In late April guests convened for the annual affair at the Sheraton Wall Centre to eat, drink and be entertained by award speeches and the eccentric emcees, Michael Eckford and Fiona Forbes of Urban Rush.

One highlight (there were many) was Michael showing us his new look as a beer drinking slob before transforming into a beer drinking man in a suit.

Restaurant awards wouldn’t be complete without something to nosh on, right?

Food before the awards was aplenty and varied from Chef Starri Chow’s bison loin, to a roasted beet, Okanagan goat cheese roulade on rye toast.

Ample “nutrition” was the reason for some of the guests attending, evident by a few jetting at the beginning or in the middle of the awards, after they had their share of libations and small bites. I guess they know that through Twitter (#vanmagawards), blogs and newspapers, the winners are promptly shared with the world; even if not in attendance no one will be left out of the loop.

Dessert was as diverse as the savour options, ranging from sour cream filled mini donuts and PB & J macarons to La Régalade’s chocolate sandwich with olive oil and sea salt.

While I could chat about the food and wine served for hours I’ll cut to the chase and tell you who won.

Best Coffee House – Revolver

Best Seafood – Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar

Best Pizzeria – Nicli Antica Pizzeria

Best of the Americas – La Taqueria

Best Steakhouse – Hy’s Encore

Best Casual Chain – Cactus Club Cafe

Best North Shore – La Regalade

Best Casual Italian – La Quercia

La Quercia

Best Upscale Italian – Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill and Enoteca

Best Casual French – Tableau Bar Bistro

Best Upscale French – Le Crocodile

——————-

ASIAN

Best Thai – Maenam

Best Indian – Vij’s

Best Vietnamese – Phnom Penh

Best Korean – Sura

Best Dim Sum – Dynasty Seafood

Best Noodle House – Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Best Casual Japanese – Kingyo Izakaya

Kingyo Izakaya

Best Upscale Japanese – Tojo’s

Best Casual Chinese – Alvin Garden

Best Upscale Chinese – Hoi Tong

Best Other Asian – Spice Islands

——————-

OUTSIDE OF LOWER MAINLAND

Best Other Vancouver Island – The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn

Best Okanagan – Waterfront Restaurant & Wine Bar

Best Victoria – Ulla

Best Winery / Vineyard Dining – Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek

Best Whistler – Araxi

——————-

PEOPLE AWARDS

Mentorship Award – John Bishop

John Bishop + Vikram Vij

Lifetime Achievement – Alain Raye

Premier Crew – Romano Costillo from L’Abattoir, Miki Ellis from Minami, Jamie Lauder from CinCin,and Ike Seaman from The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn [photos]

Producer / Supplier of the Year – Jonathan Chovancek and Lauren Mote from Kale & Nori Culinary Arts

Bartender of the Year – Robert “H” Holl-Allen

Sommelier of the Year – Samantha Rahn, Araxi

Chef of the Year – David Hawksworth

Pastry Chef of the Year – Thomas Haas

Michael Eckford + Thomas Haas

——————-

RANDOM, BUT IMPORTANT

Best Design – Wildebeest

Green Award – Forage

——————-

THE ONES YOU WERE WAITING FOR

Best New Restaurant – Wildebeest

Wildebeest

Best Food Cart – Tacofino

Best Casual – La Quercia

Best Upscale – Hawksworth

Restaurant of the Year – Hawksworth

David Hawksworth

——————-

The winners of the awards were selected by a special group of judges who endured weeks (maybe months) of tasting and critiquing Vancouver’s finest restaurants (sounds terrible, I know).

For more photos, check out the complete Van Mag Restaurant Awards gallery.

I’ve been to Tojo’s a couple of times since moving here, and I have to say that I agree with the popular assessment of the restaurant. Even though I was definitely entertained by my conversation with Tojo when I sat at the sushi bar, I didn’t think that it was worth the $200-$250 per person that we were charged.

With two subpar and budget-busting experiences at Tojo under our belt, my wife and I agreed to not dine at the restaurant unless it was an absolute necessity (…such as being forced at gunpoint).

Absolute necessity came sooner than we anticipated; my visiting parents STRONGLY suggested that we visit the restaurant for our Chinese new year dinners because they seem to recall having an enjoyable dining experience the last time they were there; they made no mention of what they thought about the restaurant’s prices. Being a passive-aggressive obedient offspring, I contorted my facial muscles into the most unpleasant looking configuration (I was speaking to them on the phone) and agreed to take the family there on Chinese new year’s eve.

Our dining party consisted of six members: my parents; my wife and  I; my daughter and my son. My daughter ordered two pieces of salmon egg sushi along with an order of assorted tempura.

Both the shrimp and the vegetable components of the tempura were well-fried. They certainly were not as devoid of grease as the best versions of tempura I’ve had, but the oil drip was kept at a minimum. My daughter said that the shrimp residing under the low-grease batter was crisp and juicy. She said that the shrimp tasted very fresh. She especially liked the broom shaped stick with edible crispy dots. She thought that they were cute and a lot of fun to bite through. I had a chance to sample some of the vegetable tempura and every component I tried was enjoyable both flavour-wise and texture-wise. The batter was not to thin but still retained a nice crispiness. The pieces of vegetables retained their natural flavours and did not have the ambiguous is-this-carrot-or-is-this-sweet-potato characteristic often found in tempura from some of the local Japanese restaurants.

As for the ikura sushi, I can only relay my daughter’s comments after she had them: they were good (this is her standard response after having salmon egg sushi from almost all of the Japanese restaurants she has visited).

My son had Tojo’s chicken (chicken teriyaki).

I didn’t know it at the time, but this dish turned out to be the best-tasting savory dish of the night. The teriyaki sauce was not as sweet or as salty as regular Japanese restaurant teriyaki sauce. As a result, it was better tasting. It had a refined complexity not usually found in teriyaki sauces. The sauce allowed the flavours of the chicken to shine through instead of masking them. The chicken itself was well grilled. It was tender, juicy, flavourful, and cut to the perfect size for one-bite chewing. The bit of fresh vegetables on top and cooked mushrooms in the bottom also worked well to create pleasant textural contrasts when paired with the pieces of chicken. Perhaps the most surprisingly tasty component of the dish were the tiny potato cubes. Like well-fried French fries, they were crispy on the outside and almost mushy-soft on the inside. Their miniature size worked well to allow them to be scooped up with a piece of chicken or mushroom or vegetable to create a mouthful of enjoyable flavors.

With the unexpectedly enjoyable standard Japanese dishes out of the way, I will move on to the expectedly subpar “creative” dishes that make up the omakase meal we received that night.

The first dish we got was a combination of sliced and mushed up albacore in some kind of sauce.

The sliced sashimi was the better tasting of the two components. The were the right size; neither too thick nor too thin. They were not too mushy as local pre-frozen albacore has a tendency to be. I also detected enough of a fatty content to actually feel a bit of the same unctuousness only present in the toro cuts of tuna. It’s too bad that my enjoyment of the unctuousness was rather short-lived. It immediately disappeared when I tasted the sauce,  which was a combination of unknown saltiness with unknown sweetness along with another unknown and not-too-complimentary flavour. The flavours of the sauce were barely acceptable; the mushed up tuna ball in the middle was completely unacceptable. There was simply too much of it and its texture was simply too unenjoyable that every subsequent bite of it started to draw me into the illusion that I was eating a raw and uncooked burger. It ruined the whole dish for me – which was not too great of a dish to begin with.

Next up was a salad of crab and some sort of shellfish or mollusk

Whereas the first dish gave me unenjoyable textures, this dish gave me zero flavours. The crab was bland. The mysterious slices of shellfish/mollusk were bland, and the sauce was weak. This dish felt more like the experimental creations of an apprentice more that the expert concoctions of a celebrity chef of a supposed local institution.

The third dish we got was mushroom on top of fishcake

This dish was actually pretty good…if they charged $4.50 for it and if it was served in an izakaya. The mushrooms were aromatic and the fishcakes were flavourful. The bouncy mushrooms paired surprisingly well with the bouncier fishcakes. The warm ponzu-like sauce on the bottom and the grated daikon with Japanese chili powder on top worked well to enhance the already nice flavours of both the mushroom and fishcake. Solid dish…but decidedly simple and way too homey to be served as  one of the dishes of a $125 omakase meal.

Dish number four was fried halibut

The crispy dots returned, and they were about the only enjoyable component of the dish. The halibut was overcooked and had a way too dry and flaky texture that showed the ineptitude of the person preparing the dish. The sauce was an ode to Western cuisine – albeit an unsuccessful and poorly-thought-out one. The garnish and vegetable slivers on the bottom only worked to magnify the fact that this fish dish was an unsuccessful imitation of an European/American/Canadian dish.

The second to last savoury was the sablefish soup

This is the third time that I’ve had this dish. The first time it was very enjoyable. The second time it was good. The third time…it was merely acceptable. This dish does not stand the test of time and gets boring after having it for the second time. What I liked about the dish was the extremely flavourful and aromatic smokey flavours of the sablefish. I thought that the meat was a bit drier than absolute tenderness, but tender nonetheless. The soup, on the other hand, was way too salty. It had flavours similar to “teapot” Japanese soup (obinmushi), which happened to be popular with kids dining at Japanese restaurants in Taiwan when I was a growing up. I definitely got a healthy dose of nostalgia after having a sip of the soup. But the memories of childhood were quickly jolted out of my being once the extreme saltiness kicked in.

The final on-menu dish we got was assorted sushi

The assorted sushi plate consisted of three pieces of nigiri and three roll pieces. The nigiri pieces gave me the feeling that they were cobbled together rather than being a precisely hand formed work of art. The rice was loose the fish felt like it was sloppily cut up. Other than that, the pieces of nigiri were great. The shrimp and two pieces of fish were fresh-tasting and the ball of rice residing under them wasn’t so big that it overwhelmed the fish. I also liked that the pieces were pre-brushed with soy sauce.

The rolls had less of a cobbled together feel but they still felt loose when I placed them in my mouth. All three pieces felt more delicate than practically every other roll I’ve had in the past. The “caviar” placed on top of the fish on top of the California roll and the thin egg wrapper surrounding the vertically standing piece of roll definitely gave the rolls a more “refined” feel than other rolls at other restaurants(without being more delicious). The sushi and rolls at Tojo’s actually feel very much like the sushi and rolls I was served regularly at Hamamori sushi in Costa Mesa, California.

To cap off the meal, we received two complimentary desserts: green tea ice cream and creme brulee

The green tea ice cream and creme brûlée were both not too sweet and very tasty. Both of the desserts were tastier than every single one of the savory dishes of the omakase we were served.

After this meal, I can confirm that Tojo’s is overrated and overpriced. Extremely. The bill after taxes and tips without any drinks ordered for four adults and two children was well north of $700. I wouldn’t pay $100 for the meal. Not even $70.

Must

The sablefish was by far the best course served throughout the evening.  A generous portion of this naturally sweet and buttery fish  was perfectly cooked and  balanced with a slightly tart and salty glaze which graced  the entire tongue to wonderful flavours .  The bed  of slivered, well seasoned vegetables added both texture and colour to complete this well-rounded mid-omakase dish.

Tojo’s Sablefish

Maybe

Both the sashimi and sushi platters were “cute”; the former garnished with a fish head, wasabi purses and very Canadian maple leaves.  The latter had a number of delicate rolls  presented nicely beside a cooked lobster shell. The sashimi was fresh and expertly cut so there wasn’t a lot to complain about. The variety of sushi was innovative and  impressive, highlighted by generous amounts of fresh fish topping most of the options.  Despite the server raving  about the signature golden roll (see far right of sushi platter),  I found it the weakest of the offerings despite the fact I’m a huge fan of eggs in any way, shape, form and species.

Sashimi Platter

Sushi Platter

Mundane

The tempura vegetables were very average and didn’t add a lot to the overall experience.  Perhaps the hype around the omakaze experience heightened my expectations beyond a greasy, battered sweet potato I could make at home.

Tempura Vegetables

One of the important aspects of a tasting menu is the need to keep it flowing. Long gaps between courses can disrupt the flow of a good meal and there were some disruptions during the rather long service which was a bit aggravating  considering the restaurant was at about 50% to capacity.

My Take

Every big city has a shortlist of “must see” eateries that every tourist and foodie alike flock to in search of the ultimate dining experience.  Tojo’s fits the bill..but the bill may not fit you.  It was an expensive and lengthy venture into a rich history of West Coast cuisine highlighted by fresh, local fare including hearty sushi rolls and delicious Canadian sablefish prepared by the  iconic Hidekazu Tojo. I was hoping he would come and chat a little, especially since the restaurant was not to capacity and we probably dropped over $1200 on the final bill. Anybody who knows or reads me knows how much I relish speaking to “celebrity chefs” and  to be honest, I was hoping for  a brief discussion instead of listening to him sing a strange karaoke version of “Happy Birthday” to a small group a few tables down. Maybe I’m overreacting a bit but come on..how often can you say you spoke to a man who cooked for Martha Stewart AND invented the California roll.

Mulling Moment- Please Comment!

Get cooking with The Stars did not disappoint with the success of their Red Carpet Launch Party held at the prestigious Howe Street Art Gallery located in the heart of downtown Vancouver. Hosted by Laurie Belle (CamelVision Entertainment) and attended by celebrities from Hollywood North, media personalities, fashion designers, writers, bloggers , magazines and photographers, this star studded night was a fun filled event filled with fantastic performances, red carpet interviews and great food thanks to our lovely sponsors!

The Launch celebrate a full season of episodes of Get Cooking with The Stars that airs on Shaw, Directed and Produced by Ahmad Badawi!

In celebration of the launch, guests were treated to mouth watering dishes by EBO Restaurant and Chef Tojo from TOJOS also brought with him a tray of magnificient sushi and sakae as a gift for the party and guests were serenaded by performances from Sayde Black and Rod Black

On a more personal note, I had an AMAZING time given the opportunity to cover the event for LeftCoastTv and to interview an array of guests whom I highly admire.

With this and the exciting anticipation for the next season of Get Cooking with The Stars; we would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to all our wonderful sponsors and guests who took the time out to join us in celebration for the show!

Many Thanks to the Venue Sponsor;

Howe Street Art Gallery

Partial Proceeds of the night go to;

BeautyNight Society 

Red Carpet Sponsor;

Kristian Messere and STOCKHOLDERS

Food and alcohol sponsors;

Chef Dan Craig and EBO Restaurant

TOJOS

Chef Marcus Von Albrecht ;Chocolate Martinis by X Four

GiftBag Sponsors;

Desmond Chen from Pink Elephant Thai

SmellThis! Aromatherapy

Mona Sultan Scarfs

Nancy Perrault Designs

Bella Garnet Beauty Salon

Sugar Baby Aprons

Makeup and Hair Sponsor;

Bella Garnet Beauty Salon

Featured Guests;

April Telek

Adrian Holmes

Karen Holness

Jennifer Spence

Mackenzie Gray and Brandi Maclean

Sarah Symonds

Nikola Girke; Olympic Athlete

Caroline MacGillivray

Kristian Messere and Rowland Pidlubny from Stockholders

Frances Hui

Music 

Sayde Black

Rod Black

Huge Thanks to all the Media/Photographers who attended and covered the event;

Hush Magazine

Mandy Ross

Dan Poh Photography

Ed Ng Photography

Norm Lee Photography

Everbe Magazine

Impress Magazine

Assignment Fashion

Girl In Betsey

Jacqueline Conoir

Maja Preddy (Celebrity reporter)

FMA- Andy Chu and Natalie Langston

Lesley Diana

Claude Duke Photography

Langley Times, Langley advance, RealStyle network

Promotion People

Eat Vancouver

Not forgetting the team that put this together;

Zia Marketing

Iain Allen

Christian

 And Thank you VK for designing my namecard!!

Till next time xx 

this saturday, sunday, and monday, keyboard megastar jon kimura parker sits in with the

you’re scheduled to perform mozart’s piano concerto #20 with the band ~ how would you describe this music?

Mozart 20 is the “Bad Boy” of Mozart piano concertos.  If you have a vague notion of Mozart being polite, this masterpiece of drama, darkness, and dissonance will convince you otherwise.  It’s truly operatic.  Every time the music begins to promise sunshine, there’s a plot twist and the scene changes.  Even the 2nd movement, titled Romanza, is interrupted by a truly violent outburst.  Eventually Mozart turns the tables on everything and ends in a surprising spirit of optimism.

i happen to love bad boys – cannot wait to hear you play this thing!  let’s see… rachmaninoff’s symphonic dances also grace the program.  what are your thoughts?

This is his last work and dispels everyone’s popular notions of the composer.  Although there are the kinds of melodies that made Rachmaninoff famous throughout his lifetime, the overall flavor also veers into darkness and mystery.  The end of the Symphonic Dances may be the most exciting moment in all of orchestral music.  It’s earth-shattering.  You’ll be looking around for microphones and speakers, but rest assured that it’s all unplugged!

the most exciting moment in all of orchestral music?!  wow, that is quite a bold statement mr. parker… you have my little heart thumping with anticipation!  i’m thinking i need a drink after your response – what are you having?

Assuming you don’t want to pay for a glass of ’82 Petrus, I’d order a Bombay Sapphire martini with a twist.  Of course, in Portland, I might ask for a beer recommendation.

now you’re talking.  and as luck would have it, another fresh hop season is upon us!  okay, don’t get me started on beer.  next query: suppose i have 48 hours in vancouver (canada‘s, not america‘s) ~ what should I do?

After a morning latte, head to the Museum of Anthropology near the campus of the University of British Columbia.  There is no other museum like it in the world.  Find a Japanese noodle shop for lunch and have a big, steaming bowl of ramen.  Drive to Granville Island and walk around the shops and market.  Go to Tojo’s for dinner and submit to whatever he wants to serve you.  The next day, drive to Stanley Park and walk around the seawall.  For lunch, hit Japadog and try something you’ve never heard of.  Resist returning to Tojo for dinner and try Vij’s Indian.

yum!  alright, i’ll ask you the same question i asked *james ehnes a while back: you are a member of the order of canada ~ what are your responsibilities and, more importantly, do you have a sword?

Sword?!  Wouldn’t that have been cool… I was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1999, and I consider it the single greatest honour (note Canadian spelling) that I’ve ever received.  There are no responsibilities attached to it except to continue to be a good citizen of Canada.

officer parker, what is your favourite piano to play?

I have a baby grand Steinway, the only piano that I’ve ever owned personally, that I just love.  I bought it from a student in my 2nd year at Juilliard, and it has a beautiful sound and a friendly touch.  Ironically, it’s a piano I’ve never performed on professionally!  Such is a pianist’s lot…

nice.  hey, if you could invite 3 composers out for dinner, who would you choose?

Mozart: we’d go for a beer and shoot pool.  Brahms: I’d just want to say thank you over a Linzertorte mit schlag.  Frank Zappa: ’nuff said.

uh-oh: i hear wolfgang’s a bit of a hustler – watch out!  tell me, what’s so great about experiencing classical music live?

Personally I love sitting in the balcony and scoping out the orchestra with binoculars, but it’s also fun to sit up very close and see the coordinated efforts of dozens of violinists performing as one.  A symphony orchestra offers the sheer sonic glory of so many musicians performing live on acoustic instruments ranging from the piccolo to the tuba.  When you’re there live, the music envelopes you and just takes over.

you play as many as 100 concerts in a single year, which is kind of insane for me to even think about.  do you get butterflies anymore before a gig?

I get a little nervous before almost every performance.  Generally it’s ‘good’ nerves, the kind that kick up your adrenalin and push you to greater heights.  Occasionally the ‘bad’ nerves creep up, like when you’re playing in Carnegie Hall, or playing for live television, or playing anything for the first time.  But still, it’s a necessary part of being onstage.

okay, last question: what are you expecting from the oregon symphony?

Nothing less than perfection!

done.  mr. parker, on behalf of all those beaver readers out there, i can’t thank you enough for taking time out of your crazy-busy schedule and offering up some truly brilliant responses.  sooo looking forward to your upcoming show!

now, about those fresh hops…

De Dutch Pancake House - They are great for breakfast and known for their pannekoeken, a dutch creation. The one on 2nd (and Cambie) has a great little kids playing area to the left of the entrance. It’s been a usual meeting spot for my girlfriends and I. Bonus is you can drop by Winner’s/Homesense or Whole Foods that is just up the block on the way home!

White Spot – The home of the infamous pirate pak. I like the West Broadway location where there’s a large free parking lot. They also still have the drive-in. Gotta try that one day!

Little Nest – Cute spot on the Drive. They have an organic, local and organic breakfast and lunch menus that please both children and parents alike.

Ikea – I recently visited the new Ikea location in Richmond and boy was I impressed with the restaurant. It’s massive. Their children’s menu is c-h-e-a-p. The best part? Special family friendly parking spots.

Milestone’s - The location in Kits on 4th tends to be more family oriented than say the one in Yaletown or Cambie. I particularly like their weekend brunch menu.

Mui Garden – They have a couple of locations but I frequent the one on Main Street. It’s a super casual Hong Kong Style cafe known for their Malaysian style curry. I rarely have to wait for a table (I would have put Phnom Penh in Chinatown but you would wait forever to get seated — I do take-out)

Addi at White Spot on adult Pirate Pack day

It’s not Vij’s, Chambar or Blue Water but this will have to do…for now!

Another big event held in Vancouver lately is the Red Carpet Trailer Premiere of StockHolders also attended by Laurie!

Not forgetting the much anticipated Get Cooking with The Stars Official Red Carpet Launch Extravanganza and Fundraiser event coming up with proceeds going to the Tsunami Relief Fund! Definitely something fun to look out for ,so guys, like our FB page and follow Left Coast Tv on Twitter for the latest events and pictures!!

Check out our new page on Facebook (you can find the direct link on my sidebar) specially for our launch, so if you are an interested sponsor and would like to be part of this, drop us an email at leftcoasttv@gmail.com or contact me directly at Samantha-leftcoasttv@hotmail.com . Tickets and media enquiries can be found on the page as well!

Catch Get Cooking with The Stars on Shaw Channel 4 and Novus. Airs in Victoria on Tuesdays at 10:30 am, Wednesdays at 1:00 am, Thursdays at 3:30 am and Saturdays at 3:00 pm.

Daily broadcasts on Novus Channel 4 at 10:30 am, 12:30pm, 3:30 pm, and 6:30 pm. Get Cooking with The Stars airs in VICTORIA as well!!

Get Cooking with the Stars features Mr Geroy Simon from the BC Lions in this exciting episode set in the beautiful Japanese restaurant; TOJO’S RESTAURANT! For all you sushi lovers out there, this is definitely one episode you should tune in to, featuring guest star Geroy Simon who is a professional Canadian Football player, winning 2 Grey Cup championships for the BC Lions! Mr Geroy Simon has played 13 seasons in the CFL ! He has also set the new All Time Receiving Record!!

is it just me, or is Chef Tojo super adorable?? Prize to the cutest chef ever goes to him!!

The TOJO Restaurant is famous for their outstanding awards and publications from 1000 Places to See Before You Die – In the USA and Canada, P. Shultz,2007 to their awards from Vancouver Magazine’s Best Japanese Award, British Columbia Restaurants Hall of Fame and Chef Tojo even appeared on the Martha Stewart Cooking Show as well as gained other prestigious titles!

Our host Laurie Belle wears a beautiful dress by Muse Social Fashion House, Jewellery by Tamara Ryan Designs Earth Essence Jewellery and Photos by the amazing Dan Poh!

Big Thanks to Crown Limousines !!

TOJOS is opened from Monday to Saturday and Reservations are by telephone only!

They are located at

1133 West Broadway

Vancouver, BC V6H1G1

CANADA.

You can check them out by clicking the link HERE, and for all the photos of Get Cooking with The Stars meets Geroy Simon, please like our FB PAGE and view it in the album section.  Follow us on Twitter for more updates!

Be sure to tune in to Get Cooking with the Stars on Shaw Channel 4 on;  Tuesdays at 10:30 am, Wednesdays at 1:00 am, Thursdays at 3:30 am and Saturdays at 3:00 pm.

Daily broadcasts on Novus Channel 4 at 10:30 am, 12:30pm, 3:30 pm, and 6:30 pm. Get Cooking with The Stars airs in VICTORIA as well!!

Text and Photos by Jennifer Ellson

Vancouver has an abundance of sushi bars

Vancouver: a Canadian coastal city right by the Pacific Ocean, which means an abundance of fresh seafood for the taking. Now, combine this with a large Japanese population and what do you get?

Between its peaceful Zen gardens and blossoming cherry trees, you get a spate of sushi bars which, together with Starbucks, are popping at every street corner in this city.

Cheap Vancouver sushi: all that for $5.95!

And when one talks about Vancouver and sushi, one has to mention chef Hidekazu Tojo, the Vancouver-based inventor of BC roll, which is well known even in Japan. His official bio on his website claims that he also invented the ever popular California roll, but I am skeptical about it, since at least two other chefs based in California are laying claims to having invented the maki superstar.

Vancouverites are spoiled for sushi ranging from cheap ($5.95 for 22 pieces of different rolls – some of the good ones are along West 10^th Ave., near the  University of British Columbia campus) to the really expensive ones like those at Tojo’s, where an order or BC roll would set you back $26 before taxes.

Vancouver’s Kawawa Ramen

The ramen scene is also alive and well in Vancouver, and my favorites are Kintaro at the corner of Robson and Denman, and Kawawa Ramen, located at the Metrotown mall. I like Kintaro’s simple, quaint décor, which never fails to transport me back to those little mom-and-pop ramen places in Narita town, in the outskirts of Tokyo. Why Narita, you ask? It’s not because ramen is a specialty in Narita – it’s just that every time I have a long layover at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, I make an effort to go outside the airport and sample real ramen, as opposed to eating the expensive airport food.

Back in Vancouver, from the fishing ports in Steveston (Richmond), to the Nitobe Garden at UBC, the Japanese culture has been embedded nicely into the city’s veins.

There are moments when walking around the city makes me think of Japan, not only because their climates are almost the same, but also because the sights, sounds, smell, tastes and feel are very similar. Here are some of the highlights:

Vancouver’s sakura/cherry trees

Cherry blossoms festival – Vancouver has declared March and April the months to honor more than 37,000 ornamental cherry trees generously gifted from Japan in the 1930′s. I personally haven’t seen so many Sakura trees outside the Land of the Rising Sun, and Vancouver is really transformed as an annex of Japan as the blossoms turn the city pink in the spring. If you live in North America and would like to experience the Japanese cherry blossoms festival without crossing the Pacific Ocean, then Vancouver is your next best thing.

Nitobe Garden – Considered among the top five Japanese gardens outside of Japan, the Japanese Crown Prince (now Emperor) praised the garden for its authenticity when he walked through UBC’s renowned and exquisite work of art created out of two-and-a-half acres of pristine forest by landscape architects and gardeners recommended by the government of Japan. Visit in spring for the cherry blossoms, summer for the irises or autumn for the maples.

Nitobe Garden at UBC

Japadog – There is a street food vendor in Vancouver that sells Japanese-style hot dog. I have not tried it yet, so I can only say that the line ups are consistently long at the downtown location. There are four different locations around town and the stalls have been featured in Anthony Bourdain’s hit food and travel show, No Reservations. Japadog became a blockbuster hit in Vancouver that a branch has recently opened in New York City.

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All Rights Reserved (Jennifer Ellson)

Related articles

• Treat yourself to a visit to UBC’s two beautiful gardens (blogs.vancouversun.com)
• Cherry Blossom Festival brings two weeks of spring blossom appreciation to Vancouver (theprovince.com)
• Got Japadog? (writingtheweirdwideworld.wordpress.com)

Every now and then, Jeff and I will take a quick, spontaneous road trip somewhere. We don’t go with any real agenda. Generally, we’re just in pursuit of some relaxation and good food. This time we decided to head up north for an overnight trip to Vancouver, dog in tow. We visited the city’s beautiful parks and window shopped a bit. But mostly, we ate. Armed with word of mouth recommendations, a couple Yelp leads, and intuition, we found some truly amazing food. What’s your favorite place to eat in Vancouver?

1. Cafe Medina

I will preface by saying that I am not wild about American brunch food. Most of the time it’s simply too heavy and bland. You will never find me (willingly) waiting in line in the cold for pancakes and waffles. That being said, Cafe Medina is the complete opposite of any typical American breakfast establishment that I am used to. Cafe Medina is known for their Belgian waffles with a variety of creative toppings such as fig orange marmalade and white chocolate pistachio rosewater. The waffles are very small, but packed with flavor. But the highlight of the meal was my lavender latte, which was made with house made syrup. Well worth the wait!

2. Alibi Room

There are not many small breweries located in Vancouver proper, but that doesn’t really matter when you have the Alibi Room. This is a place for beer lovers (aka my boyfriend). The drink list is overwhelmingly long, with an emphasis on local breweries. While the focus is on beer, the establishment is far from dive-y. The space is very modern and inviting, and the kitchen offers a full range of locally-sourced food.

3. Tojo’s

No trip to Vancouver would be complete without a visit to Tojo’s. As always, the food was delicious, including this tuna “sushi”, deep fried and topped with pickled plum sauce and shiso leaves. Jeff and I both noticed that the restaurant was starting to look a little dated, but the food was still delicious nonetheless.

4. La Belle Patate

If I were a hungover Canadian, my first stop would be La Belle Patate. La Belle Patate is known for their smoked meat, so naturally I gravitated toward the smoked meat poutine. The cheese curds were huge and the gravy was delicious. I don’t recommend this for a well balanced meal, but it makes a great snack to share with a bottle of beer.

5. Dirty Apron

Upon entering Dirty Apron, I immediately had an urge to move to Vancouver and become a Canadian. This place encapsulates everything that I love. It’s a cooking school, specialty food store, deli, and bakery all rolled into one. Dirty Apron is small, but absolutely charming with its exposed brick and old converted warehouse feel. The owners of Cafe Medina also own Dirty Apron, which may explain why I love it so much. Don’t miss the cheesecake pistachio brownie if it’s available.

Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Tojo’s

1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

From the kitchen of the Chef who reportedly invented the California Roll also comes the most innovative Japanese dishes made from the freshest ingredients I’ve ever tasted. I finally visited Tojo’s and found that the famous restaurant is everything it’s cracked up to be, exceeding my expectations and opening up my palate to new flavours. I honestly don’t know how I can go back to eating regular sushi any more.

Tojo’s is located in the most unassuming, low-key spot on West Broadway across from Toys “R” Us, away from the trendy Yaletown restaurant scene and the hustle and bustle of the downtown core. Upon entering Tojo’s, we found the restaurant space to be much more spacious than it looks from the outside. The high ceilings, dim lighting, and warm wood furnishings creates a wonderfully serene, peaceful and intimate dining space. I can see why foodies travel from all over the world for the Tojo experience.

Tojo's countless awards, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Tucked away on a back wall near the washrooms are all of Chef Tojo’s awards.

We ordered the Omakase which means we entrusted the chef to arrange our meal based on our likes, dislikes and the freshest ingredients of the day. After taking our drink orders, our server asked us if we had any food allergies or preferences before beginning the meal. I had to admit that I couldn’t handle anything too spicy. And I had to order the hotate (scallop) nigiri sushi. I wasn’t going to dine at Tojo’s without trying the scallop sushi!

Tojo-tini, sake and shochu vodka, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

I ordered the Tojo-tini cocktail, a refreshing mixture of sake and shochu vodka. The drink turned out to be more mild than I expected with cool, clean flavours that actually cleansed my palate between each course.

Tojo's tuna, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

First up was Tojo’s tuna sashami with special sesame and wasabi sauce. The first thing I noticed was the presentation, The dish was gorgeous, the powder pink tuna, speckled with toasted sesame seeds with a bright green tuft of chopped green onions perched on top. I wanted to gobble up this dish right away but I savoured it to appreciate every delicate layer of flavour and texture. The crunch of the green onions contrasted with the silkiness of the tuna and the sweet and slightly nutty sauce tied the whole dish together. There were some strong hits of wasabi as I got to the bottom of the bowl, thank goodness my Tojo-tini cocktail served as a cooling element.

Seafood salad, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

The seafood salad was something else. Again, I was blown away by the presentation. Chef Tojo takes the concept of using the plate as a canvas to another level, creating magic with just a few simple but ultra fresh ingredients. The salad consisted of smoked salmon (one of my favourite foods!), a very thin strip of octopus balanced on top of fresh greens, cucumber and cooked squid drizzled with sweet and creamy dressing. The smoked salmon was delicious, smooth, velvety with deep smoky salmon flavours. The octopus and the cooked squid were both amazingly tender and soft. The thin blanket of octopus picked up the dressing perfectly. The little pieces of squid had a little bit of bite to them but for the most part, they were the softest, least chewy pieces of cooked squid I’ve ever tasted.

Seafood salad, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Seafood salad, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Seafood salad, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

I was thrilled that the next dish was Tojo’s famed halibut cheek. One of the coolest things about ordering Omakase is that each course is a surprise. I could smell the halibut cheeks as soon as they were placed on the table. This was our first warm dish of the meal, and the fragrant, homey smells of the creamy teriyaki garlic sauce was extremely inviting.

Halibut cheek, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

The halibut cheek was flaky and tender, easily giving away to gentle pokes of my chopsticks. Despite the distinct halibut flavours, the meat also picked up the creamy teriyaki sauce beautifully.

Halibut cheek, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

The halibut cheek was accompanied by a very flavourful mound of mushrooms that soaked up the teriyaki sauce like little sponges. I nearly loved the mushrooms as much as the halibut, and I don’t even normally like mushrooms.

Suntan tuna, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Mushrooms also played a role in our next dish: Suntan tuna, red tuna wrapped in nori seaweed with a crunchy tempura crust, a teaspoon of sour plum sauce and a pile of moist and tender mushrooms. Needless to say the thick slices of tuna were beautiful, dramatic red centers surrounded by a ring of powder pink cooked meat. The tempura crust was crispy and crunchy against velvety tuna meat. The punchy, sour sauce also brought out the tuna’s natural sweetness.

Suntan tuna, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

I know the mushrooms were only a sidekick in this dish, but I ate every single piece. The mushrooms were soft and flavourful with a sweet and sour taste from the sauce. I have no idea what Chef Tojo does with his mushrooms but he has definitely converted me from a mushroom hater to a big mushroom fan.

Assorted sushi, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Finally came the sushi dishes – what I had been waiting for! Arranged beautifully on our plates was a selection of nigiri sushi and rolls. Without hesitation we tried the Golden Roll first: crab, scallop, salmon and sweet shrimp rolled up in sushi rice and Tojo’s trademark silk-thin egg crepe. I’ve read that Chef Tojo started using egg crepe for his rolls to appeal to diners with seaweed allergies. I do not have a seaweed allergy but I would still eat a billion of Chef Tojo’s Golden Rolls. I can’t even begin to describe how amazing this little roll is. The ultra thin egg, light as a feather but as soft and fluffy as a cloud encasing the freshest, most moist seafood mixed in with al dente sushi rice, a dab of Japanese mayo and crunchy roe. The flavours literally exploded in my mouth.

Spicy tuna roll and Golden Roll, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Red snapper nigiri sushi, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Red snapper nigiri sushi, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Next up, we tried the red snapper nigiri sushi. What we noticed about the nigiri sushi at Tojo’s is the thin strip of Japanese herb he slips in between the perfectly formed sushi rice and the slice of sashimi. The herb has a fresh basil flavour to it, it acted as a palate cleanser and a great hit of cool freshness against the spicy dab of wasabi under the fish. The red snapper was delicious, tender, smooth and fresh.

The Great Canadian Roll, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

The Great Canadian Roll sported a brilliantly red piece of smoked salmon on top of a roll filled with tender lobster and asparagus. It was rich, delicious and incredible. The ingredients were so simple but since the seafood was so fresh, the flavours were notches above what is served at standard sushi restaurants.

Saba nigiri sushi, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

The saba (mackerel) nigiri sushi was seductively shiny on the plate. I have to admit that the heavy mackerel flavour was pretty overpowering, especially after we had just eaten a more delicate fish, the red snapper. But I enjoyed it, the texture was wonderful, the skin full of slick and smooth fish oil and the meat underneath was slippery but moist.

Hirame nigiri sushi, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Nearly standing up to the mackerel flavours was the hirame (flounder) nigiri that we tried next. The flounder meat was tender and I’m sure delicate in flavour. But the wasabi on this piece of sushi was pretty heavy handed, you can actually see the green glob through the nearly translucent white fish in the picture. We probably should have ordered this one without the wasabi.

Hotate nigiri sushi, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

And finally, we tried the hotate (scallop) nigiri sushi that I ordered. It was everything that I had hoped for: soft, buttery and meaty scallop. It practically melted in my mouth.

Here’s another thing, the ingredients are so fresh and delicious at Tojo’s that they didn’t need any other enhancements. I didn’t touch the soy sauce bottle once while enjoying the nigiri sushi.

Spicy tuna roll, Tojo's 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Spicy tuna roll, Tojo's 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Lastly, we tried Tojo’s original spicy tuna roll. Here’s what he does differently: the roll is stuffed with a spicy tuna mixture and sculpted on top of the roll is a non-spicy piece of tuna sashimi. I was apprehensive to try this roll since admittedly, spicy food makes my eyes water. But even I could handle this roll, the fresh sweetness from the tuna balances out the spices. And that piece of soft, non-spicy tuna on top really curbed the spiciness too.

Pacific Northwest Roll, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Our last roll consisted of more of my favourite ingredient: scallops! A variation of the California roll, this was Tojo’s Pacific Northwest roll with West coast Dungeness crab and avocado rolled up with sushi rice, seaweed and scallop on top with golden flying fish roe.

Pacific Northwest Roll, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

The golden flying fish roe on top of the rolls were firmer than the red fish roe.

Pacific Northwest Roll, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Again, we found the pieces of scallop on top of the roll, fresh, soft and buttery, rich in flavour and paired amazingly with the tender crab inside the roll. And again, I didn’t use soy sauce. I didn’t have to, my taste buds were too distracted by all the different flavours and textures jammed into one little roll to even notice there was no soy sauce.

Toro sashimi, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Toro sashimi, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Toro sashimi, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Before dessert, we managed to squeeze in one more of Tojo’s ‘must-trys’: the Toro sashimi. There was one good thing and one bad thing about eating this. The bad thing: I can never eat toro sashimi again unless it’s at Tojo’s. The good thing: this was the most delicious toro sashimi I’ve ever eaten, the way it was sliced, in thin, fragile strips, the way it melted in my mouth, and the subtle and delicate flavours that gracefully swirled on my tongue before I swallowed. I’m pretty sure this is something only Tojo can create.

Sesame panna cotta, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Sesame panna cotta, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Sesame panna cotta, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Thankfully, I still had room for dessert. Good thing too because dessert was equally delicious: black sesame panna cotta with a soft sesame cookie and a sweet shot of plum liquor. I love Chef Tojo’s playful twist on a traditional Italian dessert. The sesame not only gave the panna cotta a deep sexy purple colour but also gave the sweet, creamy custard an extra kick of rich, nutty flavour. The extremely sweet and sharp plum liquor only enhanced the panna cotta flavours and that little sesame cookie was the perfect topper on a flawless meal.

Plum liquor with sesame cookie, Tojo's, 1133 West Broadway, Vancouver, Canada

Before we left, we asked our server if we could take a picture with the chef. Chef Tojo is one of the only celebrity chefs found working nightly in his own restaurant. You don’t see Gordon Ramsey or Heston Blumenthal chopping onions or creating dishes at their restaurants on a nightly basis. We got the chance to thank Chef Tojo for the wonderful meal, he was jovial and humble and was more than happy to snap a few pictures with us. Obviously, I wanted to ask him if he really did invent the California roll but I was too shy. Maybe next time.

Stunning TV  Host Laurie Belle ( LeftCoast TV) was  featured in another editorial  photo shoot this week.  Belle was engaging in front of the camera. Laurie Belle has appeared locally and internationally in music videos, television , ever BE magazine, Vancouver Observer, 24 hours,  Jaqueline Conoir, Vancouver Fashion Week, Stayfitanywhere,  Malene Grotrian, Shelley Klassen (Blushing Boutique), BUN, Le Chateau,  Canadian Wine Access Magazine, Daily Glow, Vancouver Sun, and on numerous red carpets.

She has interviewed celebrities from Gene Simmons , Coco Rocha, State of shock, and politician Hedy Fry.Currently, she is developing her new show: Get Cooking with the Stars. Singer Songwriter Sara Lynn (Don’t call me angel) was the latest featured guest.  Laurie will be featured at ECO fashion week in select designers fashions.  We hear that joining Laurie at the event will be a surprise celebrity date. 

BUN’s astonishing pearl necklaces seen  featured on Laurie are arrayed with gold, silver and glass charms. “We believe jewelry shouldn’t “just” be worn, it should also be felt by its wearer.” Our goal with all of our customers is to accentuate and highlight your true and natural beauty.” -BUN.

The phenomenal photography goes out to Dan Poh. Dan is a recognized celebrity photographer. Poh’s spectacular direction captured Laurie in a series of different looks and thoughtful moments. The amazing make up and hair was fashioned by Hellen Torres.

The  LA inspired fashions  from  Muse Social Fashion House completed Laurie’s look. Muse is known for its gorgeous designs and is located in South Surrey.  The owner, Christine Visnjak, channels brands straight from the runway like Mackage, Soaked in Luxury, Collective Concepts, Trinity, and many others.

Hellen Torres successfully created Laurie’s smoldering look. She highlighted the Host’s amazing eyes and played up her features with “pretty in pink “hues on her lips. Hellen is an honours graduate from the prestigious  John Casablanca Fashion Institute. Hellen has become a very sought after artist for exclusive fashion shows, and celebrities.  She is one of the key make up artists for Vancouver Fashion Week and has been featured throughout Vancouver Sun and Flare’s Magazine Fashion Blog.

Photo credit Dan Poh,  Hellen Torres Makeup/Hair

Suki’s

BUN-accesories

Shoes-Le Chateau

TV Show Sponsors:  Kelsey Hourigan Coordinator, Vivek Sharma Editing, Blushing Boutique, Suki’s  Tojos,Muse Social Fashion House, Pizzazz Models, L2 Models, The Promotion People, Lloyd Talent, Sugarbaby Aprons, Vernard luvn Grace Goud

Tojo’s Restaurant located on West Broadway, Vancouver. It’s an award winning Japanese restaurant. The owner / chef won the awards for the top chef in the world. However, I was too embarrassed to ask the owner to take photos with me. Oh well~

I arrived a little early this evening, so I decided to wait for a table at bar area. It made me realize one thing! Almost always make a reservation if you are going to somewhere fancy!

Panasonic LX-5

The bartender came over to offer me some of the finest specialty cocktails in the house.

Ikebana

Some sort of Lychee drink.. But why is it BLUE?

Soy sauce bottle

Menu

Sashimi plate

Hand rolls

Sushi plate

This roll is called “Golden roll”. It’s soooo yummy!

Seared tuna

Spider roll. Interesting! It was stuffed inside of a cucumber.

Greentea Tiramitsu

We decided to head to Tojo’s on a weekday since we were close by.  To be honest, I don’t remember much of what I ate from the past so it usually indicates that the food was not terrible but not spectacular either.  But my husband wanted to go and I never say no to going to a nice restaurant.  The decor is very modern and very different from the old Tojo’s -  Super high ceilings and many more tables.  The old Tojo’s certainly had a more Japanese ambience to it.  The service was outstanding and our server had a great sense of humour.  But I swear the food was a lot more creative at the old Tojo’s. 

In the past, I have ordered the Chef’s selection of dishes called Omakase.  But this time, we wanted to order à la carte.  We didn’t order too much as it was for only 2 people and I didn’t take a picture of the tempura that we ordered as well.

Tojo's Selection Sashimi - Red Tuna (left), Salmon - I think it was Coho (top), Tai (bottom), Tuna (bottom right), Hamachi (top right), Hotate & Amaebi (right corner). The fish was undoubtedly fresh. But this dish was quite pricey.

Great Pacific Roll (sides) - wild sockeye salmon inside and outside also with avocado inside. Spider Roll (centre) - soft shelled crab, avocado, and asparagus rolled with a thinly sliced cucumber. These rolls were quite delicious and very nicely rolled. The menu showed sockeye salmon on the roll but it didn't look like sockeye.

Baked sablefish with Tojo's secret marinade. This dish was good not great. The marinade tasted like miso and with a sweet ingredient, maybe sugar or honey.

Tojo’s Restaurant

604.872.8050

1133 West Broadway

Vancouver, BC V6H 1G1

For info on Miku Japanese Restaurant please click here.

There are two categories of restaurants that seem to dominate Asian cuisines in Vancouver – Asian fusion and sushi joints. It is challenging to create a fusion dish that is conceptually inventive and presentable, whilst satiating your taste buds. For some reason, Asian spices and cooking technique (mostly pan fried, grilled and steamed) does not always pair seamlessly with Western ingredients, or vice verse. Of several Asian fusion places have I experimented, including Wild Garlic Bistro , Red Door Pan Asian Grill, Wild Rice and Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie, none of them has engraved a fantastic note in my gustatory or olfactory memories. Those Asian fusion restaurants are majorly turfed in posh neighborhoods like Yaletown, or hip area such as Gastown and Chinatown, not lacking hipsters/pseudo-foodies throwing in their money for the sake of their own image and self-ego. I have heard good reviews on EN Japanese Restaurant, innovative Japanese dining with French and continental influences, which is on my list of restaurants to try out next. But I will not be surprised that dishes there are beautifully presented with pretentious portions, and jaw-dropping price tags, just like any other fusion bistros.

Sushi joints, on the other hand, are far more accessible and vary in all kinds of aspects. First, they are so abundant that you can find them in any sort of neighborhoods, humble or high-end. However, the quality does not always match up or down with models of the cars parked by the street. Second, the price range can be as low as $2 for a box of California roll for take-out, or as steep as $15 for one piece of King crab nigiri. Seafood is the essential material used in sushi making, therefore, the freshness and the quality of seafood weighs in tremendously to a sushi restaurant reputation. Tsunami Sushi on Robson street in central shopping district in Downtown Vancouver possesses the only floating sushi bar that I’ve known of in Greater Vancouver. It is reasonably priced, and dishes are fresh tasting and continuously made and presented in front of you. What attracts me the dearest about floating sushi bar is the mystery and excitement of anticipating what would be brought to the floating strip next, and that customers are in utter control of their own eating pace.

Omakase, loosely translated as “Entrust” or “Trust the chef” in Japanese, is a concept Japanese dining experience where the chef customizes an entire menu based on your personal preferences, presenting a minimum of 8 courses (the min. number of plates varies in different restaurants) from light appetizers to hot main dishes and wrapped up with dessert, no difference than Western dining in this sense. However, all the dishes are created uniquely, using seasonal highest quality seafood and other ingredients, a truly spiritual and lavish treatment to your taste buds. Tojo’s , voted as the top sushi restaurant in Vancouver by New York Times, is the place to go for Omakase. I have been to Tojo’s three times over the past two years, and tried Omakase twice in different seasons. It is about the only Japanese bistro that I’ve been to that serves up to its elite reputation, if not more, and the only place that when I put down my one hundred dollar bill on the check, I feel money is well spent.

During my 2nd visit to Tojo’s, I was privileged to meet Chef Tojo. He is a lovely old man. Tojo works behind the bar, gives directions to his fellow chefs. He is very strict on if a particular dish of sushi needs soy sauce. Before a plate of sushi handed to us, Tojo would kindly inform us, “please use soy sauce” or “no soy sauce.” Once a regular customer sitting next to me in the sushi bar was about to dunk a piece of sushi into soy sauce, I noticed a cloud across over Chef Tojo’s face, then I heard a firm voice saying, “I said NO soy sauce.” Unlike a typical movie sequence, the first original movie usually being the best of the entire sequence, my third time visit was an absolute charm and would be my best dining experience at Tojo’s in terms of the variety of seafood, the creativity of the courses and the exquisite taste of each dish.

1. Tuna tataki topped with grated ginger, sprinkled finely chopped green onion and loosely scattered purple sprouts.

2. Morel mushroom wrap of chopped scallop and fish paste, pan fried with dry seaweed coat; nested on a bed of buttered spinach, topped by bonito (dried fish flakes). The photo does not justify the quality, and it did not look like the most appetizing dish, but it turned out to be the most surprising and mouth-watering dish of the whole meal.

3. Octopus salad – elegantly sliced octopus, garnished with canola petals and thinly picked kelp, rested on a mat of fresh Japanese seaweed. Special house sauce drizzled atop. Chef Tojo’s creations are artistic and playful, always alternating a cold and hot dish to tease our palate.

4. Smoked sable fish rolled in playfully sliced pine mushroom, asparagus, daikon root and fresh mango pieces. It is a quite substantial dish, and the smoke sable fish is about the best smoke fish I have ever tasted.

9. 2010 sushi roll – salmon, deep sea tuna, scallop and tamago hugging a thin layer of rice. prawn tempura stuffing. The plate was garnished by blueberry sauce, written Tojo’s 2010. Chef Tojo’s signature dish of 2010, purposely designed for the Vancouver winter Olympics 2010.

10. Cucumber roll – artfully prepared cucumber skin wrapping of avocado, prawn tempura, yam tempura and asparagus. Each bite renders a wonderful sensation on the teeth and the mouth chamber – cold, crunchy skin and warm, crispy, surrender by the nice creamy touch from avecado. Truly one of my favourite Tojo’s creation of sushi rolls.

11. Alaska king crab nigiri

12. Uni (sea urchin) nigiri – this is a test of your open-mindedness in seafood category. If you overcome that ocean hint, sea urchin can taste quite nicely. Creamy, naturally salty and pungent. If you a stinky cheese lover, you might have the potential to a sea urchin adventure. My first encounter of sea urchin was during my 2nd visit to Tojo’s, sea urchin was mingled with an assortment of sable fish, scallop and other ingridents in a nice and thick stew, it did not taste as distinguishable as it would when it comes in alone with just a tad of rice underneath. It is definitely a challenge of my palate in a wonderful way. After my two encounters with sea urchin, I felt like my appreciation for sea food has reached another level and my taste horizon has broadened.

13. Spanish mackerel nigiri

14. We finally called it a day after 13 brilliant creations by Tojo’s. Our dessert comes in two cute glass cups – Left is black sesame pudding topped with two blueberries and a sliver of strawberry. Right cup contains ginger sorbet resting on a cocktail of grapefruit, strawberry and pineapple bits, a thin slice of sesame cracker graciously landed in sorbet.

The entire meal was a dreamy journey full of surprises and hidden gems. Each visit at Tojo’s is very much like rebirth – there is always something new, something different and unusual, and something fun. Everything is made to perfection, so I feel perfectly pampered and satisfied. You go there, sit down and get ready to be impressed. It’s not only about food, it is also about observing and learning how to eat Japanese food properly. For instance, I often see people soak a piece of nigiri in soy sauce until the rice dripping with sauce. Here is one thing that I learned at Tojo’s – Less is more. Soy sauce is supposed to enhance the flavor of sushi, but it is not a must for each every dish. Many sushi rolls should be eaten sans soy sauce. Even when using it, it should be used in a minimized amount. I have also noticed that all the sushi are made with less rice than normal. I am used to seeing a big chunk of loosely packed sushi rice topped with a sliver of fish in bad sushi restaurants. This is nothing more than a poor taste. Another lesson from Tojo’s is that rice is the secondary character in sushi world, it is important as bad rice can ruin the whole thing, but the essence of a sushi is what is inside or outside of rice. All the sushi tastes heavenly even just a simple salmon roll, partially because of the high quality fish they use, also it’s the small amount of rice that is just enough to mellow out the seafood flavor and not too abundant to steal the thunder of the main role. Professionalism is revealed in details. Before the meal starts, customers are asked if they have any food allergies. You can also take this opportunity to let the chef know what you would like to try and what you prefer not having. The chef normally notes down your preferences and allergies onto a piece of sheet, so when he creates food for you, he’d remember.

At Omakase, your wallet and appetite is the limit. Food will be brought to you continuously unless you say stop. After 8 dishes or so, chef would kindly ask if you want to stop or continue. I strongly recommend people who claim to be a seafood lover, go to Tojo’s, at least once in your life. Just go sit at the sushi bar, shout, “bring it on!” and embark on your magical seafood journey.

In the meantime, finish up March’s BOTMC selection: Boneshaker.  The discussion begins Monday and author Cherie Priest will be coming by to answer your questions later in the week.

Am in the process of reading a phenomenal book that I’m even considering as the April selection.  I started it last night with the intention of reading the first chapter – and ended up reading the first 100 pages.  So far, so marvelous.

Yesterday was another relaxed day.  I let my houseguest call the shots and she decided she wanted to watch Ponyo.  So we watched Ponyo.  Meh.  Cute character designs but, ultimately, a flimsy story that would appeal more to kids than adults.  Spirited Away still ranks as my favorite Miyazaki film.

Rather than head out for lunch, Akemi decided she wanted to make something instead.  And so, after picking up the necessary ingredients…

For dinner, we headed to Tojo’s.  I’d talked the place up so she was really looking forward to checking out Vancouver’s high-end sushi scene.  And, I’m pleased to report, Tojo’s didn’t disappoint.  She enjoyed the food – and especially enjoyed the service on the part of the ever-upbeat Dragon and Hiro.

We had some excellent toro nigiri, aji nigiri, and some of Tojo’s special temaki (the lobster roll, the spicy tuna, and the dynamite dynamite roll).  Then, onto the maki…

A fantastic time was had by all – especially our waiter, Dragon…

Today, we stayed in again.  I picked up a massive lobster tail for lunch…

Hey, you know who’s going to miss Akemi when she heads back Japan?  Besides me?  These guys…

Maximus rests up for dinner.

]]> http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/march-10-2009-the-culinary-highlights-some-dogs-discussion-and-dog-discussion/ Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:20:33 +0000 Joseph Mallozzi http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/march-10-2009-the-culinary-highlights-some-dogs-discussion-and-dog-discussion/

Uni Sashimi: Tojo's

Toro Nigiri Assortment: Tojo's

Varied Maki: Tojo's

The Cure charcuterie and pork rillettes: Fuel Restaurant

The Cure sausages and air dried pork tenderloin: Fuel Restaurant

Bianca Pizza with grana padano, garlic, and olive oil: Campagnolo Restaurant

Coq au Vin with wild mushroom, pearl onions, bacon, and spaetzle: DB Bistro Moderne

Chocolate Sundane with hazelnut rice krispy and coffee ice cream: DB Bistro Moderne

Steak Tartare: Boneta

The most awesome chocolate cake: Chocoatl

Alsatian flat bread, fromage blanc, bacon, and onions: DB Bistro Moderne

Handmade Orechiette Pasta with venison ragout, chesnut, and and buttered squash: DB Bistro Moderne

Warm Madeleines: DB Bistro Moderne

Eels in black bean sauce: Sun Sui Wah

Hiro says "Eat your sushi!"

Tuna belly, Pacific Salmong, and Mackerel: Tojo's

Lawren contemplates pulled pork and rib ends.

Memphis Barbecue House: The Elvis Platter

I’ve been watching so much Gordon Ramsay of late that it’s led me to do the unthinkable. I’m actually cooking at home. Last night, I made butterlicious rib steak with grilled asparagus. Today, it was crispy-skinned salmon with potato salad and oven roasted tomatoes. So I’m staying in more which is a good news/bad news thing. Good news for my wallet but of course bad news for the many local restaurants I’ve supported over the years by rarely ever eating in (the only times I would actually eat at home we’d be ordering in). Then again, this doesn’t mean that the reverse is true. I still do go out to eat and have enjoyed some excellent meals of late. Given that some of you may be heading into town in the coming month, I decided to post a little photo tour of some of the culinary highlights of the past six weeks or so. Not included in the line-up is the fantastic meal I enjoyed at fuel for the cast dinner. Alas, I didn’t bring my camera with me that night for fear of spooking the actors so you’ll just have to trust me on this one.

A quiet day on the home front . I re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-polished what I have on the short story so far (so good) and prepare myself for the trickiest scene. Once that’s done, the rest will write itself. Smooooooth sailing!

This afternoon, it was a vet hospital visit for Lulu – she of the finicky appetite, the sensitive tummy, the itchy ears, the irritable paws. Our vet, the lovely Janet, suspects a food allergy and suggested I switch over to a fish and potato-based kibble. On the way home, I stopped by a pet store and, as I wandered in with Lulu, we were ambushed by a fellow French bulldog owner who just couldn’t get enough of my gal. And, of course, Lulu was infinitely pleased with all of the attention, pawing, sprawling, batting, and barking. I explained that Lulu seemed to be suffering from a food allergy. “Occasional loss of appetite?”she asked. Uh, yeah. “Is she always scratching her ears at night?” Yep. “Is she always chewing on her paws in the morning?” Yes! She directed me over to the California Natural Herring & Sweet Potato formula. Apparently, her Frenchie suffers from the exact same condition. Fascinating, no?

No? Okay then – I read the revised Earth script. Rob completed his pass yesterday and it is terrific. Yesterday, we put the stories-in-progress up on the board and we’re sitting pretty. There has been some discussion of making the story idea Rob pitched out for episode 17 the season finale. I think it would be a wonderfully Holy Shit! way to cap off the Universe’s first year. Blazin’!

Dogs discussion:

Thornyrose writes: “The character of Allen Levy was the only one that truly came to life for me though. The desperate struggles of a child trying to save his pet, while dealing with the domestic problems in his home. I found myself mentally cheering Allen on, even when his actions were the wrong things for the right reason.”

Answer: I agree. His attempts to save his dog were quite touching – and surprisingly clever. Some of my favorite moments in the book were the his hospital scenes with Cami. That friendship, more than any other relationship in the book, rang truest for me.

Thornyrose also writes: “Going back to Tessa, I found the thread that an aquantance of her husband was the proximate cause a bit of a stretch.”

Answer: Granted, this was a huge buy.

Sparrow_hawk writes: “I even found it kind of amusing when, at first, they were trying to take advantage of the situation to buff up FEMA’s reputation that had been so tarnished by the handling of Hurricane Katrina.”

Answer: Yes, and they end up dropping the ball. Again!

Sparrow-hawk also writes: “I have mixed feelings about the ending. Although the little epilogue seemed a bit forced to me, it served the purpose of reminding us that the virus was still active and still a threat.”

Answer: Hmmm. I like a little ambiguity and open-ended stories but the epilogue certainly had a cinematic feel to it. In fact, as I was reading, I found it very easy to imagine the film version.

Silver_Comet writes: “. And usually I can’t read something like that without being touched and often on the verge of tears. But in this case I didn’t feel much for the dogs either. Maybe because the thought, that a dog is really able to kill a human, is very frightening. I saw more the killing machines in them than the lovely pets.”

Answer: The scenes that I found most disturbing as a dog owner were the instances in which the authorities dropped by the various houses to confiscate the dogs. While I consider it highly unlikely that my dogs will turn on me someday (“Television Producer Gummed To Death” would be the shocking headline), I can imagine a scenario whereby someone would try to take my dogs from me. Very unsettling stuff.

If you have questions for author Nancy Kress, post them now because I’ll be gathering them up and sending them her way tomorrow night!

It didn’t stop me from going though. Vancouver was the first stop on a 10 day food-and-drink binge through the Pacific Northwest with my family. Upon arrival, our first line of business was to find some food and beverage while waiting for our hotel room to be cleaned. We stopped in at Next Noodle Bar and ordered some Asian style fried appetizers, spicy Thai noodle soup, and stir fried vegetables with seafood and I washed it all down with some Kokanee Glacier beer, a Canadian local pilsner style lager that is malt dominant with a bit of graininess to it and very clean. Compared to Molsen’s Canadian, it was much cleaner and had less of an aftertaste. These beers paired very well with the spicy Szechuan style of the food that was served here, and the food was good and relatively inexpensive.

Later that day we did some walking around the city and ended up having some wine and snacks at Salt. This tasting room featured a great selection of both local and imported wines and cured meats and cheeses. My favorite thing about this place is that it’s all about pairings. We had a cheese plate with Colston Bassett Blue from the UK, Fol Epi from France, and Comte from France as well as hot capicollo, sopressa, and corned beef. The corned beef was served with a Guiness mustard that was an interesting blend of whole grain mustard and Guiness stout. The wines we had were a Codorniv Raventor Cava from Spain, Shepherd’s Ridge Pinot Noir from New Zealand, and Pentage Cab Franc from BC. I know, I know, this blog is about beer and food, but this place was GOOD, and they did also have a great selection of beers and foods to pair, so I would strongly encourage any beer and food lovers to check it out.

Then, we headed out to a bar called the Railway Club where there are some interesting live bands and a beer menu featuring many of the local brews. I started with the Phillips Original IPA which had some grapefruit and dank hops. It was very bitter with a relatively clean finish, but with some sticky, slightly sour aftertaste. I also tried the Granville Island Pale Ale, which tasted slightly oxidized and minerally with a bit of roasted malt and a clean finish. The Big Kettle ESB had the smell of citrus, and grass that permeates into the taste of the mildly bitter beer. It also had a slightly sour finish and aftertaste. The Granville Island Hefeweizen has a very strong presence of banana and cloves that are common for the style, but the body was a bit light and finished too clean – squeaky clean even, leaving the slight mineral aftertaste that you would get from tap water. Tree Brewing’s Cutthroat Ale is a medium bodied pale ale that has a slightly caramel flavor and mild presence of diacetyl. It was well-balanced in malt and hops and was a good session beer. All of the bitter beers paired well-enough with the bar snacks that we got, but none of them were outstanding to me at that point in time.

One thing that has to be said about Vancouver, is that it is very pedestrian friendly. We did quite a bit of walking all over town and in general, it was relatively flat and relatively clean. Of course, we did trek a long way to get to a dim sum restaurant called the Pink Pearl that was off (way off) the beaten path because it got such rave reviews from a Lonely Planet book. After braving the rain and a long journey on foot through an entire district lined with methadone clinics, streets wreaking of urine, sidewalks soiled with vomit, and junkies smoking crack on the front steps of storefronts, the food was mediocre at best. The course chop of the filling that went into each dumpling created unwelcome lumps and necessitated that the dumplings be much larger than they should be. The Lonely Planet book really missed the mark on this place. Maybe all the travel and granola bars had damaged the tastebuds of that particular contributor. Spare yourself the hike and homeless folk and find something closer to downtown.

After such a disappointing and somewhat horrifying experience, we decided to treat ourselves to a good sushi dinner at Tojo’s, an upscale sushi restaurant. Another recommendation from the Lonely Planet book (sinister organ chords bellow in the background). Upon arrival, the ambiance is amazing with minimalist modern Japanese decor, deep rich colors, polished hardwood, super high ceilings, and soft lighting. When we ventured a glance at the drink menu, we found ourselves slack-jawed at the audacity and outrageousness of the pricing of their bottles of sake. (Keep in mind, we do come from a restaurant family and know what each of these bottles is available for at a wholesale price.) We bit the bullet and ordered a midrange bottle of sake that still sets us back nearly $100. As a starter, we ordered bluefin toro and uni sashimi. These were amazing, despite having to sell a kidney to afford them. And when in such a fancy sushi restaurant named after a popular sushi chef, what better to order than omakase (chef’s tasting menu). Apparently, a lot of things are better to order than this at Tojo’s. It was possibly the most uninspired omakase that I’ve had to date (perhaps aside from Sushi Roku in Pasadena, CA). We even had to send a dish back because the seafood was overcooked! The fish was very fresh and the quality of the materials used was good, but to serve ahi tuna nigiri, and a dolled-up version of California roll using real crabmeat and fresh avocado on a chef’s tasting menu speaks terrible things about a chef, especially when the meal sets you back at over a c-note per person. I guess that’s what we get for being slow studies, and using the Lonely Planet book for a second time in the same city. (To the credit of Lonely Planet, they have served us very well in other cities, but I would suggest dropping the Vancouver copy in the nearest recycling bin.)

Stanley Park tree monkeys

Hungry after a day of walking around Stanley Park, we ate lunch at the Fish House in Stanley Park. Before settling on a pint of beer, the bartenders let us sample a couple of beers. I wasn’t too impressed with either of the beers (so unimpressed that I didn’t remember what they were!) so we opted for a Bloody Cesar. It’s the Canadian version of a Bloody Mary but made with Clamato instead of tomato juice. Made spicy and served with a jumbo prawn draped over the side of the seasoned salt rimmed glass, and it was the perfect solution to our aching feet. Not to mention that it goes so well with freshly shucked oysters! The food at the Fish House was also great – the seafood perfectly cooked and seasoned lightly to bring out the natural flavors.

After several misses in Asian cuisine, we were finally able to find a proper Chinese restaurant on our last night in town. We ate at Golden Great Wall, a Cantonese restaurant that has a massive menu and tanks of fresh live seafood. We ordered some xiao long bao (soup dumplings), stir-fried crab, stir-fried veggies, 2-course smoked duck, and hand-pulled noodles. Everything was delicious, with the exception of the noodles. The limp and mushy texture of the noodles left something to be desired, since fresh noodles are meant to have some springiness to them. It was a very satisfying dinner and again washed down with Kokanee.

All in all, we tried a multitude of local beers, wines, and even local (Granville Island) sakes, but I have to admit that there were none that truly stuck out as phenomenal. In fact a couple of the sickly-sweet wines and the solvent-like sakes were downright disappointing. All in all, I love the town of Vancouver for the walkability, the beautiful parks and multitude of outdoor activities, but local foods and beverages seem to be hit or miss, particularly on this last trip. Perhaps in the future, if I avoid the recommendations of the Lonely Planet book, it would be a different story.