Mama Katsu

From Legoland, we made our way to Disneyland and that is where our dining out stopped.  We spent most of our time eating at the park and also grabbed some fast food from Raising Canes and In-N-Out.  But I was able to squeeze a few meals in from Mama Katsu, which was on our way back to our hotel.  It was across the street on Harbor Drive and we walked by the place a few times a day. 

The first time we stopped by to pick up some food, we got the Original Kimbap.  Not only did I get it the first time, I got it again on the second visit!  Well first off, it was quite good where there was more filling than rice.  Definitely fulfilling and great for taking it into Disneyland.  Acts as a great snack or even a meal.  I thought the components were well-prepared (textures how they should be) and there was enough flavor to eat without any condiments.

So of course I got the Pork Katsu and it was a large portion of 2 cutlets, 2 fried gyoza, rice, slaw and katsu sauce.  Fried until uniformly crispy, the pork katsu was also tender and not dry.  Naturally, it paired well with the tangy and sweet katsu sauce.  I only wished there was more of it.  Dumplings were pretty typical, but did feature a thin wrapper and a fairly juicy filling.

Picked up a second dish for good measure in the Chicken Yakitori.  This came with rice, tempura prawns, gyoza and slaw.  Since they used chicken thigh meat, it turned out to be jucy and quite flavorful.  There was a light char on them which added some smokiness.  There was enough sauce to flavor each skewer, but probably not enough for all the rice.  I suggest you ask for a bit more.  Prawn tempura were only okay since the batter was a bit thick.

On another visit, I went for the Fish Katsu and it was also a pretty large portion.  Each piece was crunchy while featuring flaky and moist fish.  This came with tartar sauce, slaw, rice, fried gyoza and ebi tempura.  As a whole, this was quite a bit of food and definitely was enough for me.  I found this one to be considerably more greasy than the pork katsu.

For good measure, I decided I needed to get some Spam Musubi as well. This would serve me well in the moment and also be a great snack for later.  This was solid as the layer of chewy rice was actually modest in size.  Therefore, the seared Spam had much more effect.  Overall, the food at Mama Katsu was solid and served in large portions.  Great for a quick meal to take back to your hotel after a day at Disneyland.

The Good:

- Big portions

- Solid eats

- Well-priced

The Bad:

- There maybe a wait at times

- Can be greasy

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

Halo Kitchen & Bistro 光輪

Some would argue that going on a cruise is not the best way to see Japan.  Well, I will partially agree with that since going on a cruise is never a great way to experience places since most ports only get a day.  When I say "a day", that would mean something like 8 hours, if you are lucky.  I've been on some cruises where there are overnight stays and that helps a bit, but generally, you would be best served doing a land vacation where you can be at a location for at least 5 days to get the full experience.  However, on the flipside, for smaller towns, a day is more than enough for a visit.  That brings us to Shimizu, our first port on our 12-day Japanese cruise aboard the Celebrity Millennium.  We didn't end up doing very much here since the fish market was closed (on a Wednesday).  We did wander around and the people were very nice.  It was also cloudy and we only got a brief outline of Mt. Fuji.  For lunch, we ended up at "Halo" Kitchen & Bistro for some Yoshoku cuisine (Japanese version of Western dishes).  This place has been around since 1972 and is very reasonably-priced.  After we sat down, the place was packed!

For myself, I had to go for their Halo Lunch that consisted of a pork katsu, spaghetti and fish with a bowl of rice, cream soup, salad and coffee (at the end).  This was only 900 yen (approx. $8.00cad)!   The small cutlet featured an airy and crisy panko coating that was beautifully fried.  The pork itself was nicely marbled and super light.  It was moist and buttery tender.  As for the small piece of fish, it was seared just enough that it was cooked through, but was also flaky and buttery soft.

My son went for the Hamburg Steak which was covered in a delicious and rich gravy.  It was so flavourful and full of umami with just a slight tang at the end.  The hamburger steak itself was plump and evenly seared on the outside.  As for the inside, the meat was fluffy and tender with it taking on the sauce very well.  When eaten with the rice, it was a delicious bite.  The side of cream soup was slightly viscous and had lots of natural milk flavour with some saltiness.

My daughter had another classic Yoshoku dish in the Curry Doria.  Originally conceived in the Hotel New Grand in Yohohama, this featured rice topped with curry and cheeses (usually parmesan and gruyere) with some type of meat.  It was chicken in this case.  We found the version here to be flavourful with a rich curry that had depth from the spices, but it wasn't spicy.  Rather, it had a good balance of sweet and savoury with plenty of cheesiness.

For Viv, she had the Curry Loin Katsu with the sauce served on the side.  This ensured that the katsu remained crispy.  It wasn't greasy and the panko coating was not dense.  Inside, the meat was also airy and light.  It was tender and succulent.  Served on a bed of chewy rice, it accepted the delicious curry sauce well.  At the end, we were served a coffee and the kids were served juice.  I can't say enough how good of a deal this place is.  To top it off, the food is delicious.  Oh and the people are super nice.  A must try when you are in Shimizu!

The Good:
- Cheap!
- Delicious
- Super nice people

The Bad:
- Well, if you arrive late, you won't get a seat

Saku (Coquitlam)

So haven't been back to Saku for quite some time and in fact, haven't been back to their original Robson location (which has now moved) since it first opened.  They've expanded several location since and their newest is in Coquitlam on North Road across from the Safeway.  We decided to hit them up because we'd already been to the close by Katsuya the last time when we were in the neighbourhood.  Have always thought that Saku is the best Japanese cutlet spot in town.

So Viv ended up with the Rosu Katsu which is a breaded piece of pork loin.  This was tender and juicy where the pork remained moist despite being lean and deep-fried.  The breading was aggressive, but not heavy.   The pork loin was evenly coated with a crunchy, yet not greasy exterior.  The set came with rice, miso soup, pickles, sesame seeds (that you grind yourself), tonkatsu sauce and salad.  You can get refills on the salad, rice and soup.

My son had the Hire Katsu which is not as lean as the loin with the little bit of fat on the side, where it provided a different texture and more flavour.  Although the difference between Hire and Rosu isn't apparent with all the breading, it is obvious when biting into the pork.  The hire is a bit more juicier and has a less firm texture.  As mentioned, the fat offers up aroma and extra porkiness.  Once again, it is served in a set with the same components.

For myself, I went for the Hire Curry Katsu which came with 2 good-sized cutlets.  Again, they were super crispy, but moist and juicy on the inside.  It sat atop a modest amount of chewy rice (but remember, we can get a refill!) that helped soak up all of the delicious curry.  Like most Japanese curries, this had a sweeter slant, but I found it not as sweet as other versions.  I could really taste the curry and the spice.  However, it wasn't spicy, which is typical of Japanese curry.

So my daughter didn't do the expected by ordering the cheese katsu.  Rather, she went for the Tomato Cheese Nabe featuring a rosu katsu bathed in a tangy tomato sauce while topped with melted mozzarella.  Hey she still got her cheese fix!  Although there was the expected sweetness in the sauce, it was surprisingly tart.  Not a bad thing as it kept things bright and appetizing.  As much as the rice went well with the sauce, this would've been better with pasta (but they don't serve pasta at Saku... LOL).

For my parents, they shared the Zenbu Katsu with almost everything including rosu, hire, chicken thigh, 2 pc cheese, 1 pc hotate, 1 pc ebi and 2 pc veggies.  For $39.95, we felt this was actually a good value.  As expected, the hire and rosu were exactly as the previous dishes.  As for the cheese, it was more cheese than pork, but that is the point.  Hotate and ebi were cooked properly being buttery while the veggies were cooked through but not soggy.  Like the first time I visited Saku, the food didn't disappoint.  Solid execution and with the refill of salad, rice and soup, you won't leave hungry.

The Good:
- Meat quality is high
- Solid execution
- Can refill rice, salad and soup

The Bad:
- Well, pretty focused menu, so if you don't like fried cutlets...
- Although I think the pricing is fair, it is getting up there like everything else these days  

Tanaka PDX

After some healthy and delicious eats from Carioca Bowls, we made our way over to Tanaka PDX located in Downtown Portland.  Upon walking into the place, we were greeted with a spacious dining room with communal seating and high ceilings as well as floor to ceiling windows.  As for the menu, they feature a variety of Japanese fare including those viral fruit sandwiches as well as a host of katsu sammies as well.

As much as the plight of Portland's downtown has been in the news, the area around Tanaka was fine.  We got straight to the Sandos including Chicken with yuzu egg salad, Spicy Fish and Toasted Egg Salad.  With toasted milk bread, the texture was more robust, but it helped hold all of the ingredients inside.  Mind you, the creamy egg salad did leak out from the sides (but that was expected).  Loved the addition of yuzu as it really lightened up the salad.  The spicy katsu sauce really added kick to the crispy fish.

We also had the classic Pork Katsu Sando with cabbage slaw as well as the Breakfast Sando with egg, cheese and bacon.  Being slightly thinner than the chicken, the pork cutlet was more firm, yet was uniformly more crunchy due to the meat-to-panko ratio.  Loved the crunchy and bright slaw.  As for the breaky sando, it was pretty standard and had a nice runny egg with plenty of meat.

As good as the sandos were, I was pretty impressed with the Chicken Katsu Nuggets with a variety of dips including Karashi Honey Mustard,  Tanaka Katsu,  Shishito Ranch, Spicy Tanaka Katsu & Curry Aioli. I found the panko coating to be crispy and not greasy.  The meat was moist, but the real draw here was the dips.  I particularly enjoyed the spicy BBQ as it had a real kick to go with the sweetness and tang.

 

We also had a Miso Caesar Salad as well as some Fries with curry aioli.  With the addition of miso, the salad did have that rich fermented saltiness.  Hence it had a little something something that made it interesting.  As for the fries, they were crispy with soft potato goodness inside.  The side of curry aioli was creamy with only a mild hint of spice and sweetness.

As the defacto dessert due to their fruitiness, the Fruit Sandos featured strawberry, orange and kiwi.  With airy whipped cream and fresh fruit, these ate very much like a dessert, especially with bread that masqueraded as sponge cake.  These were a fine finish to a delicious meal that wasn't very complicated, but executed well.  These could be classified as unique eats that won't break the bank.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:

- Fully-stuffed and delicious sandos

- Reasonably-priced

- Spacious dining room

 

The Bad:

- Can get busy and seats are at a premium

- Parking is a bit difficult to find 

Katsuya

My kids love to eat.  Duh, it goes without saying right?  Well, they have many favourites, possibly too many to list.  However, one thing they generally do not get enough of and also would never turn down is Katsu.  They have tried Saku, Daeji, Mr. Tonkatsu and Saboten, where so far, Saku has been their fav.  So when my parents wanted to go out for dinner, I suggested we do either the new Saku in Coquitlam or the nearby Katsuya.  I secretly wanted to do Katsuya as I've never been.  Good thing they chose that!

So we got some appies to start including the small order of Chicken Karaage with some wasabi mayo on the bottom of the plate.  This featured large pieces of chicken thigh which were super juicy and flavourful.  The batter was crunchy and stayed as such even after sitting for awhile.  I wasn't exactly sure I liked the wasabi mayo with this and would've preferred just some kewpie mayo and lemon instead. 

We also had the Tartar Shrimp that featured essentially shrimp tempura with a huge side of tartar sauce.  The shrimp itself was fried up nicely with a crunchy batter than wasn't overly greasy.  Inside, the shrimp had a nice buttery snap.  That tartar sauce was on the sweeter side with a bit of tang.  We thought it was good and didn't even end up using half of it.

Our last appie was the Cheese Crabmeat Croquettes smothered with the same sweet tartar sauce.  Okay, we weren't big fans of these as the copious amount of tartar sauce made them soggy.  Also, the potato, imitation crab and mozzarella filling was far too dense.  It was a real struggle to finish even one of these.  Maybe it would've been better if the sauce was served on the side?

For my choice, I went for the baseline in the Original Pork Loin served with refillable rice, salad and miso soup.  As you can see, the pork loin was fairly large.  It was also not flattened to the degree where it was too thin either.  Hence, it was moist and meaty with a crispy panko coating.  The sauce was tangy and sweet from the fruits and vegetables used to make it.

My daughter predictably had Brick Cheese Katsu in Gold & Silver (Cheddar & Mozzarella).  She absolutely loves cheese and she got her fix here with ooey gooey goodness.  Of course the outer layer of pork had been pounded thin and it was more about the cheese.  She happily ground her own sesame seeds and added it to the rice.  However, she wasn't sure that that tangy BBQ sauce was a good match for the cheese katsu.

My son loves Terimayo Japadogs, so I guess he thought the Terri Mayo Katsu would have all of the same flavours.  That it did with a sweet and tangy teriyaki sauce, a bevy of bonito flakes and mayo.  His pork loin katsu was exactly like mine being moist and tender while still having a meatiness.  The panko was crunchy and not overly greasy.  Possibly this may have needed some grilled onions to add some moisture to the dish as well as staying true to the terimayo flavour.

My parents weren't super hungry and ended up sharing the Mushroom Cream Chicken Katsu.  By virtue of being a flattened chicken breast, this was lighter and a little less moist.  However, with the considerable amount of creamy mushroom goodness on the plate, it alleviated any dryness issues.  It was definitely mushroomy and thick.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Katsuya except for the croquettes.  Portions were large and of course the rice, salad and miso soup were refillable.  Definitely an option for katsu.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Decent eats
- Service was pretty good (as opposed to the online reviews)

The Bad:
- Those croquettes...
- Parking in the lot is difficult when busy

Raisu Mama's Kitchen

Fresh off a delicious meal from Takenaka food truck, Mijune and I made our way to Raisu on West 4th for a dine-in tasting.  As some of you may already know, Raisu and Takenaka are related and you might notice some of the same dishes on both menus.  I've been to Raisu before and they boast some of the most beautifully plated Japanese dishes in the city.  This time around, since Mijune was around, we could tackle a larger bite out of the menu than the previous visit.

Before we got to the regular menu, we dove into the Omakase Uni Zukushi for 2 at a very reasonable $120.00.  The first course was the Uni Sashimi served with Yuzu Sake.  This was a generous portion of Peruvian uni which was sweet and fresh.  I found the yuzu sake a really nice compliment to the uni.

Next course, we were served 2 x Uni Temaki with snow crab meat, scallop, tobiko and ikura.  With all these luxurious ingredients, the rolled sushi ate very hearty.  Lots of complimentary sweetness and brininess, but the uni still made itself heard.  As you can see, the amount of rice was kept to a minimum so that the ingredients could shine.

We were each served an Uni Shooter consisting of ikura, mountain potato and quail egg with dashi ponzu truffle jelly.  This wasn't a shooter in the truest sense as you would probably choke if you took this all in one gulp.  However, it ate very well as a seafood parfait of sorts.  Fresh ingredients reigned supreme here again where the jelly was the glue that brought everything together.  Actually, the mountain potato (or yam) was sticky enough to literally bind the whole thing.

The next item was a variation of something we've had before in the Uni & Wagyu Aburi Nigiri Sushi.  Replacing the foie gras, he uni served roughly the same purpose with a sweet silkiness spiked by the taste of the sea.  Of course the wagyu practically melted in our mouths with a buttery tenderness.  The light sear on top activated the fats without cooking the meat all-the-way-through.  It was finished off with a arimasannsho-wasabi sauce that added the lightest of spice.

Normally, you would be given a choice between 2 items for the next course, but we ended up trying both for research purposes.  The Spicy Lobster Uni Cream Udon was off-the-hook!  So creamy with a definite kick, the uni afforded an appealing seafoody essence. Of course, adding a large lobster tail to the dish didn't hurt.  Standing up to the flavourful broth was chewy sanuki-style udon.

The other option in the Omakase Uni Zukushi menu other than the udon was the Uni & Snow Crab Donabe Rice with mixed mushrooms, cooked rice and raisu original dashi soup stock.  Boy, it would be a hard decision choosing between the two because this was plenty good too.  The fluffy, yet chewy rice was graced with the subtle essence of crab, the umaminess of the mushrooms (and dashi) and of course the sea-sweetness of uni.  Add in some ikura and this was a subtle flavour bomb (if that makes sense).

I will get to the dessert for this meal later as we went onto the regular menu at this point starting with the Yuzu Wings.  Nothing really complex about this dish, but these wings were prepared properly with well-rendered skin that was lightly crispy.  Add in the yuzukoshu marinade and there was a salty tanginess.

I particularly liked a seemingly non-assuming item in the 100% Wagyu Croquette coated with homemade panko, Japanese tartar and tonkatsu sauce.  Yah, this was indeed 100% wagyu as the meat was juicy, buttery and of course tender.  Lots of umaminess due to the fat content.  Plenty crispy on the outside while not greasy.  Loved dipping it into the tartar sauce as it reminded me of chicken nanban except with beef.

Staying with the same theme, we had Tonkatsu Teishoku with shredded cabbage, dressing, miso soup, rice, pickles and 2 types of sesame seeds (that you crush yourself).  Compared to Saku, the tonkatsu was more firm and meaty.  It was juicy though and ate quite tender.  The panko coating was similar to the croquettes being crispy without being greasy.

Raisu is well-known for their tonkatsu, but their signature offering is the Sho Ka Do Bento consisting of 9 featured appetizers (Chicken Karaage, Wagyu Nigiri, Soba Shooter, Yuzu Tuna Tataki, Grilled Lobster, Eggplant Agebitashi, Scallop Sashimi, Corn Karaage and Snow Crab on the Egg).  Yes, lots of little treasures that may or may not be familiar.  All very tasty especially the corn karaage and wagyu nigiri.  Only limited to 15 per day.

If you thought we were done, then you don't know Mijune very well...  So we soldiered on with the Bluefin Tuna Aburi Sushi.  These came in 4 different toppings and sauces.  I didn't note down what they were, but I believe there was diced pickle, ikura, fried shiso and 2 types of tobiko.  All were delicious and full of flavour without obscuring the delicate bluefin tuna.

Covered all over IG for the past few years, the Deluxe Seafood Bowl and the Blue Fin Tuna Deluxe Seafood Bowl are as good as they look.  I mean it was very obvious that the fish was very good quality and fresh.  Yes, these bowls aren't cheap, but the quantity of quality ingredients makes them worth every penny.  The rice underneath was prepared properly too being chewy and mild-tasting.

So we finished with all of the desserts including the Yuzu Gelato (included in the Omakase Uni Zukushi), Almond Tofu, Souffle Cheesecake and the Yuzu Parfait.  Other than the tofu, most things were a mash of the same ingredients.  However, the parfait featured raw cheesecake rather than the fluffy souffle cheesecake.  Everything was light and fruity.  Perfect ending to an absolute feast.  The quality of the ingredients and of course, the presentation are the calling card of Raisu.  Definitely a few notches above your typical Japanese spot in Vancity.

 *All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- High quality ingredients

- Carefully prepared

- Beautiful presentation

The Bad:

- On the pricier side, but you pay for what you get

- Desserts were good, could've had a bit more variety