Hanafubuki Sushi 花吹雪

We had a dinner-for-two voucher for Hanafubuki Sushi, so we picked a night and went to try it out. We were a little surprised when we found the place because the dining area only seats 6. Luckily for us, one of the three tables in the restaurant was empty, so we didn't have to wait.

Takoyaki

Our voucher was good for 2 miso soups, a share plate of takoyaki (equivalent to 2 orders), and a dinner plate for each of us consisting of 2 pieces of aburi toro sushi, a side salad, and a Magma roll (BBQ salmon, cucumber, avocado, imitation crab, and cream cheese topped with baked yam, green onion and specialty sauce).

The food quality was pretty good. The salad and the greens in the Magma roll tasted fresh. The takoyaki was a little soggy but delicious nonetheless. I thought that a single order would have been sufficient as J and I were counting how many we each already had as we got down to the last couple.

Magma Roll Dinner

The aburi toro was fresh tasting and stole the show from the Magma roll which took center place on the dinner plate. The ingredients in the roll didn't go together quite well. There was a little too much rice which took away from the other ingredients and flavours. Also, the specialty sauce was a little bland, which didn't complement the baked yam or the green onion well. The BBQ salmon could have used more seasoning as well. All in all, most of the ingredients were either dry or starchy (naturally, not in a bad way), so it really depended on the sauce to bring it together, which is where it didn't really shine.

The quantity of food was good, even though I was quite hungry when we arrived. Service was good and attentive (although one would hope so when there are only a maximum of 6 people in the restaurant). Parking is typical for Robson Street, so expect to pay a couple of bucks for a parking meter.

Overall, the food wasn't bad but the location and size coupled with the un-extraordinary food aren't screaming for me to make a return visit anytime soon.

Summary
Food: Average. Good quality but the execution was lacking on the Magma roll.

Service: Good.

Setting: Average. Very small restaurant (6 seats total).

Value: Average.

Matoi Sushi

When we're out in Coquitlam visiting our friends, we usually head to Matoi for dinner. It's a Japanese restaurant run by Japanese (rarer than it sounds in the Lower Mainland).  The food isn't spectacular or anything, but it's always fresh and the quality is good and consistent.

On our latest visit I ordered the beef teriyaki dinner box which comes with salad and rice. The variety in the box is fairly typical for a dinner box, but as I mentioned it's the quality of the food that keeps me going back.

The teriyaki is not overly salty or drowning in sauce as some places tend to do. The tempura has a good amount of batter (not too much and not too little) and it always comes out looking bright light yellow, indicating the oil used is pretty fresh.

If you're picky about the rice used for the sushi and maki rolls, it's also good to know that they use Japanese rice and a good ratio of rice to rice vinegar. Some places use too much or none at all and try to pass it off as Japanese.

Service is pretty average. It's not bad but it's not anything to highlight. It's not hard to get a server's attention as the dining area is a large room with a couple of semi-private rooms along one wall. 

The restaurant is in a plaza with plenty of parking available so you never has to fight for parking or worry about paying a meter. 

Overall, Matoi is good Japanese restaurant that is consistent in qulality and service. If you don't feel like restaurant gambling and leaving your dining experience to chance, I definitely recommend this restaurant.

Summary
Food: Good. Fresh ingredients and consistently good quality.

Service: Good.

Setting: Good. The restaurant is clean and parking is quick and easy.

Value: Good. You pay for the ingredients and quality. 

Suika

J mentioned wanting to try Suika several times so we finally did go. In fact, we liked it so much that we went twice in 2 weeks.

Aburi Salmon Battera

Suika is located on Broadway with street parking available. It doesn't have a very noticeable storefront so we almost missed it on our way there. They have a small patio but we chose to eat inside (on both trips). The servers there all speak Japanese (as far as I can tell) and they do the typical Japanese greeting and thank-you/farewell when guests enter and leave the restaurant. The decor inside is mostly black with regular tables, some long tables and a lounge area.

Service was pretty good overall. When we went on our second visit, we brought some of my extended family and several from our party wanted to order their special Suika Soda. The server suggested that we get a pitcher instead, which ended up being way more than the individual glasses and saving us some money as well.

Torotoro Cha-shu

The food itself is definitely the highlight of Suika. They serve Japanese tapas like many of the restaurants in downtown. However, their dishes are very well-made, delicious, and different from the typical fare that you get downtown.

Following are some of the items that we've tried there:

Hellz Chicken

Aburi "Shime-Saba" Sushi

• Grilled Sable Fish - Tender, moist, very flavorful and very few bones.
• Hellz Chicken - Spicy boneless fried chicken... what's not to like? This one is a little on the spicy side though.
• Torotoro Cha-shu - Very tender, tasty, and fatty. It almost melts in your mouth. Don't think about the calories.
• Beef Filet Fried Rice - Beef on the fried rice was soft and tender, but it didn't feel like there were enough chunks of beef. If you need to leave a restaurant full and not break the bank, this'll do.
• Asari Yaki Udon - Another very tasty dish. The sauce makes the dish.
• Three Kinds Sashimi - Fresh sashimi. Not much else to say about it.
• Hainanese Style Chicken Salad - An interesting take on a warm salad. I think the salad and the chicken go better on their own, but it's still interesting.
• Aburi "Shime-Saba" Sushi - The different flavors in this one was a little cofusing. None of the flavors stand out on their own, so it ends up just tasting like a generic fusion sushi.
• Aburi Toro Battera - We tried both the toro and the salmon version of this and the toro version was far better. The sauce mixed with the sashimi goes very well with the rice. Everything is soft and melds together well.

Beef Filet Fried Rice

Pricewise, Suika is not cheap. However, it is in-line with most Japanese tapas restaurants. I would definitely recommend Suika, especially if you don't like having to head downtown for a Japanese tapas fix.

Summary
Food: Very Good. Almost all the dishes we tried were very good. The tastes may be a little too rich for some.

Service: Good. Servers are usually quick and they are nice about it.

Setting: Good. Decent parking available and it is usually bustling with activity inside.

Value: Average. Expect to pay $20-30 per person or more if you're a big eater.

Gokudo Shabu Shabu Hotpot

Many months ago, J bought a Social Shopper voucher for a 2 person meal at Gokudo Shabu Shabu Hotpot in Richmond. The voucher included hotpot for 2 which included the following: 4 orders (40 pieces) of select meats, select soup bases to choose from, 2 vegetable plates, 2 drinks, and 2 desserts. We finally got around to using the voucher this weekend. 

The restaurant is located in the middle of Continental Centre, across from Pearl Castle. Parking at that mall is always a bit of a challenge, but it usually doesn't take too long to find a spot. We circled for a few minutes before getting a spot and making our way to the restaurant. 

Inside, most of the space is occupied by a U-shaped bar. By the entrance to the restaurant are the only 2 tables in the dining area, each with seating for 4. Since we had reservations, we were seated at one of the tables. The restaurant specializes in individual hotpots, so each seat has its own element carved into the tabletop so the pot can be lowered under to save space. 

Typically, you would order a hotpot combo which includes one type of meat, their house special soup base, a plate of vegetables, and a drink (I don't remember if it includes dessert). With the voucher we had, we were allowed to pick 40 pieces of meat from basic beef, chicken, pork, and lamb. On the menu, they also had premium cuts of meat available. We ordered 30 beef, 5 chicken, and 5 lamb. J ordered the satay soup base and I got milk. For our drinks, J ordered an herbal tea and I ordered Taiwanese Sarsaparilla ("root beer" on the menu). 

While waiting for our food, we received 2 plates of sauce for the hotpots. There were no options, but the amount of sauce was more than sufficient. Based on my limited experience with deciphering ingredients, the sauce consisted of light soy sauce, sweet soy, fresh ground garlic, and chives. As expected, the pots and the raw food came pretty quick. The frozen ingredients were still cold but no longer frozen, and the raw ingredients were clean and fresh (no limp veggies). 

The beef "sirloin" that came was at least 50% fat. It was definitely tasty, but way too fatty for us. I would not recommend ordering it if you're health conscious. The lamb was good and so was the chicken. The soup bases were tasy as well. My milk soup was flavorful without being too milky or salty. Since we cooked the food ourselves, there isn't much else to say about the food.

We did encounter one problem while we were there. The element for seat was not working properly. The control knob was broken so the only options for that element were full blast or off. To make matters worse, my milk soup pot came about 80% full. I put a few items in and when it started boiling soup started flowing all over the table. A server noticed and tried to fix it with no luck. I ended up moving my pot to H's seat and just reaching over to cook.
 

Service wasn't bad, but it was a little strange that there was only 1 server at first. We arrived at 12:30pm so I expected more, but the restaurant was mostly empty at first so it wasn't a problem. Do keep in mind that after serving the dishes, there really isn't much maintenance needed from diners. 

As my appetite shrinks with age, I would definitely consider revisiting because the prices aren't bad when compared to similar establishments. AYCE hotpots typically run $20+ per person while at Gokudo Shabu Shabu Hotpot, you get a sizable meal for under $20. I would have been satisfied with half the amount of food (read: meat) I had (which would be the equivalent of the regular combo). The voucher was a bit overkill in my opinion. 

Summary
Food: Good. Great sauce and fresh ingredients. I can't bring myself to rate it higher because I did the cooking. 

Service: Good. Not much more to say about it. 

Setting: Average. Parking is okay, but the layout of the restaurant isn't great for larger numbers. 

Value: Good. Hotpot is always pricey unless you do it yourself at home. No complaints here.