The Denman Challenge: Kingyo

Denman Street is, like an other street, constantly changing. When the list of restaurants on the street was first written up back in July for this site, one place that didn't yet exist made it to the list - Kingyo. A sign in the window was announcing a soon to be open isakaya and so the info got written down without much thought given to it. Just an other isakaya, we thought.

Were we wrong! Surprisingly, Kingyo is a big thing. When it finally opened, we learned that it's owned by the same people who have Guu and it soon became the talk of the town. With great reviews right left and centre, Kingyo was named as one of Vancouver's top 10 (new) restaurants. So, of course, we wanted to check it out.

When: Wednesday, January 17 2007. (7:45 pm plus some wait time).

We thought that going on a raining Wednesday night would afford us a quieter experience but the place was full when we arrived. The atmosphere is fantastic, and the decor even more so - with live bamboo dividers and Japanese temple-inspired rooftops, it simply has to be seen.

We say: The menu is quite extensive and filled with great items that rarely make it onto most restaurants' menus. Dishes are inventive and inspired - and hard to remember! M wrote down the name of the plates ordered and not their description, hoping for a web-based menu. Unfortunately, with Kingyo not having a website, this review lacks in explaination of each dishes.

M started with the Kingyo Cocktail ($5), a mix of shochu and sisho herb with a dried hot red pepper and tonic water. Nice and crisp, it's quite a refreshing drink. T ordered a large House Sake ($8).

For food we headed for the Tebesaki ($5.40), chicken wings flavoured with sea kelp and special salts and the Grilled Pork Cheek ($6.80). The wings did not taste as exotic as their description and felt like standard yakitori fare. The pork cheeks, on the other end, were delightfully tender and flavourful. We then received the Stone Unagi Bowl ($8.80), a rice dish with unagi, pickles and other vegetables served with a raw egg that is hand-mixed at the table. The dish was more exciting based on the process than on the taste, but this is classic Japanese fare that reminded M of her travels in Japan.

Next was the Ebi Tempura Rice Balls ($6.80). While we were expecting the Japanese-style rice ball, this dish was quite good in spite of being hard to eat. As the last dinner dish, we ordered the Tuna Tataki ($5.80), a seared white tuna sashimi with a yuzu jelly and dried garlic chips.

tuna tataki with yuzy jelly and garlic chips

Dessert consisted of a generous slice of Green Tea Tiramisu with Red Bean Mascarpone filling ($4.50). This delightful fusion dish was a perfect ending to the meal.

green tea and red bean mascarpone tiramisu

Pro: Despite our seemingly harsh criticism, We both thoroughly enjoyed this dining experience. The decor, the atmosphere, the inventive food and the staff makes Kingyo worth the detour. Plus, they have some of the longest opening hours on Denman St.

Con: They could use some more comfortable chairs!

Verdict: T says yea, M says yea.