this post is filed under Cuisine - Japanese, Location - Vancouver
Last Vancouver post here. Here is a quick meal at Nan Chuu with Gene and Geoff. This place is a Richmond offshoot of Gyoza King, which remains one of my favorite Vancouver izakaya spots. Nan Chuu is a bit bigger, with a more narrow, long main room, and a similar modern decor. The place was quite crowded, and we had to wait a little bit for a table. I also remember a cute waitress..
kanpachi sashimi - C$18
We saw kanpachi sashimi on special, and decided to bite the bullet even at $18. That is the power that kanpachi has over me, I guess. It had a good texture, but slightly bland.
gyu tan - C$4.95
Nan Chuu also has a bit more robata stuff than Gyoza King. We chose to try the beef tongue. It was really nice, actually. Tender and flavorful. Unfortunately, it wasn't warm enough. Perhaps it was sitting for a minute too long before being brought to us.
pork and chive gyoza - C$3.95
The gyoza is pretty similar to GK's. Very crisp and delicious. It kind of feels more like a Chinese potsticker than Japanese gyoza though. That's not a bad thing; I'd be happy to eat many of these little morsels.
hotate butter yaki - C$6.75
Another special was this scallop and butter concoction. Again, alright, but not too memorable. Definitely not as good as the scallop/mushroom dish at Gyoza King.
mentaiko yakiudon - C$8.5
And finally, spicy cod roe udon. Gyoza King makes the best version I've tried, and I was eager to see if this could match it. It came close, but didn't quite get there. This was definitely better than Manzo, but still didn't have quite the pure buttery richness of the original GK. Maybe they need to put those nori strips... they at least make it look a lot nicer.
All in all, I'd rather be eating at Gyoza King. This seems to be happening a lot with Vancouver izakayas. Maybe it'll be simpler to just keep going to GK, Hapa, and Guu.
I've got a couple of random SF posts to finish, then it's going to be Australia stuff. As for now - I'm fortunate enough to be going to the French Laundry again for dinner tonight! Thanks Jennifer. You'll probably read about tonight's meal in like... 2 months. :P
Oh come on Arthur! Your not going to be the Grinch and make us wait two months for your French Laundry review, are you? Where is your holiday spirit?
Anyway, don't the FL hold some type of seniority in the world of restaurants?
By the way, I truly enjoy your site.
Happy Holidays!
Robertposted by Robert on December 22, 2005 09:14 PM
That last picture of mentaiko yakiudon makes me feel a bit queasy .... yikes. I was at Nan Chuu twice in 2004, they're OK but each time I thought I'd be better off back at their Robson Gyoza King location.
Happy Holidays Arthur ! Like they say, "Eat, drink and pass the Pepto Bismo now !!!"
posted by SaabKen on December 23, 2005 02:37 PM
Robert - I've got a ton of people who've been eagerly awaiting my Australia stuff, so I'd rather keep it simple and do it all chronologically. No harm meants! Don't fret though, I ate some good stuff over there. Hopefully my first French Laundry post can hold you over. :)
SK - That's exactly the same conclusion I came to. It was okay, but I'd definitely rather be at the Robson Gyoza King. Funny how those little nori strips on the GK yakiudon make it look SO much nicer.
Hope you all have a good holiday as well!
posted by Arthur on December 23, 2005 07:48 PM
Yea, the only difference that a japanese gyoza has over a chinese potsticker is the presence of bayonetted baby heads.
posted by kelli Barbabdoes on December 24, 2005 01:28 PM
Err, what?
posted by Arthur on December 29, 2005 09:16 PM
Hi Arthur,
It is quite lucky that I have stumble across your website. Just wondering if you have made any trips to London. The pictures are very beautiful!
Thanks
Davidposted by David on January 7, 2006 09:50 PM
Thanks for visiting David! Unfortunately, I haven't really been to London other than a stop in the airport. There are definitely some places I'd like to try there, ie St. John. :)
posted by Arthur on January 8, 2006 08:49 PM