Monday, May 14, 2012

Hi Genki Japanese

I love home-style food. Hi Genki serves delicious Japanese comfort food. They do not offer sushi nor sashimi in their menu selection; although they do include a few pieces of sashimi in their bento boxes. This was the perfect lunch spot for us! After many nights of raw fish consumption, I miss those yummy deep-fried dishes!

Ebi and Satsuma Tendon: prawn and fish cake tempura on rice ($8.95)
First thing I noticed: the rice was cooked perfectly. I usually dislike tempera with rice, since many restaurants fail with the rice cooking. I love rice and it upsets me that Japanese restaurants will use undercooked or dried out rice for their dishes. After sampling the rice in the Satsuma Ebi Ten, I fell in love. The prawn tempera was deep fried, but there was no greasy after taste. The fish cake was prepared quite healthy: it was white fish paste mixed with peas and carrots. Lastly, it was finished with a drizzle of rich tempura sauce.

Pork Katsu Curry: deep fried breaded pork cutlet ($9.50)
I really enjoyed this. The portion was generous. I find this curry tastier than the curry made by Saboten in Aberdeen. The pork cutlet was thick and juicy. The side salad came with half a boiled egg, which was a nice touch. Despite the deep fried pork cutlet, it was quite a hearty meal with the many uses of vegetables.

Ice Cream Tempura: deep fried vanilla ice cream and strawberry sauce ($5.50)
Perfect for sharing and is a very nice finish to our big meals. The vanilla ice cream was actually good quality vanilla full of flavor. It is coated with corn flakes and lightly fried on the outer shell to give it a crispy crunch. The strawberry sauce was drizzled on top and on the sides if you want a strawberry touch to it. It was very good even without it.

My overall experience was good. Food was amazing, dine in the warm family atmosphere. Design is very simple, so probably not somewhere you want to take dates to. Many tables are filled with family with children. The waitresses are dress in casual clothing with a simple apron, wearing comfortable shoes. They aren’t dressing to impress, but their service is great.

Location: Inside of the National Nikkei Heritage Centre. You can park in the underground parking for free. Then walk up the stairs towards the front door of the heritage centre. The restaurant will be on the ground floor located inside straight from the centre’s entrance.

Food: Excellent! A nice change if you want Japanese food but are not looking for a sushi bar.
Service: Friendly, casual staff. They are Japanese and are not fluent in English, but they are all very approachable and are willing to help. Note: not to bring dates.
Price: The total came to $27 with tax for two people. Can be quite well priced if you do not order the Ice Cream Tempura like we did.
Will I come back? Of course. I look forward to try the grilled fish specials on their daily menu.

- Hippo


Hi Genki Japanese Restaurant
6680 Southoaks Crescent
Burnaby, B.C.
Phone: 604-777-0533

Hi Genki on Urbanspoon

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