Aki Japanese Restaurant
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When we were in Vancouver, my college friend Pat, a Vancouverite took us to Aki near the coal harbour for some authentic Japanese food. According to him, it is owned by Japanese and is one of the best Japanese restaurants in BC. It has been around for about 50 years already and just moved to this new location on W Pender St last year. That’s why it appears quite new and modern, with high ceilings. The restaurant is very spacious, but it is highly recommended to make reservations for dinner time as it can get quite busy.
Oyster miso tofu
For appetizer, we ordered the oyster miso tofu. Mmm… the oyster was cooked, but tasted very soft, very fresh. The miso had a bit alcohol aroma to it and the slight sweetness of fermented soybean went quite well with the firm tofu.
Assorted sashimi
House special roll
Deluxe assorted sushi
We tried the assorted sashimi, house special roll and deluxe assorted sushi. All I could say is that the raw fish were very very fresh. The sashimi pieces were thick and the assorted plate came with 3 pieces for each of the 5 kinds so we could each try a piece for each kind. However, every piece in the deluxe assorted sushi was unique. I love the uni sushi in particular- its gooey texture and natural sweetness, oh, I had never tried uni so fresh before. I don’t like the house special roll as much- part of it because it was too big (I had to finish it in 2 bites), part of it because it had many different ingredients which gave it a complex flavor. Kev and Pat liked the house roll. Maybe I’m just not a fan of sushi rolls in general.
Seafood udon -suki
We also ordered the seafood udon-suki prepared by the kitchen. It was a big portion with ingredients like cabbage, tofu, mushrooms, clams, fish, udon etc. The udon is chewy, the broth is lightly flavored and the ingredients were fresh and not overcooked at all. For example, the mushrooms were so soft that you could easily break it apart with your teeth. I really like the lightness of the broth because it allowed you the savor the freshness of the seafood.
My review: It is like the natural cream puff- something that is quite pricey, but the food is so fresh and delicious that makes you enjoy the true natural taste of the ingredients.
