Mitsuwa Marketplace

Before boarding our Seattle-bound flight, we went to fill our bellies up with some authentic Japanese food. Mom intended to go to Souplantation (yet again) but my brother was strongly against it. After a quick Urbanspoon search (or was it Yelp?), I discovered a popular, well-rated Japanese food court located inside a supermarket.

Despite the many Asian communities in Vancouver, we seem to be lacking true Japanese cuisine. I would pinpoint Denman Street as the area, that I know of, with the most Japanese eats. But I think this single food court packs more excitement than all of the Japanese food in Vancouver combined.

The food court is the first thing we encountered once stepping food into the building. There were so many people; all the seating and tables were occupied by Asians (there were some Caucasians too) gobbling down casual Japanese eats. My family immediately became a little bit too excited and ventured off in four different directions. 

Mifune inside Mitsuwa Marketplace

Luckily my dad managed to snag a table, and that's where we all met after ordering our own meals. Dad has been craving katsu for the longest time; he always asks where good katsu can be found. Vancouver doesn't even provide the amount of options that this one food court has. He came back happily with his katsu don, fried pork cutlet on rice. My brother got a bowl of ramen that came with a piece of tonkatsu. Both were around $6 or $7 from Mifune. 

Katsu Don from Mifune

There was an immense amount of rice in this bowl. My dad's usual portion would be a quarter of this; he managed to eat half. He had one minor complaint, and that was that the katsu had lost its crispiness after the egg and onions were added. I don't think this katsu matched up to his memory of the katsu he had in Japan, but it was still okay. I'm not sure why dad didn't purchase from Miyabi-Tei (the stall I purchased from) since their katsu don was cheaper and looked more appealing. 

Ramen & Tonkatsu from Mifune

My brother had no comments on his ramen, he's not much of a foodie. More like the garbage can or black-hole stomach. The ramen looked rather plain, but I can't speak for the flavour as I didn't try any. However his piece of tonkatsu was, and stayed very crispy.

Miyabi-Tei inside Mitsuwa Marketplace

I love unagi, it's my default whenever I go to sushi restaurants. Unfortunately, unagi don is extremely over-priced in Vancouver. There is no way I am paying $13 for a bowl of white rice and a measly small piece of unagi. You can imagine my joy when I saw a bowl of unagi don plus egg cost only $7.50. -angelic voices- According to the constant stream of customers purchasing their lunches from Miyabi-Tei, it is one of the most popular spots in the food court. Their food looked the most appealing, there was a wide selection, and their prices are very reasonable,

Unatama Don from Miyabi-Tei ($7.50)

This bowl of unatama don was not nearly as large as my dad's katsu don, but still at least double what I should be eating for lunch. Emphasis on the should, because I ended up clearing the whole bowl. Oops, sorry diet! Wait..what diet? It's vacation time! There was a fair amount of juicy, thick, smooth eel and the egg was flavoured with a sweet sauce. There was a tad too much sauce which made the rice too wet to pick up with chopsticks. The egg was scrambled perfectly, very fluffy and just how I like it! The little side of edamame and picked daikon was a nice addition. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and left very full but very content. However, the miso soup had a strange taste to it and I didn't drink it. Although this unagi don was not as amazing as the one from Pioneer Saloon in Honolulu, it was still mighty tasty. If only I could bring a Japanese food stall back home.

Santouka Ramen inside Mitsuwa Marketplace

My mom's lunch was the most expensive, and she thought $12 was just not as much of a steal as the rest of our lunches. She got a bowl of spicy ramen from Santouka Ramen. There is a ramen restaurant in Downtown Vancouver with the exact same name...I'm not 100% if it is the same company though.

Spicy Ramen combo from Santouka Ramen

After waiting in a long line up and retrieving her order, Mom slurped up those ramen noodles and really enjoyed the soup base. She said it was very flavourful from the pork bone and the spiciness added the perfect amount of flavour. The marinated egg was well received too. Even the hungriest person would be super full after eating this; that little bowl on the side is white rice with some seasonings. Mom was much to full of noodles to eat the rice so we packed it to go in my plastic container. This is why I always carry an empty container on all my food trips, it's very useful.




Click below to see the best matcha drink on Earth and some sweets!

Miga Korean Food: The Snack Edition

Miga Korean Food Kimbap & Accompaniments

A quick additional update on Miga Korean Food at the food court in Henderson Shopping Centre in Coquitlam. Please see my first review for other food items, my opinion, and their menu.

I was feeling lethargic after a long driving lesson and my mom suggested we get a snack before continuing our grocery shopping. She took me to the food court to find something to eat. Dinner was only a few hours away so I didn't want to stuff myself full with a gigantic serving of noodles. For some reason, I really love eating kimbap. It may be the simplicity of the food or the well balanced food groups, but it something I often crave. 

Since kimbap doesn't need to be cooked and all the ingredients are ready to go, I got my order immediately after paying. Once the lady receives your money she will go to wrap your roll. A broth with bits of radish and fish cake, a small serving of pickled radish, and a cup of tea comes with all orders. All of this is enough for a meal! 

The kimbap was filled with julienned carrots, picked cabbage, cooked spinach, tomago egg, picked radish, and ham (or spam). They really do not skimp on their ingredients to ensure you get a round and fat roll. Each roll is cut up into ten pieces, different from the usual eight at sushi restaurants. 

Kimbap ($3.75) stuffed with ingredients

The kimbap at here is more expensive than Kimbap Cheonguk and the seaweed isn't crunchy, but the plentiful stuffing makes up for it. No need to tip either! I will be sure to come back to Miga Korean Food to try more of their student-budget-friendly food as I have had a good experience both times!



Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Miga Korean Food

When craving some cheap Korean food, Henderson food court is the place to go! I have quite a few memories that take place in this 'shopping centre' (in quotations because it isn't much of a mall): my middle school friends and I braving through a plate of spicy rice cakes with no water, the never-ending bowl of cold noodles my mom had, and using all my allowance on stationary just to name a few rather insignificant details. Henderson was once a bustling mall full of stores and customers; it was like the Parker Place or Crystal Mall of Coquitlam. Then suddenly everything died, to the point where the Henderson supermarket also closed its doors. Now that the public library has opened right next to Henderson, it has attracted more customers or hungry tummies into the building. Hopefully bringing with them revival for this pitiful mall.

The lack of food in my house gave us an excuse to go out in search for lunch. While walking through the food court a few months ago, I noticed Miga had a new menu. I'm guessing the owners have changed for Miga because I don't see any ahjusshi at the cashier anymore. After peering at what others were eating, I have been eager to try some myself. 

When I arrived on a Friday a bit past noon, there were tons of people in the food court and a line up for Miga. That is a good thing, it means they must serve something good. But if your in a big hurry, eating here may not be the best idea. It took at least 10 minutes to get my order. I felt like it was a long time... My stomach was growling, okay? The reason for the slow service (even for a food court) is because there is only one lady cooking everything. 

Miga Korean Food Menu

The menu is pretty diverse and includes Korean snack foods, hot soups, hot and cold noodles, rice dishes, and even Japanese inspired items like bento and katsu. Almost all items are $6.25 plus tax. Really good deal since the portions of some can feed two mouths!

Kimchi Fried Rice, side dishes, and soup