Shima-Ya Sushi (5589 Victoria Drive)



Shima-Ya sushi on Victoria Drive is one of the best sushi restaurant in the Lower Mainland. This establishment is operated by a Japanese couple. The restaurant is not that big so reservations are recommended during the weekends. There are no fried items on the menu as it is prohibited under the strata rules.

I have been eating here since it first opened up 5-6 years ago. Their seafoods are very fresh as there are no fishy taste in them unlike some other places I had tried. Everything I ate on their menu are tastes good.

 

The restaurant is not that big. There are only five tables with accomodates two people each. They will combine the tables together for more people.  Also, only eight chairs at the counter.

 

A view of what you see when sitting at the counter. Some fresh scallops, shrimps, kohada, and tai in a bowl.

 

 

 



Omakase Sushi Combo + Miso Soup(dine-in) $31

Here is one of their most expensive combo to get there. The Omakase(Chef Choice) Nigiri Combo consists of 10 pcs of their finest nigiri that they have in stock that day.  This one has  been cut in half for easier sharing purposes.





Deluxe Nigiri + Tuna Roll ($17) Saba Battera ($11)

 




For those just wanting a more simple selection to their nigiri is the Assorted Nigiri ($15) and the Deluxe Nigiri. We had the Deluxe Nigiri Combo as well as a Saba(Mackeral) Battera located in the middle.

 
 
 
 
 
 


Spicy Roll Combo ($18)



I like the sauce they have for their spicy rolls. There is a blend of mayo in the sauce which makes it taste better than just hot sauce by itself.

Ma-dai Soup (Red Seabream Snapper)

 
 

This is a fish bone soup they have special at times. Its a clear broth topped with green onions. It has a nice taste.

 

 

Verdict:

 

I really enjoyed my experience eating at Shima-Ya. The quality of their sushi is always very good. The size of their rolls is of a good proportion where it is not a jumbo piece of rice. At times food will come out at a slower rate when the restaurant gets full. But the food is worth the wait no matter how long it takes. Food just melts in your mouth when you eat it.

 

 

Service: 4.5/5
Food: 5/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5



JJ's Restaurant - Vancouver Community College (250 Pender Street West, Vancouver BC)



This is my first time trying out food at a culinary school. The restaurant is located on the third floor of the building. We made a reservation for 6:00pm as we did not know if there were going to be lots of people. Servers were fast to act when we entered the restaurant and was warmly welcomed to our seats.

The first thing I noticed when walking into the restaurant was a television. It displayed a live footage of what was going on in the kitchen.  The restaurant itself was cozy and spacious. The interior of the restaurant felt warm with its dark colour scheme.

The restaurant had a 3 course summer set dinner for $24.00 which is reasonable as it is cooked by aspiring students becoming chefs.



DRINK:

To start off the night our drinks were taken and we had a caesars and a glass of white wine. The price for the drinks was not overly priced as it was about $5 each.








APPETIZER:
 

We were given a complimentary appetizer to start with. This was a wrapped roll which consisted of diced shrimps and scallops. It tasted very light as we had our first bite into it.

For my appetizer I started off with the Summer Stew.  Inside this dish had prawns, scallops, leeks and potatoes served in a corn broth.
The seafoods were just about cooked probably around 90% which wasnt too bad as it tasted very nice.  Even though it was a cold appetizer each bite makes you feel warm. 

My friend chose the salad to start off with.  Its a typical salad you see in other restaurants where there are the greens, nuts and croutons.  The star of this dish was the Sherry Truffle Vinegrette. This dressing was a good balance where it did not taste too strong.

MAIN:

I ordered the Moroccan Spiced Lamb Sirloin for the main dish. The lamb was served with a side of cous cous, cauliflowers, and a yogurt sauce. This was my first time trying out cous cous. I didn't really like the grainy and nutty taste of the cous cous. So this is probably my last time to getting it. On the other hand, the lamb was cooked to perfection. Ask for a medium rare and thats what I got. Taste was pretty mild in flavour without the overpowering taste of the lamb taking over as some places will.



This olive oil poached salmon was not over cooked. The meat itself was very moist and smooth. It was served with a tomato risotto which tasted good when eaten together with the salmon. Plated nicely and was served with a good portion of risotto and salmon.

 



DESSERT:





I chose the poached pear with a sweet milk icecream served with a shortcake. Even though I don't prefer eatting desserts the ice cream was sweet to my liking. The poached pear in my opinion tastes like ones u have preserved for selling in stores.  Maybe that's what it tastes like poached?







For chocolate lovers the dark chocolate ganache cake was very chocolately. For some it may be taste too heavy with all the chocolate.

 To end the meal we were served a complimentary dessert.  This was a lemon cake topped with drizzle of dark chocolate and an almond cream. The cake itself was packed with lemon taste. I really liked this cake because of that.





VERDICT:


This was a pleasant experience for us for trying JJ's Restaurant.  Service was ealt with in a professional manner.  Food came out reasonably fresh except for my lamb which was a bit lukewarm. Overall it is a good place for a cheap dinner to eat if you are near VCC. I will definately go back again when they have the fall menu out.


Service: 5/5
Food: 4/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Save On Meats (43 West Hastings Street, Vancouver BC)



View from Entrance

First time visiting Save On Meats with my friends. Came here to give it a try since we saw it featured on one of the Food Network's Shows, Diners, Drive-Ins' and Dives.

Greeted with a huge line up during the lunch hours. You have to write down your name and number of seats you want on their whiteboard. Neat system. While we were waiting, I gave their interior a good look.

There are a fair number of seats at the bar for those coming by themselves or in a group of two with a couple of tables and booths along the sides. You probably want to know what we had so just look below.

The Burger ($6.95)

This burger here is only for  $6.95. For those of you looking for a juicy burger go elsewhere. But if you want a flavourful burger this is it. Made in stores fresh everyday their patty is packed full of herb flavours. Top it off with nice crispy bacon strips, lettuce, tomato, melted cheddar, and BBQ sauce. Fries could have been better if it was served out fresh. It was a little bit on the mushy side.

 





All Day Breakfast ($4.25 + $2 for meat)

For those looking for an All Day Breakfast. This grand breakfast comes with two eggs, hashbrowns, two slices of toast served with housemade jam, and sausges. Ever feel you sausages taste too oily in other restaurants? These here are on the leaner side.  Other than that the eggs, hasbrown, and toasts are simliar to every other breakfast. Shame it came out lukewarm.



Tuna Melt ($7.90)

This here is their tuna melt served with you choice of sides. This is good for those just satisfying your hunger needs without being to overly full. The side of green salad was served with a light drizzle of what tasted like raspberries. As well it came out lukewarm. I was expecting this dish to come out as a sandwich.

 

Ambiance:

The interior looks pretty rustic with the brick wall located on the right side of the diner. It was pretty clean til i saw a part of the ceiling where I sat on the counter. There was some gooey yellow looking liquid thing on the top which didnt look very pleasing.
 

Verdict:

It was a disappointment our food came out to us lukewarm. This was probably due to the fact the diner was jam packed when we came to try. We would probably try and come back in the future to try out their other foods during non peak hours. 


Service: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Ambiance: 3/5
Overall: 3/5