Lunch Munch: GUU GARDEN - DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

I used to love Guu. Guu gastown was my favourite, Guu Garlic on Denman was a close second. Guu Richmond and Guu Thurlow didnt cut the chase for me. 

As I grew older (uhh like in the past 2 years), I started getting very annoyed with loud and crammed restaurants.  The first time in Guu I loved the authenticity of servers yelling warm Japanes greetings around the restaurants, but by the tenth time I walk in, the excitement is gone, and I really rather not wait in line in a stuffy and crowded atmosphere. While Guu izakaya snacks are so unique - each plate being full of surprises, I chose other restaurants such as Aki over Guu. Well, until Guu Garden.

AMBIANCE | Guu Garden is located in the office area of Vancouver. Located upstairs Gyu-Kaku, Guu Garden is much more ventilated, much more open, and much more comfortable. There are floor to ceiling windows that outlook a Japanese garden shaping a simple and earthy environment. Splashed with colourful, but pastel pillow seats, and decorated with simple wooden tables, Guu Garden actually feels like a garden. A simple rural garden, not extravagant, not luxurious, but simple, easy and calm.

We ordered:

Garden Bento 1

Tonosama Bento: Deep friend breaded shrimp & veggies, grilled or stewed fish of the day, four kinds of sashimi, kobachi, rice and miso soup

Garden Bento 2

Businessman Bento: Saikyo miso black cod, three kinds of sashimi, salmon and saba sushi, kobachi and miso soup

Dessert: Sake pulp and Sea Salt Ice cream

Menu found here

FOOD | For lunch, they offered bento boxes ranging from $9-15.80. We ordered two of the $15.80 "Garden" boxes, and while the size looks small, it was actually really filling! Having just returned from Japan, in terms of presentation, Guu Garden is legitimately a restaurant that is plucked from Japan and placed in Vancouver. The placement of the foods are delicate and detailed (even a small umbrella for the grapes) and I would even call the bento box "cute" and "comfortable". The food is also finely made. Each tempura is freshly fried, each sushi is delicately made. 

My favourite of the meal was definitely the dessert. I have been to gelato places with numerous of strange and interesting flavours, but "sake pulp and sea salt" flavour is by far the most interesting and appetizing I have ever seen. The ice cream is based off a vanilla icecream with subtle hints of sake and salt. I absolutely loved it, and would recommend it to everyone. 

M101-888 Nelson Street 
Vancouver, BC V6Z2R9
604-899-0855

Dine Fine - [CLOSED] HAPA UMI - DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

Hapa Izakaya has a popular ring to Vancouverites all over town. Hapa Umi to my surprise, isn't as popular. Hapa Umi is the more upscale version of Izakaya with a twist of class and elegance. I seriously caught the late train. I didn't realize Hapa Umi closed down last month until I went to back for another plate of beef tataki. Nonetheless, I had pictures saved on my laptop, I felt a need to honour this loss love of mine. 

Hapa Umi is now replaced with Hapa Izakaya Coal Harbour. Unfortunately I didn't go in because I didnt have a reservation and I decided to choose another restaurant. It was said in their news release that customers "felt there was a greater, unmet demand for an izakaya style restaurant in the Coal Harbour area". In essence, the spirit of the Hapa chain is still there, but I think the higher class of Hapa Umi's spirit has transformed into a more approachable environment, striving for an authenticity vibe straight off the streets of Tokyo.

I have been here many times, each time without reservation, as Hapa Umi is consistently my "heat of the moment I am craving Japanese food" restaurant. Hapa Umi seems to be a sold out show all the time, believe it or not, I have never sat at the dining room. Each time I come last minute, I have been seated at the lounge. Which is not a big deal to me, there are higher couches and stools in a slightly darker section of the diner, serving the same menu. I need only to be happy to have a seat to enjoy the food. I much enjoyed Umi to Izakaya because I preferred a professional ambiance than a party mood. But now that Umi has shifted to an Izakaya, the food is cheaper and more diverse... I can't complain!

Dine Fine: GYU-KAKU JAPANESE BBQ - DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

Gyu-Kaku has close to 25 restaurants worldwide, the Vancouver location being its latest addition and only location in Canada. Gyu-Kaku places its location in higher-end metropolitan areas such as Beverly Hills (currently celebrating their 10 year anniversary), Los Angeles, NY Times Square (coming soon), Chicago, Hong Kong, Singapore etc... I am rather proud Vancouver made it on to Gyu- Kaku's list to be Canada's first location (as opposed to Toronto, pardon offense my torontoers). Nonetheless, after tasting this restaurant, there is a very distinct reason why Gyu-Kaku is so successful around the world.

Gyu-Kaku is part of Japan's REINS International Inc - a corporation of over 1200 restaurants and 500 employees. Its president and founder Tomoyoshi Nishiyama, openly centers his corporation around one philosophy: "Kando Sozo" and one slogan: "All for customer's smile". Such philosophy strives for each diner and each working environment to exceed expectations and create memorable experiences. 

The menu's are printed with cute messages. Believe me when I say this is not just a cheesy marketing tactic, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Vancouver excels in all areas of service and creativity.

AMBIANCE | Rather mediocre, I'd critique. Well, it is stylishly black, filled with urban and minimalistic Japanese culture. But the overall ventilation could've been more thought out - it was evident we were sweating sloppily from hovering over the BBQ and the entire restaurant was very humid. You don't realize how steamy and foggy the restaurant is until you leave and walk outside. Ladies and gents, this restaurant would not be the best place for wools or silk, meat and oil are far an attractive fragrance -  stick to tees cotton. Oh, and remember to wash your hair and face immediately when you get home!!
Service is impeccable, waiters and waitresses are dressed Japanese aprons and head bandanas, they even kneel down to pour your tea! The servers are very attentive to when you finish your dish, when you run out of tea and even when your BBQ tray needs to be replaced. Each time, they serve with you with a warm smile and a Japanese accented "thank you". I don't expect such service from any restaurant, but it is such a nice surprise. Arigato gozaimasu!

Mr. F and I ordered:
Fried Tofu Nuggets

Mushroom Medley
Sweet Potato with Butter

Spiniach Garlic

Garlic Cloves

Eggplant

Corn with Butter

Garlic Mushroom

Premium Rib Eye (Aged Angus rib eye)

Harami Skirt Steak (Aged Angus outside skirt steak)
Kalbi Short Rib

Gyu-Tan (Slices of beef Tongue)

 Menu found here 

FOOD | That is one excessive long list. Believe me (again), portions are rather small.

I loved the veggies, but these little monsters are expensive! 4 pieces of corn, 5 slices of eggplant, 5 mushrooms, 8 cubes of potato etc... $4 before tax EACH DISH. These few dishes alone were well over $30. Oh, and I burnt a few pieces of eggplant. That said, my favourite dishes are the Sweet Potato with Butter and Mushroom Medley - definite must orders. The perfect combo of garlic and butter are addicting, one dish was far from satisfying my taste buds, I could not stop ordering one after another.

The menu recommends 2-3 meat dishes per person, I would say 2 dishes MINIMUM per person. Well, I am a carnivore, I need meaty protein. Meat slices are thin and scarce, but the sauces are amazing: tare, shio, miso, farlic, yuzu, spicy mayo, you are allowed to choose one sauce per meat. The meat is very fresh, tender and well seasoned. The Harami Skirt Steak and Kalbi Short Rib are "favourites" and "featured" items of the menu and were certainly lived up to its name. I love the idea of cooking my own meat, I enjoy my meat rare to medium rare and I can easily control and cater to my preference.

To be honest, there is not much to be said about the food here. Prices are high and I can recreate these dishes at home without much effort. But I walked into this restaurant knowing that I would say this. Walking in, I knew I wasn't in for fine dining this time around, I was in for fun and ambiance.  

Food is simple and predictable; although these terms are rather negative, sometimes dining is more enjoyable if we appreciate the process of light-heartedly cooking with people you cherish.

888 Nelson St

Vancouver, BC
604-558-3885

Dine Fine - JAPONESSA: SUSHI COCINA - DOWNTOWN SEATTLE

I went on a mini three day trip with Mr. F to Bellevue and Seattle, taking time off and enjoying the sun. Downtown Seattle has a wide selection of food and somehow I really wanted contemporary Japanese sushi. Thanks to beloved Google, I chose Japonessa in downtown Seattle after reading from a fellow reviewer that the "eggplant mochi was absolutely amazing".
With stroke of luck, Japonessa was having their anniversary that day, so they extended their "happy hour" menu till closing. But as it turns out, the eggplant mochi wasn't exactly "absolutely amazing".

We ordered:

Sashimi Set (Tuna, Salmon, Yellowtail, Albacore, Shrimp)

Agedashi Tofu

Garlic Short Ribs

Signature Roll: California Crunch

(Snow crab mix, avocado, cream cheese, tempura’d, sweet chili allioli, soy glaze)

Eggplant & Mochi (fried with nameko mushrooms, bonito soy)

Plum wine

Menu found here: http://www.japonessa.com/menu.pdf

Please excuse the poor iPhone quality of these pictures :(

AMBIANCE |  Decorated with Anna Sui inspired Victorian mirrors, black retro chandeliers, black tables and booths mixed with accents of red and white, Japonessa is soo sexy inside. It is the perfect mid scale urban restaurant for a simple dinner before heading over to the bar and club next door. The dimly lit room and lively edgy tones really sets up a nice night out. Oh, there is complimentary wi-fi, thats a plus!

FOOD | The food lacked spirit. In all honesty, for its reviews, I had such high hopes for fine sushi, only to be disappointed with mediocre quality. The Eggplant mochi, garlic short ribs and California crunch were the top 3 recommended items on UrbanSpoon. But.... the original crispy and golden agedashi tofu was soaked in too much sauce, soggy and salty. The California Crunch was poorly thrown together with large chunks of rice, rather far from the mouth-watering elaborate detail written on the menu. Sashimi set, short ribs, eggplant & mochi were all very average dishes simply decorated on a white dish with a flower on the side. For me, the most disappointing is that everything was at room temperature. The garlic BBQ ribs were far from warm and the sashimi were far from cool, nothing tasted horrible, but the quality of a $15 sushi roll was... well, sub par.

Benefit of the doubt, it was Japonessa's anniversary day, perhaps they were busy. Given that "happy hour" menu items are supposed to be small finger foods, the dishes lacked intricacy. We ordered from the main menu as well, and really, there was no difference in quality. I'm sorry Japonessa, Mr. F and I were not too impressed this time around. 

1400 1st Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 971-7979