Kuma Izakaya

Knowing I have a penchant for the weird, my friend directed me to this one. A Japanese fusion restaurant in Yaletown with a bowl of curry, served topped with whipped cream. I would not be disappointed by her referral and found myself just as happy with the other dishes we tried. As a new restaurant in Yaletown, I don’t recall noticing it during my regular strolls in the area. With a muted exterior that matched the interior, it doesn’t exactly scream at you to take notice and come in.

Although I have found the restaurant cozy, the food decent and the the price quite reasonable here at Kuma Izakaya considering its Yaletown location, I truly wish the chef had put more French influence in the dishes that I was anticipating. However, their classic Japanese/Korean dishes as well as some typical izakaya fare  are impressive with quality ingredients, refined details or little twists, which showed us a glimpse of the chef's classically trained background. According to my friend Food Wench, the chef is planning to train his line of chefs to adapt more modern ways of cooking. This is definitely exciting if it’s true and I am looking forward to the updates.

Kuma Izakaya is located in Yaletown close to the Skytrain. They serve up Japanese and Korean dishes with a hint of French influence. At first it can seem confusing how all 3 types of cuisines would come together.

Kuma Signature Salad has fresh greens topped with sliced avocado, sliced tomato, pickles, house-made ricotta cheese, and crispy yam. It is drizzled with balsamic and house dressing.

Mango Ebimayo comes with 5 pieces of the deep-fried prawns with mango sauce. The mango added a bit of sweetness to it. You should eat it right away as it loses its crunch quite quickly due to the sauce.

Osso Buco uses premium AAA beef ribs simmered in house made soy sauce. It is also served with rice. The beef was super flavourful and tender.

One-liner: Pretty good Japanese food with some very fine plating though the pricing does inspire a more upper-midrange feel
Highlight: Osso Buco
Recommended for: Those looking for finer Japanese cuisine but not ready to splurge on the Minami’s of the world
Would I go back? Yes.

Check out my blog post for the full review!

Kuma Izakaya is one of the newest Japanese restaurants in the heart of Yaletown. It is located right across from Rodney's Oyster House, so it won't be too difficult to spot it. Chef Kim previously worked at the award-winning restaurnats like French Laundry and Miku, proving his speciality and expertise in various types of cuisines. I love his passion to serve the freshest iconic dishes while satisfying customers' needs and wants. I've visited about 5 times so far since their opening, and I've been genuinely impressed by his creativity and selection of daily specials. Kuma has become one of my favourite restaurants in Vancouver! This review includes food I tried during my multiple visits.

Assorted Spicy Sashimi / Consisted of seared hamachi, sockeye salmon, tako and tuna mixed with sweet, tangy Korean-style sauce (chojang) on a bed of fresh salad. It had a hint of wasabi to enhance the flavour. It was quite different from other sushi restaurants. Topped with beets, yam tempura bits, kaiware and garlic chips.

Hamachi, Scallop, Unagi, and Seared AAA Beef / I ordered some nigiri sushi as well. Although they all tasted really good, my favourite was hamachi. Very fresh and buttery, creamy and rich in flavours.

Fresh Oysters / Kuma's seasonal menu. I was told that fresh oysters are not available every day. I recall that the oysters were pretty cheap compared to other places, but still the quality was way above the average!

Kuma Assorted Sashimi / consisted of 5 kinds of sashimi (3 pcs each) including tako, hamachi, amaebi, tuna, and tai with masago. Skillfully cut and very fresh.

Hamachi Toro Sashimi / was amazingly fresh and very rich in flavour. It was buttery, creamy and just melting in your mouth! Also one of the daily special menus.

Ika Sashimi with Masago / Daily special menu. A slice of ika wrapped with masago, cucumbers, and shiso. It had a very unique flavour and texture because of ika and shiso. Shiso can be easily found in Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian cuisines, but not really famous in western cuisine. It has an unique flavour which is pungent and grassy containing strong flavours of spearmint, basil, anise and cinnamon. It was my friend's first time trying shiso, so he didn't find it very pleasant, but I was okay with it. But sill this won't be my favourite dish. 

Beef Sashimi / is not available everyday at Kuma. I had to reserve prior to a day I visited. Obviously, as you can tell from picture, it was amazingly fresh and well-presented with various garnishes. I ordered a half beef sashimi and a half yukke. Beef sashimi was served as thin slices of fresh beef with slices of pears. It came with sesame dressing as well. Yukke will be a better option if it's your first time trying the raw beef. Opposed to beef sashimi, yukke came with a quail egg yolk and house-made sweet sauce with a hint of sesame oils. 

Hamachi Carpaccio / One of their daily special menu on the day I visited. Lightly seared hamachi was rolled in fresh black pepper, and topped with avocado creme, garlic chips and cherry tomatoes. It was also served with fresh green salads with house dressing and yam tempura bits.