Once again, we received an invite from the VANEATS team to check out its latest dining package, SupaSUIKA by Suika Snackbar. Because I have a visitor in town, and I remember how much I enjoyed the food at Suika, I decided to take him there for some izakaya experience.
Food
The SupaSUIKA package includes 4 items. First of all, a pitcher of their refreshing mojito, which comes in three interesting flavours: watermelon, pomegranate and aloe vera. We chose the Watermelon Mojito Pitcher because well, it’s pink 🙂
The watermelon flavour was quite subtle, but I could taste all other mojito components: rum, mint and lime. The pitcher pours roughly 6 little glasses, which I thought was a decent amount. Next, the Steak Salad. The beef steak cubes were cooked to about medium so it’s still pink inside, but they were sooo tender and marinated well! The salad was in a sesame soy dressing, not overly dressed, which was good. The portion was quite big, to my surprise; it’s almost like an entree-size salad.
Steak Salad – Diced & Marinated AAA Beef Filet Steaks on Organic Greens Topped with Watercress and Beets
When we went to Suika for the first time (another VANEATS tasting), we were quite impressed with their battera sushi. The Salmon Battera, the 3rd item in the package, was equally good. Because they use sockeye salmon, the flavour was stronger and to some, it may be fishy. The slightly torched mayo drizzled on top, combining with what I believe is teriyaki sauce, gave the sushi a sweet yet savoury taste and a fatty (good oily) texture in your mouth. Love the crunch from the salmon roes.
Salmon Battera – Sockeye Salmon, Salmon Caviar, Spicy Cod Roe mayo, Japanese Basil, Avocado Shiso
Lastly, the Ma-Po Rice Cake is no stranger to me. I didn’t like it last time, but I think I have a change of heart now. The gooey rice cake doesn’t bother me anymore; in fact, I now enjoy how it’s soft and chewy inside, and crispy on the outside. Such a contrast in texture. I think the ma-po sauce is also spicier than last time, so overall it just tastes much better to me.
Ma-Po Rice Cake – Deep Fried Rice Cake with Spicy Ground Pork Sauce
The 4 items above cost $35 via VANEATS. I thought it’s not a bad deal considering the mojito pitcher itself costs $29. Because there were 4 of us, so we ordered a few more dishes to share:
- Tuna, Hamachi & Sockeye Salmon Sashimi
- My Ebimayo – Deep fried cilantro battered tiger prawns with chili mayo
- Asari Yaki Udon – Pan Fried Thick Noodles with Manila Clams and Citron Pepper
- Grilled Duck – Grilled Duck Breast with Tomato, Granny Smith Apple Slices and “Special Sauce”
- Hellz Chicken
- Beef Short Rib – Fried & Tossed with Sweet Balsamic
All dishes were quite tasty. Well, maybe except for the Asari Yaki Udon, which was a bit bland. Every other dish was nicely prepared and each offered a different flavour combination. My favourite of the additional dishes? Sashimi, Hellz Chicken, and Beef Short Rib. Sashimi was fresh and you can taste the fish (instead of the watery taste of defrosted fish). Hellz Chicken is supposed to be very spicy, so our server recommended to order the sauce on the side. It was a smart move given that it’s a very spicy sauce (it even has a chili pepper in the sauce so it won’t be mistaken) – it tasted like an enhanced Frank’s Hot Sauce. The Beef Short Rib was excellent! It reminded me of a Chinese dish called Sweet Vinegar Pork (糖醋排骨). Because the rib was deep-fried, the outside was quite crispy but the meat was just tender and melts in your mouth. I would recommend getting this!
Final Thoughts
My visitor certainly enjoyed his dinner at Suika, and he was happy with the food quality. The SupaSUIKA package itself is probably enough for just one person (well, the mojito pitcher can be shared), so I would suggest ordering a few extra items. Beef Short Rib, Hellz Chicken, Grilled Duck, Tonsoku, and Bibimbap are some dishes that I would recommend getting.
Suika Snackbar
1626 West Broadway, Vancouver
604-730-1678
www.suika-snackbar.com
VanFoodies.com 
[…] is a sister restaurant of Kingyo and Suika Snackbar, located in Kitsilano near West 10th and Alma. With an invitation from the team at VANEATS, we […]
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