Birthday Fun: Japanese Village

For the site of her birthday celebration, Janice chose Japanese Village (10126 100 Street). Like many other eateries I've mentioned on this blog, this one also falls into the category of "often passed, never been." I had heard that it was quite pricey, but other than that, it was a blank slate.

Mack and I were a fashionable ten minutes tardy, but instead of finding an empty table, we were greeted by nearly the entire party. The group was seated in a fairly large private room that required the discarding of shoes.

Being one not inclined to order sushi, I was relieved to see some non-seafood items on the menu, including udon soup and cooked meats. The bento box was rather expensive in my opinion ($23.95), so I opted for Teriyaki chicken ($8.95), Edamame beans ($4.95), and a side of rice ($1.75) instead. The waitress did her best to keep the orders of over ten people straight, and I must say, did a decent job. Working with the constraint of only being able to speak comfortably to those seated at the ends of the table must be frustrating.

My Mum has since boycotted Edamame beans (whole soy beans steamed and then served with sea salt), as she hasn't been able to locate any that are cultivated outside of China. While I was certain these were also a product of China, I wanted to give them a shot. While I preferred to use my hands to pluck out the individual beans (as opposed to sliding them out in my mouth), I found them quite enjoyable. The beans was unfortunately cold when they reached me (likely a consequence of the large party), but I would still order them again. The Teriyaki chicken was all right, though I was expecting the slices to be crisper than they turned out to be (Kyoto wins this battle).

Mack's pictures from the party (and subsequent drinks session at Joey's) are here. Happy birthday Janice!

Seating area

Edamame Beans

Teriyaki Chicken

With the birthday girl