Ocean Goose Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Vancouver

This cute place just opened up about a week ago and looking in from the outside, I thought it'd be really pricey! A quick look at the menu assuaged those concerns and we were immediately greeted as we entered the door and led to a table for two. The marble topped tables and micro-fleecy seats were clean and felt cozy & comfortable. Our waitress was attentive and quick to take our order.

We ordered an avocado-salmon roll, agedashi tofu, yuzu chicken karaage, and curry with katsu featuring their Ocean Goose style curry.

The first dish that came out was our avocado-salmon roll and wow, I wasn’t expecting so much salmon to be stuffed into the roll! The rice wasn’t overly seasoned or sweet and the umami from the nori accented by the toasted sesame was a refreshing experience and paired well with the ample protein.

But the theme of ample protein doesn’t stop there, thick slices of agedashi tofu was delivered to our table steaming hot and not too soon after we got a plate of large chunks of crispy chicken karaage drizzled in a sweet & tangy yuzu sauce on a bed of greens.

At this point, I realized that I had underestimated the serving size and I assumed that this place would have smaller portion sizes for price, given their upscale ambiance and prompt service. Despite being a big eater, I think I could have gotten away without ordering the curry but alas, I just had to put up with a really full tummy on my bike ride home.

And last but not least, the curry finally arrived. The star of the show continued the theme with a THICK katsu (I ordered pork) in a dish of mildly sweet and spicy curry with a very healthy helping of rice cooked to perfection; no grain was mushy or hard, perfect fluffy al dente rice. Enjoying a scoop of curry with rice after a bite of katsu was a very comforting experience which was the perfect way to end the meal.

If I had to tell you what to order here, I definitely recommend ordering the chicken karaage and curry with katsu. 10/10,...

I haven’t even sat down at the restaurant to eat yet but I know from walking in to pick up my orders that the atmosphere here is nothing but warm and welcoming. The staff are always happy, servers and cooks/chefs, and always greet you and collectively say their goodbyes and thank yous.

The first time I tried this new spot out, I ordered an Unagi Donburi (their Unagi Hot Stone Bowl, no I did not get to take their beautiful bowl but it was amazing nonetheless)—and the first thing that came out of my mouth after my first bite was “wow.” One of the tastiest, juiciest cuts of eel I’ve had in a very very very long time.

Now let’s talk portions/size vs quality, because more times than not, the average sushi joint in Vancouver will sacrifice one for the other. This is not the case here at Ocean Goose, where I got way bigger sized rolls than I expected and had to get my friend to share with me. But instantly him and I agreed on two things: the rolls were bigger than the average size but not overly large, and the quality was absolutely amazing. I noticed just how thick and juicy the piece of eel used in the Unagi roll, the classic California roll was nailed right, and their large special Samurai Roll was freaking delicious and not overwhelming like most larger sized rolls.

I am extremely excited to have a new sushi joint steps from my workplace, and even more excited to dine in with my loved one. Everyone is so friendly and the space is gorgeous.

Can tell this is going to be THE Japanese restaurant to check out in the kits area.

PS: pardon the terrible pics—the food I was too excited to start eating because it looked and smelled so good n’ forgot to snap a pic before I messed with them, and the pic from outside was taken awkwardly as I was passing by. Will update with...

Atmosphere:

Nicely appointed dining area, with a modern, clean aesthetic. Seating was a bit awkward, as the chairs were quite wide, creating some difficulty seating oneself.

Service:

Wait staff were friendly, efficient, courteous, and, were attentive, but not overly so...however, a fellow diner mentioned that she felt that they were not sufficiently attentive, as her tea was not topped up, which was not my experience. Come to think of it, there was a dish, ordered, but which was not put through until after most of our meal was completed...

Food:

Extensive menu, which provided many options with respect to variety...wide selection of "special" rolls..over 30 from my recollection. Some dishes were enjoyable others somewhat neutral, neither good nor bad...found pieces of bone in the tuna Maki roll, the Yakisoba was, to some diners, a bit sweeter than expected. Great Sushi is largely about the ingredients...ask any sushi afficinado, or sushi chef, and they will, in unison, agree that one of the most essential ingredients that determines the quality and enjoyment of any nigiri, donburi, temaki or maki is the seasoned rice - it needs to be balanced and flavourful, not over-cooked, nor under-cooked. In my humble opinion, regardless of the quality of the seafood, the sushi will suffer if the rice is subpar. With respect to Ocean Goose, they serve a passable product in terms of their rice and the quality of their fish, thankfully in line with their price point...

The verdict:

With the oversaturated Japanese restaurants in our fair city, and the availability of good, affordable places, I would not make a special trip to revisit. If I were in the area, it would be a...