Review of Kawawa

E15 - 4700 Kingsway (Metrotown)
Burnaby
604.435.8577

Meal
Dinner

Cost
$

Entree
Kawawa Ramen

The Low-Down
Average

Review
I consistently say that ramen isn't all that great of a meal. Funny thing is, I consistently go try ramen restaurants when enough time has past for me to forget the last experience. Well, here I am again at a ramen shop. And once again, it's pretty average. I thought I would go for one of the specially named items on the menu. I thought, "It might just surprise me". Nope. Wrong again. This is pretty average. If you're craving ramen and just finished shopping, this might be a place you want to hit up, but I definitely wouldn't purposely come here.

Kawawa Ramen

SIDE NOTE: I recently came back from Japan, and the ramen there is SUPERB! I still crave the ramen in Japan. I was going to give this a disappointing rating after the experience in Japan, but I thought I should compare it to Vancouver standards. So average it is.

Review of Gyudonya

500 Robson Street
Vancouver
604.569.0259

Meal
Lunch

Cost
$

EntreeChicken Bowl Value Meal

The Low-Down
Deal

Review
This is the first time I've tried this type of Japanese cuisine in Vancouver and I thought my first time was delightful. I wasn't expecting too much since usually this type of cuisine is more like Japanese fast food. However, the BBQ chicken was delicious, plus the sauce drizzled on top of the rice was tasty. It did get a bit salty at the end since all the sauce sinks to the bottom. The salad dressing was subtle and did not drench the salad. All in all, for the price, I'd say this was a pretty good deal.

Chicken Bowl Value Meal

Review of Anatoli Souvlaki

website
5 Lonsdale Avenue
North Vancouver
604.985.9853

Meal
Dinner

Cost
$$

Entree
Spanakopita
Chicken Souvlaki

The Low-Down
Disappointing

Review
I was craving some Greek food and this place was close to where I was. I've gone before and it didn't make a very good impression on me, but I was willing to give it another try. I didn't feel like eating in since last time, the service was terrible. So, I decided to go for some takeout. The Spanakopita was decent and even tasty. However, that was about the only thing that was good. The pita bread that came with the meals was stale and hard. A good place makes Chicken Souvlaki that is still tender and moist. This place was fairly dry. I gave it a fair second chance and I think I'm writing this one off the list as well.

Pita Bread

Spanakopita

Chicken Souvlaki

Review of Benkei

1741 Robson Street
Vancouver
604.688.6980

Meal
Dinner

Cost
$

Entree
Miso Ramen with Chasu

The Low-Down
Disappointing

Review
I've tried several ramen places in Vancouver before and I've never been a big fan. This place was relatively new and I thought that this time would be different. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The dish was fairly average looking and the taste wasn't much better. It was decent, but it was no different than any other ramen shop. Similarly to other ramen shops, the bowl of noodles was pretty small and there were only two pieces of chasu. I was still hungry by the end of my "dinner". This one is off my list.

Miso Ramen with Chasu

Review of Lao Shan Dong

4887 Kingsway
Burnaby
604.439.9588

Meal
Lunch

Cost
$

Entree
Large Noodle with Dumplings in Spicy Soup

The Low-Down
Delicious

Review
This place is amazing! I've had their other noodles in soup before, but I have to say, the dumplings are my favourite. When the bowl of noodles comes out, it is alway piping hot and the sight of it makes my mouth water. The noodles are consistently made well and the dumplings are wonderful. Last, but not least is their soup. It is a special type of soup that I've never had anywhere else and this is what makes the whole bowl of noodles have such flavour. I love noodles in soup, and this place could very well be my favourite place to have them.

Large Noodle with Dumplings in Spicy Soup