Changes at Zakkushi on W. 4th?

[flowbee]

A friend's FB status update says "Zakkushi on 4th has turned into 'Yakitori Bar' with a much smaller menu". Anyone have any more information on this?

[ume]

I ate there recently and asked the waitress on the change. The majority of the items are still there and a couple of new items like grilled salmon. I loved their grilled whole squid but I believe it's gone from the menu.

[Sandy204]

Update on squid (in May, 2013),
We had grilled whole squid at the 4th Ave location. It was 'melt-in-your-mouth' yummy.

[waver]

Never one to complain about cheap beer, huzzah, but I mourn the loss of the best spinach salad I've ever had : (

[vaneats]

the gommai is still there though - and good! It's not sweet like everyother place makes, and super sesamey.

[waver]

There used to be another one, more like a slightly wilted salad, with a crazy good dressing. Oh well, good gomae works too.

[waver]

Wait. I stand totally corrected. We just had the gomaae and it is fabulous! ITs quite different from any other I've had and just as good as the old salad and a large portion too. Yum!

[vaneats]

The menu is more vision driven now, it replicates the many delicious holes-in-the-wall bars you can find in the alley's of Japan where business men go to have a quick bite and a beer before heading home. The cozy, dark space sets the tone, and the new menu now focuses specifically on skewers. They now have range veggie and seafood sticks too!
Same, company and owners and mostly the same staff.

ALSO RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP PITCHERS OF SAPPORO, pretty sure cheapest in the city? !

-----
zakkushi
1833 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J, CA

[fmed]

Interesting. Coincidentally, NY 'hound Marine Engineer and I were just talking about how NY has some great yakitori bars and Vancouver has none ( - that is if kushi =/= yakitori at Zakkushi). Overall good news as long as they keep their kushi focus at the other locations. Looking forward to pope's nose (bonjiri) skewers...

[grayelf]

Here's a link to the new menus (there are three) -- looks pretty similar to before, dropped a couple of salads and desserts maybe, and they're calling some stuff "tapas." Don't see any bonjiri, fmed. I just talked to a guy there who said the menu had only changed a little, but English was a bit of an issue...

[bdachow]

I walked past this evening and it's not true yakitori (which I always thought was all things chicken related only). It had beef tongue on the menu as well which was the only thing that attracted my attention in the non chicken category.

[grayelf]

I think Zakkushi is a kushiage but without the DIY: http://thumbnail-of-life.blogspot.com...

I love their things-on-sticks and enjoy the variety, so I'm glad they haven't really changed the menu much.

[el_lobo_solo]

Does Zakkushi do a lot of deep-fried skewers? Anything with "age" at the end means deep-fried. IIRC, many of the skewers are grilled. That link brought back many yummy all-you-can-eat-drink memories from Japan.

[grayelf]

Glad the link was happy, els. And of course you're right, age means deep fried (as in karaage), my bad. My poorly made point was that Zakkushi has a good variety of meat and other stuff on sticks, all charcoal grilled by someone other than me, which I find to be a great combo. I think I like the p-toro the best...

One thing that was interesting to me in that link was that the resto charged by time (you "buy" an hour of eating, then can add another half hour for 500 yen I think). Are any AYCE places here time based?

[el_lobo_solo]

I"ve only had the max. time at AYCE places, usually 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Never heard of the add-on time.

Still on that link: I'm amazed that you can have all you can booze at lunch or dinner for about $10 at that place. Endless flow of Sapparo. Very haiku-worthy : )