Ebisu on Broadway (Vancouver, BC)

My family has been enjoying sushi at 601 Broadway for the longest time. We were patrons of Kamei Royale and Kamei Robata in years past, and with its newest reincarnation and slight management tweaking, we still love eating quality sushi at Ebisu on Broadway.



First up, beef tataki, served with slices of sweet cherry tomato, radish, green onion, shiso leaves, radish sprouts, and a light vinagrette. A refreshing start to a huge meal...



Then some dynamite roll (one for each side of the table), spicy gyoza, and chopped scallop sushi. What I love about (now) Ebisu is that their ingredients are always fresh, and there is care taken when preparing each variety of sushi. In addition, they have a number of chefs (hot and cold sides) so the food never tastes rushed; instead, you can taste the food as it was meant to be. :)



Large appetites call for large party platters! We dug in and finished it in no time.



A favourite of mine is the mango paradise roll. You know those sushi places that serve you crunchy fruit on sushi? Well Ebisu is NOT that place - the mango was perfectly ripe and complimented the underlying smoked salmon and California roll quite well! The tobiko added a nice, slightly bitter crunch.



We also ordered the lobster sushi boat, which comes with fresh lobster, tuna and salmon sashimis, and a variety of other sashimis.



A distinguishing dish is their grilled ika / octopus. Come to think of it though, because I almost always go to Ebisu with family, I have *rarely* done the ordering, so I don't exactly know what this dish is called. The octopus comes pre-blanched and with a touch of marinade. There is also a small "grill" to prepare the octopus to your liking. After grilling for a short amount of time per side, the octopus is dipped in the sesame-soy sauce. Yum!



Next we had some uni (they did not have fresh uni that day, so we settled for frozen) sushi and oyster motoyaki. I am a huge fan of uni, so I savoured that little morsel like nobodys business! The oyster motoyaki, however, was surprisingly good, even though I hadn't "ordered" one at the beginning of the meal (you pay a steep price for eating food that you hadn't ordered in my family. heehee!). The motoyaki wasn't too heavy, but still had huge chunks of oyster and complimenting vegetables baked into the half shell.



Dads favourite is the salmon belly and the salmon kama (salmon neck). The salmon is grilled, so the skin gets blistery and crisp, while still keeping the flesh meaty and moist. Typically, the salmon (either one) gets grabbed up once it hits the table. I wasn't even able to get a photo of the salmon belly, it disappeared that fast!

We also ordered a number of tempuras (assorted and yam). Ebisus' tempura always arrives fresh and piping hot. As usual, fried food is always good!

Grandpas' favourite is the unagi-don (grilled eel on rice). It comes with a wonderful sauce and the rice does a great job of soaking it all up. There have been times, dining at Ebisu, that members of the family find only a skimpy piece or two of eel left - all the seaweed and rice is gone. *That's* how good the sauce is. :)



Finally, remember that lobster sashimi boat? After you are done eating all the sashimi, the staff will take it back to the kitchen and prepare a miso soup with the claws and shell. For an extra charge, you may add in noodles - ramen, udon, or soba. We usually opt for ramen, but they had ran out that day. So, we ordered udon. It hit the spot as I'd been craving some udon anyways.

Change your name all you want Ebisu / Kamei / whatever! Just don't change the food!

Ebisu on Broadway

601 West Broadway [map]

Vancouver BC

Phone: 604-876-3388

Sandbar (Granville Island, Vancouver, BC)

The Sandbar is known to locals and tourists to Vancouver alike as a lively lounge and seafood restaurant. But what about brunch?

We took in the upstairs patio and enjoyed some (light) open air dining before meeting with some family afterwards.



Brunch is never complete without a mimosa - orange juice with champagne!

I also ordered a pair each of Royal Miyagi and Malpeque oysters on the half shell. Briney, sweet, and fresh. They were served with fresh grated horseradish, wedges of lemon, and a housemade cocktail sauce. Paired with the mimosa, it was a nice appy.



To finish off, we also ordered the West Coast crab cakes, served with a smoked red pepper coulis and a lemon aioli. The (I suspect pasteurized) crab meat was mixed with shallots and small dice of bell peppers, and dredged in panko. The crab cakes were fried a little too long, but surprisingly still retained moisture and the sauces complimented the cakes and brought them to life! They were perfectly hot even after a short photo session (hardy-har!) and were crisp and decadent at the same time.



Service was very attentive and friendly - even though I got there only a couple minutes after Sandbar opened, most of the window seats were already taken. Within twenty minutes, the place was packed and all the waitstaff were in fine form. I'd love to return to Sandbar to try their oyster po boy sandwich, or their panfried oysters!

The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant

1535 Johnson Street [map]

Vancouver BC

Phone: (604) 669-9030

Pisces Fish & Chips (Ambleside, West Vancouver, BC)

Another weekend, another sunny lunch. We stopped by Pisces Fish & Chips after garage saleing. M remembered the Polish / Russian lady who (used to) own Pisces Fish & Chips and wanted to revisit the crispy fish & chips, as well as the schnitzel she used to make.



Alas, the restaurant had changed ownership and thus there was no schnitzel. We opted for their combo A, which included two pieces of fish, two prawns, and chips. We also ordered an extra piece of fish (more about this ambiguity later), four oysters, and a lychee slush with pearl drink, as well as a strawberry drink with pearls.



Pisces Fish & Chips is kind of hidden away in a strip of businesses along Marine Drive in West Vancouver. In fact, there is only pedestrian access to their storefront. You may park either in the parking lot of the complex, or your choice of Marine Drive or Clyde Avenue. Since there is this limited access, there is a cozy outdoor seating area in the courtyard in front of Pisces.

Pisces advertises that their fish and seafood is fried in a light batter. This is a welcome change as the traditional beer-battered seafood is greasier and is more filling. They also offer a number of Taiwanese dishes, so it might be worthwhile checking them out a second time.



The seafood was prepared nicely with a light, crisp coating and the oysters were the hands down favourite. They were fresh, a smaller size, as well as juicy and sweet! The tartar sauce at Pisces is nothing special, and the tapioca bubbles in the drinks were overcooked (ie mushy). The lychee slush was refreshing though! I'd order one of these any hot summer day!

Here's my beef...in my opinion, the fish that was sold to us was not cod, as advertised. It was probably Alaskan pollock. When we inquired about this, the cashier said it was cod. Whether the fish was sold to him as cod (and thus the restaurant is probably getting hosed), or the restaurant themselves were pawning off one fish as another it felt wrong. We paid about $35 for the entire meal and so I was a little miffed that we didn't get what we ordered. That said though, it did taste good and offered something different in Ambleside.

Random Yum-O-Rama Fact: Both M and I are Pisces, as well as both his parents! Pisces eating pisces at pisces...interesting...

Pisces Fish & Chips (Ambleside)

1425 Marine Drive [map]

West Vancouver BC

Phone: 604-926-8664

Review: Koon Bo (Vancouver, BC)

Koon Bo is one of those neighbourhood restaurants that has been around for *forever* and caters to the locals. Tucked away in a small strip of businesses on 41st and Fraser Street in Burnaby, parking can be meager, but free.

We've gone to Koon Bo for almost twelve years since one of the brothers from Koon Lok (down the street on Fraser) parted ways and started up Koon Bo.



It is typically one of those restaurants that has one or two "specialty" dishes that you visit time and time again for. For us, it is their shredded chicken and jellyfish salad, their oysters (deep fried or steamed - garlic or black bean), and roast duck. Seasonally, they also offer a lamb hot pot which is delicious on a cold winter night.



The place is known to be packed and if you do not have a reservation, or have shown up late, prepare to wait a while.

Their shredded chicken and jellyfish salad (or "sau see gai" / hand shredded chicken) is served with sesame oil, pickled vegetables, crunchy deep fried noodles, and is garnished with sesame seeds. If you have a small appetite and ask nicely, they'll even pack up half your order (remind them to separate the wet ingredients and dry noodles) to go!

Koon Bo really knows how to do their oysters. Steamed, they arrive, piping hot, with your choice of topping - black bean, or garlic. Deep fried, they are also mouth-burning hot, with a fluffy crisp batter enveloping each oyster.

Their roast duck? Not your ordinary roast duck. You may have to reserve a duck ahead of time as they have been known to "sell out" of duck. The poultry is roast and is served hot, with crispy skin, tender and juicy meat, and lots of pan juice for spooning over rice.

Koon Bo: for comfort food.

Koon Bo

5682 Main Street [map]

Vancouver BC

Phone: 604-323-1218