The Bon Vivant Blog

One of the many japanese restaurants amongst the sea of asian restaurants in Richmond. Nothing special. In fact, I found the sashimi lunch box rather skimpy and the fish so-so. The service was below average – perhaps because they may have forgot us as we were politely asked to move to a more private room [...]

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Shima-ya 5589 Victoria Drive Vancouver, BC V5P 3W2‎ (604) 322-4649‎ Price: Inexpensive particularly for the quality Would we go back: Yes Reservations: highly recommended Great but small (seats maximum of 15-20 people) sushi restaurant run by a japanese couple with a loyal following. Clean and simple – the decor is nothing special – you definitely [...]

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Ping’s Cafe 2702 Main Street Vancouver, BC V5T 3E8 (604) 873-2702 Small plates approx $5-8 Large plates approx $15+ Beer/Wine $6+ We like this place. Although discreet signage and a “difficult to find” place often works well in big cities like New York or Toronto, unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be working so well for [...]

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Located in a strip mall (what isn’t a strip mall in Nanaimo?) by the hospital, the restaurant is owned and run by a Japanese chef. There is pre-made food which you can grab or you can order take-out to go, which is the better option if you can wait a few minutes. There are also [...]

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Pleasant restaurant with both tables and booths, which is apparently Korean-owned. It also appears to have a karaoke room off to one side. Service is usually pretty good and they often come around to refill the tea. The lunch bento box specials are reasonably priced with average quality sashimi/sushi/tempura and portions are decent-sized. Overall – [...]

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We owed it to this place to come back together. I had been back once since our last trip – and through the Asahi-induced haze of that evening, I remember the next morning thinking that I liked this place and its racous, noisy, busy atmosphere and its inexpensive savoury dishes even more than I did [...]

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This was my third trip here – I’ve hit the place up on two other afternoons, been very impressed and had to bring D as this kind of thing is right up her alley. The bottom line is pretty simple: western bun (soft sesame), western frank (turkey, bratwurst, beef – except for the kurobuta pork [...]

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Recently named by En Route as one of the top new restaurants of 2007, Kingyo is yet another addition to the army of izakayas around the city. Prettier surroundings than the other izakayas we have visited which were a little more basic, and a little quieter, although they still shout out a greeting as you [...]

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So we ventured out on a rainy Friday night to try the sushi restaurant recommended by a local Japanese Vancouverite. Unlike many popular sushi restaurants these days, Zipang actually accepts reservations. Perhaps it is because it is a little off the main drag of Main street but – who cares? – all we care is [...]

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Small, busy, noisy with a definite vibe. Felt is was more a place for snacks and drinks (alcoholic) with friends rather than our party of 5 with 2 babies. They yell all your orders to the kitchen which is literally steps away – interesting in a disconcerting kind of way. The staff is friendly and [...]

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