Please note that I was invited by VANEATS to review this package, anything extra I paid for out my own pockets!
Here is what’s included in the #SupaSuika Package ($35):
A. Salmon Battera, sockeye salmon, salmon caviar, spicy cod roe mayo, Japanese basil, avocado shiso
B. Magical Mojito Pitcher, choose from watermelon, pomegranate and aloe flavours (regular price $28)
C. Steak Salad, diced & marinated AAA beef filet steaks on organic greens topped with watercress and beets
D. Ma-Po Rice Cake, deep fried rice cake with spicy ground pork sauce
You are warmly greeted with a hearty Welcome from all the staff when you set foot at Suika. The servers are very friendly and are happy to offer suggestions and help if you need any.
We started off with the drinks – we chose the Watermelon Mojito. The pitcher is a little bit too much for Brian and myself. We don’t drink that much but I think we had about 2-3 drinks each and the pitcher was half full when we left (yes, very sad state of affairs). This pitcher alone costs $28 on it’s own, so if you’re into drinks with your dinner, this is perfect.
The mojito had a slightly sweet taste to it which masked the alcohol flavour quite well (which I enjoyed). It’s a little dangerous though- I could’ve downed these like I was drinking juice! Our server suggested next time to try the Aloe – her favourite flavour as it is sweet. Duly noted!
Our next two VanEats dishes came – the Ma-Po Rice Cakes and the Steak Salad.
The Ma Po Rice Cake is an interesting take on a Chinese dish that I love. The sauce is exactly the same flavour as you would expect from the Ma Po tofu dish (it’s a spicy ground pork with some garlic). However this is served atop a chewy rice cake which makes for interesting texture. The rice cake is soft and chewy (but not sticky) and gives the allusion of the rice cake and sauce melting in your mouth. It’s quite interesting.
The Steak Salad is a fine mix of organic greens tossed with watercress, beets and thick chunks of divinely marinated AAA beef filet steaks. These steak chunks are so wonderfully flavourful on it’s seared outside and tender, cool and pink on the inside. This was my second favourite dish from the VanEats package.
Finally, the Salmon Battera. This seared sushi is pressed sock eye salmon drizzled in spicy cod roe mayo, Japanese basil and salmon caviar. This is my favourite item from the package as the sushi was dense and was savoury from the mayo.
This being Brian’s first time at Suika, it only felt right to order some of my favourite items and some new ones for us to experience. We ordered the Corn Kakiage, Kakuni Bibimap and the Negitoro Tartare.
First up was the Corn Kakiage ($4.80). This proves that everything tastes better when it’s deep fried. This dish is organic corn niblets fried in cilantro batter, soy sauce and butter.
It’s perfectly crispy on the outside but yet soft on the inside with that corn crunch you get when taking a bite off the cob. The cilantro and soy sauce flavour is subtle as to not over power the dish.
Next was our Kakuni Bibimbap ($8.80). This is a rice dish served in a hot stone bowl – the longer you keep it in the bowl the more crispy your rice becomes. Brian is not a fan of super crispy rice so he ate it right away while I waited a little longer for it to crisp up. The Kakuni Bibimbap is served with stewed pork belly, sweet dried shrimp and scallions. This delicious dish is one of my favourite ones to order when I go to izakayas. The one here is great and was not salty from the addition of pork belly and soy but perfectly flavoured.
Finally to finish off, we decided to order one more dish – the Negitoro Tartare. The spicy tuna dish was served with fresh green onions on the top and with a couple slices of bread.
This was definitely an interesting fusion. I did enjoy the fresh taste of the Negitoro and there was a lot left over after we polished off the four slices of crispy bread that accompanied the dish.
Overall, we really enjoyed our dinner. Brian is not a big fan of izakayas but I think I’ve made him a Suika believer. The VanEats package is great at it’s price point and gives a great overview of the interesting things Suika has to offer. Definitely try out the Corn Kakiage and the hot stone bowl dish. My other two favourite dishes here are the Tako Wasa and the Ox Tail Ramen. Hopefully I’ll be back real soon to share these dishes with friends! Kanpai!
Check out their website and menu here.