The Ramen Review Part I - Hokkaido Ramen Santouka - Vancouver, BC

My last trip to Vancouver included stopping at 3 of my favourite downtown ramen shops! There is no where else in Canada where you can conveniently walk a few blocks in any direction and eat quality authentic ramen.  I LOVE IT!

Located on the west end on Robson Street, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is considered one of the newer kids on the block.  In past I have had their shoyu and miso cha-su ramen but on this visit I had to have the signature ramen.  Tokusen Toroniku Ramen meaning choice pork ramen is their pride and joy!

The noodles and toppings are served separately.  I like this idea so you don't have to let your meat and toppings drown in broth.  The first few slurps took me back to the red light district in Shinjuku and eating ramen at this shop with a pink pig in front.  Does anyone know what I'm talking about??  All this to say it was extremely satifisying and I really enjoy the noodles they use here as it doesn't get chewy and overcooked.  The meat is incredible!  It's pork cheek meat and apparently only small portions of this are found on the pig.  They compare it to the same sensation as eating fatty tuna.  I agree 100%.  This pork melted in your mouth, unbelievably tender.  Surprisingly it wasn't as fatty as I thought it would be which was a bonus!

This place is busy and rightfully so.  There is usually a line up, especially on the weekends for the evening hours. My first stop this time for ramen was a great success!! I was hungry for more and couldn't wait to get to Motomachi for my next meal - my usual ramen stop in Vancouver.

Meat & Bread - Vancouver, BC

Mmmmmm... meat and bread!  You seriously can't go too wrong with this combination assuming you like meat and bread.  Don't expect a lot of vegetables here, although you can get a side salad with your sandwich.  It's a nice addition and looked delicious, but when you walk into the line up and you see them pull up out a steaming moist chunk of pork it's hard to think about anything else.


What appeared to be the owner was going up and down the line to let people know about the feature sandwich.  This helped speed up the ordering process even though they have a small menu to begin with.  They had a turkey, meatball, grilled cheese sandwich that day but I opted for the porchetta.  Like I said, it was so hard to resist that pork when you can see the moisture in the meat, the fat ooze out from the crispy skin and the smell!

I'm getting hungry looking at these pictures.  The sandwich is what I will say a solid portion.  Not overwhelming for me but definitely not skimpy.  I loved the crispy skin that they seperated and added into the sandwich.  It reminded me of the roasted bbq pork you would eat up in Chinatown.  Overall the porchetta is tasty but definitely on the salty side.  But who cares when the meat is so moist and fresh out of the oven.

I wish I had more time and more room to eat all the sandwiches.  This is a great spot in Gastown for a quick, casual, unpretentious bite that will hit every spot.  I look forward to my return and maybe next time I will add in that serving of fruit and vegetables!  Actually, I did have some lime in my Sip so that has to count for something.

Guu Otokomae - Vancouver, BC

 

Guu... is guuuuud!  It doesn't get old for me to say it!  Started out in Vancouver they have expanded into Toronto.  People in Toronto tell me that Guu started there - go figure!

I like to dine at the Guu at the two downtown locations.  The one on Thurlow is the one I usually like to visit when I am in Vancouver.  I love the lively atmosphere especially when sitting along the grill where the action is at.  You certainly feel like you are in Tokyo as they serve up a wide range of izakaya.

The Gastown location is a bit different with the kitchen not out in the open.  I was seated at the bar with my friend.  Normally this is where you would see the food being prepared.  In this case, we watched the alcohol being prepared!  So that meant a drink to start things off.

They have a wide assortment of drinks on the menu that are 'unique' to Guu.  I'm sure there is something suitable for everyone.  My drink was off their 'classic' section which consisted of red wine, cassis and mango juice all layered.  Definitely a sweeter drink but not a bad way to start dinner.

We weren't extremely hungry and didn't want to get the usual things off the Guu menu AND trying to keep it not too greasy.  The lucky three dishes included the duck breast, spicy agedashi tofu and salmon with 7 friends.  Salmon with 7 friends?  It caught my eye and I am not sure if I liked all 7 friends that joined the dish.

  

Duck was good, agedashi tofu was great, salmon and 7 friends? Not so much.  Took a risk and it didn't pay off.  It read better on the menu: garlic chips, onions, miso, diced sockeye salmon and so much more! How could I resist.  I forgot to mention it had a fresh egg yolk.  When I see egg yolk, my assumption is it is raw and gets mixed into something that is hot so it cooks.  I was wrong!  Egg yolk gets mixed in by the server and when you put all the goodness inside the seaweed, you soon discover it is a cold dish.  I'm not a fan of cold raw eggs and neither is my stomach.  I paid the price later!  

Dessert was a sweet tofu pudding.  Simple, but nothing to die for.  I guess my lesson learned is to stick to the usual, greasy, grilled, hot izakaya items.  It was a nice change of pace at this location as it is more laid back with the large bar. So depending on what you are wanting from your Guu experience, locations matters.  I'm leaning towards the downtown spots as it seems to be a better fit for izakaya in a smaller space and more energetic environment.  Still a big fan of Guu! 

Globefish - Chinook Mall, Calgary, AB

I've been a fan of Globefish since their original location in Kensington.  It was a small space, jammed pack and a usual line up to get in.  Since that location they have opened up a location in Marda Loop and now the newest one in Chinook Mall.  The concept has evolved from being a sushi bar to both sushi and izakaya.

I sometimes feel as a restaurant expands into multiple locations and a more diverse menu to accommodate the masses the quality starts to suffer.  I use to be the one promoting Globefish but now after this experience it has left me with little to get excited about.  The speciality rolls that were once new, exciting, fresh and "to die for" are now lacking in quality and it shows!  Case in point, look at all the rolls below.  If you can't tell the rice was overcooked from way too much water.  The rolls, well, they were more oval or in some cases triangular - it did not make it taste any better.

We started out with some takoyaki and a rice paper roll that had tuna, tobiko, cucumber and some ginger sauce on the plate.  Takoyaki was good, can't go too wrong with it and the presentation was nice.  The rice paper roll literally did not come together as it was falling apart.  Not to mention, it did not taste good as the sauce had more sweetness than expected likely to replicate a peanut sauce that you would use for a Vietnamese rice paper roll?
  

And now the rolls that we had included some of their speciality rolls like Power of Love to the regular stuff like BC rolls.  

I find now that a lot of their rolls all tasted so similar.  Covered in sauce with either salmon, tuna, mango, tobiko, cucumber and repeated in a random combination.  If I had to pick one from that night, the BC roll tasted better on the palate just because it was simple!

Finished it all off with a slab of green tea ice cream and whipped cream?  As if it wasn't creamy enough on it's own.   I think if I just had takoyaki, bc roll and green tea ice cream I would of been somewhat satisfied if I was in a food court at a mall.