Japanese

Maiko Japanese Matcha Café in Richmond

I was very excited to see another premium matcha themed Japanese dessert franchise opening up in metro Vancouver. The quality and pricing are both standing in the mid range of the parfait places we have tried. Loopy soft-served ice cream is a sign of poor quality for me. Poorly layered parfait and filler toppings also forced them down the ranking ladder. The parfait here is $13.50 after tax, which is on part to Tsujiri’s $14 parfait with much higher quality topping. The parfait here is still a good dessert. It’s just not worth it when compared with other Japanese matcha dessert locations.

Tsujiri, Japanese Matcha cafe in Richmond

Compared to Nana’s Green Tea’s $9.80 parfait, Tsujiri’s $14 parfait feels like a whole other ball game. The parfait at Tsujiri is 150% more expensive, but they seem to use more interesting toppings. I’m not sure if these topping is worth the extra $4 to you. The lone line up seems to indicate the worthiness of these toppings. I personally cannot justify the cost because they simply can charge higher for a parfait in 2019, but will leave the decision up to you guys.

Meiji Milk Cookie Ice Bar

Normally, when I get an alternative flavour of the same product, the expectation is to have a consistent texture and flavour profile. With the taste and texture both lacking far behind its Milk ice bar counterpart, I cannot justify the $8.99 price tag. It is really rare to see someone screw up an Oreo product. I simply cannot recommend Meiji’s Milk Cookie Ice Bar.

Meiji Milk Ice Bar

Biting into the ice bar reveals the consistent texture of the interior. I could feel the slight icy texture, but that actually provided a little bit of the refreshing sensation. The taste is wonderfully designed. This ice cream bar has a very rich taste of milk. The sweet taste is complemented by some savory taste to make each bite interesting.

Sushi California Koreapanese Restaurant, A popular fake Japanese chain

Our server brought us tableware and tea. They are the generic plastic material with some graphic to resemble Japan. These tableware are light and feel cheap. It is quite fitting for the Sushi California to use these. They look Japanese, but cheap and lack integrity once you interact with it. I don’t understand how you can have a “Small Party Tray for 2” and give out 9 pieces of nigiri sushi. I mean… Who does that? Let’s not even talk about who gets salmon or the masago. One person is going to eat 1 sushi less and still fork out 50% of the price. This party tray should be called “The Breakup for 2” instead.

Nana’s Green Tea, Japanese Matcha Dessert Franchise in Vancouvr

Nana’s Green Tea is a very good matcha dessert shop. They lived up to their name, everything related to matcha has a rich taste to it. It is well controlled so it doesn’t taste bitter. The cost of $8 per person on average is a little high, but their premium matcha is from Kyoto. It is very authentic and nothing is watered down. Please note that they also serve Hojicha dessert, ramen, and Donburi. I would definitely recommend Nana’s Green Tea.

Kamamarui Ramen and Don, Burnaby Ramen

I don’t understand why people are lining up for Kamamarui Ramen and Don. The only reason I can think of is perhaps there aren’t authentic ramen places nearby. I think these are all going to change as soon as the Marutama Ramen opens on Kingsway. Unfortunately, Kamamarui Ramen and Don is not worth the $15 per person price point for me. For the same price, I can get a better crafted authentic Japanese ramen from somewhere else.

Marulilu Cafe, Japanese Cafe Diner in Vancouver

I think the waffles are really worth it. The exterior is slightly charred to give it a crispy texture. Of course, the interior is very fluffy. It comes with unflavoured whipped cream and one with chocolate flavour. Eating the waffle with the whipped cream and syrup is heavenly.

Hokkaido Butter

Hokkaido Butter is really not in the leagues of other famous pre-packaged frozen desserts. The $9.99 package contain 4 ice cream cones inside, so they are $2.50 each. That is pretty expensive. I believe the careless temperature control during transportation ruined my first bite and the waffle texture. I cannot recommend something that is expensive and has low quality.

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