The Eatery

The Eatery
3431 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6R 2B4
Phone: (604) 738-5298
Website | Map

Dine Date: December th, 2007

My buddy Bryan and his girlfriend, Anna, came over from Victoria for a day of snow shoeing this weekend. Afterwards, we were totally pooped out. But before hand threw in the towel, Caroline and I brought up the idea of going for dinner at The Eatery the next day. I told Bryan about how all the cool people go there but he wanted none of it. "But is the sushi good Jim," he demanded.

He soon found out the next day, the food is amazing. The sushi rolls were tighter than Jane Fonda's pre '90s buns. Even the quasi traditional Alaska Roll kept its form. What is remarkable about this place are the items listed under their Funky Creations section of their menu. My favorite item would be the Bob Marley roll which is avocado, mango, cucumber, and topped with tuna. When you first bite into it, you're greeted with the freshness of the avocado and cucumber and then it's finished by the tart of the unripened mango; simply amazing.

Some other interesting named rolls include: Captain Crunch, Godzilla, Erotica, KFC, Viva Las Vegas, and X-Rated rolls. This is also one of the few sushi places around that serves vegetarian gyozas. If you don't feel like Japanese, they also have chicken strips, zucchini sticks, and curry bowls. I had tempura here once before and all I can remember was that it was the best tempura I've ever had.

They don't have the complementary Japanese tea when you sit down; it's extra and I think they serve it in a mug. Which is fine, because I think Coke compliments sushi really well. While you're there, I would recommend the Cherry Coke. Caroline thinks it's made from Coke and grenadine. I think it's fun fishing out the maraschino cherries while you're waiting for you food.

There is only one location and it's allllll the way down Broadway close to Alma; but it's worth the trip. The server we got was wonderful and very helpful. The atmosphere can only be described by one word -- funky. When we got in, we were greeted the the smooth stylings of Modest Mouse and when we left, we're departed with the daft punk mash up stylings of a house DJ.

One thing I would like to see is gender separated washrooms, but it's nothing like Alley Mcbeal. In the restaurant they only have one toilet and when it's packed, you're always waiting for it.

I would definitely come back again. It's the kind of place where you want to try 90% of the menu but aren't hungry enough to eat it all.

Food: 8.5/10

Service: 8/10

Price: 7/10

Atmosphere: 9.5/10 (small bathroom)

Seafood Won Ton Soup

Traditionally, Won Ton is made from ground pork meat. Sadly that meant Caroline, a dedicated pescatarian, has never enjoyed this tasty Chinese soup dumpling. Just the other day she called me telling me about this Won Ton recipe she found that has no pork in it!

The recipe comes from the TLC cooking show Take Home Chef. You can find the recipe here:

• http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/takehomechef/recipes/episode1100.html

We didn't use the soup recipe above; instead we used an instant Knorr Won Ton Soup mix that tasted authentic. In addition, I also added won ton noodles.

In the end it came out really nice. Very comforting.

Shabusen

Shabusen Yakiniku House
202-755 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1X6
Phone: (604) 669-3883

Dine Date: December 15th, 2007

Caroline and I really wanted sushi one Friday night. We were doing some Christmas shopping on Robson street when the hunger bell rang. "Da ding-da ding," it chimed. So we decided to go this neat yakiniku downtown. There are only a hand full of yakiniku restaurants in Vancouver, with Shabusen being one of them. There is also another Shabusen on Grandville (2993 Granville Street).

For those of you who haven't done the yakiniku thang, it's like a Korean BBQ but Japanese style. They have all these prepared meats cut up and you get to grill them right at the table. Personally, when I go out, if I'm paying for my meal, I would rather have someone else cook the meat for me. After you're done grilling, they have this soy sauce mixture that you dip the meat into; very tasty.

That night we didn't have a reservation so we decided just to wait it out even though we knew this place is notorious for huge line ups. We got there at 7:10pm and the host at the door said the wait will be over an hour. So we put our name on the list and came back 30 mins later. We didn't get to eat 'till 8:15pm.

When we got in, we had two dinning options, to eat off the menu or go for the all you can eat option. So we went for the all you can eat, which costs a little under 20 bucks. On the menu was all the regular sushi fare. But when ordering, the number you write on the slip to order refers to the number of sushi pieces and not the number of sushi rolls. One of my favorite items was the deep fried squid rings; it was called Karachi something or other.

I did order some squid to BBQ but it came out awful. I had to hide the squid in bowls so they wouldn't charge me extra for the un-eaten food. I ordered an Alaskan Roll that was rolled as loose as BC Place's inflatable roof. Also I need to mention the bathroom were yucky. A bathroom remodel is in desperate need here. After washing my hands in the washroom, I contemplated holding them over the hot grill to sanitize them.

The service was really fast, which makes me believe they pre-make the sushi head of time instead of having them made to order. Although the sushi rice in the rolls are not dried up like the all you can eat sushi at Richmond Sushi. The fine server man filled my tea cup as soon as I took my last sip. And at the end of the meal, they give you this coffee flavored gelatin dessert topped with simple syrup and this evaporated milk derived sauce.

For $20 bucks, it's a bit on the pricier side, but the sushi is pretty good. Service is fast and the place is always packed. I would come back here again, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here.

Food: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Price: 5/10

Atmosphere: 4/10 (gross bathrooms)