Sushi Cali is a small but very popular sushi joint in Burquitlam. I've heard about their great value and long queues so I was glad that we got seated right away when we went at about 3pm (though it filled up quickly after that).

Crispy Avocado Roll - The amount of avocado in the roll made it creamy which was nicely balanced out with the crispy tempura flakes. The chipotle mayo added flavour and more creaminess to the roll.

Crispy Avocado Roll

 Spicy Salmon Sashimi - I remember seeing the chef put this dish up on the sushi bar and thinking, "Wow that looks good, wish we ordered that." To my pleasant surprise, that dish was headed right for our table! The cubes of salmon and cucumber were generously tossed in a spicy sauce that was slightly hot for my low spice tolerance. This yummy dish really expands your appetite to eat more.

Spicy Salmon Sashimi

All in all, service is quick and no-nonsense here. The only slow part was paying at the register with the take-out orders and sit-ins all queuing up for one cashier.

Miku is centrally located at Waterfront and boasts a great view of the Vancouver Harbour. We went to try the Dine Out 2015 lunch menu ($28) at Miku and it definitely lived up to the amazing reviews online.

Appetizer - from right to left: king crab salad, aburi albacore tuna, ebi fritter, braised beef shank

Although the salad was simple, it was one of my favourites of the four because it was fresh and lightly dressed.

King crab salad

The pieces of aburi albacore tuna cleansed the palate for the next flavourful appetizer.

Aburi albacore tuna

The ebi fritter is fried in a beer batter mixed with what seems like nori (seaweed) sprinkles. The sauce reminds me of chipotle mayo with a hint of curry. The shrimp was fresh and bouncy and the fritter in general did not feel greasy at all. Delicious!

Ebi fritter

The beef shank is probably the most substantial part of this meal that will help fill you up. The well-marinated beef was tender and rested on a scoop of mashed potato that could have been more fluffy.

Braised beef shank

Main course - the main course is a mix of aburi, nigiri and oshi sushi. This is my first time eating aburi sushi and I can definitely see why people like it so much! The hint of fire adds a subtle smokiness. Each piece is already flavoured so there is no need to dip in soy sauce.

Main course

Dessert - mango sorbet with frozen berries and a lemon coconut cookie. The mango sorbet was slightly tarte and quite creamy but not anything you can't find in places that make sorbet and gelato.

Mango sorbet

All in all, we had an excellent dining experience with a great view and friendly service. We arrived at 11:50am for our 12:00pm booking and was lucky enough to get a window seat. The restaurant filled up in the next 10 minutes! So if you want a good seat, arrive early.

Matcha latte

Assorted baked goods

Tuna tataki set lunch with broccoli soup

I've spotted Marulilu Cafe before and thought it was a coffee joint but they actually serve all day breakfast as well! Its convenient location by the 99 bus stop and Broadway City Hall Station is definitely a plus.

To be honest I wanted to try Marulilu because of the matcha latte I saw on their menu online. The presentation was pretty with the heart shaped pattern. It was mildly sweet with matcha powder and mostly consisted of frothy milk. I wouldn't go to Marulilu just to drink this again but it was a good accompaniment to my breakfast.

Matcha latte

I tried the breakfast plate with waffles which included two eggs, two hashbrowns, four pork sausages, and a waffle. The hashbrowns and sausages are store bought so they will probably taste similar to some other breakfast joints.

Breakfast plate

 On the other hand, the waffle was made in-house. I prefer my waffles to be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside but this waffle was simply soft throughout. It came with maple syrup and two large dollops of whipped cream - plain and chocolate. I've never had chocolate whipped cream come with my waffles before so that was a nice touch. Actually I exclusively used the chocolate whipped cream.

Waffle with breakfast plate

 Overall, the service at Marulilu was good but their breakfast plate was only okay.

Hakata Ramen is located diagonally across the street from the Richmond Public Market which is generally a pretty busy area. But the restaurant space itself has turned over many times over the years and its most recent tenant is Hakata Ramen.

There was a promotion for a free takoyaki if you spend at least $25. The most expensive ramen cost $10.95 so to claim the deal you'd need a few people. The takoyaki itself is only $4.95 though so you can always purchase it as a side.

The curry ramen tasted like instant ramen broth. I was expecting it to taste more like Japanese curry but this broth was closer to the kind of curry broth you'd get from Indomie instant noodles. There were pieces of bamboo shoot and a good amount of pork slices. However the pork wasn't fresh and had a defrosted aftertaste.

Curry ramen ($9.95)

There are combos to choose from where you pick a ramen and add a few dollars for a don (rice bowl). We got the Pork Rib Ramen with Ikura Don. The ramen broth wasn't rich or aromatic enough. There was one large piece of pork rib that was marinated thoroughly.

Pork Rib Ramen ($10.95)

The Ikura Don consisted of Japanese mayo, egg slices and fish eggs on top of a bowl of white rice. It was bland tasting and honestly not very attractive.

Ikura Don (with combo $3)

We ordered an agedashi tofu to reach the $25 mark. There were four pieces and it was mediocre. It didn't have that great agedashi tofu quality where when you eat it you're amazed by the crunchiness of the outside, the softness of the tofu inside and the good balance of sauce. This tofu didn't taste bad but it didn't amaze.

Agedashi tofu ($2.95)

Lastly, the takoyaki came with six pieces and each ball had at least one piece of octopus. It tasted similar to night market ones. There was adequate mayo but I would've preferred if there was more takoyaki sauce because otherwise the batter itself is quite bland.

Takoyaki ($4.95)

Overall there are so many great ramen locations in Vancouver like Marutama Ramen that I won't be visiting Hakata Ramen again. 

The last time I wrote about Torarenbo was in 2012 about their lobster sashimi, which by the way is still on their menu. This time we sat at the sushi bar which was a different experience than sitting at the table. The busy chefs and the busy restaurant worked well together to produce the food with efficiency.

The rainbow roll is a california roll made with thin egg sheets instead of seaweed and topped with salmon, tuna, or shrimp. I found it interesting that they used egg sheets instead of seaweed but the egg is so thin that you can't even taste it. It takes more skill to make the delicate egg than to just use the seaweed sheets though.

Rainbow roll

The grilled black cod is slightly sweet like teriyaki sauce and is dipped into the creamy mayonnaise. The fish meat was firm and there is more bone than meat. It makes a good appetizer.

Grilled black cod

The kimchi hot pot was a mixture of kimchi, vegetables, tofu and pork slices. The soup was slightly spicy and it is not a must order dish. If you're looking to include more vegetables in your meal then perhaps this is a possible choice.

Kimchi hot pot

Overall it was another good meal at Torarenbo. They don't serve the best Japanese food in Vancouver but they're affordable, the service is quick and it will satisfy your Japanese food craving.

I like eating Japanese izakaya because you get to try many small dishes. Guu Otokomae is only open in the evenings and didn't take reservations when I called. Luckily we didn't have to wait longer than 15 minutes before we were seated in the packed restaurant.

Salmon with Seven Friends: diced wild sockeye, natto, picked cucumber, picked daikon, garlic chips, crispy wonton, green onions, diced cucumber, fresh egg yolk, miso and garlic sauce. Our server thoroughly mixed the "seven friends" for us and showed us how to scoop a spoonful of the mixture onto the square pieces of roasted seaweed, wrap it up and eat. There were so many flavours in each bite and the coolness of the salmon made it a perfect summer snack. It's also a perfect sharing dish.

Salmon with 7 friends ($8)

Takoyaki: deep fried balled octopus batter with tonkatsu sauce, wasabi mayo, mustard mayo, bonito flakes and dried seaweed. I love eating takoyaki at the night market but they're always made in such a big rush that the quality lacks. The takoyaki here came hot and each bite had octopus bits. Yum.

Takoyaki ($5)

Duck and Popeye: red wine and soy sauce braised duck breast on sauteed mushrooms and fresh spinach. This was my least favourite dish that we ordered. The mushrooms were too salty and the duck breast had an aftertaste that I didn't prefer. Perhaps it was too raw for me.

Duck and popeye ($9.8)

The grilled pork cheek was delicious. It was tender with a good balance of fat and meat and grilled in a slightly sweet sauce. You should try this!

Grilled pork cheek

The grilled squid was another favourite with the slightly sweet sauce and tender flesh. The thick creamy mayo made it even better.

Grilled squid

Mushroom cheese bibimbap: white rice with sauteed mushroom, cheese, dried seaweed, green onions and seaweed sauce. When we mixed the ingredients inside the hot stone bowl the aroma came spiraling out. It was another flavourful dish and the cheese made it feel like a Japanese risotto. It's a filling bowl though so if you can, share it so you can try more of the delicious dishes at Guu Otokomae!

Overall it was a pleasant dining experience here with nimble service and getting our food quickly. Next time I'd probably go earlier in the evening so avoid the crowds since it is a popular restaurant.

Guu Garden is located on Nelson Street and only a short walk from City Centre Station or Granville Station. The restaurant was quite full for the weekday lunch period but we did not have to wait to be seated.

It was difficult to order off the Lunch Special menu (at end of post) because all the choices looked so good! In the end I chose the Kobe Beef Rice Burger Bento ($12).

Kobe Beef Rice Burger Bento

I will say right off the bat that I was very happy with my meal. The shrimp avocado salad was drizzled in a wasabi dressing and was a great texture with the crunchy lettuce and smooth avocado. The green bean fries were delicious with its tempura batter. The buns of the burger are replaced with two rice rounds that are crispy on one side and soft on the other. The soft side soaked up the juices from the kobe beef patty which was slightly sweet from sauce and not at all overcooked.

Service was attentive and I enjoyed the amount of light coming in from the many windows. Another Guu franchise tried and loved!

Click to enlarge

A friend found this place and invited me to come along to try and I'm glad I did! When I first entered Waffle Gone Wild I immediately compared it to Nero Belgian Waffle Bar in my head. The physical space was similar in size (small with the kitchen area at the store front and a few small tables further in). However they are not directly comparable because WGW has a more Asian twist.

The menu at WGW is less expensive than Nero and includes matcha waffles and drinks like bubble tea. You can see from the photos below that the presentation of the food is different too with WGW being more "cute."

We shared two waffles ($7.99 each): Japanese matcha waffle and Okonomiyaki waffle.

The Japanese matcha waffle came with a green tea ice cream mochi, strawberry, mandarin orange, red bean, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream sprinkled with matcha powder. The waffle itself had a sweet exterior and chewy interior. I thoroughly enjoyed this waffle because I love matcha and the bunny decoration was too cute!

Japanese matcha waffle

The Okonomiyaki waffle is something new that isn't common. The waffle was sweet and topped with crab meat, okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, seaweed, and bonito flakes. The side is a potato salad and three thin slices of apple. It was very yummy with a more solid texture than traditional okonokiyaki.

Okonomiyaki waffle

Overall highly recommend checking this place out! Service was prompt with refilling water and getting our order. I look forward to trying the other waffles on their menu!

Sushi Garden at Lougheed is a Korean owned Japanese restaurant. On the weekend afternoon it was full of diners but we didn't have to wait too long before we were seated. I had heard great things about the affordability and quality of food here for a long time so I was excited to finally try it. In short I was pleasantly surprised and do agree that it is a good place for budget sushi.

Spicy salmon salad: This dish consisted of salmon and cucumber pieces with a spicy sauce that is mixed thoroughly. It is a large plate of raw salmon. Although they are definitely not the prime pieces like the sashimi, if you want to eat an abundant amount of raw salmon then this is the dish for you!

Tropical dynamite roll: The tropical part of this roll is the pineapple that is in it. Instead of nori, this sushi is wrapped in egg and consists of imitation crab and fried shrimp. As you can see from the large size of the sushi, this is not authentic Japanese sushi but is typical of North American budget sushi. Unlike other budget sushi joints, the taste is not bad!

Takoyaki: Normally I only get to eat takoyaki when the summer night market is open so I wanted to try this when I saw it on the menu. The takoyaki came hot which I liked and the inside was flour-y soft. It's not a takoyaki with a ton of ingredients inside but a simple one.

Toro sashimi: This sashimi was quite fresh and being toro it was fatty and melted softly in the mouth. For the price there are a good number of pieces of sashimi served.

Seafood salad: This salad had lettuce, salmon, and squid pieces that is served with a chipotle/mayo type dressing on the side. There's nothing special about the lettuce but if you like seafood you will like this salad as it incorporates fresh pieces of various seafood.

Spider roll: This roll consists of fried soft shell grab wraped with pieces of cucumber, rice and nori. The crab was still quite hot when it arrived meaning that it was freshly fried. Typically the spider roll is quite pricey at other restaurants but is reasonably priced here.

Chopped scallop sushi: There is an overwhelming amount of chopped scallop on every piece of sushi, probably the same as the amount of rice. If you like scallop then opt for the sushi rather than the roll because the amount of scallop on the sushi pieces are definitely a lot more!

Overall this is one of the better budget sushi places that I have tried. Their service is also quick and efficient.