June 5th, 2009
For Sake All Others
To reclaim your sanity after a long day of dodging weekend shoppers downtown, forgo the fast food and instead take a seat at sake bar and bistro Shuraku.
Within a long, narrow room of deep, dark woods illuminated by a backlit rice paper wall, the young izakaya-style resto serves up deliciously fresh sushi alongside tantalizing warm dishes. Our Japanese-style BBQ back-rib ($16) fell right off the bone and the grilled sablefish marinated in sweet miso ($14) melted in our mouth. And should you feel adventurous, your order of spot prawn nigiri comes with the critter’s head for crunching on (surprisingly, it tasted like chips).
But more importantly, there’s a lengthy list of premium sakes, including a refreshing sake sangria ($6.25), that will erase all memory of the half hour spent waiting for the dressing room.
Shuraku, 833 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-687-6622, www.shuraku.net
