Vancouver: The Original Guu on Thurlow

Last time I came to Vancouver, I didn't get to check out any of the Guu family of restaurants, so this time, made sure that was a stop.

There's several Guu in Vancouver, but each location is somewhat unique.  We decided to go to the original, an izakaya, and where it all started.  Why izakaya?  There's plenty in LA!  Well, I like visiting izakayas in different cities if I can because izakayas are generally much more casual, menu reflects local ingredients, menu changes often, and it's just a good way to relax with friends after traveling.  Beer + food!

Guu

838 Thurlow Street 

West End, Downtown

Vancouver, BC V6E 1W2 

guu-izakaya.com

Outside.  Of course, being an izakaya, it's not a big place and it was packed!  It's located near a popular street (Robson) so it is located at a good spot in terms of location.  Ended up waiting over an hour since we had a large group (Alice's friends).

Open style kitchen.  Place wasn't that big so we were separated into two tables.

Menu.  Ordered half the menu for three haha.

Specials that night.  Ordered a good amount from this menu too haha.

Of course, gotta get beer at an izakaya.

First up, Kabocha Croquette!  Sorta like a Japanese version of the Scottish Egg.

Mashed pumpkin squash with boiled egg croquette.

Kakuni.  One of the softest and tastiest pork belly I've ever had.  Sorry for the bad picture but I was really excited when this came hahah.  Who can resist that shiny looking pork belly.

Salmon Yukke.  Yukke means tartar but it is pretty much a soy marinated poke.  British Columbia salmon!  They also give you a quail egg on the side to mix it in for that tartar element.

Salmon on the shrimp cracker.

One of the specials, Gyoza Eggrolls.  Instead of stuffing gyoza fillings into dumpling skins, they used egg roll skins.

Tastes just like gyoza, except muuuuch crunchier.

Takoyaki.  Octopus ball.

Karubi.  Japanese version of the Korean kalbi.  On the sweeter side.

Grilled Smoked Salmon Neck from the special menu.  Fish collar is one of my favorite part of the fish.  A bit tough from the smoking but it is packed with flavor.

Gyu Tan.  Grilled beef tongue.  I'm... still not a fan haha.

Kaarage!  Fried chicken!

Tontoro.  Grilled pork jowl.  Don't know where they get their pork but it's awesome.

Love the texture of this cut of pork.  Fatty but with some tendon for that bite.

Shrimp Wonton Dan Dan Noodles.  It was sorta funny cause when we ordered it, the waitress was like "Very spicy!!" and kept on insisting that only order if we can eat spicy foods.  Calvin, Alice, and I ate it like it is nothing haha.  The peanut sauce part of it probably lessened the spiciness.  A few of the other staff stopped by and asked if it was spicy too.  Pretty legit for Japanese dan dan noodles!

The shrimp wontons.  There's even some preserved mustard green!  Impressed.

Was it worth the long wait?  Yes.  I get why Vancouver loves Guu.  It's a izakaya with tasty food, and the atmosphere is exactly how an izakaya should be: loud, busy, and a little smoky!  Next time, Guu Garlic for sure!

New York: Yakitori Totto

For dinner on Halloween, we went to Yakitori Totto, the sister restaurant of the super popular ramen spot in NY, Totto Ramen.  We didn't have a reservation, and they almost denied us, but eventually they let us dine if we can finish within one hour.  Not the ideal situation, but we took that offer haha.

Yakitori Totto claims to be the best yakitori place in NYC.  I'm a huge fan of yakitori, especially with so many near where I live, so definitely excited to see if Yakitori Totto can live up to its hype and the Totto brand name.


Yakitori Totto
251 W 55th St 2nd Fl
Between Broadway & 8th Ave
Midtown West
New York, NY 10019
tottonyc.com

Entrance is stairs leading up to the second floor.  There's Jimmy doing the fob sign.

The sign outside.  Japanese Hiragana but in Chinese, it literally translates to "Bird Man."

Where the grilling happens.  Very small place.  There's the bar near the kitchen and only a handful of tables.  No wonder you need reservations...

Front of the menu. They have a full menu on their website.

Rather than going with the usual Sapporo, Kirin, or Asahi, we got Ebisu!

Their policy.  $20 per person at least.  Trust, very easy to hit that amount.

First up was Maguro Zuke, which is tuna sashimi in garlic flavored soy sauce.  You can see the edge is browned from the marinade.  Very light though.

Tako Wasa.  Raw octopus seasoned with wasabi.  I'm not a huge fan of wasabi so I didn't care much for this.

Shirauo Kara-age.  This was an awesome appetizer.  Fried small silver fish with matcha salt! 

Yup, salt flavored with matcha, the ground up tea powder!  Very unique!

First skewer up, Kawa, which is chicken skin!

Wished it was a bit crispier, but still tasty. 

Tongue.  Everybody likes beef tongue except for me haha.  Pretty good though!

Gizzard.  I think?  Hahaha

Kamo Negima.  Duck + scallion?  Yup.

Tsukune.  Chicken meatball is my favorite yakitori items.  We got one of each, sauced and salt-seasoned. Not bad, but not my favorite (Torihei in Torrance).  Definitely like the sauced one better.  Nice sweet soy glaze.

Now... this one is pork for sure... but I forget which one =|  Maybe just pork loin?  Pork mustard?  Kurobata pork though!

Negi Pon.  This one was memorable haha.  Pork loin topped with scallions and ponzu.  Love the acidity. 

Hiza Nankotsu.  Soft knee bone, aka chicken cartilage.  Crunchy and chewy! 

Shishito peppers and miso paste.

Eringi Bacon.  Mushroom + bacon is a combo well received.

Harami.  Marinated skirt steak.  Nice sauce.  A little overcooked though!

Yaki Onigiri.  We got this sauced and salt-seasoned to try both.  I actually prefer the salt version better this time.  It's like a chewier mochi!

Hatsu, chicken heart.  One of the most popular yakitori items anywhere.  Chewy.  Still sorta bloody?

Everything was good and we got to try a lot of things since we shared among 6 people, but man, it was really pricey.  Average for a skewer there was around $3 while most places is $1.50-$2.  I can see why it is so popular though since Totto does yakitori right and for NYC, it's something a lot more unique.  If Totto was in LA, especially South Bay area, it'd have a tough time :P

Little Tokyo: Honda-Ya Izakaya

One of my favorite izakaya in Little Tokyo is Honda-Ya, located in the shopping mall where the market resides on Alameda. Now that I think back on it, there's nothing really unique about Honda-Ya. It's just your typical izakaya with the usual offerings, and the prices are average too. I think it's the fact that everytime I've been here, I've always had good company, whether it's ordering a bottle of sake and drink my life away or catching up with a good friend.

I haven't gone to Honda-Ya in over a year but earlier this month a friend and I decided to meet up before a Yelp event. Their menu is huge, being an izakaya, so this is just a small sampling of what they offer!

Honda-Ya Izakaya

33 S Alameda Ste 314

Los Angeles, CA 90013

Hot house sake of course! (sorry for the blurry pic! I forgot to set up the settings haha).

Ordered a few yakitori and skewer items. First to arrive, grilled shrimp skewer! That sauce is too good.

Ever since I had chicken meatball in Taiwan as a yakitori, it's a must now. Kinda small though :P

One of my favorite parts of the chicken fried, cartilage :] Love the crunch.

Soy marinated yellowtail. More of this please!

Spicy cod roe mochi with cheese. Yea we totally experimented with this one. Didn't really know what to expect. Spicy roe was hidden inside the mochi. Very cheesy.

Fried soft shell crab. Can never go wrong.

Another must have for izakaya, stir fry kimchi pork!!

Salmon fish collar. Favorite part of the fish for sure!

Honda-Ya, always a solid choice!