Today’s Special: Short rib, Suika
Growing up, my taste for Japanese was more teriyaki than toro. As sushi became overwhelmingly mainstream, I learned to navigate the maki and nigiri menus enough to have a few favourites (mostly veg, cooked items, and salmon). When faced with living in a city where its inhabitants eat sushi as much as they drink coffee and practice yoga, I was a little worried. But then I was introduced to the izakaya. Traditionally, it’s a spot where you go to drink beer and eat greasy food. In Vancouver, it’s a spot where you go to drink beer and fun cocktails, eat inventive greasy things and creative sushi and sashimi, and are greeted and served by staff who go out of their way to make the experience as enjoyable as possible. I was spoiled in my first izakaya adventure with a trip to Kingyo in the West End, probably the best in the city. When I heard that Kingyo had opened up a sister shop across the creek, a small posse was there a.s.a.p. I had read the wonders of the short rib; a large, tender mass of beef covered in an addictive sweet glaze. The fork and knife were hardly necessary, as it yielded sweet morsels from the lightest prod of our chopsticks. Down a few cocktails made with their homemade ginger ale along the way, and you’ll be singing “arigato” all the way home.
Suika
West Broadway & Fir, Vancouver
