As I did not have a chance to join Marv and his family at Gyo-O, he has written up a post of his own 🙂
GYO-O JAPANESE RESTAURANT
2137-3779 SEXSMITH RD, RICHMOND
604-295-4072
You can always tell the quality of a Japanese restaurant by the wasabi.
Now I know most of you guys out there won’t believe me, but I find this theory tried, tested and true.
An important fact about this restaurant is that it’s Japanese owned and operated.
I’ve been to Gyo-O several times since it has opened and I have yet to be disappointed, today was no different.
The TEA they serve is by far the tastiest free tea you can have anywhere. That’s another hint of a good quality Japanese restaurant.
We were rather hungry by the time we headed down here and having a weird schedule for lunch makes us that much more hungrier.
Taking a look at the menu wasn’t confusing. The menu had unique items available but everyone had their favorites already in mind and they went for it….
Starting with the Una Tama Gohan large order shown below on the left, it was indeed large.
The freshness and clean natural flavor of the eel was delicious! It wasn’t over cooked nor was it hindered by the gentle flavors that came from the sauce that was accenting the rice. This dish was done in less than 5mins.
Above on the right is the Gyo-O Kaisen Don. The regular size is enough to fill anyone with its generous amount of fresh seafood there’s really nothing to complain about here and when it was presented it made the table go ” ah man, i should have ordered that” lol
I don’t know about you but I’m a sucker for anything TORO – so i would never pass up a chance to order a Tuna Toro Don shown below on the left.
The toro was indeed delicate and very fresh.
Being a big eater I also ordered an Ebi Tempura with Ontama Bukkake Udon shown above on the right.
The style in which it came in was very cute and clean. The presentation was very nice and the sauce they gave you on the side was very tasty.
The last thing to arrive for us was the Chicken Karaage with Ontama Don.
This was rather average and the Japanese flavour on the chicken just wasn’t quite there. It had small pieces too.The dish itself was actually decent. Maybe I’m just being too picky on fried chicken? lol
the GOOD:
– service was excellent and the staff very attentive
– enjoyed the atmosphere
– food was fresh and delicious
the BAD:
– temp was a little HOT inside
– small seating space (go early)
– CASH ONLY!
Post by Marv
MMmmm! I LOVE KAISENDON!!
I must go there someday!
good review!
Cool pointers about the tea and wasabi — I’ll have to look out for that now! Nobody’s giggling at the “bukkake udon”?
hahah we did the first time we went there! Okay…maybe Marv did..and I just shook my head and rolled my eyes… hahah
I LAUGHED!
i laughed too…i was like…uh…did i read that wrong…? AHAHAHAHHA
I will have to try this place out sometime. The Kaisen Don looks fresh and yummy but the Toro Don looks very tempting as well. I agree, toro is awesome! 🙂
I’ve been wanting to try this restaurant for a while now. I wonder why its warm inside. Its already almost winter and its still warm. Hmmm. Do you usually order from their specials sheet?
Hi Crispy Lechon!
I was having the hardest time figuring out why I couldn’t approve your comments, but looks like it’s working now 🙂 You should definitely give the restaurant a try sometime! The restaurant is pretty small, so it does fill up pretty quickly. That might also be why it was so hot in there lol.
We usually order something from their specials sheet along with one of our usual ‘go to’ dishes that we like 🙂
Funny how you mention wasabi and tea as being a test of a quality restaurant. I find the ginger and rice to be the litmus test of a Japanese restaurants quality. Given that this isn’t always true as I’ve had some great sushi at places with at best, sub-par ginger but it usually holds true most of the time. Looks like you had some interesting menu choices though. The Chicken Karaage Ontama Don looks great. Maybe I’ll deviate away from my usual ordering of Kaisen Don next time!
Marv: The chicken karaage does look good and big in the picture, but I found the portion to be on the small side… BUT definitely do give it a try and let us know how you like it! =] I thought it was just okay… but it might’ve just been an off day..
the Una Tama Gohan looks good…
I really like this place, (: you should give the takoyakis a try, the side order ones are pretty good. (: