I'd heard many good things about G-Be Izakaya, which opened earlier this year at the Grand Villa Casino, but I didn't understand the name. Everything came together once I opened the menu and read about this old Japanese legend.
"Once upon a time, there (was) a man whose name is 'G-Be' in a town. G-Be was known as the biggest eater in the town and the best cook in the town as well. He cooked with the freshest ingredients in the season and treated everyone. . They had (the) freshest and good ingredients in the season every day, and these people lived healthier and longer."
Well, my friends would certainly believe that I could be the biggest eater in town, but they know I'm not the best cook.
That title would go to G-Be executive producer Tetsuya Hashikawa, who - along with business partner Tinn Chan - has done a remarkable job producing memorable Japanese tapas dishes you won't find anywhere else in Burnaby.
In fact, Hashikawa goes back to Japan several times a year to research what new dishes and trends are happening in Japanese culinary circles, and he brings that knowledge to Burnaby.
On a recent evening, I decided to take my nephew Garrett and brother-inlaw Stuart for some of Hashikawa's unique tapasstyle culinary creations.
We started off with the Ika Uni Tofu ($12.50), featuring squid and sea urchin sashimi on homemade tofu, and flavoured with a special low-sodium soy sauce.
The richness of our first dish is balanced by the lightness of our second, the G-Be salad ($6) featuring fresh mix greens with avocado, mango, tomatoes and lettuce in a non-oil dressing.
These two appetizers are but a prelude to our main courses, which are nothing short of spectacular.
Certainly the most spectacular visually is the Miso beef ($13), which features tender beef grilled at your table on a Japanese Hoba leaf. The beef is good, but so is the saba and chips ($8.50), featuring deep-fried and marinated mackerel and yam fries.
Next up are two of the signature rolls at Ge-B.
We start with the Gyu Mao roll ($9), featuring AAA beef sashimi, boiled bean sprout, topped with Shiso-leaf (Japanese basil) and parmesan cheese.
We follow that up with the Dragon Ball G ($12) roll, featuring a soya milk croquette filled with imitation crab meat that adorns the top of the roll featuring a barbecued freshwater eel, fishcake and avocado roll.
The dip is a Caesar sauce, with balsamic vinegar spelling out 'G'.
Almost as tasty is our last dish, the Kyoto udon ($13), a flavourful and hefty soup featuring crab meat and egg sauce with udon soup noodles, cooked Kyoto style.
G-Be Izakaya is open seven days a week for lunch from 11 a.m. and for dinner from 5 p.m. Call 604-435-6002. It's at the Grand Villa Casino at 4331 Dominion St.
