The good folks at VANEATS.ca again invited me to do a sneak peek of their November deal. The first one was of Suika, and this one is a Japanese restaurant again. Good thing I love Japanese food! Launching on November 1, the #CheersEbisu package is available for $25 and includes 6 tasty tapas and a pitcher of Sapporo. I'm not a beer fan, but for those of you who are, this is an awesome deal. Most places charge at least $15 for a pitcher of Sapporo, so you're getting 6 appies for $10! What a deal!
The first two items we were served were the Cajun Tuna Tacos and the Tiger Mayo. I liked the presentation of this...cute pair of each, don't you think?
We started with the Cajun Tuna Tacos, fresh tuna seared and tossed with some salad, topped with a mayo based sauce and a little bit of caviar. This was really tasty, with a crunchy shell and chunks of cold refreshing tuna that wasn’t too oily.
The Tiger Prawn Mayo had a thicker breading than I’m used to but the prawn itself was cooked just right, with a nice bite to it. ANd yes, I like that they used a larger prawn - just one was enough!
The next item we tried was the Chicken Karaage. Again, the batter is a bit thick, but wow, the inside more than made up for it. The chicken was super juicy, tender and piping hot. Squirt some of the lemon juice on it to really bring out the flavour of the batter and to lighten the dish up a bit. So good!
They also had Kansai Steak Sliders, which were not your average burger. For one thing, it's not a patty, instead it is beef sliced and marinated in the yakiniku sauce.
There's also avocado, onions and mushrooms too. The bun-to-meat ratio was fairly good and I liked that it was topped with a jalapeño slice for extra kick!
The one thing we didn't have any pre-conceived idea about was the Chikuwa Cheese. Described as "deep fried fish cake stuffed with melted mozzarella cheese", we had no idea what to expect. Basically, it's a mozzarella stick with fish paste wrapped around it, and then deep fried. This was good, but a touch oily. Again, squirt with lemon juice to bring out the fresher flavours.
The meal was rounded out with our only carb of the evening, Yam Fries. I'm not a huge fan of these, but my friend was, so we were all set. Can you see how thick and wide these yam wedges are, she was happy! Can you spot the odd item in the basket? It's lighter colours and slightly thinner. Do you know what it is?
It's their cheese stick, essentially a mozzarella cheese stick with a sliver of green onion, tucked into a spring roll / wonton wrapper and then deep-fried. Oh my gosh, these were super yummy...we actually ordered more.
There was more than enough food for the two of us, we actually had to pack some of the chicken karaage and yam fries to go. The focus of this meal is definitely one of sharing, and would be great on a hockey night...a sort of Japanese / Western pub food. They do have lots of TVs so this would be a great place to catch the game. If you've wanted to try Ebisu but haven't had a chance to, this #CheersEbisu deal for $25 is worth a shot, especially if you like beer! To learn more, take a look at this 30-second video. The packages go on sale on November 1, and only 150 are available. Go to VANEATS.ca to buy!
You had me at deep fried cheesy spring roll!
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