From the same folks behind my favourite udon spot: Mazesoba comes a completely new dining concept. And based on the fact that this is their second location and that there are already lines despite them only opening a week ago, it looks like they have another hit on their hands.
This is Hungry Tiger, a Japanese style grill and bbq spot. Their original location is in Kitsilano, the one I visited today was their second in the Brentwood area of Burnaby.
They have taken up home from the tempura place that came before them and have basically left the decor as is, just adding a couple of grill sheets and miscellaneous tiger references to tie the space to their name. It didn’t bother me all too much, but the space felt a little dressy and posh to have such a fun a fresh brand and menu.
You order your meal via a touch screen iPad affixed to each table, and the food gets brought out to you. However, as you wait you can help yourself to the salad bar. This is a refrigerated unit with shredded cabbage, pickled carrot and daikon, plus julienne green onion. All of which are offered to compliment their meat forward offerings. You can dress the lettuce with a sesame sauce, use the onion alongside chilli as a topping, and the pickles serve as great breaks with their acidity.
We ordered a few dishes to be able to best explore the menu. It is divided by their signature bowls, noodles, and curry, with sides and add ons to customize. Each of their dishes comes in your choice of char-grilled protein in either beef short ribs, chicken, pork, or a combination of any of the two.
I am a fan of Japanese curry so wanted to try their curry bowl. However it wasn’t the sweet creamy curry I had envisioned, but a zesty number with bold flavour and a chunky texture that hid the chicken we ordered with it. Here the salad bar pickles were helpful.
The Soba comes in signature with one type of protein of deluxe with two. We got pork and short ribs in a fruity umami flavour over the sweet and mildly spicy. I didn’t get any fruit nor did I find it uniquely savoury and rich with umami. It was just as well as I ended up using the sauce on the side as dip and got all the sweet and salty flavour I needed from that. Accompanied by chilled buckwheat noodles with half a soft boiled egg, shredded lettuce and seaweed, and julienne cucumber and pickles that you stir up and together for a cold noodle salad of sorts. Unfortunately, I poured too much sauce over it and made things too salty, instead of being the neutral base for the grilled meat, as intended.
All the sets come with a side of miso soup, which I found salty and flat. And by the time we got to each side of seaweed it was stale, but it didn’t matter too much as we were all here for the meat. Thinly sliced and easy to chew down or pry from around bone. The beef short ribs were my favourite with their crispy char. So good that I wish I ordered the rice bowl below with just it. If and when I come back I will order the rice bowl again and do just that.
Instead, I also made their rice bowls deluxe by choosing to have it with both pork and beef short ribs again. This is the best combo and the one to get, finished off with a runny egg to add a lovely gumminess to the rice. There was plenty of meat to have with it and with and the salad completed the serving.
The Chargrilled Pork Bone-in Roast came highly recommend by the staff, given its showy presentation. Served on a cast iron plate it comes to the table still sizzling and fresh from its flame searing. The sauce gets poured over table side and the sizzle and smoke show only grows. We got the large and it came with rice cakes. I love rice cakes so loved the idea, but found both meat and rice cake on the harder and dry side and in need of a thick sauce or gravy to add moisture and soften. As is, I also found both plain and in need of a sauce or some toppings from the salad bar to give it some character, especially when compared to the tasty grilled meats above. I did enjoy prying the more tender chunks off from around the bone though.
And as a two in one for drink and dessert, we took our server’s recommendation and ordered both the strawberry and chocolate milk shake, made with real ice cream. I thought it a nice treat, but not all that complimentary to the meal. I wanted something more refreshing to counter balance all the meat, like an ice tea. Whereas this ice cream beverage just felt as heavy as the meat, making me more fuller faster.
In short this is such a great concept with delicious food and the neighbourhood is already eating it up.
The Hungry Tiger Grill Kitchen
1901 Rosser Ave unit 106b, Burnaby, BC V5C 6R6
(604) 566-1557
