hungryfordinnerVancouverSince September 1, 2007117 Reviews
(2.8)- Food
(3) - Service
(2.7) - Value (2.8)
- Ambiance (2.6)
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(2.8) (3) (2.7) (2.8) (2.6)Food: I ordered from the Dineout menu - beef carpaccio, duck confit pasta, and a peach dessert. The appetizer and the entree was a bit too salty, but the dessert was good.
Service: The servers were friendly, but they didn't come around very often. My water was never refilled, which wasn't good because the food was a bit too salty. We didn't have a designated server.
Value: The portions were very large. The duck confit pasta came with a large salad that had baby tomatoes, artichokes, and sunflower seeds. It also came with two large wedges of foccacia bread. I could not finish the salad because there was so much food!
Ambiance: There are two sections in this establishment - half of it is a bar and the rest is a decent looking restaurant.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience here. The food was decent, but the service could have been a bit better. The value was outstanding.
Food: I always get their original frozen yogurt - I'm sure the other flavours are good too, but I love how tart the original tastes, it's not too sweet. The toppings however, did not look so fresh and I stayed away from those.
Service: The cashier was very friendly. I was curious about their limited edition 'chai tea' flavour of frozen yogurt, and she gave me a generous sample. The service was very courteous and I really glad about that (I had been subjected to terrible service at Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. earlier that evening). No pretentiousness here!
Value: The value is good, for what it's worth. It's comparable to other frozen yogurt places. Two small original frozen yogurts came to under $8 after tax.
Ambiance: Unlike the reviewer below, I think the ambiance is great. This is exactly what Kits needs - a down-to-earth place where students can hang out and play board games.
I will be back soon!
Food: Average. Just your usual california rolls. Tuna rolls were decent. This is your average Chinese-run Japanese restaurant.
Service: The sushi took a while to arrive. They seemed a bit pushy, as they asked 'Real crab meat or imitation?' when I ordered a california roll. If I wanted real crab meat in my California roll, I would have asked for it.
Value: Quite overpriced, even for UBC.
Ambiance: Chinese style decorations.
I might be back but I doubt it. They should reconsider their prices.
Food: For a place that calls itself a pizzeria, this was downright disappointing. How can pizza be so bland? The crust was way too chewy. The toppings were too sparse. We saw the pizza being hand made and go into the brick oven. It's all show and no substance.
Service: Water was refilled.
Value: Poor, considering the food.
Ambiance: This is the only saving grace. The restaurant is nicely decorated, and the tables aren't situated too close to each other.
I'll order Domino's next time.
Food: If you like sampling deli meats, cheese, nuts, and different sauces, this is the place for you.
Service: The waitress explained the 'concept' and that was about it.
Value: Considering there is no cooking or any skill involved with the preparation of the food, I think the value definitely wasn't there.
Ambiance: If you like communal seating, this is the place for you.
Sure, it's neat that it's in Blood Alley, but there's a lot more to a restaurant than the location.
I will not be returning.
Food: The ramen and the ikura don was pretty good, though I definitely wasn't blown away. I had the spicy ramen, though I found it to be a bit bland. The broth was rich, which I liked. I didn't like the egg though, as it was fully cooked through, unlike the other ramen restaurants where the yolk is still orange.
Service: I know this place is busy, but there's no need to be rude. We came into the restaurant and they asked "How many?" After I indicated the number of people, the waitress hollered something in Japanese. I'm used to this because I've been to Guu quite a few times and they do the same, but what I was not expecting was for her to immediately walk away afterwards without even making eye contact. How about "It will be 10 minutes." Or "Please wait." We were next in line and sat down at the table. The waitress rudely said "Stand back in line. We haven't cleaned the table," as if it was impossible for them to clean the table while we were seated.
Value: There isn't anything here that Benkei Ramen can't do for a fraction of the price. Even taking in account that this restaurant is located on Robson street, the value still isn't here.
Ambiance: This isn't a place for big groups or comfortable seating. The seating was very tight and uncomfortable.
I don't understand why people would line up for something like this. There are so many better choices in downtown.
I will never set foot in this restaurant again, and neither should you!
Food:
I loved the wild salmon! It appears that this place uses only wild salmon. The dressing for the side salad was not too bitter, and the miso soup that came with the combo had lots of seaweed and tofu. Everything tasted very fresh.
Service:
Friendly servers refilled our cups constantly. I like how they bring the machine to you when you pay with a credit card - I hate it when you have to go to the cashier to pay.
Value:
Very good value combos!
Ambiance:
It was decent.
Being on Oak Street, the location isn't exactly convenient, but it's well worth the trouble! I will be back!
Food:
Considering this is Vancouver, and not Richmond, which is the centre of all HK style restaurants, the food was acceptable.
Service:
It took about 15 minutes to get the bill and for it to be processed. I realize that HK style restaurants typically do not have the best service, but this was below average.
Value:
The portions were a bit small, but lunch time meals include a drink and averages out to be around $8. Decent value in Vancouver.
Ambiance:
This place needs a good scrubbing!
I will be back only if I am in the area and cannot find a better option.
Food:
I ordered 2 appetizers - cold jellyfish and deep fried chicken thigh. The jellyfish had way too much diced garlic in it. Maybe it wasn't that fresh and they used it to disguise it. The deep fried chicken thigh was partially raw...
Service:
The service was friendly, but you had to wave them down for everything - when you order, when you wanted to pay your bill, etc. We weren't even served water until we asked.
Value:
For the quality of the food, even though it wasn't very expensive at all, is mediocre.
Ambiance:
The restaurant is way too dark. The washroom was not clean.
With so many choices in Richmond, I will not return.
Food: Average Japanese food
Service: The service was solid. Our teas were always refilled and the server had a nice smile and was very polite.
Value: The portions were slightly on the small side. However, the value is better if you order a lunch box. I had a sushi combo and was underwhelmed. Given the location, however, the value was acceptable.
Ambiance: It was clean and spacious. No cramped tables here!
I might be back, but this would not be my first choice.
We ordered 70 boxes of sandwiches and pasta for an event.
Food: I had the ham and cheese box. I never knew ham and cheese sandwiches could be this delicious! The pasta was well seasoned and very good.
Service: They were very accommodating and had opened up much earlier to cater to our large order. The service was friendly and they helped us load the sandwiches into the car.
Value: Very good value. Each sandwich/pasta box was $4.25 each because we bought it in bulk - I think it's slightly more expensive in stores. I checked their online menu and their prices seem lower than most other places.
I will DEFINITELY return. It exceeded my expectations - and I'm picky!
Food:
Try the tekka maki! The amazake is pretty good as well.
Service:
Friendly
Value:
We made the mistake of ordering the assorted sashimi. It was not particularly fresh and definitely not worth the price tag. The other items, such as the lunch boxes, are much more reasonable.
Ambiance:
It's clean, but extremely cramped. Not a place for intimate meals or large families!
Overall, it was a pleasant experience. The complimentary pocky at the end was nice.
It's been awhile since I have been to a restaurant with service this terrible. We were originally going to go to G-Men Ramen, which was a few restaurants down, but it was closed. We made the unfortunately decision of dining here.
Food:
The takowasabi did not have enough wasabi taste, rendering it rather bland. The both of us each ordered a chilld ramen. The sauce was overpoweringly sweet, and the toppings were extremely sparse. Who serves sliced ham rather than traditional chau siu?! It was extremely underwhelming. My friend ordered an appetizer of deep fried potato. While this was passable, it was drenched in spicy mayonaise.
Service:
The terrible service is what will make me never step foot into this establishment again. There were only 3 other groups in the restaurant, so it wasn't busy at all. When asked for our choice of beverage, we both stated we wanted water. The waitress then returned with ONE glass of water. Strike number one. We ordered our dishes - two entrees and two appetizers between the two of us. Our entrees were the same. I received my appetizer first, while my friend waited. He then received his entree. After a long time, we reminded the waitress that there were still two more dishes that had not arrived yet. She then acted surprised - they had not even entered it into the computer! Strike 2. By this time, I was pretty livid. The worst part is that prior to the arrival of our meals, the receipt of what we ordered had been taped to our table for the waitresses to keep track of what we ordered. They had marked off the first two dishes that arrived - didn't they see that we had two more dishes?! Strike 3. How difficult is it to get four dishes correct? It wasn't like they were understaffed. There were two waitresses and three groups!
Value:
For $5.99, I thought the portion of takowasabi would be considerably bigger. It was comparable to the portions served at the AUTHENTIC Japanese restaurant Guu, and they charge less! The toppings on the ramen were miniscule.
Ambiance:
Typical.
I will NEVER return here again and I highly advise you against it.
Food:
The food is hit and miss. It really depends what you order. I would stay away from the Tuna Maki and the Salmon Maki. It's mainly just rice and you can barely see the fish. The Salmon Belly nigiri, on the other hand, is amazing.
Service:
Outstanding service. It seems like a family business. I like how they give you complimentary Pocky at the end of your meal. It's a nice touch! The restaurant is Japanese owned and operated.
Value:
The value is in line with other restaurants in Kitsilano.
Ambiance:
I think this is more of a takeout place. The ambiance is really just average. Not a place to impress, but not dingy either - it's clean.
This has become my come to place to satisfy sushi cravings.
Food:
The food here is solid, considering it's AYCE. It's one of the better AYCE restaurants around.
Service:
The service is terrible. It's common knowledge that restaurants like to cut orders and we would usually just reorder. But some of the food items that were reordered again and again didn't even come!
Value:
I have to say that the value was only decent because not everything that was ordered came.
Ambiance:
It's alright.
Next time, I'm just going to skip the dinner AYCE and come for lunch.
Food:
The hainanese chicken at this location tastes exactly like the chicken at the Cafe D'Lite location on West Broadway. It's the best hainanese chicken I've ever tasted.
Service:
The service was alright. Definitely better than the service at the W Broadway location.
Value:
It's a bit pricey considering it's in a food court.
Food:
I visited this restaurant twice. During the first time, they did not have ramen yet (we went when they had just opened) and so we tried their tapas menu. The sushi is good and the sashimi is AMAZING. It was very fresh and the portions were generous.
We went for ramen during the second visit. This was during their 50% off promotion. I was incredibly disappointed - the ramen had a bleached flavour, and the broth was thin. Also, they did not have the grated garlic that is offered at most other ramen restaurants. It was a big disappointment.
Service:
The service was good the first time we went, but during the second time it was inattentive.
Value:
The prices are in accordance with other restaurants in the area.
Ambiance:
They seem to have put a lot of effort into the ambiance. It's a nice place!
I would recommend only going for the tapas during dinner time. Skip the ramen - go to Benkei Ramen instead across the street.
Food:
Their smoothies taste amazing, although on the watery side. Try their Ranger cookies! Delish!
Service:
Typical take-out service. I don't understand why there's an option for 'tips' when you pay by cc/debit though - it's just a take-out counter.
Value:
It's not cheap, but it's in line with the other food options in the SUB.
Food:
The broth is amazing! I like the fact that they don't use MSG. I always somehow end up drinking all the broth before finishing the ramen...
Service:
The waitresses are very polite and courteous, and the cook always thanks you when you leave the restaurant. My only complaint is that service can get a bit slow when the restaurant gets busy, because there is only one waitress.
Value:
They were offering a '3rd Year Anniversary Countdown', where you would get 2 free toppings, and upgrade for a larger portion of ramen was only 50cents. With the promotion, the value is alright. I have been here prior to the promotion, however, and the serving was quite small.
Ambiance:
This place does not get incredibly busy, even during the lunch hours, so it isn't cramped.
I think this is the best ramen location in Kitsilano. I would definitely choose this over Sanpachi Ramen across the street. Remember to ask for a stamp card - buy 10 ramens and get the 11th one free!
Food: The salmon belly was AMAZING. The chopped scallop cones were meh (Tomokazu's are better). The sashimi was great. The chicken gizzards were good too. Instead of going to places like Zakkushi and paying $2/skewer come here instead.
Service: We came early for lunch so there weren't a lot of people. The waitresses could have been a bit more attentive but they were very friendly and professional.
Value: $14 for AYCE lunch including unlimited sashimi is better value than its closest competitive.
Ambiance: Good ambiance. Very nicely decorated.
I will definitely be returning.
