1149 Granville Street
604-440-1149
Hours:
Mon-Thurs 4:30pm - 12pm
Fri- Sat 4:30pm- 12am
Sun 4:30pm - 11pm
Date of visit: April 30, 2011
This restaurant was featured in Groupon back in March 2011, with the $20 for $40 deal. Since I am a big fan of Japanese food, I took advantage of this deal to try out a Japanese restaurant that I haven't try before. It is interesting how this restaurant is only open for dinner and late night, so I did a bit of shopping before heading to the restaurant. If you are taking the Skytrain, it is close to the Yaletown- Roundhouse station.
Ambience * * * * *
This is a cozy restaurant with sofa seats and chairs. The place is clean and the sofa seats are comfortable. There are three projector screens on the wall that play sports programs, which makes it a great place to watch the games. As the restaurant does not have a lot of tables, reservation is highly recommended if you wish to watch the games there. There is also a music station at the front of the restaurant and a disco ball on the ceilling, which can easily convert the restaurant to a dancing lounge.
Food * * * *
There are soo many choices to choose from! We spent 20 minutes deciding what to eat! There are appentizers, signature rolls, simple rolls, veggie rolls, roll combos, sashimi, rolls, sashimi combos, salads, donuri, noodles, desserts, etc. The picture above features the chef specials.
Lamb Skewers ($5.95)
The lamb skewers are really tasty. It is nicely marinated such that it is not too salty, and the lemon and green onion nicely compliment with the lamb. It would be better if there are four skewers instead of three.
69 Roll ($8.95)
I'm not sure why it is called 69 roll, but sure it is a tasty (and sexy) roll. It has smoked salmon and eel on the top with avocado and crab meat inside. This combination is soft and yummy, especially the smoked salmon and smoky mayo gave the roll a bit of a smoky, salty taste. Because of the name of the roll, my boyfriend and I have decided to try it. However, I don't think I'll order it again as it seems like a common roll that other Japanese restaurants would have.
Dragon Roll ($9.95)
On top of the roll, fish roe lays on top of tempera eel with mayo and eel sauce. Tempura shrimp and cucumber are wrapped inside the roll. The fried eel and tempura shrimp make the roll really flavourful. Overall, it is a delightful roll with just the right amount of crunchiness. However, due to the price, I don't think I'll order it again.
Found memo ($8.50)
It is the best of the four rolls I have tried. It contains soft shell crab, lettuce, cucumber, and avocado inside the roll and has smeared salmon on top. I have tried soft shell crab rolls at other restaurants but this one is the best one I've ever tasted! The soft shell crab in the roll is large enough to actually taste the crab meat (not just the shell). Also, the crab was warm when it was served, which made it really soft and flavorful. I will order it again if I go back to the restaurant.
Caterpilla Roll ($7.50)
It is a delightful roll for people who loves avocado (like me)! It has layers of avocado on top of the roll with cucumber and eel inside. It tasted nice and soft, though nothing really special about the roll. I don't think I'll order it again.
Service * * * * *
There were two lady servers when we were there, one takes orders and the other serves dishes. Since there were only three tables occupied, we got right amount of attention from the servers. Water was filled quickly and the food came quickly as well. The server asked us if we were watching the game, so she'll place us at a table that has a good view of the projector screens. The lady that served the dishes told us what the rolls were and also asked us how's the dinner. Both ladies are really responsive and friendly.
Service * * * * *
There were two lady servers when we were there, one takes orders and the other serves dishes. Since there were only three tables occupied, we got right amount of attention from the servers. Water was filled quickly and the food came quickly as well. The server asked us if we were watching the game, so she'll place us at a table that has a good view of the projector screens. The lady that served the dishes told us what the rolls were and also asked us how's the dinner. Both ladies are really responsive and friendly.
Value * * * 1/2
The price is around average for Japanese tapas. I wish the price is a bit lower so that I can try more different kinds of rolls. Normally I won't spend $40 on Japanese food unless it is all you can eat. Regardless, my boyfriend and I were really stuffed after the meal.
Overall * * * *
I will go there again and will recommend my friend to go there. I had a good time at the restaurant, and I enjoyed the food. I didn't know about this place until it was featured on groupon. $20 for $40 was a great deal as I have tried five different dishes and they all tasted good. I wish I had tried other chef special rolls instead of the caterpilla roll.
