Posh Japanese Sukiyaki (Broadway)
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.
Posh on Broadway Photo Gallery by Geoff Peters.
Restaurant review of Posh by Angela Murrills from the Georgia Straight.
Blog from owner of the Posh restaurant chain.
December 21st, 2011 at 3:03 pm
@ Max,
Just some information in case you dine out more in the future:
It is actually quite common practice for restaurants to charge a 15% “auto-gratuity” on large groups (usually, “large” means 6-8 or more people). This is usually stated in the menu. The HST is gone now (for better or worse) though, of course. Happy Holidays!
November 21st, 2010 at 10:08 pm
PS…my comment was for the experience at the Victoria location on Fort Street…
November 13th, 2010 at 9:37 am
My kid and her friends just visited Posh Burnaby branch store and enjoyed this meal. However, when they checked out, they are forced to pay 15% service fee (except the 12% HST) and very unwilling to offer the receipt.
12% HST has stopped many customers to visit restaurants right now, how dare this restaurant force customer to pay extra 15% service fee. Is there any law that authorizes them to do that?
January 25th, 2010 at 6:33 pm
Posh is decent if you want a cheaper alternative for AYCE hot pot. No, it’s not true sukiyaki.
An dang, Melody likes her alcohol haha.
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:45 am
Posh has their operation and branding down. It’s always fun to go with a big group. I wish their drinks were stiffer though 😉