Posh Japanese Sukiyaki Restaurant (map, website, blog, 101 – 1788 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-737-7674)
I think that every successful restaurant needs a “concept”, a unique identity, something that differentiates itself in such an incredibly fierce competitive market that supports the dining industry in Vancouver.
It’s an industry which demands continuous hard work from employees and owners with little respite, where margins are typically low and consumer opinion (or a lack thereof) can make or break a business.
But the rewards from running a restaurant are high: an idea, creative vision, a passion for food and culture – all these can be transformed into a physical space that is temporarily occupied by visitors who seek to experience new tastes, sensations, socialize, be merry, and above all, satisfy their appetites with delicious, healthy food.
I tend to think about restaurants as “experience engines”. As a software developer I like to look at things in terms of the input, output, and transformations that occur during a process. For a restaurant, there are the physical ingredients and energy needed to prepare food – these are the obvious inputs. But there are also the less tangible things, like the moods and attitudes of the serving staff, the restaurant decor, the background music, and then of course the restaurant guests themselves.
But I digress, I really should be talking about the food at Posh.
Posh is an example of an expanding, successful home-grown restaurant chain with an excellent concept: Japanese Sukiyaki (wikipedia).
So what is Sukiyaki you may ask? Well, it’s a form of Hot Pot, where you have a gas burner at your table with a large cast-iron pot filled with a bubbling broth. The broth is made with a combination of Sukiyaki Sauce (soya sauce, sugar, and mirin) and cabbage. You add thinly sliced raw beef into the pot along with assorted vegetables, tofu, noodles and seafood, and everything cooks right in front of you.
The nice thing is that you decide exactly what you want to eat, and if you particularly like a certain item, such as the fish cakes (yum!), just order more of it! Or if you’re vegetarian, there are plenty of options such as tofu, spinach, and several types of mushrooms to make a soup that fits your diet.
Amazingly, Posh provides an “all you can eat” experience for $11.88 per person for lunch, or $15.88 per person for dinner. The restaurant always seems packed at peak times, so it’s a good idea to try making a reservation and coming early to put your name in the queue just in case.
Posh’s other locations include Richmond (map, 1123 – 3779 Sexsmith Road, Richmond, BC, Canada, phone: 604-303-7674), Burnaby (map, 105 – 6462 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC, Canada, phone: 604-434-7674), and Victoria (map, 102 – 1063 Fort Street, Victoria, BC, Canada, phone: 250-382-7674).
Below are some photos from our dinner at Posh on West Broadway. Hope you enjoy!
Everything cooking away at Posh Japanese Hot Pot restaurant in Vancouver.
Guava yogurt mixed drink - nice and refreshing! From Posh restaurant in Vancouver.
More hotpot cooking at Posh in Vancouver.
Vegetarian hot pot ingredients from Posh in Vancouver. Mushrooms, spinach, tofu.
Madangcoul Korean Restaurant (map, 847 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC, 604-688-3585) is a family run Korean restaurant in the West End of downtown Vancouver that serves comforting, home style food.
Visitors on yelp.ca write glowing reviews about Ma Dang Coul’s “truly homestyle cooking”, the “best kimchee in all of Vancouver”, and describe the restaurant and food as “inexpensive, tasty, warm and welcoming”. My friend who lives two blocks away goes there regularly, and I was really happy when he introduced me to Madangcoul.
I ordered a combination meal of a Korean tofu soup (pictured below) and Bulgogi pork (also pictured below). It was served with all the usual side dishes – my favorite being the caramelised sweet potato (pictured below), the seaweed, and the kim-chee. The combo came to around $15 which was quite reasonable for the amount of food. I’ll definitely go back to enjoy a comforting meal at Ma Dang Coul when I’m in the area!
Korean tofu soup from Madangcoul Korean Restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Bulgogi Pork from Madangcoul Korean Restaurant on Denman Street in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Korean condiments (caramelized sweet potatoes) and chopsticks from Madangcoul Korean Restaurant.
16,092 views - Posted Thursday, November 26th, 2009
Little Thailand Restaurant (map, visitor reviews, 1-2335 St Johns Street, Port Moody, BC, Canada, phone: 604-939-9962) is an authentic Thai restaurant on the ground floor of a quaint house-turned eatery overlooking St. John’s street.
My friend A.C. lives in the Port Moody area, and I asked him to give me a before-dinner tour of this quiet suburb of Vancouver. We walked down by the railroad tracks north of the restaurant into Moody Centre, an eclectic and historic shopping district. Many small independent shops and several art galleries can be found, living up to Port Moody’s reputation as a city of arts and culture.
The city is also situated in a beautiful natural environment, perfect for outdoor activities. Visitor information about the city of Port Moody can be found on the official web site, which says:
Port Moody has something for every member of the family. With over 27 kilometres of waterfront, water sports such as boating, sailing and kayaking are popular. We also have trails from easy boardwalk strolls to strenuous mountain hikes.
Little Thailand Restaurant has been getting excellent reviews on the website Dinehere.ca, including mapia who writes (click here to read review):
We started with the fresh lemonade and loved the cool and sweet/tart taste. We ordered spring rolls, a small tom kah gai, and (the main event) chicken and prawn pad thai. Hubby (a pad thai virgin) enjoyed every bite. The soup was spicy and delicious. The spring rolls were crisp and not too greasy. The portions were plentiful enough to feed us both to the brim.
We also ordered the Pad Thai (pictured below, $12.95). It was a generous portion and had a great combination of flavors: sweet (as some sugar is added), spicy (chili pepper), salty (fish sauce), and slightly tart (lime juice). The large prawn placed on top was an appealing way to present the dish.
Another dish we ordered was an Indian-influenced Thai curry with chicken and potatoes ($12.95, pictured below) which went well with a bowl of rice ($2.00). For a refreshing drink, we tried the mango juice ($2.50) – a bit watery, but good nevertheless.
If you are lucky to live in the Port Moody area, I’d definitely recommend checking out Little Thailand Restaurant. But visitors to Greater Vancouver without a vehicle may find it difficult to get out to the area from downtown (it’s about a 30-45 minute drive). It is possible to take transit (via the skytrain to Lougheed Mall station and then the 97 B-Line bus up North Road).
Hopefully our local and provincial governments will make the Evergreen Line a reality. It’s the proposed Skytrain transit line which will link Vancouver and Burnaby with Port Moody and Coquitlam. According to the Provincial Government’s web site:
Construction of the Evergreen Line is anticipated to begin in late 2010 and be completed in 4 years.
The proposed Port Moody station on the Evergreen Line is very close to Little Thailand Restaurant.
Happy travels, and keep enjoying Greater Vancouver’s restaurants!
