Izakaya is a Japanese word for a drinking place that also serves food. Wikipedia has a bunch of details; here is a brief excerpt:
The name “izakaya” is a compound word consisting of “i ” (to remain) and “sakaya” (sake shop), showing that izakaya originate from sake shops which allowed customers to remain on the premises to drink.
Vancouver is one of the lucky food cities around the world where you can find a Japanese Izakaya restaurant outside of Japan. Kingyo, located in downtown Vancouver’s West End, is an upscale and trendy Izakaya that provides a modern, intimate, and tantalyzing taste of contemporary Japanese food and drink.
Rated as one of Canada and Vancouver’s best new restaurants of 2007 by enRoute Magazine (the inflight magazine of Air Canada), Kingyo consistently gets glowing reviews by visitors for its friendly staff, creative and innovative menu, and great service (check out some of the reviews at Dinehere.ca).
Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted warmly by the staff and shown to a table quite quickly. Nice hot towels were served to us and our drink orders taken. There was a daily special sheet folded into the menu and the difficult thing was deciding on what to try. We asked the server and he recommended a few dishes. Knowing it was izakaya (tapas), we weren’t expecting huge portions, but trying out several sharing plates. We started with the ahi tuna sashimi (melts in your mouth), then had the calamari (loved how it was made) followed with the Ebi Mayo and the Black Cod.
Below are some pictures of the food that I enjoyed with my friend. Everything was really tasty and I’ll definitely go back again for more.
The Keg Steakhouse and Bar (web site, map, 1499 Anderson Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-685-4735) is one of my friend’s favorite places to go for a relaxed and satisfying Steak dinner in Vancouver. Located on Granville Island, this is a very popular location of the successful Keg steakhouse restaurant chain.
One dining tip that’s worth noting is that the place really starts getting busy after 5pm on a Saturday. We arrived at 4:30pm and were seated right away, and enjoyed a lengthy and enjoyable meal including drinks, salad, appetizers, steak dinner, and even some ice cream for dessert.
After my meal (which is pictured below, except for the ice cream which I didn’t snap a picture of), I exclaimed, “it’s dinners like these that make me think that Life is Good!” I don’t usually write things like this, but I think that those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to afford a fancy steak dinner should really think about how we can give back to our communities and help out those who are not so fortunate (link to Vancouver charities directory)
I also wanted to mention that the Calamari at the Keg is a really creative dish (pictured below, $9.95) where the ringlets of squid are lightly battered and fried, and then tossed with a sweet tangy sauce, kind of like a teriyaki sauce. It is served with a side of more spicy hot sauce as well as a lemon to squeeze onto the calamari if desired. It’s quite a taste sensation, maybe not for everyone, but definitely is a yummy dish to try for adventurous diners!
Another thing to note is that if you order one of the Keg Classic Dinners (such as the Sirloin, Prime Rib, or Teriyaki Sirloin – $24.95), the dinner will include a Caesar salad (such as the one pictured below). If you order a steak that is not listed in the “Classic Dinners” section of the menu, such as a 14 oz New York Steak ($32.95) the salad is not included (but can be added on if requested).
For more photos and info please view Part 2 and Part 1.
Caesar salad at the Keg Steakhouse on Granville Island in Vancouver BC Canada.
Calamari Appetizer at the Keg Steakhouse ($9.95) restaurant in Vancouver.
Teriyaki Sirloin steak (medium rare) with Baked Potato and vegetables from the Keg Steakhouse in Vancouver. ($24.95 including Caesar salad)
Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice from the Keg Steak Restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada (Granville Island). ($3.95 for a large)
r.tl regional tasting lounge (web site, map, 1130 Mainland Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-638-1550) is a recent (and notable!) addition to the upscale Yaletown restaurant and shopping district of downtown Vancouver.
Late on a Saturday night, a friend and I were wandering the misty streets of this former warehouse district, and poked our heads into a bunch of nice looking restaurants such as Capones Jazz Club (which has live jazz every night), George Lounge (a cocktail bar), and Milestones (a chain restaurant with upscale decor). After a glass of wine and a chicken salad at Milestones, we were looking to go some place “cooler” and chill out the rest of the evening.
We meandered over to Mainland Street and were intrigued by the mysterious looking sign that simply said “r.tl”, like some kind of secret code for a fabulous New York hideaway that only a few locals know about. This may be closer to reality than one may think – Vancouver’s food scene is getting to be well known on the international stage, offering some dining experiences that are as every bit exciting and substantial as the most prized eateries in New York and Paris.
While making trips around the world to try new restaurants may be a pastime of the privileged few, r.tl has a new concept that lets the ingredients, recipes, and traditions of fine regional cuisines of the world appear in the easily accessed (and perhaps more affordable) realm of its sleek, laid-back dining room. r.tl is called a “regional tasting lounge” for a reason, as the restaurant rotates its menu every quarter through different culinary locales, choosing two complimentary world regions to accompany the local fare of Coastal British Columbia.
Currently r.tl is featuring Portugal and France along with the BC region. My friend and I were really amazed by the taste of the Pacific mussels we ordered, which were served in a kind of corn-chowder sauce with some chorizo sausage (around $11). The drinks list at r.tl is extensive, including a selection of hand-picked, rare wines and cocktails from around the world.
I was fortunate to visit another time to try some of their Canapes (pictured below) which are miniature versions of some of their larger dishes.
The entree sized version of the salad, La Petite Salad Niçoise, with fresh micro greens, quail eggs, haricot vert niçoise olives, fingerling potato, seared albacore tuna
