Momiji, Seattle

1522 12th Avenue

Seattle, WA

 

Late in the summer last year, W and I headed down to Seattle to attend a baby celebration thrown by one of W's friend. It was gorgeous outside but extremely hot that weekend! The heat really tired us out so we decided to have an early dinner before retiring back to the hotel.

 

A quick search on Google maps brought us to Momiji, a Japanese restaurant that combines the stylish with the traditional, both in terms of decor and food.

We got lucky and scored a table in their beautiful Japanese-style courtyard during happy hour!

 Lychee Lemonade ($4)

On that warm evening, I started with a refreshing lychee lemonade.

Albacore Poke ($8)

We ordered exclusively off the happy hour menu so W and I sampled 5 different small plates for our meal. First came the Albacore Poke which had cubes of Albacore tuna, cucumber, and onion slivers dressed in a spicy soya sauce. I didn't expect it to be THAT spicy so W ended up finishing this bowl.

 Sushi Set B ($8) - Yellowtail, salmon, tuna, albacore tuna

Then, the 4 piece nigiri sushi set arrived. These were well prepared with the fish being fresh and rice seasoned just right. My favourite was the Albacore tuna because it is rarely available in sushi joints back home, and for $2 to boot!

 Unagi Roll ($6)

Continuing with sushi, we ordered the simple but yummy Unagi roll.  It had avocado, cucumber and a thin piece of the bbq-ed eel.

 Crispy Calamari ($6)

Another item from the happy hour menu was the deep fried calamari. It had a nice, light, crispy batter and was delish on its own, without the dipping sauce, too. The side salad helped keep things fresh and bright.

 Grilled Garlic Short Ribs ($7)

Lastly, we had the grilled beef short ribs. They were marinated in a sweet and savoury soya sauce, similar to a Korean BBQ sauce. They were tasty but W and I thought it could have been cooked a bit longer. It was also something that we could easily make on our own barbecue grill haha.... 

Nonetheless, we were very pleased with the sushi and the cooked dishes at Momiji. We loved the decor and ambiance, while the service was attentive and polite. The prices from happy hour was definitely the cherry on top though!

Raisu

2340 W 4th Avenue
Vancouver, BC


I tend to gravitate towards eye-catching food (who doesn't?!). Some time ago, I noticed a lot of people posting photos of The Ocean's Offering sushi plate from Raisu. Social media, once again, has done its job and successfully drew me in to try the sister restaurant of Kingyo and Suika.

I chose there to have my birthday dinner with some friends. As it was a nice summer day, we sat out on their enclosed patio. It was nice and bright, and I loved the deep wood, earth tones of the dining area.

Raisu Punch - Calpico, kiwi, pineapple, aloe juice, soda

I started off with one of their non-alcoholic drinks (mocktail, if you will). Refreshing and sweet!

The Ocean's Offering ($24) - Cured with salt and vinegar, varieties of visually appealing daily pressed seafood sushi will awaken your senses.

We had to call in and reserve this special dish in advance. There are only a limited number of them made each day!

Presented in a cute, jigsaw puzzle like pattern, there were a few different toppings on the pressed sushi rice like tuna tataki, salmon with salmon roe and tamago (sweet egg omelet). Not only is it photogenic, it is pleasing to the palate as well!

Seafood "Donabe Takikomi" ($24) - Sea urchin and snow crab on top of Raisu’s original broth rice in a 'Donabe' (a Japanese clay pot), topped with Shiso herb, salmon caviar, and crab miso butter

This claypot rice with sea urchin and snow crab was also an item that must be ordered in advance. When the toppings and the rice were mixed together, it produced a fragrant and creamy rice dish that felt luxurious in your mouth and warm and homey in your tummy haha... Definitely a must-try!

Ocean Green Salad ($9) - Fresh aromatic Japanese greens, mizuna leaves, radish sprouts, shredded cabbage, and thinly sliced onions balanced with Shio Konbu kelp, dried shrimp and sardines

Our obligatory "healthy" dish came in the form of the Ocean Green Salad.  It was fresh and light which balanced the remaining heavy dishes of the night hehe...

Minced Meat Cutlet Teishoku (single) - Breaded minced meat cutlet made with 100% premium wagyu beef and house special dressing on the side

Next up we tried the deep fried minced beef cutlet. Raisu actually specializes in "teishoku" (set meal in Japanese) but since we already ordered the clay pot rice as our starch, we opted out of the set meal and ordered it as a singular dish. 

Another beautifully executed dish! The panko crust was golden brown and crispy while the minced beef patty was hot and juicy.

Grilled Fish Teishoku (single $16) - served with in-house "tsukemono" pickled vegetables

Also on the teishoku menu, we chose the grilled fish without the set meal combo. I don't know what kind of fish it was though, but just like the cutlet, the meat was cooked just right. The meat flaked off with a nudge but it was not dry at all. The umami soya sauce on the side held up to the lightly smokey fish.

Wagyu Beef Hamburg Teishoku (single $23) - 100% Premium Wagyu Beef patty drizzled with a dense, rich Hatcho Miso Demi-glace sauce, served with oven roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables

Lastly, to REALLY fill up our bellies, we ordered the Wagyu Hamburger patty bathed in a seriously hearty and delicious gravy. The Wagyu beef patty was juicy and amazing as expected but the sauce was definitely a surprise star in this dish! This time, we wished we had some rice to soak up all the rich and meaty sauce :( 

Although not cheap eats, these homestyle dishes at Raisu made a wonderful and memorable birthday dinner!