SuzuYa — Local services in Burnaby

Suzuya is a Japanese market located right next to the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre in Burnaby. Although the store is small, it's got plenty to offer. You can find all manner of Japanese products such as Furikake, Kewpie Mayonnaise (including the egg free version), Morinaga brand pancake mix, frozen gyoza dumplings and ready made foods such as as sushi, onigiri and bento boxes in the refrigerated section. This place is an absolute gem!

They make quite a few different flavors of Onigiri and at $2.49 each, they're quite reasonably priced as I've seen restaurants selling them for $5 or $6+ . I bought a bunch of different Onigiri to bring home and try with my family. Onigiri isn't something I've had much of in the past, but I think I'm starting to become a fan of Onigiri after eating the ones from Suzuya.

Admittedly, the onigiri had a lot of rice and not that much filling. I've read that about Onigiri even from restaurants though, so I don't think it has anything to do with the fact that these were from a supermarket as opposed to being from a restaurant. What I like though is how compact the Onigiri is. It's very portable...like a sandwich. Being made with seaweed and rice, it's like a sushi sandwich. I find that the fillings stay in better and have less chance of falling out vs the fillings that one might put between two pieces of bread. My favourite Onigiri was the Kombu Onigiri. I'd never even heard of Kombu before but after eating the one from Suzuya I suddenly find that I'm a fan of Kombu now. Google tells me that it's from the kelp family and is a type of seaweed that's used for adding "umami" to dishes. Amongst the many goods that Suzuya sells, dried Kombu is one of them, which is great as their Kombu Onigiri has inspired me to try making my own Kombu Onigiri at home sometime!

Service: Good Parking: Free parking on the street Location: 6688 Southoaks...

You have no idea how difficult it is to find the Kewpie Yuzu and Kosho dressing in Vancouver. We found it once at Hmart last month and thought we had discovered a portal to a better dimension. The moment we opened that bottle, the air shifted. The entire room — no, the entire planet — was filled with the bright, zesty aroma of yuzu. I’m not exaggerating. Birds sang louder. Strangers smiled at each other. Wars ended. It was that kind of moment.

We put it on our salad, and the first bite? Absolute magic. I swear I could see through time. The heat from the kosho gives just enough of a kick to make your taste buds dance without turning your body into a furnace. It is spicy but respectful, like a firm handshake from a friendly samurai (darn it… chatGPT is good!)

So when I found it again at SuzuYa Market, I nearly cried. They had it. Just sitting there. Waiting. And not just the sauce — this place is a treasure chest of Japanese goodness. Bento boxes, fresh onigiri, snacks of every shape and flavor, all at super reasonable prices. The shop is clean, well organized, and honestly just a joy to explore.

SuzuYa is now my go to spot for little pieces of Japan right...

Came here twice within a few days! A hidden gem with a lot of unique products and Asian snacks (as well as grocery and frozen items). Picked up some food from their fridge section, CakeYa's Cream Caramel, a hamburger steak bento box, hamburger steak curry, and corn croquettes. Everything was great and filling! Their 'bento cam' is a neat function as well to see if your favourite items are still available before you stop by.

The only downside is the market is small and narrow, so it's not ideal to be behind a customer inspecting everything! They have an extensive site with all the items though, so would recommend checking it out before browsing in-store! Will definitely be back to pick...