On a day where many businesses are closed, my sister and I decided to wander around downtown before our big feast of a dinner.

We were getting hungry and we wanted something cheap. Nathalie suggested we try a sandwich place nearby, but it was closed! Then I remembered seeing on twitter about a special at Ebi-Ten, the one across the Vancouver Public Library downtown.

When I used to live down here, this was one of my favourite places for lunch. I don’t know what it is, but for some odd reason, Ebi-Ten reminds me of this place similar a little off Broadway in New York City that I absolutely adored. When I was there with my family, I wished they would bring it to Vancouver so I could enjoy quick Japanese food that isn’t always sushi related.

Anyway, back to my story. So – my sister and I came in and we decided to share the Mega Bowl ($8.95) and 8 pieces of Takoyaki ($3.95). The girl at the cash register was friendly and even fielded my question about their twitter handle because I couldn’t find it on my phone.

The Mega Bowl combo comes with a pop, so my sister and I split a can of coke, took our number and sat down. It wasn’t too long until they called our number and I went to pick up our meal.

Our Mega Bowl consisted of teriyaki chicken and pork served with garnishes, mayo and rice. While it’s not the freshest tasting teriyaki – it sure is filling. Between the two of us, we were pretty full off this bowl. The teriyaki was buttery but a little dry – however with the mayo, it helped with the flavour and the dryness.

Takoyaki – deep fried batter with a chunk of octopus inside. This has got to me one of my favourite things to eat. Way back when Takoyaki was only really available at select bubble tea cafes and the Richmond Night Market, these were on my list of MUST order. I don’t know whether it’s the deep fried loving person in me or the salty sweetness of the takoyaki sauce and mayo but I’m hooked.

Here, it wasn’t so bad. There isn’t that much tako (octopus) in it, but it didn’t really seem to matter to me at the time. I think I was so full off turkey during the holidays, anything remotely different made my day.

Between the both of us, the meal cost $14 – which is pretty cheap. If you’re looking for a quick place to grab a bite to eat, this is probably one of the best places around the VPL to grab some cooked Japanese food!

Food:

Service:

Value:

 

 

Ambiance:

OVERALL:

Ebi-Ten (Robson) on Urbanspoon