Mauna (Meal Sets)

As often as I visit Mauna out in Surrey, I don't think I've posted about them in quite some time.  Ironically, prior to this visit, I had eaten then 5 times in the last few months!  Anyways, this post will mostly focus on their new meal sets as well as some new maki sushi rolls.  Of course, I had to get some of the classics as well!  For those who not familiar with Mauna, the chef used to work at Minami and his menu features quality renditions of Aburi Oshi and many other delicious dishes at prices that are truly affordable.

In this economy, it is not easy to find food that features quality ingredients for reasonable prices.  However, their Set Menus for $28.95 include a bounty of dishes that reflect many of the best items on the regular menu.  With a bounty of dishes, the Botan Set includes 6 pcs Sashimi, Chicken Karaage, Miso Tofu Salad, Fried Brussels Sprouts, 3 pcs Aburi Nigiri, 2 pcs Oshi Bites, Mini Poke and Miso Soup.  Yes, the amount of food shown in the picture is an accurate representation.  This is more than enough for one person and worth every penny of the $28.95.  All of their set menus include the same sides, but only rotate 2 of the mains.  In this one, the Chicken Karaage and 6 pcs of Sashimi are the unique dishes.  I've always love the karaage here as it has a flavourful marinade with a nice hit of ginger.  Chicken is tender and juicy too.  Sashimi is fresh and presented in generously-sized slices.

For the Momiji Set, everything is the same except we find a Mini-Chirashi Don and Ika Maruyaki replacing the aforementioned karaage and sashimi.  If you were feeling a little bit more hungry and also wanted more rice, this is the set for you as the chirashi don is essentially the sashimi, but with rice added.  As for the squid, it is grilled beautifully and is completely tender with a nice rebound texture.  

The Sakura Set features Kaisen Soba and 3 pieces of Ebi Fritter in place of the other main items.  As much as I enjoy the seafood with the chewy soba noodles and the crispiness of the ebi fritters, I feel this is the least amount of food in comparison to the 3 set menus.  But I understand the combination as it features much less raw items than the other sets.  Good for those who want cooked food in their combos.

Before I get to the classics, I will discuss the "newer" specialty rolls including the Medford Roll.  It doesn't have anything to do with the town in Oregon, so no reference to the mountains even though there is a mountain of deep fried baby scallops on top of a what is essentially an oversized dynamite roll.  Yes, you will normally find this type of roll at a Korean-run Japanese restaurant.  For the record, I don't mind these types of rolls, it just depends on my mood.

Another large specialty roll is the Hinderer Roll consisting of a deep fried "dynamite-like" roll with a mound of spicy sashimi in the middle.  Since the roll is fried, the centre is slightly warm and has a softer texture.  Outside, the tempura batter is crispy and not greasy.  As for the spicy tuna sashimi, it is slightly sweet with a bite.  Crunchy cucumbers add some texture to this.  For $19.95, this is a considerable amount of food.

So this is the "New" Galaxy Roll and I guess the new part is the crumbled wasabi peas on top.  It adds a crunch that has a mild bite to go with the spicy prawn, hotate and red tuna in the middle while hamachi wrapped around the top.  The roll is almost juicy and eats a bit wet, but the peas do add a textural contrast.  To top it off, we there is some spicy powder for more heat.

Striking in its appearance from the fried lotus root chip on top, the Wataru Roll features real crab, hotate and asparagus in the centre with tuna tartare, slightly seared red tuna and nikiri on the top.  The fluffiness and moisture of the real crab meat is unmistakable while the tuna does the heavy lifting with texture and the spice from the tartare.  It is a bit awkward to get the full lotus root chip in every bite, but when you do, it is crispy and airy.

Onto some classics, we cannot forget about the big daddy of the bunch in the Explosion Roll.  With a good amount of imitation crab, spicy tuna and cucumber, the whole thing is wrapped with tobiko and topped with torched aburi sauce.  Fantastic pops from the tobiko and smoky sweetness from the aburi sauce.  Secondary layers of buttery soft and spicy tuna give this roll extra impact.

We cannot forget about their other "must order" item in the Mauna's Aburi Tart.  Sporting with sushi rice, ripe avocado, spicy tuna, sockeye salmon and seared aburi sauce, this has all of the best things in one package.  Buttery and flavourful with hits of spice and sesame oil, the spicy tuna anchors the dish but gives way to the creamy smokiness of the aburi sauce.  It has a little bit of tang that helps keeps things from being heavy.  Love this dish.

A visit to Mauna isn't complete without ordering their Aburi Oshi.  Two of my favourites are the Wild Salmon Oshi and the Ebi Oshi.  Comparing it to the pioneer of these dishes (Miku/Minami), these ones here at Mauna have more content (as in fish and components) to go with the sushi rice.  Aburi sauce is creamy and tangy without being greasy.  The lime zest on the ebi oshi really adds brightness.

We also go for the Saba Oshi and Hotate Oshi.  If you are a fan of the briny fishiness of mackerel, then the Saba Oshi is for you.  It has just a touch of miso aburi sauce on it.  On the other hand, the scallop oshi has quite a bit of sauce that is slightly spicy.  Since scallop is buttery and sweet yet subtle, the sauce adds some impact.  However, it doesn't overwhelm the delicate scallop though.  The texture of the sushi rice is more on the moist side with an appealing chewiness.  In the end, a visit to Mauna is always a treat since the food is great and affordable.  Definitely a surprise given its location.  Now with the meal sets, there is a wider selection of dishes to share if you have a smaller party.

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

The Good:

- New meal sets offer a great variety of their best items

- Large portions at a reasonable price

- The classic aburi oshi is excellent and much less expensive than other places

The Bad:

- Being a small neighbourhood restaurant, the place gets slammed at times, so you'll have to be patient

Shinya Shokudō

As many times I've been in the Seattle/Bellevue area, I do not recall ever doing something late night.  That would include activities in addition to eats.  This was about to change as Jackie and I were checking out some Japanese Izakaya at Shinya Shokudō.  Located right in the heart of Bellevue, it is open late until 1:00pm and offers up a full menu of share plates and also an array of drinks.  

About those drinks, we had a few of them including the Chillchee, Osmanthus Breeze and Shinya Choco Cloud.  Definitely on the sweeter end of the cocktail spectrum with these, but at the same time, they didn't skimp with the alcohol.  Hence, it still packed quite a wallop.  I loved the Chillchee the most as I love lychee and that definitely came through.  I thought the Shinya Choco Cloud was more of a boozy milkshake.

We a great selection of chicken parts (mostly offal) in the Tori Horumon Combo.  We got 2 each of the cartilage, heart, upper heart, gizzard and liver.  This was more about textures than anything else.  There was the crunch from the cartilage, chewy bounciness of the hearts and gizzards while we had the creaminess of the liver.  They were lightly grilled where we had some smokiness.  I would've liked a bit more char on everything but the liver.

To compliment our first set of grilled skewers, we added the Seafood Combo consisting 2 each of Shrimp, Salmon, Hokkaido Scallops and Eel.  I thought the shrimp were perfect being bouncy and still juicy.  Although not looking like it, the salmon was fairly moist.  Couldn't say the same about the scallops as they were overdone.  Eel was perfectly buttery and smoky.

To get a taste of some appies without ordering every one of them, we opted for the Small Dish Set.  This featured Chicken Karaage, Tamagoyaki, Salmon Sashimi, Takoyaki, Wakame Salad and Hotate.  Nothing particularly amiss with this as things were pretty standard and serviceable.  I did think the salmon and hotate were texturally on point and tasted fresh.

On that note, it wasn't a surprise that the Chirashi Don was good since it featured the same salmon and scallop sashimi.  It also added salmon toro to add a rich butteriness to the bowl.  A big dollop of ikura provided pops of briny sweetness.  That same ikura was great with sweet and creamy Hokkaido uni in the Temaki.  The Foie Gras Temaki was rich and buttery but nicely tempered by the chewy sushi rice.

Honestly, we weren't going to order the Spicy Vegan Ramen, but it came highly-recommended.  Well, I do have to say it was pretty darn hot!  Yah, it was spicy and kept my tongue busy for awhile.  Now I like spice, so it didn't bother me.  That was probably the best part because there was not meat for me.  LOL.  Noodles were al dente while bamboo shoots, corn and tofu were there to compliment.

Not that we didn't have enough food already, but we also had the Curry Katsu Omurice.  This was a fairly large dish with plenty of rice underneath a thin blanket of egg.  I would've liked it less cooked but it worked for this application as there was plenty of moisture from the earthy and sweet curry.  The pork cutlet on top was lean, but still tender with a crispy panko crust.

One of the best deals we found on the menu was the Sukiyaki for $20.00.  Served in a small hot pot on a butane burner, we found sliced beef roll with vegetables, mushrooms, tofu and shrimp.  We added udon for an extra charge.  Nothing complex about this dish, but it was a lot of food cooked in a rich soy dashi broth.  Beef was buttery tender while the shrimp had a meaty snap texture.

We had one more rice dish in the Unagi Don, that featured 2 large pieces of soft and buttery glazed unagi.  Rice was chewy and dry enough to withstand the moisture from the eel.  Again, for $21.00, this wasn't bad for so much unagi.  Overall, our experience at Shinya Shokudō was good considering the portions sizes and reasonable pricing.  I wouldn't classify it as a classic Izakaya as the menu trends more towards bigger dishes and Kushiyaki.  But it is good for what it is and is open until 1:00am to satisfy your late night cravings.

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

The Good:

- Ample portions

- Inexpensive

- Decent eats

The Bad:

- Not really an Izakaya in the authentic sense, but it is good for what it is

- More aggressive char on some of the skewers

Toyokan Bowl

I've always been a fan of the Kingyo Group of restaurants in Vancouver (they have spots in Seattle and Toronto as well) that include Raisu, Rajio, New Fuji, Takenaka, Kingyo, Toyokan Plaza and Toyokan Bowl.  This formerly included Suika, before the fire closed it for the time being (or maybe forever?).  Now their newest pair of restaurants include Toyokan Plaza and Toyokan Bowl.  For this visit, Steph and I focused on the restaurant found upstairs in Toyokan Bowl.

Before we got to the main event, we began with some small plates such as the Ika Yuzu.  Since the ika was marinated in soy sauce, it gave the appearance of jellyfish.  However, it was pure ika with its unmistakable chewiness and sweetness.  We also found some brininess in the form of herring roe and this was all served with crisp cucumber slices.

We also had the Aromatic Sea Bream marinated with a Yamagata-style dashi.  With the finely chopped veggies, the sea bream took on the sweetness and herbaceousness of the ingredients.  It retained its firm texture, yet wasn't chewy.  This was all brought together with a light soy-broth which was definitely there but not the dominant flavour.

We got a double-dose of duck with the Shio Koji Duck Carpaccio as well as the Duck Soba (which was an add-on to one our bowls).  Although the layer of fat could've been a little less flabby, the duck itself was tender and full-flavoured.  The carpaccio was sweet and a bit spicy while the udon was nicely chewy with an almost smoky dashi.  Duck was more natural-tasting due to the lack of dressing.

Now for the stuff we were mainly here for... The first to arrive was the Bluefin Otoro and Hokkaido Uni Box.  In between we found some house-marinated ikura as well.  This was pretty good with buttery slices of otoro that melted in my mouth.  It was fresh-tasting with the essence of the sea.  As for the uni, it was also good without any bad pieces.  They were custardy and naturally sweet.  The rice underneath was chewy and served only as a thin-layer.

Going into something more heavy, we had the Miyazaki A5 Wagyu Box.  Marinated in shio-koji and then sous-vide, this beef was melt-in-our-mouths worthy.  It was finished off with house-made Japanese steak sauce and seaweed sauce.  If this wasn't luxurious and silky enough, there was an onsen egg on the side.  This all sat on a thin layer of chewy sushi rice and when mixed with the egg, there was custardy textures to go with the buttery beef.  Of course we got a mouthful of umami from the beef and sauces as well.

We left the best for last in The Emperor which only could be described as a chirashi don on steroids.  What we had here was all 3 cuts of bluefin (otoro, chutoro and akami), salmon, hamachi, seabream, hotate, datemaki, bluefin tartare, lobster, uni and spot prawn.  Oh yah, this was a lot and things had a nice sheen and flavours were clean.  The uni slid off and was a bit unsightly, but things ate well and there was more than enough to go with the sushi rice.  Yah, this was $70.00 but with all things considered, I do not think this was unreasonable.  In the end, we enjoyed the food at Toyokan Bowl and thought the pricing was in-line with what we got.  Sure, it is on the higher end, but we weren't eating California Rolls here!  Do I think this is the best in town?  No, I've had better quality ingredients, but that was only at higher end Japanese restaurants offering pricey Omakase.

The Good:

- Bougie bowls

- Reasonable pricing considering what you are eating

- Eclectic bowling theme

The Bad:

- Service was friendly, but trying to flag someone down after ordering was difficult

Sushi Mahana

Remember from my last post where I mentioned that most Omakase experiences run you $250+ per person in the Lower Mainland?  Let's talk about one of those shall we?  Viv and I recently visited Sushi Mahana out in North Vancouver where they have been receiving quite the accolades.  Chef Hiroshi Hoshiko presents a Kyushu-style sushi Omakase that focuses on mainly whitefish and shellfish.  When we arrived, we were greeted warmly by owner Yuki Aida.  We sampled some Sake and ultimately, I went for the Sake paring with my meal.

Now about that meal...  We began with the Surinagashi which is a fish soup that features seasonal vegetables.  This was full of umaminess and a sweet fishiness.  Definitely impactful but still subtle at the same time.  From there we moved onto the Ainame (Ling Cod) with Sudachi.  Not that I would be surprised, but the fish was beautifully cut and displayed a nice sheen.  It was lightly sweet with a semi-firm, yet buttery texture.  The sudachi provided citrus to compliment while a bit of salt really elevated the nigiri.

Striking in presentation, the Tenshi No Ebi (Paradise Prawn) featured both cooked and raw components hence the contrast in colour.  I found the prawn to be super sweet while having both a soft texture (raw) and firm texture (cooked).  On top, we found some aromatic egg yolk powder.  With uni and multicoloured sesame seeds on top, the Aka Ika (Squid) was bright and fresh with natural sweetness.  We found some lime and a touch of spice giving way to the nuttiness of the sesame seeds.

We moved onto a more robust fish after the aka ika with the Aji (Horse Mackerel).  Showing off the knife skills of the chef, the aji was beautifully presented.  It was sweet and fishy (in a good way).  There was a light brush of soy which was complimented by the aromatic and sweet basil on top. Ending this portion of the menu, we were served the Gindara (Sablefish).  The warm sablefish was flaky and buttery.  Nice contrast of textures with the chewy rice and the crispy nori.  The sharpness of the onions was balanced by sweetness and saltiness.

To start our next portion of the menu, we were served the Hotate & Zuwai Gani with local vegetables.  Presented in a crispy shell (figuratively and literally), we found little bites of scallop and snow crab mixed with yuzu, sesame paste and maple syrup.  There was plenty of sweetness going around as well as acidity.  The crispy shell provided textural contrast.  On the side, we had baby corn, fig, grape and mushroom. 

Topped with the same multicoloured sesame seeds as the Ika, we had the Suzuki (Sea Bass) nigiri.  There was some chew to this with a fresh taste of the sea.  This was complimented by the nuttiness of the sesame.  With beautiful sea grapes on top, the Shima-Aji (Stripe Jack) was buttery with a snap.  It was sweet with elements of the sea.  Loved the crunch from the sea grape as well as the salty sea-tasting elements to it.

Continuing on with the whitefish, we had the Kijihata (Grouper), topped with pickled kiku flower.  With a firmer and chewier texture, the grouper was lightly sweet and had definite subtly.  The pickled flower did provide some impact to the nigiri.  The Tachiuo (Swordfish) was comparatively more impactful where the sweetness and appealing fishiness came through.  It was slightly smoky from the torching (of the skin).  This was further enhanced by the sweet tang of the ume plum and tanginess of the myoga.

From here, we transitioned into the 3rd part of the meal starting with the Tako (Octopus).  This was cooked perfectly where it was tender with a wonderful chewiness.  It was naturally sweet and was accompanied by a mountain yam puree with spice.  Then we went onto 3 types of bluefin tuna beginning with the Akami.  Being the leanest part of the fish, this was predictably more meaty.  However, by virtue of being bluefin tuna, it was still buttery soft and sweet.  Nice fishiness and just enough brush of soy.  There was some crunch from the shiso seeds too.

Heading up the spectrum of butteriness, we moved onto the Chutoro (getting closer to fatty part of the fish).  Naturally, this was more buttery and flavourful.  Remember, most of the flavour in any meat is from the fat!  With black garlic on top, there was some fermented umaminess going on.  So we then had the fattiest part of the bluefin (the belly) being the Ohtoro topped with nori and yuzu peel. This was literally melting at room temperature.  Super buttery and lots of tasty fishiness.  We got some bitter tanginess from the yuzu peel and umami from the nori.

The final dish in this 3rd portion of the menu was the Kegani (Hairy Crab) served in a covered bowl that revealed warm, fluffy and bouncy crab.  There was chewy rice to go with the ample amount of crab while all of it sat in a sweet buttery broth.  Not only did the broth flavour the crab, the rice happily soaked it up.  Loved the pops of subtle tanginess from the berries strewn around.  This was topped with a crispy zucchini blossom.

The 4th portion of the menu began with the Renkon (Lotus Root) where the beautiful green colour of the shiso leaf peaked through the thinly sliced lotus root. The lotus root had a delicate crunch that was also a bit tangy.  The herbaceousness of the shiso leaf came through after the initial tang.  Next, we had the Tekkamaki featuring a big piece of tuna inside while the whole thing was topped with uni and ikura.  With the first bite, the creamy sweetness of the uni came through while the tuna was soft and sweet.  Rice was perfectly chewy.

Colourful and vibrant, the Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper) featured torched skin.  Therefore, we had immediate smokiness that gave way to a buttery texture with a slight bite.  I found the fish mildly sweet while amped by the watermelon radish with tanginess.  Next up, the Anago (Seawater Eel) was lightly brushed with sauce and then garnished with sudachi zest.  It was buttery soft and sweet due to the glaze.  Although there was zest on top, it was rather subtle.

Ending off this portion of the menu, we had the Miso Soup and a piece of Tamago.  So you might be wondering why we were having miso soup at the end of our meal...  Well, it actually helps in the digestion, so after eating sushi is a good plan.  This particular miso soup was rich with fermented flavours.  It was salty but sweet at the same time.  As for the Tamago, it was brûléed on top.  Therefore, we had a hit of smoky and sweet to go with the custardy texture of the egg.

For dessert and the final part of our Omakase experience, we had the Hojicha Ice Cream with Purple Yam Mont Blanc.  Loved the gorgeous puple colour of the yam, but also sweetness it imparted.  The creamy ice cream was nutty and sweet while the crunch from the rice crackers was welcomed.  Overall, the Omakase at Sushi Mahana is excellent with expertly-prepared bites that were respected by the chef.  Definitely worth the $250.00 and belongs in the higher-end of Omakase experiences in the Lower Mainland.

The Good:
- Passionate staff from the Owner to the chef
- Quality ingredients
- Expertly-prepared

The Bad:
- Not really anything here other than the fact you need to have that kind of money to enjoy it?