My last meal in Richmond before my 2.5 month work assignment in Hong Kong! I have been to this restaurant many years ago (maybe 7) and decided to come try it again after reading good reviews about it on Yelp and Zomato. We came here on a Thursday night for dinner.

Ambiance – 6.5/10. This restaurant has a very simplistic layout. There is a sushi bar which sits about 6 people and the rest are tables of four. As the restaurant is very busy, you are expected to leave in 1.5 hours.

Food – 9.5/10. There are not a lot of variety on their menu but the food served here is very authentic! The proportions are very small and is relatively pricy. You can easily spend $40 per person here and only be 80% full. Despite the cost, the quality of food makes it worthwhile for a visit. I think out of all the Japanese restaurants I have tried in Vancouver, this restaurant serves the most fresh ingredients!

I had the beef sashimi which was probably the best deal given the price. The sashimi was fresh but I found the taste of the beef to be a little weak. I have had better beef sashimi previously but that restaurant is now closed.

I ordered the grilled mirugai (geoduck) which came in 2 skewers. The mirugai was very fresh and I liked how they cut it up so it was easier to eat.

My friend ordered the chirashi and unagi don. The chirashi don was served on a plate rather than a bowl like other restaurants. The presentation of it was very different and I found it refreshing. The unagi don was grilled just right and was very juicy.

They also ordered the grilled kapachi, negitoro roll and dynamite roll. These were also very delicious.

For nigiri sushi, we ordered the chopped scallop, amaebi, scallop and sock eye salmon. You could really taste the freshness in every bite. The sushi is bite size and it simply melted in your mouth!

Service – 9/10. The restaurant is run by a couple. The wife is the server while the husband manages the sushi bar. Food was served slightly slower than other Japanese restaurant given their manpower but you can definitely finish your meal in the 1.5 hour slot.

Good to Know! – The restaurant is only opened from 6 to 9 p.m. There are also only 5 or 6 tables so reservations are highly recommended! The restaurant is on the side facing Cambie Road.

Overall – Definitely the best sushi in town. I will be back but not on a day when I am feeling very hungry!

I have tried many Keg restaurants in town (i.e. Downtown, New West, Richmond). New West is my favourite because it is in a heritage house which really enhances the experience. However, Richmond is the one that I go to the most because it is closest to my house and their quality has been pretty consistent over the years.

Ambiance – 8/10. No fancy decors here, just the typical fine dining experience (dim lights, servers in white top, black bottoms). Their booths are quite cozy and they also have tables for large groups. It is not as noisy as other restaurants like Cactus Club which usually have loud music playing in the background.

Food – 9/10. We pretty much order the same thing each time we come here. We start with the baked garlic shrimp, then we have the prime rib for entrees (we order the 12 oz because it’s a better deal) and end with the Billy Miner pie. We have also tried the french onion soup and escargot for appetizers. All very decent.

This time, we decided to try the mushroom neptune which I found to have a creamier taste compared to the other appetizers I have tried in the past. I could not really taste the crab meat though. Perhaps it was overpowered by the cheese. All their baked appetizers come with a mini loaf of bread which is very delicious. I wish they have that bread as an item on their menu!

We came for dinner at 7:30 p.m. and they were already sold out of prime ribs on a week night! Feeling disappointed, we contemplated going to another restaurant…However, since there was nothing we wanted to eat  close by, we decided to stick it out. My aunt and I shared the rib steak since it was 20 oz and we could not finish it on our own. The rib steak was very juicy and less fatty compared to the prime rib. The rib steak came with mushrooms, mashed potatoes and green string beans. The beans were very bland but the mushrooms were very creamy and delicious! The mashed potato was decent.

My mom ordered the top sirloin which was also very flavourful. It was not as juicy as the rib steak as it was more lean.

Of course…dinner at the Keg is not complete until you have the Billy Miner pie. The three of us shared this dessert. It is a coffee and chocolate ice cream served on top of an Oreo cookie crust.

Service – 5/10. It’s always a hit and miss at this restaurant. Sometimes you get a really good server and sometimes you get a really horrible one. This time, our server was somewhat in the middle. He was a nice guy but was very busy as he was handling a big group as well. We had to wave him over a couple of times to get more water.

Good to Know! – This location is always very busy on the weekend and they do not take reservations. You also run the chance of them running out of prime rib! Therefore, I recommend coming here on a week night.

Overall – A decent steakhouse but given that their prices have steadily increased in the last few years, I am looking for a replacement…

This is my favourite Italian restaurant in Richmond and it is one that many people have heard of but have not tried. The location is a little obscure but it is not hard to find. I came here for lunch with my BF before we headed to the airport.

Ambiance – 9/10. When you are inside this restaurant, you really do feel like you are in Italy. The decor, the colour and the chairs all enhance that feeling. It is a spacious restaurant. The restaurant is not busy so you can relax and enjoy your meal.

Food – 9/10. They serve a good variety of Italian dishes on their menu. Most of the time I come here I get their pastas. The proportions are very big; I usually pack half of it to go. You can make your own pasta or choose between different pastas in one of three sauces (rose, cream or olive oil). Prices are relatively cheaper compared to other Italian restaurants.

This time we started with the minestrone soup and the bruschetta. The soup was very flavourful and was filled with veggies. Presentation, on the other hand, was not so good. Soup was spilt over the rims. The bruschetta had a good balance of tomatoes, basil and garlic taste.

My BF had the Rotini Primavera which was decent. It had a very nice blend of colours.

I ordered the Calzone Italiano (mushrooms, Italian sausage and cheese). It was very delicious as the three ingredients blended very well together. The calzone was freshly made and was not too thick.

Service – 9.5/10. Overall, very good. No complaints here! Food was served pretty quickly too.

Good to Know! – They are open for lunch and dinner. The restaurant is located right behind the location of the old casino and just right before the Boathouse entrance. Drive slowly to locate it. If you pass it, you will end up going to the airport!

Overall –  Good Italian restaurant in Richmond. Highly recommended!

This is my favourite sushi place in Burnaby. I usually pick this place whenever I am meeting up with friends outside of Richmond. I came here on a Monday night and the restaurant was not too busy.

Ambiance – 8/10. From the outside of the house, you would have never expected this place to be a Japanese restaurant. The restaurant has 3 floors with patio seats. The few times that I’ve been here I have been seated on the 2nd floor which is the main dining area. There is no fancy Japanese decor but the restaurant feels cozy as it feels like you are dining inside someone’s house.

Food – 9/10. They have many specialty rolls on their menu which is one of the reasons I like this restaurant so much. The quality of their food is consistent each time I come. The prices are comparable to other Japanese restaurants.

I started with the aburi salmon sushi. It was $3.05 for two piece which is not bad. The salmon was grilled just right and it melted in my mouth.

Then I ordered an Eagle Eye which is a chopped scallop sushi wrapped in a grilled salmon sushi. This was fantastic and a great combination!

For rolls, we ordered the Red Dragon Roll (salmon on top, prawn, bonito, masgo and tobiko) and the Yam Yam Roll (prawn, avocado and yam inside and on top). Both rolls were very delicious. The only complaint I had was the deep fried pawn tempura. I found it very hard which leads me to believe that the prawns were not freshly deep fried.

We also ordered the potato croquette which was also very delicious.

Service – 9/10. Generally when I come here on a weekend, they are very busy. You will have to flag down the servers to ask for things. However, since this time I came on a week night, the restaurant was not so busy. The servers were able to come by and change our dishes and fill up our teas without us asking. Food is generally served very quickly regardless if they are busy or not.

Good to Know! – They have a few parking spots in the plaza behind. I have never had trouble looking for spots there. You can also do paid parking on the street. Note that they do not take reservations for parties less than 8 people. Come early on a weekend as they can be very busy.

Overall – If you are looking for sushi on Kingsway near Metrown, I would recommend trying this place out.

I have always wanted to try this restaurant since it’s been in the neighbourhood forever. I finally came here for Saturday brunch with a friend. The place was quite full so we had to wait around 5 minutes for a table.

Ambiance – 9/10. The decor of the restaurant really fits in with the brand image and history of the restaurant. It is a family restaurant with a cozy feel. The decor reminds me of a cottage. There are lots of booths and long tables. The restaurant is a great place for doing some catching up with friends.

Food – 7.5/10. There is good variety of items on their menus which includes breakfast food, steaks, pizzas and sandwiches. They also serve turkey which you do not find in too many restaurants. Prices are comparable to other brunch restaurants such as Denny’s.

I ordered a two egg benny with farmers sausage. I found their poached eggs to be less runny than the egg benedicts I have had at other restaurants but still very good. The English muffin was not too hard. I also found their Hollandise sauce to be lighter than the ones I have had at other restaurants. I think I actually like their sauce better as it does not overpower the taste of the eggs and has less of a sour aftertaste  Their breakfast are served with red skin potatoes rather than hashbrowns which is also different from other brunch restaurants. The potatoes were well flavoured but I personally prefer hashbrowns.

My friend ordered the country farmer sausage breakfast classic which includes two eggs, two sausages, red skin potatoes and toast. I find the sausages to be slightly burnt.

Service – 9.5/10. Our server was attentive to our needs and took our orders quickly. She reminds me of Anna from Frozen…haha…

Good to Know! – They are quite busy when brunch buffets are served  so avoid coming here on Sundays if you are not looking to try their buffet. Take caution where you park as some of the parking spots are for Canadian tire customers and are one hour only.

Overall – I will be back to try their dinner items!

This is my parent’s favourite steak place because the restaurant serves good quality steak and is also less expensive than The Keg. As I won’t be in town for Mother and Father’s Day, I decided to treat them to dinner here before I go. It was a Wednesday night and the restaurant had a decent turnout.

Ambiance – 8/10. This is considered to be a high end Hong Kong style-Western restaurant (Chinese operated Western restaurant). There are large tables for bigger groups and also booths on the side. The booths are quite comfortable and the restaurant is not usually too busy so you can sit comfortably and enjoy your food. It has a simple decor with white walls and beige couches.

Food – 8.5/10. Every time I come here, I order the same thing – their charbroiled (prime grade) rib-eye steak (8 oz) because it never disappoints. Since I can’t eat spicy, I always request them to change it to gravy sauce instead of the default black peppercorn sauce. The steak is grilled just right (with grill marks but does not have the burnt taste). It is cooked the way that you ordered it. The meat is very juicy and tender. I also love mushrooms and they put a lot of it!

My mom ordered the charbroiled (prime grade) New York Steak (8 oz). It is more lean than the rib-eye steak but still very good.

It is a $25.95 combo so it comes with a soup (lobster chowder or Russian borscht), garlic bread, a drink of your choice and a dessert (seasame/taro pudding or banana crepe). Their chowder is very creamy and has lots of ingredients. I think this place serves the best garlic bread! It is toasted just right and has a strong garlic taste. The puddings are alright, I prefer the banana crepe more as the crepe is very fluffy.

We also ordered the baked fresh oysters with bearnaise sauce to share as appetizer. This time we had it, it was not very good. It was slightly burnt and the oysters were not very big. It is also relatively expensive; $10.50 for 4 pieces only.

We have also tried their baked dishes, Chinese rice/noodle dishes and other steaks (i.e. chicken, lamb and pork) in the past. I would recommend sticking to their steak menus as this is their specialty.

Service – 9/10. Overall, service is not bad. The server comes by frequently to grab empty plates. Food is also served relatively quickly. If you’re sitting at the booths at the back, you may have difficulty waving the servers down as they cannot see you behind the wall.

Good to Know! – They accept credit cards. There are limited parking in the mall and some of them are 1 hour only. Street parking is available. I would recommend coming here on a weekday to save yourself the hassle of dealing with chaos on Alexandra Road on the weekend.

Overall- They have done a good job maintaining their food quality over the last 10 years. I highly recommend coming here for their steak!

This family-owned restaurant has been in my neighbourhood since I moved in 20 years ago. It is always very busy and there’s a reason for it – Their Hainanese Chicken!

Ambiance – 5/10. Not the most fancy or modern-looking restaurant in town. Usually, we get take out from here but when we do eat there, we are in and out in an hour.

Food – 8/10. They are well known for their Hainanese Chicken. However, other items on their menu are also pretty good (i.e. curry, laksa, nasi lemak).  I only enjoy their chicken skewers as I find the pork and beef too tough. Prices are also very decent. Whenever I come here, I usually order the combo. This time we ordered combo B.

You get one bowl of soup to share. The soup has a very strong ginger taste and probably has lots of MSG. The combo also includes two barley drinks. I highly recommend ordering the cold one as the hot one is very bland.

Their green onion prata bread and regular prata bread are both very good. It is not too greasy. Most people eat it with curry sauce but I prefer eating it on its own as I find it very flavourful already. This item is Vegetarian-friendly.

For our rice/noodle dish, we chose the Fried Prawn Noodle which is a mix of egg noodle and vermicelli. I love this noodle dish because it is very flavourful but not spicy.

The chicken was so good we devoured it without taking a photo…whoops….

We also ordered a side of Tohu Goreng (deep fried tofu with peanut sauce). This is a very popular menu and sold out after we got our order. The tofu is deep fried just right, has a spongy texture and pairs nicely with the slightly sweetened peanut butter sauce. This is also a vegetarian dish.

Service – 9/10. As it is a family owned restaurant, there is only one person serving. You have to wait when he is serving other tables but the server is a super nice and friendly guy!

Good to Know! – This place is cash only. It can be difficult to find parking in this plaza now since there are a few restaurants. You can do street parking or walk if you live close by. They are closed on Monday. Also, the combo is available for eat-in only.

Overall – When I am craving for Hainanese chicken, I will be back!