Japanese cuisine, particularly sushi, can be found on almost every commercial street in the city. Near the high end of the (financial) food chain sits En (2686 Granville Street, Central Vancouver, 604-730-0330). Owner Yami Yamagishi is touted as a gifted chef who skillfully unites Japanese tradition with French and Italian. His presentation — perhaps a circle-like rack of lamb with sour-plum rice, or folded petals of smoked salmon — is amazing. As well as wines by the glass or bottle, En serves seven premium sakes.
Sushi Bar Wabi Sabi (4422 West ioth Avenue, Westside, 604-222-8i88) produces both traditional and contemporary varieties of sushi with a Zen-like elegance. For those on a budget, you can do worse than chase down Sushiboy (409 West Broadway, Central Vancouver, 604-879-5236). The sushi here is familiar (California roll), cheap, and quickly prepared for take-out. And a ravenous backpacker or cyclist will feel right at home in this humble space, if they can squeeze through the door.
One Japanese eatery that tops several “favorite” lists, in part for its all-you-can-eat sushi, is Tanpopo (1122 Denman Street, West End, 604-681-7777). And speaking of popular, I mustn’t omit high-end Tojo’s (202—777 West Broadway, Central Vancouver, 604-872-8950).
In the most-chic category, there’s Bistro Sakana (1123 Mainland Street, Yaletown, 604-633-1280).
Eccentricity lives at Opera Sushi (1640 West Broadway, Central Vancouver, 604-737-1030), where chef Joseph E celebrates his love of the genre with the occasional aria, and a wall of LP5 that rein¬forces the opera theme. A wide and otherwise conventional selection of sushi includes the Tosca roll of salmon and tuna.
Those into conveyor-belt sushi delivery might hop on the ultimate conveyor — the SkyTrain — to the Eaton Centre in Metrotown, and Taisho (4700 Kingsway, Burnaby, 604-435-1211). It’s said to have the longest belt and best food among belt deliverers.
A Kitsilano-style outlet — all rustic wood and determinedly casual — is the Octopus’ Garden Sushi Bar (1995 Cornwall Avenue, Kitsilano, 604-734-8971).
There are a number of Japanese eateries in the 700 block of Denman Street. You’ll also find Japanese (basic sushi or trendy), Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese restaurants in the 1600 and 1700 blocks of Robson Street, including several in the Robson Public Market (1610 Robson Street, West End). Homesick ESL students populate Guu (838 Thurlow Street, Downtown, 604-685-8817) for its low- priced Japanese comfort food (lots of stir-fries and hot pots).
Or load up your shopping cart with everything Japanese at Fujiya Japanese Foods (912 Clark Drive, East Vancouver, 604-251-3711) and cook at home. Here, you’ll find seafood, seaweeds, a deli with sushi, bento boxes, strange bottled things, and rice goodies galore.
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