Ryuu Japanese Kitchen- Richmond

Hey everyone,

Yesterday Phil and I went to the McArthur Glen Outlet to purchase some tshirts for Phils football team. Since it was during dinner time, we decided to check out if the new Japanese restaurant was opened yet. We were happy to see that there is finally a Japanese restaurant at the outlet so we decided to go try it out! It was during dinner time and the restaurant was pretty dead. There were a few tables here and there but probably because it's still brand new and not a lot of people know about this place just yet. 

The interior looks fresh, new, clean and bright. The staff were very prompt in filling up our tea occasionally and making sure we are doing okay. 

Sekai Udon Bar

Hi Everyone!

Happy Chinese New Year! I feel like I haven't blogged in the longest time. I've been so busy with everything in life, I literally had no time to blog. BUT I am officially back and I have a few lined up blog posts which will be coming out very soon! 

If you read my blogs, you would probably notice a bunch of my reviews are within Richmond. All my activities 80% of the time revolves around Richmond, so its hard to get out of there at times. During the weekend we went to Metrotown to shop and we came across this new restaurant that I personally never seen before. Its right under the food court and its a Udon Bar. They definitely renovated the interior and it looks very big and spacious. I was happy to see on their menu they also have sushi roll options. I was really craving for sushi but we decided to go for their weekend deal instead.

Their lunch special only happens on weekends from 11am-3pm. You can choose a Udon option, a rice option, soup or salad and it comes with two sides, all for $10.50.

Octopus Garden

Hey everyone,

Back with another blog today and its another sushi place! By now, you all probably know i have a thing or two for sushi places. This restaurant is located near kits beach and it's right on Cornwall. There's free parking around the area, mostly residential parking. They also have meter parking right in front of the restaurant.

Their door handles are really cute. It's all wood and its shaped like a bottle.

Tojo's

Hey everyone,

If you guys read my blog on a frequent basis, you will know that I love sushi. I've heard many good things about Tojo's but the one thing that stopped me from going was the price. It's probably the most expensive sushi place I've dined at.  Every year, either my birthday or my bffs birthday, we will always treat each other out for some good food. This year around, I didn't want to bring her to the usual steak houses, therefore i decided to bring her to Tojos. Both of us have never been to Tojos before, so we were really stoked to see how good this place was. The restaurant is located on Broadway & Spruce. Majority is pay parking around the area, so I suggest car pooling to share meter parking.

The interior was very simple and clean. They have really high ceilings and it was very spacious. The seatings were all padded and covered in this nice royal blue exterior and it was very comfortable to sit on. When we got there, the place was pretty busy with most of the tables filled up, but the noise volume of the restaurant maintained on a quieter note. You really feel like your sitting in a high class restaurant. Me, being the only person holding on to a DSLR camera with the shutter constantly making sounds when I click to take a photo, majority of the tables turned around just to see what I'm doing... But that didn't stop me from taking some amazing photos during this dinner. The main chef, Hidekasu Tojo thought I worked for the media or something.. very funny man and he suggested next time around go sit at the bar so he can show us more and talk to us more about the food!

Cool fact: Apparently he's the man who created the California roll!

Gami Sushi

Hey everyone!

The other day when I went to work, one of my co-workers were raving about this sushi place located in Richmond called Gami Sushi. My co-worker is within the older range of age but still rather picky so I decided to trust his opinion and go try this place out. This sushi restaurant is located on No.3 & Williams and it's part of this huge plaza filled with other vendors, so finding a parking spot is not an issue. 

When I first stepped in, I was pretty impressed with the decor. Their interior design incorporated darker brick, wooden tables and really nice wall paneling with a good visual of the television too! By the time I got there, my bros already sat down, so I didn't have to wait or anything. 

I actually went a second time with Phil the other day during dinner hours and they require you to write down your name on this white board which is located on the left hand side when you first enter in to the restaurant. So if you are walking in, please don't forget to jot down your name, otherwise you might not be seated for a long time. This restaurant is small but they can still manage to sit approximately 40 people within the restaurant. They have 3-4 booth seating along the right hand side of the wall and the rest are just regular table seating. Also, during dinner hours they do get pretty busy so if you don't want to wait, you can always order take out. They offer a 10% discount if you order take out too!

Maruwa Sushi Japanese Restaurant

Hey everyone!

As you guys may all know, I am a major sushi fan, so wherever I am I'll always recommend eating sushi. A few months back I actually stumbled upon a Japanese restaurant located in the Ironwood Mall with my bro but for some reason I totally forgot to blog about it! So here it is!

When we first saw the menu, it was very limited. There were assorted combos or individual rolls, sashimi and appetizers for ordering. The lunch menu was like any other standard sushi restaurant, serving the usual types of dishes. The interior was pretty small but its clean and bright. The waitresses were prompt in serving us. 

First off, we ordered the Chicken Karaage. I thought this was one of the best chicken karaages I've tried. The exterior was crunchy and the interior was soft and juicy. It was very mouthwatering and I really enjoyed this alot. The portion was a good size to share among two people. I highly recommend this dish if you were to come here.

Ichiro Japanese Restaurant

Hey everyone!

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather this weekend! On Friday, me & Phil went to Steveston to try out this restaurant called Ichiro Japanese Restaurant. I was scrolling through Zomato and came across their page and thought why not! 

When we first arrived, we were lucky to find a parking spot right in front of the restaurant. When we stepped in, it was packed full. We were told it was going to be a 45 minute wait, so we went to Blenz to kill some time before our table was ready. 

When we finally got our table and we were looking through the menu, we were shocked at how many options there were on the menu. It was difficult to pick, but I think we managed to choose some pretty good items. 

We also vlogged! So go watch our youtube video HERE

First off, we got the Tuna Gomaae ($8.95). I've never seen this at any other restaurant (If you know anywhere else that has this and is good, pls comment down below! Would love to know!). Tuna Gomaae is basically tuna sashimi pieces with sesame sauce. Simple but yet delicious. We loved this dish so much. Great starter and was definitely different from what we usually order at Japanese restaurants.

Tairyou Ichiba

Hey everyone,

After my Portfolio show at my school, we decided to eat somewhere near Metrotown. We came across this restaurant called Tairyou Ichiba. Apparently Phil tried this place with his family a long time ago but he forgot whether it was good or not. I always noticed this place because they have this very unique, traditional looking door. When we walked in, they have extremely high ceilings, which was a shocker to me because from the entrance it looks like it'll have an average ceiling height. Their interior is nicely decorated with Japanese posters all over the walls. At the bar area they also have the food menu at the top but its all written in Japanese words. I don't know the background of this restaurant or whether it is Japanese owned or not, BUT the waiter who was helping us was legit Japanese. There is always free parking along the side streets or there is pay parking at the front of the restaurant.

Ramen Izakaya Okawari

Hey Everyone,

After a nice hike with Jess, we decided to grab some ramen for lunch, and hit up Ramen Izakaya Okawari! This place used to be Tokyo Joe's, but they've changed to this new name now. This restaurant serves all kinds of Japanese food, from various sushi rolls to ramen specialties. 

I love ramen, so I ordered a ramen of course! I had the Ramen Sapporo $8.95 

This ramen was amazing! The broth was absolutely delicious and not too thick or strong, the cha shu was very tender and large enough that two slices worked out to be just enough, and the soft boiled egg was the highlight of the ramen! This egg was so good I could not stop raving about how awesome it was. The egg was flavoured to just the right amount, and when you dip it in the soup, it makes it even better. The noodles were just right, not hard like some other ramen places, as these noodles were soft and easy to eat. Usually there's always some ingredient in ramen bowls that I don't want to eat, but I ate everything in this ramen! As you can see from the photos above, it contains the house made cha shu, egg, green onions, bean sprouts, and two sheets of seaweed.

The service here is great, just what you would expect from a Japanese restaurant. They were friendly and prompt on service, no complaints here!

Overall, this recent visit to Ramen Izakaya Okawari was awesome. This was one of the best ramen I've ever had in Richmond! I have been to G-Men bee, which I had previously thought was the best ramen in Richmond, so this was quite a surprise. I had been to this restaurant on previous occasions, but they must have improved their ramen lately as it was a lot better than I remember it. 

Food:
5/5 (just the ramen)

Service:
4/5

Price:
$

Overall:
4.5/5

Let me know what you think of their ramen, and if there is a better ramen joint in Richmond to check out. Thanks for reading everyone, munch on!
- Phil

Fishermen Sushi

Hey everyone!

Sorry I've been MIA lately, but I'm glad Phil had the time to take over some posts and blogged to keep you guys updated on what he's been eating recently! Yesterday night I got together with an old friend of mine who just got back from Toronto. I haven't talked to her in a very long time and I was really glad we had time to just sit down and catch up on life. Yesterday was an extremely beautiful day so we decided to hit up Steveston, Richmond for dinner. We both love sushi so we decided to give Fishermen Sushi a try. This restaurant is located on No.1, right next to a Starbucks.

First off, we got the Tako Wasabi ($4.25), came with multiple seaweeds which I like, because when I went to Suika they limited the amount of seaweeds and if we wanted more, we had to add more money. The Tako Wasabi was great! Love the kick of wasabi at the beginning!

Next up, we got 16 pieces of Tuna Toro ($7.95), Salmon ($6.95), Hamachi ($8.95) & White Tuna Sashimi ($8.95)! The sashimi was very fresh!

Next we got the Saba Hakozushi (Flamed Mackerel) ($9.95) The flavor was good but I was disappointed that they did not torch this right in front of us.

Kiriri Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar

Hey everyone!

I've been exploring Richmond more often recently and my friend recommended this Japanese Sushi restaurant on Garden City & Blundell Road. I brought my mom and bro with me to give this place a try for dinner. When we first stepped in, we were the first customers to be seated for dinner. From first impression the interior didn't wow me and the fact that the whole restaurant was completely empty..I was quite skeptical regarding how good the food may be. We were given a table that had a "reservation" sign on it so my first thought was..."are they just placing these signs on the tables to make it seem like people will eventually come....?" ANYWAYS, after we ordered our food, more people started to show up so the whole fear factor of this place may potentially be horrible just decreased a tiny bit. By the time our food arrived, majority of the tables were already filled, so I was like OH GOD, we are not the only ones!

First off, I ordered a Miso Soup ($2.00) for my mom. The bowl is extremely small so for 2 dollars, i don't think it's worth ordering.

Kisoji Japanese Kitchen

Hey everyone!

The other day I went all the way to Pitt Meadows with Phil to attend the Mazda CX3 Introduction Test Drive Event. We signed up for the 7:30pm schedule so we had some time to go grab some food. I searched on Zomato and a lot of people had positive comments on this restaurant called Kisoji so we decided to try it out while we were there. This restaurant is located in a plaza and its located on the right hand side all the way at the end. Across from it there is Brick and other commercial retails. The interior is simple but has a Japanese style attached to it. They have a wooden block paneling on one side with a section with under lighting that displays their beautiful Japanese bottles. I thought this place was very clean and service was great! They had multiple staff on the floor making sure everyone was taken care of and I also had a view of the kitchen and I can tell all their items are organized and prepped. 

Hachibei

Hello everyone!

The other day my friends & I decided to try out a Japanese restaurant located on West 16th near Cambie. We went on a Thursday so it wasn't that busy, which was great! We didn't have to wait long for our table & also we were able to find tons of parking space along West 16th & on the side streets.  The interior is very small but not compact to the point where its unbearable. Its a very cute Japanese themed restaurant. They have numerous Japanese décor around the space and it made the atmosphere feel very comfortable.

This restaurant is owned by Japanese people, unlike the Japanese restaurants we have around Vancouver right now which is mostly owned by either Koreans or Chinese people. Don't get me wrong, those ones are great too! But once in a while I love to eat from an authentic Japanese restaurant.

Sushi Hachi

Hello everyone!

Back again with another blog on a Japanese place that is 100% authentic, located in a very small location in Richmond on Odlin Crescent. It was my first time trying this place out and there were little things I was surprised about. They are only open on Tuesday-Saturday from 6pm-9pm. They only take reservations so don't even bother doing walk ins, because majority of the time there will be no room. They don't have a kitchen so they only serve sashimi, sushi & maybe a few things that are pan fried.

We ordered a bunch of random types of sashimi and food so I don't quite remember the exact name of each and every item but I hope this post is still helpful in terms of what I think of the place and the food.

We ordered several types of sashimi to try. All of the sashimi was extremely fresh and tasted great!

Suika

 Hello everyone!

The other day it was my friends birthday so we decided to go to Suika on Broadway. I've never been to this place before but my friend told me it is absolutely amazing. I had really high expectations for this place and was super stoked to finally get to try this place out.

Since it's located on Broadway, majority of the parking spots are meter parking. We were able to find a spot on one of the closer side streets and paid approx. $3-$4 in parking for two hours.

The exterior of the building was rather simple and didn't really stand out much. The interior on the other hand was pretty unique. It definitely gave a Japanese vibe once you walk in. When you walk in you see a traditional wooden cabinet which acts as a reception desk. They also had a very cool light fixture in the centre of the dining area. It was made out of Japanese looking bottles. I thought it was a very cool idea and definitely gave the place character.

When I sat down, I noticed that their logo was a watermelon. That moment I knew Suika was to represent watermelon. I thought it was such a cute logo and I loved how our napkins, cups & cup coasters had a watermelon on it.

They have a crazy list of cocktails on their menu. The one that stood out to me was their Suika Mojito (aka. watermelon mojito) $8.50. I will definitely bring Phil back here because he LOVES watermelon and he LOVES mojitos. So the two combined would be the ideal combination for him.
Two of my friends ordered the Boston Mojito (aka. fresh ginger mojito) $8.00. Ginger is freshly made in house and the flavor was definitely unique. My friends really liked the freshness of the ginger taste. My other friend ordered the Fresh Lychee Gray (soho, fresh grapefruit & sugar rim) $7.50. I tried it after taking a sip of my watermelon mojito and I think that's why I think her drink was rather sour because my drink is extremely sweet. Everybody thought her drink tasted great and would highly recommend it as well.
Overall all the drinks we ordered were fantastic and would highly recommend just trying whichever one fits your taste! They have a wide range of different flavours in cocktails and that's what I love about this place!

Oysi Oysi Restaurant

Hello everyone!

A few weeks ago, me and Phil went to Oysi Oysi in Downtown for dinner because I bought a Groupon voucher for $25.00 worth of food. This place reminds me of Kamei Royale because the menu has a lot of variety and options to choose from.

I recommend taking transit to this restaurant just because parking is extremely hard. The restaurant is located right on Alberni and this street is 90% packed with cars during dinner hours.

When we first entered, the restaurant is like any other Japanese restaurant. Neutral color panel with Japanese decorations. We were greeted in Japanese by the store front manager. From the tone of the managers voice, he didn't really sound Japanese to me, but I wouldn't be surprise because for most Japanese restaurants in Vancouver, it's either owned by Koreans or Chinese.

We ordered the Toro & Toro Sashimi plate ($11.95)
Overall, it tasted fresh and delicious!