Wanoma Izakaya

When: Sunday, March 28 2009. (1:45 pm)

We say: We were walking up and down Denman Street trying to find a place to eat lunch and decided to give this place a try. Relatively new, it was intriguing us.

The room is clean and minimal, a sharp contrast of dark wood and white everything else. The 30-seat room was pretty quiet - we got the feeling that things probably pick up in the evening, as long as the restaurant next door (the incredible Kingyo) is full to capacity (which happens all the time).



We were brought green tea and ordered a Saporo to share. We had asked for a large, but a small ($5) arrived instead. We didn't argue.

M ordered the Chicken Teriaki Bowl ($9.95), which come with miso soup and a choice of salad or pickled vegetables. M chose the salad. The salad arrived first - it was fresh, crisp and topped with friend noodles. The vinaigrette was quite oriental, with notes of sesame oil, soy, mirin and nori. The miso was more disappointing - it was not the usual flavour profile and not the best. The teriaki dish, on the other hand, was quite pleasing - the sweetness was well balanced. The dish was flavourful and filled with nice pieces of chicken leg and crisp vegetables.





T ordered the Nabeyaki Udon soup ($10.50) - it arrived in a cast iron bowl and was unbelievably hot. The cast iron really did it's job! The broth was excellent, and the noodles were excellent. The dish also came with a rice ball and pickled vegetables.



We also shared the Ebi Ten ($2.95), a sushi cone filled with prawns, tempura vegetables, greens and avocado. This dish also fell flat, as the flavours didn't have enough punch.

Pro: Overall, the food was good and the presentation was lovely. The portions are quite large - neither of us could finish our plates. The cost is low and you get a lot of value for what you pay for. What we ordered could have easily fed another person. Our final bill was $30.32 with taxes.

Con: Don't go there if you are a fan of miso soup! Some of the food needed more work, but there wasn't much for us to criticize. Some may find the service too relaxed for their taste.

Verdict: Both of us would go back - and if you are trying to go to Kingyo and the restaurant is full, try next door instead! You might be pleasantly surprised. T says yea, M says yea.

Wanoma Izakaya
867 Denman St
Vancouver
604-687-6601

Toratatsu

When: Saturday, October 3 2009. (8:20 pm)

We say: We decided to try out Toratatsu after a coworker recommended it for the cheap tall Japanese beers ($2 off on Wednesdays). We found a warm, eclectic room - more similar to that of a bistro than a Japanese restaurant. With Bob Marley as the soundtrack, we ordered drinks and a few plates to share. The place was quite busy, mostly full with Japanese girls.





T started with the "Live Bamboo Sake" from Kiyozu temple in Kyoto ($9) - it was served in a frozen sake bamboo branch, and even the cup was frozen, which kept everything nice and cool. M ordered a Smash - you choose the booze and the fruit and they make your drink ($5.50). The sochu mango was well balanced and deliciously refreshing.



We started with the Negitoro with Avocado ($7.80) that was listed on the fresh sheet as their Top 5. It was a strange dish - not what we had expected and it was difficult to eat. It was served with garlic toast, which did not really work as a vehicle due to the way that they were cut. While the negitoro (chopped tuna belly with scallion) was flavourful, it was a bit heavy on the wasabi and there was had hardly any avocado in the dish. We finished eating it with a spoon.

Next came the Kushi Katsu ($8.80), skewers of pork tenderloin. They were a bit dry, and more on the boring side. The onion on top was a nice touch - it tasted like an onion ring.

The next dish up was the Gindara Saikyo Yaki ($9.80) - sablefish served on a bed of greens and with a sweet potato purée. The sablefish was divine - tender, flavorful and it simply melted in your mouth. The fish was clearly well executed. The downside of the dish was with the accompagnements - the salad was not dressed and there was nothing on the plate to cut the sweetness of the fish nor the purée. It was just not a balanced dish.

We ate the next two dish with a large Kirin beer ($8). We decided to order the cheapest item on the menu, off the fresh sheet's Top 5. The Aburi Shimi Saba ($5) turned out to be sliced marinated maquarel, finished at the table with a blow torch - a major wow factor. It was a fun and tasty dish, although the seaweed salad was not dressed.

Our last item of the evening was the Musashi Roll ($9.80), a roll of crab and mango. 1/2 of the rolls were topped with caviart, the other with tobiko. For even more fun with a blow torch the waiter flamed the tobiko at the table, which made a great popping and crackling sound under the heat. Unfortunately, the taste was not as fun - it tasted burnt and somewhat terrible. The rolls with the caviart were very salty, and no rolls had enough mango in them to really let you taste it.



Pro: In spite of everything, we really had a fun time at Toratatsu and would recommend it for an evening of drinks with friends. The place has a good atmosphere, affordable drinks (and daily drink specials) and they are open until 2 am every day except on Sundays. Our bill came to $69.14 - for 3 drinks and 5 plates, so this place definitively doesn't break the bank.

Con: The food is really hit and miss. Some items were quite good, while others just left us wondering what the chef was thinking. Perhaps with a bit more refinement this place could really be fantastic.

Verdict: Neither of us wanted to give a yea or nay - we are giving it a meh. We would go back for drinks, but most likely not for food.

Toratatsu Japanese Tapas Bistro
735 Denman St
Vancouver
604-685-9399
www.toratatsutapas.com

Olympia

We were in the mood for Greek food, and so we decided to give Olympia a try. We were not too sure what to expect, since it seems that this restaurant's reputation is more linked to its controversial use of the Olympic's symbol in their logo, rather than its food.

When: Friday, March 20 2009. (7:35 pm plus 10 minute wait)

We Say: We arrived to a busy restaurant, with people waiting to seat themselves. During our time waiting in the lobby, quite a few more patrons showed up, only to turn around, unwilling to wait for a seat. We kept ourselves occupied during the wait by taking in the views of the Greek vistas surrounding us (complete with blue sky ceiling, and walls of ocean and typical white houses) and observing how relaxed - or should we say, unfriendly - the staff was with their patrons. Is it so hard to smile?

We were surprised to find that this is actually a Greek and Italian restaurant, with the first items on the menu being Italian. This also explained why we saw so many pizza boxes leave the premises during our wait. We thus decided to share the House Special pizza ($14.95 for a medium) and the Roast Lamb ($12.95), for a mix of Italian and Greek. The drinks list is very limited, and the wine list is near non-existant. T ordered a pint of Okanagan Springs Extra Special Pale Ale ($4.55) and M had a glass of Mission Ridge red ($4.25).

The pizza arrived piping hot, and was just as we had expected. It was loaded with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, olives, green peppers and cheese. While it was greasy, the crust was crispy and the pizza was tasty. We may decide to order one of these up for delivery in the future.

The Roast Lamb was cooked to perfection, although it was a tad under-seasoned and too heavy on the cinnamon. Along with the large, nice cut cut of meat, the portion was generous and included rice, Greek salad, tzadziki, lemon potato and pita bread. The Greek salad and the potato were both quite nice. The rice was fine, but a little on the greasy side. The only letdown on the plate was the tzadziki, which was both watery and glutenous at the same time.



Overall, our meal was $38.40 with taxes, and we left with plenty of leftovers.

Pro: The restaurant has a nice, large heated patio. They also offer free delivery within the West End for orders over $10.

Con: Perhaps we caught them on an off night, but the service was sub par. The staff appeared cold, and the service was slow. They also did forget T's order of a second beer. In addition, you can get better food at a better price at Stephos Greek Taverna (on Davie Street).

Verdict: T and M say yea and nay. It's middle of the road.

Olympia
988 Denman St
Vancouver
604-688-8333
www.988denman.com
www.olympiapizza.com

Teresa's Café

We were looking for a breakfast joint to review, and decided to go with Teresa's Café, the self-proclaimed "West End's Best Breakfast". After reading the review of this restaurant on BrunchBox and other review sites, we were a little worried about the breakfast that we were about to have, but it turned out to be a decent breakfast.

When: Tuesday, March 10 2009. (10:15 am)

We say: We arrived to a bright, sunlit room, which made up for the rustic, aesthetically unpleasing decor. For a Tuesday morning, the place was busy and chatter was the only soundtrack at Teresa's.



T ordered the all-day breakfast special D (Daniel), which consists of 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, a mountain of hash browns with toast for $4.25. Somehow he felt the need for added carbs and ordered a side of English Muffin for $1.60, with coffee ($1.50), of course. The food was on par with what was expected, the coffee was fresh and the refills kept on coming.

M ordered the #5, the Vegetarian Omelet, which is served with toast and loads of hash browns for $6.95 with an orange juice ($1.70). It was a good omelet, huge and loaded with veggies, but could have used a little less oil and cheddar cheese in lieu of processed cheese. The orange juice, unfortunately, was of the previously frozen kind, as is often the case with places like this.



This isn't the best breakfast in the West End, and they don't serve anything fancy or elaborated. The food is basic, unpretentious, but you get what you expect. Furthermore, the portions are enormous and it would be nearly impossible to leave this restaurant still hungry.



Pro: The most expensive item on the breakfast menu is only $7.95 - you get a classic, made-to-order breakfast at a good price. For health conscious patrons, there is also the option to get fresh fruits instead of hash browns. There's also a small patio up front, perfect for summer days.

Con: While the service is fast and attentive, be ready for a wait - we were served at least 20 minutes after ordering.

Verdict: T says yea, M says yea. We would definitively return.

Note: They also do burgers.

Teresa's Café
1005 Denman St
Vancouver
604-683-7321

Legendary Noodle

Legendary Noodle opened a branch of their successful Main Street restaurant on Denman Street in 2007 and we have been huge fans ever since. From their start up with limited drink menu (water and tea) to being licensed and having an established clientele, they've never really disappointed us.

The Denman Street's location is a small, narrow room which used to host an Italian restaurant. Legendary Noodle's decor is an eclectic mix of kitchy Chinese decor atop Ciao-frosted mirrors and palm tree tiles. The music is just as eclectic - played on random is anything from Chinese opera to remixed tango music. Expect a crowded room, and a friendly but light service.

When: Tuesday, February 24 2009. (7:45pm)

We say: For such a small restaurant (tiny kitchen, 30 seats), the menu is quite diversified. The specialty here is truly the noodles, which are hand-made and are quite the delight.



We always like to start with an appetiser or side dish, and today we went for the Pork and Chive panfried dumplings ($7.75 for a dozen). The dumplings tasted fine, but not quite close to those in China and lacking somewhat in depth and texture. What disappointed us both was the dipping sauce, a traditional Chinese vinegar that we just could not get personalized to our liking no matter how much soy sauce and hot pepper oil we added.

T ordered the Legendary Noodle Soup ($8.25), a sour soup with tofu, carrots, mushrooms, morsels of pork and the noodle size of your choice - T choose the thin noodles. The soup was as advertised - sour, fragrant and tasty.

M ordered the Dao Xiao Mian ($8.99), a stir fry dish of hand-cut noodles, vegetables and the meat of your choice (M selected the Cumin Lamb Shank - "the usual"). The dish was delicious as always (this is the dish that won us over from the very start, on our first meal here), but a little heavy on the cumin today. The lamb was tender and moist, and as we were not sharing the dish today, there was no fighting as to who was getting the last tasty morsel of lamb.



In both dishes, the noodles were absolutely masterful. The hand-cut noodles are all of different sizes, making for variations of texture and a pleasant feel in mouth. The thin noodles were also of different sized, easy to slurp and perfectly cooked.

Our dishes were washed down with cold Tsing Tao ($4.75).

On previous visits, lovely Steamed Dumplings ($-) were had, along with crispy and tasty Green Onion Pancakes ($3.50). More forgettable items were the House Tea ($2.50) with dried fruit and chrysanthemum (hard to drink) , the Tibetan Lamb with Rice ($-) and the Vermicelli Spinach with Peanut and Mustard Sauce ($4.50), which was cold and unpalatable.

Pro: The food is always good and simple, and is a great value for your money. The Cumin Lamb Shank Dao Xiao Mian is worth the visit. In addition, watching the chef pull and twist the dough to make the noodles is always entertaining.

Con: Did we mention that the room was small and narrow? You'd better like the person your eating with, because the setup tighter than cozy and the table gets crowded very quickly with dishes. To add to this discomfort, the chairs have to be the most uncomfortable ones in all of Vancouver.

Verdict: T says yea, M says yea.

Legendary Noodle
1074 Denman St
Vancouver, BC
604-669-8551

Vina

Having not done a challenge in a while, we decided to head back out and eat at Vina, a Vietnamese restaurant that has been tempting us for a while now.

When: Friday, May 18 2007. (8:30 pm)

M says: Surprisingly, Vina has a Vietnamese beer on the menu, so we had to order it. Called 333 ($5.75) and made in Saigon, this blond beer is pretty mild. I had never heard of it before, and keeping in mind that I prefer La Rue to any other Vietnamese beer and ignored pretty much all other beers when possibly during my stay in Vietnam, I wasn't too concerned about this beer being a mystery to me. Unfortunately, this is not the kind of beer that should be worth exporting.

I decided to start my meal by ordering the classic Phở ($4.50 for a small). Having eaten Phở both in that country and in Cambodia, I have to admit that I had high hopes for this dish. The Phở came with beef consommé, vermicelli noodles, cilantro, onions and nice slices of rare beef. Unfortunately, the soup was weak and reminded me of a horrible breakfast Phở I had in Ha Long Bay. The consommé, more gay than a nice shade of brown, had too much anise in it, giving it an unusual flavour. The dish could have benefited from being served with the usual condiment platter it comes with in Asia - fresh greens, chillies and sauces - to adjust it to one's liking.

For my main I chose the Heo N'u'ong ($11.95), a marinated and charbroiled pork brochette (3) served with rice vermicelli. From the description, I was expecting the seasoning to be more Vietnamese. While the taste wasn't bad, it wasn't what I was hoping for and the pork was terribly overcooked.



T says: I started with the Escargot Vina ($6.95), which are covered in batter dough and baked in a wine, garlic, lemongrass and butter sauce. While the sauce was nice, it overpowered the escargot, making them tasteless.

My main was the Canh Ngot ($17.95), a Vietnamese-style bouillabaisse with scallops, prawns, mussels, calamari, fish and rice vermicelli in fish stock. While the seafood portion was more than generous and excellently cooked, it was very bland. The stock, tasting mostly of fish and celery, could have used the addition of wine, or at least, the accompaniment of chili paste.

Pro: Vina has a good size patio, perfect for nice Vancouver days. They also offer delivery.

Con: On top of the bad 80's decor and horrible elevator music, the food really has nothing to do with authentic, or even good, Vietnamese food.

Verdict: T says nay, M says nay. It's just not worth it.

Vina
851 Denman St
Vancouver BC
604-688-3232 or 604-689-8462
Open daily from 11:30 am to 11:00 pm

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.



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.



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.


Image scan of Kingyo business card (c) Urban Mixer (Raj Taneja).
Card (c) Kingyo.

Kingyo
871 Denman St
Vancouver BC V6G 2L9
604-608-1677

Black Tuna

Vancouver being plagued by wind storms, we didn't want to head out too far to eat. We chose to eat at Black Tuna because of it's proximity with home and because T was craving noodles.

When: Sunday, January 7, 2007. (7:30 pm)



We say: Black Tuna offers a very solid menu - diversified, it contains inventive and creative items and ingredients, especially in the sushi roll department. The restaurant positions itself as a Japanese Tapas establishment and this is reflected in the menu. There are a lot of small items to choose from, which makes it fun and easy to sample a wide range of menu items (and easy to go overboard, as we did).

The first dish to arrive was a complimentary dish from the kitchen - a glazed mackerel sashimi served on a hot plate. It was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy and quite tasty. The dish worked quite well with our tall and pricey Asahi beers ($8.95).

Then arrived our tempura selection. We chose Pumpkin ($1.95), Avocado ($1.95) and Squid ($3.95). The pumpkin was beautiful, simple and sweet, and the squid was perfectly cooked albeit a little flavourless. The avocado tempura was not quite as successful. While M enjoyed it, she did get the stub and T thought that it was too fatty and that the process caused the avocado to loose it's flavour.



Next came a beautiful plate of sushi rolls. We picked two rolls: the Salmon Skin Maki Roll ($4.25) and the Dragon Roll ($8.95). M likes to order the salmon roll everywhere to gage the restaurant. This one was not as usual - it does not use BBQ salmon skin and is more on the spicy side. It was still nice, but not as good as the original version. As they say, if it ain't broke... The dragon roll's presentation was incredible, with the roll decorated to resemble a dragon. We had heard that Black Tuna has their own roll creation, so we wanted to order a roll off chef Jacob's specials. The dragon roll comprises of crab meat, cucumber, carrot, unagi, avocado and a Thai peanut sauce. While very original in its concept and presentation, the flavours fell short. It had too much mayonnaise and the peanut sauce was completely lost amongst all of the fatty items.



To fix his udon craving, T ordered the Nebeyaki Udon Soup ($11.95). T felt that this was an excellent version of a classic Japanese udon soup. The presentation was again beautiful and the soup could easily make for an affordable complete meal. As an added bonus, the soup also comes with a Shrimp and Potato Tempura. While the potato was perfect, the shrimp was pretty tasteless.

The hit of the meal was truly the in-house, hand-made Watercress Gyoza ($5.95). Packed full of flavour, the taste of watercress was never lost amongst the pork. The matching dipping sauce was also quite good.

Lastly we had the Black Tuna Style Chicken Skewers With Teriyaki Sauce ($8.95 for 2). The teriyaki sauce was quite nice and not too sweet and you could still taste the chicken and the broiling through it. As well, the skewers had yellow pepper and shitaki mushrooms alternating with the chicken. This dish felt overpriced for what it is, but would work more as a main dish than as an appetiser.



Pro: The gyoza are incredible and are worth the trip on their own. The extensive menu is great and every plate is beautifully presented. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and we really enjoyed it.

A note on the service: it was attentive and good but it was the first time that we wondered why that was. Did we get the complimentary dish and the good service because we ordered a lot and that M was taking notes and taking pictures???

Con: The sushi rolls are clearly not their strong point. As well, a drink menu would have been appreciated. The restaurant could have use extra staff to ensure that the tables of departed guest were promptly cleaned up - some tables were had not been cleared when we arrived and were still not cleared when we left.

Verdict: T says yea, M says yea.



Black Tuna
202-1184 Denman St
Vancouver BC
604-408-7557