Suika

It’s a tuesday night, and I had made plans with Belinda for dinner.  Wasn’t really sure where to go, we both gave it some thought and decided on Suika!  We had both been anxious to give this place a visit since it opened up(we’re both huge Kinyo fans), but couldn’t find the time.  Alas, here we are!  =)

Suika
1626 W Broadway, Vancouver BC
Tel#:  (604) 730-1678

I found it a bit difficult to find, had it been darker, I probably would’ve passed it completely!  Upon entering the restaurant, we were warmly greeted and led to our table.  Inside, the decor reminds me of a lounge/pub feel to it.  Maybe it’s cause of the booth cushions, but whatever it is, it’s nice.

Of course I had to take a picture of the chandelier composed of glass bottles.  I guess this is what helps add to it’s uniqueness!  We decided to order the Genmai for our drink.

The first dish to arrive was the Negitoro Tartar. This consisted of a homemade kimchi sauce marinated chopped tuna topped with scallions served with garlic butter toast.  This was a nice start to the meal.  I found the negitoro portion to be quite generous.  Since there are only 4 pieces of bread, you’ll have to scoop heaping mountains of the negitoro in order to finish it, or you can order another portion of bread for $1.00.

Next to the table was the Sashimi “Shake” Salad. This had fresh sashimi, organic greens, tobiko and shrimp oil with sesame soy dressing.  I wasn’t sure what to expect upon ordering this dish.  I mean.. shake?  what shake?  When the waitress came to the table, the salad was presented in a jar.  She then vigorously shook the jar!  lol!  It was quite interesting, she then emptied it into a large bowl on the table.  This was quite tasty, there was enough of the dressing to coat the greens.  It was a bit tangy with quite a few pieces of sashimi.

The next dish to arrive was the Tontoro Yaki(above left).   This is seasoned pork jaw with bonito flakes, lemon,shiso(perilla) and grated radish.  After reading the description, I was a bit weary, but what the heck, I’ll give it a try!  This was quite good!  It’s a bit oily and fatty, but also quite chewy.  I found this dish to be quite addicting!

The next dish to follow was the Grilled Duck. The sauce was a balsamic and japanese pepper(san sho sauce).  I thought this dish was quite plain and would skip this the next time.

Last but not least was the Gyu Yukke Don.  This is marinated AAA beef sashimi, scallions, sesame and garlic seared on steamed rice served with a raw egg.  I don’t know about you, but I always find it more fun when food is interactive!  I did my part in crushing the sesame, while Belinda mixed up the rice!  Woo, team effort! =)   Alright, on with the taste, this was a bit salty, but very tasty.  The egg nicely coated the rice and helped hold together the ingredients.  This is definitely on my list to try again!

As usual, we had some frozen grapes at the end of the meal.  Originally we had 4, but I had forgotten to take a picture before we ate it =)

Overall, this meal was pretty good.  The food was pretty solid, I would probably order the same dishes(except for the duck) and add on a few more to try out the rest of the menu!  The place was quite busy when we were there, it’s a nice place to leisurely eat and chat with friends.  Time flew by as we were there, and before I knew it, my parking meter was already up!  Would I rather go to Kingyo or Suika?  That’s a tough choice, I love the food/atmosphere at Kingyo, but hate the wait and the parking.

Post by Colleen