Saku, does it SUCKu?
- 604Menu
- Feb 25, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 21, 2024
February, 25, 2024
This week I visited a newly opened restaurant in Richmond called Saku. Saku is a restaurant most famously recognized for its Tonkatsu dishes and many other traditional popular Japanese dishes such as Udon and Nabe. With a strong presence across Vancouver, Saku boasts four conveniently located establishments, strategically situated from Vancouver's vibrant west side to the city's bustling east side. Their widespread reach ensures accessibility and convenience for patrons across various neighbourhoods, making them a familiar and reliable choice for locals and visitors alike. Let us take a look at what the experience was like dining at Saku Richmond.
Location and Parking
This location can be found at the heart of Richmond. It is situated amid an urban shopping centre called "Central at Garden City". With many different stores, restaurants, and major retailers such as Walmart, Marshalls, and Bed Bath & Beyond surrounding it, it is a prime location that offers unparalleled convenience for avid shoppers, serving as a hub for fulfilling myriad daily needs with ease. Whether you're seeking essentials or indulging in a shopping spree, its accessibility ensures a seamless commute for all your errands and desires, thus presenting major traffic and parking challenges to all patrons visiting the center. During the prime hours when traffic is at its peak, parking can almost be impossible and become a headache as the roads are narrow and do not allow ease of access for cars that want to pass by and leave the mall. Overall, the parking situation is irritating at this location and I suggest taking the Skytrain if feasible as it is only a 7-minute walk.
Reservation and Wait Times
Saku does not currently take reservations at the time of this post, meaning you would have to walk in and put your name down for a table. I had to wait 35 minutes for my visit until I was seated as this location is newly opened and quite popular amongst the locals. We also arrived at 7:30 PM on a Sunday so if you come to this location midweek or earlier on the weekends, you can expect fewer wait times. On a positive note, although you may face long wait times for your table, as mentioned earlier due to their location in the middle of a large shopping center there are many things to do around the restaurant to keep yourself occupied as the staff is preparing your table.
Special Guest This Week: Eddie Kwok
I have another special guest joining me on this journey, his name is Eddie Kwok. He is another close friend of mine and our friendship began when we first met in high school. Eddie is currently a student pursuing an occupation at Langara Registered Massage Therapy (RMT). Eddie is a very open-minded individual when it comes to sampling cuisines from all types of cultures and is most fond of Mexican cuisine. He would like to share that his fun fact is he, "knows the secret ingredient to the secret ingredient soup "(a reference to Kung Fu Panda). He's thrilled to share his experience with you below, so keep reading!
Socials:
Atmosphere
The first thought when entering the restaurant is that the aesthetics are gorgeous. The combination of a modern and classic style interior design presents an elegant and stylish feel. The sleek design of the ceiling, lights, walls, and flooring complement the decor and brings a vibrant and comforting aura. The scent of Japan permeates the atmosphere with the smell of Katsu vibrant in the air coupled with the ambient sound of Japanese music, it cultivates an atmosphere that you are truly immersed in.
The Menu
Let's begin with the appetizers! Saku does not offer any definitive appetizers however they have a limited amount of add-ons that can be ordered alongside the mains. Some add-ons include popular traditional side dishes such as Hotate (Scallops), Oysters, Croquettes and more. Saku provides a simplistic and streamlined menu with all the essential traditional katsu proteins to make your decision as easy as possible. These proteins include their signature premium pork, chicken and seafood varieties. Saku claims, 'Our pork is Canadian-raised without the use of hormones. Our chef carefully selects only the finest cuts which have the perfect marbling and fat'" (Source: Saku Website). Please take a look at their menu below!
The Dining Experience
As we enter the dining experience, I would like to give a quick shoutout to Momo our waitress and manager, she was extremely accommodating to my request when it came to taking photos and videos of the restaurant. Although she was unable to accommodate my requests about the preparations of our food, she did an amazing job educating me and explaining why certain requests were denied due to food safety reasons by sympathizing and being extremely understanding while being kind and polite to Eddie and I, during the duration of our visit. Overall, the staff was extremely kind and accommodating approaching tables with a smile and would regularly check up on the customers to see if they were satisfied and to cater to any requests. They would also go around to the tables and offer to replenish salads and rice (more on this later).
Saku serve their katsu in the form of Teishoku. Teishoku is a type of Japanese set meal where the main and side dishes are served on a tray together. This is traditionally served with a main, soup, rice and pickles and a secondary side dish traditionally in the form of vegetables. At Saku, their side dishes include a delicious umami miso soup, pickles, and a light and fluffy shredded cabbage. As a bonus, their salads and rice are unlimited, so be sure to arrive with an empty stomach! See the pictures below.
Miso Soup
Eddies Rating: 4/10
My Rating: 6/10
The miso soup was delicious however there was nothing special that made it stand out compared to other miso soups I've had. It was seasoned well and had a rich umami flavour with sliced carrots, chopped onions and pork slices. Overall, it is a great way to wash down the main entrées due to the greasiness and the heavy components of the meal.
Shredded Cabbage With Signature Saku Sesame Dressing
Eddies Rating: 7.5/10 My Rating: 9/10
The shredded cabbage was light, crispy and fluffy paired with their self-serve sesame dressing, it provides a tangy and sweet flavour that unifies the bite of cabbage. The dressing enhances the natural taste of the cabbage without overwhelming it, while also imparting a distinctive flavor. As mentioned earlier, the cabbage is unlimited!
Eddies Entrée - $25 CAD
Rosu Katsu - Deep-fried breaded pork loin
Eddie's Rating: 8/10
According to Eddie's evaluation of the Rosu Katsu, the thick curry gave the dish a wet texture while counterbalancing the pork katsu's tendency toward dryness. The silky and creamy real Japanese curry added even more value to the whole experience. Eddie also stresses how crucial it is for patrons to know that the Japanese curry that serves as the dish's foundation is often not spicy. So, customers who order the curry katsu shouldn't expect a burst of spice as traditionally, people correlate spiciness and curry together.
My Entrée - $26.50 CAD
Cheese Katsu - Deep-fried breaded aged mozzarella wrapped with thinly sliced pork
My Rating: 9.5/10
The cheese katsu includes a set of six mozzarella-wrapped pork slices on a metal wire rack with shredded cabbage on the side uniquely presented on a stone plate. The katsu is paired with a viscous, sharp, and tangy tonkatsu sauce in a mortar with a pestle to crush and grind the sesame seeds, complimented with their pickles, signature refillable bowls of rice and shredded cabbage. The cheese katsu was perfectly fried creating a flaky and crispy texture with mouth-watering cheesy and rich mozzarella in the middle. The tonkatsu sauce enhances the flavor of the cheese katsu uniting and bringing a unique experience to your palette. The freshly crushed sesame seeds also bring out a unique flavor when it is added to the tonkatsu sauce. My main criticism of the cheese katsu is that by the time I was finished taking my pictures, the cheese had already hardened due to the way that it was presented I prefer hot and runny cheese. Still, as you can see from the photo above, the cheese pull was amazing when it was fresh out of the kitchen!
Eddie's final scores
Rosu Katsu: 8/10 Miso Soup: 4/10
Cabbage with Sesame Dressing: 7.5/10 Service: 8.5/10 Atmosphere: 7/10
Ryan's final scores
Cheese Katsu: 9.5/10
Tonkatsu Sauce: 8.5/10 Miso Soup: 6/10
Cabbage with Sesame Dressing: 9/10 Service: 9/10 Atmosphere: 8/10
Overall Score: 9/10 I would highly suggest that you visit Saku at any one of the four locations in the lower mainland. Based on this visit, my overall experience was amazing, the food, atmosphere and service were top-notch and I would highly recommend everyone to give this place a try and share with me your experience! Saku Official Website: https://www.sakuvancouver.com/
Saku Richmond Phone Number : (604) 285-7258
Address: 4771 Mcclelland Rd #1415 Richmond, BC V6X 0M5
Ryan Ng
BCIT Bachelor of Business Administration |
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