Looking for a new Japanese restaurant to try based on photos (hey, it worked the first time and I found a pretty good restaurant using this method, Kaya Japanese!), a next "must visit" for myself was Tokyo Hon. Tokyo Hon is located in Langley near Walmart and Save on Foods. Really? Langley? Yeah, I could not find anything in Burnaby, Coquitlam and Vancouver that seemed like a must visit for me. By the way, I had to wait two days just to make it out here and those felt like the longest days ever! Walking in on a weeknight, the restaurant was not very busy and a friendly waitress asked if we wanted to sit in a room or at a table.
I appreciate her asking considering it was only the two of us and the room (not the same one pictured) was big enough for six! The restaurant has two sides, one with tables sectioned off by dividers and the other with seats by the sushi bar, sofas for those waiting for take out and I believe four private rooms. The interior is pretty big as well as spacious, clean and quite nice. Tokyo Hon has a relaxing atmosphere and is very homey.
COMPLIMENTS FROM THE SUSHI CHEF.
GOMAE WITH TUNA AND AVOCADO SAUCE WITH LOTUS ROOT.
The fried lotus root is lightly seasoned and provides some crunchiness, however, I ate them as is rather than with the tuna. As for the sashimi, the nice chunk is the middle portion of the tuna and the avocado sauce with a hint of wasabi compliments it well. Further on, the gomae has a nutty taste with a hint of sesame and a nice consistency, not too thick or watery.
MISO (1.50).
PRAWN TEMPURA ($9.95).
HAWAIIAN, RED TUNA ($2.95), TORO ($1.95) AND AMAEBI NIGIRI ($2.25).
The hawaiian tuna tastes fresh as well as quite tasty and is one of the better red tunas I ever had. Next, the toro tastes extra fattier and although I am not sure if it is by luck or because of this specific tuna, but it is probably the fattiest toro that I ever had.
The hawaiian tuna tastes fresh as well as quite tasty and is one of the better red tunas I ever had. Next, the toro tastes extra fattier and although I am not sure if it is by luck or because of this specific tuna, but it is probably the fattiest toro that I ever had.
And last is the amaebi topped with green dyed tobiko which tastes slightly sweet. Personally, I prefer eating the tobiko first than the nigiri as a whole because the tiny crunches overwhelms the taste of the amaebi. As for the rice, it is quite tasty with a good amount of sushi vinegar and the formation is perfect, not too tight or loose.
NABEYAKI UDON, NOODLES IN SOUP BROTH WITH VEGETABLES, SEAFOOD, EGG AND CHICKEN WITH PRAWN TEMPURA ON TOP ($10.95).
The nabeyaki udon has a rich as well as tasty chicken broth and the noodles taste perfectly cooked, not mushy. As for the ingredients, there are a couple of prawn tempura, a cut of chicken thigh, seaweed, cabbage, bean sprout and carrot. The highlight is definitely the chicken since the meat is grilled before tossing into the nabeyaki which provides a nice charred and more flavourful taste, the proper way. The chicken tastes moist and the extra step is appreciated. After a while, the owner's wife walked by, noticed the dried up nabeyaki and asked if we wanted the kitchen to reheat it. How nice of her? This is a first for me at any restaurant!
SOFT SHELL CRAB, DEEP FRIED SOFT SHELL CRAB WITH SWEET SAUCE ($8.95).
After asking if the soft shell crab is lightly battered and with a confirmation by the waitress that it is "very thin", we both agreed it would be safe order. The soft shell crab is very lightly battered and tastes moist, juicy as well as meaty. This is definitely a must order for those who like them!
ASSORTED SASHIMI B ($29.95). TOBIKO, SOCKEYE SALMON, TUNA, RED TUNA, TAKO, HOKKIGAI, AMAEBI, SABA AND IKURA.
Visually, the lemon with parsley resembling a tree, an ice bowl holding the red tuna and a sheet of daikon wrapped around a tea light candle, makes the dish look appealing and shows some effort was put into the presentation. Although despite being more about the food than presentation, if the food tastes good and the presentation looks great, then it is a bonus considering some restaurants provide a presentation without the food quality (Kishimoto).
Continuing to the sashimi, the tobiko presented on a thick cut of cucumber as well as the hokkigai and tako, tastes generic (like always). Although I do appreciate the thin slices of tako to prevent it from tasting chewy. Starting with the sockeye salmon despite preferring atlantic for that fattier taste, has a fresh, rich and natural taste that we enjoyed. Next, the tuna tastes fresh and oddly… fatty? Although every tuna has a different taste, this is the only tuna sashimi that I ever had which tastes fatty as well as buttery! Possibly by luck? Further on is the amaebi which tastes rich with a slight sweetness and the saba with a naturally fishy as well as a pickled taste which we both enjoyed despite missing green onion and/or ginger. Up next is the nice thick cuts of red tuna in an ice bowl which tastes fresh as well as fatty and smooth with no tendon, one of the better hawaiian tunas we ever had. And last, the ikura presented on a leaf tastes slightly rinsed with a less gooey exterior as well as a less saltier taste than usual.LOBSTER ROLL. LOBSTER, CRAB MEAT, AVOCADO, CUCUMBER, YAM FLAKE AND TOBIKO ON TOP ($13.95).
The lobster roll comes with a side of spinach and arugula salad as well as both ponzu and balsamic vinegar dressing. Unagi and spicy sauce is also usually added to the roll but we requested for it to be on the side. The roll has a buttery as well as bouncy tasting lobster meat and holds up well, without falling apart. The lobster meat is not overwhelmed by anything and I like the butteriness more than the usual tempura battered meat which most restaurants offer. As for the yam flakes, although I never prefer them, did not ruin the lobster roll in any way.LIGHTLY FRIED ICE CREAM PUFFS, 5 PIECES ($3.95).
The restaurant offered us a sample and of course, we took it LOL (well, after persuading BF to). The vanilla ice cream puffs are generic and quite tasty despite being biased since I am a fan of these in general. The weird thing is, I am not a fan of fried ice cream or banana but I did not mind the cream puffs much and it tastes alright.
GREEN TEA ICE CREAM ($3.95).
Overall we tipped 20% because the staff was friendly as well as welcoming. Our waitress mentioned that she was new and honestly, I could not tell as she was attentive as well as professional. Other than her, the owner's wife also dropped by to ask if we needed to reheat the nabeyaki and the sushi chef came by to see if everything was going well. He was also surprised at the amount of food we ordered too! Asides from the service, the food is great and the restaurant does not cheap out or short cut anything. I will definitely revisit and highly recommend the restaurant in Langley!
POSITIVES
- Above average eats
- Something about that toro and tuna… everything tasted extra fatty!
- Friendly owners and staff
- Nice atmosphere and spacious restaurant
NEGATIVES
- Why is there no where like this in Vancouver…
LITTLE THINGS
- Although a different style of Japanese restaurant, I prefer coming here than Hirame in Langley because of the friendlier staff and larger restaurant
- A much better choice than Waka Sushi for those who want to eat before watching a movie in Langley
- I always go to Langley for DBX because it is so much better than the VIP seats (not so VIP when you always have to bring ID...) and am glad to find a restaurant where I can eat before watching a movie!
Service: 4.5/5
Thank you for the review!!
ReplyDeleteI can definitely save some money from the toll bridge and try this place out:) From Vancouver to Langley? Must be good!
What movie did you watch?
DeleteLOL lucky for you… I have to pass the bridge to visit here! Let me know how your visit is! And I watched Captain America
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