Avenue Grill

Back in my high school days, I used to live in Oakridge and would frequent Kerrisdale quite often. Thus, there are several memories etched into my subconscious. Flashbacks occur whenever I'm back in the neighbourhood. There are memories of the former Radio Shack on 41st where I would faithfully get my one free battery per month as part of the "Battery Club". Of course the batteries were pure crap and I could not even make it through one Rick Astley... er... Public Enemy song on my Walkman. Across the street, I can remember visiting McD's and getting a McRib complete with the promotional "Hot Pocket" which warmed our hands during the Winter months. Also, I fondly recall going every weekend to Miramar (now Golden Ocean) for Dim Sum. We would park in the London Drugs parking lot (before they put in the pay parking) at the back. There was also Skyline Sports (now Vivo! Gelato) on W. Blvd. where I would peruse the expensive sports equipment. Oh, not to mention the small grocery store across from Pt. Grey Secondary where I found out that Hostess Hickory Stix were misprinted with "Win a free bag" on every one in the same batch. Yes, 99 cents bought me a heck of a lot of Hickory Stix that day! Ah yes, the memories...

One place that I never visited; but must've passed by hundreds of times is the Avenue Grill. The place is easy to remember with its cool signage. After all these years, I finally got my chance to try it. With another win in softball all-but-guaranteed by the last inning. I took myself out of the game to go fetch my "list". Yah, I printed out a list of restaurants that are near the fields we play our softball games. There have been too many times where everyone looks at me after a game and asks, "where to eat Sherman?". Of course I give a blank look and everyone thinks I that I should know every restaurant that exists. So, I bring the list back and have a mini-conference with Bear as to our potential eating destinations. Finally, Bear decided to make the call since everyone was on the fence. Alas Avenue Grill, I finally get to see what you are all about. For some reason or another, I always had in my mind that the place was a diner. Maybe it was before, I'm not sure. But when we arrived, the place did not fit any preconceived image that we envisioned. The interior graced us with a warm, cozy dining space with art on the walls and a certain level of class. We were all dressed for softball and once again, didn't fit into the surroundings (much like the time at Q4). After we were seated, several tables of older folk left, seemingly annoyed at our existence. I don't blame them, the atmosphere took a turn for the worse due to us!

Boss Woman was a bit dismayed that it didn't turn out to be a diner (it's closer to a bistro than anything else). She settled on the Fettuccine Jambalaya and it was an ample portion. Plenty of chicken, prawns and chorizo hid within the generous amount of pasta. The pasta was on the softer side while the sauce was quite balanced with a bit of spice. She did remark that there was much more in the way of ingredients than pasta. Not necessarily a bad thing; yet she felt there was a lack of balance between the pasta and ingredients. Looking over the featured items on the blackboard, Bear and I were drawn to the Duck Confit with salad and fries. When it arrived, I wasn't even sure if there was duck since the leg was completely covered with caramelized onions. Bear didn't even bother eating any of it and scraped it off. I tried it with the duck and honestly, it didn't add anything. For the duck itself, we both found the meat dry and bland while the skin was soggy (probably from the onions on top). The fries were generic and salty.

Milhouse went for another featured item in the Italian Sausage Cannelloni. He found this quite alright with plenty of a good amount of cheese atop a creamy tomato sauce. With the same sauce, the Lasagne looked pretty much the same as the cannelloni except for the meat. Silent Bob also enjoyed his pasta. Of all the great things on the menu, Miss Y went for the Mushroom Burger. Nothing particularly wrong about ordering a burger; but with the Red Onion just up the street, this was not the place to get one. As it turns out, she really wasn't all that fond of it. She found the patty dry while being greasy at the same time. The sauteed mushrooms probably added to the greasiness. She wasn't all that impressed with it and didn't enjoy eating it. Again, she didn't like the fries either since there was way too much salt.

Judes ended up with the Linguine with prawns, tomatoes, butter and herbs. She didn't like the softness of the pasta and thought that the strong garlic presence overpowering. Thus, she did get a bit of tomato flavour with the garlic; but little else. Hot Chocolate went for something lighter with the Curry Chicken Soup and a side of Foccacia. She liked the soup describing as smooth and balanced while not being too spicy. In general, the food at Avenue Grill is hit and miss. Personally, for the prices, there are much better choices around. With that being said, I can see a visit for breakfast or lunch would possibly be a better experience due to the lower prices.

The Good:
- Quaint little restaurant
- Good service
- Fairly diverse menu (taking into account the fresh sheet too)

The Bad:
- The food in general is not that impressive
- Tight squeeze in terms of seating

Foodie Tour on Granville

For me, I like variety. This is especially true when talking about eats. That probably explains my love for Tapas, Izakaya and Dim Sum. Think of it, smaller portions meant for sharing. This affords us the opportunity to try more items. Now, imagine at least 16 different little bites in a 2-hour period. Better yet, how about all of this in 7 different restaurants? Add at least 7 alcoholic beverages as well! Crazy? Maybe a little. Fun? Oh gawd yes! Ultimately, this is the what a food tour is all about. Get a bunch of people together and migrate from one restaurant to the next sampling their wares. Now if one was to do that by themselves, it would not only cost much more, it probably cannot be done in 2 hours! Michelle Ng, who runs Vancouver Foodie Tours, has taken up the task of coming up with an itinerary of restaurants that are not only good; but are within walking distance of each other. Tonight, I was graciously invited with others to try out the Foodie Tour. The location of this particular tour took us to the rejuvenated Granville Street in Downtown Vancouver. Co-presented by Downtown Vancouver, this was an opportunity to not only sample food from restaurants along Granville, it was a chance to experience this burgeoning entertainment district. Exciting things are happening on Granville, from complete road closures to street entertainment to a number of interactive activities.

The starting point of this particular tour was in front of the Twisted Fork. Within the large crowd, I got to reconnect with some familiar faces such as Mijune, Gigi, Deagan and Crystal. Since our tour started at 4:30pm, there were no customers at the Twisted Fork and we basically had the place to ourselves. I believe that the operating times of the tours are a benefit to the restaurants. During these hours, there are usually not a whole lot of customers around and this is a great way to bring in business to fill the void. Furthermore, it helps showcase the restaurant and attract return customers who want to move further than the little bites during the tour. It's a win-win situation for both the food tour and the restaurant.

We were served 2 little bites at the Twisted Fork starting with the Cured Duck Breast on Brioche Crouton. I believe it was topped with some form of berry compote (lingonberry?). I found the amuse to be decent; yet unspectacular. A pretty standard approach where the duck breast was tender and the sweetness was a good accent. The second bite consisted of Roasted Beet, Grilled Pear, Goat Cheese and Arugula atop a baguette crouton with balsamic reduction. Yet another decent offering, if not a bit ordinary. The flavours at work here were mostly sweet and tart with a slight bitterness from the arugula. Lastly, there was a spoon of Frozen Chocolate Terrine with raspberry sorbet and mint. This was quite rich and not too sweet.

Next up was a visit to the Refinery. We were served a Southwest Kicka** Benny and this was hands-down my favourite item from the tour. Consisting of a fried panko-coated poached egg atop cornbread with Hollandaise, hot sauce and a Jalapeno pepper slice, this was both creative and tasty. Despite being crispy on the outside, the poached egg was perfectly runny on the inside. The extra kick provided by the sauce and Jalapeno really made the normally bland Eggs Benny come alive. Once finished, we made our way across the street to The Edge where we found 4 items waiting for us. First up was the Flatbread with Beef Tenderloin & Blue Cheese. I liked this one, mostly because there was nice piece of fig that amped the flavour of this bite. I wasn't as impressed with the Flatbread with Smoked Salmon & Goat Cheese. Nothing inherently wrong with it; but it was boring with predictable flavours. The Grilled Vegetable Gazpacho was okay. It's a personal thing with gazpacho, I'm not a big fan of it. I didn't get a chance to try the truffles since we were rushed out to the next destination, which was the Granville Room.

I like the style of the place and the drink, Mr. Pink (Belvedere vodka, muddled watermelon, mint syrup & lime juice) was fantastic. Not something I'd normally order though. As for our amuse, Sesame Encrusted Tuna Tataki on a multigrain crisp topped with a tomato & cucumber salsa, it was disappointing. Actually, the fish was perfect; but the crisp was soggy. Chalk that up to sitting around too long until we got there? From there we made our way to Shuraku. I was happy to see items such as the Ebi Chili Harumaki. Essentially an ebi mayo within a spring roll drenched in chili mayo, this was good. Of course a lot crunchier than a regular ebi mayo. I particularly liked the Zuke Aburi, which consisted of a torched piece of tuna with scallions and wasabi on top. Not sure of the actual name of the item since it doesn't really make sense to me; but no matter, it was a nice light bite. The last item, Angus Beef Wrap with mashed potato and corn was alright; but the mashed potato was a bit odd for me.

My last stop (there was one more, but I had to leave) was Culinaria (part of the AI Culinary School). We were served a Crab Ravioli with smoked salmon sauce along side of Duck Confit with Szechuan pepper jus. I found that the ravioli was quite bland. Other than the salmon, I couldn't pick out any other flavours. As for the duck, I thought it was decent being tender. The skin was a bit chewy though. Also, the sauce was more like a demi-glace than Szechuan. Finishing up was a Chocolate Decadence cake. I found it rich, chocolaty and not too sweet; yet curiously dry. I never made it to the last stop (Creme de la Crumb) because my meter was running out. This was definitely a fun experience, if not a bit rushed. However, considering that the regular Granville tour is only $10.00 (it is now $60.00 since the first year was sponsored by Downtown Vancouver), I'd take being rushed any day.

*Note: This was an invited dinner where all food was comped*

The Good:
- A great value considering the amount of food and drinks
- Lots of variety
- A quick sample of many restaurants

The Bad:
- It's a bit rushed

www.foodietours.ca
604-339-0078
michelle@foodietours.ca

Dim Sum @ Kirin (Downtown)

Okay, I've finally done it. Every single location of Kirin, I have visited them all. No, it wasn't a lifelong dream of mine. Trust me, there are other good Chinese restaurants. I think the biggest reason it has taken me so long to visit this location is due to habit. Habit? Yah, for the longest time, we've been comfortable going to Victoria Seafood Restaurant for our Downtown Dim Sum. Don't get me wrong, Victoria is indeed good; but it was about time that we changed it up a bit. Now, it begs the question: why is it even necessary to visit all of the Kirins if it is essentially a chain restaurant? Here is the thing, as much as we consider chain restaurants to be consistent across the board, in reality that is never the case. This is even more true for Kirin. Probably the weakest of all the locations would have to be Coquitlam. The strongest? It's debatable; but I find that the Richmond location to be the best in my opinion (yah, it had to be Richmond...).

Now in terms of comfort, they are all very different as well. Naturally, the newer, specifically built locations such as Starlight, Coquitlam and Richmond are generally spacious and great for weddings. But, City Square has got to be the most claustrophobic being horrible for weddings. There are certain tables where all you see is wall. If you got stuck at that table, you would need to wonder where your friendship stands with the bride and groom! The newly renovated Downtown location is no better with cramped seating and pillars here and there. Also, it'd better be a small wedding because the restaurant ain't so big either. Although I must give them high marks for decor, the place looks amazing.

Another reason I was prompted to visit the Downtown Kirin had to be the recent visit by San Fransico's top food blogger Foodnut. He seemed to have a good experience... so... here we go! Much like Victoria Restaurant, there is validated underground parking. In fact, the reason that Kirin was closed for awhile (including the Olympics, epic fail!) was due to the relocation of the parking lot entrance from the front to the back. Now about that back entrance... Can they possibly make it MORE narrow??? I thought I was going to hit something for sure. My thoughts? Not a good idea when you have big luxury SUVs trying to navigate it.

Enough of my rambling, on to the food. We started with the Sui Mai (pork & shrimp dumpling). Immediately, I noticed the the colour was more pale than usual. This was a good thing since that meant more shrimp than pork. Ultimately, that resulted in a much lighter dumpling with great texture (that crunch you get from cold water shrimp). Furthermore, the large amount of shrimp resulted in a sweet and lighter tasting product. Of course we had to get the Haw Gow (shrimp dumplings). However, I would say they were quite disappointing. First, they were very small. I saw more bamboo steamer than dumpling. Second, we found the shrimp to be overseasoned. We could taste salt and little else. At the very least, the shrimp had a nice crunchy texture.

With the kiddies present, it was a no-brainer that we'd get the Shrimp & Taro Spring Rolls. In fact, there are 3 options for spring rolls including vegetarian, meat & veggie and the one we ordered. As much as I'm not convinced that taro and shrimp go together, I kinda liked it. Something about the aroma of cooked taro that appeals to me. It slightly upstaged the shrimp, which was crunchy - that means good. Something out of Melody's playbook, we got the Beef Meatballs (she loves meatballs, among other things such as beef tongue and shrimp heads). Despite what I thought was too much onion and cilantro, the meatball itself had a nice meaty texture without being tough.

For comparison's sake, we got the Shark's Fin Soup Dumpling. I long consider Victoria Restaurant's version to be one of the best, albeit very pricey. The one here at Kirin was alright. The consume was a bit on the bland side while the dumpling itself had little in the way of significant filling. Rather, it was mostly cilantro, green onion and undissolved gelatin. We got the Chee Fan (sticky rice roll), which is a dish usually found at Shanghainese Dim Sum. Consisting of a salty Chinese donut, pickled mustard greens and dried pork floss wrapped in sticky rice, this can be good if prepared correctly. Sadly, this one was not. The donut was fried beyond the point of no return. Despite the rest of the rice roll being good; the extremely crunchy (hard to chew) donut killed the whole thing.

On a more positive note, the Pan-Fired Rice Noodles with soy sauce was a winner. Not being overly oily or salty, the soft noodles exhibited the pan-fried exterior we all look for. The kids seemed to like it too, which in turn made me like it even more! With a fluffy exterior and a substantial amount of filling, the good ol' BBQ Pork Buns were good. I found that the filling had a good balance between savoury and sweet. It's too bad that these are such filler items. I ended up only eating half of one. I love them; but I certainly don't want to be full off of them! Typically, the Eggplant stuffed with fish mousse would be fried, plated and then topped with a black bean sauce just before serving or at tableside. However, in this case, it was fried, placed on a plate, sauced and them steamed. We felt that this was an epic fail since the steaming completely negated what makes this dish good. Generally, the freshly fried eggplant would be soft; but still have a nice crispy texture on the outside. However, this one became a mushy mess and the sauce was diluted due to the steaming.

At this point, we were quite full; but we got 2 more items anyways. It was Viv! I didn't order anymore, honest! So the dish she chose was the Spicy Beef Tendons. The tendons were very soft while still maintaining their shape. The sauce was indeed spicy while not to the point where it would scare anyone. This would've went well with either a bowl of rice or a bowl of soup noodles. By itself, it was heavy and a bit too much flavour. For our last dish, we got the Egg Tarts, which were mainly for the kiddies. At first, we thought that they might've been overcooked due to the considerable browning on the sides. However, the pasty was perfectly flaky and light. The colourful egg filling was lightly sweet and smooth.

It was a fairly decent Dim Sum for a surprisingly reasonable price. Kirin is by far the least expensive of the "big 3" Downtown Dim Sum restaurants. Imperial is the most expensive, while Victoria is not far behind. I feel that Victoria has the best Dim Sum of the 3; however, there is better (and for less) at restaurants out of the Downtown core. Despite the many issues with the food here at Kirin, it is a good option in Downtown considering the relatively reasonable prices compared to its nearby competition.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced given its location, venue and food
- Nicely decorated dining space
- Free parking

The Bad:
- Dim Sum is mediocre
- Very tight seating arrangements

Boonies

*This location is now closed*

"Boonies? What? Are you saying we are going out to the boonies?" Yah, that's the response I got when I suggested we head out to Langley for some Southern eats. No one seemed to know what I was talking about. Even Hot Mama, who lives only minutes away wasn't aware of it. Mind you, she can get lost going from her car to the front door... I explained that Boonies used to be located in the Cloverdale curling rink. Predictably, it drew some more looks of confusion. At this point, I'm sure they thought I was committed or should be committed. Alright, it isn't the most logical location for a place that specializes in ribs, collard greens and black-eyed peas. When the lease ran out, Boonies was a restaurant without a home. Finally, we see the return of Bonnies in the Quality Inn Hotel right next to the Home Depot near 200th. No, that is not a misprint. It's inside the Quality Inn. Of course the response was: "So let's get this straight. You want us to head out to Langely, to the Quality Inn for some down home Southern cuisine?" I gotta hand it to them, everyone was game.

Now if you have a GPS, it is unlikely that you will get an exact location on the place (at least it didn't show up on mine). The Quality Inn is located within the same complex as the Home Depot. So if you can find your way to the Home Depot parking lot, you'll find Boonies. They're still working on the actual signage. For now, a simple sandwich board will point you in the right direction. Being that the place is quite new, everything is spic and span. I guess this is quite the upgrade from the curling rink! I "encouraged" everyone to get something different and I was quite pleased that Ma got the Pulled Pork Sandwich. I got to try some and it was decent. I thought the pork was a tad on the stringy side; however, I did like the sweet honey bourbon BBQ sauce, it went well with the meat. She enjoyed her sandwich; but she liked her fries even more. They were very crispy and aggressively seasoned. I was somewhat dismayed that Pomegranate and L-Pete both had the Half Rack of Ribs. At the very least, they got different sides. Now, if you were expecting fall-off-the-bone tender ribs, go to Montana's. The true Southern method of cooking ribs does not involve a pot of boiling water. Thus, the ribs will be a tad drier and chewier. Pomegranate prefers the Montana's type and hey, I don't blame him. I know it's sacrilegious and probably would make Boonie cry... Yet, I'm not afraid to admit that I like that kind too. L-Pete loved the ribs, so you can chalk this up to a personal preference thing. However, it was a consensus that there was an ample amount of meaty ribs. Although dressed with the same honey bourbon BBQ sauce, I found it to be more on the tomatoey sweet side. It wasn't as smoky as I'd hope. I guess the sheer amount, compared to the pulled pork sandwich, made for a different taste. As for the sides, Pomegranate had the Southern Mac 'n Cheese and Red Beans & Rice. L-Pete had the Collard Greens and Coleslaw. We both thought that if the mac 'n cheese had a bit more salt, the side would sing. Every other side was solid with nothing amiss.

Hot Mama ended up with the Boonie Burger which was a monster of a sandwich. It consisted of 2 patties, cheese, lettuce, tomato and BBQ Louisiana hot links. She remarked that she really liked the sausage. I tried my hardest to refrain from an obscene comment... Alas, knowing me, I said it anyways. Back to the sausage... It really gave the burger a kick of flavour and spice. However, the patties themselves were on the drier side. I ended up with the BBQ Chicken because no one else ordered it. Presented in 2 large pieces with a side of Black-eyed Peas & Rice and cornbread, this was a lot more filling that it looked. I thought the chicken was quite tender considering the cooking method. Once again, the same honey bourbon sauce smothered the meat. For some reason or another, I find the sauce lacking a bit of depth. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad. For me, it's just missing something. I'm sure someone will disagree with me since the sauce is generally a personal preference kind of thing.

Ma was the only one of us with enough room to order dessert. Her choice was the Peach Cobbler with ice cream. We really enjoyed the flaky pasty, very nice. However, since peaches are not in season, canned were used. It didn't really detract from the dessert; but it's worth noting. I think the one thing that can sum up the meal at Boonies is "different". It is in a category by itself since there is not much like it around the GVRD. Sure, there is Montana's and Memphis Blues; but that's like comparing apples, oranges and peaches. None of them are exactly alike. There is Ozark's nearby and that is not really all that similar either. My conclusion? It can only be left up to each individual persons' personal preferences.

The Good:
- Definitely something different
- Fairly decent portions

The Bad:
- Depending on your preferences, the ribs are either too chewy or just right
- Again, depending on your preference, the BBQ sauce could be just right or too mild

Dim Sum @ Victoria Seafood Restaurant

One of my first few posts ever was on Victoria Seafood Restaurant. That was back in 2008 and I had not yet separated posts on Dim Sum from dinner service. Why the separate posts you may ask? Well, I believe that Dim Sum is a completely separate entity from dinner. Not only are practically all the dishes different between the two meals; most of the time, the chefs are different as well. So it's like practically going to 2 mutually exclusive meals at the same restaurant. Therefore, with urging from some people, I will end up with 3 different posts of Victoria. Three? Yes, they also have an AYCE hot pot meal during the winter months, which I blogged about here. Today, I'll focus on Dim Sum.

In a city where the metropolitan population consists of almost half Asian, there is not a whole lot in the way of Dim Sum within the Downtown core. Other than Victoria, the only other restaurants offering a full-service Cantonese Dim Sum lunch are Kirin and Imperial. Naturally, attached to the exclusive location, there comes a cost. Imperial is on average the most expensive of the bunch with Kirin being the least expensive. Victoria falls right in the middle. Although there is a lot of room for debate as to which one is the best, it ultimately rests on the shoulders of each individual. Now if we base it on value alone, we can rule out Imperial because it doesn't offer anything particularly better than the other two. Furthermore, it is the most expensive and there is no validated parking. By virtue of being my parents' favourite Dim Sum joint, I am very familiar with Victoria. Despite this fact, I won't be biased here. There are indeed many more better choices for Dim Sum in the GVRD. The one thing going for them, along with Kirin and Imperial, is their Downtown location.

For today's meal, we got pretty much the most popular dishes starting with the Pan-Fried Buns. I consider this to be one of their signature items since no other place does it right. Most other places, including Shanghainese restaurants, have buns that are very doughy and thick. The ones here more filling than bun. Furthermore, it is fried up nice and crispy on the bottom. Of course we had to get the Shrimp Dumplings. Honestly, for the price, these dumplings are not worth the money. There is nothing inherently wrong with them, the shrimp is crunchy while the seasoning is delicate. But, there are better for less elsewhere. I must give kudos for the Sui Mai though. For such a simple dumpling, there are many times that they don't turn out right. There is a fine line between the pork being too soft or too chewy. Although not aesthetically pleasing to look at (a little tobiko on top would help), they have a good balance between pork and shrimp.

A favourite of mine is the Offal Hot Pot. Yup, all the goodies are in there such as tripe, tendon, lung, brisket and daikon. Other than the tendon being slightly on the softer side, all the other components are cooked correctly and not
overseasoned. Perfect for dipping into hot chili oil or better yet, their house-made XO Sauce (which is a combination of dried scallops, shrimp, garlic, chili and oil). Another signature item has to be the Shark's Fin Soup Dumpling. It is essentially a large dumpling filled with shrimp, pork, cilantro and gelatin in a chicken consume with a few pieces of shark's fin. Sure there are many places that serve a variation of this; but I feel that the one on the whole is executed quite well. From the ample filling to the delicious broth, it tastes expensive. And honestly, it is expensive at $6.25 a bowl.

One of the more expensive items on the menu are the Rice Noodle Rolls. I've had them all and they are indeed good. Packed with plenty of ingredients in a soft rice flour noodle, these are made with care. The Seafood Yee Mein is generally not a standard item at Dim Sum; however, I just wanted to mention that the one here is pretty good. With a bevy of scallops, fish, shrimp and squid, this is both a filling and high quality dish. This pretty much sums up Victoria Restaurant in a nutshell (at least for Dim Sum that is). Food has all the right quality elements and execution is pretty good for Dim Sum. The dining space is comfortable, if not a bit odd. After recent renovations, it has got this Vegas-type thing going on. Not sure if I totally dig it to tell you the truth. Service can be spotty. Generally, it is courteous and efficient. At other times, it can be sparse and indifferent. It really depends on who you get as your server. Overall, if you must have Dim Sum in downtown and are willing to pay for it, Victoria is probably the best of the bunch (among Kirin and Imperial).

The Good:
- Food is made with care
- Ingredients are high quality and fresh
- Fairly comfortable digs

The Bad:
- Expensive
- Service can be excellent; yet also can be indifferent

Yummy Sushi

Here we go. The 3rd kiddie party in the past 2 days. The first was at Stanley Park and then the second ended up in Coquitlam. If you thought that was enough driving around, it gets even better! Try Abbotsford. That's right, we were doing the grand tour of the GVRD this weekend. Other than the time I went with Kim and Anita out to Ah-Beetz, I'm normally not out in Abby. However, we make the trek roughly 2-3 times a year since we have some friends out here. It had never occurred to me to eat out in Abby despite the repeated visits. Originally, with the suggestion of Cassandra Anderton who writes Good Life Vancouver, I had my sights set on Restaurant 62. Alas, it was not meant to be since we had the kiddies with us and apparently they no longer have mac n' cheese on the menu. On to plan B, which was Japanese food. I know, Abby is not synonymous with Asian cuisine.

Anyways, we took our chances and ended up at Yummy Sushi. It wasn't our first choice, but Sagano down the street was not open on a Sunday. Naturally, due to its location, we were the only Asians other than the staff and one other table. So, the "let's judge the place by counting all the Asians" does not apply here. After we had ordered, something strange happened. We got a complimentary appetizer, much like all the other tables in the restaurant. It turned out to be the Volcano Roll which is basically a California Roll that is deep-fried with sweet n' sour hot sauce and teriyaki sauce. We'd really wish they would've told us this since we had also ordered a similar roll. Thus, a double-whammy of fried sushi! Well, the roll wasn't too bad with a nice crispy coating. Due to the sushi rice being cooked by the frying, it was hard to tell if it was actually good or not. From what I can gather, it was a tad on the gummy side. We much preferred the spicy sauce over the bland teriyaki.

Now when we got our order of the Appetizer Sashimi, something looked a bit odd. To me, the slices of fish appeared to be "stiff". Furthermore, the tuna exhibited a slight discoloration at the edges. I mean, everything tasted okay, albeit on the chewier side. When I went to go to the washroom, the mystery was solved. Believe it or not... Each slice of sashimi had been pre-cut and were just sitting in the refrigerated display. That is a serious no-no! Just for that, I will declare their sushi-making blasphemous. I can't even begin to explain why that should never be done. Let's just say that texture, flavour, appearance, freshness and moisture are all compromised. Yes, I wondered about the authenticity of the place after discovering that; but to really drive it home, we got the Bulgogi. Isn't that a Korean dish? Yes it is and that explains a lot about the place. And you know what? The bulgogi was actually quite good. Lots of tender, well-seasoned meat served with rice.

Back to Japanese food, or what they pass off as Japanese food, for a minute here. We got the Oyako Don and if you've ever had this rice dish before, you might be confused at the picture. Why are there various vegetables on top of what are the normal ingredients such as egg, chicken, onion and sauce? If you care about authenticity, you might be inclined to cry foul; but to be honest, it was also decent. The rice was not too soft and completely sauced with the obligatory mirin, sugar, and soy mixture. The myriad of ingredients actually worked providing texture and flavour. It just wasn't an oyako don, that's all.

Well, the next dish was practically a repeat of the complimentary appetizer. We really regretted ordering the Double Dynamite Volcano Roll. Too much of the same! So if you go, don't order this, since you'll get it anyways. As always, we get the Tempura Udon for the kiddies. As for the tempura, it was decent. Crispy, not too oily and not overcooked, it was enjoyable to eat. Only complaint would be the excess batter on the ebi. The kids love it, I don't. As for the udon, I am very pleased when the tempura is served on the side since it just becomes a soggy mess otherwise. As you can see, it is served on the side. Then why on Earth did they add an obscene amount of tempura bits into the soup??? What ultimately transpires is that each spoonful of broth yields soggy bits that are akin to wet snot. The addition of veggies with the overly soft udon made this a complete miss. Honestly, the food was edible and some of it was quite alright. However, the atrocities committed against Japanese cuisine here are quite troubling because it ultimately affected the outcome of the food. Normally I use the phrase, "it's okay for (insert city)". But not in this case really since the sashimi thing just turned me right off.

The Good:
- Friendly staff
- Free appetizer
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Authenticity shouldn't matter if the food is not negatively impacted; but in this case, it was
- Prices are a bit high