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Alpha Global Sushi offers a menu of Japanese dishes as well as a variety of inventive cocktails.
I went here with a friend after his over the top recommendation. Upon entering the restaurant, you are greeted almost right away. It's a room with large square tables - I didn't it find it overly special as some other Japanese restaurants. The Pink Holiday drink I got was pretty unique and tasty. Food-some unique, some just plain boring. The Vancouver roll was just simply California Roll enveloped in smoked salmon - tasted bland. The Agedashi tofu was pretty good - a good combination of sauce and fish speckles on the top. Their very interesting Natto Bomb is definitely an acquired taste. The waiter was nice enough to bring me a small spoon sample to try first. That little bite was my last. =) But I know some people like it. The Alpha Roll, while presented gorgeously, was unfortunately boring - it was also just california roll mixed in with some mango with tobiko on top of the roll. I was hoping for more of a twist, but perhaps my friend had recommended the wrong rolls to order. The Italian spring roll was tasty but too cheesy for my liking. Finally & thankfully I had the 2 best dishes - The Chicken Karaage is probably the best in Vancouver and the Potato Croquette was very yummy. Overall only an OK experience and kinda pricey - I'd rather stay at Guu, even though it's cramped and loud there. =)
Want to eat japanese tapas, but tired of the long waits at the other more known izakayas in town? Well, a little bit off the more traveled-on streets is this izakaya.
They serve up some tasty usual-finds as well as a good list of yummy cocktails.
You'll find great portion sizes and good quality ingredients for less some other places, I think the value here is fantastic! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to sample everything I wanted to here, but what I did have was delicious with the exception of the taco rice though. I didn't quite like the salsa-tasting sauce on the rice.
My favorite thing I had here that night had to have been the "creamy" negitoro roll.
The service is also great - attentive without being intrusive. They were very respective and polite the entire evening.
Also love the menu gimmick - menu was front and back pages of a hardcover Time Article. Very different!
It's a good idea to make reservations beforehand. I can't wait to go back to try the bacon tofu salad and the italian spring roll!
A japanese friend of mine brought me to this little restaurant and I have returned regularly ever since.
It's in the middle of nowhere (actually directly across from Madam Cleo's!), but the food and drinks are solid.
Must-trys include the Italian Springrolls and seared peppered tuna. The rolls are recommended too, especially the one with mango.
Service is always good. Actually, I have yet to encounter bad service in a Japanese-run restaurant.
The room is simply decorated but very cozy. The menu itself is extremely interesting. You got to see it to understand.
Return? I have already. Many times.
Checked this place out for the first time on the weekend after a tip from a friend. They've been open for three years but I'd never heard about them; could be the unusual name; but glad to know there's somewhere for authentic japanese eats in Yaletown. The Natto Bomb, Mentaiko Udon and Yakisoba was all good. The daikon salad was not as good as Gyoza King or Toratatsu but decent. Weird menu concept; would be nicer to have a regular-style menu with pictures but that's my only complaint.
This restaurant is a big fail. The atmosphere is weird, cold and not cool. They served a strange misso soup that was strange. The appetizers were served quickly and were very lazy.
The sushi ordered were not the freshest we have experienced and the money too much for thje presentation and the right flavours not used at any level. The seafood salad was a jumble with a creamy mystery dressing that makes no sense.
The servers were not attentive and not very friendly. And I know they gave my baby the looks. Jealousy aside a definite miss even if you are oriental food lovers!
I had a lovely time here last night. Ordered 2 rolls, ebi mayo, and gyoza. Split all three with a friend. Food was really good - high quality - lots of smoked salmon on the vancouver roll. Super delicious ebi mayo. The service was so friendly. We sat at the bar, and the bartender/server was always smiley and willing to chat and answer questions. Add in the $5.00 glass of wine special, and you've got yourself a great night!
Given the outskirts of Yaletown street address, the prices are decent. Ambiance is more ghetto than a happening place and those menus stuck on the front and back of a Time Life book were too heavy and dingy (H1N1, hello?).
Solid value on the Vancouver roll at $6 since they were 8 pieces with good portion of smoked salmon. No texture to the roll though and really "meh" on the rice. Taco rice - just don't order it. Pork special at $10 was pricier and it would have been better value if they had more than 3 little pieces of toasts to enjoy with the rest of the pork.
Smiley wait staff and typical attentive Japanese service.
Quality. Thats the best word I can use to describe this place. Ive been coming to Alpha here and there since they first opened down the street from me. And its always been a favorite because of the quality of the food and the great great service. The food is cooked by Authentic Japanese cooks who have managed to put a nice subtle twist on everything. Kinda modernizing some classic dishes while keeping some of the original favorites untouched , yet still coooked with grace. The menu has everything that one would want. Just come in, try a few dishes or ask the servers or the two realy friendly owners, Kesuke and Yuuji who work and run the place alongside their employees , what dishes they recommend. I myself dont eat alot of seafood, but my friends swear by some of those dishes. But try out their potato croquets, chicken bombs!!, karrage, taco rice, and the pork dishes if you eat mostly meat like myself. Its a real friendly atmosphere and makes for a great night of dining. trust me on this one, if your near yaletown, walk up a few blocks and give this hidden gem a try, and you'll surely come back again and again. By the way, the chicken bombs are a on and off thing on the menu. When they get back on, buy em like crazy so the owners keep them on there. They rock.
I love this place. The food is superb and the service is excellent. I've been back to Alpha twice and both times I was not disappointed. The care the staff take to create the food and drinks is great. There is no rush to make your food and slap it on your table.
My favorite dish at this place is the Nato Bomb. However, it's an aquired taste so before you order it, ask yourself if you like soy beans that are fermented. It looks like beans in caramel and has the same consistency. It's not sweet though.
A Japanese friend highly recommended this place to me, so, on my wife's birthday, we went there for dinner. Wrong decision.
We ordered the Miyo Prawn Tempura, Gyoza, Chicken Kaarage and a green salad.
Well, green salad is green salad, nothing wrong, nothing special either. Both the prawn & chicken tasted to me very greasy. Seems like they do not deep-fry them with hot enough oil. Could not taste any flavour of the prawn or chicken. Quite glad that the gyoza still tasted like Japanese gyoza.
I have tried quite some izakayas (Japanese tapas restaurent) and this is the most disappointing one. Don't even try to compare it with Guu or Kingyo.
They should review their food quality before they think they can do well.
This is a really good place to go! Though they dun offer too wide range of food.
Chicken kara-Age is so good and the baked eel riice too! If you come across its weekly special Pork Toro, this is a must order too! Price is so reasonably set and all the servants are sooo nice and efficient. One thing I feel a little bit strange is that all the servants will kneel down on floor to take your order. Maybe its Japanese culture. But certainly they are very nice with smile on face all the times.
This is a good place to go but not for a big party as I said, they have a fairly limited food options. But with a group of 1-6, you will love this place.
Went here after Gyoza King was closed. The menu gimmick was lame (printed on a Time Life book) and the decor was dark and kind of dingy. Ordered a lot of different dishes to get a feel for the food. A couple dishes were good enough to order again (which we did), but overall, nothing memorable. When we got the bill I was fairly shocked at the price. After going to Toshi, Zipang, and Gyoza King regularly, this place doesn't have the quality, atmosphere, food or prices of those much better restaurants. Won't be back.
I love this place, I go there at least once a week. Specials are changed up all the time to keep it fresh and the chicken kurage can't be beat anywhere. I love ths spicy tuna rolls and the spicy beef/tuna/salmon sashimi as well. Sometimes it gets a bit busy and I usually get stuck in the small tables in the front, but it's so worth it for the food. Service is friendly too, the owner is a nice guy.
Wow who would have thought that a place that used to cater to prostitutes and their johns would re-establish itself with new owners and become a delicious haven of creativity and visual delights?
Friendly staff, interesting food, the sushi rolls were an eclectic mix of fresh seafood with fruit which was wonderful to witness.
The servers were very observant and caring which is pretty standard at any izakau=ya these days i think.
the price was a bit higher than what i thought it might be but it is donwtown and it is a whole new experience worth coming back for.
For most people, the gooey, sometimes stinky natto beans can put people off. But Alpha's "Natto Bakudan" (translates to "Natto Bomb") is worth trying once, even if you can't stand the beans themselves. The Bakudan comes in a bowl, mixed with bits of ika (squid), quail egg, and negi (onions), with several sheets of nori on a plate. The method is to dab a scoop of the natto onto a sheet of nori, wrap it up, and eat. By doing this, I found the texture and flavour quite unique and appetizing.
For non-natto lovers, Alpha offers a wide variety of yummy sushi rolls, and tapa plates of fish and other seafood. There is also a good range of cocktails, including the Carribbean Night, which I found delicious.
The restaurant was small but lively. The servers were friendly and the atmosphere had a semi-Yaletown trendy feel to it.
But the menu makes the place stand by itself -- the pages are glued onto the insides of a retro Psychoanalysis book (weird!).
Highly recommended, even if you don't like natto.
The food is good. They serve good tuna steaks. The unagi doriya is also quite unique. The karaage was good too. I liked how they used ponzu and garlic as the dressing for the karaage, it was less oily compared to mayo based sauces. The service is excellent like restaurants back in Japan. Servers kneel down to take orders so you don't have to strain your neck looking up to make the order.
The restaurant is a bit pricey compared to other izakayas like Guu though. Most Tapas costs around 9 dollars each. Also, I ordered a $4.50 umeshuu but it came in a ridiculously small glass that can be finished in about 5 sips.
While the room isn't as interesting as Guu or Hapa Izakaya, the food is possibly even more interesting (tako wasabi, cuttlefish anchovy).
It's comfortable, the food is great, the bar menu large and drink specials nice. One of my new favourites, especially when I don't feel like lining up for izakaya food.
Alpha is one of the little gems of Vancouver that I'm glad I found. I was first introduced to it by friends within a week of my initial arrival in Vancouver from Ontario, and I had never eaten at a real Japanese restaurant before.
I was greatly impressed by the food, the service and the ambiance, and have since made it a regular spot where I'm now known by name to some of the staff.
Keisuke runs an excellent establishment. The drink menu is extensive, and the food is varied and delicious. I highly recommend the yakisoba (fried noodles with pork and pickled ginger) or the karaage (can best be compared to fried chicken).
Also recommended are the set meals for large groups. A very wide assortment of sushi, sashimi and other dishes grace your table in a seemingly endless flow from the kitchen.
I've since been to many other Izakayas around town, but this one remains my favourite.
The only drawback is that it can sometimes get a little busy, which slows down service a little. This can't really be avoided, however.
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