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

Sumu

One look on the outside, Sumu on Burrard appears to be some high-end, boogie restaurant.  Well, it certainly isn't low end, but in reality, it is only a moderately-priced place that dishes up a mix of cuisines.  Upon entering, you will be greeted with a more elevated "Big Way" setup where you can pick-your-own-ingredients and broth.  Then perusing the menu, the most prominent section is their large assortment of Yakitori and other grilled skewers.  Completing the menu, we have Mini-Donburis and also Japanese "Izakaya-like" dishes to share.  A little bit strange for sure, yet, I always have an open mind.

Starting with the Yakitori (different grilled chicken parts), we had several skewers including the Lemongrass Pork Shoulder (grilled skewer, not Yakitori), Red Date Glazed Chicken, Chicken Heart and House Tsukune.  The pork shoulder was tender and almost juicy with strong hits of lemongrass.   Really enjoyed the red date chicken as it really did capture the sweetness of the date.  Chicken was succulent.  Chicken hearts were a little overdone, but still had an appealing chewiness.  Could've used a bit more salt.  We found the chicken meatballs to be a bit crumbly, but chock full of white and green onion notes.

Next set of skewers consisted of Premium Grade Certified Angus Beef, Enoki wrapped in Beef Rolls and Honey Glazed Pork Jowl.  This was a really great selection of grilled meats where the Angus Beef was served in large pieces and turned out to be supremely tender.  They were well-seasoned with lots of natural beef flavour.  The enoki beef wraps were also good with juicy meat encasing just enough enoki.  Pork jowl had that unmistakeable bounciness that was also a bit smoky.

Our last set featured Garlic Butter Prawns, Miso-Glazed Sablefish and Citrus-Charred Chicken Wings.  Butterflied and topped with flavourful garlic butter, the prawns were sweet and meaty.  As expected, the sablefish was fatty and flaky being buttery soft.  The skin was crispy while the miso on top added some fermented saltiness.  With crispy and fairly rendered skin, the wings were slightly dry, but had some nice smokiness to go with the brightness of citrus.

We ended up trying 3 of the Mini-Dons including the Grilled Unagi & Mango, Grilled Scallop and Salmon Oyako.  Yes, these were not very big, however, there was much more topping than rice.  Hence, every spoonful had a considerable amount of impact from the components.  I particularly enjoyed the diced unagi as it was sauced just enough and buttery soft.  The mango offered up some sweet tang to brighten things up.  The grilled bay scallops could've been a bit more rare, but they were still soft and sweet.  I found the salmon to be texturally on point, but maybe a bit more seasoning would've helped.

Onto the pick-your-own-ingredients Hot Pot, we had roughly a pound each which cost around $25.00 ($4.19/100g).  For mine, I went for the Red Curry which was fragrant and a bit creamy.  It wasn't overly spicy, which would appeal to most people.  Jackie had the Tom Yum Broth and it was appealingly sour with lemongrass and galangal notes with just a touch of spice.  Of course there was a help-yourself sauce bar that included the usual components as well as some fruit and veggies.  Overall, our experience at Sumu was rather interesting as they combined 3 different restaurant concepts into one.  Usually, this is a recipe for disaster but in some strange sense, it worked.  It gives people options and the pricing is reasonable.  Worth a try.

*Partial food credit was given for this blog post*

The Good:
- Three restaurants in one and it isn't bad
- Nice dining space
- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:
- Menu can be a bit confusing for some

Torimatsu

Nearing the end of our quick trip to LA, we were not super excited to travel too far for food.  So we ended up heading somewhere close by while also being tasty.  This brought us to Torimatsu in Gardena.  They are known for their yakitori grilling for all to see in their open kitchen.  I originally missed the place as I drove by since their sign was not lit up at night.  Once inside, we were greeted warmly and sat in one of their smaller tables (which wasn't that convenient for all the food we ordered).

At our table, we found 3 choices for seasoning our yakitori including salt, togarashi and seven-spice powder.  For our first round of skewers, we had the Chicken Meatballs, Duck, Chicken with Green Onion and Stuffed Lotus Root.  We particularly enjoyed the meatballs as they were juicy and well-seasoned.  The lotus root had a nice crunch while cheesy.  The duck had its usual delicious gaminess while still being moist.  As for the chicken and onion, the chicken was also juicy and nicely charred.  The onion brightness did influence the pieces of chicken adjacent to it.

The next set of skewers included Asparagus, Shiitake Mushroom, Chicken Giblets, Chicken Livers, Chicken Hearts and Fried Tofu.  As you can see, the asparagus wasn't grilled too aggresively, so it still retained a bite.  The mushrooms were at their earthy best while cooked through.  The chicken offal were all good with the giblets have that classic firm meaty crunch and the livers being soft and not overdone.  The hearts were meaty with the usual squishiness.  Loved the fried tofu with its crispy exterior and chewy interior.

We also ordered a few smaller dishes to compliment our skewers in the Deep Fried Chicken Cartilage and Deep Fried Squid.  If I had to choose a favorite, the squid would've been my choice.  It was lightly battered being crispy on the outside.  The squid itself had an appealing chew to it.  As for the cartilage, it was soft enough to easily eat, but still had a light bite.  The white meat chicken attached to it was a bit dry, but not too much so.  A squeeze of the wedge of lemon really brightened things up.

Served on a separate plate, the Grilled Japanese Eggplant was a bit smoky and cooked all-the-way-through.  It retained some texture still while being tender.  To add some carbs to our meal, we got the Zaru Soba.  This was textbook with chewy cold noodles with a side of tsuyu sauce.  Nice balance of sweetness and umaminess.  Overall, the meal at Torimatsu wasn't fancy or anything, but it was satisfying and did the job.  Prices were reasonable and the people there are super nice.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Reasonable pricing
- Super nice people

The Bad:
- Tight seating arrangements (typical for these types of restaurants though)

Yardbird

You'd think that having access to the largest variety and choice of Chinese food in the world would make us happy campers right?  Well, yes and no.  After back-to-back-to-back etc... days of Chinese food, we were about ready for a break.  Now we weren't talking about burger and fries here.  Rather, we made our way out to Yardbird north of Sheung Wan MTR station.  Now when I mean north, I mean up the hill and many stairs.  By the time we arrived at opening, we were a sweaty mess.  But it was worth it though as Yardbird is one of the hottest spots in Hong Kong, serving up some mean Yakitori.

Since we were without the kiddies (thanks to my Uncle), we could enjoy ourselves properly at Yardbird (not really a place to bring kids).  After ordering some sake, we started with the Liver Mousse with milk bread and crispy shallots.  The thick and dense mousse was smooth and natural-tasting.  Many times, pates and mousses are seasoned to the point where we can't taste the liver, not in this case.  The brightness of the onions and the crispy aromatic shallots were a nice compliment.  Next up was one of their signature dishes being the Sweet Corn Tempura looking tasting and majestic.  These balls of batter and corn were delicious and texturally-pleasing.  Only lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, the sweet pop of corn nestled in a crispy and light batter did the heavy lifting.

Next up, we moved onto the Yakitori with a selection including the Duck Meatballs.  These were beautifully lacquered and caramelized where the outside was smoky, sweet and slightly crusty.  Inside, the meat was juicy, tender and mildly seasoned.  The little nuggets of white onion were still a bit crunchy where it added both texture and another level of sweetness.  We also got a variety of Chicken Skewers including Inner Thigh, Neck and Rib.  Our favourite was the inner thigh as it was super juicy, nicely brined and tender.  It was lightly charred on the outside where the flavours were impactful while the natural sweetness of the dark meat came through.  The neck and rib were a bit fattier and had more of a rebound texture.

Staying with chicken (as the place is called Yardbird), we had the Chicken Meatball formed onto the skewer.  This was served with a side of tare and raw egg yolk that was mixed into a dipping sauce.  The chicken skewer was nicely grilled on the outside while the inside was soft, moist and spongy (in a good way).  The sweetness was nicely accented by the salty and smooth yolk dip. Moving away from chicken with our last yakitori was the Pork Belly with daikon ponzu and Welsh onion.  This was also caramelized with a smoky and sweet crispy exterior.  The belly was fatty and also meaty at the same time where it was tender.  The brightness of the onions balanced the heaviness of the belly.

Onto another signature dish, we had the Korean Fried Cauliflower coated with a spicy and sweet gochujang sauce.  It barely clung onto each piece which meant that the whole dish wasn't too saucy nor wet.  Hence, the coating remained somewhat crispy and didn't become gummy.  Inside, the cauliflower was tender and fully-cooked.  I would've liked it firmer though.  Whatever the case, I loved the impactful flavours including the tartness of yuzu.  Even better was the Fried Chicken with garlic and kewpie.  Looking very much like chicken karaage, these large nuggets of dark meat sported completely rendered and crunchy skin.  The meat itself was juicy, well-brined and tender.  The side of sweet Japanese mayo was the natural compliment.

Totally covered with Japanese herbs and drizzled with a mustard vinaigrette, the Ox-Tongue was well-seared and buttery.  It was tender, but still retained a rebound and chew.  Due to the fat content, ox-tongue can be rather heavy.  However, the brightness of the greens and the acidity from the vinaigrette helped balance the dish nicely.  Our last dish was the Duck Fried Rice with shiso, myoga and onion.  This was probably our least favourite items as it had very little pop.  It was well-prepared though with chewy rice, plenty of duck and an interesting herbal finish.  For me, it just paled in comparison to the rest of the dishes.   However, the rest of the items were on point and delicious.  This was a good break from Chinese food.

The Good:
- The yakitori does not disappoint
- Lively atmosphere
- Something different that Chinese food (for us)

The Bad:
- Can get pricey
- Small place, tight seating and you'll have to wait