Review Shibuyatei Japanese Restaurant - Richmond

What wonderful little hidden gem. The owner is a very Japanese straight-up-no-nonsense brash old man and I can’t say for the others who had a bad experience with customer service here but I personally had a very pleasant conversation with him. The food was delightful and very homely. Be nice to him, and he reciprocates. 10/10 would recommend eating here.

Why did I find out about this place just now?! Definitely worth trying—and worth coming back for! The food is so refreshing, not a lot of seasoning (msg) but tastes so good! It even made me teary probably cause I felt the chef/owner’s passion on the food he prepared. He will prepare your orders one by one. If there were already people who placed their orders before you, then you might have to wait for a bit—again, definitely worth waiting for! I was so full cause I ordered a lot but not like other restaurants, I didn’t feel dizzy after eating. It’s a perfect place to go for dinner after a long day at work, it’s like I went home to my grandpa’s homecooked meal 🥰 My new favorite in Richmond. Will come back again!

This one man (76 years young) operation may be a bit slow for many people in this day and age but the dining experience is worth it. The shop owner who owned and operated a sophisticated ramen shop in Tokyo, Shibuya area in the 70s-80s has old Japanese food shows running on the tv. Most of these episodes feature him and his ramen bowls. The contrast of the young face on the tv and the man standing in front of you is almost symbolic of all that experience you are about to taste in your bowl. This humble old man tells us that his ramen is for the common folks and not the gourmets of the likes of Anthony Bourdain. Oh is he wrong, because the amount of pride and love that goes into his food is obvious from your first bite. When visiting, please have patience and it will be rewarded.

It’s like going back to your grandpa’s place for a bowl of heart ramen and curry. It’s an one-man show so if you are looking for something fast, heavy, lots of powdery taste (msg) in your food, don’t come here. We have now tried all three types of larmen (don’t ask why it’s not called ramen) - miso, shoyu, and shio. Shio is hands down my fav. The soup base is so clean but flavorful. Miso also blew my mind - it’s NOT salty nor heavy. It had so much more flavor in addition to the miso. We have also tried three different types of Gyoza, my fav is the cheese with chicken. It’s so different from other gyoza I’ve had. Go support him!!!! He’s a lovely and endearing grandpa, who is super proud of his food!!

The owner, cook, and sole waiter of the place is admittedly quite blunt. He has his ways of doing things and won't hesitate to turn you away if you do not follow his rules in the restaurant. That being said, I can respect someone who has that much conviction over their way of handling a restaurant, and it isn't out of place compared to the mannerisms that I've seen in Japan. My dinner, the beef curry, was great. I would recommend checking in to the place early in the case that it fills up (it's a small establishment and he will not serve you if he is already busy). Informational Note: The restaurant accepts credit card. My VISA worked, not sure about Mastercard. Definitely not amex.

I work part-time right close by this place so I gave them a visit. Turns out it's a one-man show at this place. I ordered the 'larmen' and I got to say it's pretty good. Very light and fresh. Taste very home-made.

A one man show kinda place… when the restaurant has more than 2 tables of customers expect slower service as he needs to cook and there’s no one taking orders. Katsudon tasted home cooked, with a special sauce as mentioned on menu. Generous portion of rice. Only 20 portions of ramen noodles served for lunch and dinner so hope you get lucky with that! The best surprise was the gyoza. We tried the 3kinds plate that came with 3 different flavors: pork, shrimp and scallop. Scallop was pleasantly surprising and we didn’t expect it to go well as a gyoza filling! Overall, if you’re not super famished, not rushed for time, wanna support a hardworking solo chef, and just be transported to a small Japanese village, this is the place for you.

My boyfriend and I were the only ones in the shop and we had a lovely conversation with the owner/chef and his experience in Tokyo and his passion for using high quality ingredients instead of relying on MSG - the food was authentic and tasted yummy. We ordered the Special Set (Larmen + pork gyoza) and the chichen-don (teriyaki chicken with rice) and came to a total of $26.50 (without tips).

We went to this restaurant as part of the Richmond Dumpling Tour. I have been curious about this place as I've always driven by it on the way to the airport. The restaurant was empty when we walked in. He told our friends who were already there that everyone had to order a minimum of $5. There were 8 of us, not including my 9 month old baby. We placed an order for some gyozas, but he said everyone had to order something and started arguing about the $5 minimum even though the items were over that amount. After a little back and forth, we ordered 8 items, as required by him. A friend arrived late and when she started to eat what we ordered for her, he told her to stop eating because there were now 9 people, including the baby. He told us we had to order something for my baby. We offered to pay the $5 minimum for my baby but he refused.<br/><br/>It was a terrible experience, which was a shame because his gyozas were good. He made a big stink when I requested a bowl of hot water to heat up my baby's bottle and said we weren't allowed to bring any outside food, which included the baby bottle. He said it's his rules and he doesn't like cater to groups like us and would rather have returning regulars. He complained about the cost of running his restaurant multiple times. He did not like that there was a baby. We were all appalled by his rule about ordering food for a baby.<br/><br/>I would not recommend this place. The chef/owner was extremely rude and not appreciative of his customers. He was raising his voice and told me to shut up multiple times and he kept saying he doesn't like to argue with customers. We were not looking for an argument. All we wanted was to go enjoy his food. Tourism Richmond should remove the restaurant off their list as he doesn't seem like to the clientele being sent to him.

I am giving one star for the following reasons<br/>- No vegetarian dish<br/>- No sushi option as they no longer serve sushi and it was not clear what was available<br/>- Each person requires to make one order, even if that person is a 6 month old baby. <br/><br/>Below is my encounter: The restaurant requires each individual to make an order. The person in charge asked if that is ok and I said yes. We had 5 individuals and when we started ordering he didnt count the beer or appetizer as an order. He wanted us to make 5 full orders. Biggest problem with the rule is that one of the five person was a 6 month old baby. I protested saying we did make 5 orders, one of them was beer and he said it doesnt count and must be food order followed by "I dont want to argue" and gesture us to leave the restaurant. <br/><br/>I dont know if the food is good or not since I was not given the opportunity to do so. To be fair, I do understand "My house my rules" and the person in charge definitely took that phrase to heart.

Check out the review of Shibuyatei in the blog post below.

I would rather eat at McDonald's than to give business to this rude and ungrateful owner/chef. Sorry not chef, I should call the him "kitchen boy" because a real chef would be happy to serve his food to anyone that might enjoy it. Even Masaharu Morimoto serves kids. Who the heck does this guy think he is? Let me tell you. He is a NOBODY in the world class cuisine scene. No one knows his name. No one knows his face. I am going to sit back and watch him go out of business. I feel so sorry for his family if they have to depend on his income to survive.

Extremely rude, he told me and my wife our 1 year old son was too noisy when there was no one in the restaurant. He said he doesn't welcome children.

The owner is extremely rude. Food was mediocre. Never have I stepped into a Japanese restaurant and felt like I wasn't welcome. This place may be good just for takeout but after interacting with the owner, I would definitely not come back and will refer everyone away from this restaurant.

Worst experience I have had at a restaurant. Seriously he said "there are only 4 dishes, you must order 5." We asked why, and he said because there are 5 of us. Then we said "but one is a baby" and he says "my restaurant my rule". Direct quotation! Maybe just wanted to watch the Ohio State football game blaring in the background. Very authentic.<br/><br/>interesting finish to a near-insane performance overall. Restaurant completely empty at 12:30pm. Guy had no heat on, blasted a space heater at us. Squished in 5 seats at a 4 table against a window, 4 adults 1 baby. Said he only does what is on the menu when one veg person at table, not me, asked for a veggie inari (since only a few veg dishes on the menu). Then he told that person he doesn't advise being a vegetarian (free advice!), since balance is essential.  <br/><br/>So weird overall that again I feel like he just wanted to watch the Ohio State football game blasting away in the background or that he didn't like the look of us? Very strange.

Who would have thought a ramen joint inside a car wash plaza? A very hidden gem with a few parking spots out front. As we sit eating, we realize how busy and popular this place is, the owner and chef takes care of everything here. Customers are expected to wait 20-30 minutes for food which is the norm here. I was recently invited to come here and do the dumpling trail, where we sample the dumplings offered by the restaurant and also taste a few of their feature items.

Small little dive like place in the industrial area of Richmond. The chef specializes in authentic home style Japanese cooking. His gyoza, ramen, and curry are excellent. Menu is small. I suggest sticking with the cooked food. He does not cater to typical American tastes. So expect simple light flavours of high quality ingredients.

Cute little place. Positive and hopeful first impression. Unfortunately, the menu was a nightmare to navigate, half the items were crossed out, others are missing price and require you to refer to different pages to get your information. Not to mention, the menu had spelling errors, and was sticky. Selection is small. When we asked the chef to clarify whether they had tofu Burger or cold noodles, he responded rhetorically as if we didn't read the menu properly. This restaurant is a 1-man show; I admire his hard work, but expect delay with all the services you receive. To be honest, the food looks simple and typical. If you love homestyle simple cooking, this may be the spot for you. Personally, I might not come again.

Yum!. Not too much selection from the Ramen side, but their staple Ramen (#1 / #2) was very good. They do have a couple block heaters in the store, so it's a little chilly when people go in and out. But besides that, the owner and server were both very nice. I would come back a second time.

Great little restaurant and food. Please don't listen to the rude chef review from the idiot below! Here's why, read below!. First of all please don't listen to that dummy that wrote the review. 1. It has nothing to do with the restaurant. I was there to see it all when this idiot parked their car in the driveway next to the row of parking next to the restaurant and car wash. The chef asked to move the car and they refused to do so. So this is when the comment about using the brain comes in. The chef just asked if they could move the parked the car blocking access for people to drive in and out to move to the spot by the car wash office. What idiot would park blocking driveways? Oh wait, we are in Richmond, so most people who don't use their brains think they are entitled to create parking spots wherever they please. (Please reference to Richmond Learns to Park on Facebook!) Just plain ignorant! The chef who has a stern Japanese accent as rude? I'm sorry but whenever I am there and I am there a lot, he is nothing but a gentle soul. He ALWAYS has a smile on his face, whether he is serving you, cooking or clearing dirty dishes. Who has a smile on their face when they clean dishes? The chef does.<br/><br/>About the food, I think it's amazing and I'm highly critical of food. I like to cook and make everything from scratch myself and this guy does it. Alone. He doesn't want to hire anyone else because he wants to keep the price low for you to enjoy his food. He takes a lot of pride in what he does and he ensures you are happy with his product. If he finds out you have been referred to eat at his place he makes an extra effort to ensure you're happy because his other regulars referred you. I love how everything there is no MSG and the soup isn't fatty. It's a nice change from going to a ramen house that just throws prefab junk into a pot and just chops the green onions for your soup.<br/><br/>Also if any of you have watched Jiro dreams of sushi, this guy has had major critics review his shop when he did have one in Tokyo. One top critic loved the food so much that he brought his family to eat there. He hasn't been reviewed under Michelin critics but he should be! The gyozas are also awesome. I thought Gyoza King downtown on Robson street was good but over the years the quality has gone down. It's just filled with salt and lard for taste. I love how the gyozas are here, nice and juicy and low in fat. <br/><br/>Please give this shop a try, it looks like a hole in the wall but it's the best gem in the city by far!

Extremely rude chef!. Long story short. The chef was very rude and unreasonable. Telling me..."you have no brain! If you do, you would listen to me!" This was all because I parked in a spot in front of his restaurant (there were no signs indicating that any particular spots were reserved for his restaurant and it is a shared parking lot with the car wash shop).

Delicious Food and friendly owner. Me and my friend went there for lunch today. We were the only customers, i guess it's because of Canada Day? We had some trouble finding the store even with GPS. The restaurant doesn't look Japanese. The owner was very friendly and we had some interesting conversations. <br/>I had ordered a charsulamen (abt $13), and salmon maki. CharsuLamen with 3 pcs of charsu was kinda expensive compare to regular lamen, abt. $ 9 with one piece of Charsu. According to the owner, almost all of the food was msg- free, so it might be too little taste for those who are used to heavy taste food. Green tea ice cream was also delicious. It was handmade by the owner, so it wasn't as sweet as ice cream available at grocery stores. It was creamy, with the true green tea flavour. I will go there again even just for the ice cream.

Fresh sushi and friendly owner. Freshest sushi I've ever eaten at a good price. The fish is sweet and melts in your mouth. The owner explained about himself and was very friendly. Will go back and recommend to others.

The best ramen shop outside japan. I never thought this place would surpass the level of quality ramen we came to be accustomed to in vancouver: Jinya, Santoku, Motomachi-Shokudo or near by Nanchuu and among the others, all execute above and beyond quality of delicious ramen bowls. Shibuyatei does not look like a place you can expect to have a good anything: the place looks like a garage with menus posters all over the walls. And the owner is nice enough but does he ever love to talk! But his ramen (or he spells it "LAMEN") is incredible. My Tokyo native friend describes it as "the real tokyo ramen". It's insanely delicious. I cant eat ramen anywhere else now.

2 Thumbs Up!!!. My friend raves and rants about this place. So I went in tonight to eat for the first time.<br/>I ate the larmen and gyoza (pork, prawn, and scallop). WOW!!! Authentic high-quality Shoyu Ramen and gyoza from a Japanese chef. And NO MSG!!! I have never had "scallop" gyoza before, so I didn't know what to expect, but it was just amazing how that melted in my mouth. You can literally taste the QUALITY!!!<br/>The staff were very polite and very helpful in helping me decide what to eat for the first time. <br/>I am looking forward to coming back to eat here very soon!

The ramen was amazing. Soup was nice and clear that didn't leave an overpowering flavor. The noodle was soft yet tender. I also had the ebi-katsu which was completely different from the shrimp tempura that I'm used to. The curry udon was also really good. Can't wait to go back.

Pleasantly surprised. We decided to place an order for pickup after looking at the reviews on Urbanspoon, and we will be back. Great prices and friendly service. Presentation couldn't have been any better. The wasabi and ginger sat on a plastic leaf so they weren't touching the rolls! The tuna and salmon maki were my favorite.

Straight from Tokyo to the back streets of Richmond!!. Great food - authentic house made everything!! Lovely one man show in an out of the way location. Don't be put off by the shop front - this gem is well worth a visit and is easy on the wallet.

When we, Ks, walked in Shibuyatei wasnt that busy; jusy another table with a very loud person talking. Shibuyatei looks like a converted warehouse; very high ceilings similar to Clubhouse on W2 in Vanc. This is owner/operator so be patient. The menu is varied. I chose charsuramen and we Ks split a maki combo. The charsuramen is fair sized, broth flavourful and clear, noodles slighty firm and chewy but palatable. Lots of charsu. Green onions, niblet corn, nori, pickles. Slurpfully delicious. The maki combo was carefully crafted. All was eaten. After the meal, the all-in-one boss started to converse with us. All the dishes are without MSG except where the secondary ingredients alreadycontains MSG. Its no wonder the flavours tasted cleaner. The Boss says its his style - good to know. He went into how he arrived to Canada after operating a sushi restaurant in Tokyo; and references a famous japanese chef. The news article taped to his front window. Many diners today are taste-challanged. Taste buds over time have been altered; too spicy, too seasoned, salty. The Boss' style doesnt sit well with alot of people due to little taste or alteted taste buds of another dimension. I looked at the menu a 2nd time knowing more. Im coming back ....I want to try the katsu sandwich. Diamond in the rough.

Richmond’s Shokudo Food And Feeling. E: I asked Mr. Sato whether he buys his gyoza or makes it in-house and he sounded positively hurt as he proclaimed "everything is home-made." That is the kind of place Shibuyatei is. “Please add gyoza to the order as well.”<br/>His food and the dinner would win no visual presentation awards, but my Kare Katsu was rich and tasty and there was lots of it. Additionally, the kare came with a large side of red meat right next to the Katsudon. The kare was not runny. I wish the chef had added some fukujin zuke, but he hadn’t and I had not asked. This was a take-out order. The six small gyoza were packed with meat and vegetables leaving no spare space inside.<br/>One should always be leery of ordering sushi at non-specialist restaurants. Since the menu lists sushi, gyoza, katsu, ramen and more I asked the chef what he considers his specialty and he asserted it to be noodles and gyoza. The next visit’s order will be ramen – which he insists on pronouncing and writing ‘lamen’ - and gyoza the latter of which I will tell you my thoughts below. Now you know what you should order when you drop by (which no one will as no one is accidentally dropping by given this guy's location). I, on the other hand, had already placed my order. My food was good. I prefer chicken or shrimp in curry, but that is not to say the red meat in the curry was bad. The katsu was good.<br/>The menu emphasizes that the proprietor chef is from Japan and how everything is also imported from that country. Six small gyoza were packed inside and unlike other places there was no spare space left inside. It came with tasty sauce and was clearly home-made i.e. none of that conveyor belt industrial slightly sour taste one often encounters.<br/>Shibuyatei Proudly proclaims a menu that carries no MSG, which is similar to how it was in Japan Narita.<br/>-<br/>A: ‘Tei,’ in this context, is a restaurant and like ‘ya.’ This restaurant does resemble a little mom and pop restaurant somewhere in Tokyo and Japan. Shibuyatei looks rickety and cluttered from outside and afar with its plethora of papers and signs and the cheap white lights. It almost looks like a muffler shop where you would expect to drive up to where some greasy monkey tries to con you into buying rims or sliding under your car for an unneeded oil change... but drive up to the restaurant (ooh I gave it away, didn't I?) and... it is as messy and shoddy as you imagined it would be.<br/> My food's presentation reflects the shop's interior and exterior decoration - not to mention Shibuyatei has killed a whole forest to plaster and, er, decorate the place - as we shall see. I liked the taste, but presentation is important, even if presenting take-out curry and katsu and gyoza well is difficult. Digital signage sales reps ahoy! This sales prospect tip is free courtesy of Sisyphus. There will be a charge for the next sales prospect tip.<br/>The proud proprietor pointed out to a page tear-out by the entrance featuring the critic seen in the film Jiro Dreams Of Sushi. The same critic apparently is singing the praise of the Shibuya version of this restaurant in a Japanese magazine. <br/> The restaurant is a year old, but nonetheless is regrettably already Canadianized. The restaurant’s TV was tuned to a hockey game.<br/>-<br/>T: Parking is limited in front and immediately next to the restaurant. Not having more than five tables this is unlikely to be an issue for the restaurant, but should the need arise there is both street and plaza parking immediately to the south of Shibuyatei.<br/>Being small and accommodating even less customers means the proprietor/chef/server/greeter/host can likely keep up, but given that he also has to cook and ring in the order things may get dicey at some stage. On Monday night there was an East Asian couple that was paying up and leaving and a lone Japanese gentleman at the restaurant. As it stood the chef has the food in the nylon bags within reasonable time conversation included.<br/>The time was at 8:50 on Monday night and the owner flipped the sign to ‘closed.’ Initially, the intention was to eat there on Sunday, but the restaurant is not open on that day.<br/>-<br/>S: It didn't really matter, but included in the big plastic bag was a spoon and knife and no fork. chopsticks were not included either. Should someone not have these at home how is he supposed to eat the gyoza? <br/>The gentleman eating at the restaurant was originally from Tokyo and visiting Canada – via his abode in Mexico - to ski at Whistler. Having skied at Whistler he was off next to Mexico and had ran into this place. There was some interesting conversation going on there. This gentleman was recounting how he was in post-revolution Iran three times between 1979-1986 doing some kind of business with the army and the Iranian Red Cross - I am certain it is an equivalent organisation called something else - and its well-dressed female head at the time. He was opining that Tehran, Iran’s mountains and snow had reminded him of Matsumoto near Nagano and Nagoya in central Japan near the Japanese Alps. Listening to this interesting conversation it is difficult to think it was a real back and forth debate between coming here or going to McDonald's on the night (kidding – no contest). <br/>I drove up No 5 Road to get to Shibuyatei and almost had a religious conversion. No, it wasn't the food. It was that it seemed that every single world religion was represented three times, at least, during my drive. Of course, No 4 is no slouch in the church/temple/shrine/mosque/synagogue/whatever wars either. <br/> Back to the Japanese client it was surprising how he was saying there was snow enough to ski on the higher slopes in Whistler so late in the season. He was singing the praises of the cook and the food, saying it's just like Japan's, before potentially catching himself and adding “I am not a relative!” The same customer later began eating his shoyu ramen and similarly had praise for its authenticity. I knew this whole ramen thing will explode before it did and it has now, but finding good, or superlative ramen, in Canada is still a relatively rare occurrence. As it stands, I have not tasted the ramen here, but will.<br/> Speaking of which the chef had a few opinions on the ramen in Vancouver. He thought that young people in Japan have no palate and cannot tell taste anymore having lost their sensitivity. He noted that younger people cannot tell good food from bad because they eat spicy food, which is not part of traditional Japanese cuisine. So when they go downtown and eat ramen here or there they cannot tell what is good or not. The owner ran two eponymously named restaurants in Japan where his customer base was an older demographic. Counterintuitively older folk can tell the difference in taste and good food, while younger people who go for ramen in downtown Vancouver, for example, cannot. According to the chef, young people only import the bad influence from America and not the good. Yes, the owner has cooked elsewhere before. It was at his own restaurants called Shibuyatei in both Shibuya, Tokyo and Narita, Japan where he apparently offered authentic and tasty ramen.<br/> Some 22 years ago the owner thought of coming to North America to start a chain. That was his dream. He knew and predicted that Japan would economically go down. Thirteen years ago he wanted finally to immigrate here, but that meant abandoning his 84-year-old father who said no to his son’s move. His father died eight years, but by then the owner had lost his Canadian visa! Now finally so many years later he is here and living his dream! The Restaurant has been here in one form or the other for a year.<br/>Hailing originally from Ota, Gifu this current incarnation is named after his first two restaurants in Japan. One namesake was obviously in Shibuya. The Shibuyatei restaurant in Narita was sort of a market research (my interpretation) for the move to Canada. After three years of research serving noodles to foreigners including flight crews (photos of which are in the shop) the experiment was a success and the restaurant's move to Canada was even more assured. <br/>The chef also has this restaurant’s name trademarked in Japan through the government for both locations, but a Korean BBQ restaurant has now picked up the name. He could stop that business from using the name, but hasn't taken action.

Top notch!. I've been here three times and have liked almost everything I've tried here. This very authentic restaurant is run by a single chef- a skilled traditional Japanese chef who treats his customers right by making you feel right at home and most important of all, he respects food and the artistry of making quality cuisine. First time I went there I had his ramen and although the broth looked much lighter, it was definitely more flavourful and distinct. The chef told me this was because his broth is authentic Tokyo Ramen with a home-made pork broth and unlike many of the ramen restaurants around town he does not add any lard or extra fat to his broth.<br/> <br/>The last time I ate here I ordered his sushi combo and shared a plate of squid, the tsonkatsu sandwich and the gyozas with some friends. Everything was delicious and the chef prepared each item as it was ordered. Everything is made in house. The chef also would not serve us the newest edition to the menu - his homemade macha ice-cream because it was too hard. That just proves that he is someone who understands that good food takes time and refuses to pander simply to make a buck. I have nothing but respect for joints like this.

A LITTLE BIT OF JAPAN. Here is a dedicated and conscientious ramen master whose food is second to none. This small restaurant serves up the basic Japanese fare just as it is so exquisitely done in the small specialty shops which line the streets of the tourist and business areas of Tokyo, etc. In fact, rumor has it that the owner, who goes by the name Tak, was featured in a leading Japanese food magazine when he owned his specialty ramen and gyoza establishment near Narita Airport. Shibuyatei is one trip to Japan which will not break the bank but will satisfy you each and every time you dine.

Authentic Shoyu Ramen and high-quality food from a Japanese chef. What a GREAT surprise to us! We were in the neighbourhood and thought we would give it a try - very glad we did. What an unusual location, but do not let that put you off.<br/><br/>We were there for lunch, and we were the fourth table. The restaurant is small - only with about 5 tables. This is literally a one-man (the chef owner) show. He greeted customers walking in, took orders, made teas, prepared food, cleaned tables, and checked on the customers. I was initially worried that it might take forever to get the food since there was only him doing everything, and I had to say I under-estimated this capable man - he was friendly, organized and efficient, and handled all the tasks meticulously without looking stressed at all.<br/><br/>However, the true reason for the five stars is not that - it was the food. We are ramen lovers, so we need to try the ramen for sure. We had the regular ramen - Shoyu (soy-based). The broth was clear and tasty, and made with fresh ingredients - classic good Shoyu ramen. While I enjoyed Shoyu ramen while in Japan, I stopped ordering Shoyu ramen in North America because they just did not taste as good. This one is the first one that I thought it tasted like what I had in Japan. Noodle was cooked right too.<br/><br/>We had to try other things for our first-time visit. I also had the Tonkatsu (deep-fried breaded pork chop) sandwich, with half California roll. Tonkatsu was thick - crispy on the outside, and juicy + cooked through inside. Even the California roll was excellent - I did not remember the last time I thought California roll was good.<br/><br/>In summary, the chef owner took pride in his culinary delivery. Everything was done with quality in mind.<br/><br/>Since we were the last table for lunch, the chef owner came to talk to us afterwards. We shared our high opinions about his food, and he told us that the article he posted near the entrance was a real famous food magazine in Japan. We could not read Japanese, and he told us that he was covered and recommended by the renown food critics in Tokyo, Yamamoto, who connected the filmmaker of Jiro Dreams of Sushi to Jiro. His specialty is his ramen and gyoza, and he made other things to a gourmet standard. If it passes his high standard, I will say it is more than good enough for most of us.<br/><br/>No question we will be back and can't wait to try the gyozas next time!

Delicious, melt in your mouth sashimi. The edamame were perfectly salted. The one downside was that the spicy salmon was more hot than spicy. Great service and a short walk from many of the hotels.

Hidden gem. Delicious ramen that you will not need to worry about gaining too much weight after (yes i am looking at YOU Kintaro!)<br/><br/>the sushi here is also surprisingly good as well.<br/><br/>the owner is very devoted to his art so you can except good quality every time you come.<br/><br/>oh and don't forget to try the gyoza!!!!!!

Great service, the owner is very friendly and obviously cares about his food.

Hey guys! People often ask me about restaurant gems I find and one I’d like to mention is Shibuyatei . Does sharing a building with a car wash give the ramen an extra zing? Read on to find out. Food: I ordered the larmen (their name for ramen) in soy so I could get a good taste of their broth. First thing I noticed how small the serving portion was. I realized the charshumen was the recommended item if you expect to be full. The larmen is more suitable if you order something else with it. In terms of broth, I was impressed with how clear the soup was. They don’t use any MSG here and so it’s a real pork broth. Toppings were in good proportion and the noodles absorbed the broth well. Quality wise it tasted somewhere between Ramen Jinya and Sanpachi which are around the same price point. I don’t think the Urbanspoon rating reflects the food as much as it does the experience, so this tasty ramen won’t change your life. This place is probably closer to a $$ restaurant than $ restaurant on Urbanspoon. Features: If you look for a car wash near Bridgeport and No. 3 Rd you’ll find this place squashed on the side of the building. Seating around 15 people is just fine for the size and the washrooms are passable. The windows go pretty high here so you can enjoy watching drivers commuting to the airport. Service: There are a cook and server running this place so you can imagine quite a wait for your table to be served if others don’t already have their food. Tea service isn’t too frequent as a result. Paying is quite easy since you just go up to the main counter and splitting the meal is very easy. If you’re the only ones dining though, service should be quite snappy and effective. One-liner: Japanese restaurant squashed inside a car wash stop Highlight: Larmen (Ramen) Recommended for: Gem-seekers. Would I go back? No. dineout ramen lunch yummy hungry foodie vancouver 604 foodblogger hiddengem

Wow, this place this is such a hidden gem and servesvup some amazing ramen! It's located in an industrial parking lot beside a car wash haha! Despite it's odd location, this place is the real deal. Riding my bike through a dusty, industrial lot with the sun beating down on my skin was SOO worth it haha! Yes, I'm willing to travel through sand, rain or snow for good food ;) Shibuyatei is a two man show, with the chef manning the counter and one waiter working the floor. Since they're so short staffed, the food takes a while to make, so be prepared to wait! It looked like the poor chef was under a lot of pressure because his hands were shaking when he was making sushi! Poor guy, I felt so bad for him! No need to rush, we can wait :) And the funny thing is, when I went, a friend of mine on Instagram @yvreats, was there at the same time haha! We just didn't know who each other were, until I saw the photo she posted of her meal at Shibuyatei! She said that she suspected me being a foodie be

... the curry which is neither too thick or watery, but retains sufficient viscosity for the other star of the show, the udon noodles, which had a nice bounce to it; beef unfortunately overdone and tough, but the curry and udon themselves are more than enough to carry the show

The owner of this little noodle shop is apparently a renowned cook back home in Japan, operating a very successful restaurant near an airport. For whatever reason though, he decided to set up a new location in the middle of nowhere in Richmond. However, I guess his reputation precedes him as the place can get pretty packed at lunch with working people! Here, we have their Lamen (8.90). The noodles were quite al dente and the broth was pretty rich. My only concern with it is that for the price, the portion you get is QUITE small compared to what you’d get at other joints. They are also apparently famous for their Gyozas, so we ordered 6 pork ones (4.70). Although they were very juicy and had a nice crispiness to the skin, they were SUPER SUPER oily (I know..it’s fried, but it’s like they drenched it in oil after cooking it for good measure) Next off, we have the Katsu Sandwich with sushi (8.90). The California Rolls were nicely bound but were quite bland tasting. The katsu itself was ve

It's owned and operated by a single Japanese man. This just made me so curious, and I had to investigate. With a simple menu, there were only two soup bases to choose from. Apparently, the one to get is the shoyu. 

I had a mixed order of the prawn and pork gyoza. The shell was nicely seared and a bit chewy, just how I like it, instead of soggy like some of the sub-par gyoza I’ve had before. The prawn filling had a good, firm prawn texture, but on the whole was nothing special. The pork filling was even more unremarkable, but maybe I’m just not good at judging gyoza. Janice said that the gyoza had a baking soda flavour — I detected a bit of an odd note, but couldn’t place it. I haven’t tasted baking soda, but if you have, apparently these taste like baking soda.

Be patient! Wait time for food and/or service can be longer than anticipated since the restaurant is run by only one person, the owner himself, who's very courteous and friendly.

Aside from the ramen, there are sushi combinations and other cooked dishes on the menu here (including some meat stuffed in bun variety, reminding me of Japanese convenience store quick eats).

Jennifer wrote to Ben recommending this sushi and larmen restaurant. Since Ben is not around, he forwarded the recommendation to me because he knows the boys would love to go to a Japanese restaurant. Shibuyatei Sushi and Larmen is located at the corner of Sexsmith Road and Bridgeport Road. Parking is available in front (just a few) and at the back of the restaurant. The menus are pasted in the board in front of the counter. There is also a chalk board menu. You order at the counter. This is a small place with 7 tables which seats 14 people. It's a one man operated mom and pop place. The chef told me that they had opened for business since August 2011. I ordered the Charsyumen as recommended by Jennifer. There seemed to be a price reduction as the printed menu showed that the original price was $11.50 and now it's $10.80. Charsyumen is ramen with fully cooked pork with soy sauce flavoured soup. There were five of six big slices of pork in the bowl. Other fixings include … bean sprout