Aki Japanese Restaurant

Added Oct 26, 2009 by artfuldodger of False Creek, Vancouver (25 Reviews)

Down With Yamaimo
Before I get started: do...not...order...the...yamaimo (sticky yam).

I have always loved Japanese food; partly due to the fact that the compartmentalized, fastidious preparation and presentation of Japanese cuisine suits my obsessive compulsive tendencies, and partly due to the wide variety of flavours and textures available. There is such diversity and complexity in this cuisine that I religiously select at least one unfamiliar item from every Japanese restuarant that I patronize. I saw that Aki had a "yam and egg" appetizer, which sounded pleasant enough, so I ordered it. I (we) also ordered the beef tataki, hamachi nigiri and the agedashi tofu.

Everything was prepared with a home-cooked feel and was thoroughly enjoyed...BUT the "yam and egg" appy was the most disturbing, unappealing, mucusy dish I have ever consumed. When it arrived - with a raw egg casually lounging atop its pale, slimy constitution - my companion and I just sat and stared at it, in shock. We didn't know what to do, so we called our waitress over and she whisked our sticky yam with soya and wasabi, and brought us some rice to eat it with. Laughing at our polite attempts to ingest this supposedly "wholesome" dish, our waitress explained that yamaimo is an oldschool comfort food, like congee...or jook...or bread pudding. This poor choice seemed far from wholesome OR comforting.

I will return to Aki, for sure...and I will never eat yamaimo again, for sure!

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Added Aug 11, 2009 by hirohi of Van City (1 Reviews)

Very bad
When we first entered the resteraunt the girl in the front automatically brought us to the floor up even thou front wasn't full. I asked if there is a difference between the two sections she said no. At first everything seems to be fine, we were seated and shortly after some girl came to take our orders but didnt speak English. I ordered a salad to start and I asked if it came fresh or if it was more ready made. I was assured it was fresh this was $12.00. Next I asked if they make their own lobster or was pre prepared they said they make their own lobster $32.00. Lastly we ordered their so called award winning seafood platter, which came in 3 sizes, single serving for 40.00, for 2 for $65.00. We ordered the platter for two at $65.00. When the food came, EVERYTHING WAS COLD. The fish were white, chared and cracked. The soup was luke warm. Even red fish was cold. This is a place I highly do not recommend to eat unless you are looking to pay high prices, for cold food and waitresses that ignore you after being asked is everything okay cause they just don't want to hear it or because they dont understand you.

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Added Jul 28, 2009 by marine of Vancouver (2 Reviews)

Dissapointed
This restaurant's food is quite authentic, reasonably priced and tasty.
The atmosphere is also an authentic Japanese Izakaya-style: it reminded me of being in Japan and I liked it.

However, I would not visit here again, because of the poor quality of the service; not friendly, forgetting orders, throwing handtowels. As a result, when I was paying the bill, I did not tip the waitress. However, the staff pressured me to tip in what I felt was a very rude way (they said that it is not mannerly for a customer to refuse to tip after a meal). My opinion was that the service did not deserve a generous tip: had the service been of a good quality, I would happily have tipped the serving staff appropriately.

Until the service is improved (and until the serving staff change their
attitude to customers who choose not to reward poor service), I do not recommend this restaurant.

Added Apr 28, 2009 by VJB of abbotsford (94 Reviews)

Aki is reliable as usual
We used to go to Aki when it was on Powell street. The area was not as nice but I have to admit that I miss having the tatami rooms to sit in.

Dinner on Sunday night. The ambiance is very nice with Japanese lanterns. and decor. They have 3 seating areas, regular chairs amd tables, a couple of tatami rooms that you can only have if there are 4 or more in your party or seating around the robata grill.

We started off with miso and tofu soup. It was really good and for $1.80 we received a good size bowl. Chicken Teriyaki was excellent. The skin was nice and crisp and it was served over beansprouts. We also had salmon butter yaki. It was superb The salmon is steamed in foil with lemon, onions, mushrooms and broccoli. It was so nice an moist. Great flavour. A generous serving of assorted tempura was the last dish. It had 5 prawns and a good assortment of vegetables.

The service was very good. Teacups were replenished throughout the evening and the staff were very pleasant.

Without alcohol but with a large bowl of rice to share and tea the total bill was $39.75 before tip. It was a very good meal for the price.

Would definitely recommend Aki. We will return soon.

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Added Dec 31, 2008 by iamsuperrat of Vancouver (6 Reviews)

Grilled Cod
The grilled cod is my favorite item although the wait can be 15mins as they grill it on the spot.

The service is always pleasant and they sometimes can be crowded. It has the feel of a secret place as it's not located on ground level.

For a restaurant in DT, the prices are not fancy expensive and a few dollars cheaper than Kamei Royale (1030 West georgia)

Added Aug 28, 2008 by crabplushie of Vancouver (1 Reviews)

One of my favourite Japanese restaurants
Aki is one of my favourite Japanese restaurants. My cousin introduced me to here a couple of years ago, and I've been going back ever since. It's best to go to Aki for its cooked/grilled food. My favourites include Nabeyaki Udon (smooth, nicely chewy udon with good broth), yakitori with sauce, grilled black cod, and their Lunch Box A (includes short ribs, chicken karaage, sashimi, shrimp sunomono, rice and miso soup, all for a reasonable price). Most of their grilled items are very tasty, although they only list the grilled items on their dinner menu. The food is quite authentic, as confirmed by my Japanese friend. However, while the cooked food is excellent, I find the sushi is only so-so, despite the seafood being fresh.

Price range is reasonable for downtown. Reservations are always accepted, and I would recommend it if you're going for lunch and want to get out within an hour. The place is underground and quite old, so don't expect any fancy interior design. And by night time, the grill makes certain parts of the restaurant fairly smokey. But the excellent food more than makes up for these points. Highly recommended.

Added Jul 16, 2008 by tkulegal of Tokyo, Japan (1 Reviews)

Great Authentic Restaurant
The review below (Don't Go) is not accurate! Aki's food is quite good! And, I'm a big fan. There is a reason it's the oldest Japanese restaurant in town. This restaurant doesn't pretend to be a Tojo's. Rather, it's geared towards those who seek great quality and authentic Japanese fair across a broad range of foods, ie. sushi, robata, tempura, etc. at a fairly reasonable price (although not cheap) in a simple setting. They have a daily menu that is comparable to what you would find at a siimilar restaurant in Tokyo--ask all the Japanese salarymen that eat there!

Yes, other places may have more of a sushi offering, but no restaurant can beat Aki's in terms of overall quality and breadth of offering at those prices--all other restaurants in this segmemt (ie. Koji, etc.) have closed shop. And Aki's chef's are Japanese!

In short, if you're seeking trendy, cool, Japanese don't go there. If you want a solid traditional, down-to-earth, Japanese restaurant, it's worth checking out.