Shishinori - Vancouver, BC

This is not your ordinary Japanese food but rather a even more healthy twist. We saw the this restaurant was the talk of the town so we decided to go try it. How the cafe works is that you would go to the cashier to order your food first and then find a place to sit. 

I ordered the Wild Salmon Paradise bowl and Calvin ordered the Spicy Chicken cha siu bowl. We made it a meal with a drink and soup or dessert for $2.50.  

We get individual teapots for our teas. The decor and atmosphere was very relaxing. They have a projector playing Japanese anime on a wall. There are around 6 tables so I can imagine during lunch times, it would be harder to get a table. 

Calvin ordered miso soup while I got dessert instead. The miso soup is not like the typical miso soup made from powder. It has a stronger miso soup taste. Normally, with the miso soup from powder, it's more watery. I also enjoyed the fact that they put shinoki mushroom. 

This is the spicy chicken cha siu bowl. They had mandarin slices, unpeeled carrots slices. The spicy sauce of the chicken is similar to Korean spicy soybean sauce. It has a little sweetness to it. The sauce for the veggies is similar to Japanese vinaigrette with some sweetness and acidity. Then there's the brown rice at the bottom.

My Salmon Paradise bowl came with salmon, avocado, boiled egg, sprouts, raddish, edamame. Salmon and avocado was a great combo. All the ingredients were really fresh. I think I would've enjoyed it more if it was just a salad, without the rice.  The carrots were not peeled giving it a more raw feel. The vinaigrette was a little sour and sweet, like the yuzu vinaigrette which had a more subtle acidity.  

I personally do not like hard boiled egg and this egg was more on the hard boiled side than soft so I didn't like it.

My dessert was the green tea mini waffle. It was kind of bland. Nothing like the belgian waffles I've had before. It was a bit too soft as in like it was microwaved for too long and didn't retain the lightness and fluffiness of the dessert. 

Overall, this is not the restaurant you would enjoy if you are looking for traditional Japanese food. It's definitely a healthy option although I find Japanese is already quite healthy already. The price is reasonable and the atmosphere is quite soothing. However, I wouldn't go back for the food because I prefer more traditional Japanese food. It's a good choice for those who would want vegan option as well as healthier option as their food is really fresh.