Tasting Journey #15 - Guu Garden

Guu Garden
M101-888 Nelson St.
Vancouver, BC
604-899-0855
http://www.guu-izakaya.com/garden/


Guu has been around for many years. I remember this was one of the first izakaya places that has opened up in Vancouver since the beginning of the Japanese cuisine invasion.  Did you know that there is currently a total of 5 Guu's in the GVA (with 4 of them in downtown)?
Though I've been to Guu back in my highschool days, I am still counting this as one of my 25 restaurant goal since technically speaking, it is my first time visiting the Guu Garden.

Unlike the Guu on Robson, Guu Garden is well-hidden, and located on the 2nd floor of a plaza on Nelson. The building is an interesting one; The structure of this building looks more like a 2-stories open roof parkade.  Guu Garden is the only restaurant located on the 2nd floor, with large panels of windows that overlooks the wide open space.  There are trees planted outside the restaurant, and I can just imagine how relaxing it would be sitting outside during the warm summer weather, as if we are in the garden of Edens.

Menu selection was similar to the other Guu's. Black ink on white laminated paper.  As I have previously visited Guu in the past, I knew that the quality of food would be quite decent, and that the portion would be quite "delicate".  So to fill us comfortably, we had ordered a total of six dishes.  Fried calamari drizzled with a vinaigrette dressing that well-balanced the deep fry; The broth in the spicy miso hotpot with pork & bean sprout was excellent; Black cod was tasty though I did not like the mayo dressing (Aldin said that the fish would've tasted better if warmer); yaki-udon with beef; beef shortrib with sprinkles of fried garlic;  and finally the pork gristle dish that Zofia didn't want to order yet Aldin insisted on trying.  I did not know what a gristle was until this night...According to the dictionary, gristle = cartilage...I was expecting it to be like tendon, but it by no means did not taste like cartilage nor tendon, but rather simply - fat.  I'd have to side with Zofia that eating a slab of fat is quite unappetizing.  All I can say is that the broth was good (though the spicy miso was better), and that I've tried it, check. 

The food was great, but it was as expected, as Guu has always presented quality food.  Of course, it is also reflected in the pricing since the 3 of us ended up paying $60 + tips for the dishes and unwilling to admit, my stomach growled around 11pm that night.  Of the Guu's I've been to, I'd probably rank Guu Garden my top Guu choice - for the atmosphere, and for the spaciousness of the restaurant.  However, if you are looking for a true izakaya experience,  then it would have to be Guu Garlic though keep in mind that it is always packed with people, and with tables almost lined up against each other).