OZen Japanese Restaurant

Typically, when we want good value sushi (that is actually decent), we look at places such as Sushi Garden or Sushi Town.   Sure, there are others, but I won't list them all here.  However, as much as the 2 aforementioned spots are acceptable for casual eats, there are limitations as to how satisfied you will be.  What I mean by that is that their menu is fairly basic with not a lot of unique dishes.  I'm not going to get into the argument about them not being Japanese-run because I don't care who makes my food, as long as it is prepared properly.  This brings us to OZen Japanese located in the T&T shopping complex on 152nd.  Taking over from Maguro, they offer large portions of well-made dishes that are reasonably-priced.

Before we got to the larger plates, we started with the Assorted Tempura.  Now this was a pretty large portion despite not being a main.  It consisted of 4 ebi, 2 yam and 1 piece each of sweet potato, kaboucha and asparagus.  The batter was relatively light while being crispy on the outside.  It was easy on the greasiness, even after biting into each item.  The ebi was buttery and sweet with a slight snap.  The other items were fully cooked while not being mushy.

We had something a bit different in the Deep Fried Sablefish Collar.  Now I've had kama many times before, but not battered and deep fried like this.  Personally, I enjoy grilled kama, but this was still good.  Due to the fact it was fatty sablefish and also that the batter locked in the moisture, the meat was super juicy and buttery.   It was also well-seasoned, only needing a squeeze from that lemon for acidity.

Neatly arranged on a sushi boat, we had the Assorted Sashimi.  This was plenty appetizing to look at with fresh slices of fish.  Colour and sheen were appealing with the hamachi being the best of the bunch.  It was super buttery with a natural sweetness with a taste of the sea.  We also found tuna, red tuna, Atlantic salmon, hokkigai, saba and tako as well.  As much as Atlantic salmon gets a bad rap, I liked this one as it was soft and fatty.

We didn't end there with the raw stuff as we also added the Deluxe Nigiri Combo consisting of Atlantic salmon, tuna, ebi, tamago, sockeye salmon, hamachi tako, unagi, ika, chopped scallop and ikura.  Much like the sashimi, the fish was fresh and visually-appealing.  They ate well too, with once again, the hamachi being the highlight.  But the salmon (both kinds) were good too as well as the tamago.  It was fluffy and layered properly.

For our one specialty roll, we selected the Aburi Popping Roll consisting of a imitation crab, cucumber and aburi salmon inside with aburi sauce, tobiko and jalapeno on the outside.  I found this quite pleasant with chewy sushi rice (that was also not laid on too thick) encasing soft salmon and creamy imitation crab mix.  The aburi sauce on the outside was creamy with a bit of a tang.  Since it was torched, it was caramelized with some smokiness.

On the topic of aburi sushi, we went for both the Aburi Saba and Aburi Salmon Oshi.  As you can see, the torching was evenly distributed.  Hence, we got the smokiness right off the bat with each bite.  The creaminess of the mayo-based sauce complimented the fish.  About that fish, the slice of saba and salmon was thick enough for impact.  Really liked the flavour of the saba as it was richer than the salmon.  I thought the jalapeno pepper slice could've been thinner though.

Now the best things to order here are actually "Sets".  For their Unagi Donburi Set, you can see that they include a considerable amount of food.  For $34.40, you get a large bowl of chewy rice topped with buttery slices of sauced unagi.  Then you also receive salad, miso soup, agedashi tofu, karaage, chawanmushi tsukemono and daily dish (this one was aburi oshi).  The unagi was buttery and soft with enough glaze to help flavour the rice.  Side dishes were solid where the karaage was juicy with crispy rendered skin.

We also ordered the Grilled Gindara Kama Set consisting of salad, miso soup, karaage, agedashi tofu, chawanmushi, onigiri and aburi oshi.  So I got my wish for grilled sablefish collar and it was fantastic.  Nicely marinated, these were buttery and flavourful with smokiness and caramelizatoin.  Sides were essentially same as the other set.  Overall, the food at OZen is above average and well-portioned.  Prices are reasonable for what you get too.

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

The Good:

- Above average eats

- Large portions

- Good value

The Bad:

- Super busy, prepare to wait

Kinton Ramen (North Vancouver)

As much as there are many locations of Kinton Ramen, I haven't been back since I first visited the one at UBC.  I remember coming away impressed that they have the great combination of quality, quantity and price.  We made our way to the North Vancouver spot right on Lonsdale, steps away from city hall.  They are currently offering their Summer Ramen Tour, featuring a selection of 3 cold noodles and one hot until August 28th, 2025.  The promotion includes a stamp card where you will earn one free ramen after 9 visits.  Also, you get an entry into a draw for a trip to Japan!

Now we made trip to North Van (which wasn't far) to try this new menu beginning with the Chilled Tsukemen.  This featured tender pork, seasoned egg and shredded nori served with a house-made dipping sauce.  We also found daikon, wasabi and scallions on the side.  First of all, the amount of al dente noodles was generous.  Definitely enough for one person to be full.  Secondly, the dip was really flavourful without being overly salty.  It had some sweetness and a nice hit of aromatic sesame.   Pork was tender and fall-apart as advertised while the egg was custardy and well-marinated.

Next, we had the Golden Chill Ramen Salad with thick noodles in a creamy sesame dressing topped with tender chicken, mini tomatoes, arugula, bamboo shoots, sweet corn, crispy noodles, and a seasoned egg.  Oh I really liked this as the sesame dressing was nutty, sweet, tangy and all things good about sesame.  The aroma from the sesame really made this dish and with little nuggets of moist chicken, each bite was similar to Chinese hand-shredded chicken with sesame sauce.  Loved the contrast of textures including the crunch from the crispy noodles on top, the sweet pop from the corn niblets and the bite from the bamboo shoots.

For those who like floral and tanginess, the Yuzu Chill Ramen would be a great choice.  It consisted of yuzu chicken broth, topped with tender chicken, mini tomatoes, arugula, bamboo shoots, lemon and seasoned egg.  This was super light and refreshing.  Something perfect for a hot summer's day.  Once again, the noodles were both plentiful and al dente.  Despite being a light-tasting broth, the flavour and impact was still there.  Each mouthful of noodles yielded umaminess and tanginess.

The last featured item from their Summer menu was the Spicy Mazemen.  This brothless creation featured warm beef, mini tomatoes, corn, arugula and a poached egg with thick noodles in a spicy house-made sauce.  This did have a kick, but not so much we couldn't taste the other ingredients.  Good chew on the noodles and the sauce had plenty of savoury elements that meshed well with the sweetness of the corn and silkiness of the egg.  

They also have a ramen combo with the choice of Gyoza or Fries as well as a choice of drink for $15.99.  I found the Gyoza to be fair standard.  This particular version was deep fried and topped with spicy mayo.  The wrapper was crispy while not overly greasy while the filling was fairly moist with pork and cabbage.  I personally would've liked dipping this into a tangy gyoza dip rather than the mayo.  The fries were the typical Cavandish starch-covered variety, but there was nothing wrong with that.  It came out crispy without potatoey insides.

We didn't stop there as we tried some of their regular menu items including the classic Pork Original with thin noodles.  This was essentially a shio broth as it was seasoned with sea salt.  There was a nice silkiness to the soup without it being too rich nor thick.  Definite pork umami vibes with enough salt for impact.  The slices of pork were buttery and soft while not overly fatty.  This also came with bamboo shoots, nori, wood ear mushrooms, green onion and seasoned egg.  Noodles were plentiful and al dente.

Next up, we tried the Chicken Miso with a rich soybean paste that had the rich fermented saltiness we are accustomed to.  Once again, the broth had a certain thickness to it but at the same time, it wasn't heavy nor greasy.  I thought the miso gave the broth more depth and impact with a pleasant funkiness.  As with the other dishes, the noodles had a nice chewiness that stood up to the broth.  This came with the same accompaniments including the custardy egg.

Our favourite of the bunch was the Beef Spicy Garlic with a huge scoop of minced garlic on top.  That in itself made the whole thing extremely garlicky with a certain sharpness.   As for the soup, naturally, it took on the garlic flavour but it was already inherently spicy.  It was not too harsh, so we could taste the different layers including the smokiness of the chili pepper and the umaminess of the base pork soup.  Suffice to was one of the, if not the most, impactful of the bunch.

We ended up getting the Takoyaki as well as the Pork Donburi as sides for our ramen.  Topped with the usual kewpie mayo, tonkatsu sauce and bonito flakes, these were as typical as they could get.  Now that doesn't mean they weren't good though.  They were fluffy in the middle while sporting a slightly crispy exterior.  As for the donburi, it featured chewy rice that had the rice moisture content.  It was topped with enough tender and salty pork to be present in every scoop of rice.  

To compliment our Summer ramen bowls, we had some drinks including the Orange Lemonade, Virgin Mojito and Sake Lemonade.  By looks alone, these may appear refreshing and yup, they were definitely so.  With just enough sweetness to balance the tang, the orange lemonade would satisfy those looking for a non-alcoholic beverage to go with their ramen.  The mojito was less sweet with the usual herbaceous hit.  The one alcoholic drink we had was the sake lemonade, which was fruity and lightly sweet with the brightness of sake.  Overall, the food and drinks at Kinton are solid, well-portioned and reasonably-priced.  This is something that I can go for on any night of the week.  I will be back soon!

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

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Well-portioned

- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:

- Parking in the area is limited

Stone Korean BBQ

Sometimes it is hard to differentiate between many of the Korean BBQ spots in town.  Naturally, some are better than others in terms of meat quality, banchan selection and overall value.  However, what if I told you there is a new Korean BBQ out near Lougheed Mall (right next to Price Smart) that employs large stone slabs as their BBQ surface?  Yes, do we really need another Korean restaurant on North Road?  Well yes, especially when it is a new modern space and unique.

We ended up ordering the Signature Pork Combo for $42.00 per person (minimum 2 orders).  This included a nice selection of Banchan, Jjigae and Corn Cheese.  For the Banchan, we found potato salad, spinach, slaw, kimchi daikon, spicy octopus and chwinamul.  Really liked the selection, especially a few less seen dishes. We also found romaine so we could wrap our pork belly as well as some pickled Napa cabbage that served the same purpose.

 

For our combo, we were served a good amount of meaty and fairly lean pieces of pork belly.  There was enough fat for flavour and texture though.  As you can see, things were cooked on a big stone slab.  The middle was hottest while the sides were only warm.  This was enough to keep the corn cheese (with an egg yolk) melty, the soup hot and the kimchi warm.  As you can see, the pork belly seared up nicely.  Really enjoyed the pork, especially dipped into the jalapeno condiment. 

 

About that Bean Paste Soup, it was included with the combo and it came bubbling hot.  Nice fermented saltiness to it without going overboard.  Some soft veggies in there, adding some sweetness.  We added the Seafood Pancake for good measure and it was seared up super crunchy.  It was nutty and aromatic with a soft, but not mushy centre.  There was a decent amount of well-cooked seafood with only a balanced amount of green onion.  This was pretty good and I would order it again.

 

We were served a bonus dish that was the Korean version of Beef Tataki.  These medium-thin slices of beef were tender with the slightest of chew.  It sat in a sauce that was soy-based but had sweetness and aromatics.  Lastly, we added the Jjapaghetti (yes, the instant noodles) at the end finished off on the stone grill.  Unfortunately, these noodles were overdone and stuck to the stone slab.  There was also too much moisture and prevented them from caramelizing properly.   Other than the Jjapaghetti, everything else was really good and well-portioned.  Combine that with a modern dining space with plenty of staff, Stone Korean BBQ should be one of the better options along North Road for Korean BBQ.

The Good:

- Modern and spacious

- Good value

- Delicious

The Bad:

- Jjapaghetti add-on needs to be improved upon

Captain's Oven Pizza

I'm sure you've noticed that where there is a Skytrain station, there will be development.  It makes sense though because building condos and the sort is a good way to increase density near transportation hubs.  Ultimately, services will inevitably be part of the deal as all these residents need things like grocery stores, medical offices, pet stores, insurance agencies, hair salons and restaurants.

The last one is of particular interest to me since many of these are tucked away within the residential complexes and mainly serve the local residents.  However, many of these places don't solely exist because they have a captive audience.  Rather, they are worth visiting, even if you do not live nearby.  Captain's Oven Pizza would be an example of this as I was rather impressed with their wares.  We started things off with a Caprese Salad which was good.  The tomatoes were pretty ripe (which you can clearly see in the picture) where the texture was possibly a bit soft, but I enjoyed the natural tomato sweetness.  Large slices of fresh mozzarella completed things.

Onto the pizzas, we went ahead and did half and half versions so we could try more flavours.  For the first, we had the Superb Soppresata and Pesto Chicken.  Nice leoparding on the crust which meant we had crispiness and smokiness.  Nice nutty flavour as well to go with the properly-seasoned dough.  I liked the spicy zestiness of the soppresata while the chicken pesto was bright with lots of tender chicken.  It was good to see the chicken being moist despite being double-cooked.

So you would think that the Meat Lover's pizza would've been my favourite, but in reality, it wasn't.  Nothing particularly wrong with it since it had a good mixture of meats, yet I felt the other flavours were more interesting.  This was true with the Oceanside as it combined prawns and bay scallops with capers, red onion, grape tomatoes and arugula.  So we got the sweet brininess that was complimented by the tangy sweetness of the capers and freshness of the tomatoes.  Nothing overwhelmed the seafood and let it stand on its own.

Although the half and half veggie pizza was nothing much to look at, I assure you that they tasted great.  For one half, we had the Chef's Special and the other was the Truffle Mushroom.  In reality, these were rather similar having an Alfredo base and mushrooms, truffle oil and arugula.  However, the Chef's Special added pesto, pine nuts and sundried tomatoes.  That afforded some herbaceous notes and nuttiness with the tang of the tomatoes.  

One pizza caught out eye on the menu and we decided to get the whole thing rather than doing half and half.  Consisting of jumbo prawns, crab, bay scallops and smoked salmon, the Fisherman's Catch was super seafoody and briny.  The natural sweetness really came out and was tempered by the salty smokiness of the salmon.  We had aromatics provided by the garlic oil.  One byproduct of having so many things on top, the crust became softer.  But that didn't bother me since the flavours were appealing.

One look at the Chocolate Pizza and you might conclude that it was a default dessert due to the use of the same pizza crust.  However, it turned out be much better than expected.  The crust was crispy as per usual, but the chocolate sauce they used was delicious and not crazy sweet.  The fresh ripe strawberries slices provided that fresh fruitiness.  As for their Tiramisu, it was unique as the mascarpone cream was super light and airy.  It was also purposefully sweet.  It was a bit light on the coffee flavour though.  Overall, the pizzas at Captain's Oven are delicious and feature well-charred pizza dough.  I wouldn't mind getting some takeout from this location from time-to-time.

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

The Good:

- Fresh well-seasoned pizza dough

- Brick oven cooks things fast with nutty charring

- Lots of choice for the pizza toppings

The Bad:

- Free parking is limited, otherwise you need to pay park

The Farmhouse

Tucked away behind Kingsgate Mall on E. 10th, there is a rustic spot dishing up Italian fare with the influence of West Coast ingredients.  The Farmhouse is headed by Top Chef alum Curtis Luk, who is the Executive Chef and General Manager as well as Head Chef, Laura Messinger.  We dropped by to experience their brunch service in their secret little garden patio at the back.  Such a gorgeous space to enjoy a meal with friends, family or a date.

Now a gorgeous space is not the most important thing here.  We need to talk about the food right?  Well, we got the whole menu and I immediately went for their newest item first - Peaches & Cream Waffle.  Beyond it's enticing appearance and plating, this was actually my favourite dish.  The large waffle featured crispy and aromatic edges while being complete doused in peach compote, fresh berries and whipped cream.  The fruitiness and freshness really came through and this was especially great since it was just sweet enough.

My next favourite item was the Spaghetti alla Carbonara topped with a perfectly poached egg.  Once mixed with the firmly al dente pasta, the richness of the egg yolk, parmesan and bacon fat provided a sinfully silky saltiness that helped flavour the dish.  I liked how there was enough moisture to coat each strand of pasta without having too much of it.  This kept things from being dry.

The other pasta offering on the brunch menu was the Calamarata al Pesto di Pistacchi.  Featuring large tubes of pasta, this was also quite delicious.  The pesto had a bright herbaceousness with the unmistakable nuttiness and aromatics of pistachio.  There was the silkiness of EVOO and saltiness from the cheese which was appealing.  The only thing that would made it even better would be a bit more pesto.

Interestingly, one of the simplest dishes was also quite good.  The Burrata on toasted house sourdough was more like an appetizer for me (but I'm sure would be more than enough for someone else), yet it was truly appetizing.  It had something to do with the confit tomato as it added a fresh and bright tangy sweetness.  Naturally, this complimented the creamy burrata perfectly.  The sourdough had nice chew beyond the crispy exterior.

Onto their Benedicts, we had three of them including the Shrimp Scampi Benedict.  Not sure what kind of shrimp they were using, but look at them, they were more the size of prawns!  Garlicky and buttery, the prawns also had the desired sweet snap texture.  On top, we found perfectly runny poached eggs with fully cooked egg whites.  The silky and rich Hollandaise was buttery with spot on seasoning.  All of this was served on soft house focaccia.

We tried the other 2 bennies that featured Marsala Mushroom and Roast Porchetta.  I liked how there was a wealth of mushrooms that were beautifully sauteed and not dripping with residual moisture.  They were well-seasoned and took on the aromatic sweetness of the marsala.  As for the porchetta, it was a seared slice of fatty pork that was succulent and nicely caramelized.  Definitely a sinful piece of meat!  The side of spiced fingerling potatoes were crispy with a creamy centre.

Although it didn't look like much food, especially with it all crammed into a rectangular loaf pan, the N'duja & Fennel Sausage Hash was definitely fulfilling.  With the same hearty spiced potatoes mixed with meaty and spicy crumbled sausage, this was zesty and full of body.  There was some mild tanginess provided by the tomato base.  Of course, with the addition of runny poached eggs and silky Hollandaise, this hash was probably the most heavy item we had.

Our last dish was the Baked Polenta with glazed pork belly and poached eggs.  Again, this didn't look like a lot of food, but with the slabs of tender polenta underneath, this was filling.  Really enjoyed the buttery pork belly and of course the runny yolks for the eggs.  Interestingly, this one didn't have any Hollandaise, but really, it could've of used it.  Overall, the brunch service at The Farmhouse is really good and it is a special experience, especially when seated at the back patio.  Great vibes and good food!

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

The Good:

- Well-prepared dishes that are delicious

- Love that patio

- Low key vibes

The Bad:

- A little hidden with limited parking

404 Coffee Lab

If you have been following any form of social media, you might remember the long lines at 404 Coffee when they initially opened.  Located in a small enclave within the recently shuttered Ramen One, 404 Coffee specializes in Asian-inspired coffee and desserts.  They have a walk-up take out window facing busy Broadway just across the street from the Canada Line station.  Now they are expanding into the space vacated by Ramen One and offering a small dine-in menu.  Jackie and I dropped by to check it out.

Of course the first order of business was to sample their Matcha Lovers Menu with the Dirty Matcha Cream Latte, Mango Matcha Latte, Strawberry Matcha Cream Latte and Yuzu Matcha Cream Latte.  I found all of them creamy and smooth with the slight bitterness of matcha.  With the addition of fruit, it lightened things up and added sweetness.  My favourite was the mango as it was tropical-tasting while balanced by the matcha.  However, the best of the bunch was the Dirty Matcha as it added rich coffee to the mix.  Hence it was full-bodied, aromatic, nutty and creamy.   On the end, this was the Einspanner Latte, which was also rich and creamy.  Lots of coffee impact, but not bitter.  Rather, it went down smooth with balancing sweetness.

On their food menu, they have a $6.00 Breakfast Special where you can choose from 6 different "snacks" and from 7 drinks.  For the one pictured, it was a Mentaiko Onigiri with an Iced Americano.   The onigiri had nicely textured rice and plenty of mentaiko mayo for flavour and moisture.  We also tried the Karaage Sando (for $2.00 more) and it was quite good.  There was more than enough juicy seasoned chicken within the soft hot dog bun while dressed with terimayo and nori.  For $1.00 more, you could have a latte or cappuccino rather than the basic coffee.

Sure, they have specialty coffees and some snacks, but interestingly, they also have bigger dishes as well.  These included Rustic Smoked Duck and Street-Style Takoyaki with tomato pasta.  These dishes were served in large portions and I especially enjoyed the duck.  There was an abundance of moist slices of smoked duck atop perfectly al dente pasta.  The tomato sauce was unique as it had some umaminess to go with the slight tang and sweetness.  However, there was something really savoury about it.  As for the Street-Style Takoyaki, it was the same pasta but with some fried squid dressed in unagi sauce and kewpie mayo.

Also available on the menu, we found a selection of Japanese curry.  We ended up choosing the Tempura Curry featuring 3 large ebi tempura.  All mains came with a side salad.  This was rather surprising as I wouldn't have expected such a solid curry at this spot.  It had a nice viscosity and was full of earthiness, sweetness and umaminess.  The rice was dry enough to accept the curry beautifully.  The 3 ebi tempura were crispy with a buttery piece of shrimp inside.

Of course we had some dessert too with Coffee Parfait, Once in a Blue Moon and Caramel Mocha Affogato.  At the core of each dessert was the creamy and rich soft-serve.  It was on the sweeter side, but the natural milk flavour did come through.  I particularly enjoyed the simplicity of the blueberry sundae where there was a ridiculous amount of soft-serve with crunchy blueberries and blueberry sauce.  The affogato was also awesome where their aromatic and strong coffee blended well with the milky soft-serve.  Loved that there was much more soft-serve than coffee, as it remained very much an ice cream with just coffee flavour, rather than turning into a melted mess.  The coffee parfait was on the sweeter side due to the layers of coffee jelly, espresso cake, chocolate sauce and cereal.  Definitely lots of rich coffee flavour while having the same creaminess of the soft-serve.  These desserts are something that I would definitely come back for, but the drinks are even better as they are rich and flavourful.  I wouldn't sleep on the food either as the plates were large and also appealing.  Nice use of the old Ramen One spot!

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

The Good:

- Drinks are seriously good

- Soft-serve is creamy and milky

- Food is decent too

The Bad:

- Due to the setup of Ramen One, the seating is a bit awkward for more than 2 people