Update Dec 10, 2010: This restaurant is now closed.
Feeling adventurous again, we visited this japanese fusion restaurant hidden in the corner Olympia Centre on Alexandra Road in Richmond (the mall with Mongolie Grill). It’s BonQuLa and we’re happy we found this gem as it is a nice cozy restaurant owned and chefed (is that a word?) by a japanese lady Kaori.
I forgot my camera that day so I had to use the camera on my phone. They didn’t turn out TOO too bad…
The decor was simple yet well thought-out. The menus were handmade scrapbook style. I’m not sure how well-known or popular this restaurant is since we were the only patrons there for the duration of our stay that night. However they had a wall full of photos, seems like many people like to host celebrations there.
Perhaps also because of the fact we were the only ones there, we were given complimentary starters. It was a simple cured fish of some kind.
They seemed to have some interesting sushi rolls on their menu. The Boyfriend decided on the Mentaiko Roll since we’ve never had mentaiko before. What I really liked was the presentation of their foods. The basket/plates were really interesting to me. The roll itself was just mediocre. I couldn’t really taste the ingredients so I still have no idea what mentaiko tastes like.
My entree was Baked Wild Salmon Saikyo Miso. It came with a daily appetizer, rice, soup, tempura & salmon sashimi. This cost something like $15. Here are close-ups of the dishes:
The tempura was interesting because instead of the usual soya dipping sauce, it came with wasabi salt. It did not taste like wasabi but it was good nonetheless. If there was ever a choice I would pick this condiment instead of the usual soya sauce. And it was pretty too! The tempura was fresh and the batter was nice and crisp.
I guess this was the “daily appetizer”. It was vermicelli with dried shrimp. I loved the shrimp because they were so tiny and cute! The usual dried shrimp I always see were the bigger ones. This was tasty.
Lastly the sashimi. There were two fresh although small pieces of salmon and salad. This tasted usual.
The Boyfriend had what they call the Sumo Miso Hotpot which comprised of various pieces of seafood. It also came with the extras that mine came with. He really enjoyed it, especially the broth.
In the end, also likely due to the fact we were the only ones there, we were served complimentary dessert. Instead of simple ice-cream, this was a parfait. We were given a choice of coffee or green tea, and naturally we ordered one of each. Basically it’s coffee or green tea jelly topped with sweet corn flakes and vanilla ice-cream. It’s simple creations like this that makes the whole meal feel that much more special. I really liked this small, simple yet delicious dessert.
All-in-all it was a fantastic meal. We were not disturbed at all. I highly recommend this restaurant.
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Just dined here last weekend, and found it an absolute delight. Probably my favorite restaurant in Richmond. We reserved our table and got a free appy for that, plus a free snack (I think everyone gets this, and it changes depending on the season). The dessert is included with the meal.
Its so hidden I’m glad someone else found it too. 🙂
The husband and I went here after reading your review and just had the neatest experience. Service and food were excellent. The husband, who was born in Japan, so loved the hot, savory mochi appetizer as it reminded him of what the mochi-makers brought to Grandma’s house. We also loved the tuna tataki with ume plum sauce; it was covered in sesame seeds, lightly seared with a delicate sauce that did not obscure the wonderful fish. Husband coincidentally ordered the salmon that you enjoyed. We also got a complimentary little goody holiday bread at the outset and the same complimentary dessert you had. The corn flakes in a Japanese dessert struck us very funny, but although we kept laughing about it, we agreed that it was very tasty and a nice sweet finish to a great meal. Thanks for your reviews.
Hi Jen, glad you had a great time there. I always love to read comments about others going to a place we’ve reviewed and then enjoy the place as much as we did. Thank you so much for your feedback and comment! Come visit often!