Kyabia Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Richmond

Kyabia Japanese Restaurant

Location: Union Square Shopping Centre, 8300 Capstan Way, Unit 1028, Richmond, BC V6X 4B7

Appetizers

Real Crab Cheese Spring Roll

The Real Crab Cheese Spring Roll is a fried spring roll filled with cheese and crab, accompanied by two distinct dipping sauces. The dish is competently executed, though it fails to leave a lasting impression. The flavors are mild and could benefit from a touch of salt and pepper to elevate the taste.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Beef Sashimi

The Beef Sashimi is a standard offering that doesn’t bring anything unique to the table. The beef is tender, but the dish lacks the finesse and flavor that would make it memorable. Additionally, the wasabi served alongside was terrible, detracting further from the dish.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Cheese Shrimp Balls

These deep-fried shrimp balls offer a crunchy exterior, but the overall flavor is quite bland. The dish could use more seasoning to enhance its appeal. As it stands, it’s not something I would order again. Rating: 5 out of 10

Torikawa

As a fan of skewered foods, I found the torikawa (chicken skin) to be one of the highlights. The chicken skin is perfectly crispy and delivers a satisfying crunch. It’s a well-executed dish that I would recommend to skewer enthusiasts. Rating: 7 out of 10

Salmon Toro and Hotate Sashimi

The presentation of the Salmon Toro and Hotate Sashimi is commendable, showcasing the freshness of the ingredients. While the salmon toro is good, the hotate sashimi stands out more in terms of taste and texture. Overall, this sashimi platter is quite enjoyable. However, the terrible quality of the wasabi served alongside was disappointing and detracted from the overall experience.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Mango California Roll

The Mango California Roll is a visually appealing dish but falls short on flavor, resulting in a rather forgettable experience.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Oyster Motoyaki

The Oyster Motoyaki is served in a decent portion size, but the flavor is underwhelming. A pinch of salt could improve the taste, but even with that, it remains an average dish compared to other versions I’ve tried.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Sukiyaki Beef Nabe

The Sukiyaki Beef Nabe is the standout dish of the evening. It features thin slices of beef, mushrooms, vegetables, tofu, and thin noodles in a well-seasoned broth. While I prefer a slightly sweeter broth, the overall balance of flavors and the generous portion size make this dish a winner.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Ambiance

The ambiance of the restaurant is decent but unremarkable. It offers a comfortable dining environment but lacks any distinctive features that would set it apart from other restaurants in the area.

Service

Rating: 2 out of 10

The service was notably poor. The waiter did not inquire about our satisfaction with the food and displayed a lack of professionalism by spilling water on the floor without acknowledging it. Additionally, the waiter’s noticeable smell of cigarettes was off-putting and detracted from the dining experience.

Price

Rating: 3 out of 5

The pricing is somewhat high given the average quality of the dishes. While the portions are reasonable, the overall value for money is lacking.

Verdict

Overall, Kyabia Japanese Restaurant is an average dining option with significant room for improvement, particularly in service. The food ranges from decent to forgettable, with only a few dishes standing out. The terrible quality of the wasabi further detracts from the dining experience. Given the competitive landscape of Japanese cuisine in the area, there are likely better...

ok so i came in here with massive expectations but who expected it to be FULFILLED?!

we started off well with the raw oysters- sweet and fresh, and not fishy at all. we even ordered seconds cuz its that good 4.5/5

their assorted sashimi was also fresh, esp the salmon which was fatty and almost melts in ur mouth. they make their slices thicc so its delish. and on top of that, their shrimp were SWEET and didnt taste like fish tank!!! 4/5

we then got the crab soup which tasted like mirin w immitation crab but i wish it was more flavourful 3/5

their chopped scallop roll was fresh, and their rice was perfectly seasoned and fluffy but it tasted a little above avrg 3.5/5

all of their rolls had the perfect rice to filling ratio, with perfectly seasoned and fluffy rice! but idk why their just a little above avrg. we got the spicy salmon (3/5) dragon roll (3.5/5) and something else as well.

their nabe was absolutely delish- with a flavourful soup base which is absorbed by their mushroom cabbage, making u wanna go for seconds. the beef melts in ur mouth with the perfect fat to meat ratio, absorbing the broth like a sponges. 5/5

their mentaiko tori niku skewers was meh there wasnt any mentaiko flav in there and tje chicken needed more seasoning 2/5

meanwhile their fried pork intestine skwers were a chefs kiss- with a crunchy exterior that reveals a soft and juicy interior when u bite into it, bursting with some sweet juices, i had to order this again 5/5

their aburi nigiri set was also good- the rice was seasoned well, and the fish were fresh and torched well 4/5

their rack of lamb skwers were mid, needs more flavor and didnt pair well w the mustart 2.5/5

however, their tonkotsu curry was the worst thing ive ingested by far this week. it looks so beautiful but tasted like a damp sponge with cubed curry sauce. i couldnt even bite into it properly cuz of how spongy it was. 0/5

their cheese chikuwa was fine, it just tasted like cheddar cheese. it was oozing out from the centre too! but it was boring tasting 2.8/5

their fried octopus was seasoned well, but the oil was old so u tadted tuat more than the octopus 3/5

their fried oysters werent as good as the fresh ones cuz it had a fishy aftertaste 2.5/5

their unagi don just tasted like the frozen ones u buy at t&t but they had alot on top 1/5

my brother also mentioned that the chopped scallop temaki was rly delish and fatty

overall, i would come back here...

First of all, food was great in terms of display, taste and quality. Chef did a really great job there maintaining the standard there.

However, the service was a bit ridiculous the time me and my friends went. I will try to be neutral about what has happened.

Not sure if it's normal, but took them 30 mins up to 60 mins before everyone got their food (other than pre-prepared dishes).

We told the waitress that some of us were going to order through our phone via the QR code menu. She did not stop us then later told us we can't do that, and have to use their tablet device. We also confirmed with the waitress that she will manage the split bill later, but it never happened.

My friend got a wrong order (Beef vs Pork), assume miscommunication was happened. After talking to a waiter/manager about it, the waitress came back with an annoyed tone saying "You ordered that, I heard you right. That's what you have ordered." then left.

Another friend got a wrong order too (Chicken Yaki Udon vs Chicken Udon). Since there was record of what he has actually ordered, it was replaced. However, the chicken was quite dry for a soup based Udon for some reason.

Another friend and I ordered two 330ml beers that's $6 each. Instead, we got two open bottled 620ml ones which was $11 each. We confirmed that we ordered 330ml instead, they were going to replace them but later told us they ran out of 330ml ones. Asking if one 620ml one would work for us, since they are the 'same' price and quantity. We were fine with it and assumed that they would charge us $11 instead but we got charged 2 x $6 one still.

They managed to mess up 3 out of 13 items we have ordered. There was no apology but attitude. If you only care about the food quality, you can still give it a try but hold your expectation on the services. It could be just one off, but we wouldn't...