Tasting Journey #5 - Mandala IKI Asian Bistro

Mandala IKI Asian Bistro - 曼陀羅
2394 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, B.C. V6K 1P1
Tel / Fax: (604) 734-3715
Cuisine: Chinese Food, Japanese Sushi
http://www.brownricesushi.com/mandala/index.html


A little info on the word Mandala first....
Mandala - a Sanskrit word that means "circle" often seen in Buddhist & Hindu religion.
曼陀羅 (also the name of the restaurant) - is a type of flower also known as devil's trumpet, devil's weed, thorn apple or Datura stramonium. The entire plant is poisonous, and may be fatal of ingested.

Alexis had recommended that we go for sushi at Mandala's for our next Tasting Journey.  When she first mentioned the place, my first thought was that it did not sound very "Japanese".  This is not to say that it won't be good, but that it could be a contemporary fusion restaurant that offered awesome Japanese food.  The restaurant is located on W. 4th, amongst many other interesting independent restaurants.  I had passed by it many times on my way to work, and had always thought it served south-east asian cuisine given the name was very "buddhist/hindu".

If you were to ask me what type of restaurant this is, I wouldn't know what to say - The atmosphere was zen: bamboo deco's, a buddha statue and some black/white characters on the wall.  Yet at the same time, it had red leather couches, the ones that you would typically find in a western family diner.  In terms of menu selection, Mandala served a wide range of cuisines - from Chinese stir-fry's to sushi bento boxes to Malaysian laksa to Vietnamese pho.  Nothing that showed this is an authentic Japanese restaurant.  I guess if you feel like a bit of everything, this would be the perfect place, but if you don't know what you want, then you could be lost with the wide selections they offer.   

I should've asked Alexis for her recommendations on choices since I am assuming that she is probably a frequent at Mandala's (Alexis could not join as she was under the weather that day :(...)  However, given that she had suggested that we come here for sushi, I decided to stick with Japanese food.

I had the spicy tuna, the agedashi tofu, and the dynamite roll - nothing too adventurous today.  Spicy tuna was extremely spicy.  The tuna were so fully encapsulated in thick coats of chili sauce that I think I probably had lips like Angelina Jolie's afterward haha...As for the tofu, I liked how it remained crunchy despite sitting in the sauce, probably due to the thick fried shell of the tofu (I had to take my time with the spicy tuna).  However, though crispy, the shell was a bit too thick for my liking.   I felt that I was eating a lot of fried batter, and not tofu.  Thick batter or soggy tofu? It's that fine balance that determines a well-made agedashi tofu dish. Dynamite roll was an interesting try...I had ordered brown rice instead of the typical white.  It was my first time trying sushi with brown rice.  I thought I'd go healthy, but like anything healthy, you end up compromising taste, hahat.  This just again validates my theory that unhealthy food typically tend to taste better ^^.   Sushi with brown rice do not as "sticky" nor "sweet".  It did not "melt in your mouth" - my definition of a good sushi.   Claire's vegetarian bento box looked like just like any other bento box you would get anywhere, and as for Zofia's laksa, not a fan of coconut sauce.

From my review above, it sounds like the place isn't very attractive.  However, of the 2 hours at Mandala, I did notice that there is still a constant in-stream of guests (of which, all are none asians...hm....)  The restaurant did serve as a good central location in Kitsilano for talking and hanging out.   So would I come here for sushi? No, but maybe I'll try their pho next time.