4441 Boundary Road, Vancouver, BC
604-558-2271
Since it's my birthday weekend, I get to choose where to go for food...for the whole weekend!!! After our disappointing visit at Saboten (see post 2011-01-29 Tonkatsu @ Saboten), I've been craving for better tonkatsu. Luckily, 29th Avenue Cafe is right in our hood. Our previous visit (see post 2011-10-06 Dinner @ 29th Ave Cafe) was very enjoyable, and this time, MomJ joined us.
The main reason why we dragged MomJ along was for this plate of Chicken Saute with Mushroom Sauce, a combination she just simply cannot resist.
I wanted to try the Omerice, an omelet filled with fried rice and topped with ketchup. The chicken fried rice was also stir-fried with ketchup. The thin layer of egg had a light hint of sweetness. Extraordinary? No, just simple comfort food.
The Hamburg Steak was something Buddha Boy wanted to try. The meat was moist, but it was a bit bland, mainly because the steaming process took away some of the flavors. The sauce helped, but it was weak.
With MomJ, the three of us also added an order of Pork Tenderloin Cutlet (left) and an order of Pork Cutlet (right). Yup, five dishes amongst the three of us, but there were leftovers. Just to share, the following week, we took DadT here and the three of us ordered six dishes...with no leftovers!!! Wahahahaha! A family of piggies!!!
I ate there a few months ago, for first time, after a long anticipation of their tonkatsu (one of my ATF yoshoku dishes). I had the pork cutlet (2 pieces, with potato salad and veg salad). I had to add $1 for a bowl of steamed rice. I was disappointed with the whole meal. The cutlets were bland, albeit well fried with good batter and fresh oil. Everything else was beyond MEH. The iceberg lettuce /tomato slice with Thousand Island dressing ..... meh. The potato salad ..... meh. The rice ..... well without curry sauce nor any other sauce to flavour it, what canI say. Whole meal was like $12 before taxes and tips. And the owner lady was pretty curt to me. Oi !
ReplyDeleteMaybe I just don't get 29th Ave. Most of the patrons were Asian student types, so perhaps I just don't fit in ? Won't be returning, will instead go check out that new tonkatsu place at Aberdeen food court soon :-)
Sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy it. The owner lady always seemed in stress. She's treats everyone the same way.
DeleteFunny how your visit is mostly Asian students, our visits were filled mostly with Japanese diners, mainly families and seniors.
We have always enjoyed our visits. While the prices are not low, but I think it's reasonable for what you get.
We didn't enjoy Saboten, overpriced with meh food. My Japanese friends told me that in Japan, Saboten is basically another version of McD's...except with tonkatsu...hahahahaha!
LR,
ReplyDeleteYup, the lady can get pretty curt, especially when she's busy and stressed. It doesn't look like it can take very much, too. I tend to use the tonkatsu sauce at the table, and since we usually order the ginger pork and/or the mushroom chicken, i use those sauces as well to go with my tonkatsu. Let us know what you think of Saboten, considering it's a food court, I was left pretty disappointed. Do try Kingyo downtown for their tonkatsu, but it's only available for weekday lunches, however, it is very pricey, but I consider theirs premium.
BB & BG,
DeleteMaybe the other patrons were Japanese, and not students. Dunno. Seems anyone younger than 40 to me are ..... Asian students, LOL !
Really eh, Saboten is that low in their domestic totem pole huh ? Can I supersize it ? LOL. Well I'll just have to try Saboten one of these days soon. Not that I'm a tonkatsu expert (YOU GUYS ARE), but I know what I like when I taste it, and that's ultimately what differentiates the good vs. the bad, right ?