Bento Box at Kyoto

The thing I like most about bento boxes is having a variety of foods in small portions. So I was very happy with the one I had for lunch last week at Kyoto. The beef was tender and succulent, while the chicken was crunchy with a mild teriyaki sauce. The tempura had a nice variety of vegetables (I asked for no seafood), while the salad and rice rounded out the flavour profiles. Good portion, good price, nice place.

Teriyaki Chicken Dinner at Ichiban

I have had the teriyaki chicken lunch special at Ichiban (8750 149 Street NW) several times, but never the supper portion. I enjoyed a couple of breast's worth of lightly battered chicken in a mildly sweet teriyaki sauce, with a generous scoop of white rice and salad, with miso soup to start. A definite step up from fast food chicken rice bowls

Beef Shogayaki at Ichiban

I stopped in to Ichiban (8750 149 Street) yesterday for a quick lunch and chose beef shogayaki from the lunch specials menu. Thin slices of beef were pan fried in a light ginger sauce and served over sprouts (that were cooked in the same sauce). The beef was served alongside a scoop of rice and a salad. It seemed rather light, but was actually quite filling.

The Pho Files: Maki Maki

On Saturday, I was attending an event at a venue almost directly across the street from Maki Maki. It was well over two years since my first and only visit to the restaurant, and without even knowing it, I ordered the exact same meal! The only difference was the addition of an order of green onion cakes, which were crispy and delicious. Otherwise, I enjoyed the avocado roll, with the crunch of tempura adding texture to the fresh avocado.

The pho tai did not disappoint - it was even better than I remembered. The broth was rich and flavourful, and there was so much meat that I actually ran out of noodles first! Sliced so thin, the steak was amongst the most tender I have ever had in pho.

Veggie Sushi Combo

Veggie Sushi Combo, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Tokyo Express is fast, reasonably priced, and decent. It is acceptable. Which means, the food is nothing special, but good value for the money.

My vegetarian sushi combo is a case in point. It was a satisfying combo of one piece of sweet tofu sushi, four vegetarian rolls, and six avocado maki (it usually comes with cucumber maki, but I asked for avocado). Why the avocado was warm is beyond me, but otherwise everything was fine. A good mid-afternoon snack.

Sushi - Avocado and Smoked Salmon

Sushi - Avocado and Smoked Salmon, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I love sushi of the non-raw fish variety, and when I have a craving it is usually to Ichiban (87 Avenue and 149 Street) where I head.

Avocado is my favourite, and I decided to expand my horizons with a couple of pieces of smoked salmon as well.

Vegetable Tempura at Tokyo Express

Vegetable Tempura, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

This was a case of my eyes being bigger than my stomach. Yes, i was very hungry, but was not prepared for how huge these pieces of battered, deep-fried vegetables were.

Tempura at Tokyo Express usually comes with prawns, but I asked for all vegetables, and they obliged. The batter was light and crispy (as it should be) and the vegetables were fresh.

Salmon on Noodles at Tokyo Express

Salmon on Noodles, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Someone once commented to me that Japanese food can never be fast. So perhaps this piece of salmon on stir-fried noodles from Tokyo Express is not authentic, but it is economical and tastes great. And did you know that Tokyo Express is an Edmonton-based restaurant chain? That makes me feel much better about eating there too.

Avocado Roll at Maki Maki

Maki Maki, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I went to Maki Maki for the first time today. Since the restaurant has both Japanese and Vietnamese food on the menu, I decided to start my meal with an avocado roll.

Large chunks of avocado were nested in the centre of the roll, along with crispy bits of tempura batter. It was light, yet with substance, and plenty of avocado goodness.

Vegetarian Ramen at Meguro Ramen

Vegetarian Ramen, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Meguro Ramen (106 Avenue and 87 Street) is where vegan restaurant Padmanadi used to be. Ironically, there seems to be only one vegetarian item on the menu, which is what I had. I loved the consistency of the noodles, which stayed firm yet chewy throughout, and the veggie ham added realistic flavour. Real ramen is so much different than the freeze-dried stuff that costs a couple of dollars per bowl or package, and Meguro Ramen does it well.

Tsuke Ramen

Tsuke Ramen, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Noodle Maker is the best little ramen house in Edmonton. The menu recently expanded with even more variety of ramen dishes, rice bowls, fusion dishes.

I was pleased with the addition of more vegetarian meals. I tried the Tsuke Ramen which is a mountain of boiled ramen noodles in a light soy broth, topped with tofu, wheat gluten, and sprouts. The portion was huge and the flavours were savoury. The ramen maintained a firm consistency.

Overall, this was a very interesting dish.

Udon with Tempura - Ichiban

Udon with Tempura, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I was really hungry, so I decided to order a second of Ichiban's lunch specials - the udon soup with tempura (I requested veggie tempura only - no seafood). Piping hot and full of chewy noodles, the udon really hit the spot. The tempura is not served on the soup, which is probably a good thing since it would get soggy.

Chicken Teriyaki - Ichiban

Chicken Teriyaki, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Yesterday for lunch I was craving Ichiban's (149 Street and 88 Avenue) chicken teriyaki. The restaurant put a lot of strips of breaded, fried chicken (dark and white meat) over a mountain of rice in a sweet teriyaki sauce. Crunchy and wonderful!

Chicken Teriyaki Teppan

Chicken Teriyaki Teppan, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I tried out Yokozuna this evening (85 Avenue and 112 Street) and found a much more limited menu than I expected. When it comes to sushi, I primarily eat the vegetarian variety so I opted for a teppan dish instead.

Served sizzling, the chicken teriyaki teppan tasted great, but was nothing special. In fact, the stir-fried vegetables tasted exactly like their fast-food counterpart (cough cough Edo cough cough). While the chicken was delicious and well prepared, the price was a total sticker shock - $17.50.

I think I will stick to Japanese restaurants that have better variety in their menus and prices that are more reasonable.

Ichiban Again - Bento Box

Bento Box, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I am so glad that Ichiban expanded their hours to include Sunday evenings, because I am strapped for a place to go when I became hungry on my way home today. The only other dining choices in my immediate vicinity were greasy fast food places.

So, without shame I entered Ichiban and sat at a table for one. It was early enough that the supper rush had not begun (it was in full swing when I left, though). I ordered a bento box. Supper menu bento boxes come with miso soup, salad, rice, and your choice of three items. I called my bento creation the "triple teriyaki" because I decided to have teriyaki chicken (an entire breaded breast slicked), beef (tender and moist on a bed of sprouts), and salmon (a filet, still on the skin - salmon skin, when cooked properly, is delicious and full of essential fatty oils).

It is a meal large enough to share and reasonably priced at $18.50. I enjoy eating a variety of foods within one meal, so my love affair with the bento box is surely to continue.

Ichiban - Avocado Maki & Sushi, and Smoked Salmon

Avocado Maki & Sushi, and Smoked Salmon, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Ichiban is tucked away in a west end strip mall along 149 street and 88 Avenue, yet people flock there from all over the city. The prices, selection, and service make it one of the best Japanese restaurants in Edmonton.

I come here regularly either for a bento box or sushi. They have a good selection of vegetarian sushi or sushi with cooked fish or meat (I am not much into raw food).

As a light supper, I ordered a roll of avocado maki, and an order of avocado sushi and smoked salmon sushi. It hit the spot on a hot evening. I like avocado in just about anything, and it goes well in sushi with the rice and tempura crumbs. Smoked salmon on rice also tastes like a natural combination.

The restaurant was very busy - all the tables were going and people were waiting in the lobby - so service seemed a bit rushed. However, this is still my favourite place to go for sushi.

Folk Fest #7: Yam and Salmon Onigiri

Food - EFMF 2011, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Onigiri is a Japanese rice cake sandwich. The fillings are placed at the centre of the rice cake (which is not the dry, flavourless variety but is a ball of fresh rice) and wrapped in seaweed. The Onigiri Company, from Calgary, presented these delicious little morsels at the Folk Fest.

I tried the yam and salmon variety. The flavours blended together beautifully. I used a fork to eat it - I can't quite imagine picking up the sandwich over the seaweed layer and it not falling apart in my hands - and it was the perfect size for a snack. The operative word here, is "snack." I would need to eat two or three of these to make it a meal. However, they were less than $4, making having more than one economical if had chosen to do that.

I hope to see onigiri in Edmonton again some time soon.

Taste of Edmonton 2011 #7 - Sirloin Beef Bowl w/Sesame Sauce

Taste of Edmonton 2011, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Japanese Village obviously could not bring out an entire teppan grill for their booth, but the beef for their sirloin rice bowl was perfectly thin and cooked. The rice was plain and white, and the sesame sauce like any other I have had on similar dishes. It was a nice combination of flavours and textures, but nothing out of the ordinary.