689 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC
604-638-5418
Since Kim's post on I'm Only Here for the Food, Taiko has been on Buddha Boy's wishlist for quite some time. I was a bit skeptical since it's another Japanese AYCE, and honestly, aren't they all same? Overall, we enjoyed Taiko. At $23.95/adult for dinner, the price was more reasonable than Kingsway Sushi (where we usually go for AYCE). Kingsway Sushi charges $28.95/adult on weekdays and $29.95/adult on weekends. Believe it or not, we actually felt like we're dining at a non-AYCE as oppose to one of those factory-like AYCE restaurants...if you know what I mean...hahaha! I actually had time in between to snap pictures of all the food! Service wise, it's a hit and miss, more misses than hits...well, after all, it's an AYCE.
Sockeye and Atlantic Sashimi...AYCE quality.
Spicy Tuna Sashimi (left), Tuna Tataki (right)...we thought both were actually quite nice.
Miso Soup (left), Seaweed Salad (right)...pretty standard.
Goma-ae (left), Ebi Sunomono (right)...again, both AYCE quality.
California Roll and Chopped Scallop Roll (left), Spider Roll (right)...the chopped scallop roll was actually quite tasty.
Tamago Sushi (left), Deep-Fried Smelt (right)...the sushi was pretty standard. The fish was disappointing, two out of four were bitter with no roe.
Yam Tempura (left), Prawn Tempura (right)...we were actually quite shocked with how light the batter was...these were yummy!
Chicken Karaage (left), Pork Katsu (right)...the wings were nicely marinated and deep-fried, tender and moist. Nothing special about the tonkatsu.
Deep Fried Gyoza (left), Pan Fried Gyoza (right)...both were ok, I liked the pan-fried ones better.
BBQ Chicken Heart (left), BBQ Chicken Gizzard (right)...yummy! I love chicken hearts and chicken gizzards!!!
BBQ Spicy Wings (left), Chicken Teriyaki (right)...the wings were juicy and tasty, but not spicy. Nothing special about the chicken teriyaki.
I wonder if you had noticed this but after a first initial order, the food that follows is very very slow and a lot of the time the wrong food is delivered, (i got gizzards once and i had no idea what they were). Did you feel that it was slow at all? My friend's parents are the owners and i talked to them about it so maybe the problem is gone.
ReplyDeleteOne last thing to say, I had a group of 12(we're all teenagers) and we ordered 80 sashimi and the manager came up to us and said, NO! you may only have 20. I thought this was kind of rude but thats just me =)
David, welcome to our blog. I agree that there are definitely service issues at this place, it was a bit of hit and miss. We ordered oyster motoyaki and it never came, I even reordered and it still didn't come. I think the tea cups are really too small, two swallows, and it's empty, and to get service to refill can be a hit and miss.
ReplyDeleteOn our second order, we did notice things did get cut in half from what we ordered, but we're used to that, we just order again.
If a manager said no to an order, that's inexcusable, from a service standpoint, they could have just reduced the order and just have you reorder, but limiting to just 20 for a group of 12? that's just wrong.
I believe that by giving smaller portions, they try to limit wastage, I don't disagree, but by doing so, their customer service suffers.
Both BG and I did enjoy the food here, we do intend on coming again, but we both realize that the service was bordering on getting to the point of a non-return.
Back when I still can do AYCE sushi, the price is under 20 dollars, around 18.95. Didn't realize that it is creeping towards 30 dollars now. Still cheap if you are able to eat lots.
ReplyDeleteMr. Crispy,
ReplyDeleteWe can always do AYCE, it's just that we eat less than we could have 10 years ago. :p
Between BG and I, we usually spend around $20 to $30 when we go out for dinner anyways.
Ha, back in the days (old man voice talking) I recall eating AYCE lunch (or dinner) at a place called Japanese Deli House on Powell. AYCE lunch was $6.95 (you read that right) and AYCE dinner was around $11.95 IIRC. But that was all limited to tuna or salmon sashimi, ebi, and a fairly limited selection of rolls. But we were students, we didn't care.
ReplyDeleteAnd for non-Japanese AYCE, it was Uncle Willy's FTW !!! :-D
Now I'm giving away my age !
Hey LR,I remember that Powell St AYCE. I think it was the first AYCE sushi in Vancouver area. I didnt try it the because I was still new to sushi and I didnt think I have the stomach back then to eat lots of raw fish. BRW, there is still an Uncle Willy in Guildford. One of the AYCE Chinese I remember that was popular in its days was Foody Goodu.
ReplyDeleteDeli house had AYCE? I had my first chicken donburri there. That place was probably the predecessor to Hi Genki, offering good Japanese home cooked food. I remember Foody Goody, both the Richmond location and the Burnaby location. My friend and I used to go there regularly, I believe it was around $7, ah, the good old days... before BG's time, but I remember it vividly.
ReplyDeleteAs weird as it sounds, I never tried Uncle Willy's.
What you mean before my time?!?!?!?! I knew Foody Goody and we went there many times!!!
ReplyDeleteLOL Buddha Girl, BB's memory is deteriorating. LOL. I googled Foody Goody Richmond and the last review I found was dating back to 2007. Its been 4 yrs now since they closed.
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! Foody Goody only closed since 2007? It felt like forever! LOL!!!
ReplyDelete