Tag Archives: Japanese Food

26Jul / 2023

Ichiro Japanese Restaurant – Richmond, BC

Ichiro Japanese Restaurant is one of the restaurants my BF really wanted to check out since he’s been before. We thought we were safe for a weeknight dinner without a reservation (spoiler alert, you are not). They told us they were full until late so we were starting to order take-out when a couple left and they said they could seat us as long as we could finish eating before 7:15. I said, if you can feed us fast, we can eat fast. No worry beef curry.

Ichiro Don & Noodle Set | $28.50 (CAD)
prawn tempura, deep fried chicken & BBQ eel on rice

Kaisen Don & Noodle | $29.95 (CAD)
uni, negitoro, mentaiko, ikura and seaweed on sushi rice

This was my set and it was winners! They ran out of something and had to substitute, I can’t quite remember what it was but it doesn’t matter, it tasted great anyway!

Steveston Sashimi | $76.50 (CAD)
tuna, red tuna, scallop, hamachi, atlantic salmon, sockeye salmon, sweet shrimp and spicy sashimi

We shared this sashimi set – so full from our sets but we had to try out the sashimi selection! If we weren’t so rushed, I think we would have enjoyed the sashimi set more. It’s okay, there’s always next time!

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17Jul / 2023

Wasuta Pasta – Richmond, BC

Another restaurant I had my eye on in Richmond! Wasuta Pasta – I love when Japanese and Italian cuisines fuse together! We also liked having fun trying to make the name rhyme, try saying it outloud! Well this restaurant didn’t disappoint, we made it there basically at last call for lunch so we had the restaurant to ourselves. Service was still good and the food was *chef’s kiss*!

Complimentary Side Salad

Crab Cream Croquette | $15.00 (CAD)

Yum! This was our appetizer and it was delicious! Nice plump chunks of crab. Love the crunchy breading outside with the creamy inside! And the cream tomato sauce on top added a nice acidic hit.

Prawn Arrabbiata (Special) | $30.00 (CAD)

This was a daily special so it might not be on the menu if you go. Super good! Nice and spicy with a great portion of prawns! Super good.

Mentaiko Carbonara | $21.00 (CAD)

Always love mentaiko with pasta. Another great dish, I liked the prawn pasta dish more but it was great to have both to have the best of both worlds you know? So good! Can’t wait to return here to try more dishes one day!

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14Jul / 2023

Mixed Plate Friday

Sweet and Spicy Trail Mix | $7.00

I never heard of this Sweet Sentiments but they had a pop-up at Nordstrom last weekend so I decided to support local! It’s pretty good! It does have a bit of a kick to it and she uses stuff I like to eat, love the little goldfish too lol

Shoyu Chicken Mozzy | $5.50
homemade aromatic shoyu chicken laced with kewpie mayo, topped with thin sliced sweet onions, crowned with melty mozzarella

I’ve been wanting to try Coco’s Cravings 808’s baked goods for a while now! Always salivate when she posts her sales. She had a pop-up at Nordstrom last weekend so I got to try it! How was it? Well to be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed. It was $5.50 for this bun, it wasn’t bad but definitely not great you know? I still would love to try her pepperoni one and the cinnamon bun was pretty good!

Sorry, I got this image off the internet and not sure who the owner is. If it’s you, please let me know and I can credit you. Remember this building? It brings a smile to my face when I see this picture, it’s bittersweet. I’m so sad to see Keeaumoku turn into high-rise central, we lost so many of our favorite businesses. On the left, you see Jae-il Video, I used to love going there as a high schooler. You see, I was super into K-pop in high school so I used to take the bus to this shop to rent VHS (yeah I’m old, so wat) of the music shows. The Korean ahjumma thought it was cute that this chinese girl who couldn’t speak Korean would come in to rent tapes. She would always greet me so warmly and they would even give me free Korean magazines and posters (I WAS IN HEAVEN – THAT WAS LIKE GOLD TO ME). I hope that family is doing well nowadays.

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10Jul / 2023

Nami Kaze – Honolulu, HI

I first tried Nami Kaze when they opened up with an okazuya take-out concept during the pandemic. It was kind of pricey and the food was just alright back then. They said their original plan was to open as a fancy izakaya so they took a break and reopened! They are open for lunch and dinner, we went for lunch. I wish I wasn’t so full that day (I don’t know what from) because I would have ate more. Though what I did have, was good!

Custard French Toast | $22.00
mango lime coulis, coconut tapioca, candied nuts, roasted coconut

Our dining companion was generous to order this to share with the table. Interesting description yeah? Tapioca on bread, carb on carb! Did I like it? I guess I’m not usually a french toast person anyway so I can’t say I enjoyed it as much. The side sauce was mango and I would say it definitely helped! If the description of the dish fits your fancy, try it!

Charred Sake | $16.00
spicy salmon, pickled vegetables, avocado, tobiko, sea asparagus, kabayaki, garlic aioli

Another shared dish/appetizer. So glad we got it, I really enjoyed it! I would definitely order this roll again!

Mentaiko Omelet | $25.00
tomato, ikura zuke, parmesan

Savory Chinese-Style Steamed Egg Topped with Fresh Seafood and Vegetables. Finished in our house sauce. Toasted Bread or Rice

Change your concept of what an omelet is here! This is how it is served, looks good ah? My friend enjoyed it a lot so if you like eggy savory custard, go for it!!

People’s Choice | $28.00
our ginger fried chicken (okazuya style) and fresh ahi poke (choice of house poke sauce – I chose spicy)
served with rice, potato salad, house pickles

To me, this dish is the best deal on the menu. It comes with a great portion of food for a great cost! The chicken was nicely seasoned, tender and nicely fried. Can’t go wrong with rice and poke too. I can see why it’s called the people’s choice!

All in all, it was a nice experience! It’s located by the Pier, close to Nico’s. I wouldn’t mind coming back to try other dishes at lunch or even try their dinner menu!

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07Jul / 2023

Mixed Plate Friday

I’ve talked about Toshi’s Delicatessen on the blog already, here. Old school okazuya, super old school. Yes it’s pricey but you are supporting a small family business and let’s keep them open please! I don’t know their plans because the head chef is an obaasan, I really hope they can continue for years to come!

Chow Fun, Omelet, Spam, Salmon, Fried Chicken

Chow Fun, Omelet, Spam, Shoyu Chicken, Stir-fried Veggies with Spam

Oh yum yum yum. They serve what I like to call haole chow fun (sorry if that offends you), while it looks bland – it actually tastes great! I still slather it with hot sauce. How much did these two plates cost? $40…yeah kind of pricey but once again, worth it.

Okay, usually I would do a whole post for this amount of food but let me explain. We came here for a birthday lunch for my brother, he told me he wanted Chubbies Burgers and we haven’t been there since they opened their brick and mortar. Warning, they are super busy. It’s first come first sit booths, but luckily a booth opened up when our food was ready. Ordered plenty for the four of us, wanted to try it all. This came out to just over $100.

Warning for possible grossness: one of the burgers (mine of course) had a hair on top. It was just sitting right on top of the bun like it fell gingerly on top? I don’t know but it was black short and curly and like even as I type this I am grossed out. I didn’t make a big fuss, I took it back up to the counter and showed it to them and just said, just give me a new one…I not gonna make a scene. They apologized and told me I could throw it away and they would give me a new one.

Unfortunately, my appetite was kind of turned off for the rest of the day. It was just one of them days. The burgers are pretty good and fries are okay too. I don’t know if I will be returning soon, there are other smash burger places to try. Also, my tip is to order it to go even if you eat there (unless you know you gonna slam ’em). It’s just easier if you gotta take home the leftovers. They weren’t being very helpful when I was trying to pack things to go (the fries spilled all over my car cause no lid).

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30Jun / 2023

Mixed Plate Friday

Have you folks tried those furikake wonton chips at Foodland? They now sell it alongside their housemade tortilla chips. Those wonton chips are TOO DAMN GOOD. It’s not hard crispy, it’s a nice and light crispy. And everytime I go into Foodland and look at their dips because I bet they would be good with those chips. I broke down and got this dip to try. It was okay, I think it’s a gimmicky name. It’s really just creamy salmon dip with furikake haha. But I enjoyed it! Glad I tried, not sure I would buy again (cause it’s pricey!).

Oh yum. I forget the price of this but it was a good sandwich, this was also from Foodland. And a bit blasphemous but I ate it cold. I bet it would be super good warmed up in a toaster oven.

Don’t you love a good ‘ole Hawaii style potluck party? Look at all this glorious food on one plate. I was in heaven, can’t go wrong. Loved it!! Spinach rolls are one of my favorites of all time!!

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19Jun / 2023

Kamonegi – Seattle, WA

Sorry for the sudden break in blogging! I finally got to go on a trip and headed up to Seattle and then we drove up to Richmond, BC and then Whistler, BC. It was such a wonderful trip, I had a great time! I would say that Whistler was probably my favorite part of the trip, really enjoyed the small village feel, cold weather and of course my time with my travel companion.

Kamonegi is a restaurant I’ve wanted to try for years and years and years. I think when they first opened, there was an interview with the owner who talked about making their own soba that intrigued me. So anyway, I followed them on Facebook since way back when and when I finally got a chance to return to Seattle…I made the reservation! You have to pay $50 to hold the reservation but they refund the $50 back when you dine in.

They have NO parking but my bf was able to secure parking at a close by motel (lol) so we still had to walk but hey, we got parking right? Well even though the weather is cool, walking in the sun is still hot. My biggest disappointment was that this restaurant had no AC and I don’t think the fans were on. In other words, it was HAWT.

The restaurant is pretty small, we had a tiny two-top for ourselves. Here you see their little soba bar where you get to watch the kitchen at work!

Complimentary Radish Appetizer – yum!

Housemade Soda

Gosh, I should have saved their menu. They change it monthly and apparently the drinks get changed too. Bummer! Well I didn’t like it too much so we’re good. You know what I did like?? This jalapeno umeshu shot they were serving! Oh my, I don’t usually drink but I really liked it when I tried it. The spiciness and vinegary taste of the jalapeno was so good. Where can I find a drink like that here in Hawaii?

Uni Shiso Bomb | $18 for 2pc
fresh uni* from Santa Barbara, served on shiso leaf tempura with uni salt, ikura, wasabi

Pricey but good. Delicious. Would get again! Nice, light and crisp!

Shrimp Tempura | $11 for 2pc
shrimp tempura, daikon oroshi, tempura sauce

Good. Nothing special, would probably skip next time to try another dish.

Broccolini Tempura | $14.00
tempura fried broccolini, spicy cod roe aioli

Probably my favorite dish of the night. I don’t know what to tell you, I love me a good broccolini. And the spicy cod roe aioli? That just made it even better. I would definitely order this again!

Lamb Tartare | $18.00
lamb strip loin from new zealand, iburigakko, caper, chive mayo, nori chips

Oh man, this dish came out so late that it kind of was just not enjoyed as much you know? I had to remind them that we didn’t receive it yet. The lamb tartare itself was just okay, you can’t taste that it’s lamb (no gamey taste) but also I felt like the capers and pickled aspect of the dish was overpowering everything. And nori chips? No. It’s just cut up nori, nori chips are battered and deep fried no? I wouldn’t get this again.

Kamonegi Seiro | $24.00
duck breast, duck tsukune meatball, leek, yuzu zest

I wanted to try one of their signature dishes. Okay, I should have gone for a bukkake dish since it was hot in the restaurant but the bukkake dishes don’t come with duck! Disappointing. How was the duck? Ehh…well since it’s either ground into a meatball or a super thin slice – it’s not like you can tell it’s duck. The dish was okay but not great.

All in all, I am glad I tried the restaurant! Would I return? Not sure yet, maybe. I wouldn’t mind trying the other soba dishes!

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09Jun / 2023

Mixed Plate Friday

On a walk around the UH Manoa campus, I spotted this note on the ground. It was the Monday after graduation and I was just so intrigued by the letter. Simple note. Do you think it’s authentic? Do grandparents sign letters with “Grandmother”? I guess I would assume Grandma or something less formal? Not sure. I felt sad that it was littered on the ground. So what do you folks think? Real letter or like a plant to catch attention? Either way, sweet but sad message.

Spicy Tofu Poke Bowl | $11.75

Walked down to Down to Earth (ha!) but didn’t get my usual tofu pockets, decided to try this spicy tofu poke bowl instead. How was it? Well it tastes like a health food store made it, does that help you? Get a big helping of hijiki salad which I love. Rice was kind of hard. The tofu was just alright. I wouldn’t get it again.

Miso Butterfish Bento | $14.00

It is dangerous that Mai Musubi is so close to work, since I walked down to Le Flowers to get a lei, swung by here to grab breakfast and lunch. This bento was supposed to be my lunch but I ate it for breakfast (lol). It was good! Two good sizes pieces of fish, I enjoyed it. I don’t enjoy their fried chicken but I enjoy this.

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02Jun / 2023

Mixed Plate Friday

Lego Typewriter

I don’t usually buy Lego sets but when I saw this one released, I knew I had to get it! It’s pricey but thanks to a friend, I was able to get it at a discounted price. And well it took forever to build! So many little pieces but it was worth it. The keys do work and the carriage moves, I should take a video of it working. It’s pretty neat!! Wish I had a clear display case for it because it will now collect dust (like real life typewrites yeah?)

Poke Bowl (2 Choice) | $12.95

I haven’t been to Alicia’s Market since they had that fire and reopened. Got these bowls for the boys, it’s nice that one choice or two choice is the same price. Kind of pricey for the portion but was good. I believe we chose Shoyu Onion and Spicy Ahi.

Spicy Mixed Noodles (Bibimkooksoo) | $13.95

Next door to Alicia’s is Joon’s Korean BBQ, I didn’t feel like poke bowl so I gave them a chance! When I first got the order, I thought the portion was kind of small. They usually give it in a big lunch plate box but you know what? It was a pretty hefty portion and I asked for spicy and I got what I asked for, it was spicy. My face is leaking kine spicy. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go back here but would try it again if I was there.

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29May / 2023

ICHIRAN – Harujuku, Japan

I am not a big fan of crowds. But here I was in Harajuku. Why? Well, firstly because of Ikea. And also some other stores I had to go to buy omiyage. Ended the trip with my every Japan trip visit to Ichiran. I know it’s a bit touristy to go and the whole cubicle to yourself dining concept was a bit faddish. To me, it’s just a nice bowl of ramen you can eat quickly and go. You can also purchase a pack to take home, way cheaper than the one in Don Quijote.

Ordering Machine

No worries, there’s always a line and they hand you a foreigner friendly menu to review before you get to the machine. Makes for an easy ordering process. Then you continue to line up to get seated. You can ask to be seated near your companion, just let them know.

Me in my cubicle waiting for my ramen with my lonely egg. Each cubicle has its own water station with cups on top.

While you are waiting for your seat after ordering, you can further specify how salty you want it, how you want the noodles cooked, spice level, etc. Yes, it’s an English form!

My toppings! Yum!

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