Sushi by Yuji

Sushi by Yuji | 2252 Kingsway

Please note: this review is outside the down town core.
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I have been meaning to check this place out for ages as Yuji used to work at one of my favourite sushi joints, Shiro. Shiro has gone down hill as they have new chefs. Bummer.

I had miso soup, tuna nigiri, spicy tuna roll, and vegetable gyoza. Everything was top notch. The nigiri was the perfect temperature with nice big chunks of tuna and a small ball of rice. The vegetable gyoza was also fantastic. Highly recommended. If you like sushi, just go here. Trust me. It is really, really good.

Vij's Railway Express

Vij's Railway Express | Georgia & Thurlow

I had to walk up to Georgia & Thurlow today so I decided to hit Vij's Railway Express. It was a very good decision. I had the special which was lamb korma. The dish consisted of lamb meatballs, spiced peanuts, korma curry and basmati rice. It was flat out awesome. Easily the best lunch I've had in quite some time. Run there right now & get some!

Lamb korma:

Nature's Fair

Nature's Fair | 200 Burrard St | Waterfront Centre Food Court

Nature's Fair is in my "home" food court so I've eaten here several times. It's a salad bar, but they also make some decent sandwiches. I typically order the the Bali wrap with chicken. It's basically a chicken wrap with peanut sauce and a bunch of veggies. If you like it spicy, ask for extra hot sauce. Very healthy but a little overpriced at $11.

Chicken Bali wrap:

One Under

One Under | 476 Granville St.

Prior to last week, I had no idea this place existed. I just happened to stroll by one day and saw their sign on the side walk. I'm glad I found this place!

As a certified golf fanatic, One Under is pretty much the greatest place on Earth. They have 5 or 6 HD simulators setup where you can play a round of golf. All the big courses are available (Pebble Beach, Augusta etc.). You do not have to play golf. You can just come for a bite to eat if you like.

There's a bar with a couple of TV's and a few tables. The menu is limited but the chicken tacos I had were quite tasty. The girl that works at the bar is very sweet and easy on the eyes.

My only complaint is that the beer list is quite short and somewhat uninspired. They do have a couple of winners though (Fat Tug, Windstorm Pale Ale). I don't believe they are pouring full pints either. I hope to see some improvements in the beer department.

Overall, this is a fantastic place if you're into golf. Trust me, just go!

Chicken tacos:

PHAT

PHAT | Royal Centre

A colleague of mine mentioned that PHAT now had a location Royal Centre. Perhaps its been there awhile? I don't know. I do know that I like the smoked meat at their Yaletown location so I sauntered over to Royal Centre today.

I ordered the "Skinny smoked meat" as seen below. It was pretty good. I found that the meat was a bit on the lean side and thus, not incredibly flavourful. I prefer the smoked meat at Dunn's. However, for $8 it's still a pretty damn good sandwich. The pickles on the side are very good.

Skinny smoked meat:

The Blackbird

The Blackbird | 905 Dunsmuir

I hit up the Blackbird for lunch today. The blackened chicken sandwich was excellent. The side salad on the other hand, came with a smear of carrot puree around the outside of the bowl. No shit - a carrot puree. Easily one of the most bizarre culinary endeavours I've ever been subjected to. Anyway, this is a great spot to hit for lunch as the place is massive. You will get a seat. Also, they have an awesome draught beer list. I sampled a Dageraad Amber that was fantastic!The wait staff is also very friendly and not hard on the eyes.