Ebisu on Robson- BBQ Cuttlefish and Cajun Tuna Tacos! ~ Eating With Kirby

18 January 2012

Ebisu on Robson- BBQ Cuttlefish and Cajun Tuna Tacos!

Ebisu is normally not my go-to Japanese restaurant for tapas and drinks. I always found it a bit on the expensive side and sub-par compared to other establishments such as Guu, Hapa Izakaya, Nan Chuu, or Gyo-o.


On this occasion, my friend chose Ebisu on Robson to celebrate her birthday.

When flipping through the menu, I noticed the “Crème Brulee Cheesecake”. This instantly caught my eye because I absolutely adore crème brulee. I did not order it this time around but maybe on my next visit I will.

Before our table ordered, Trixie asked for tea instead of water. The waitress came back with a cup and teapot, and that was when we knew it was not complimentary. We all found it weird because we thought tea would be complimentary, just like how it is with the majority of other Japanese restaurants in Vancouver. Also, the waitress never told her there would be a charge for the tea.

First came the Chikuwa Cheese ($4.80) which is deep fried fish cake stuffed with mozzarella cheese. It was very delicious and definitely satisfying. Personally, I would have preferred more cheese inside the fish cake... or maybe even have mozzarella sprinkled on top and melted under the broiler. Now that would be cheese-tastic!

The Chopped Scallop Roll ($4.80) was terrific! The scallops were so fresh, the rice consistency was perfect, and the rice-to-filling ratio was good. I didn't expect it to be amazing, but it was!

I honestly didn’t think I would like the Cajun Tuna Tacos ($7.80) but again, Ebisu surprised me because they were crazy delicious! Everyone who tried these thought so as well. 

The tuna was seared really well, and the cooling mayo on top went perfectly with the Cajun spices. I would definitely recommend this appetizer.

We ordered the Kamei Katsu Don ($9.95) for some carbs and it was pretty good. This didn’t stand out among our dishes, but it was definitely not bad.

Now this, ladies and gentlemen, is a showstopper. We thought we were just getting regular BBQ Cuttlefish ($7.95) on a plate, but nooo, this came with a cool wooden block/grill and a flame for us to grill the squid! Pretty neat, eh?

The cuttlefish is not seasoned so you rely on the two side dips for extra flavour if needed. One is chilli powdered Japanese mayo and the other is a regular spicy sauce.

The cuttlefish came fully cooked already so you could technically eat it as is, but who wants to do that when you’ve got this awesome little grill!!

I love grilling so I hogged it. :P Good thing no one wanted to ‘do the work’ so I didn’t have to share the fun. :D

Last but not least, we ordered the Toro Inferno ($10.99). Bad choice. Yes, it was cool seeing the waitress torch the Tuna belly in front of us, but I could have done without if I knew how it tasted.

It came with 8 pieces of Toro that is box pressed with shiso, sesame, and sushi rice.

The Toro was incredibly bland and paper thin! Nobody liked it and all of us were disappointed with this dish. It was sad to end off our meal like this when every dish before it was great.

The birthday girl ordered this drink. I forgot what this was called (something Hello Kitty I think?) but it was fruity and delicious!

After this experience, I won't write off Ebisu just yet. They do have a few items here that I'd like to get again and were absolutely spectacular. At the same time, there were some items I wish I never tried. Just stay clear of the mediocre items and you should be fine.

Based on these reasons:
  • convenient location (right on Robson)
  • very modern and hip atmosphere
  • Must get items include: BBQ Cuttlefish and Cajun Tuna Tacos!!
Service Rating: 2.5/5
Food Rating: 3.5/5
Price: $$-$$$

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!


Ebisu on Robson on Urbanspoon

2 reacties:

  1. The BBQ Cuttlefish looks pretty good. LOL, I'd definitely try this when I go there again. I guess it's always fun to pay to cook your own food. xD

    ReplyDelete
  2. Haha, I feel like only Asians like to pay to cook our own food (ex. Hot pot) :P But I honestly love it!

    ReplyDelete

 
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