Kobe Japanese Bistro

Personally, I keept going back to Kobe partly because, each time, I always felt comfortable and welcomed being there. The ambience is casual and welcoming, and the staff always made sure I was content with my dining experience. Unlike many places, I feel like they actually pay attention to the quality of their food and caring about what customers' feedback. Even when they make mistakes on orders, they are still very polite and never hesitate to correct it. Therefore, it is probably one of the top go-to Japanese restaurants in the city.

The 8 piece rainbow rolls ($12) are not too big or too small, just in perfect bite size with a fresh array of sashimi. I find their sushi rice tastes better than other Japanese restaurants and I believe it's because of the brand of the rice vinegar they use.

Small order of shrimp tempura $9. Pricey for only 5 pieces BUT! at least the taste was compensated. The shrimp is so crisp (and I'm talking about the meat, not just the batter), and not rubbery.

Sashimi combination 18 pieces for $25. The sashimi were fair size in cuts and never too thick. I can guarantee that out of all the times I've visited Kobe, the sashimi were always fresh. I've never had to deal with slimes, fishiness, or eating them while they were frozen. Seasoned ponzu sauce was served along side, and after sampling with each type of sashimi, the best to go with it were the tuna and red snapper.

Negitoro maki rolls $6 fatty tuna belly chopped up with green onions. Again, I like how the sushi rice has the right amount of acidity that complements the fatty tuna and green onion well.

In the far left, we have 8 big pieces of Agedashi tofu ($5.50). The deep fried soft tofu are served with dashi-based sauce and topped with grated ginger. The tofu pieces are soft on the inside and crispy outside, and they always arrive hot and fresh from the fryer. The portion is definitely larger than other restaurants. Another appetizer that I was a fan of was their chicken karage which are crispy bite size fried chicken pieces marinated with flavourful ginger, and served with tangy garlic, ginger soy sauce. In the centre is California roll with tobiko for $8.50 and Kappa maki roll for $3.50, which are pretty standard and what one can expect of them. I quite enjoy their selection of special maki rolls, one of them being the French Kiss roll ($11) with breaded shrimp, cream cheese, smoked salmon topped with tobiko and spicy mayo. The combination of ingredients pretty much hint what the roll would taste like; creamy, crunchy, smoky, with a little bit of a spicy tangy kick.

I love how saucy and flavourful their Katsu donburi ($11) is and try to get it as often when I'm not too full from sushi. The dashi-based sauce is a bit sweet, yet well balanced, and the egg is always served not entirely cooked, as it should be (as Ross from Friends would say, "the moist maker"!"). It is topped with thick, hearty cuts of meat, Panko battered and fried to a crisp, but still tender and not overcooked. You can also replace pork cutlet with chicken and I find that chicken is better because it is more tender and not as chewy.

My favourite time to go is probably during lunch hours from 11-2 pm. It is quiet, with lunch combo's for only $10-14, AND the best part is a station of self-serve miso soup and salad which I usually go nuts for. Pretty good value!

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