Japanese Bistro Kamome — Restaurant in Vancouver

Japanese Bistro Kamome serves a mix of classic Japanese foods such as Onigiri, Udon, Soba and Donburi bowls along with more modern fare such as their "Japanini" rice sandwiches. They are located in the Joyce-Collingwood neighborhood, just one block away from the skytrain station.

The Japanini is a rice sandwich with different fillings inside, wrapped with seaweed and then grilled with a panini press. I ordered the Vegetable Japanini. When I first read the description for this item on the menu, for some reason I thought it was going to be a Yaki Onigiri. I was a bit disappointed with this item. Even disregarding the fact that I misinterpreted what the item was meant to be, it really just wasn't anything outstanding. I think they could take Japanini off the menu and replace it with what I originally thought it was going to be...Yaki Onigiri!

The Tempura Udon and the Onigiri were the best of the bunch. Unlike some other Onigiri we have encountered in restaurants, where there's just a small amount of ingredient on the tip of the Onigiri, but no filling inside the riceball itself, the Onigiri at Bistro Kamome actually had more filling inside. Pretty decent compared with other Japanese restaurants in Vancouver but still...no comparison with the wonderful Onigiri that we had for breakfast everyday in Japan!

Prices here are very reasonable. For affordable, Japanese homestyle cooking, this is a great place to come to. Omurice would be a lovely addition to the menu, but I would still come back to try some more eats from what they currently offer.

I love that they not only allow but they request people to bring in their own reusable containers. Kudos to them for making an effort to be more...

Japanese Bistro Kamome is a small little shop about a block away from the Joyce Skytrain station. One of the things that makes this place relatively unique compared with the mass hordes of Japanese restaurants in Vancouver is that you’re not going to find a menu chock full of sushi rolls (actually, I don’t know if I even saw any sushi on their menu).

I decided to order their Unagi Don Box ($20) and Beef Teriyaki Don Box ($13.50). I was a bit surprised at how heavy each box was (they were laden down with a lot of rice) but I was quite pleased at how the boxes turned out. Each box contained a fresh salad, edamame beans, tamago, and a good serving of protein on top of the bed of rice that was garnished with pickled radish. One of the nice touches that they did was partially slice the peel away from the orange which made it easier to eat.

These boxes were definitely filling. They actually have a good selection of items that aren’t listed on the online ordering system so I’d suggest calling in your order if you’re looking for something that’s on their printed menu. For example, they have a dish that they call Hayashi Beef on Rice ($12 incl. egg). OMG, this is sooo good!. It has a rich gravy with onions, mushrooms, and peas mixed with thinly sliced beef. This hashed beef dish isn’t on their online ordering system (or at least not when I checked) so you have to call to place your order. I did wish that the egg yolk was runny and I also found the sauce was a bit on the sweet side for my preferences… but otherwise, it’s pretty good and...

Food: 9/10 Service: 9/10 Atmosphere: 10/10

Highlights: healthy, environmentally friendly, fair price

The first time I came here I ordered ebi mayo and salmon kama. The ebi was crispy and for a hefty 4 flavorful chonky pieces it was very fair priced. The accommodating spicy Mayo was as good as it gets. The salmon kama was $9 for two pieces and it was lightly seasoned without overwhelming flavors and no fishy taste. The salmon was meaty and fatty in the right places but a tad bit dry for my liking.

The second time I ordered tan-tan soba and non-oil chicken karaage. The soba was chewy and earthy, with the lightly sweetened savory sauce and crispy ebi it’s very harmonizing. The chicken was very interesting because it doesn’t look battered and crispy like typical karaage, but it’s pure chicken chunks with a very nice nutty taste and thin crunchy outer layer.

As someone health conscious I always feel bad paying more and getting crazy portion sizes or limited options getting non-greasy non-fatty food. What I like is the smaller portion size and that everything seems to be cooked in consideration of ones health here.

It’s like mom’s cooking, but the mom is a quiet stern lady who cares about your health and just wants you to eat well and cares for you through actions, a warm smile and not words. That pretty much sums up the service too.

Also you can bring your own containers to feel even better about 1) eating healthy, and 2) not...