sushi gallery: best sushi near UBC

 i always crave sushi as it is my favourite food, but i find the stuff at UBC and the village not appetizing at all especially for the expensive prices. 

therefore, since UBC is on the west side, it is not short on cheap and delicious food that come with a short bus ride (especially the quick 99). so i decided to travel a bit to sushi gallery after reading good reviews online for the good food and cheap prices.

their menu is very extensive with many rolls, combos and boxes and it actually took me FOREVER to decide what to eat. 

i ended up getting both the spicy dynamite roll and spicy salmon roll both with brown rice (although i only asked for one roll since the price was charged per roll, they gave it to me for both and did not charge me more). 

spicy dynamite roll ($3.95) - although not on the menu of rolls, i saw it as a part of the combos and the restaurant was extremely nice about basically customizing anything. this was SUPER spicy but very delicious. filled with prawn tempura and crabmeat, it was huge. 

4/5

spicy salmon roll ($3.50 + 50c for brown rice) - again not on the menu but they had no problem creating it for me. same spicy sauces and again a huge portion for a super cheap price. the only thing was that the brown rice made it a little bit mushy and a bit TOO spicy so it was a bit one noted. 

4/5

nonetheless, i would return again and again because i only paid $8 for 2 meals worth of food. i would like to try some of the special rolls one day and the staff there are extremely accommodating! they offer miso soup and green tea if you eat in and even to have while waiting for your food. 

if you want sushi near UBC, GONOW!

kawa sushi: cheap sushi makes for bland sushi?

a couple months ago, i got a takeout menu in the mail for a new sushi place near my house called kawa sushi. the menu was full of special rolls that were reasonably priced and seemed pretty good. finally, i got around to getting take out from the little restaurant and although it wasnt bad, i was disappointed. 

power roll ($6.95): prawn tempura, cucumber and avocado topped with salmon and tuna - honestly, there was nothing really wrong with the roll, the prawn was crispy and the slices of fish were nice and thick. the only thing was that the whole thing didnt have very much taste. there were no sauces which i knew when i ordered it but for some reason, i though it would just have more flavour. 

3/5

at first i thought $6.95, thats not bad but after eating the roll, i realized that other special rolls elsewhere that are tastier are around the same price. i would return to try different rolls but for now, even though $6.95 sounds good on paper, it did not reach my expectations. 

pike place chowder: seattle staple

during the summer, my family went to seattle and decided to visit pike place market. its almost like a permanent farmers market in seattle that is a tourist essential. even though we'd been there multiple times, it was our first time trying the very popular pike place chowder. 

the chowders were delicious especially their original clam chowder and their rolls were pretty good too! the only thing is that the prices are quite high just because of the name and place. also there is almost always a line but definitely worth checking out with in the seattle area! 

smoked salmon chowder, new england clam chowder, dungeness crab roll, oregon bay shrimp roll, curried chicken roll 

curried chicken roll ($8.95) - chicken breast with a curry dressing, tossed with raisins, celery and almonds: this was good but there wasn't that much chicken and was quite a small roll. i loved the addition of raisins for a nice sweet contrast. 

4/5

dungeness crab roll ($12.95) - didn't try this but my parents enjoyed it! 

new england clam chowder (medium - $6.25): this is voted as one of the best in the nation and I AGREE. it was delicious and creamy, filled with lots of clams. compared to the smoked salmon chowder (same price) this was the clear winner. the smoked salmon chowder was not in anyway bad, but it tasted very ordinary. 

4.75/5

guu richmond: its guuu'd

ah guu, delicious authentic japanese food in richmond! guu is an izakaya type place with lunch specials that are different every day and lunch boxes that are available all the time. perfect for any japanese cravings while at aberdeen. 

i usually come here with my mom because she loves izakaya but does not like driving downtown so this location is perfect. we ordered 2 dishes to share and it was more than enough and very delicious! 

overall, i love guu and the variety that is has to offer plus the super fresh fish every time we go, just looking at the pictures makes me wanna go again! (even though i went last week :P) 

nabeyaki udon ($8.80) - udon with prawn tempura, egg, chicken, fish cake and green onion - this was a very good flavourful broth with al dente noodles and a decent amount of toppings. not bad for the price! 

4.25/5

one complaint though was the tempura, the batter was not crispy or flaky enough and we already had it on the side. 

sushi box ($12.95) : tuna, boiled shrimp and salmon sushi, salmon and sweet shrimp sashimi, california roll, egg, grilled mackerel, chicken karaage and rice - this is our go to at guu richmond. it has the perfect variety to please both the fish and deep fried cravings. my mom loves mackerel and this one is good albeit a bit salty. there is also this tiny portion of spicy fish right in the middle and this goes perfect with the rice. 

4.5/5

bubble waffle cafe: no such thing as too many

these group buy deals are killing me! there was one recently for bubble waffle cafe (public market location) with 5 bubble waffles for only 5 dollars. considering that a regular priced bubble waffle ANYWHERE is around 4 dollars, this was a great deal. unfortunately, i redeemed it a bit late and again consumed 5 bubble waffles in two weeks. luckily these ones are DELICIOUS. 

original bubble waffle (regular $3.75) - these were DELICIOUS x10. they reminded me of some of the best i tried in hong kong. they make it fresh in front of you in the tiniest shop imaginable but when you pop them into your mouth, there's a perfect crisp from the shell but the middle is a nice soft fluffy cloud of food heaven. this shop was manned by a couple young guys but they know how to make good bubble waffle. 

(ps. we bought so many that we would retoast them at home and they were still delicious!)

4.75/5

(oops, fail camera focus)

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!