Nomiya

Last Tuesday, the love of my life turned another year older! Happy birthday CJ! To celebrate, his parents treated him to a birthday dinner and he even let me choose where we would eat (yay!). CJ agreed to check out Nomiya, a Japanese restaurant that has been on my list of places to dine at for awhile now.

Nomiya has two locations: one on Calgary Trail (Unit 646, 3803 Calgary Trail) and one on Ellerslie Road (11160 Ellerslie Road). We decided to go to their Ellerslie Road location since it was closer to us.

The interior.

Sorry, this photo turned out blurry :(

Nomiya has a fairly small space, with about 8 tables to seat guests and some seating at their bar. When we arrived around 6:30 PM without a reservation, we were immediately seated at their last open table for 4 right beside the window. Excellent... we scored the window seat! 

Dinner Menu: Appetizers & Salads | Nomiya's Original Rolls.

Dinner Menu: Sashimi | Sushi Combo | Donburi | Teppanyaki | Tempura.

Dinner Menu: Ishi-Yaki | Nabemono | Shabu Shabu | Robata.

Dinner Menu: Teishoku Set Dinners.

Udon (left) and Ramen (right).

In addition to being bright and colourful, the menus at Nomiya feature pictures of all the food items they offer. CJ has told me a few times in the past that it's easier for him to decide what to eat if he sees a picture of it. Descriptions aren't always enough, he says. In that case, Nomiya's menus are right up his alley!

Fire Cracker Maki.

To start off our dinner, CJ ordered their Fire Cracker Maki ($14.50) to share between us and his parents. Tempura unagi and a seaweed salad are found inside each roll with salmon, green onion, spicy sauce, and tempura crumbs placed on top. This maki was delicious. The salmon on top tasted fresh and the seaweed salad was surprisingly tasty and provided interesting texture. The best part of this roll was the sauce... perfect amount of spiciness that made each bite well rounded and more flavourful. I would come back just for this.

Katsu Don.

CJ's birthday dinner pick for himself: Katsu Don ($12.95), a bowl of rice topped with deep fried pork cutlet, egg, condiments, and onion. This dish comes with a choice of soup or salad as well. I'll admit that CJ chose to get this because of an anime that we watch together called Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma. In Episode 7 titled "A Quiet Don, an Eloquent Don", Soma (the main character) has to create a donburi dish with meat as the main ingredient in a Shokugeki (or 'challenge') against Ikumi Mito, nicknamed Meat Master because of her expertise with meat dishes. In the anime, the characters talked about how every component of the dish needs to complement one another. And that's exactly what it felt like when CJ let me try a bit of his katsu don. The pork, egg, and rice together made for a hearty dish with delicious flavours that were new to me. So good! 

Shio Ramen.

I've heard many good things about Nomiya's ramen... a lot of people have mentioned on social media that it is one of the best in the city. So I obviously needed to try one for myself! I ordered their Shio Ramen ($11.50), with this bowl officially being my third bowl of ramen in my life (1st bowl from Ninja Club - yes I promise I'll create a blog post about that, and 2nd bowl from the Prairie Noodle Shop Pop-Up #3). I'm no expert on ramen, but some quick research tells me that the primary components of ramen are its broth, seasoning, noodles, and toppings. My bowl of ramen consists of tonkotsu or pork bone broth seasoned with homemade Shio (sea salt) flavour. The noodles were thin and straight, perfect for slurping. The toppings included thinly sliced pork, corn, onion, nori (dried seaweed sheet), a soft boiled egg, narutomaki (the spiral shaped topping in my photo), and some other toppings. The light and creamy soup was seasoned well and perfectly balanced, while the sliced pork was also tender and succulent. I was disappointed that I didn't enjoy the egg too much... it had a sharp, salty flavour that threw me off (is that how it's supposed to taste?). Apart from that, I can finally see why many people enjoy Nomiya's ramen: the soup had its own complexity, the noodles were chewy and seemed to have no end, and overall the bowl was bursting with warm and hearty flavours. 

CJ's parents also ordered ramen, specifically the Spicy Miso Ramen ($12) and Seafood Ramen ($14.50). CJ's dad seemed to enjoy his bowl of spicy miso ramen, considering he finished the entire thing! CJ's mom also liked her seafood ramen, but found that the seafood itself was not as fresh as it should've been. 

Mochi Ice Cream.

I was so excited when CJ said we'd order dessert! CJ and I shared the Mochi Ice Cream ($7.95) which comes with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, two Pocky sticks, and red beans. Sadly, the mochi ice cream didn't taste good. The mochi itself had a weird, crumbly texture and both the green tea and black sesame ice cream tasted like it had been in the freezer for too long. Bleh. At least the Pocky was okay. But this wasn't worth the money because the ice cream (which is supposed to be the star of this dessert dish) wasn't up to par with mine and CJ's expectations. 

Tempura Ice Cream.

CJ's parents shared the Tempura Ice Cream ($7.95) which is served with chocolate syrup and mango slices on the side. I'm pretty sure this was more enjoyable since I didn't hear any complaints from CJ's parents. The mango slices were also a nice touch! 

Thank you to CJ's parents for treating us to this special birthday dinner! Overall, the food I had was amazing although it did fall short on the dessert. Our server was friendly, quick, and attentive despite the groups of people coming in for dinner. I'm glad I finally got to try ramen from Nomiya... with every ramen bowl I try I learn more about why this Japanese dish is so popular. I recommend checking out Nomiya for good Japanese eats and tasty ramen bowls... with a lot of selection on their menu, there is something for everyone. Check out Nomiya on Facebook and follow them on Instagram (@nomiya_yeg)! 

Stories Behind the Chopsticks Inaugural YEG Food Crawl - May 30, 2015 Part One

Last month, while browsing through social media, I learned about an upcoming food crawl event in Chinatown. I've heard about pub crawls, which involves a group of people drinking in multiple pubs or bars in a single night, often travelling either by foot or bus. I've never participated in a pub crawl, but I would totally choose a food crawl over it! The first tour of the Stories Behind the Chopsticks YEG Food Crawl event took place yesterday, the last Saturday of May. The second tour of the event happened just this afternoon! 

Chinatown YEG Food Crawl.

The inaugural YEG Food Crawl event, presented by McCauley Revitalization, aims to provide exposure to the restaurants in the neighbourhood while showcasing Chinatown as a safe area in an effort to challenge its negative stereotypes. Specifically, the event is a 3 hour long staggered eating process where participants eat pre-determined meals at 4 restaurants or food businesses in Chinatown for about 30 to 45 minutes at each location. The cost per person was $35. You don't find out which restaurants you're going to or what food you're going to eat until a few days before the event, which makes for a nice surprise. 

I don't really find myself heading to Chinatown for food, mostly because it always seemed hard to get to since I usually travel by bus or LRT whenever my destination is in Downtown. Yesterday, however, I learned that it's actually quite easy to get to the neighbourhood by bus if you're travelling from south of the river. This was great news for me because now I have more food places to choose from! CJ and I headed over to the first stop of the food crawl... Lee House (10704 97 Street)! 

The interior of Lee House.

Our table.

A few months ago, Lee House opened a new location on 97 Street in Chinatown, right across from Lucky 97 Supermarket. Lee House has always been a place I wanted to try, and since being voted the best Korean restaurant of 2015 in Edmonton by Avenue Edmonton magazine, the need to visit was reinforced even more. That's why I was so excited to find out that Lee House was one of the stops on Saturday's food crawl!

Before we started eating, Freya Fu - the coordinator of this event - gave an introduction about Chinatown and its history. In the 1960's and 70's, many people from China and other south east Asian countries came to Edmonton to study at the University of Alberta. Eventually, they chose to reside in the Chinatown area and opened up businesses there. A few years later, the Canadian government began to accept more refugees from Asian countries which helped to increase the diversity and population of Edmonton's Chinatown. Today, you'll find that Chinatown is made up of two areas: 97 Street, which is the business and retail zone, and 102 A Avenue, where the multicultural centre is found and where many societies, organizations, and associations have their head offices.

Left to right: Kimchi, Daikon Squares, and Mung Bean Sprout Sesame Salad.

Beef Bulgogi.

Chicken Balls.

Sweet Potato Sticky Noodles.

We got to try a lot of dishes at Lee House, including their Beef Bulgogi, famous Chicken Balls, and Sweet Potato Sticky Noodles. Kimchi, daikon squares, rice, and a mung bean sprout sesame salad were also served to accompany our meal. Phil, one of the owners of the restaurant, explained that Korean food is one of the healthiest out of all Asian cuisine since no MSG is added and very little oil is used. Everything tasted amazing! My favourite dish was the Sweet Potato Sticky Noodles, or Jab Chae Bokeum. I loved the chewy noodles with the sweet soy mushroom sauce - it was delicious and something new and different for me. The chicken balls were also great and not too greasy, although I felt the exterior was a little tough to chew. Finally, the beef bulgogi was one of the best I've tried in the city! So flavourful.

Phil and Mrs. Lee sharing their story about Lee House.

When we were about half way done with our food, Mrs. Lee and her son Phil shared their story behind Lee House and the food they create and serve. Phil shared that every morning, before Lee House opens, Mrs. Lee can be found shopping at Lucky 97 Supermarket across the street to buy everything she needs to create the food served at her restaurant. Additionally, some of the ingredients used are shipped directly by relatives from their home town in Korea, resulting in distinct flavours that you won't find at any other Korean restaurant in Edmonton. Such a lovely story! I think it is amazing how Mrs. Lee creates everything herself - definitely something to be proud of!

After 45 minutes of eating (beginning at 1:00 PM) at Lee House, we headed outside where we learned about the statue situated in front of Lucky 97 Supermarket. I really liked how along with stories about the restaurants we visited and the food we ate, we were also able to learn about a landmark in Chinatown. Afterwards, our group of about 25 food lovers headed to our next destination: Zen Sushi (10518 101 Street)! Located on 101 Street, it was about a 5 minute walk from Lee House.

The interior of Zen Sushi.

Our table.

Shortly after being seated, each table got a piece of paper where we had to select the food items we wanted from 5 courses: sushi, maki, salad, tempura, and a main dish. It was a little confusing at first, but with help from other people we were able to figure out how to order! 

Miso Soup.

Teriyaki Chicken.

Shrimp Tempura.

Crab Stick Sushi, Salmon Sushi, and Avocado Sushi.

To kick off our meal, we were given a bowl of miso soup - always a great way to start in my opinion. Next to arrive was our teriyaki chicken and CJ's teriyaki beef (not pictured). The tender and flavourful teriyaki chicken was a hit at our table... in fact, CJ wished he had ordered the chicken instead of the beef! CJ and I, along with the two lovely ladies sitting across from us, also really liked the shrimp tempura which we found was lightly crispy and delicious. Each one of us also got to choose our own sushi, with avocado sushi being my pick. These sushi pieces looked so cute! My sushi was a nice bite because of the perfect creaminess of the avocado. 

Top (L to R): California Maki and Spicy Tuna Maki.
Bottom (L to R): Spicy Salmon Maki and Avocado Maki.

Top (L to R): Bean Sprout Salad and Green Salad.
Bottom (L to R): Edamame and Sunomono Salad.

So. Much. Food!!! When we were given our maki and salads, we already had quite a stack of small plates at our table. I ordered the spicy tuna maki, but it wasn't my favourite. The texture of the tuna seemed a little weird and mushy to me, so I gave my remaining pieces to CJ who didn't seem to mind. For the salad course, I went with their bean sprout salad. This salad was very refreshing and made for a nice palate cleanser. I also got to try edamame for the first time! I had no idea how to eat the edamame until a lady sitting at the table beside us explained how: don't eat the pod, just eat the beans inside which easily pop out *cue my brief moment of fascination*. The edamame pod was lightly salted, and the beans were soft and something I wouldn't mind eating for a snack. 

My dining experience at Zen Sushi was great overall, although it was a little uncoordinated. Some food items were delayed at arriving to their respective tables, but I would say it was forgiveable and not a huge issue since we were such a large group.

Henry Ma sharing his story about Zen Sushi.

Just a few minutes before it was time to leave, Henry Ma - the owner of Zen Sushi - shared his story about the restaurant. Zen Sushi has been open since 2006, and just last year Henry became the new manager of the restaurant that he actually named. He shares that because he grew up playing in the Chinatown area, he has always felt it to be a safe neighbourhood. Edmontonians often drive right past Chinatown, unaware of all the food businesses in the area. He comments that initiatives like the Chinatown YEG Food Crawl are a great way to try different specialty food items offered by the local restaurants. 

Please click here to read Part Two of my recap of the Chinatown YEG Food Crawl! 

I Love Sushi

I Love Sushi: a super cute name for a Japanese restaurant located in Downtown, just off Jasper Ave. I first noticed this restaurant two years ago when CJ and I were exploring Beaver Hills House Park located right across from it. Fast forward to the present, I took the opportunity to finally take a visit here for lunch since we happened to be in the area!

The interior.

Decorations on the wall.

The inside of I Love Sushi is quite small but the neat decorations on the walls give the restaurant a cute and cozy vibe. There is also a large window that overlooks the street and the park, so it's perfect for those who like to enjoy the view while they eat (and also great for taking photos with natural lighting!). 

The menu.

I Love Sushi offers the usual Japanese fare at an affordable price: appetizers, donburi and tempura, nigiri, sashimi, temaki, maki rolls, bento boxes, udon, set dinners, and several house specials. The location of this restaurant is also pretty convenient for those who work in Downtown, and it's not hard to get to by public transportation either. 

Our drinks.

Drinks to start off our lunch: CJ got himself Iced Tea ($1.95), June got Green Tea ($1), and I went for their Pineapple Mango Juice ($2.25). I initially wanted to get orange juice, but they didn't have any. However, the juice I got instead was quite refreshing and enjoyable, so no complaints here! 

Our food.

It didn't take too long for our food to come out, and since we were all quite hungry after a long day, I couldn't wait to dig in. June and CJ's food were served on small wooden boards which I thought was very fun and unique. 

Avocado and Shrimp Maki.

For my lunch, I decided on one of their House Specials - the Avocado and Shrimp Maki ($9.95). This dish is a tempura shrimp maki layered with avocado, which are easily two of my favourite things to eat! The avocado layered on top tasted fresh, and the crunch from the tempura shrimp was perfect and satisfying. 

Teriyaki Chicken Maki.

CJ chose their Teriyaki Chicken Maki ($9.25), which is one of the many choices on I Love Sushi's list of Maki Rolls. Instead of 7 pieces like what I got, CJ's dish came with 8. I got to try a piece, but I thought the seaweed was a bit too tough for my liking even though the teriyaki chicken itself was good. CJ seemed to enjoy his food regardless! 

Tiger Maki.

June got herself the Tiger Maki ($10.00), another option under their House Specials. This dish comes with tempura shrimp maki layered with BBQ eel and avocado. There were also some sesame seeds added as a garnish as well. In addition to that, she got two of the nigiri sushi which cost $2.15 each. June seemed to enjoy her food a lot. 

Green Tea Ice Cream.

I've said this before in one of my previous posts, but I'll say it again here. I think Green Tea Ice Cream ($3.75) is the perfect sweet ending after having a lunch of Japanese food! CJ actually wanted to go for the tempura ice cream, but I was hesitant to try it because I didn't really enjoy the one we had at Teriyaki Corner. I did appreciate the two generous scoops of the ice cream we got, and the chocolate sauce drizzle was a nice touch. The ice cream itself was smooth and the flavour was amazing! 

Tempura Fried Green Tea Ice Cream.

June also got a dessert, but she chose the Tempura Fried Green Tea Ice Cream ($5.75) instead. This dessert consists of only one scoop of green tea ice cream with the fried tempura exterior and chocolate sauce drizzle, along with some extra tempura and a Pocky stick on the side. She offered some of her dessert for CJ and I to try, and I Love Sushi's tempura ice cream was significantly better compared to the one from Teriyaki Corner. Not soggy at all, this tempura was light and crispy - the way it should be. I found myself wishing we had ordered the tempura ice cream instead of the plain one! In my opinion, these two desserts were definitely the highlight of the lunch. 

Nya nya nya.

I Love Sushi is a spot that I would want to return to. The food we had was amazing and left all three of us feeling happy and satisfied. I especially loved the affordability of the food here. If you're ever in the Downtown area and need a sushi fix after work or school, I highly recommend checking out I Love Sushi!

Teriyaki Corner

Do you have a go-to spot for late dinners? CJ and I certainly do! We always find ourselves heading to Teriyaki Corner (http://www.teriyakicorner.com/), a Japanese bistro serving gourmet food in a casual setting. There are 4 locations in Edmonton that are easy to get to from the Anthony Henday, but the one we usually frequent is their newest Southwest location in Windermere Crossing. 

The interior.

My favourite thing about Teriyaki Corner are the swing seats! The photo above doesn't do a good job at showing the swings, but it is essentially sturdy ropes that hold a long wooden seat in place. So much fun to sit on, even though you can't swing too much on these seats. CJ and I always go for a table with swing seats whenever we can!

Our food.

On our very first visit here, CJ and I just couldn't decide what to get! Teriyaki Corner offers a variety of Japanese appetizers, rice and noodle bowls, and a huge selection of rolls. They also have several bubble tea options and a few desserts. There is definitely something for everyone here. 

Dragon Roll.

When in doubt, go for Dragon Rolls ($9.67)! A fried spicy salmon roll with avocado, cucumber, and creamy dragon sauce, this dish will always be a favourite of mine. If you're not feeling too hungry, you can also order 4 pieces instead of 8 for $5.95. Sadly, these particular dragon rolls were just okay in my opinion. I was really hoping for a slightly thicker fried exterior rather than the thin one I got. The salmon inside also had a weird mushy texture. I also wish there was just a bit more spice! 

Japanese Curry Rice Bowl with Chicken.

Instead of a roll, CJ opted for their Japanese Curry Rice Bowl with Chicken ($8.24). Bean sprouts are served alongside the chicken and rice, but you could also get this bowl with beef or pork tenderloin. CJ enjoyed this simple yet tasty dish, finishing everything in his bowl. I didn't try any, but it sure smelled good next to me! 

Chocolate Strawberry (left) and Chocolate Banana (right).

For drinks, we both chose from their list of Real Fruit Bubble Favourites ($5.48): Chocolate Strawberry for CJ, and Chocolate Banana for myself. I asked for no tapioca balls in my drink. I thought my bubble tea tasted pretty good - the chocolate and banana flavours perfectly complemented each other, and none of the flavours would overpower the other. Unfortunately for CJ, he didn't like his drink too much. He asked me why it seemed like he'd always end up choosing the not-so-great bubble tea flavour, as was the case when we went to Qup Cafe a few weeks before. Perhaps he's not as lucky as I am with bubble tea! 

Crazy Roll.

We ended up visiting again the following week for another late dinner. Since this Teriyaki Corner is located fairly close to our neighbourhood, coming here is definitely no trouble at all. We decided to share 8 pieces of their Crazy Roll ($8.48) which consists of imitation crab meat, avocado, cucumber, and egg with a fried tempura exterior. While I did appreciate the extra crunch from the fried exterior, the Crazy Roll was overall a big miss for me. I didn't enjoy the sauce drizzled over the roll: it had an unpleasant egg taste that was way too overwhelming for me. CJ didn't seem to mind, but I couldn't eat the roll unless I had pushed the sauce away. Oh well, there will always be some dishes at food places I don't enjoy. 

Tempura Green Tea Ice Cream.

CJ surprised me with dessert that night: Tempura Green Tea Ice Cream ($4.95). This was our first time trying tempura ice cream together, so I was very excited. This particular tempura ice cream wasn't the best though... the tempura itself was somewhat soggy and chewy instead of crispy. The tempura layer was also too thick compared to the amount of green tea ice cream that was inside. This was just an okay dessert for me. 

Chocolate Banana (left) and Mint Chocolate (right).

More bubble tea of course! This time, CJ was sure to pick the bubble tea that he knew tasted good - Chocolate Banana! I decided I would try something new so I went for the Mint Chocolate ($4.76) bubble tea which is under their list of Milk Favourites. I asked to have no tapioca balls, but ended up getting them anyways. Bleh. In terms of the flavour, I really liked the refreshing combination of mint and chocolate, but I did feel that the mint was slightly overpowering the chocolate. Still a great drink though! 

Teriyaki Meaty Roll.

Finally, on our most recent trip here, we decided to get the Teriyaki Meaty Roll ($8.48), another one of the rolls listed in their Unique Uramaki Rolls. The roll contains fried teriyaki chicken and beef with cucumber, along with a fried tempura coating on the outside. This is my personal favourite of the unique rolls at Teriyaki Corner! The meat inside was tender and juicy, and the crunch from the cucumber and tempura exterior was perfect. So good! I highly recommend giving this one a try! 

Teriyaki Corner is an awesome place to go if you're craving Japanese food and want casual dining. The food isn't particularly fancy or the most high end of its kind, but it's great if you want something quick, simple, and inexpensive. During the times CJ and I have visited this place, it always ended up being around 8:00 in the evening so it wasn't too busy at that time. There were only a few other people dining in, but most got their food to go. The atmosphere of the Southwest location is quite nice as well. Instead of the usual fast food places, consider checking out Teriyaki Corner for your next lunch or dinner!

Yokozuna Japanese Restaurant

What do you do when plans get cancelled? Make new ones of course! Mwuahahaha. That's what happened on the last weekend of June, when my friend ended up having to cancel an event she had planned. Instead of feeling bummed, I took the opportunity to hang out with another friend and CJ. We initially thought about seeing 22 Jump Street at the movie theatre, but almost all the seats had been filled up when we went (apparently they were down to only 12 seats left!). So the next best plan? Food adventure! An idea that was obviously suggested by me, hehe.

I ended up choosing Yokozuna (yokozunarestaurant.ca), a Japanese restaurant located near the Whitemud Crossing area in South Edmonton. It's close to Whitemud Drive, so this place is easily accessible by car (or bus). There were actually two occasions in the past when I went here hoping to eat food, only to find out that I had gone at a time when they were closed to prep for dinner or when they weren't open for the day at all. Luckily this time around, my friends and I went at 8pm on a Saturday night, so it was definitely open!

The interior of Yokozuna isn't the most spacious, but there is still more than enough seating to go around. We were seated at a table along the wall towards the left hand side of the restaurant from the entrance. I felt just a little bit cramped in this spot, but it wasn't too big of a deal.

The menu.

The dinner menu at Yokozuna consists of tataki, skewers, house and standard rolls, and so much more - the usual Japanese fare. Everything on their menu is reasonably priced (definitely not too expensive), so your wallet will thank you later.

Okay... before I continue, I would like to point out that some of the next couple of pictures were taken with mine and CJ's new camera! Yay for high quality photos!

Our drinks.

For drinks: orange juice for me, iced tea for CJ and a couple glasses of water for the three of us. CJ also ordered one of their original cocktails - specifically, the Mero Melon ($7). This drink consists of Midori melon liqueur, peach schnapps, and apple juice. I had a few sips of the drink, and I thought it had a sweet, refreshing taste. My friend June also got herself Sapporo Japanese beer in the 341 ml size ($6). 

Skewers.

The first dish to arrive at our table was CJ's pick for the night: Skewers! At Yokozuna, a minimum of 3 skewers are required per order. CJ chose the Buta Toma, Buta Aspara, and Ebi Kushi skewers. The Buta Toma ($2.50) is a bacon wrapped cherry tomato, while the Buta Aspara ($2.50) is a bacon wrapped asparagus. The Ebi Kushi ($4.25) skewer is shrimp with soy sauce and butter. I didn't try any of the skewers, but CJ seemed to enjoy them. While he thought the price for the skewers were cheap, I personally thought they could have been a slightly larger size for the price (especially for the Ebi Kushi). 

Dragon Eye Roll.

Next up were my beautiful Dragon Eye Rolls ($13)! A couple years ago, my brother took me out for lunch at this same Yokozuna location where he suggested I get their Dragon Eye Roll. That was my first time trying out this type of roll, and since then I've always had a love for them. This will always be my favourite Japanese dish. For those who haven't tried a Dragon Eye Roll before, it is a deep fried roll with salmon, green onion and asparagus served with dragon eye sauce. The fried exterior of the roll was very light and crispy, while the salmon inside tasted fresh. A Dragon Eye Roll is not complete without the trademark dragon eye sauce - it does an amazing job at bringing all the flavours together. The sauce can arguably be the best part about ordering Dragon Eye Rolls. 

Our food.

Finally, all of our food together! June and CJ ordered their own rolls, but for some reason it arrived on the same plate. I thought that was a little weird, considering my Dragon Eye Roll had been plated individually. 

Seafood Tar Tar Roll (left) and Mango Roll (right).

June decided on one of Yokozuna's House Rolls - the Seafood Tar Tar Roll ($14). This roll is made up of scallop, tuna, salmon, tempura crumbs, tobiko, and mayo, topped with teriyaki and sesame. All the different sea food packed inside the roll seemed to promise a lot of flavour in your mouth. Although I didn't try her roll, I didn't really hear any complaints from June about her pick for the night. 

Did you really think those skewers were the only food items CJ ordered? Haha, of course not. He also ordered the Mango Roll ($13), which consists of tempura shrimp, cream cheese, and tobiko, topped with slices of mango and salmon. CJ loves mangos, so I wasn't surprised that he picked this roll out of all the possible choices. I really enjoyed the bright, vibrant taste that I got from the mango and salmon together in one bite - the two seemed to balance each other out. Mmmm... this is definitely another great house roll at Yokozuna. 

Green Tea Ice Cream.

Green Tea Ice Cream ($5) is a must for me after every Japanese meal I have. Even if I am full, there will always be room for green tea ice cream! I find the refreshing green tea flavour to be the perfect end for my dinner. So yummy! 

I am very happy I finally got the chance to revisit Yokozuna again after many years. This is definitely one of my top places to recommend if you're looking for delicious Japanese food. Here you'll find traditional Japanese fare with a modern twist. The dimmed lighting and darker wooden tones inside create a perfect setting for a romantic date night, and if you're not into that, it's also a great place for a more casual, spontaneous get-together with a few friends. Either way, I promise you'll be happy here. I know I was!