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Oink Sep 13th 2010 10:03 pm

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 

Originally Posted by Alan2005 (Post 8845928)
I still reckon sushi is the simplest thing in the world to make. Slice a bit of fish and put it on some rice - how hard can that be?

I sort of understand but I think there's more to it than that. Selecting the freshest and best part of the fish, knowing what flavours to combine, presentation of ingredients, speed of technique to name but a few. I find that, unlike western food, the Japanese food experience is a lot about aesthetic sensations rather than filling up the tank. Of course I might simply be romancing the concept too much.

Alan2005 Sep 13th 2010 10:06 pm

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 

Originally Posted by JonboyE (Post 8845890)
I am not sure I agree. I don't know what Thai food "should" taste like. I would chose a restaurant where the staff spoke Thai rather than Cantonese in the belief that I am more likely to get authentic tasting Thai food. Of course, I could be completely wrong - but then I would never know in any case.

I want a roast dinner with Yorkshire pudding. There are two restaurants and I poke my head around the door of each. In the first I am greeted with "irasshaimase", in the second "ay up chuck". I am eating in the second.

Well, the thing is Japanese food is mature in Vancouver, much like Indian food is in the UK. As you say, people have grown up with it and know what it should taste like, and that applies to many in Vancouver. Maybe not our generation, but the next one.

(Thai food here is generally adjusted to the local market even if it's got thai people running it. Typically it's remove the spiciness and increase the gloopiness - I suspect for Canadian and Chinese tastes respectively. I don't necessarily think adjusting food in this way is necessarily a bad thing, although with thai food it is, but with 95% of chinese food it's a bloody good job that they adjust it for western tastes imo).

Alan2005 Sep 13th 2010 10:08 pm

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 

Originally Posted by Oink (Post 8845965)
I sort of understand but I think there's more to it than that. Selecting the freshest and best part of the fish, knowing what flavours to combine, presentation of ingredients, speed of technique to name but a few. I find that, unlike western food, the Japanese food experience is a lot about aesthetic sensations rather than filling up the tank. Of course I might simply be romancing the concept too much.

You may well be right. Having some over bearing cradle serve it up would probably ruin the ambiance.

Novocastrian Sep 13th 2010 10:34 pm

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 

Originally Posted by Oink (Post 8845865)
Generally, Japanese trained sushi chefs have about ten years of training while Billy Bob on a Canadian equivalent of a YOP working in a low end restaurant isn't going to have the same level of skill, judgment and dare I say, dedication to quality. It's not really about ethnicity, it's about competency.

I'm no expert, But this 10 years training thing is a bit suspect. I recently saw (perhaps in the UK, I'm not sure) a documentary about European chefs taking training in Japan to become accredited sushi chefs.

The point was made that locals had to start sweeping floors and spend years, perhaps 10, working the way up the ladder, whereas the Europeans could fork out (or chopstick out) $20k or so, and get qualified in 12 weeks.

Oink Sep 13th 2010 10:51 pm

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 

Originally Posted by Novocastrian (Post 8846063)
I'm no expert, But this 10 years training thing is a bit suspect. I recently saw (perhaps in the UK, I'm not sure) a documentary about European chefs taking training in Japan to become accredited sushi chefs.

The point was made that locals had to start sweeping floors and spend years, perhaps 10, working the way up the ladder, whereas the Europeans could fork out (or chopstick out) $20k or so, and get qualified in 12 weeks.

I'm not an expert either, but I'd much rather be served sushi by a Japanese chef after years of training by osmosis, than some spotty-faced truculent teenager in a dirty Pantera tee-shirt.

Novocastrian Sep 13th 2010 11:32 pm

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 

Originally Posted by Oink (Post 8846093)
I'm not an expert either, but I'd much rather be served sushi by a Japanese chef after years of training by osmosis, than some spotty-faced truculent teenager in a dirty Pantera tee-shirt.

Did you know that osmosis causes spotty-faces?

Oink Sep 14th 2010 5:33 am

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 

Originally Posted by Novocastrian (Post 8846182)
Did you know that osmosis causes spotty-faces?

That's soo David Hume. Do you like billiards?

Londonuck Sep 14th 2010 7:07 am

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 

Originally Posted by nikkif99uk (Post 8845451)
I started eating sushi when i lived in vanouver for 9 1/2 months back in 07/08 when I was studying at SFU for 2 semesters, then I came back to the UK and its so expensive and the ones in supermarkets are gross in comparison i mean the tuna sushi here is made from tuna mayonaise!!!

Cannot wait to have real affordable sushi when i move over on my 12 month work visa in november

Im the same. Went back to the UK and couldnt get over how pants the sushi was. Slug crawling up some rice springs to mind. There is a very good one now up on Lavender Hill in Clapham Junction. Still, i was the only one ordering 20 pieces while everyone else seems to eat the various ramens. Went to Orlando a couple of years back and found a small sushi place down a back street. 48 pieces for about 25 bucks. Stuffed ourselves silly all week. If anyone is in the N Van area check out Hachi Hana. My fav place for the old raw fish.

canadian_bacon_boy Sep 14th 2010 7:59 am

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 

Originally Posted by helcat12 (Post 8845590)
I have never eaten sushi - will I like it, do you think?
I am not grossed out by the raw fish idea like many people over here but if it is anything other than fresh off the boat, I think I will run a mile!

Our family cannot stand it aside from my 13 yearold son who if he could would live on it.

We visit Yo! sushi in the Uk because you can get miso soup and noodles which means he can eat raw fish while we still have a meal.

He is looking forward to moving to Vancouver next year as sushi is far more common than in the UK. In the cotswolds where we live you have to resort to going to tesco and buying a crappy little pack for a high price just to have something.

Sushi is really one of those things that you either like or don't. I can't stand it myself.

mandymoochops Sep 14th 2010 8:46 am

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 

Originally Posted by canadian_bacon_boy (Post 8846821)
Our family cannot stand it aside from my 13 yearold son who if he could would live on it.

We visit Yo! sushi in the Uk because you can get miso soup and noodles which means he can eat raw fish while we still have a meal.

He is looking forward to moving to Vancouver next year as sushi is far more common than in the UK. In the cotswolds where we live you have to resort to going to tesco and buying a crappy little pack for a high price just to have something.

Sushi is really one of those things that you either like or don't. I can't stand it myself.

I must've only ever tried the plastic crap sushi because I thought it was dreadful.

Will attempt to find a decent one (if there is such a thing) in Edmonton, and revisit the taste

Londonuck Sep 14th 2010 8:47 am

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 

Originally Posted by canadian_bacon_boy (Post 8846821)
Our family cannot stand it aside from my 13 yearold son who if he could would live on it.

We visit Yo! sushi in the Uk because you can get miso soup and noodles which means he can eat raw fish while we still have a meal.

He is looking forward to moving to Vancouver next year as sushi is far more common than in the UK. In the cotswolds where we live you have to resort to going to tesco and buying a crappy little pack for a high price just to have something.

Sushi is really one of those things that you either like or don't. I can't stand it myself.



Yo Sushi is all thats wrong with sushi in UK!

helcat12 Sep 14th 2010 8:58 am

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 
I saw Rick Stein hack up a mackerel while it was still kicking on a fishing boat and serve it as sushi to some fishermen on the boat. They had mostly nee tasted it before, but seemed to like it a lot. I am sure that fresh, it is fantastic, but that is true for all fish really isn't it?

Jerv73 Sep 14th 2010 11:37 am

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 
After having a medical in June and are currently waiting a responce, it is nice to read a first hand account on what to expect on your arrival as it is always the samll things that can cause the most problems.

It is nice to see that you can now exchange your car licence so easy in B.C. now.

Many thanks

dboy Sep 14th 2010 2:04 pm

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 

Originally Posted by Oink (Post 8845525)
I made a double mistake a week ago. Firstly, I let down my guard and was influenced by other people's recommendations (most people have crap taste) and secondly, I went to an all-you-can-eat place for the sashimi, yuck, its was disgusting. From now on, and depending on budget, its either Tojo's, Yoshi's or Kibune, the rest can go and have a ride on a donkey.

I had some terrible sashimi here on teh north shore a few months back. It's put me right off. Some other high end places I used to go to were Octopus Garden on Cornwall, one on 4 th a sushi tapas place that i cant recall the name of and another one on yew just off of cornwall that used to be the Urban Well some years back.

My wife likes Kaydoya on Davie and thurlow which is pretty good for a cheaper place.

dboy Sep 14th 2010 2:08 pm

Re: Arrived last week in Vancouver - useful facts (I hope)
 

Originally Posted by Alan2005 (Post 8845837)
Of course that argument falls down because we do know better and we do know what it should taste like - otherwise why would we make the effort to find these 'authentic' places in the first place. Given a recipe and the right ingredients anybody who is good with food can make anything.

You wouldn't read "I went to a steak house and it was really good because all the chefs were white north americans" and I find it odd that we insist on it for other cuisines. I'm guilty of this too - experience has taught me that most thai restaurants in Vancouver are really chinese restaurants in disguise. It doesn't have to be this way though; plenty of people with chinese bankgrounds operated good thai places in bangkok (also when I was there and I wanted some western food I didn't seek out those places that had white european chefs).

Wild Rice is a higher end Chinese place on Pender near tinsletown. Everyone in there was white! It actually seemed odd. The food was great but spendy


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