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Guu in Aberdeen
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
4151 Hazelbridge WayRichmond, BC V6X
Neighbourhood: Golden Village
(604) 295-6612
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Mon-Thu 5 pm - 10:30 pm
Fri 5 pm - 11:30 pm
Sat 11:30 am - 11:30 pm
Sun 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
36 reviews for Guu in Aberdeen
Review Highlights
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"I love beef tongue, but they effed it up." In 4 reviews -
"Anyway I had sashimi, which was really fresh and tasty." In 12 reviews -
"Pumpkin croquette-the usual pumpkin filled goodness." In 4 reviews
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36 reviews in English
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Review from Allen C.
1/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
This Izakaya restaurant is buried in a little corner of the mall of Aberdeen centre. Guu establishments in Vancouver have been around for a while but the Richmond one is around five years old. There are similarities in terms of the over the top greeting service, food variation and delicate preparation which has kept the Guu name strong for so many years. Though, I found the Richmond one to be the weakest chain and with so much food competition in this area, it's better if they put out the best of what Guu has to offer.
We had an array of seafood sampler sized dishes: clam mussels, deep fried oysters, calamari, seafood udon, tuna salad, and a special duck pizza just to name a few.
I tried ordering the baked oysters, but it was not available. That was probably my most anticipated dish. The duck pizza was a bizzare combination and didn't work with my taste buds. It was a strip of duck on top of what i think was a standard pepperoni style pizza. The fried oysters were ok though they should have stayed with normal tartar sauce rather than homestyle tartar. Their sauce didn't work. The tuna sashimi salad was the best dish of the night.
I would continue to go to the Guu establishments in downtown Vancouver, but the one in Richmond needs to step up their game. -
Review from James W.
Vancouver, BC
1/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
For all the hype, Guu is not very guddo ("good"). The staff are friendly and I do like the izakaya atmosphere but the food (we had tako wasabi, maguro tataki, udon with mentaiko kimchi, and gindara head with daikon) was not very good, any of it.
It wasn't a lack of authenticity. It was just not well prepared or well presented. It tasted like being at a third-rate izakaya in Japan. I guess then the only benefit of going to a third-rate izakaya in Vancouver (and how cool is it that we have sooo many izakayas to choose from here!!) is that their Guudo Ale is better than crappy Asahi Super Dry.
I'd probably give the place 2 1/2 stars rather than two, but there's no way it deserves the three star average it has right now, so I'm working to take it down a peg. Anyone else want to help with that? ^-^ -
Review from C R.
Vancouver, BC
12/4/2011
The lady preparing food touched her tongue (bare hands) before preparing food! Blech!! Never return to this place. Aside from that, the food was decent.
The whole Guu concept of yelling at the too of their lungs works well in gastown, where it is much larger and 2 levels.. Complete fail in a tiny enclosed hallway- like enclosure that is Aberdeen Guu. Especially if you are sitting at the bar.. Get a larger location, and teach basic food safety concepts to your staff and I miiiight come back, but not likely. -
Review from Faye C.
10/21/2011
I'm realizing that it's tough to yelp when out of town, but I'm going to give it a try anyway...I'm a little behind...
I came here after getting off a flight coming from Toronto. It came recommended from the hotel I was staying at.
I left super-full!
I ordered the ultra roll - crazy spicy (it packed a bit too much heat for me, so I didn't add the extra hot sauce, yes, I said extra), the beef tataki, and a sashimi salad - $20 for a sushi dinner is pretty good in my opinion. I wish I had read some reviews before coming though, I may have changed my order!
Update: I came here again, b/c my sister wanted to try it.
This time we ordered:
the tuna tataki - yum (a touch over cooked for me), the beef tataki - super yummy, the aberdeen roll, which was delish, the mushroom and beef au gratin (also yummy - interesting and totally worth a try), we also had a 3 sashimi plate - the raw shrimp is growing on me, and a king salmon special (a pc of seared salmon, a salmon sashimi, a salmon sushi - the rice was in a ball like shape, and a deep fried piece of salmon...all this plus 3 drinks, and a coke came to about $75 - $80 with tax and tip.
Totally go...it's worth it. -
Review from Melissa C.
Richmond, BC
It's so fluffy I'm gonna die! I mean.. it's so yummy I'm gonna die!
I've become delirious due to how full I am after consuming a big box of Japanese goodies. I came here for lunch and decided on a lunch box special. This box had everything delicious in it:
BBQ Eel on rice: soft with gorgeous sauce on it.
Teriyaki chicken: Nicely grilled and it came with the sauce you usually eat with tonkatsu.. well played Guu, yummy twist!
Sashimi: Fresh, melt in mouth tuna and salmon.
Corn croquette: It was like a desert really.. with a fried, crispy breaded crust and a sweet, creamy corn filling. Absolute fave!
Rounded off with a veggie root salad, California roll, mini Japanese pickled coleslaw, and miso soup.
I've come here for dinner before but I enjoyed lunch here more. For dinner, I prefer the Guu @ Robson or Thurlow. Either way, I'm coming back for more Guu'd lunch.
Note: They have a lunch stamp card here. Collect 18 stamps for $10 off or a Guu'd sushi lunch box on your next visit. You get a stamp for every $10 (pre-tax) you spend during lunch. -
Review from Fritz S.
8/17/2011
I came here for my Birthday dinner with my family. This was a change from the usual birthday at the Keg or Sun Sui Wah.!!! I wanted something different and i wanted my mom and dad to try new things! "Oh man this is gonna be interesting" i said to myself... lol
I just went and ordered different things from the menu:
Kakimayo- Baked oyster with cod and cheese on top.
Tuna and beef Tataki
BBQ eel with muchroom rice- deelishious btw
Spicy Calamari- Meh tasted like the chinese ones i get at the food court....
Hotate Butter- This dish freakin moves!!!! you have to see it to believe it..
Takoyaki- Octoballs!! the same kind from the night market.. yum!
Aberdeen roll- Spicy Sashimi and bbq eel with cucumber mango sauce and teriyaki sauce!- great flavor in and out!
Ultra Roll- Salmon and shrimp tempura- Watch out they come with 4 kinds of hot sauce PLUS a killer Habenero sauce!! can u say ring of fire??!! lol
Deep fried oysters- They burned it :( didn't like it as much... oh well
I had more but i just forgot..
The food was great... um.. some not so great but overall a great experience .. my Dad and mom even had a good time, and they NEVER have a good time lol... Thanks GUU!! keep up the good work! -
Review from Kelly C.
2/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
I hesitate to write this somewhat negative review, because I had a very conflicting experience at Guu. I went in on a Friday night, and the place was packed. Still, we waited only 10 minutes to be seated. A very nice host showed us to our seats, and our waitress came by and took our drink orders. And that was basically the last we saw of her. She was waiting on a big party in the washitsu in the back of the restaurant, as well as another huge table. The place seemed very understaffed. Our food orders were ultimately taken by one of the chefs, as we were sitting at the bar. However, he was quite busy too. We order lots of small things, as one does at an izakaya, and some of our food came right away... Other pieces, not so much. In total we spent about two hours in the restaurant, and not because we chose to. It took us a very long time to receive much of our food, and though we wanted to order more once we received it, we ultimately decided to just get the check (which took another 20 minutes). I really like Guu, I think they're a good Japanese business, and the food is always high quality. If I were rating based on food quality alone, I would give 4 stars. This location seems to still be feeling out its rhythm, and I hope it does soon, because it's the closest Guu to where I live! I'll be back to try again, but maybe during the lunch hour. And definitely not on a Friday night. :P
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Review from Linda V.
8/22/2011
Don't understand what the negative fuss is about, but I appreciated this place.
My boyfriend and I were starved from our drive up from Seattle, and scoured the place for our first meal in BC. We searched the mall, and came across Guu.
Inside, it was kind of small, but the waiter was super nice. He took our order, and we sat there watching them make the food. I love when I get to see people make the food.
I got some sort of lunch box special, but I don't exactly remember what was in it..there was such a giant variety. I believe there was some chicken, some California roll...salad...other stuff I didn't even know or recognize. The food itself was normal-good, but I really appreciated the variety. A lot of bento boxes don't have that much variety. I was very satisfied..
Anyway, I guess the thing is, we didn't have high expectations. We were hungry, stumbled upon this place, and were pleasantly surprised. On the other hand, if you already have this preconceived notion of amazingness from the Gastown location (which I haven't been to), then maybe you'd think differently.
But overall, I'd go back. -
Review from Yumi K.
Richmond, BC
6/7/2011 12 photos
I went there for lunch today.
its not my first time coming to guu, but I never had the chance to write a proper review.
First, the service was not that great. There were only one waitress, who was too busy disturbing the foods.... and we literately waited 20 minutes until our orders were taken.
Then it took 40-50min until the foods to come.
and, I had a special order, but they kinda arranged my order so that in the end, there was MORE rice than I was hoping to get ( I asked for no rice for my sashimi)...
the food is not as good as gyo-o.
maybe I will go there again, if I have tons of spare time. -
Review from Dru C.
12/14/2010
Another amazing Guu chain restaurant. When I first heard when the Guu chain was planning to open a location in Aberdeen Richmond Mall, I was already shaking my head in a depressing way. I was just wondering how the Chinese environment will take away the true passion of Japanese traditions of Guu.
I had to stop by the place at least once before I really judge the place though, and I did. I was pretty impressed that this location was not "influenced" nor did the tradition of the Guu restaurant diminished.
The decor was more impressive, as this location use an old wooden door, to keep the Japanese tradition. (Most resturants/bars in Japan use old wooden doors). The menus were different but similar to most of the Guus. The drink menu was small, but kept the infamous Lychee Soho drinks and the Ramune. The menu was a tad weird, as it has the regular sushi menus, the california and dynamite, etc. But the menu still kept the style of the Oden, the salads, and the noodles.
I enjoyed the service as the waitress were all authentic Japanese, and spoke amazing fluent English.
Overall, this place seem to have impressed me a lot. I wouldn't say it was that bad, but as I left, I realized that there was a time in between 3-6pm that the store is closed... Not good for others who want to eat at that time. That seem to make me feel a tad weird... -
Review from Marjorie D.
Vancouver, BC
1/10/2011
Had NYE dinner here and had no problem getting a table at around 7pm. The restaurant was about 1/3 to half full. I've been to this Guu before and totally forgot it was still there. Although the sashimi was nice and fresh and the dishes were not bad, I still prefer the Gastown and other downtown locations better. The servers at Aberdeen were quite attentive, maybe because there weren't a lot of people there.
The only dish we didn't enjoy so much was the beef tongue. The grilling made it a little chewier than usual and it was still very tonguey looking (if that means anything... I'm not so fond of eating a beef tongue that maintains its shape and look a little too well).
A couple other dishes we ordered are:
+ Bibimbap - like the Korean version but a little sweeter. We asked for it without the hot sauce.
+ 3 kinds of sashimi
We ordered a couple other dishes but I don't remember them now, which is too bad because if they had been fabulous, I'd go back there for more. -
Review from Sachi M.
I came here for lunch on a Monday. It was nice that it wasn't full. The servers were helpful with our special seating request.
+ I really liked the Chicken Udon soup (more Western Japan light-coloured soup as opposed to the soy sauce-based Tokyo style), but the noodles could have been a bit firmer.
- The Kabocha Croquette had a boiled egg in the middle! I wish I had known that. I love the kabocha but not the egg.
+ - The oyster-cutlets and Yaki Udon were pretty good.
I don't remember anything being spectacular, but they all tasted like they should (i.e. no unnecessarily sweet "teriyaki sauce" where you wouldn't expect it), so I give this my stamp of Authenticity approval and will come back again if I happen to be in the area. -
Review from Adrian V.
Richmond, BC
8/26/2011
Hidden within the walls of Aberdeen Center, I had difficulty tracking down this wonderful restaurant at first because it was behind another restaurant just past a narrow hallway. After a few texts, I finally managed to locate it. Once inside, I was greeted by the courteous staffers and I immediately sat at the table where my friends were patiently waiting. The restaurant was a decent size space and the decor and atmosphere were casual and relaxed.
As we sat catching up, I ordered the Ebimayo and one of the $12 lunch sets. The Ebimayo was definitely delicious; it was crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. I especially liked the fact that each portion was huge. My favourite part of the dish is probably the spicy mayo sauce. Sweet, tangy and with a nice amount of heat, this sauce added a layer of flavour that screamed "homerun" for me. It also came with a nice little salad. Two thumbs up for this bad boy.
My huge bento box consisted of many things I didn't really know a lot about, but it looked good on the menu so I decided to get it (plus I was feeling adventurous that day). I guess me being super hungry forgot to take note of what I was eating. Anyway I had sashimi, which was really fresh and tasty. I also got some raw salmon and shrimp - raw salmon I've had so I was ok with it. Raw shrimp with the head and the tail on - never had it, well until that day. I must say, although I love shrimp I don't think I like it raw. There's something about the texture of it that I'm not crazy about. Maybe I need some time to get used to it. In the next section of the box, there was the rice, mango and sort of a beef carpaccio dish topped with seaweed. Loved the flavour of the beef carpaccio. I also liked the portion, just small enough for me. I didn't try the mango - I guess I wasn't feeling adventurous enough. The next little section contained everything else: the sushi, the fish belly, the deep fried chicken, some kinda egg triangle and the steamed bok choy. The egg triangle was yummy (although I think it might have been tofu). I love the deep fried chicken (well anything deep fried really. Except deep fried chocolate bars). The fish belly was quite moist; it was definitely tasty. I'm not sure what fish they used though, I'm tempted to say cod but like I said I'm not sure.
Good value - $12 for a huge bento box (which could've been good for 2 people). I was really full at the end of my meal and I was quite satisfied with what I got so it gets my seal of approval.
Would I come back? Absolutely. Although I think I'd go for the other Guu's around town so I can decide which one I like the best. 3.5/5, but I'd give it 3/5. -
Review from Vincci L.
Of the chain of Guus, I probably like this one the least. I don't know exactly what it is, but the whole signature atmosphere is just not present.
This location is within Aberdeen Center, on the second floor.
The space is a bit empty, not like the other ones. There is a large sushi bar in the middle of the restaurant. I prefer to sit at the sushi bar here cause you can see all the action.
This is the only Guu with sushi, your regular California Rolls, Dynamite roll...Then there's the "Guu Original" items, grilled items, rice, noodles, oden, and salads.
Items I've tried here:
Pumpkin croquette-the usual pumpkin filled goodness. Always a must order at all Guus.
Yukke- chopped salmon sashimiwith garlic teriyaki sauce. This comes with seaweed pieces for you to make a mini wrap with. Tasty, a little bit sweet though.
Ebimayo-baked shrimp and potato with cod roe mayonnaise and cheese. A bit different than the other Ebi Mayo, this item is baked in a dish, and the dish is a bit oily, but very good. Order a side of rice and eat it together. You won't regret it.
Misomayo- baked black cod with miso mayonnaise. Another favourite Guu item. Soft fish, and the miso mayo goes perfectly with it.
Okonomiyaki- deep-fried Japanese pancake. Nothing special, there's 2 slices
Grilled marinated beef tongue-a bit chewy, but the flavour is there.
For a quick fix of Guu and on the days that I'm lazy and want to stay in Richmond, this place will have to do. -
Review from Belle L.
Richmond, BC
8/21/2010
The service there is awesome! The food dishes i personally think is not as great as the one in downtown, but there still is my favourite pumpkin croquette. The only problem is I think the menu is too small compared to the other locations, and they might need more servers than a few depending on the busy-ness of their place.
Food wise, the toro was awesome, but the smoked fish was just not as good as the other locations. -
Review from Angela L.
6/18/2011
It's Friday night, I'm feeling alright, and...there's an accident on the Knight Street bridge. Working in Richmond, this means that getting the f out of Richmond and back into Vancouver is no easy task. Rather than concede defeat to the traffic jam, a co-worker and I decided to hang out in Richmond instead and wait for traffic to subside. We ended up at Aberdeen Centre (there's no better place in the world to kill time than Daiso), and gravitated towards Guu for some food and drink.
The Gastown location of Guu is one of my go-to restaurants, so I had high hopes. Unfortunately, I was seriously let down. The Aberdeen location was clearly inferior on all fronts. First, the lively and pulsing atmosphere that makes the downtown locations of Guu so great was completely non-existent. Second, the wait staff was not nearly as enthusiastic or efficient as their downtown counterparts. In fact, our waiter could only be described as an awkward turtle. The timing was all off, with three different people hovering around asking for our orders moments after we had seated ourselves but all of them avoiding eye contact when we were ready for the bill. Third, the food was not nearly as good, and the menu was weird and hard to navigate. Fourth, the drinks were weak. The icing on the cake was the fact that the towels they gave us at the beginning of the meal to clean our hands had this gross chemical odour that lingered unpleasantly. Everything felt awkward and forced and totally un-Guu-like. Would not return to this location. -
Review from Ysabelle R.
Vancouver, BC
7/12/2010
We had an awful experience with them recently for a friend's birthday party. It was a party of 10 and we were dining at the Guu in Aberdeen. They couldn't provide us with enough seating, which was fair, so we had to make do, but when we did manage to grab more seating by asking fellow diners (3 who were seated at a 4-top, for instance), the restaurant made us give the chairs back.
Then they didn't take our order for 45 minutes. We know this because we arrived for our 8pm reservation promptly. They didn't even bring us water within those 45 minutes. The only thing that they did was take away our chairs (seriously).
Then once they took our order, it took another HOUR for them to actually make the food. And the story behind this one was a doozy -- after none of our food making it out after being in Guu for 1:45, I went to the waitress and asked her to just cancel the pending items on our order and that we would pay for the two cokes they had brought to our table. She refused, and yelled at the kitchen to start making our food, even though I had explicitly asked her to cancel the items.
After that, our food came out poorly made, with no apologies, and no explanation for the completely unacceptable delay.
We quickly asked for our bill and paid for it, having to split it amongst ourselves and perform the calculations since they hadn't noted separate orders for our party. Then, once paid, they made us stay in the restaurant for 15 more minutes (or else they'd call security) so they could tally up the bill and make sure we had all paid (we did).
We all left extremely annoyed, and the birthday boy was obviously none too pleased, as well as pretty hungry, because the food they'd brought out was close to inedible, and certainly not worth the roughly $30 per person we'd all shelled out. While we were on our way to our cars, the waitress who had pretty much been a failure that night ran over to us and flagged us down, saying that we hadn't tipped enough.
Note that this wasn't failure to pay an auto-gratuity, but failure to provide a completely optional tip. We'd done that on purpose. Who tips service at a restaurant where you can't even get water?
We salvaged the rest of our night by driving to Cafe Crepe on Robson. If you actually want to eat a restaurant, don't go to Guu. Awful service, half-assed food, and pretty much the worst experience you'll get just shy of having a server come up to you to hit you with a chair. -
Review from Sharlene V.
Vancouver, BC
9/9/2011
I've been looking forward to trying the Guu restaurants after hearing good things about the chain. Based on the reviews, I unfortunately picked the worst of the locations to try first.
The waitress was very prompt and friendly, but didn't speak English very well and had to ask someone else when I inquired about a basic thing. The pumpkin croquette looked interesting so I got one -- bad idea. It had been sitting for quite a while and came to me almost cold. I don't think anything deep-fried should ever be served cold. It was also yuck -- boiled egg covered with mushy yam and tastes exactly as it sounds.
For everything else we ordered, while I appreciate the presentation I didn't enjoy the food. It was like every dish is supposed to be an "experience". At the very least, you could say it's interesting, even if it's not satisfying. It's flavorful, some taste better than others, but overall the flavors all clashed. It was like an amusement park for the mouth. Fun for about 2 minutes, and after that you wish you hadn't done it.
It also wasn't cheap. Each dish is a little less than $10, but you'd need to consume like 4-5 dishes to get full. All in all, it didn't hit the spot and I didn't feel like I got my money's worth. -
Review from Owlburt L.
2/22/2009
Great Sashimi and Great food. We weren't planning on going here but was going to go to the restaurant next to it, but when we saw that there was a long wait outside, we couldn't resist. To me, a good sushi/Japanese restaurant always has to have a long wait or else they don't move enough fish to keep it fresh.
I tried their sashimi from Japan and it was one of the best I've had and more importantly it was one of the most reasonably priced sashimi I've had too. We got the Yellow Tail from Japan and the thing glistened in the light. To anyone who likes Sashimi they know that the fattier the fish the better the taste so when the fish reflects light well, that means it's full of nice fish fat. Ummm.
We also ordered the deep fried sweet shrimp and that was delicious. I would say a very satisfying meal at a very reasonable price. I've paid much more for a sashimi, sushi, etc. dinner and got much worst quality. The price was very comparable to Maneki in Seattle but the quality was much better.
This isn't your romantic date restaurant because there's a lot of shouting and noise but if you're looking for a fun, fast pace atmosphere this is your place. -
Review from Judy L.
1/2/2009
The quality of the fish is wonderful.
I ordered the lunch box special with sashimi over rice. When I return I will only get rolls and nigiri and savor the fish more.
Great for large groups, you can get your own room in the back. The restrooms are awkwardly behind the restaurant. -
Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
11/6/2008
This is the Richmond branch of this local small chain of izakayas. This is one the better ones of the bunch, and offers some of the more authentic sushi in the Greater Vancouver area. They fly special fish in regularly from the Tsukuji Market in Tokyo, and their location near the airport gets it there quickly.
Their lunch specials are particularly good deals and quite filling. Service can be spotty though at times. Also I know some people have complained about the portion size - but they are really just Japanese portions instead of the honking fillets that pass for nigiri at some of the other sushi bars around town! -
Review from Annie M.
Vancouver, BC
I would say Guu at Aberdeen Center is the worst one of the chain.
We went there for lunch at today, we were quite surprise that only 3 tables during lunch time.
All of us ordered the lunch special and 1 sashimi to share. Lunch special around $10-13 each, however, the portion so small. The sashimi was NOT fresh at all. -
Review from Malloreigh M.
Vancouver, BC
7/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place didn't really have any vegetarian options. I was surprised, because Guu in Gastown was pretty great for that. After a bit of probing and asking, the waitress brought us a special menu that had a veggie sushi combination on it. That was good, but weird. I wouldn't go back.
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Review from Kathy C.
10/14/2010
I can totally understand why this Guu has a much lower rating than the other locations. It misses the mark on a few things. We went in on a Saturday afternoon and the restaurant was almost empty. Upon reviewing the menu, I asked the server whether the pumpkin croquette is sweet or not (I don't like sweet food unless it is dessert). The server didn't know or didn't understand me. She said she'll go check...
She returned and said something to the effect of, "a little sweet". We tried it anyway because I can't picture what a pumpkin croquette is and just got really curious about it. We actually were pleasantly surprised because it was much better than expected. It's basically an egg wrapped by lightly breaded pumpkin and deep fried, drizzled with a lot of shrimp sauce, which I could do without... maybe on the side instead of having it drizzled heavily on the croquette itself.
The other dishes were ok. The beef tongue was tasty and tender. A little bit salty and could be thinner/smaller in slice. The grilled fish was a bit too greasy. With the atmosphere not nearly as fun as the other Guu locations, I can see why this one is not as popular. -
Review from J K.
2/8/2009
This is probably the most family-friendly Guu. It's a bit more spacious than the downtown Guus, and a bit more laid back feeling as a result.
As already mentioned, the sushi is imported from Tsukiji in Tokyo (quite the carbon footprint). Their best sushi is the Crazy Salmon. It's basically a fatty salmon belly nigiri that's been seared and seasoned with salt (in Japan, this would be called aburisalmon). Definitely try it if you come.
Because it's in Richmond, the demographic is a bit different from the two downtown Guus. Nothing wrong with that though. The food is still very good. -
Review from Kashaya W.
Surrey, BC
1/6/2012
Can't compare with other Guu. Sorry to say~
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Review from Eileen S.
8/27/2009
I am developing a soft spot for Izakayas. Lively atmosphere, good food and friendly service. A casual way to enjoy Japanese fare.
Delicious udon noodles. I know, a noodle stir-fry that you can get just about anywhere, but this was superior to most... probably one of the best I have had in a long time. The yellow tail sashimi was also very good. -
Review from Chris C.
Richmond, BC
10/27/2010
I don't understand why anyone would go to this Guu at all. It seems as though all the servers who couldn't make the cut to a better Guu somehow managed to muster up a job and all get thrown into this one. The only redeeming facet of service available was behind the counter at the supposed 'sushi bar' that only houses deep fryers, boiling pots, and a slab of raw deep freezed salmon and a megear few pieces of tuna and moldy octopus.
The servers are inattentive, interrupting me by putting a finger up like a 'shhh' moment to go talk to their coworkers about helping them ineptly seat incoming customers; all they had to do was ask me to wait nicely but a finger to the customer is probably going to loosen up that tip jar.
The menu is unimpressive and lacks any bit of creativity. You can get all of the choices at Richmond Sushi for less of a price range and this tarnishes the Guu reputation of creativity, service, and great flavor pairing.
Dark and dingy this corner shack is and mysteriously remaining in business it does. Kudos for the Guu franchise for being an incredible band of people, cooks and businessmen and businesswomen but heads shake in not so much anger but disappointment at its Richmond offspring. -
Review from Kitty C.
Calgary, AB
6/5/2010
Reference: I love izakayas. I've been to Guu downtown, Hapa Izakaya, the Chopstick cafe (now clsoed) and Gyoza King.
The food has gone down in Guu aberdeen!! I was there 2 years ago and remember the place fondly. The food back then was fresh, imaginative, and had a great selection.
Flash forward to last week and it was a completely different place. The rice cake / cali roll was mediocre (rice krispy staleness) and unimaginative. The beef tataki was served as large chunks of rawness with a few sprinkles of garlic chips as a consolation.
The miso black cod was meh -- the marinating needs work. I tried to save dinner by looking over the dessert selection and found nothing more appealing than green tea ice cream. We opted to leave and call it an evening.
Overall, I was very disappointed. :( There are plenty of other izakayas. -
Review from Steph L.
9/28/2010 15 photos
Oh, Guu... What used to be one of my favourite izakayas was a bit of a let down the last time I went. Their menu seemed to have shrunk and gotten more confusing. (Most of the other izakayas I've been to have larger menus.) The prices were still reasonable but the food was hit-and-miss.
We got:
*YUKKE (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) - chopped salmon with teriyaki sauce and raw quail egg: Still one of my favourite dishes here--loved the fatty salmon, teriyaki sauce, and quail yolk all mixed together. The seaweed served with it was stale though :( [This wasn't on the menu but was available upon request since I used to get it all the time.]
*OKONOMIYAKI (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) - deep-fried Japanese pancake: Basically takoyaki in a thick pancake form. I liked this dish a lot. They don't top it with mayo (yay!) but were generous with the okonomiyaki sauce and bonito flakes (double yay!). I loved the crispy outside, soft inside, and the crunch from the veggies (cabbage?). Very tasty! Only complaint was that it wasn't served hot enough.
*MARINATED EGGPLANT (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...): Meh. The (allegedly) deep-fried eggplant was really oily and kinda bland. The only flavour came from the tempura sauce it was served with.
*BEEF SASHIMI (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...): Great dish! Seasoned and marinated well, the beef was tender and had a slightly smoky aroma. Yum!
*BEEF TONGUE TRIO (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) - marinated, pan-fried, smoked: Yuck and yuck. I love beef tongue, but they effed it up. The marinated (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) was overly salty. The pan-fried (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) was really tough and overly salty. The only one I liked was the smoked (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...), which was melt-in-my-mouth tender and not as unbearably salty as the other two.
*MASHED POTATO & RICE WITH MEAT SAUCE (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...): A very comforting and flavourful dish! This reminded me of the Cantonese-style meat sauce with rice I used to eat as a kid in HK, with the added bonus of mashed potatoes (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...). Loved it!
*GRILLED RICE BALL WITH AVOCADO & CRAB MEAT (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...): A deconstructed California roll. It may have looked different but it tasted like any regular ol' California roll. I would've thought grilling the rice would've made it crispy--it didn't.
*BIBIMBAP (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) - seafood & vegetable on rice with chili pepper paste in stone bowl: Like bibimbap you get at a Korean restaurant, this came out sizzling hot with the ingredients all separate in the stone bowl. The server then pours on the chili paste and mixes everything together. This was very tasty--after I asked for more of that yummy garlicky chili sauce! My favourite part was the crispy rice at the bottom of the stone bowl.
Overall, the food was pretty good but I knocked off a star for the two bad dishes. On the plus side, I love the open kitchen concept and watching my food being prepared! -
Review from Little C.
11/15/2010
This is definitely the quietest of all the Guus I have been to. I came here on a weeknight with a friend and it was very mellow. The menu didn't have as many cooked items as some of the other locations but had more sushi. The staff was super funny and friendly. I don't know how much I'd come here but since my parents live in Richmond, it works for me. My faves are still Gastown and lower Robson.
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Review from Adelina W.
Richmond, BC
4/14/2010
I've been to the other Guu's in Vancouver and this one just doesn't compare in terms of atmosphere and food. The restaurant is a lot larger than the others, which, as someone else pointed out, is probably more family friendly, but takes away from the atmosphere I associate with Guu. The food wasn't as good as I remembered it being at other locations despite ordering the same thing. The mussels were gritty and weren't cleaned properly. The mushroom and oyster dish had more mushrooms than oyster and I found the mushroom flavour overtook the whole dish. The other dishes I ordered were just okay. I think the next time I'm craving Guu, I'll head downtown.
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Review from Wil L.
Mississauga, ON
11/30/2010
This was my 1st Guu experience and having read some of the earlier reviews I did not have high expectations. Had a lunch special consisting of chicken udon noodle soup, miso soup and various sashimi in a big bowl with rice(forgot what it was called). The udon noodles were great and the shashimi was fresh and met my expectation. Service could have been a little faster.
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Review from Melody M.
8/14/2010
I love the pretty looking dishes. The service was friendly and fast. The food was great, around $10 for the lunch menu. I liked the deep fried oysters that came with a salad, rice, side dish, and miso soup. Well, okay, I also liked the saba fish that I was nibbling from my friend's plate.
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Review from Natasha L.
2/8/2009
As much as I'd love to be tactful and non offensive, the experience last night has simply left me no choice to say that it was deplorable ... and far worse than any Guu meal that I have ever tasted.. the grill scallop was too salty and oily with barely any other taste, the spicy tuna was not spicy at all, the ebi mayo was horrendous ( 4 tiny shrimps with loads of potatoes and gallops of mayo) , a lot of the foods have been pre cooked... I was just distraught by the downhill spiral of quality ( are they just trying to mimic the economy?) If they are, let's just hope it gets stimulus too soon!!!
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Review from shelli n.
9/26/2010
yummy!!! i live in little tokyo in los angeles + eat a lot of japanese food. my fiance + i both got the 3 grilled fish lunch special. it was only $9.95!! what a great price for everything that came with the lunch. and it was deeeelicious!!! hefty pieces of shioyaki salmon, mackerel + pike. the rice was perfect + not too mushy or sticky. miso soup + daikon tsukemono. we also got the takoyaki + it was some of the best i've ever had. the only negative thing i'd say was the edamame was served cold. never had it cold before
