Kitcho Izakaya

Up close and personal??

Been to the old location a couple of times a lifetime ago but first time to this new location.

It is located on the ground floor on the corner of Garden City and McKim Way. There is a parkade at the back and paid street parking along the street (if you are somewhat lazy like me after a long day, it's $3/hr right out front lol).

The inside is greeted with a fish tank of koi fishes, bar and sushi bar along with the kitchen to the right and tables to the left as you walk in. A small but comfortably spaced out dining atmosphere.

Upon arrival and told over an hour wait but sushi bar is available. Opted out at first but my friend didn't mind the UP CLOSE and personal experience so sushi bar it was.

Here were the food I ordered;

1. Unagi tamago. Decently okay, nice little appetizer to begin the meal with. Usually if just tamago, I prefer it at the end as almost like a dessert.
2. Tako wasabi. Nice texture but lack the wasabi taste (actually I can barely taste the wasabi).
3. Soft shell crab. Very nicely done and the crab was of good size plus came with a nice fresh salad!
4. Oyster motoyaki. Nicely cooked and tasty. Finally a place understands how to cook a straight to the point good motoyaki.
5. Foie gras toast. The foie gras was seared nicely but the toast was over toasted, the sauce was too much and overpowered the beautiful buttery taste of the foie gras.
6. Kimchi mentaiko yaki udon. Added the kimchi sauce while pan frying it, good! Didn't add the masago too early good! Ingredients were generous and didn't over cooked, good! BUT cooked the kimchi cabbage together, resulting in nothing but warm sour cabbage,not good!
7. Deluxe sashimi added Hokkaido uni for $58 extra. Everything was fresh and tasty. Bite size as I preferred them (some of you who preferred over sizes then you will be disappointed lol). But I am bit disappointed with the selection for $65. The uni was fresh but $58 for 9pcs whereas the each of the uni nigiri has 3pcs in them for $16. The uni nigiris are perhaps a better deal than the uni sashimi?!?
8. Engawa nigiris. Lightly torched and a nice light sauce, very tasty.
9. O-toro, kinmedai, shima aji, chopped scallop nigiris. Everything was fresh and tasty but wish the O-toro nigiris were just a tad bit more generous in portion especially for the price.

This is a nice little place with a warm and cozy vibe. They do have a selection of creative dishes that most likely you don't find at other places, but the price tag is a bit higher here than your average Japanese restaurant. I assume the goal is quality over quantity.

The food was fresh and of good quality, no doubt about that. All the sushis were bite size just the way I liked them but like I said earlier on if you are those who prefer bigger portions, this may not be for you. I would put this place on an option to repeat if I am in the neighbourhood but for the same price, there are similar or better options throughout the lower mainland.

Overall the service was friendly and attentive, but I did wish I got a table instead of the sushi bar because there was an empty table throughout the duration of my time there. Nevertheless, up close and personal once awhile is okay at long as good food and good company.

Sushi was decent. A little on the vinegary side. Udon seemed okay. We had a roll that was not as good. Prices were pretty good for sushi, but less so for other things. Between 3-4 stars.

Love their new location! Their ambiance and build out inside looks beautiful!
- Easy parking in the back structure
- Great service from all staff members esp as they consistently check in with you
- Awesome food

Dined in on a last minute reservation on the weekend at this new location. Ample parking in the adjacent free parking lot.

Raw dishes were all very fresh including oysters. We had an assortment of nigiri which highlighted the night. Beautifully presented and delicious.

Robata plates came out quickly and were flavourful though a tad on the salty side.

Good intimate setting with space for larger groups as well.

So glad this restaurant reopen at this new location. It is even better than before. I called to check if they had kinmedai and made reservation right away. End up I was able to order all dishes i tried and loved before. The server, May was very very nice. I will come Vancouver soon because i want to come Kitcho Izakaya again!

Excellent and reasonably priced Izakaya menu. Close to airport hotels. Service was excellent and beautiful food presentation. Delicious sushi. Recommend the Richmond roll.

Entryway to a typical narrow and dingy Asian strip mall parking garage is on the North side of the building. After parking and walking to the front of the restaurant is where the true experience begins. After walking through a well designed and stylish front door and lobby with Koi fish and all, a well adorned dining room greets all dining patrons. The only thing better than the clean modern bathrooms and the comfortable and seemingly private booth without being totally cutoff from the rest of the dining room was the food and waitstaff. The Nasu miso braised eggplant served on a sizzling iron plate with bonito flakes was pretty to look at and was on point with taste and recite. The "Rain Forest Roll" tempura prawn, asparagus with kiwi on top was very tasty with the sushi rice being al dente with the perfect balance between soft and chewy. The tempura yam was fresh so the natural sweetness came through that was accentuated with the right amount of tempura crispness without being oily. Last but not least, the House Green salad was put together in a meticulous way where every perfectly fresh leafy green was laid flat with perfectly ripened avocado, asparagus, grape tomatoes with a sweet and tangy house dressing. The attention to detail and execution of the end to end dining experience by the friendly and professional staff will motivate a repeat experience and hopefully many more after that. This experience will also inspire me to take food pictures again despite how I prefer to focus on the actual experience these days.

Great food, great service, skewers are on a saltier side but would pair great with beer or sake. Surprisingly amazing sushi too! Would definitely want to come back for its Omakase.

First visit after reopening, excellent menu and super fresh food. The o toro with uni was amazing

Excellent food and service. Sit at the bar and talk to chef Chris. Super entertaining, very knowledgeable and funny! Elevated unique food - this is not your regular Izakaya. Presentation was beautiful.
Ordered-:
1) scallop motoyaki - with four scallops and not overly oily:
2) bacon mentaiko udon. Delicious portions and generous helping of roe. Sauce evenly distributed and udon cooked well.
3) Unagi don with their 20 year old recipe secret sauce.
4) Oden soup had lots of umami and bonito flavour and depth!

And we left full (which is a rarity for me).
Next time we can't wait to try their grilled kinki fish!!

Bye bye Guu Izakaya - once we tried Kitcho we ain't going back downtown.