In this post we were on our way to bubble tea, but took a detour to meat on sticks instead.
Enroute to a bubble tea shop that we would later learn was closed and that the map was wrong, my guest notice this yakitori shop and decided to go. She has never seen it and was surprised as such, seeing as she fancies herself one who knows about new restaurants and has tried many worth tasting.
I was interested seeing that they were sister to Zakkushi on Main Street, known for their skewers, but I have yet to try them. So decided this would be a good time and place to get a sense of the brand.
We learned that Yakitori Dining has been open for 2-3 years and also advertises themselves as a sake bar. In hindsight we should have ordered some sake given that fact, but ended up trying one of their signature cocktails from off of their daily features menu instead.
The Umeboshi Sour had a whole pickled plum and was 46ml Shochu with the rest being Soda. I was hoping for a more savoury drink, but got a salty carbonated water instead. Ironically, this meant I was looking for water to quench my throat. The drink made bites saltier and was hard to pair with any of the dishes we ordered, distracting from it. I did not like this and did not finish it.
“Shochu” is a Japanese indigenous distilled spirit, typically bottled at 25% ABV. Unlike brewed sake, it is made by fermenting starches or sugars with koji mold and distilling the mash. (As taken from a google search).
As for food we ordered a handful of skewers from their various menu sections. Also from “Today’s Specials” was the grilled okra. Each individual order comes with two skewers and multiple bites on each, making it great for sharing. I found the vegetable a refreshing bite that not only added a great crispy texture with a gummy centre, but some freshness to the meal as well. In hindsight I wished we ordered more such vegetables to have along with all the meaty morsels for balance.
My guest’s favourite grilled skewer is chicken heart. Available in either Teriyaki or Sea salt, we had the latter to be able to really make out the unique flavour of the organ meat. Sadly this too was too salty, which would be foreshadowing to come. It reminded me of liver in its dense gamey texture, but without any of that iron-rich flavour.
Continuing with our unusual organ meat trend we also ordered a stick of their Premium Beef Tongue. This was a thicker cut seasoned in salt and pepper. And once again, it was far too salty to get past and enjoy the soft and gristly chew of tongue on tongue.
We then got into a few speciality skewers with unique seasonings like the Umeshiso Yaki which is chicken thigh with sour plum and Japanese basil. The combination reminded me of an herbaceous and acid forward chimmichurri. It was tangy, bright, and not surprisingly overly salty. At this point I understood that the food was meant to be had with sake, which would have helped to cut into all the overwhelming saltiness we were experiencing, but we continued on with the rest of our order anyways.
We also had the Hashigo Set, which came with 4 different types of skewers: Momo, Pork, Me Maki, and Duck Breast. Each wasn’t distinct of the next, outside of the Me Maki which also included garlic stubs wrapped with sliced pork. I couldn’t tell the Momo chicken thigh apart from the duck.
The Mochi Maki was my favourite of all the stick options. This was sticky rice wrapped in sliced pork. It was equal bites smokey and meaty with a substantial chew. The mochi helping to curb the excess salt.
We also had item that didn’t have sticks attached to them. The Warayaki is straw-grilled yellowtail fish, served like sashimi on its own on the plate. Searing it over burning straw gives it a smoky and aromatic finish. The fish was gentle, and the fragrance of the smoke too strong. As is, the bold flavour felt incomplete and I was searching for a base to mellow it out with. Plain, steamed, white rice would have been helpful here.
The most memorable and enjoy dish was the Uni Yakionigiri. This was a grilled rice ball with two pieces of uni on seaweed. You eat it like a sandwich with two hands. It was piping hot, but tasty with the uni taking the lead. The rice was seasoned so that you could have it as is, once the uni was eaten. However I would use the excess rice as a base for all the meat above, and wished I just ordered a bowl of rice sooner. That would have more easily solved the saltiness issue, that and a bottle of sake to share.
I liked the setting and concept, I just didn’t like how salty the food was. Shame, because we went into this really wanting to enjoy our meal and eat lots.
Sake Dining HASHIGO by Zakkushi
1265 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1M5
(604) 558-3001
zakkushi.com
