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Absolutely amazing. Chef Tom was so engaging and provided so much detail to the stories behind the food and to the food itself. The best sushi experience my wife and have ever had.
Chef Tom and his daughter Emily were amazing for the entire experience. Tom does omakase dinners with the standard course and premium course. Reservations are required and sometimes you can be blessed and get a last minute allowed if someone cancels. Normally, there is only 3 to 4 parties or two or solo. You won't feel like a stranger with Tom as your entertainer. If you like alcohol, I highly recommend getting the soju sampler to pair with your sushi dishes. I really enjoyed how fish was aged and everything was custom prepared or bought with thought to taste buds in mind. Wasabi is actually real like the ones from luxury omakases and soy sauce was made by him. You can taste the fruits he used to infuse into it! Our other patrons were very fun so you must come here for your birthday. There is music and lights haha! Parking is street or maybe get dropped off by ride share/taxi. Located near the China and Japan town. Be aware, that neighborhood near by is more on the rough side. Although, do not let that deter you from having all of your taste buds burst as well as your mind blown from the delicious flavors. Tom will ask you questions to make sure you are engaged. Like my soju sampler, you will be like Japanese tradition and over-flowing with love and a happy belly by completion.
My boyfriend and I loved this place! The omakase experience was delightful and very informative. We reserved the dinner omakase and enjoyed how every item was delivered at a good pace. The food was fresh, presentable, and delicious. Our server was very informative and nice, she made us feel very welcomed. The ambiance was nice and intimate. There were about 6 other guests that were seated at the bar area. My only concern was the location. The location was a little sketchy. After our dinner whilst waiting for our uber the area a couple blocks was a little scary to roam around at night, but besides that the food, service, and ambiance was perfect. We would definitely come back.
I had never been to an omakase before and we looked at a few around town. This just opened a few months ago with some solid reviews so we decided to have a look. Wow! Am I ever glad that we did! There are 2 seating options and we were seated front and center at the bar for their first. It wasn't too busy (likely because of the winter storm) so we had Tom provide us personal service for the entire evening. 12 amazing courses of deliciousness and will share my absolute favorites. The second course of beef tartare was incredible! The tenderloin was a fantastic combination of sweet, spicy and savory. It paired so well with the crackers and salad. The prawn tempura was fantastic and you also get to eat the head which is also lightly battered and seasoned. My favorite hand-crafted nigiri is their ika aburi nigiri. It was lightly torched and the squid was exquisitely creamy.... Soooo good! Everyone's favorite (according to Tom) is their caviar truffle uni pasta. I can definitely see why as it was absolutely decadent. So rich, cream and packed with flavour. Ended this incredible meal with mochi and their yuzu tea. It was so good that we made reso's for the following week with friends :)
Came here with my partner for her birthday and we happened to be the only ones there that night! Apparently they only seat seven(?) during their time slots. Some folks walked in but were politely told it's reservation only. It's a pretty large space so I was surprised! We were served their 12-course premium dinner omakase, which I was confused about. When I reserved, I requested to have the regular dinner. A little disappointing and misleading, but whatever.. To start us off, he served us a green tea imported from Japan, which was really delicious with a hint of sweetness. I couldn't get enough of it. He must have refilled our pot three times. STARTERS The chawanmushi was my favourite of the starters, the egg was silky smooth, and the balance of flavours was perfection. The beef tartar salad felt very fresh -- the meat was bouncy and not too mushy. The salad with it as well was very amazing. I don't usually like balsamic vinegar, but this one was really good. Unagi tempura was too oily in my opinion, but the dipping sauce was very good. The chef made it himself. The three-piece sashimi was really good and fresh. I was introduced to madai fish for the first time and it might be one of my favourite sashimi fish now! MAINS Out of the two pieces each of hand maki and atemaki, the foie gras one was standout for me. It was so rich, creamy and flavourful. I enjoyed all of them. The five-piece nigiri was also delicious -- the hamachi with black truffle was my favourite. From the aburi nigiri, I really liked the hotate (scallop). The presentation was really cute, and the sauce was delicious. DESSERT We got to try an extra dessert because it was my partner's birthday! They also gave her a birthday hat, played birthday music, and put on rave lights while we sang happy birthday to her LOL. A very cute touch. Both of the desserts were just okay -- a oreo cheesecake and a donut. And to end it all off, we got hot yuzu tea. Great way to end off a great dinner! The ambiance inside is very nice -- very cool decor. The washrooms have a bidet system, including a drying fan. I didn't use it but so neat lol. Service was really amazing and very quick, but that's because the chef watched us eat and knew when we were going to be done to prep the next dish.. It would be good to give patrons a little more space as it made me feel uncomfortable.
We went here for 2025 dine-out lunch menu ($55/person). The menu in the dine-out website shows that you have to choose one option for appetizer, entree and dessert but I was very pleasantly surprised that it's actually a set menu including everything. It boils down to 5 servings of appetizers (chawanmushi, tako wasabi salad, unagi tempura, asari soup, mul hoe), 5 servings of entrees (atemaki, nigiri, aburi nigiri, nigiri, uni pasta) and 2 servings of dessert (yuzu tea and castella cake). For the price, the food was fantastic. Some of the combination was new and interesting for me. If I have a slight criticism, it's that I found the rice in the nigiri a tad too sweet. The service was wonderful, the owner and chef, Tom is friendly, attentive and explains each dish cheerfully. We would definitely be interested in coming back to try their regular menu.
Lunch Omakase So glad we made it here for lunch omakase 12 course lunch experience. I wasn't too impressed when I first looked at the menu but after the chef owner and servers came by with every dish and gave an explanation of the dish and the best way to enjoy the ingredients, I was blown away by how dish was created and prepared with care and consideration One of my favorite dishes was the chawanmushi (steamed egg) with seeds, nuts and Ichiban sauce. The texture was extremely smooth and complimented well with the sauce and seeds/nuts The sashimi and nigiri courses seem simple but the fish were very fresh, and with the addition of matcha salt, and the house made soy sauce elevated the flavor profiles of the madai, hamachi, sockeye and bluefin tuna. Each dish was quite small but it was quite filling at the end The Tako Maki was served like a taco using the seaweed with the marinated fish as the filling. I wish this dish was a bit more creative The meal ended with a couple pieces of mochi and a refreshing fermented rice drink. They change their menu frequently so I look forward to visiting for dinner. Other notes: The restaurant is located in Gastown so free parking is not easy to find. The restaurant is quite modern looking inside, but lighting is not the best for photos. Right now they have a 30% grand opening promotion until the end of the year (mention this from their Instagram)
What a fantastic experience at Tekkaba for omakase dinner for $78 for a twelve course menu composed with appetizers, sashimis, nigiris, maki, pasta and dessert. We were seated at the bar which is the place to be with chef Tom who is so friendly and knowledge about Italian and Japanese cuisine. I enjoyed pretty much the whole menu but my favourite are: - Chawanmushi - nice starter of steamed egg with nuts and ichiban sauce - Beef tartar - great flavours. It was a bit spicy for me but I kept going for more. Great pairing with spring salad. - Awari soup - clam soup was so clear and tasty. Tom uses 60 clams to make the soup and he says it's challenging to make as you can over cook the clams and make the soup go south - Baby squid aburi nigiri - delicious does not describe how smooth and creamy this tasted - Tako maki - first time having ankimo, the foie gras of the sea, was so devine - caviar truffle uni pasta - take in the smell of combination of caviar and black truffle and the first bite will overcome your senses - Yuzu tea - perfect tea at the end (simply calming - yuzu and honey) We have already dined in twice within a week and the snow did not hold us back. The classical music played provide a sense of relaxing experience that melted the crazy week I had a work. For dinner omakase, there are two seatings so make sure you reserve online. We were lucky to sit at the bar, both times. Tom, we will see you again, soon! :)
A kaiseki is a special curated course for people celebrating a big occasion. I didn't have an occasion to celebrate but came anyways because being able to eat always calls for a celebration right #littlewins. The ambiance was great with beautifully decorated trays ready for you when you get there. Plus, as the dinner courses started, they would take the time to explain every course to you which is something I appreciated. Plus, they were really attentive and made sure our cups and wasabi is never empty Their chawanmushi is decent with the eggs being perfectly smooth and bouncy and complementing well with their ichiban sauce. Their beef tartare pays homage to their Korean heritage with it tasting like bulgogi, with their thinly sliced beef in gochujang and salad in balsamic sauce adding a much needed acidity to the dish. What a great start to the night Their shrimp was flash fried to perfection so that we are able to sample the head and the head. The clam soup was savory and their fish courses were great. I liked how we progressed from sashimi to Nigiris to torched Nigiris. I loved their Hirami as well as their sweet sweet shrimp and scallops. Another thing that tells us how much thought they put into the sequence of their course is how they left the truffle hamachi to the end since truffles can be overpowering to your palate at times. After that came the uni pasta where the uni added a depth to the creamy dish, complementing the truffle pasta. Dessert came with a surprise where someone was singing and playing the piano. Truly an experience that engaged all senses! One thing that I'll improve on though is the portion sizes but great work throughout!
The service was great, the prices are great as well. The place was clean and well thought thru, very cute place. The food was good as well, we did the lunch omakase; fish was super fresh. they were very attentive to us I was soo full that I wasn't able to finish my own food and had shared my food with someone else in my party haha. They just opened so I wish them a successful business.
After seeing this all over Instagram, I decided to try out their lunch omakase. The pricing seemed very reasonable considering how many dishes there are. It's $42 for lunch omakase and if you tell them you've followed them on Instagram when making the reservation, you can get 30% off (they also were giving coupons out after the meal). With that in mind, the pricing was very good. The omakase was Korean influenced on some of the dishes, which wasn't what I was expecting so it kinda threw me off. But anyways here's the breakdown of dishes: Chawanmushi- it was very plain, but came with nuts and a sweet and salty sauce. Different from most chawanmushi I've tried since it typically has a strong taste of dashi or seafood in it. This was very simple and I guess it made sense since it was the first dish of the meal. Tako wasabi- standard Tako wasabi served with seaweed. Nothing special. I did appreciate that the wasabi wasn't too strong. Sweet prawn tempura- one of my favourites. The sauce it was served with was flavourful and the prawn was very meaty. They deep fried the head too. However I found the batter to be a bit too heavy. It would have been nicer if it was lighter and crisper. Wakame miso soup- nothing really to note here. Sashimi- the salmon texture was off and tasted almost spongy, the madai was alright, and the hamachi was the best one. Tasted the freshest and had the best texture. Atemaki- the fish was on top of a kanpyo roll. I found the kanpyo to be a bit overpowering for the fish. But this was unique as I never had a roll like this one. Aburi nigiri- seared salmon toro was buttery and had that familiar aburi taste. The tuna toro tasted a bit too cooked. The ika was pretty good but could have been torched a bit more. Nigiri- these ones were fresher tasting than the sashimi. The chutoro was nice and fatty. The hirame had a small dab of a spicy sauce (very similar in taste to gochujang) and it was a bit too overpowering for the fish. Also the rice was seasoned a bit too much on the sweeter side(?), I just wasn't really a fan of their sushi rice. Tako maki- although Tako in the name, it wasn't octopus, but called that since it looks like a taco. Instead it was chopped scallop with a spicy sauce. Similar taste to Korean spicy sauces. This was just alright. Donburi- again, same comment about the rice. Once the negitoro was mixed in with the rice and arugula, I honestly couldn't taste it very much as the rice overpowered the fish. Rice cake and fermented rice drink- the drink was a refreshing way to end the meal! But after having so many rice dishes, the rice cake was too much for me and I couldn't finish it. I also wasn't a fan of the flavour of it. Overall, I think Instagram really hyped this place up for me and made me expect a lot more. For price, the meal is worth it. I just wasn't a huge fan of some of the flavours and menu items they served. I must say their service was really good and everyone was friendly. Although timing of the dishes at the beginning felt a bit rushed as we were served another dish before finishing the previous one. But after that, spacing of dishes was fine. I'd say give this place a shot, as it's an affordable place to try out an omakase meal. Seems like they'll be changing up the menus every once in awhile. So it's worth it to try. I just don't think it's for me.
LIVE PIANO AND GREAT SERVICE! The staff here is super welcoming and you get to hear live piano in the end! The omakase is decent, generic. Nothing special but the experience on how welcoming staff here is amazing. I feel like it's a bit overpriced for the quality. My fish had ALOT OF BONES and had to pick them out. (Soup) added a photo too. Overall it's great to go once but I don't think I would go again with the price and quality. It tastes like generic sushi u can get at a joint. There's no special flavors or ingredients to them Interior: warming, a little small joint. All the decor is made by the family! Which is pretty cool. The egg decor that was made by their grandparents to put on display! My favourite dish was the truffle uni! But that's about it. If you like it extra creamy
I can't believe this place doesn't have more reviews. It's an outstanding value, $79 for an 11 course omakase! It's a cute place, rather unassuming, filled with cool trinkets. Service is excellent, I believe it's the owners who are dealing directly with customers. If you are lucky, you can seat at the chef counter. I've been 3 times, I paid once for the premium omakase, and it was the same menu and service. The other two times, I paid the regular $79, once got to seat at the bar, and the other one at a table. So I'd recommend just getting the regular set, because paying the premium set doesn't get you anything more! The 3 times I've been (couple months apart), the menu was very similar with a few differences, like the dessert was machine once, and a donut the other time. The nigiri was a bit different. The soup was different. Chef Tom really cares, he takes great pride in presenting every dish. There is no need to make conversation, watching him carefully prepare each course is great entertainment. They have wine and sake pairing. Really good value as well. At checkout, you get a coupon valid for 3 months, which is why I've gone back many times.
This place has been renovating recently so they are only serving a few seatings for omakase dinner. They have two sets - a regular and a premium omakase, roughly $79 and $119 I think. I took my son here for a treat. The renovation looks really nice btw - the bathrooms have some niceties such as floss and mouthwash. The omakase is fantastic. Some of the best fish that I've had - and it's impossible to describe everything. The omakase had 10 steps and many of them had multiple nigiri with different fish. Plus dessert and amazing tea afterwards!! My favorites: - torched hotate (scallop） served with egg yolk - simply sublime, so incredibly good, mixture of torched, great seafood, and melty yolk - nigiri with caviar, in particular the bluefin tuna nigiri - hand rolls, especially the Ankimo which is torched monk fish liver - lots of other torched nigiri. - wide variety of fish including madai - silky smooth Chawanmushi with nice sides The chef was very personable, warm, and gave very precise directions on how to season and eat each step and food. A great mixture of hot and cold, some dishes to be seasoned with just salt, or lemon, some with soy sauce (his own), and some with the hand ground wasabi (which is amazing, very light compared to store wasabi). Going here is definitely a top dining experience for the sushi lovers in your life. read more
My friend took me here on my birthday for an omakase dinner. It was such a personalized experience with only 3 other guests at the bar. Chef Tom acknowledged every guest by name and it was fun watching him prepare each course with such passion. One of my fave dishes was the truffle pasta, which was very rich and satisfying after all the nigiri. What made this birthday dinner memorable was right before dessert I was given a birthday hat then they turned off all the lights, played happy birthday on the projector, brought a birthday cake out and everyone in the room sang happy birthday. read more
8 months ago
Absolutely amazing. Chef Tom was so engaging and provided so much detail to the stories behind the food and to the food itself. The best sushi experience my wife and have ever had. read more
Chef Tom and his daughter Emily were amazing for the entire experience. Tom does omakase dinners with the standard course and premium course. Reservations are required and sometimes you can be blessed and get a last minute allowed if someone cancels. Normally, there is only 3 to 4 parties or two or solo. You won't feel like a stranger with Tom as your entertainer. If you like alcohol, I highly recommend getting the soju sampler to pair with your sushi dishes. I really enjoyed how fish was aged and everything was custom prepared or bought with thought to taste buds in mind. Wasabi is actually real like the ones from luxury omakases and soy sauce was made by him. You can taste the fruits he used to infuse into it! Our other patrons were very fun so you must come here for your birthday. There is music and lights haha! Parking is street or maybe get dropped off by ride share/taxi. Located near the China and Japan town. Be aware, that neighborhood near by is more on the rough side. Although, do not let that deter you from having all of your taste buds burst as well as your mind blown from the delicious flavors. Tom will ask you questions to make sure you are engaged. Like my soju sampler, you will be like Japanese tradition and over-flowing with love and a happy belly by completion. read more
My boyfriend and I loved this place! The omakase experience was delightful and very informative. We reserved the dinner omakase and enjoyed how every item was delivered at a good pace. The food was fresh, presentable, and delicious. Our server was very informative and nice, she made us feel very welcomed. The ambiance was nice and intimate. There were about 6 other guests that were seated at the bar area. My only concern was the location. The location was a little sketchy. After our dinner whilst waiting for our uber the area a couple blocks was a little scary to roam around at night, but besides that the food, service, and ambiance was perfect. We would definitely come back. read more
I had never been to an omakase before and we looked at a few around town. This just opened a few months ago with some solid reviews so we decided to have a look. Wow! Am I ever glad that we did! There are 2 seating options and we were seated front and center at the bar for their first. It wasn't too busy (likely because of the winter storm) so we had Tom provide us personal service for the entire evening. 12 amazing courses of deliciousness and will share my absolute favorites. The second course of beef tartare was incredible! The tenderloin was a fantastic combination of sweet, spicy and savory. It paired so well with the crackers and salad. The prawn tempura was fantastic and you also get to eat the head which is also lightly battered and seasoned. My favorite hand-crafted nigiri is their ika aburi nigiri. It was lightly torched and the squid was exquisitely creamy.... Soooo good! Everyone's favorite (according to Tom) is their caviar truffle uni pasta. I can definitely see why as it was absolutely decadent. So rich, cream and packed with flavour. Ended this incredible meal with mochi and their yuzu tea. It was so good that we made reso's for the following week with friends :) read more
1 year ago
Came here with my partner for her birthday and we happened to be the only ones there that night! Apparently they only seat seven(?) during their time slots. Some folks walked in but were politely told it's reservation only. It's a pretty large space so I was surprised! We were served their 12-course premium dinner omakase, which I was confused about. When I reserved, I requested to have the regular dinner. A little disappointing and misleading, but whatever.. To start us off, he served us a green tea imported from Japan, which was really delicious with a hint of sweetness. I couldn't get enough of it. He must have refilled our pot three times. STARTERS The chawanmushi was my favourite of the starters, the egg was silky smooth, and the balance of flavours was perfection. The beef tartar salad felt very fresh -- the meat was bouncy and not too mushy. The salad with it as well was very amazing. I don't usually like balsamic vinegar, but this one was really good. Unagi tempura was too oily in my opinion, but the dipping sauce was very good. The chef made it himself. The three-piece sashimi was really good and fresh. I was introduced to madai fish for the first time and it might be one of my favourite sashimi fish now! MAINS Out of the two pieces each of hand maki and atemaki, the foie gras one was standout for me. It was so rich, creamy and flavourful. I enjoyed all of them. The five-piece nigiri was also delicious -- the hamachi with black truffle was my favourite. From the aburi nigiri, I really liked the hotate (scallop). The presentation was really cute, and the sauce was delicious. DESSERT We got to try an extra dessert because it was my partner's birthday! They also gave her a birthday hat, played birthday music, and put on rave lights while we sang happy birthday to her LOL. A very cute touch. Both of the desserts were just okay -- a oreo cheesecake and a donut. And to end it all off, we got hot yuzu tea. Great way to end off a great dinner! The ambiance inside is very nice -- very cool decor. The washrooms have a bidet system, including a drying fan. I didn't use it but so neat lol. Service was really amazing and very quick, but that's because the chef watched us eat and knew when we were going to be done to prep the next dish.. It would be good to give patrons a little more space as it made me feel uncomfortable. read more
We went here for 2025 dine-out lunch menu ($55/person). The menu in the dine-out website shows that you have to choose one option for appetizer, entree and dessert but I was very pleasantly surprised that it's actually a set menu including everything. It boils down to 5 servings of appetizers (chawanmushi, tako wasabi salad, unagi tempura, asari soup, mul hoe), 5 servings of entrees (atemaki, nigiri, aburi nigiri, nigiri, uni pasta) and 2 servings of dessert (yuzu tea and castella cake). For the price, the food was fantastic. Some of the combination was new and interesting for me. If I have a slight criticism, it's that I found the rice in the nigiri a tad too sweet. The service was wonderful, the owner and chef, Tom is friendly, attentive and explains each dish cheerfully. We would definitely be interested in coming back to try their regular menu. read more
Lunch Omakase So glad we made it here for lunch omakase 12 course lunch experience. I wasn't too impressed when I first looked at the menu but after the chef owner and servers came by with every dish and gave an explanation of the dish and the best way to enjoy the ingredients, I was blown away by how dish was created and prepared with care and consideration One of my favorite dishes was the chawanmushi (steamed egg) with seeds, nuts and Ichiban sauce. The texture was extremely smooth and complimented well with the sauce and seeds/nuts The sashimi and nigiri courses seem simple but the fish were very fresh, and with the addition of matcha salt, and the house made soy sauce elevated the flavor profiles of the madai, hamachi, sockeye and bluefin tuna. Each dish was quite small but it was quite filling at the end The Tako Maki was served like a taco using the seaweed with the marinated fish as the filling. I wish this dish was a bit more creative The meal ended with a couple pieces of mochi and a refreshing fermented rice drink. They change their menu frequently so I look forward to visiting for dinner. Other notes: The restaurant is located in Gastown so free parking is not easy to find. The restaurant is quite modern looking inside, but lighting is not the best for photos. Right now they have a 30% grand opening promotion until the end of the year (mention this from their Instagram) read more
What a fantastic experience at Tekkaba for omakase dinner for $78 for a twelve course menu composed with appetizers, sashimis, nigiris, maki, pasta and dessert. We were seated at the bar which is the place to be with chef Tom who is so friendly and knowledge about Italian and Japanese cuisine. I enjoyed pretty much the whole menu but my favourite are: - Chawanmushi - nice starter of steamed egg with nuts and ichiban sauce - Beef tartar - great flavours. It was a bit spicy for me but I kept going for more. Great pairing with spring salad. - Awari soup - clam soup was so clear and tasty. Tom uses 60 clams to make the soup and he says it's challenging to make as you can over cook the clams and make the soup go south - Baby squid aburi nigiri - delicious does not describe how smooth and creamy this tasted - Tako maki - first time having ankimo, the foie gras of the sea, was so devine - caviar truffle uni pasta - take in the smell of combination of caviar and black truffle and the first bite will overcome your senses - Yuzu tea - perfect tea at the end (simply calming - yuzu and honey) We have already dined in twice within a week and the snow did not hold us back. The classical music played provide a sense of relaxing experience that melted the crazy week I had a work. For dinner omakase, there are two seatings so make sure you reserve online. We were lucky to sit at the bar, both times. Tom, we will see you again, soon! :) read more
3 years ago
A kaiseki is a special curated course for people celebrating a big occasion. I didn't have an occasion to celebrate but came anyways because being able to eat always calls for a celebration right #littlewins. The ambiance was great with beautifully decorated trays ready for you when you get there. Plus, as the dinner courses started, they would take the time to explain every course to you which is something I appreciated. Plus, they were really attentive and made sure our cups and wasabi is never empty Their chawanmushi is decent with the eggs being perfectly smooth and bouncy and complementing well with their ichiban sauce. Their beef tartare pays homage to their Korean heritage with it tasting like bulgogi, with their thinly sliced beef in gochujang and salad in balsamic sauce adding a much needed acidity to the dish. What a great start to the night Their shrimp was flash fried to perfection so that we are able to sample the head and the head. The clam soup was savory and their fish courses were great. I liked how we progressed from sashimi to Nigiris to torched Nigiris. I loved their Hirami as well as their sweet sweet shrimp and scallops. Another thing that tells us how much thought they put into the sequence of their course is how they left the truffle hamachi to the end since truffles can be overpowering to your palate at times. After that came the uni pasta where the uni added a depth to the creamy dish, complementing the truffle pasta. Dessert came with a surprise where someone was singing and playing the piano. Truly an experience that engaged all senses! One thing that I'll improve on though is the portion sizes but great work throughout! read more
The service was great, the prices are great as well. The place was clean and well thought thru, very cute place. The food was good as well, we did the lunch omakase; fish was super fresh. they were very attentive to us I was soo full that I wasn't able to finish my own food and had shared my food with someone else in my party haha. They just opened so I wish them a successful business. read more
3 years ago
After seeing this all over Instagram, I decided to try out their lunch omakase. The pricing seemed very reasonable considering how many dishes there are. It's $42 for lunch omakase and if you tell them you've followed them on Instagram when making the reservation, you can get 30% off (they also were giving coupons out after the meal). With that in mind, the pricing was very good. The omakase was Korean influenced on some of the dishes, which wasn't what I was expecting so it kinda threw me off. But anyways here's the breakdown of dishes: Chawanmushi- it was very plain, but came with nuts and a sweet and salty sauce. Different from most chawanmushi I've tried since it typically has a strong taste of dashi or seafood in it. This was very simple and I guess it made sense since it was the first dish of the meal. Tako wasabi- standard Tako wasabi served with seaweed. Nothing special. I did appreciate that the wasabi wasn't too strong. Sweet prawn tempura- one of my favourites. The sauce it was served with was flavourful and the prawn was very meaty. They deep fried the head too. However I found the batter to be a bit too heavy. It would have been nicer if it was lighter and crisper. Wakame miso soup- nothing really to note here. Sashimi- the salmon texture was off and tasted almost spongy, the madai was alright, and the hamachi was the best one. Tasted the freshest and had the best texture. Atemaki- the fish was on top of a kanpyo roll. I found the kanpyo to be a bit overpowering for the fish. But this was unique as I never had a roll like this one. Aburi nigiri- seared salmon toro was buttery and had that familiar aburi taste. The tuna toro tasted a bit too cooked. The ika was pretty good but could have been torched a bit more. Nigiri- these ones were fresher tasting than the sashimi. The chutoro was nice and fatty. The hirame had a small dab of a spicy sauce (very similar in taste to gochujang) and it was a bit too overpowering for the fish. Also the rice was seasoned a bit too much on the sweeter side(?), I just wasn't really a fan of their sushi rice. Tako maki- although Tako in the name, it wasn't octopus, but called that since it looks like a taco. Instead it was chopped scallop with a spicy sauce. Similar taste to Korean spicy sauces. This was just alright. Donburi- again, same comment about the rice. Once the negitoro was mixed in with the rice and arugula, I honestly couldn't taste it very much as the rice overpowered the fish. Rice cake and fermented rice drink- the drink was a refreshing way to end the meal! But after having so many rice dishes, the rice cake was too much for me and I couldn't finish it. I also wasn't a fan of the flavour of it. Overall, I think Instagram really hyped this place up for me and made me expect a lot more. For price, the meal is worth it. I just wasn't a huge fan of some of the flavours and menu items they served. I must say their service was really good and everyone was friendly. Although timing of the dishes at the beginning felt a bit rushed as we were served another dish before finishing the previous one. But after that, spacing of dishes was fine. I'd say give this place a shot, as it's an affordable place to try out an omakase meal. Seems like they'll be changing up the menus every once in awhile. So it's worth it to try. I just don't think it's for me. read more
LIVE PIANO AND GREAT SERVICE! The staff here is super welcoming and you get to hear live piano in the end! The omakase is decent, generic. Nothing special but the experience on how welcoming staff here is amazing. I feel like it's a bit overpriced for the quality. My fish had ALOT OF BONES and had to pick them out. (Soup) added a photo too. Overall it's great to go once but I don't think I would go again with the price and quality. It tastes like generic sushi u can get at a joint. There's no special flavors or ingredients to them Interior: warming, a little small joint. All the decor is made by the family! Which is pretty cool. The egg decor that was made by their grandparents to put on display! My favourite dish was the truffle uni! But that's about it. If you like it extra creamy read more
2 years ago
I can't believe this place doesn't have more reviews. It's an outstanding value, $79 for an 11 course omakase! It's a cute place, rather unassuming, filled with cool trinkets. Service is excellent, I believe it's the owners who are dealing directly with customers. If you are lucky, you can seat at the chef counter. I've been 3 times, I paid once for the premium omakase, and it was the same menu and service. The other two times, I paid the regular $79, once got to seat at the bar, and the other one at a table. So I'd recommend just getting the regular set, because paying the premium set doesn't get you anything more! The 3 times I've been (couple months apart), the menu was very similar with a few differences, like the dessert was machine once, and a donut the other time. The nigiri was a bit different. The soup was different. Chef Tom really cares, he takes great pride in presenting every dish. There is no need to make conversation, watching him carefully prepare each course is great entertainment. They have wine and sake pairing. Really good value as well. At checkout, you get a coupon valid for 3 months, which is why I've gone back many times. read more
1 year ago
We tried the premium dinner omakase for $118/person. Although the dishes were not bad, none of them stood out for the price point that we were spending. Tom was an energetic and friendly host, but we just felt that the dishes and sushi were quite average and very similar to something you could find in a sushi chain restaurant in terms of taste. For us personally, we also found that the sushi rice was too sweet which took away from the flavors of the fish and other ingredients. Ambience is interesting but feels a little bit disjointed with a grand piano, and a poker table in the back. Overall, if you are looking for an omakase experience, you may enjoy this - but in terms of culinary taste, I would not generally recommend at this price point. read more
1 year ago
Simplicity and order define the omakase experience at Tekkaba. From the moment you step in off the streets of Vancouver, you're taken on a journey through Japanese cuisine. The seasonal, high-quality dishes are exceptionally fresh, while the artful presentation, inviting aromas, and warm décor--enhanced by gentle piano music--create a fully immersive dining experience. The only downside is that it has to end. read more
My fiancé, and I treated ourselves to omakase finally! It was a promotion on Instagram for followers who get 30% off their course menu, and there were two menus to pick from. Regular dinner and premium. The exterior and interior decorating of the restaurant was by the chefs mom, who is an artist in Korea. It lens a very personal touch. The chef, Tom, personally comes by each table to introduce as many courses as he can, and give suggestions for how best to taste and experience his courses. He details ingredients as well as his techniques and any related benefits and nutritional value. All the waiters and server staff were at attention, and was very gentle and elegant. There was a short mini concert at the end of our set time and we were treated 4 pieces from a pianist read more
Tekkaba deserves 10 stars! Don't look any further for a better omakase experience. We enjoyed the omakase dinner for a birthday celebration priced at $78. We sat at the bar for an intimate experience with Chef Tom, who you can tell is passionate about his work as he meticulously perfected every dish he served us. He took the time to chat with us, explaining each dish and the best way to enjoy his delicious creations. This was my first omakase but Chef Tom has set the bar high! I was worried we would leave still hungry but we left completely full as the 12 course meal had multiple parts to it, finishing with the most amazing truffle Uni pasta that chef said is the most popular dish and for a good reason! Chef Tom and his wife work beautifully together to provide a wonderful dining experience that was unforgettable! read more
vertigo - something that i do not wish on anyone. somehow, i managed to make it to this premium dinner omakase - with the help of a ofc the restaurant is located at the outer skirts of gastown - there is some parking located ard the area. it does get a bit sketchy as it gets darker and into the night. a needed to feed her dog so we did the 7:45pm seating. the owner, tom (as i later find out), greets you at the door and confirms your reservation. then as you step in, you're met with a warm, cozy ambience. the piano def helps to set the tone as well - perfect place for a special occasion or even a date! 12-course omakase with a weekly menu change. our server, tommy, came and introduced himself and started the experience. the owner/chef, tom, would explain every dish as it's served. let's started! (also no alcohol for me this time - the hot green tea was nice tho) chawanmushi - steamed egg dish that i'm sure most are familiar with. i really liked the ichiban sauce - a lighter, sweet soy sauce - that you can add accordingly to taste. the pistachio added a nice crunch and nut flavour to the dish. smoked salmon salad - def a highlight. the balsamic sauce, 12-fruit salad dressing and the sweet pesto. this def helped to stir up the palate for the rest of the dishes to come! kaki fry- GIANT oyster with a very light batter and ofc that tempura sauce! asari soup - a light, refreshing clam soup. simple yet delicious sashimi - madai, hamachi and bluefin tuna. the madai with the match salt was def something diff - it brought out the freshness of the fish. i found the hamachi to be on the fishier side, and i regularly enjoy fish too! you can never go wrong with the bluefin tuna! shoutout to the ginger gari - it helped to cleanse the palate between dishes (the sashimi and nigiri) so be sure to have some! nigiri - kinmadai, hirame and jumbo prawn. you get a deep fried prawn head to consume - shell and all! everything was fresh tho a and i both found the sushi rice to be hit/miss - the vinegar:rice needs to be perfected. aburi nigiri - hamachi, unagi and ika. i thoroughly enjoyed this round - the ika with the yuzu juice was an absolute delight. the unagi was grilled to perfection and had a nice charred flavour nigiri - last round of nigiri: chutoro, uni and abalone. i finally had a wonderful experience with uni - it was sweet and creamy. still not my thing butttt tako maki - this reminded me of kimbap there were def korean notes in this dish, which i found very endearing. uni pasta - i was too full to finish this but def rich flavours frm the uni, truffle and cream dessert - traditional korean rice snacks and a fermented rice drink (non-alcoholic makkegoli basically) the evening ended with a mini piano concert. there were also celebration shoutouts - very cute! there's a 30% off promo rn if you follow their IG acct and they also hand out another 30% off for your next visit. def gonna come again for a special occasion read more
Embarking on a culinary journey at Tekkaba Vancouver on a snowy day, my boyfriend and I experienced our first omakase. The modern and beautiful ambiance, accompanied by welcoming service, set the stage for a delightful evening. Each dish from the carefully crafted 12-step menu, from the exquisite chawanmushi to the heavenly caviar truffle, was explained with care. The chef's meticulous creations made our first omakase at Tekkaba a truly memorable and enchanting experience. Sometimes the dinner is accompanied by live music and a piano as well. We tried the sake flood shot pairing but there's also a wine selection! read more
This is an amazing new izakaya spot in gas town that also offers omakase and I was blown away! The prices are very reasonable but you will get upscale omakase which not only tastes amazing but will leave you stuffed! There are also unique twists on traditional omakase including serving arburi and adding caviar! read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
Came for lunch omakase and it was amazing! I love that we got to sit at the counter and watch our food being prepared and hearing about the ingredients as we enjoyed each of the 12 courses. We were also pleasantly surprised at how full we were at the end of our meal and how fresh the food was as well. The restaurant has a cozy vibe on the inside and the service was great. I'd be happy to visit again and try our their dinner menu! read more
My girlfriend and I came to Tekkaba for her birthday after seeing many posts about it on Instagram. This restaurant doesn't stand out from the outside, but as soon as you walk inside, it instantly gives a totally different impression. The lighting was very dim, which makes you feel the coziness inside. Unlike traditional omakases, where you sit around the bar and watch the chefs make the nigiris, Tekkaba brings the food to you on a wooden tray. The owner would then walk over to every table and explain to us what was on each dish. He emphasized how the wasabis are raw, real ones unlike typical imitated ones; they're also unlimited if you love them! My personal favorite dish turned out to be the truffle pasta instead of the nigiris. Apparently, the owner was an Italian chef for many years before he opened this Omakase restaurant. He really knows what he's doing with the pastas, and most people find them their favorites too. There was also live music at the end of the meal; the musician would mention the guest's special dates, and then the staff would bring a "special dessert" to these guests. I really appreciate the service! read more
11 months ago
2 years ago
If you're looking for a great omakase set this is the place to get it. They have the freshest sea food with the greatest host with amazing stories and a hospitality you will never forget enjoy! read more
It's a very cute restaurant, but the neighborhood is a little sketchy. The chef and host was super friendly and sweet. We got the dinner omakase, which came with 12 courses. The chawanmushi wasn't as flavorful as I would've wanted, but the soy sauce and nuts helped. The beef tartar was one of my favorite dishes, so spicy and fresh and the side of salad helped with the spice. The sweet prawn tempura was so tender and soft and the head of the shrimp was crunchy. They did forget the 4th dish, which was the asari soup and I didn't realize until afterwards. I am disappointed because the restaurant should've been better about serving EVERY course of the omakase. The sashimi & nigiri was fresh and tasted delicious in the matcha and salt mixture. The taki maki was scrumptious, it was packed with umami and crunch. The caviar truffle uni pasta was disappointing, didn't finish it. There was the smallest little bit of caviar and uni and it only tasted like creamy truffle pasta. The mochi had red bean filling, wasn't special at all. A better alternative could've been a special flavored ice cream or dessert. The yuzu tea was nice, it washed everything down. A decent omakase, definitely was hoping for a bit more authenticity given its my first experience. read more
3 years ago
Two weeks new Omakase and Izakaya in Gastown. I stumbled upon it on my way to my regular lunch spot (Gastronomy). They offer Bento and Omakase during lunch. I choose the Omakase lunch at $42. Ok don't think anyone can find a better price Omakase meal in Vancouver or Canada for that matter. Owner Tom Bae came by to greet me and delivered every dishes himself. Tom is a busy man, he owns 10 restaurants in lower mainland, so this certainly his new baby. Every dish is tasty, well presented and portioned. I find myself satisfied but not overstuffed at the end of the meal. Some of the highlights are: - chawanmushi, silky and light, a perfect start - Madai sashimi with macha salt - all 3 of the Aburi sushi, just right amount of torching to melt the fat but still remain rare inside - Hirame nigiri - housemade Tako Wasabi (not over powering in wasabi as some others) - mochi dessert Couple of improvements but still good: - sockeye salmon sashimi was a bit waterlogged - the Korean gochujang in the spicy tako Maki overpowered the fish a bit Overall, the meal is impressive especially at this price point. I definitely will come back to try dinner Omakase and the late night Izakaya menu. read more
3 years ago
Wow. Amazing experience. Where should I start? Service 5*. Music and entertainment 5*. Freshness of seafood 5*. But most importantly value for your money 5*. They were having a promotion for omakase and it was worth very penny! We had a 12 course meal with aburi sushi, sashimi, truffle pasta, tempura and so much more, served on little carts that came to our table. We were serenaded by the beautiful live piano notes of a talented musician while consuming our dessert and rice tea. I was blown away considering I have paid double the price at other super overrated places (ie Tojos) with a more mediocre experience. The live music and fresh food made it an evening to remember. Follow them on instagram for specials and support this local business!!! read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
Tom is such a personable, friendly, and knowledgeable chef! He limits the amount of patrons so he can get to know you, and interact! You can tell he's SO passionate about his food and getting to know his customers. His homemade sauces were amongst the many many highlights of this special meal! read more
3 years ago
Brilliant Omakase dining experience. The chef and owner is so friendly and he explained in great detail everything about what we were about to eat, including how he made all the dressings and sauces. His wife and daughter were a delight to talk to too. read more
3 years ago
