Taisho Japanese Restaurant - 3.5 stars
15E - 4700 Kingsway, Metropolis at Metrotown, Burnaby, BC. Phone: (604) 435-1211.
It’s more than 6 hours since I finished my all-you-can-eat lunch and my belly is still bloated. I don’t know which switch in my brain gets turned on - the “el cheapo” or the “el piggo” switch when I go to these belly-up-to-the-trough type restaurants.
The benefit of the all-you-can-eat menu is the fact that all the dishes are small. It’s like Japanese tapas - little tastes of everything. If the food is really yummy you can always order more, and if it’s not too tasty you only get a little anyway, so it’s not a big deal. The downside is that “all-you-can-eat” is the equivalent to throwing down the gluttony gauntlet. It’s amazing how easily you can eat more than your bodyweight in an hour and a half.
Some recommended dishes:
- bbq salmon bellies - crispy, rich, and bbq’d to perfection; chicken karaage - deep fried chunks of chicken with a sweet and soy drizzled sauce; agedashi tofu - crisp, light batter - beautiful tofu in a mild broth; California roll with a twist - the addition of tamago and flying fish roe improves an old fave.
Pass on these dishes (you’ll need the extra room in your stomach):
- yakisoba - noodles too hard and dry, not an authentic Japanese flavour; age gyoza - deep-fried gyoza - too much wrapper, better to order the pan-fried gyoza; bbq beef ribs - overcooked and lacking in flavour.
All-you-can-eat lunch is a bargain - $10.95 for adults and $6.95 for kids, Monday to Friday. You can also pass on the all-you-can-eat and order from the regular menu.
Just remember to wear your “piggy” pants.