Sun Sui Wah (Main Street)

Boy, here is a Cantonese classic - Sun Sui Wah on Main Street.  It first opened on Main Street in 1988 where Haiyi Seafood Restaurant operates currently.  However, due to their popularity, they moved into a larger location at 3888 Main Street in late 1995, where they still stand today.  They were known for their Squab and excellent Cantonese dishes.  Over time, there has been an increasing amount of capable competitors where some have definitely passed them by.  With that being said, I've had many great meals here and for the first time in years, we decided to pay them a visit, taking my father-in-law out for Father's Day.

As much as the set menus looked great, we didn't have enough people to go for a 10-course meal.  So we ended up doing a la carte.  On that note, they supplied us with menus that we couldn't order from.  Their reasoning?  It was for "advertising purposes".  Honestly, that was pretty weak.  Anyways, we went about getting an eclectic selection of dishes because my FIL can't exactly chew very well.  Hence, we ending up getting a 3lb Dungeness Crab in cream sauce with a yee mein base.  Normally here, we would go for wonton noodles since they hold up to the sauce better, but again, he can't chew it.  No matter, as the noodles weren't too soft and the crab was supremely fresh and meaty.   The meat was bouncy and sweet with classic crab brininess.  Cream sauce was flavourful and buttery.

I was betting that the beef would be marinated enough to be buttery soft in the Satay Beef Vermicelli Hot Pot.  After a few bites, it was indeed tenderized to the point where it was a bit spongy and ultimately tender.  At the same time, there was enough natural meat texture left so it wasn't too artificial.  There was a nice ratio of meat to vermicelli, so it was a fulfilling dish.  The vermicelli was still al dente, but not clumpy.  In terms of taste, the dish was well-seasoned.  Plenty of savouriness with a touch of spice and brininess.  I liked how the hot pot wasn't overly greasy too.

The very softest dish we ordered was the Salted Fish & Chicken with Soft Tofu Hot Pot.  Another solid offering where the saltiness from the fish (and the seasoning) was impactful bordering on salty without going over.  This definitely needed rice as a counterbalance.  We found the tofu super silky, but they were able to keep it from disintegrating during the cooking process.  Bits of chicken were tender and buttery while the amount of salted fish was generous.  Little hits of ginger helped keep things from being too heavy.

One dish that wasn't as soft was the Sweet & Sour Pork.  This was a pretty even mix of meat and pineapple, onions and peppers.  There was just enough sauce to coat each piece of pork, which helped keep things a bit crispy.  The meat itself was only a little fatty, yet still tender and bouncy.  Tangy and sweet, the sauce was quite good, but possibly it could've had just a bit more sourness. 

We ordered one vegetarian dish in the Braised Fried Tofu, Broccoli, Mushrooms and Morels.  This featured soft and almost fall-apart tofu that was was coated in a silky starch-thickened sauce that was just salty enough.  Despite using dried morels, it was still nice to have the earthiness and unique texture of the mushrooms.

We ended up getting the 2 courses of Ling Cod with the first dish being the Stir-Fried Yau Choy with Ling Cod Filets. We asked the vegetable to be cooked a bit longer so that my FIL could eat it.  So I can't really comment on the texture as a result.  However, it was well-seasoned and not overly greasy.  The fish itself a bit crumbly, but tender and fresh.

The second course was the Ling Cod & Tofu Hot Pot.  This was a large portion of the fish bones, belly, tail and fins that were coated in starch and deep fried.  Along with the deep fried tofu, it was finished off with a toss in starch-thickened sauce, onions, ginger and shredded pork.  Once again, the tofu was tender while the fish was buttery and flaky.  Sauce was a bit salty, but wasn't longing for flavour.  

Last item was the Yeung Chow Fried Rice consisting of egg fried rice, BBQ pork, shrimp and gai lang stems.  Nutty and dry, this rice was textbook execution where it was nicely salty and not greasy with discernible grains of chewy rice.  Overall, the meal at Sun Sui Wah was above average and we were satisfied.  Too bad we didn't get to try some of their signature items due to being selective with our dishes.   Prices have definitely gone up in the last 10 years, but that is true across the board.  With that being said, there are other places that I can get roughly the same quality for less money.

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Large portion size

- Despite being busy, the service was quite good

The Bad:

- Prices are on the higher side

- Not sure why we got menus that we couldn't order from

TWK - The Lebanese Sandwich Spot

More often than not, when we are in need of quick eats, we default to the usual fast food joints.  For me, it is always Subway.  Say what you will about the place, but it does the job for me and I get some veggies to go with my sugar-loaded bread and salt-ladened deli meats...  Hmmm...  So maybe, it would be a better idea to find other options.  TWK Lebanese Sandwich Spot on Commercial Drive offers both 8" and 12" wraps that are competitively-priced compared to places like Subway.  In addition, if that doesn't satisfy you appetite, they also have fully-loaded platters for only $17.50.

Before we got to those wraps and platter, we tried their Falafel Pops.  These were deep-fried to order and came out uniformly crunchy on the outside.  Inside, the flavours really popped.  We got strong hits of earthiness, herbaceousness and just a hint of spice.  These were some of the most flavourful falafels I've ever had.  Adding some more nuttiness, the side of tahini offered up moisture too.  Good thing as texturally, the falafels were on the firmer side.

We continued with some more appetizers in the Fattoush Salad and 2 soups.  The salad was fresh with crisp greens, radish and peppers. It came with crispy pita chips and a sweet and tangy dressing.  As for the soups, I loved the Lentil Soup as it was herbaceous and earthy.  Really well-seasoned without being salty.  I liked how it was not overly thick, as some versions I've had are like paste.  The Tomato Soup was supremely fresh with mild-tasting and natural tomato flavours.  It was also earthy and slightly tangy.

We ended up with the Chicken Tawouk and Beef Shawarma Wraps, both in the 12" size.  I would say these would easily be enough food for one person as they were stuffed with plenty of meat.  For the chicken, it consisted of spiced and tender white meat with fries, pickles, coleslaw and garlic sauce.  Nice combination of tanginess, creaminess and earthy-spiced chicken.  For the beef, it had tender beef, parsley, tarator sauce and tomato.  This was bright due to the parsley and also the sauce as it was tangy and nutty.

Something a bit off the board, they also have 2 burgers available.  The first one was the Chicken Burger featuring evenly seared pieces of chicken breast.  The meat was not dry at all and had caramelized flavours.  Love the crispy fried cheese added to the mix.  As for the Beef, it was a pretty robust patty that had natural meatiness.  Combined with the crispy fries, grilled onions and pickles, there was plenty different textures and flavours to go around.

Essentially a deconstructed wrap, the Chicken Tawouk Platter featured grilled chicken, salad, pickles, hummus, fries and a grilled Lebanese bread.  I quite enjoyed eating it this way as the fries stayed crispier and dipping the crispy bread into the creamy hummus was satisfying.  The tender pieces of spiced chicken went really well with the flavourful yogurt dip while the salad featured some of the sweetest grape tomatoes I've ever had.

For dessert, they got Soft-Serve Ice Cream in the form of Rose Water with pistachio and Chocolate.  Really enjoyed the rose water as it wasn't as sweet as one would expect.  It was quite floral and of course nutty from the pistachios.  Chocolate was pretty standard, yet at the same time, wasn't too sweet either.  The soft-serve was decently creamy too.  We also had a Pistachio Cheesecake and it was rich and cheesy while also just sweet enough.  We downed some salty Yogurt Drink while eating our desserts and it was a good match.  Overall, there was some good eats at TWK and well-priced too for the quantity.  Would come back.

 

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

 

The Good:

- Generous portions

- Well-priced

- Menu is focused, but still has a little for everyone

 

The Bad:

- It is mainly a takeout spot, so don't expect a lot of seats

 

Toshi Sushi

If you can believe it, I've not been back to Toshi Sushi in 17 years!  This is despite the fact I walk past it on a regular basis since my hairdresser is nearby.  Finally, after getting my haircut, I decided that we pay them a visit.  Actually, it was my son's idea since he was in the mood for sushi...  So for those who do not know, Toshi was popularized in Vancouver by Mia Stainsby.  Even before that, the little sushi bar had lineups upon opening every night.  It became even more so after she mentioned she loved the place.  In 2026, the lineups still exist but maybe not as extreme since there are many more options to choose from.

We were able to snag a table for 2 at around 5:00pm and soon after, it was full and there was the usual lineup.  So what makes Toshi "special"?  First of all, the place is Japanese-run and authentic.  Now, that may not mean anything, but they do a good job in being a true sushi bar with the freshest of ingredients.   We began with the Assorted Sashimi consisting of hamachi, sockeye salmon, albacore tuna, butterfish and hotate.  Presented in manageable slices (not giant ones), these had a nice sheen and smelled fresh.  Texturally, the hamachi was buttery while the albacore was soft but not mushy.  Salmon had a firmness to it and was super sweet.  Butterfish was slightly seared and firm, but had a tenderness to it.  Scallops were buttery and delicate.  Really great plate of sashimi.

Next, we had the Kaisen Roll stuffed with ahi tuna, tuna, Atlantic salmon, sockeye salmon, oshinko and cucumber.  Fully-loaded but not gigantic, the pieces were also manageable by either being a one-biter or two-biter.  The layer of sushi rice was balanced in quantity while the texture was on point with a firmness that wasn't too hard or dry.  Much like the sashimi, the fish quality was high with natural flavours that only required just a touch of wasabi and soy.  Crunch was added by the cucumber and the lightly pickled oshinko.

We went for a selection of Nigiri off their regular menu and featured menu.  The Tamago was only okay for me as I would've liked to see more discernible layering.  Flavours were great though with a natural sweet egginess.  Loved the Unagi Shirayaki as the grilled eel had a firm butteriness.  It was topped with a shiso miso which was both rich in fermented saltiness and herbacousness.  Buttery and sweet, the King Salmon was a real treat.  Unlike the Atlantic and sockeye, this was more delicate and flavourful.  Lastly, we had the Bluefin Otoro and of course it melted in our mouths.  A bit of a chew on one side of the cut, but great nonetheless.  Had a bright taste of the sea.

We debated over ordering the assorted tempura or just the Sweet Potato Tempura.  The latter won out since we both love sweet potato!  This was good with fairly thin slices of sweet potato that were not cumbersome to eat.  However, at the same time, there a robust texture that was tender and soft.  The tempura batter was medium-thick being crispy and not greasy.

Last item was the Chicken Karaage which featured large pieces of leg meat.  With the skin on, it added extra fat, and hence added flavour.  The skin was fully rendered and crispy.  Chicken meat itself was juicy and slightly gelatinous.  Super tender and fully-seasoned.  Overall, I felt this visit to Toshi was solid and satisfying.  Despite the increase in competition, I believe it is still a great place to get authentic sushi at a reasonable price.

The Good:

- Authentic and well-made food

- Excellent service

- Does one thing and does it well

The Bad:

- Super cramped inside and you will probably have to wait for a table

Tozen Sushi Bar

We all are aware that there are a tonne of Japanese restaurants in the Lower Mainland.  Most of them are not Japanese-run and many are your typical average neighbourhood spots.  Then you have the upper end of the spectrum where you find predominantly Omakase-focused Japanese restaurants.  Let's not forget about the bigger, great value places such as Sushi Garden, Tentatsu and Nanaimo Sushi.  Those serve a purpose and whether you think they are good or not would be subjective.  In the past 5 years, we've seen another class of Japanese restaurant emerge to fill that gap between really high-end and middle-of-the-road spots.  Sushi Hil is an example where the quality is definitely above-average, but it doesn't reach the level of establishments such as Okeya Kyujiro.  Prices reflect that too.  Another one is Tozen Sushi out on Broadway near Oak Street.  I've been there before, but decided to do a revisit recently.

We got a variety of deluxe and regular items beginning with the Bafun Uni.  Yes, this was the good stuff that comes from Hokkaido.  We much prefer this over local uni due to its more intense sweetness and to me at least, less fishiness (or none at all if it is fresh).  The one served to us was exactly that being creamy and custardy with an intense sweetness.  No need to add anything as this was delicious all by itself.  However, it did include nori strips as a serving vessel.

Onto a more typical item, we had the Assorted Tempura for $17.00.  Considering smaller, less fancy spots charge roughly the same or just a bit under that price, this was a great example of the generally reasonable prices at Tozen.  It was also a good portion size consisting of 2 pieces each of yam, kabocha, green bean, lotus root and prawn.  I found each item to be at its optimal texture while the tempura batter to be fairly thin, crispy and light.  It wasn't too greasy either.  I would've liked to see a bigger dish for the dip as it was far too small.

Going for something also regularly found at most sushi bars, we had the 4 pieces of Tuna Toro.  Although the presentation was a little lacking, the toro itself was excellent.  Each piece was super buttery and soft.  Practically melting in our mouths, the toro had a clean smell and taste (as fresh as flash frozen and then defrosted can get).  We found the brightness of the sea to be present and also a wonderful natural sweetness.

Unlike my previous visit, the Corn Karaage was terrible.  They were in very large pieces, which hindered the deep-frying from making them uniformly crispy.  Rather, the whole thing was soft and doughy with barely any any crunch from the outside.  I did enjoy the pops of sweetness from each corn niblet, but that didn't help things much as the mushiness of each piece was off-putting. 

We moved onto 2 orders of the Bluefin Nigiri Set featuring 1 piece each of negi bluefin, akami, chutoro and otoro.  If I had to compare this to something similar, I've had this at Sushi Hil (where they no longer offer this combo) and the one at Sushi Hil is superior.  With that being said, this particular offering at Tozen was still very good and we were satisfied.  All the different cuts of bluefin were fresh and clean with a nice sheen.  Naturally, the otoro melted in our mouths while the chutoro wasn't far behind.  Nice sweetness on them too.  Akami was meaty of course, but still plenty tender.

Okay, I hate to be so negative, but really, there was no other way to describe the Scallop Motoyaki and the Oyster Motoyaki...  They were awful.  I've never had a motoyaki like this before where the overcooked scallops and oyster were mixed with onions and mushrooms while topped with an inordinate amount of melted cheese.  There was no mayonnaise sauce to be found.   If this was called a gratin, that would've been more accurate.  Not sure why this was prepared in this fashion.  We even let our serve know this.  I've had superior versions at AYCE places, no joke.

Thankfully, our 2 versions of Chawanmushi turned out to be excellent.  We chose the Dungeness Crab & Ikura as well as the Mushroom.  Served hot, the egg was silky, smooth and not watery.  It was tasty too with an impactful sweet smokiness from the dashi and soy.  With the mushroom, it added earthiness and plenty of umami.  As for the crab and ikura, there was brininess, sweetness and a touch of sea.  We really enjoyed this.

Getting back to the deluxe items, we went for the 2 piece Seared Miyazaki A5 Wagyu Nigiri.  Love how they presented it in a box with smoke.  Once the lid was lifted, our senses get the smokiness from sight and smell.  Popping the nigiri into our mouths, the smokiness hit our palate first and then the richness of the beef came next.  With nicely textured sushi, rice, it helped cut the heaviness of the A5.

We ended off our meal with a sneakily delicious Beef Yakiudon.  For $18.00, we felt it was a fair price for the portion size and overall execution of the dish.  Noodles were textured how we would want it to be, tender but with a rebounding chew.  This was also seasoned properly with a certain meatiness with sweetness from the mushrooms and the onions.  They weren't skimping on the ingredients either.  Overall, we enjoyed our visit to Tozen, but the corn karaage and motoyaki were real downers.  It was confusing to us since all of the other dishes were done right and genuinely delicious.  How could they mess up so badly on these as opposed to everything else?

The Good:
- Well-priced for a bit more premium Japanese experience than the usual
- Modern and upscale decor
- On point service

The Bad:
- Corn Karaage and Motoyaki were legitimately terrible
- We informed our server, but no one from management spoke to us

Elem

Saying that restaurants are facing an uphill battle these days is a huge understatement.  With the state of the economy and rampant inflation, it is tough go for most businesses.  So when I heard that there was a break-in at Elem, I just had to go back and support them.  I went twice within a month and this particular post is a combination of both dinners.  On a happier note, Elem has recently won Vanmag's "Best New Restaurant".  Truly deserving and congrats to Chef Vish and the Elem team!

For the longest time, the featured bread on the menu was the rye parker rolls.  Well, they now have Milk Brioche Buns now and for this dinner, it was served with whipped butter topped by serrano & lime butter and lime salt.  Loved the fluffiness and butteriness of the buns.  The butter was super light and airy while having a brightness from the serrano.  It really wasn't spicy either.

If you don't already know, Elem is also known for their cocktail program and we went for the Anar and Mango Rasmalai.  For the anar, it was a light mix of gin, pomegranate and cardamomo.  Definitely floral and mildly sweet.  Along the same lines, the mango rasmalai was also comprised of gin mixed with mango and cardamomo.  With the addition of clarified saffron milk and saffron white chocolate paint, we had even more floral notes.

Believe it or not, this is only the 2nd time I've had the Yellowfin Tuna Bhel!  It wasn't because I didn't like it, but rather, no one I ate with ever wanted to order it.  Well, this time I did and yep, I know now what I was missing.  Beyond the buttery pieces of tuna, we found the classic flavours of a Bhel being herbaceous, tangy and bright.  Love the added crunch as it needed it.

One of their newer dishes was the Elk Tartare.  Not gamy (to me at least), the lean elk was surprisingly buttery and tender.  It was well-seasoned and beautifully topped with edible flowers.  What put this dish over the top was it rested on bone marrow.  The generous amount of buttery and sinful bone marrow only added to the luxuriousness of the dish.  Completing things was the crunchy housemade chips.

Normally, I'm not one to order a salad for any meal, but since I've had the Glorious Organics Salad before, we got it.  Despite its basic plating, you wouldn't have guessed that it consisted of a bevy of greens, 

elderflower-tahini dressing, walnuts and ricotta salata.  Just something refreshing and light as an interlude between heavier dishes.  The mix of greens afforded bitterness, pepperiness and sweetness to go with the floral and nutty dressing.

Hitting some featured cocktails, we had the Milo/Corn and the Elderflower Highball.  With a small piece of fresh corn on the cob, there was no mistaking what the milo/corn was about.  This was a combination of cognac, Nestle Milo and milk-washed corn.  Slightly strong due to the cognac, but also malty due to the milo and sweet from the corn.  I though this was a creative drink for sure.  As for the elderflower, it was floral as expected, but also not weak due to the fermented rice vodka.  With some peppercorn, there was a slight bite at the end.

For my past 2 visits, I was able to enjoy one of their classic dishes in the Dungeness Crab Toast.  Loved that they brought this back on to the menu with a slight twist.  For the aerated sauce underneath, it was Tom Yum and that added classic lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf aromatics to already briny and "crabby" flavours.  The generous amount of fluffy crab sat atop a soft slice of milk bread.  Best to order more of the brioche to soak up all that delicious sauce!

Another dish I do not get to order often at Elem is the Grilled Lamb Skewers.  Yes, once again, nobody that eats with me loves lamb.  Well, I decided to order it anyways and eat them by myself!  These pieces of lamb were super fatty, which in turn, made the meat buttery and soft.  However, due to the charring, there were some crispy and smoky bits on the outside.  Due to the fat, there was no mistaking it was lamb as it was gamy (which I love).  Providing a carmelized sweetness, the medjool date glaze was also syrupy and thick.  This all sat on ginger labneh which was creamy, tangy and bright.

Of course a salad wasn't enough in terms of veggies, so we had the Purple Broccolini.  The next time we were here (just 2 weeks later), they had replaced the broccolini with the New Potatoes.  Although simple in its preparation, the broccolini had a punch of brininess from the bagna cauda and white anchovy.  Some pecorino provided more saltiness and nuttiness.  As for the potatoes, they were still a bit firm yet still tender.  At the centre, there was a toma cheese fonduta that was creamy with just a bit of tang.

With a cute crab cracker on top, the Mezcal Sour was the best cocktail of the bunch.  It was smoky from the crab shell mezcal and also slightly tangy from the strawberry vinegar.  Add in the chili oil and there was a kick.  Definitely riding the line between savoury and sweet.  Topped with a spoon of sweet and nutty taro sorbet, the aptly named Taro also consisted of rum and coconut.  By itself, the cocktail was a bit aromatic with definite hits of rum.  I decided to mix the taro sorbet in and that balanced things off with some sweetness and the aforementioned taro notes.

 

Another variation of an OG dish we had was the Duck Fried Rice.  Featuring tender and flavourful pieces of confit duck, the rice ate quite meaty and rich.  Each grain of rice was discernible and nutty.  Adding in the side of chili crunch was imperative to add texture, aromatics and even more nuttiness.  It wasn't spicy per se, but added a background smokiness instead.  Herbs on top were more than garnish as it provided brightness and relief from the heaviness.

 

Gloriously green, the Spring Risotto was beautifully executed.  Spreading nicely on the plate while being creamy and rich, the rice was still chewy with a bite.  Yes, the whole thing did taste green with the brightness and sweetness of the peas as well as the earthiness of the nettles.  A soft poached egg on top added some silkiness from the yolk.

 

For both meals, I ended up ordering the BC Halibut.  Good call as each time, it was prepared well.  The fish featured a crispy hard sear which was seasoned properly.  The fish itself was flaky and moist.  It sat on top of a coconut curry that was creamy, earthy and of course aromatic.  There was also some crunchy bak choy and soft chunks of potato.

 

Prepared medium-rare, we had a beautiful Wagyu Bavette steak.  This was rather meaty, yet still wasn't difficult to chew.  The fat content ensured that the meat was flavourful on its own.  However, the smokiness from the salsa borracha was definitely evident and helped add depth-of-flavour and umami.  Some crunchy and vibrant gai lan was served on the side.

The last 2 cocktails I'll talk about are the Mai Tai and the Lemongrass Gimlet.  Topped with a spoon of passionfruit ice, the mai tai consisted of 3 types of rum and pistachio orgeat.  Hence, we had some floral sweetness as well as hits of rum.  The passionfuit helped make this fruity and light.  That lemongrass gimlet was so refreshing and dangerous.  The combination of Lebanese gin, pandan and yuzu was pretty sweet and fruity.  I could easily down 10 of these, no joke!  But then I would be out like a light too...

 

The first of these two recent visits, we had the Chocolate Tart to end our meal.  This was a substantial slice of rich chocolate cremeux that was only semi-sweet with an appealing bitter finish.  Texturally, this was smooth and silky where it melted on contact when put into our mouths.  Nice contrasting texture from the butter hazelnut crunch on the top.  we found a scoop of salted milk ice cream on the side.

One of their newest desserts is the PB & J with a disk of evaporated and condensed milk atop banana coffee.  We found crunchy peanuts and mixed berry jelly on the side.  This tasted like we thought it would and that in itself was a success.  That disk was so creamy and despite having condensed milk, it was purposefully sweet.  Definitely lots of peanut aroma and texture while the jelly was sweet with a slight tang.

 

Beautifully plated, the Lemon and Rhubarb consisted of house-made lemon ice cream with elderflower, poached rhubarb, bee pollen, butterscotch, hazelnut crumble and a ginger almond disk with shiso glaze.   I would say this would be one of the best composed desserts I've had at Elem.  A good combination of floral, tangy, sweetness and slight herbaceousness to go with the contrast in textures.  So there you have it, 2 of my recent visits to Elem.  I think by revisiting some of their greatest hits, with a twist, is a good move for the menu.  Also, they seemed to have leveled up with their desserts.  They are more composed and dare I say, more "normal".  I'm happy for them winning best new restaurant by Vancouver Magazine.  I'm looking forward to what is coming next!

The Good:

- They brought back some classics (but with a twist)

- More composed desserts

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Maybe due to the limitations from the break-in, they didn't have any daily features