and they were fantastic.  When they said jumbo, they weren't lying.  These giant prawns were deep fried perfectly where the shell was crispy and edible while the meat had a firm snap.  They were naturally sweet and a bit briny but the Sichaun peppercorns added numbing spice.  There was some earthiness to the dish from the use of cumin.

Next we had the Wok Fry Clams with Black Bean Sauce that also came in a pretty large portion.  Although there were a few unopened clams, most were opened and cooked well.  We didn't notice much sand either.  The clams were buttery with an appealing chewiness.  There was plenty of sauce, so we could spoon it out with the shells.  I thought the viscosity was on point.  As for flavour, there was enough fermented saltiness and garlic.  However, a bit more spice would've made it perfect.

For our larger dish, we selected from the fresh sheet and had the Live Boston Lobster with black truffle cream sauce and yee mein.   This was indeed a generous portion as there was plenty of yee mein.  It was perfectly cooked as it wasn't overly soft (despite it naturally being on the softer side).  The black truffle sauce was earthy and creamy but I wasn't sure it necessarily went with the lobster.  I felt it was delicious on its own, but ultimately overshadowed the sweet lobster meat.

To get some balance in our meal, we got the Stir-Fried Crown Daisy with red fermented tofu and Thai chili.  This was absolutely delicious as it made me go for seconds, thirds and fourths.  You see, I'm normally not a fan of crown daisy due to its pungency.  However, the liberal use of Nam Yu (red fermented tofu) helped balance the natural taste of the vegetable.  It was also cooked properly where it was completely wilted but still had crunch in the stalks.

Normally, the Sea Scallops come in an order of 4, but they only had 3 left.  Well, we weren't going to let that small detail from ordering it!  Turns out that it was a great move since they were so good.  Each scallop was large and super sweet.  They were buttery and had the contrasting chewy mantle surrounding it.   As expected, there was vermicelli underneath to soak up the natural juices.  On top, we found plenty of garlic and scallion that offered up aromatics and pungency.  Some sweet seafood soy helped flavour the dish.

On the next visit, we went for something similar to the scallops and went for the fresh sheet again with the Irish Razor Clams.  These were steamed in the same manner as the sea scallops.  Hence, the flavour profile had the sweet saltiness of the seafood sauce, the brightness of the green onion and pungency of the garlic.  I felt the sweetness of the razor clams to be equal to the scallops but maybe with more brininess.  Vermicelli was al dente and super delicious.  Clams were buttery with some bite.

We went big with the Spicy Fish Hot Pot with the ling cod option.  This was a massive bowl of food as it took up like one quarter of our table.  It was filled to the brim with tender and buttery slices of ling cod.  The fish was supremely fresh, sweet and had a taste of the sea.  It was sitting in a fairly spicy broth, but it was balanced as we could still taste the fish.  There was some Sichuan peppercorns in there for some numbing effect. We found some glass noodles, sprouts and tofu as well.

We also got a lobster for this meal as well with the Salted Egg Yolk Whole Lobster with sliced rice cakes.  Although the lobster was fried perfectly with a crispy starch exterior and bouncy and sweet meat, the salted egg yolk was a bit too dry and crumbly.  Don't get me wrong, it was still delicious with the nutty salted egg taste.  In fact, there was many discernible pieces of salted egg yolk.  However, it wasn't a sauce per se and didn't season everything equally.  This was due to the fact they used hard salted egg yolks.  Normally, this dish employs soft, almost watery salted egg yolks to create a sauce.

Going away from seafood, we went for some BBQ Skewers in chicken hearts, pork intestine and chicken knees.  I thought these were well-prepared too.  The chicken hearts were still juicy despite the charring on the outside.  They were well-seasoned with some spice, saltiness and earthiness.  Same could be said about the chicken knees as they had a nice crunch while still being moist.  The intestines were a bit more dry, but still had a moist interior to contrast the slight crispiness of the exterior.  I didn't find them particularly gamy as the seasoning did help mask it.  So these 2 revisits to The Fishman only helped validate what I already knew - they dish up fresh seafood in a delicious manner.  Considering the portion sizes and the quality of the seafood, I find the prices reasonable.  If you haven't checked them out, I recommend that you do!

The Good:

- Fresh seafood

- Delicious

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- That parking lot is woefully insufficient

- Super busy at peak times, make sure you have a reservation

- Salted egg yolk should use liquid yolks not hard yolks

Lu Charcoal Grill

It isn't very hard to find Northern Chinese BBQ skewers in the Lower Mainland.  There was an explosion of spots in the past 10 years starting with Happy Tree out on Kingsway (there are more, but this is the most well-known one).  For me, it has been awhile since I've had Chinese BBQ skewers.  This is partly because you can really start spending a pretty penny when you over-order.  That is quite easy to do when there are minimum amounts such as 5 or even 10 skewers of specific meats.  Recently, I visited Lu Charcoal Grill in Richmond that not only has no minimum per skewer, their pricing is rather reasonable too.

Unlike many other skewer spots, you do not order from a menu or order sheet.  Rather, you walk up to the refrigerated area where all the skewers are ready for you to choose.  Take as many or little as you want, pass to the servers and the kitchen will seasoned and BBQ them.  As you can see in the picture, there is a good selection including pork intestines, spicy beef, beef tongue, chicken gizzards, pork rib, chicken wing, beef, lamb, chicken, pork belly, chicken heart, chicken cartilage, enoki, chives, tofu, steamed buns, bread, corn, sausage, chicken feet, snake fish and beef aorta.  Not only are the prices reasonable, I felt that the amount of each skewer was more than sufficient.

Once BBQ'd, the servers bring the skewers out and place them on the platter that is kept warm with lit tea candles.  I thought the skewers were more or less cooked properly keeping the meat tender while having a slightly crispy exterior with caramelized spices.  My favourites included the pork intestines as they were tender with a chew.  Loved the thick cut.  Beef tongue was also good with a tender chewiness.  Good amount of spice and seasoning on it.  Chicken wing featured rendered skin and juicy meat.  Also enjoyed the chicken heart and chicken gizzards as they provided an appealing chewiness while not being dry.  I wasn't as enthused about the corn though as it wasn't plump.

In addition to the skewers, we also had a variety of dishes including the impressive Seafood platter.  It consisted of scallops, shrimp, clams, abalone and cuttlefish.  I think these are usually separate orders, but they combined it all into one platter.  The seafood got plenty of garlic and that meant things were flavourful.  Underneath, we found a mess of mung bean noodles, that had soaked up all of the delicious garlic and seafood juices.  That was probably even better than the seafood!  However, let's be real, this was all about the seafood and they were cooked just right with butter clams, scallops and cuttlefish.  The abalone was firm with its classic chew.

So we also got the new Tomato Egg Noodle Soup served in a hot claypot.  This came out bubbling and was filled to the brim with tender lai fun and a wealth of fluffy egg and tomato.  I thought the broth was not particularly tomatoey but it did have the aftertaste.  It was more mild and brothy with equal parts savouriness and sweetness.  I found the noodles to be fairly al dente while slippery.  The fluffy egg is what made this dish as it added so much texture.

Another bubbling claypot was the Seafood Pork Claypot with sauerkraut.  At first, I was confused why the broth was tangy, but double-checking the ingredients yielded pickled napa cabbage.  That made things rather appetizing and helped lighten the heaviness of the pork belly.  In that sense, the broth was fairly light and was not devoid of various flavours.  Cabbage was tender while not overdone and the shrimp on top were meaty and sweet.

Accompanying our skewer and seafood fest, we had some smaller plates to supplement as well.  This included the Chicken Nuggets and the Fried Stinky Tofu.  Although the chicken was heavily battered, it wasn't as dense as it appeared.  Rather, the exterior was crunchy while giving way to tender chicken.  It was fairly well-seasoned too.  As for the stinky tofu, it was indeed pretty sharp.  I don't mind eating it as long as it isn't super pungent.  This one was bordering on that, but I did enjoy the aroma and crispiness.

As our defacto veggies for the meal, we had the Garlic Cucumbers and the Deep Fried Taiwanese Cauliflower.  Crunchy and full of garlicky spiciness, the cucumbers were a nice interlude between skewers.  As for the cauliflower, they were crispy with some peppery salt.  They were fully cooked, but still had a crunch.  Overall, the food at Lu Charcoal Grill was tasty and well-priced.  It is a little more on the rustic side, so don't expect refinement.  But that is the draw here.  The food isn't complex, but it is served in generous portions and is generally delicious.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Fair pricing
- Generous portion sizes including the meaty skewers
- Seafood is fresh

The Bad:
- Tomato soup could've been more impactful
- Possibly put some saran wrap over the skewers to keep them fresh?