We were lucky to snag a pass and partake in the Kingyo Craze. For $19, you get five courses to sample. Unfortunately, VANEATS is not selling the dining package anymore but this may give you an insight on some of the food that they have on the menu.
Sashimi Salad
three kinds of sashimi (changes daily) on a bed of organic springs dressed with soy based vinaigrette and garlic oil
The vinaigrette was literally beyond anything words could possibly describe. It was far different than any other dressing our taste palettes have ever experienced (we suspect it may be the garlic oil addition).
3.5/5
Chicken Breast Tender and Cod Roe Spring Roll
served with a side of mayo & special soy sauce
We were surprised by how good this tasted and craved for more after we were finished. The batter was light, exterior crisp (reminiscent of chinese spring rolls fried right) and the chicken breast was tender. The addition of mozzarella cheese is genius! As a result the roll was not ‘dry’ and the texture of the cheese carefully aided in blending the flavours of cod, chicken, herbs and seaweed together.
When dipped into the mayo and soy sauce concoction, it was incredibly savoury!
4/5
Deep Fried Tofu and Mushrooms
served in a sizzling stone bowl
Not extraordinary. Reminded me of these stone bowls my family would get at Chinese restaurants. Wasn’t too fond of the sticky texture coming from the okra though.
3/5
Seared Negitoro Sushi
chopped tuna & green onions with seaweed paste and Kingyo’s original sauce
My second time having a rectangular shaped sushi, the first being at Hapa Umi (now renamed Hapa Izakaya located by Waterfront station). I was quite impressed with this dish even though I feel impartial towards tuna.
4/5
Christmas Chicken
We ordered the Christmas Chicken in case we were still hungry. At the time, this was available on their holiday menu. A deep fried spring chicken, marinated in kelp and seasoned. Since it IS a spring chicken, it isn’t too big and when split was a fair amount. The Christmas Chicken was a bit on the dry side and we resolved this by dipping it in some leftover mayo/ponzu sauce from the spring rolls.
3/5
Matcha Cheesecake
The Matcha cheesecake was purely cheesecake. I could hardly taste any matcha flavouring. So approach it as a cheesecake, and don’t get your hopes up if you are a matcha junkie.
2/5
Pros:
- Authentic Japanese food.
- Very inviting and intimate atmosphere.
- Well decorated, lots of seating.
- Extensive menu.
- Moderately priced.
Cons:
- Hard to flag down servers during peak dinner hours, and especially on a Friday night.
- Parking can be quite troublesome. It is downtown after all.
Will we return?:
If we are ever in the neighbourhood we will. The only thing with Kingyo is its accessibility. Most izakayas locations” like Guu waterfront or Hapa yaletown or waterfront are situated close to train stations. It is true that the food at Kingyo is slightly different and menu more extensive than most places but not by much and certainly not enough to get me to drive downtown or take several trains and buses to get there (training downtown then taking robson bus).
