Episode #45: Zest

Vancouver (Northwest), $$$$ (Luxury)
www.zestjapanese.com/home

The end of the fall semester at SFU is approaching, and I figured it was time for some indulgence before I legitimately start those hectic days of cramming for final exams. For some reason, Zest became my restaurant of choice as it served Japanese food with a bit of a modern twist. When I arrived at the intersection of Macdonald St. and 16th Ave., I looked around for the restaurant but could not spot it at any of the corners. I actually started to panic because I was literally starving (I pretty much skipped lunch) and getting the address wrong was absolutely the last thing I would want to happen. I walked over to Starbucks (on the northeast corner) and stole some Wi-Fi to see if I indeed got the address wrong. Nope, it turns out that I just didn't see the restaurant because it had no street sign and was hidden on 16th Ave. behind the Starbucks.

I walked in to find a medium-sized restaurant with a high-class ambience and tables neatly covered with white linen tablecloths. The lighting is comfortably dim at the dining tables, but I thought this was a little uncomfortably contrasted by the much brighter area around the sushi bar. When I walked into the restaurant shortly before 6 p.m., it was mostly empty, but the waitress told me that all of the tables were reserved except a window seat which was free until 7:15 p.m. I chose to sit at the bar instead, where the owner chef, Yoshiaki Maniwa, and the executive chef, Tatsuya Katagiri, were already busy preparing the dishes ordered by the first customers to arrive for dinner. I was sitting on Chef Yoshi's side of the bar, observing his knife skills. He slides the knife through the sashimi displaying both elegance and ease, and each piece is cut very evenly and with just the right thickness.

Assorted Sashimi Salad - A

I was expecting Chef Yoshi to prepare the Assorted Sashimi Salad, but as soon as he learned that I ordered it, he passed the task off to Chef Tatsuya. The Assorted Sashimi salad came with an organic spring mix, fresh sashimi from the raw bar, assorted seaweed, fresh grape fruits, nori (seaweed) tempura, micro mustard green. In a small container on the side was the Zest original soy onion dressing. I found six types of sashimi inside the salad: Albacore tuna (B+), ahi tuna (A-), hokkigai (A+), madai (A), sockeye salmon (A+) and tako (A). Overall, the sashimi was very fresh and had brilliant flavours. I was most impressed with the sockeye salmon sashimi (there were 3 pieces of it too!), which had a perfect smooth sheen and was remarkably soft. The piece of nori tempura was fried to just the right crispiness and greatly exceeded my expectations. The Zest original soy onion dressing went very well with the salad greens (not so much with the sashimi or the seaweed) and it had a nice tangy flavour while the hint of soy gave it a sense of uniqueness.

I also learned that at Zest, each dish is served one after another, instead of all at the same time.

Kamo Nanban Soba - A-

The Kamo Nanban Soba was a warm filler dish that consisted of roasted Yarrow Meadows duck breast, green onion, fried soybean curd and assorted mushroom in Ichiban dashi and duck broth with a hint of Yuzu Zest. The duck was roasted to medium rare and had a smooth texture, but I found it slightly tough. On the other hand, the fried bean curd had a nice rebound and absorbed the flavouring from the duck broth well. The addition of duck broth gave the soup a richer flavour than it would have been if was just plain dashi. Overall, there was a good sense of harmony among the different ingredients used.

Ocean Pacific Roll - B+

The Ocean Pacific Roll consisted of tiger prawn tempura, asparagus, smoked salmon, seared mozzarella cheese, red and yellow pepper, and creamy wasabi sauce. I was secretly hoping this would be prepared by Chef Yoshi so I would get to experience the skills of both chefs, but it turns out that Chef Tatsuya was responsible for the rolls. It was neatly constructed, but the sushi rice wasn't exactly spectacular. I found the smoked salmon to be rather mild in flavour, though I liked the thin seared coating of cheese. It would be nice if it had even more of a smoky flavour (but any more searing and it would have turned the cheese hard). The tiger prawn tempura was quite thin in diameter, considering that tiger prawns were advertised. The asparagus, on the other hand, was added in just the right amount and it had a nice juicy crunch.

I wanted to try more dishes, but I was way too full to order anything else from the main menu. However, I couldn't bring myself to leave without having a crème brûlée after reading from online reviews that they served it ...

The Dessert Menu (click to enlarge)

Houji-cha Crème Brûlée - A-

The Houji-cha Crème Brûlée was made with Maplehill farm free range eggs and organic roasted green tea made by Tsuen (Kyoto). It was garnished with a raspberry and a blackberry (coincidentally my two favourite kinds of berries) as well as a mint leaf. I was expecting the custard base to have a primarily green tea flavour, but it took on a vanilla coffee flavour instead (still with a hint of green tea), which I found just as delicious. My only wish was for the hard caramel layer on top to be a little thinner so that it would have a nice crispy texture (it was getting a bit sticky). 

The service was immaculate from beginning to end, though I found it interesting that they kept asking me if I would like more. My brain would have liked more, but my stomach said otherwise. In fact, the first two items each came in a larger portion size than I had expected, so I was able to keep the bill under the $60 while stuffing myself completely full. The highlight of tonight's meal was the fresh, vibrant flavours from the sashimi, though overall, the meal demonstrated decent preparation skills and consistent quality.

Episode #19: Kiriri Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar

Richmond, $$$ (Higher Priced)
www.sushiinrichmondbc.com

I happened to be in Richmond trying to find a mini notebook and a mini pen so I could conveniently take notes during my sushi adventures. Let's just say that the mini notebook took 10 minutes to find, while I could not find a mini pen with a clip after searching for 5 hours. During my search, I found mini highlighters, mini permanent markers, and even mini pencils with a clip! Wow, who ever thought it could be so hard to find the right pen?

In the midst of my search, I was hungry for lunch so I went to Kiriri Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar. Kiriri is run by Japanese servers and Japanese chefs, and is frequented by both Japanese and Chinese customers. It was funny to hear the diners sitting next to me muttering about how high the prices were, but in my personal opinion, the prices were justified. I ordered the Kaiseki Lunch Set, which takes approximately 20 minutes to prepare, as well as the Starter Tempura, which would help me pass some time as I waited for my lunch set.

Starter Tempura - B

The starter tempura came with 2 prawns, and one piece each of carrot, eggplant and zucchini. The pieces are smaller than what you would normally expect, and if I could ever complain about tempura having too little batter, this would be it. The two prawns were decent, minus the fact that the batter had an uneven crispiness throughout. The carrot had too little batter, and this is evident from just looking at the photo above. The eggplant was a bit stiff and overly chewy. The zucchini was my favourite, as it was very soft and juicy. The dipping sauce was very carefully made with light soy, very finely grated ginger, a hit of mirin, and as the waitress described, "many things." This was one of my favourite tempura dipping sauces, so I asked for another bowl of it, and ended up drinking it as a soup. (I know I'm not supposed to do that, but it was hard to resist!)

Then, the Kaiseki Lunch Set came ...

Kaiseki refers to a multi-course meal which allows the chef to demonstrate his exceptional preparation techniques and showcase his presentation skills using Japanese aesthetics standards. It is like a taste-testing set. The chef who prepares the Kaiseki lunch sets at Kiriri maintained a very focused, concentrated look on his face, rarely smiling or speaking to anyone (unless you attempt to talk to him). As you can see, the presentation of this Kaiseki lunch set is quite impressive. All of the items pictured below, including the Crème Brûlée, are part of the Kaiseki lunch set.

Taro Appetizer - A

Taro and me typically do not get along, and I always struggle to understand why it is so popular. However, this dish made me re-think my dislike for taro. The ball-shaped pieces of taro were accompanied by a small amount of miso sauce, which allowed the taro to be soft and full of moisture. The thin outside layer was soupy, crispy and delightfully savoury.

Kobachi Grilled Fish - A

The Kobachi Grilled Fish had a velvety smooth texture and a distinctly sweet flavour. It could be more juicy, but I found it very tasty nonetheless.

Clear Soup - B-

The clear soup came with 2 Manila clams and some green onions. The flavouring of the clams was nicely distributed throughout the soup. The clams themselves were a bit small, lacking in flavour, and noticeably sandy.

Pickled Vegetables - B

The Pickled Vegetables (described as "Pickles" on the menu) came with two small pieces each of carrot, celery and daikon (I accidentally ate a bit of it before taking a picture!). The pickled vegetables had a crunchy texture to them, and there wasn't anything remarkably special about their taste.

Tako Sunomono - A-

The Tako Sunomono came with thinly sliced pieces of tako, a slice of pineapple, some extraordinarily thin slices of cucumber and some crystal vermicelli. I really liked how the tako was sliced thin, so that it was chewy but not unchewable. The vinegar in the sunomono was adequately strong and did not overpower any of the ingredients.

Carrots & Bamboo Shoots - A

The Carrots & Bamboo Shoots (not listed on the menu under the Kaiseki lunch set but included as part of the set) consisted of a few pieces of sliced carrots and bamboo shoots decorated with sesame seeds. I found these sweet and savory, and the slices were seasoned like the Chinese recipe of jellyfish. 

The gourd-shaped container has three layers, each filled with one or two small courses. Opening it, I found ...

Kakuni - A-

Unagi and Friends - A-

The Kakuni (Japanese braised pork) came in a small container and consisted of well-braised lean meat. It would have been nice if it was served a little warmer (it ended up being cooler than the sashimi). The Unagi and Friends (name is made up by me) came with a thin piece of unagi on fish cake, a piece of kamaboko (the pink and white piece) and tamago. The fish cake completely overpowered the unagi, which was sliced quite thin. However, I enjoyed the very soft and chewable kamaboko and the tamago was rich in flavour, being the best out of the three. 

Toro Sashimi - B

Sockeye Salmon Sashimi - B

Tai Sashimi - A-

The sashimi course came with two pieces of Toro Sashimi, one piece of Sockeye Salmon Sashimi and two pieces of Tai Sashimi. The Toro Sashimi was a bit stringy, but had a nice mildly salty taste. The Sockeye Salmon Sashimi was cut so that it resembled a mini mountain range, and was a bit tough but tasted fresh. The Tai Sashimi was buttery and had a nice glossy finish. It felt like there was a dash of mayonnaise added to it, which helped to enhance its creamy flavour.

Sushi Tower - A-

The Sushi Tower came with salmon, masago, mango and avocado on rice, along with some wakame (seaweed) and ginger to the side. The Atlantic salmon had a smooth teture and was very fresh. It was the best out of all the sashimi I was served in this meal. The textures of the mango and avocado blended very well with the sashimi, so that it would all taste like a tower of distinctly sweet sashimi if you weren't looking!

After I finished all of the courses on the tray, I received a Crème Brûlée for dessert (which is included as part of the Kaiseki lunch set). 

Green Tea Crème Brûlée - A+

OMG ... I completely had a foodgasm at how immaculate this crème brûlée was in terms of both presentation and preparation! The fruits and berries were all fresh and very juicy, and went surprisingly well with the custard base. The custard itself was smooth, creamy and sweet with a rich green tea aroma. It was covered by an irresistible thin and crusty layer on top. This was hands down the best item of the entire meal.

The Kaiseki lunch set was highly unique in presentation and I haven't found anything else quite like it throughout my sushi adventures all around Greater Vancouver. Almost all of the items in the lunch set show careful preparation from the lone sushi chef who made all of the sets. And I will almost certainly be back for more of that delicious crème brûlée!

Episode #7: Hapa Izakaya

Vancouver (Downtown), $$$ (Higher Priced)
www.hapaizakaya.com

Today was a day of very hot temperatures across much of Metro Vancouver, except places right by the harbour such as Waterfront Station. Therefore, Hapa Izakaya (Coal Harbour) became my choice for dinner tonight. Hapa Izakaya is situated right above the Waterfront Centre food court and is a large restaurant with a patio and clean, modern decor.

I came into the restaurant just before their Hapa Hour ended, so I was able to try some items from the Hapa Hour menu as well as other items from the standard dinner menu. The Hapa Hour menu consists of select items from the regular menu at a 50% discount, so I was quite surprised to see that there was nearly nobody seated inside the restaurant. I then turned my head around to see that the patio was completely packed. Nonetheless, I stayed inside the restaurant to benefit from the air conditioning and the more attentive service that comes from sitting inside a restaurant. Also, you can get better photos from the reduced sun glare!

After a wait that was shorter than the time it took me to decide on what to order, the Ebi Mayo arrived.

Ebi Mayo - A-

The Ebi Mayo came with six lightly battered tempura prawns and one prawn cracker. The prawn cracker was crunchier than any of the prawns, which were coated with a very soft layer of batter. The prawns were dressed in a very tangy mayonnaise sauce and served fairly hot. I highly appreciated the uniqueness of the sauce, which left me wanting more of the prawns. This dish was a very good deal at $4.49, but would be rather expensive if ordered at the regular price of $8.99.

Hapa Hot Wings - A-

The Hapa Hot Wings had no trouble in maintaining the level of quality established by the Ebi Mayo. The four chicken wings and two chicken drumettes covered with a lightly fried coating and tastefully peppered with spices. The outside was rather dry, but the chicken inside was remarkably tender and juicy. The spicy serrano chili sauce was sweet, tangy and quite spicy, and has an espresso-like aftertaste (yes, the coffee). The sauce adds a sweet and spicy zing to the chicken and goes well with the auxiliary vegetables as well.

Hapa Roll - B+

The Hapa Roll consists of torched salmon, spicy mayonnaise, avocado, cucumber, carrot, asparagus, kaiware (radish sprouts) and ikura (salmon roe). The interior of the roll had a rather solid texture due to the asparagus and the carrot, though these were softer than you would expect. The avocado was the spotlight of the roll, though you could taste most of the other ingredients as well. The spicy mayonnaise on top, when torched along with the salmon, brought a brilliant, charred flavour to the roll that I always look for when I order seared sushi. Unfortunately, there was way too little of this goodness. It was as if the cook was trying to tell me, "I know how to do it right, but you're only getting a little glimpse of my mastery."

Marshmellow Fondue - A

In terms of presentation, the Marshmellow Fondue (it's spelled that way on the menu) was simply glorious. It was in fact eye-catching enough to attract the attention of the tables next to me. The dark chocolate fondue, which was rich and creamy, was kept in a bubbling motion due to the heat coming from the candle below. The marshmellows themselves were amazingly soft and the fresh fruit, especially the strawberries, were very delicious upon being dipped in the fondue. The chocolate was slightly sticking to the roof of my mouth and my lips. It is best to share this dish with at least one other person (or otherwise, you might experience sweetness/chocolate overload ...).

Overall, I found the service quite attentive (partly due to the fact that I was one of the very few people sitting inside). Presentation was superb for each dish and the food displayed innovation and experimentation. The items on the Hapa Hour menu are literally a steal, but if you want to try the regular dinner menu (which has a much wider selection as well as higher prices) as well, go at around 5 p.m. and wait until 5:30 to order off the regular menu.