Sushi around UBC

[waver]

Help, I need a place to take the kids for decent sushi somewhere in the vicinity of UBC or maybe 10th. Prefer somewhere nice to sit, rather than take-out, as we have a couple hours to kill (and might as well eat, right?).
Thanks!

[waver]

OK, so we went kind of against advice and tried One More because proximity ruled. The rolls were not fancy but fresh and good and the cooked stuff just OK. We had a pleasant time though so no complaints.

[modernist]

i've been in vancouver for three weeks now, and i finally found my spot..
ajisai!

from kitchen:
kanpachi kama (freaking delicious!) 18.00
sunomono 4.00

sushi:
aji 2.50 (delicious! i had multiples)
shima aji 3.50
toro (albacore-dining partner only eats sustainable) 2.50
tsubasu baby yellowtail 2.5
"white tuna" i'm not sure what this is, but i wasnt a fan, tasted frozen 2.00
hamachi 2.5 (finally, found airmail hamachi and i asked for belly cuts and it was really good, had multiples
uni (was a colder temperature than i'm used to) 3.00. tasted good, and a bit fruity, curious what kind of uni t hey are serving.
amae ebi 2.00 (no heads served after)
mejina 2.50

the negatives. i didnt like the gari/ginger
i got there around 7:45, found bar seating immediately, (tables were mostly full) the sushi chefs were pretty busy so it took a bit of time between orders to receive our food. if we had ordered all at once, we probably would have gotten our food all at once, but i dont like to order like that.

as a point of reference. i used to really like sakae sushi on alberni.
i went to aki next door, and it was fine but nothing special and more expensive than ajisai.
as another point of reference, i dislike tojo for all their heavy handed sauces (i'm more of a purist i guess)

[fmed]

The uni would most likely be harvested from here and probably the ones in the green shells. (Fresh uni will have that fruitiness that you describe....almost like faint lychee/tropical fruit.)

Sushi Sakae close many years ago and the itamae (Masa) moved on to run the short lived Lime, then the short lived Japanese Kitchen. As of now, I don't know where he is....but will find out soon.

[grayelf]

Ajisai also serves yamaimo which I am obsessing about these days. Their avopara roll (avocado and asparagus) is also excellent. And do try their seafood salad.

[grayelf]

We're heading to Kimura for omakase tomorrow night and inquired about uni. Told it wasn't in season now, but I know nothing of the habits of sea urchin :-).

[waver]

Thanks for the recs everyone. I'm looking for UBC area specifically for a little break from the Mom-as-taxi phenomenon, but I'll definitely try Tokyo Thyme one of these days. Sounds fun.
I really like En although it is a touch fancy for what I'm thinking - but I think you should try it some time : )
Maybe I could possibly drive one more km and go to Hime, but I did hear One More mentioned by a sushi-eating friend and might try it after all because its walking distance from the pool - dodgy chow criteria, I know.

[LotusRapper]

[Risk sounding like an old curmudgeon ...........] you have no idea how bleak the food scene was around UBC (on campus and on 10th) in the 70s/80s/early 90s :-( Back then, "ethnic" breaks from the norm included The Varsity Grill (oh the memories) and Candia Taverna (dang place just wouldn't go away).

The scene is not that bad today. But given UBC's diverse student population, it'd be great to have more variety of Asian choices on w. 10th (Vietnamese, Thai, Korean).

That brings another question I've been wondering for a long time, how come there aren't any (to my knowledge) food carts in and around UBC ?

[fmed]

I have seen Japadog at a couple of Chan Center events last year. (Igonoring the pleas of the current on-campus purveyors and their mainly student staff, for a moment...). It seems like a no-brainer, especially in the dreary winter months when most foodcarts go into hibernation. There are quite a number of potential locations for pods there too. A complication is that UBC is not governed by the CoV, IIRC...so street food bylaws, etc don't apply there.

[LotusRapper]

" A complication is that UBC is not governed by the CoV, IIRC...so street food bylaws, etc don't apply there."

V. true. So if the pods/carts/trucks would just park on Blanca and Camosun ...... [grin]

[waver]

After eight years at UBC in 80s/90s, have to say I developed a definite fondness for the Chinese place next to the CIBC. Used to crave that red hot&sour soup. Its still there but I don't think I'll go back: it just won't be the same.
Ditto Candia (although I think the kids might get a kick out of getting their own pan of gooey lasagna).
Speaking of obvious student food: why can't you get a decent Vietnamese sub anywhere around UBC/10th? Or can you?

[LotusRapper]

"Speaking of obvious student food: why can't you get a decent Vietnamese sub anywhere around UBC/10th? Or can you?"

OMG, see my last comment here:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/792947

There was a Viet pho joint a few years ago between Candia and The Diner. It was horrid, and I think (thankfully) that they've closed.

Grayelf mentioned a pho place on 4th near Bayswater(?) .... I forget name and haven't been.

[grayelf]

It was called Mintleaf and sadly it closed, I surmise for lack of business, though they sometimes had service/availability issues.

The only Viet place I can think of nearish UBC which per Google is Gold Train Express II and I think the one you are talking about. I've been too scared to try it :-). I did have an acceptable banh mi from the Gold Train Express II on Broadway near McDonald's (not McDonald) but their pho and bun are execrable, and they are not really *near* UBC.

-----
Gold Train Express
4530W 10th Ave W, Vancouver, BC V6R2J1, CA

[LotusRapper]

[slaps own forehead] ........ I had a really decent bowl of pho in Kerrisdale, at Pho Tan's. And their bun (dry vermicelli) is good too. Nice service. They're related (by family) to the Pho Tan (no apostrophe+s) on Main & 30th. And they mentioned a third location too, also part of their family op, on Kingsway in the Middlegate area.

Waver - so Pho Tan's in Kerrisdale (just east of tracks, across McDonald's) is good for pho (and maybe banh mi too)

[grayelf]

I've been meaning to try Pho Tan's for a while, thanks for that. I understand they also have decent bubble tea which is a bonus. I think it would be a better bet than either of the GTEs.

[waver]

+1 Pho Tan in Kerrisdale.
Gold Train on 10th doesn't have bahn mi, I don't mind their bun but I don't think I have GE's standards...

[LotusRapper]

"the Chinese place next to the CIBC. Used to crave that red hot&sour soup. Its still there but I don't think I'll go back: it just won't be the same."

University Village .... are they still there ??

[waver]

University Village! That's right. It's still there but I don't know if it the same owners.

[fmed]

That place was a regular haunt when I went to UBC.

[LotusRapper]

Yup ! For me it was decent hot dinner for $5-6 without having to go off campus.

[kinnickinnik]

Kerrisdale is only a 15 min drive from UBC (given the lighter summer traffic). Since you have a couple of hours - maybe this isn't too far away? Ajisai is excellent (tucked in the lane between 41st and 42nd by London Drugs). There are a bunch of other options along 41st, and on W. Blvd.

On campus. One More Sushi in the University Village is popular but I'm not a fan.

-----
One More Sushi
2155 Allison Rd, Vancouver, BC V6T1T5, CA

[LotusRapper]

Ajisai would be great option, but reservations aren't an option and they do fill up fast.

Their hours are:

Tue-Sat 11 am - 2 pm
Tue-Sun 5 pm - 9:30 pm

[grayelf]

If Kerrisdale is an option, consider Tokyo Thyme on the Boulevard. Their rolls are topnotch and they use traditional Japanese ingredients (yamaimo, natto) in creative ways.

[kinnickinnik]

I've been curious about that place - glad to hear the recommendation :-)

[ahungrybear]

Yeap. Tokyo Thyme has great rolls. My fav is the pepper tuna roll.

[grayelf]

I love the yamaimo/natto roll (natch). All his tuna based concoctions are happy making. He also does some mighty fine things with avocado.

[twinkienic]

We checked out Tokyo Thyme today because the wait for Ajisai just seemed too long. The salmon sashimi was cut really nicely and was delicious... but we were a bit disappointed with the rolls (we had the bloody winter, unagi avo q and chopped scallop). I felt like some of the flavours/sauces in the rolls were too strong and masked some of the other flavours I'd like to have enjoyed.

Our recent go-to sushi place has been Hitoe on 4th ave, just a few blocks west of Macdonald.... so fairly close to UBC.

[Sam Salmon]

I like them both but agree that Hitoe is better balanced than Tokyo Thyme-both are tiny places which adds a neighbourhood feel.

[grayelf]

Will have to give Hitoe another try. We got takeout from there a couple months ago and it was okay, better than most lunch grade places but nowhere near the quality of Tokyo Thyme (we've now eaten there half a dozen times). Off day, perhaps... I do like that they have ramune :-).

[waver]

Tried Tokyo Thyme this evening with one of the kids and we both really enjoyed it - thanks for the rec. I think it will be our new goto.

[grayelf]

De rien. One word of caution: the cooked stuff is not nearly in the league of sushi there, according to my brother, who normally prefers it.

[grayelf]

Lunch or dinner?

[waver]

Ah, yes, dinner.

[LotusRapper]

EN Cuisine ?

http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=restaurant&hl=en&ll=49.263806,-123.206797&spn=0,0.021136&sll=49.263366,-123.202057&sspn=0.007912,0.021136&gl=ca&radius=0.57&z=16&layer=c&cbll=49.263806,-123.206797&panoid=PLrpwN5E1X1734pn5HL6uQ&cbp=12,181.92,,0,-0.09

http://www.encuisine.ca/

Hmm, I haven't been there since they were Raku !

[grayelf]

I haven't been for a while but the orginal location of Hime Sushi on West 10th has always done right by me. Stick with the rolls and sashimi if you go.

[LotusRapper]

Ah, forgot about them. Next to the library, right ?

The Eatery is ....... different, and depending on your preferences, may be worth checking out just for the fun of it:

http://www.theeatery.ca/