Newly opened on street level of Hotel Blu, Black Rice Izakaya is a stylish compact bistro serving a nice selection of light bites. Fresh seafood form the basis for the sushi, nigiri and sashimi. Creative rice and noodle bowls, Japanese Tapas, Kushi-Yaki are nicely presented and, from what we tasted on our visit during their opening week, flavourful.
We each tried a rice bowl; Chicken Karaage Donburi ($7.99) and Beef & Mushroom Ishyaki ($10.95). The stone bowl for the beef was piping hot and kept the hearty contents steaming throughout. The Karaage was nice and crispy with a rich sauce overtop the chicken and rice.
The Kushi-Yaki (average $3/skewer) were nice starters for the meal, served in pairs they are easily sharable if a few are ordered to whet the appetite. The tried and true staple, Tuna rolls ($3) were fresh and well rolled.
While the service was a bit slow on the night, we put that down to the opening week trials and the post-Whitecaps match rush. The food and atmosphere were good enough to have up return in the future to sample more from the menu.
Black Rice Izakaya is located at 782 Cambie St (at Robson), in the Hotel Blu complex.
Hours:
Weekdays – Lunch 11-3 and Dinner 5-11 (midnight Fridays). Weekends – 3 – 11
Phone:
778.379-0416
Web:
blackrice.ca/