ShuRaku Japanese Restaurant (map, web site, 833 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-687-6622) is a new Japanese restaurant downtown (at the former location of Kitto Japanese Restaurant) that is getting rave reviews for its outstanding, upscale Japanese cuisine.
The menu has a wonderful array of tasty dishes and they have wonderful drinks to go along with the food.  The service is attentive and the ambiance is divine due to the gorgeously designed interior.  Definitely a place to check out!
We went all out and ordered a huge feast, including a bottle of Dreamy Moon Sake (not pictured, $34). Below are pictured some of the items we ordered. The food was very creatively and artistically presented, and tasted great, but I wasn’t entirely full after the meal. Maybe that was a good thing – better than being too full, I guess! I think that ShuRaku is one of those places that favors quality over quantity.
The meal was a treat for the senses and tastebuds. One of my friends commented that he thinks that ShuRaku is better value than (but nearly at the level of quality as) Vancouver’s famed Japanese restaurant, Tojo’s. ShuRaku is a place I would bring an out-of-town guest who I wanted to impress, and not entirely break the bank while doing so.
Roulette Roll ($12) from Shuraku Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.
Enoki Mushroom and pork ($5.60) from Shuraku Japanese Restaurant on Granville in downtown Vancouver.
5 kinds of Sashimi ($24) from ShuRaku Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Deep fried prawn (came with Sashimi) from ShuRaku Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.
Fresh oysters ($12 for 5 oysters) from ShuRaku Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.
Ika Sumi Pasta ($8.75) - a salad made with squid ink pasta and fresh vegetables, from ShuRaku Japanese restaurant.
Salmon Foie Gras appetizer ($7.00) from ShuRaku Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.
Beef Asparagus ($6.25) from ShuRaku Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.
Another shot of the "5 kinds of Sashimi" (with glowing ice cubes that give it an interesting lighting effect) from ShuRaku Japanese restaurant
I made another visit to the Yaletown Brew Pub (web site, map, 1111 Mainland St., Vancouver BC Canada, phone: 604-681-2739) and enjoyed their Mac and Cheese lunch entree (pictured below) which was served with Chorizo sausage and lots of premium cheese. The accompanying salad had goat cheese crumbled on it. Yum! It was around $14 for the lunch.
For more info on the Yaletown Brewing Company, please view Part 2 and Part 1. The restaurant is offering a special 3 course meal during Dine Out Vancouver 2009.
Video from Yaletown Brewing Company:
Macaroni and Cheese with Chorizo sausage (around $14) with lots of premium cheese. Salad had goat cheese crumbled on it. From Yaletown Brew Pub in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Wild Rice (web site, map, 117 W. Pender, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-642-288) is a stylish, modern, and upscale restaurant on the edge of Vancouver’s Chinatown that serves innovative Chinese cuisine.
Wild Rice is one of the only restaurants in Vancouver with a menu that takes familiar Chinese dishes and re-imagines them in a marvellous fusion between new and old-world Chinese cuisine and high-end Western-style tapas.
The decor is polished and dark with mute dark green panel lighting. Wear black my dear! Very Sean Connery turtle neck. BTW The prices reflect the ambiance.
[…] The food was pretty darn good. Like with other outings, we ordered and shared. It was eclectic and all nicely presented, yet seemed more like elaborate tapas then meals. Our service was good (I guess that has changed for the better recently given the older reviews). And our wait staff seemed knowledgeable and attentive enough.
The restaurant is offering a special menu for Dine Out Vancouver 2009. I have copied it from their website and included it below. Vegetarian (vegan) items are indicated with a “v” symbol.
3-COURSE MENU OPTIONS:
available wednesday, january 14 through sunday, february 1, 2009.
please note that, during dine out, our regular a la carte menu will not be available
1st course:
bc side stripe shrimp congee or hot & sour soup or
wonton soup with pork dumplings
2nd course:
yarrow meadows duck confit on shanghai noodle or local mushroom & baby bok choy on noodle or
free range kung po chicken on jasmine rice
3rd course:
red bean panna cotta or seasonal berry dumplings or
tea cup chocolate pudding
$18 per person. optional VQA wine pairings available.
Pictured below are some of the dishes we tried last week. It was a real feast!
Peking style duck pancakes from Wild Rice restaurant in Vancouver. Made with yarrow meadows duck breast, scallion pancakes, and hoisin $18
Spicy kung po chicken with twice cooked peanuts from Wild Rice restaurant in Vancouver. Made with Maple Hill free range chicken, broccoli, and rice noodles $18
Side stripe shrimp congee from Wild Rice restaurant in Vancouver. A modern take on traditional Chinese soup. Made from brown rice $9
Ma po doufu from Wild Rice restaurant in Vancouver. Made with tempura eggplant, chili jam $11
Gai lan (Chinese brocolli) and crisped shallots from Wild Rice restaurant in Vancouver. $7 (side dish)
Local fruit dumplings (dessert) from Wild Rice restaurant in Vancouver. Star anise caramel, vanilla doufu ‘ice cream’. $8. The Caramel sauce was stupendous!
