Continuing the bar hopping from the other day with my friend Ryan, I had forgotten that I wasn't in New York anymore and was reminded of how early restaurant close in Vancouver.

We walked for about 45 minutes around downtown Vancouver to look ANY open restaurant. We were desperate! It was a miracle when we found Guu's Kobachi.

735 Denman Street, Vancouver

When I saw the menu, it reminded me of Guu's menu and unique Japanese-styled food. It came as a surprise that with further research that this place was actually a branch of Guu! Everything they had on their menu was so unique and looked delicious.

But before we ordered food, we started with Sake. We spent so much at Raglan's Bistro that we felt kinda cheap so we bought the cheapest sake.

We had Gekkeikan sake served hot. Usually for sake, its served either cold or hot. It wasn't bad, it went down actually pretty well.

Gekkeikan - $5

For tapas, we decided on Black Calamari. It's basically calamari marinated with squid ink. It was pleasantly tasty! The dip it had was also an ink based sauce. It was sweet with a little hint of tomato. Yum!

This item was actually on their Friday special menu. So make sure you're there on a Friday to try this awesome dish!

Black Calamari - $8.20

 The final thing we ordered was the Beef Curry Poutine. It was slow stewed beef tendon curry with french fries and cheese melt. Since we were in a rush, we had to inhale these bad boys. It was served in one of those sizzling bowls. The great part about this was the curry seasoning. Apparently poutine was the theme of the night.

Beef Curry Poutine - $7.80

Overall, I had a great experience in Kobachi! The food was delicious and cheap (only spent about $21), the employees were very welcoming, and the atmosphere was fun. I would definitely come back here, next time with my family! A place like this is definitely a place my family would enjoy.

"It is the man who drinks the first bottle of saké; then the second bottle drinks the first, and finally it is the saké that drinks the man."

-Japanese Proverb

Spring Break is over and last night was my final night in Vancouver. Since I was so busy with packing and preparing for my trip back to New York City, I didn't have the time to blog about this event. We celebrated with a bang. Since Vancouver is known for it's amazing and fresh sushi, we went to Miku Restaurant in downtown Vancouver.

The restaurant is found right in front of the ocean, hence, waterfront.

As soon as you enter, you feel the modern and hip ambiance that the restaurant offers.

We were sat at the sushi bar, which surprisingly had a of space.

I didn't really know what to expect. Usually, sushi is sushi. It's either fresh or not. Nothing more and nothing less.

But what surprised me the most was the way they prepared their sushi. This is the first time I've seen Aburi Sushi. Aburi is inspired by the idea of sear-flaming sushi. It really added a new dynamic for the Japanese dish. Typically, they add the sauce then sear-flame it on top of the sushi. Miku Restaurant is famous for being one of the few spots that serve this style of sushi.

Here's a little demonstration:

Our waiter also said that Miku Restaurant sushis don't require any soy sauce for dipping. Each sushi has its own special sauces that is already added within the sushi itself.

Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi - $16

The first thing we ordered was the Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi. It had BC Wild Sockeye Salmon, jalapeño, and miku sauce. What is interesting about this is its unorthodox presentation. Rather than the common round sushi, the sushi is square shaped. This was probably one of the freshest sushis I've ever had. The special miku sauce complemented the sushi perfectly and the fact it was sear-flamed made it taste even better.

Miku Roll - $18

The next thing we ordered was the Miku Roll. This was AMAZING! it had salmon, crab, cucumber, sea urchin, and it is rolled in flying fish roe. Also, it has the same sear-flamed miku sauce.Very delicious! It almost melts in your mouth! I thought that having all these ingredients would be overwhelming and confusing, but everything seem to have created a dynamic flavored sushi that held the name of the restaurant.

Pan Seared Scallops - $18

We also ordered the Pan Seared Scallops. It is market fresh orange, watercress, frisée, crème fraîche, and yuzu puttanesca. I don't even know what more than half of these ingredients are, but the scallops were perfectly cooked. It wasn't too chewy or too soft and it was seasoned well. The orange also added a nice tangy flavor that aided the taste of the scallops.

Premium Aburi - $26

Finally, we ordered the Premium Aburi. It is the chef's selection feature seafood, lightly flame seared aburi style, and each paired with a unique house made sauce. It is really difficult to explain all of these, but each one of these sushis had a very unique taste. All of these were also sear-flamed. The only problem was that for its price, I would've wanted more!

Overall, everything I ate was amazing. If it wasn't for its expensive price, I would go here everyday! This place is definitely a place I would go to to celebrate special events!

"Don't dunk your nigiri in the soy sauce. Don't mix your wasabi in the soy sauce. If the rice is good, complement your sushi chef on the rice."

-Anthony Bourdain