And some amazing small plates of food to match
Mark Laba
Province
Host Yasuhiro Hayashi (left) and sushi chef Koji Zenimaru with sashimi at Kingyo. Photograph by : Jason Payne, The Province
KINGYO
Where: 871 Denman St., Vancouver
Payment/reservations: Major credit cards, 604-608-1677
Drinks: Fully licensed
Hours: 5:30 p.m. to midnight every day
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Izakaya restaurants are fast becoming the new Starbucks of Vancouver. There seems to be one going up on every corner and it won’t be long before banana bread and frappacinos are replaced by green tea and blowtorched mackerel. Hearing about this new joint and its stylish leanings I paid a visit with my brother The Professor and his wife, Mrs. Brains and Beauty for company.
The joint was jumping to say the least and the interior design is pretty eye-catching. A small bar is covered with a roof of ceramic tiling with aged post-and-beam ornamental lumber that seems removed from the Forbidden City. A long communal bench in the centre of the restaurant is divided down the middle by a tall grove of live bamboo, brushed concrete walls add an industrial touch to the feudal Japan stylings, tables are built of ancient doors and traditional Japanese widow screens get a sleek black modern update.
Plenty of alluring libations for sipping, from inventive cocktails to premium hot or cold sake. All go well with the small-plate menu or Japanese tapas as we now call it. The back of the menu delivers a small treatise on salt, this place utilizing three types: from Utah, Himalayan crystal salt and a sun- dried Japanese sea salt.
We began with a daily fresh sheet offering of tuna sashimi ($11.80), the slippery critters a voluptuous deep red and the soft texture of Rita Hayworth’s lips, all elegantly draped over cubes of ice and surrounded by a tumbleweed of daikon radish strands. Needless to say, the presentation, like all dishes here, was beautiful. Oh yeah, the fish was good, too.
Ms. B&B glanced around at the trendy Japanese youth chowing down. “Amazing style. Retro meets hip hop mixed with grunge. It’s like Grandmaster Flash remixing Kurt Cobain while wearing Hello Kitty sweat pants.”
Next up, grilled black cod with miso ($9.80), a tasty dish with the salty miso invigorating the buttery fish but a tiny portion.
Then it was grilled yellowtail cheek ($7.80) simply served with salt. “Yikes,” The Professor said looking at the dish. “This thing looks like they went out and found the jaw of a pterodactyl.” It really did look prehistoric with a couple of big fins sticking out but with a great salt-coated skin and altogether delicious.
Onward to the fantastic Stone Unagi Bowl ($8.80) with grilled eel and pickles on rice, served at the table in a sizzling stone bowl over which the waitress poured egg so that it cooked on the spot. Amazing flavours in this dish as well as with the grilled mackerel ($7.80) done up with lemon, dill, onions, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and soya sauce for a kind of Japanese-style mackerel with a Mediterranean twist. Finished off with the ebi tempura rice ball ($6.80), three portions consisting of a rice ball with prawn tempura nestled on top and capped with salmon roe, served on a square of seaweed. You simply wrap the seaweed around the whole shlimazel, pick it up and pop it in your mouth. Like a Japanese taco.
This place begs a return visit with dishes like the ebi chili pita sandwich, grilled pork cheek and cream crab cake beckoning to me. And when Starbucks starts serving a beef tongue frappacino, I’ll be the first one in line.
THE BOTTOM LINE
All of God’s creatures beautifully laid out for eating.
Grade: Food: A-; Service: A; Atmosphere: A+
© The Vancouver Province 2007
