My oh-so-lovely yogi friend Misu told me about this new
restaurant that came about in Steveston, Richmond. It’s called Moncton Cafe,
and let me tell you, you will NEVER guess what cuisine they serve based on
the exterior.
It is located next door to “Storybrooke Pet Shelter”... hehehe.
SQUEE!! ‘Once Upon A Time’ fans rejoice!
Upon walking in, you will be greeted by some friendly
Japanese ladies who will seat you and give you a Yoshoku inspired menu.
Still don’t know what they serve? Moncton Cafe specializes
in Western style Japanese cuisine called Yoshoku which was popular in the 1970’s
in Tokyo, Japan. They have everything from curry rice, salads, Tokyo style
spaghetti, to hamburg rice.
Their dessert menu is pretty unique and quite a few items
caught my eye. Unfortunately, I was too full from lunch to order any.
All of their lunch menu items come with soup and salad. I
adore clear soup and this veggie filled broth provided exactly what I needed
before a meal. Something light to wet the palate in preparation for the main
course... Muahahaha.
Misu ordered the Shrimp
Creamy Gratin ($12.00) which is a ‘shrimp, mushroom, and shell macaroni
covered with creamy white soy bean sauce’. It comes with bread, a side salad and
a small potato salad.
There was ample cheese for her to indulge in but the soy
bean in the so-called ‘white soy bean sauce’ was undetectable. Misu said that overall,
it tasted just like something from Milestones. Not that it was a bad thing. Just
not... super special.
Having done a bit of research before coming, I heard their
hamburg patties were an absolute hit so I went for the House Hamburg ($13.00). Hamburg is a popular dish in Japan similar
to the westernized, Salisbury steak. It’s
made from ground meat and a variety of ingredients, and then made into a flat
circular shape. It was incredibly popular in the 60’s and 70’s as a more
affordable way of eating meat.
The hamburger steak had a kickass mushroom and onion demi-glace
sauce on top and it really did live up to my expectations. They also did not
skimp on the meat too and I received a very large patty the size of my whole
hand.
The lettuce in the side salad was fresh and I enjoyed the
potato salad. Everything I ate gave me a sense of home cooking, like I was in a
Japanese kitchen or on the set of “Cooking With Dog” (anybody watch them too? :D)
Overall, Misu and I both found the prices here to be quite
expensive (~$16 for lunch) considering the ambiance and location. However, the
portion sizes are large and you can tell each dish was made with love and care.
Service Rating: 4/5
Food Rating: 4/5
Price: $$-$$$ ($10-30)
Overall Rating: 4/5
Happy Eating!
I love YOSHOKU!! So....Nice Japanese western food!! Japanese desert too!
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