ashi
The original Guu, it's Guud!
Food: 4/5 | Service: 3.5/5 | Ambiance: 3.5/5 | Overall: 4/5
This is a great little Japanese izakaya (bar) off of Robson on Thurlow. There is no maki (roll) sushi or teriyaki here, but plenty of other Japanese creations and tapas to explore.
Food
There are 3 menus: regular, seasonal specials (handwritten), chef’s recommendations (on one of the pillars in the tabled area). Their regular menu is mostly tried and true. The seasonal menu can be hit or miss, but there are certainly some good items here. I’ve not had a particularly good experience with the chef’s recommendations, unfortunately.
Service
Most of the waitresses here speak Japanese and are not very fluent in English. Normally this isn’t a problem as you can just point to what you want on the menus. Reservations can be tricky. If you’re late, they may cancel your reservation, so don’t be late. From my experience, even with a reservation you may need to wait.
The staff is very energetic and uplifting. They will shout your orders to the kitchen with a loud greeting as you enter or leave, which is typical of this type of restaurant.
Ambiance
Loud and busy atmosphere, as you would expect. It’s part of the dining experience. I must say, the stools and benches are not very comfortable. The kitchen is always an exciting place and you can watch them prepare your food if you sit at the bar.
Dishes Tried:
Deep-Fried Prawns with Spicy Mayonnaise Sauce
4 large breaded prawns fried to perfection.
Deep-Fried Shrimp & Squid "calamari" with Japanese Spicy Mayonnaise sauce
Seasonal special: sole on tofu (not sure what the exact name is)
Not much sole and the tofu (2 very large pieces) was bland. The tasty soup is the only reason why this gets 3 stars.
Poached egg with hamburger and rice in tomato sauce
The strong tomato sauce was a bit overwhelming.
Deep-Fried Japanese Pancake Served with Tonkatsu & Mayonnaise Sauce
Served hot with a crispy outer layer and soft inside (veggies and bits of meat) that melts in your mouth.
Panfried AHI Tuna Steak w/Garlic soy sauce
Large tender piece of tuna steak served with fresh greens.
Grilled Ling Cod & Mushroom with Garlic Spinach Sauce
Grilled Scallops with Garlic Butter & Toast
Two large pieces of scallop presented on a sea shell shaped dish along with mushrooms etc.
Baked Shrimp with mayonnaise & Potato "Gratin"
The potato chunks were hard and bland. Get the deep-fried prawns or calamari instead if you want shrimp.
Baked Duck Breast with Sweet Miso Sauce
Outstanding dish. Thin slices of tender duck breast served with grilled veggies. The sweet miso sauce is very flavourful.
Steamed fresh Mussels w/Garlic butter & sake
More than a dozen fresh succulent mussels in garlic sake — very nice.
Grilled Black Cod with Miso Mayonnaise Sauce
The cod was slightly overgrilled this time, but usually it’s fine.
Grilled Beef Short Rib with House Made Garlic, Ginger Soy Sauce
I love their daily special menu!!! My favourite dish...
I love their daily special menu!!!
My favourite dishes are:
Chopped Fresh Salmon “Sashimi Yukke” with Garlic Soy Sauce + Baked Duck Breast with Sweet Miso Sauce + Pumpkin Croquette Ball Inside Egg with Original Sauce
P.S. There is always a line up at the door and all the good dishes can be SOLD OUT!
Best Dishes at Kitanoya Guu
View all dishesThese dishes from the Kitanoya Guu menu are contributed by Menuism users directly, as part of a restaurant review, or as part of a photo upload.
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Baked Duck Breast with Sweet Miso Sauce ()
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Croquette ()
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Guu-Tataki ()
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wkim75
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