Kuro Katsu

This place is a terrific find. In an area dominated by excellent Korean restaurants and excellent sushi restaurants, it’s nice to have a Japanese alternative that offers a hot personal grilling experience.

The interior is open and inviting, and service is friendly and enthusiastic. The menu focuses on a range of set meals that generally include:

  • soup
  • salad
  • some Japanese pickles and side dishes
  • Shredded cabbage with dressing
  • an assortment of sauces depending upon which main protein you select

The protein choices for your personal grill are:

  • beef loin
  • premium beef
  • chicken
  • cheese
  • tofu

They also offer a chicken karaage meal that is some of the best fried chicken I’ve had anywhere. The pieces are much bigger than the traditional bite-sized pieces, and the mound of chicken was enough for two people. We took half of it home and shared it for dinner the next night.

I really can’t say enough nice things about this place. It’s very close to where we live, and I’m glad we discovered it.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/kuro-katsu-vancouver

Chef Ron

Chef Ron is a most unusual restaurant. At first it seems it is going to be Middle Eastern, with lots of kebabs and such. But there are also hamburgers, hot dogs, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, pastas, Greek, Chinese, and even tempura! Oh, and American breakfast. So I guess the theme is “There is no theme”.

We started with the hummus appetizer. It was served with tortilla chips, so I guess that’s a Mexican element, too. It was quite good.

I had the Loghmeh, a minced spice lamb dish, cooked on skewers. It was a very generous serving, and was delicious.

My companion had the shrimp tempura, which was also very good. It was served with nicely crisped shoestring french fries.

The house white wine is a delicious Pinot Grigio.

Service was friendly and efficient.

Guu with Garlic

This is a traditional Japanese Izakaya with an extensive menu of both cooked and raw items.

I had the 5 Kinds of Sashimi, which consisted of 15 generous slices. Fish quality was very good.

Be sure to check out all the chalkboards around the room, as there are a lot of items that are not on the menu,

They have a nice selection of sake and beer, including my favorite Sapporo Black.

Service was friendly.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/guu-with-garlic-vancouver-2

Avo House

Avo House has a delightful selection of sushi and other Japanese treats. The fish is fresh, and the rolls are creative. The Bento box lunch combination is a great deal, combining your choice of main (mine was sashimi plus a dynamite roll) with soup, salad, and side dish of your choice, which can even include tempura! I love that hot green tea is served as soon as you sit down. Service is friendly.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/avo-house-vancouver