Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen and Sushi Bar, Vancouver

Carrot butterflies atop my wasabi. Details are so important

You think all I do is eat out, eh? well, it certainly seems that way these last couple of days.  We had lunch, creme brulee and coffee in the Strathcona area and now we were back on The Drive for dinner. Our plan was to eat at La Mezcaleria.  Our friend tried to get reservations by phone but was told parties under 6 couldn't have reservations. When we arrived at 5:25pm at the restaurant, there was no lineup but the restaurant was full with 2 tables (of 4) receiving their bills and one table readying to leave and the hostess asked us how many people there were in our party and asked if we had a reservation.  Like what? how is this consistent? We are a party of 5 and you said we couldn't book a reservation on the phone and then when we arrived, you seemed to imply we could have gotten a reservation?  And then told us to wait not 15-30 minutes like normal restos but 90? That is so dumb.

Furthermore, she said we were 2nd on the list.  By the time I asked her to cross my name off the wait list of 2, the two tables were empty and one table was about to leave.  I repeated: is it still a 1 1/2 hour wait?  Yes she replied without scanning the room.  No smiles, no welcoming friendly attitude, not apologetic, mixed messages concerning the reservations policy and you're a HOSTESS! That was over the top. I don't care how great you're purported to be or how delicious your enticing hot stone bowls and their oozy melted Mexican cheese fondue are and how much I love your sister restaurant La Taqueria.  If you're going to give me such a friggin' confusing message about taking reservations then forget it. Not coming back.  Ever.  My old 'hood has gone all trendy and gentrified my a$$ out of there.   Such arbitrary snobbery is so short-sighted.  They obviously don't need my business.  Like when did this happen that we get such attitude from the service industry on the East side?  I get more respect as a customer on the Westside for gawdsake.  So on we walked.  Fortunately for us, our friend recommended Kishimoto a few blocks away.  It was his birthday and heck he should get whatever he wants for dinner.  We got there in time and only waited a few minutes for a table and all was well.  And the service here was welcoming and friendly...and the food rocked.

Salmon Oshisushi: a signature dish that you have to try first to gauge all other oshisushi.  This was very good.

We were lucky that our Japanese friend knew what to order.  He recommended the Salmon Oshisushi because it was the sushi chef's take on a famous dish and his version was purported to be very good.  Oshisushi is pressed sushi rice topped with seared fish and toppings.  The Salmon was topped with a mayonnaise based sauce and a jalapeno pepper.  It was indeed very delicious.  The flavours were at once smoky, creamy and spicy and the salmon rang through well.

Spicy Tuna Oishisushi

My Japanese friend told me that the chef was the same one who opened up the original Zipang on Main street but had moved on to this restaurant a while ago.  I knew that he had moved but didn't realize he was at Kishimoto.  Now that I saw his signature daikon votive lanterns on his sushi platters it all made sense.

Daikon pinwheel flower decorations on my plate. Everything is edible.

I decided to order a different oshisushi dish.  I tried the spicy tuna.  It was good; but I think the salmon was a better dish and I enjoyed it better.  I am glad I sampled the salmon before I had the tuna.

The pink liquid is Gatorade with shredded daikon.  

Upon presenting us the oshisushi, the waitress took the time to point out that all the elements on the platter were edible (except of course for the votive candle inside the thinly sliced daikon shade. haha.)

Presentation is everything here. 

My Spicy tuna oshisushi was good but I don't think I'd order it again having tried the salmon one. The spicy tuna was yummy and it sat atop crispy rice.  I think the pressed rice roll was deep fried for textural contrast.  So it was chewy and crunchy and smoky.  I didn't like the chewy element of the dish.  However I know many people who love the crunchy burnt rice from stone bowls and this would be similar.

Though the pink Gatorade looks pretty and is edible, I tried it. bleh. infused with a daikon flavour from the shredded fresh daikon.  I would have liked a sweet koolaid because that was what I was expecting from the colour. lol

The daikon lantern is so cute

The waitress was quite apologetic about the late arrival of our oshisushi orders.  She came back to tell us our dishes were coming up soon.  We hadn't actually asked but it was very nice to have her check up on this for us a few times.  As it was it wasn't too painful a wait and when the sushi platters arrived I saw why they took more time.  There was much time spent on the details of presentation. wow.  I was blown away by all the stuff going on up at the top and when I started to eat after all those aerial shots (yah, I wait to eat so I can take pics for you!) I realized I had not even noticed the things going on down on the bottom.  There were absolutely adorable thinly sliced carrots cut into the shape of butterflies.  I had two little mounds of wasabi on opposite corners of my platter and each had a butterfly perched atop it.  I felt so special.   The kids insisted on eating all the edamame beans from the daikon flowers and they even took my lotus chip.  This is what happens when you love your kids.  You give them all the frilly good stuff.

There are so many elements on the plate that I had to take it all in slowly. 

I ordered a negitoro roll too because for every new Japanese restaurant I try, I try to order a benchmark dish so I can compare/contrast quality.  For me, some of those Japanese dishes might include: assorted tempura,  spinach gomae, negitoro roll and a specialty roll of some sort. Stomach's benchmark staples are salmon and tuna nigiri and assorted sashimi and the kiddies order california rolls, chicken karaage and udon noodle soup. With our whole family we figure we have most bases covered.

Negitoro Roll

Wowee. That's height! Lotus chip and deep fried noodle flag speared atop my negitoro roll

Assorted tempura

When I contemplated the negitoro maki, oshisushi and oyster motoyaki I ordered and all the other's dishes I sampled, I'd say the salmon oshisushi was a hit but probably not my spicy tuna oshisushi. I'd go for the salmon one again.  And I generally don't order salmon sushi.  I don't even like raw salmon.  I always order tuna.  Go figure.  The tempura was a fave too.  The batter was light and the veggies were choice: specialty mushrooms (little oyster mushrooms maybe?), squash, prawns and yam were nicely fried, light and not greasy.  I enjoyed that very much. I hate it when some restos use peppers, onion or potato in tempura and so glad Kishimoto uses unique veggies in theirs.  Score. I'd order the negitoro maki again.

Oyster motoyaki

My oyster motoyaki comes with 2 oysters on the half shell for one order.  When I was trying to decide what to order I asked if Stomach would have one of the oysters.  In the process of dining, I forgot I had promised him one and had eaten both. oops.  They were smaller oysters and quite sweet.  The motoyaki sauce was similar to the one atop the salmon oshisushi and was a little spicy. I really enjoyed the motoyaki obviously.  Each oyster lay atop a bit of cooked spinach.  I'd order this one again.  I got grief from him later on about eating his but hey, he had two Asahi beers and his big ol' plate of chicken teriyaki on rice.  You snooze ya lose.

Chicken Teriyaki on Rice

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Crackle Crème, Vancouver

Duelling my 7 year old for the crackle!

After our garlic chicken wing fix at Phnom Pehn, I was feeling kind of sorry for my 7 yr old Bib, who really was miserable at lunch.  She has a wiggly loose front tooth and didn't really feel like eating much.

Since we parked on Union street anyway, we sought out Crackle Creme, a new specialty brulee-cafe that I heard about nearby so I could get a coffee and we could all share a sweet treat that didn't require chewing. We were tempted to help that loose tooth come out by pulling it out for her.  She wasn't exactly wanting help.  However, all the childhood horror stories my mother told me in my youth bubbled up in my mind.  I recall several gruesome techniques my mom would relay to me when she knew I had a wiggly tooth:  tying a string around the tooth and a door handle...and slamming the door shut; eating an apple or corn on the cob; pliers wielded by a loving parent. Really, mom?  These vivid images were seared into my psyche.  I had bad dreams about teeth all throughout my childhood.  She thought it was amusing.  yeesh. but I obviously still seem to have unresolved issues about teeth.  Rather than traumatize Bib, I chose another path.  Let's rot that sucker out. haha. no. just kidding.  really. bad mommy.

Daniel, the owner of Crackle Creme, torching my Madagascar Vanilla Creme Brulee.

Over on Union Street at the edge of Chinatown, my old hood (and my mom's), Strathcona seems to be gentrifying.  I spoke with Daniel, the owner of Crackle Creme who had moved in just 2 months ago.  I asked him how business was and he said it's picked up in the last month and a half.  I'm so glad to see this because boy is his concept cool.  Daniel has a year of culinary school under his belt and found a niche. He specializes in Creme Brulee (several artisinal flavours that continually change), Liege Waffles and Specialty Coffee.  

In my little chat with Daniel he said there are mixed feelings in the community about all the changes.  I agree.  I miss the old places from the 70's that used to be there and the vibrancy and bustle of the past.  However, I sure must admit I didn't like the smelly alleys of the past, the panhandling crack addicts in the alleys who moved in as Chinatown started to lose old tenants and I felt a general discomfort walking on the old streets in the 90's and recent decade.  I used to feel relatively safe with my parents shopping in Chinatown when I was growing up in East Vancouver.  I remember eating dinner out in Chinatown at On-On's in the 70's.  My parents had a group of high school friends that they would meet to socialize over dinner and all us kids, ranging from ages 8-16 would saunter around the Chinatown blocks unaccompanied by our parents after dinner.  This was a different sort of Vancouver back in the 70's I suppose.  

Nice colour. Good crackle. Must come again. 

Personally, I like the revitalization efforts and hope that the old shops can stick it out too.  I'd like to see some really good authentic Cantonese eats come back too.  Am I the only person around who thinks that there are way too many stinky herbal shops per square block in this area?  It seems today Asian-fusion, late night pricey alcoholic drinks and loud music is the draw for a different sort of crowd that certainly is willing to spend more $$ than little old Chinese ladies that tend to well, not go to these places.  Perhaps the increased foot traffic and generally more people around will encourage more innovative businesses to move in.  I'd like to think there's room for everybody.   

Lavender Latte.  Though I was hoping for latte art, I wasn't disappointed by the lovely lavender scented creamy latte. yum.

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Basho Cafe & Sweets, Vancouver

Matcha Latte Afternoon Tea special ($5)

Upon entering Basho Cafe on East Hastings (my old teenage stomping grounds!) you are immediately taken aback by the fine details evident in the decor and the food.  By gosh, even the door handle at the front has a knitted warmer wrapped around it!

Hand knitted succulent cozy. Details, people!

Down to the handcrafted pottery and dishes, the reclaimed, handmade furniture, the retro trays, hand sewn coasters and placemats I am oh so impressed.  The family that runs this cafe is very much detail-oriented and passionate about what they do.

Matcha Latte

The cafe is extaordinarily tiny and some patrons pretty much squat there with an open laptop while sipping their matcha lattes and nibbling on their cookies a la Starbucks lounge.  I don't know.  I would feel awkward personally what with the huge lineups out the door to do that.  Sure, chatting and leisurely eating and drinking is apropros but alone with a laptop and all your work out? come on. You're not gonna study for hours nursing your $5 afternoon tea set are ya?  I would feel bad that the owners weren't getting enough turnover and would go out of business with you doing that, laptop-squatter.  Just sayin.

Matcha Latte & Sweets

I have already been here twice; this post consists of pics snagged on my Instagram account during a gal-pal get together and with my family.  I think this cafe is a good meet-me-for-tea-I-haven't-seen-you-in-a-while sort of place.  Because of the limited seating, large parties aren't really doable. This is a good two-person meeting venue.  Don't come here with your party of 8.  I've seen this.  It's not pretty and it's not a bubble tea joint.  My husband took off and went next door to the A&W next door because it was all too much girlie stuff.  lol.  It was too frou-frou for him here.  Not that guys can't like frou-frou. There were a few guys there eating meals.  It's just Stomach isn't into frou-frou and I was doing the frou-frou afternoon tea.  Let me know how many guys you have seen that can sit through the Secret Garden Tea Company High Tea in Kerrisdale without being highly cognizant of the fact that everyone else is female.  Bull in China Shop comes to mind.  Everything's too darned tiny, delicate and pretty for him I think.

Chocolate Chip Cookie

At Basho, you go to the counter and order your food.  Hopefully if you get there early enough, you get a table and the food is brought to you when it is ready.  This isn't Starbucks so things take a little bit more time. My matcha latte came perfectly adorned with microfoam art and accompanied by my assorted sweets.  If you purchase an afternoon tea set, you get mini sweets.  On my gal-pal visit, my afternoon matcha latte set sweets consisted of: 1/2 a madeleine, a mini brownie bite and a green tea almond cookie.

A pot of Green Tea accompanied by a green tea and almond cookie

Matcha Brownie

The sweets were very yummy and Japanese inspired.  Japanese fusion sweets I guess?  Some of the sweets were gluten free because of the use of Japanese mochiko flour.  There is also an intriguing menu of meals that I'd like to come back to try another day for lunch and dinner.

Sandwich cookie with matcha filling

So the old 'hood sure is gentrifying.  Though Penny's and On Lok are still across the street from Basho, I noticed the whole area simply looks different with the cafes and newer restaurants like the Red Wagon and Yolk's dotted around the area. This is good.  Foodie foot traffic is good.

Matcha latte art

I would totally recommend this little cafe.  I've had several girlfriends who have gone after my recommendation and loved it too.  The environment is eclectic and the food is delicious. If you love matcha lattes and Japanese inspired foods this is the place for you.  I'm a sucker for decor, environment and aesthetic.  Because of its popularity, you may be disappointed because of the long queue.  So long as you find a quiet time to visit you'll enjoy yourself.

Miso Madeleines

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Earnest Ice Cream, Vancouver

London Fog

Do you ever argue with family members about where to eat for dinner? well, this is us practically every weekend.  I figured out a compromise.   One person chooses the resto for dinner and another can choose a different place for dessert.  Win Win!

awww! the cutest coolest ice cream truck evah!

Well, today was a double win for me because I got to choose sushi for dinner and also suggested Earnest Ice Cream for their dessert.  Our dinner at Sushi Mania on Main was okay. I didn't like the cramped quarters but the prices were very reasonable.  I enjoyed the assorted tempura and everything was comparable to other Japanese restaurants I usually go to.  Stomach didn't like the resto for some reason (which he couldn't verbalize).  Usually if it's cheap, he likes it.  So I'm wondering what his beef was.  We snagged a table early before 5:30pm. After that it filled quickly because essentially, it seats approx 20 people total in that resto.  I'll only come back if I'm eating out early and I'm in the 'hood.

the Earnest ice cream bar! see that little corner table with the glasses? there's a self-serve filtered water tap.  what a good idea

After dinner, it was a skip and a hop over on to Fraser street for dessert at Earnest Ice Cream, which was on the agenda because the kids totally didn't want sushi for dinner.  They wanted pizza of course.  Earnest Ice Cream was the carrot I dangled to get me some sushi.  And a tasty carrot that was.  It's located on the East Side of Vancouver kind of out of the way of usual high traffic foodie places. In general, this isn't a trendy area of town.  It's next to a Szechuan restaurant, a vegetarian restaurant and The Beehive hair salon near a residential neighbourhood.  This is good, because at least you can find parking nearby.  The kiddies thought this place was a real winner.  We were here around 6:30 pm which is still pretty early.  There were peaks and lulls in the lineup.  But essentially I didn't have to line up at all.  I was a little disappointed that I couldn't actually see the ice cream as usual in many of the places we usually go to. However, the focussed menu helped.  I gave a taste test of: Strawberry Rhubarb and Blueberry just to see.  The strawberry rhubarb had intense strawberry flavour and the blueberry was a beautiful purple.  In the end,  we chose Milk Chocolate, Blueberry and the London Fog (Earl Grey flavoured).

Blueberry Ice Cream on a Waffle Cone

Bib's Blueberry Ice Cream was a radical departure from the fluorescent pink bubble gum gelato she usually demands at ice cream and gelato parlors.  It doesn't matter where we go; she'll ask for bubble gum or cotton candy.  In fact, she chose "that 2000 flavours place mommy" Um no, dear that's 200 flavours! I tell her she can't go to a place that serves 200+ flavours and order the same thing.  There's no point. She should try different flavours.  Or at least try different pink flavours. She is rarely swayed though.

At the Earnest counter, she asked for bubble gum flavour again and I said they didn't have that sort of stuff. I told her she'd like the purple one, which somewhat appeased her.  But she was guarded.  In the end,  I figured she's all about vibrant colour anyway.  It was a good choice for her. Afterwards, she said it was better than bubble gum.   There were blueberry skins all over which of course indicated it was chock full of blueberries!  You can order "kid-sized' ice cream here too. So the Blueberry cone she had is I think kid-sized but it didn't look too much smaller than the adult cones.  Her serving seemed to be bigger and better value than my ice cream in the bowl. That, or we ate our bowls of ice cream so quickly and waited so long for her to finish hers that we thought she had a more generous portion.  Ice cream eating technique may have something to do with this too as with a cone, she's a licker; not a biter.

Milk Chocolate Ice Cream

Bebe ordered the Milk Chocolate Ice Cream.  Upon her first bite she exclaimed "Oh my God!" She said it was the creamiest, richest chocolate ice cream she's had.   She didn't allow Stomach a taste and come to think of it I didn't get to taste any either.  

I thoroughly enjoyed my London Fog.  The Ice cream barista (they serve coffee here too) told me that it was Earl Grey flavoured.   I just ordered it without tasting it prior as I love anything tea flavoured. Now, I didn't think I detected predominant Earl Grey flavour but I saw flecks of tea leaves and I am assuming the colour is the infusion of the tea in the ice cream base.  I'm not a big Earl Grey drinker in any case.  Isn't Earl Grey bergamot? a sort of citrusy flavour? I didn't get that. I felt it was tea-based because of the colour but really it didn't matter because I really like it.  The predominant flavour/texture is cream and any infusions were lost on me.  I think any of their flavours would probably be awesome because their ice cream bases are made from quality ingredients.  You can tell when it hits your mouth.  Full fat. mmmm.

The menu today: Tahitian Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Whiskey Hazelnut, Blueberry, Cardamom, London Fog, Pecan Cinnamon Swirl, Matchstick Espresso Flake, Milk Chocolate, Strawberry Rhubarb, Vegan

I wanted to purchase a pint (or two!) of their Cardamom and the London Fog but I had to go to Shoppers afterwards. :(  Too bad. Maybe next visit. The ice cream comes packed in a glass canning jar, which looks absolutely gorgeous.  The idea of frozen glass was a bit worrisome for me though because I often drop my ice cream containers pulling it out of the freezer door.  Earnest Ice Cream is very good about recycling and all their little tasting spoons are steel (you deposit them in containers after tasting) and if you eat in they serve it in a porcelain bowl.  Their water glasses are made of glass (of course) and when you're done you just leave your dirty dishes in the plastic dish container in the corner near the front. With high ceilings, rustic wood floors and panelling, clean white counters, stainless steel and friendly servers, it was a nice environment.  I think we'll be back soon. 

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SUIKA, JAPANESE IZAKAYA RESTAURANT

Deluxe Suika Box:  Suika’s Appetizer sampler box.

Yes, it was very good…and appetizing!  I had  to order the sampler because I love variety!  The portion sizes were not too bad...served in little sake cups in a lacquer box. It was a gorgeous presentation.

Negitoro sashimi appetizer.  Lots of fresh tuna in a delicious sauce; topped with scallions. 

Chicken karaage.  Crispy nicely fried moist boneless chicken. 

Corn Kakiage:  like a corn tempura.  My favourite dish of the night! Fresh niblets lightly battered and nicely seasoned...they were so addictive!

Beef Filet fried rice with garlic.  Crispy fried garlic slices and tenderloin beef chunks! yum!

Oxtail ramen:  my girl loves ramen.  The broth is super rich.  Definitely nice beefy flavour with chunks of meat throughout.

Matcha Creme Brulee.  This is not like a real creme brulee in that it is frozen.  It’s like matcha ice cream in texture but cut into it with a spoon...and it's hard because it's frozen!   It tastes like matcha creme brulee.  Neat! The crunchy brulee is caramelized sugar and there’s a dusting of matcha on the plate.

Pumpkin creme brulee…a seasonal dessert in a tiny single-serving size.

Creamy, pumpkin-y, yummy!

We each had a complimentary frozen grape at the end.  The girls scarfed their two grapes down before I could get a shot of all the grapes.  Something so simple can be so refreshing!

The bottle chandelier.  Cool!

Service was attentive and the atmosphere really neat.  The colours were dark and decor was modern and funky.  I loved the attention to presentation of the food. I also enjoyed trying all the different menu items and look forward to coming back to try other dishes...like the Chinese poutine.  I wasn't in the mood for fusion tonight; maybe next time!
 

Suika is located on W. Broadway.  There is plenty of metered parking out front. 

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