Kinome
2511 West Broadway | 778-379-1925 | Facebook.com/KinomeJapaneseKitchen
Open Thursday to Monday, 5:30pm until food runs out.
Anyone who remembers the legendary Dan Japanese Restaurant will likely be familiar with Tokyo-trained chef Ryoma Matarai (pictured), who worked there before taking over the space and relaunching it as Kinome last year. The small, elegant space isn’t imposing; in fact, a multi-generational family of six one night are a perfect example of the regular crowd in here. Kinome has mass appeal, thanks to the polite and friendly service, the greetings from the kitchen when you walk in, and the pervasive “there’s-no-rush” attitude.
Food comes out when it’s ready, and you’re done when you’re done. And, oh, the food. Matarai’s soba noodles have received oodles of praise since he opened, and it’s all deserved. Made from a combination of local, organic buckwheat flour and more-finely-milled Japanese buckwheat flour, the noodles are flash-cooked for a minute, then run under cold water to halt the cooking process. There’s also a bit of wheat flour in the mix, but it’s minor, and leaves the noodles without the heavy glutinous taste. Slightly square and beautifully cut, they’re served cold with various dipping sauces. My favourite was the warm duck broth ($15), lightly salty and earthy. There’s a note on the menu reminding you to eat the noodles quickly, as the texture changes within minutes. We accordingly slurped down a couple bowls quickly, and felt refreshed, without that heavy feeling that usually accompanies more-glutinous varieties.
If you’re looking for sushi and sashimi, there is some on the menu, but it’s definitely not the focus here. The rotating sashimi plate ($18) is lovely, if tiny. One night featured glass shrimp, local sea urchin, ahi tuna and Japanese mackerel. The local seafood is all Ocean Wise-approved, but that from Japan is simply listed as wild-caught. All meats are local, free-range and certified organic. All vegetables are locally farmed or foraged (or from the chef’s own garden), and the bonito dashi stock is freshly shaved and deeply aromatic. This is also a zero-waste kitchen (there’s no garbage bin). In fact, the restaurant will accept plastic bags, clean Styrofoam containers and batteries from customers for recycling.
The care taken in sourcing ingredients is very clear in the final product. Prawn and vegetable tempura ($7) is a small square dish of perfectly fried green beans with a paper-thin, crunchy coating. The prawns are juicy, fresh and melt away just past the teeth. Chawanmushi ($7) was less impressive, although the steamed egg custard had good texture, if a bit bare in flavour.
If you have the time and inclination, go for the omakase menu. At $50, it’s an ever-changing list of five to six dishes that will consistently impress, like the miso-marinated Berkshire pork or the delicate egg omelette flavoured with dashi.
There is dessert, but opt to finish with the soba noodles (which traditionally are served at the end of a meal). That light, refreshing slurp makes for a very happy belly.
All ratings out of five stars:
Food: ★★★★
Service: ★★★★
Ambiance: ★★★★
Value: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
Anya Levykh is a freelance food, drink and travel writer who covers all things ingestible. In addition to obsessively collecting cookbooks, she is a judge for the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @foodgirlfriday.
Rating guide:
★: Okay, nothing memorable.
★★: Good, shows promise.
★★★: Very good, occasionally excellent.
★★★★: Excellent, consistently above average.
★★★★★: Awe-inspiring, practically perfect in every way.
