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Mandala Iki Asian Bistro
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Asian Fusion Sushi Bars, Asian Fusion [Edit]
2394 W 4th AveVancouver, BC V6K 1P1
Neighbourhood: Kitsilano
(604) 734-3715
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
20 reviews for Mandala Iki Asian Bistro
20 reviews in English
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Review from Cindy P.
Vancouver, BC
5/7/2012
Love, love their sushi and rolls!
The Chinese and Thai dishes that I've tried are not that great. Stick with the Japanese cuisine and you'll be happy.
Lots of space and nice restaurant to eat in, compared to other sushi places that are more for take out. -
Review from Jordan Y.
Vancouver, BC
4/9/2012
I came here for the pho, and it just wasn't... pho. The broth was bland, and the beef had been cooked beforehand. This messes with the flavor and texture of the dish, and not in a good way. Also, the beauty of pho is its simplicity*: adding a bunch of vegetables to the dish turns it into something else.
The service, though, was prompt and friendly.
Note that I'm giving this rating based on only one dish, but I was not left wanting to try anything else.
Pho is simple, but not as easy to make as it looks. Sadly, Mandala Iki has yet to nail it.
(* Yeah, I'm a bit of a pho snob, if such a thing exists) -
Review from Kenneth E.
Vancouver, BC
3/31/2012 1 Check-in Here
Haven't been back in months, and I can see why on a Friday night. Pretty empty so instead of closing at 10pm, they decided to close at 9:30pm.
It's not true Japanese-owned as the menu suggests, but hey, you're coming here for value and for a comfortable casual open environment w/ lots of space for those who don't like the cramped places like Hiro Sushi.
Plenty of pay street parking. -
Review from Ryan B.
Port Coquitlam, BC
5/8/2012
We came in for lunch and got seated. After 5 minutes we had to ask for a menu. This was the wrong menu. We finally got the lunch menu. 10 minutes later someone came over to take our order. Nearly 30 minutes later our order finally came.
The order sizes were pretty big. However, the lemon chicken sauce didn't taste at all like lemon. The ginger beef was pretty good but kind of spicy without any taste beside spicy . And it was a little cold too.
Over all, it wasn't a good dinning experience. Don't waster your time here. -
Review from Emilie C.
1/3/2012
This. Place. Is. Amazing. After having celebrated with a big group of my work friends, I fell in love with Mandala and their varied menu of delicious creations. This was my first encounter with amazing quality, artfully prepared sushi. We ordered a bunch of dishes to share as a group, and such a mix of dishes did we have prepared. Some pad thai, several different rolls, and crispy tofu with sweet sauce. Even their side of gomae (steamed spinach with peanut sauce served cooled) is the best I've ever tried to this day!
After this great experience I had with my co-workers, I still return for lunch breaks upon occasion. During which half hour, I order my sushi, which is prepared quickly, and I thus allowed an ample amount of time to finish my meal before having to return to work down the street. I guess the only downside would have to be the strange music that sometimes plays, but I am usually either with others and therefore don't notice the strange tunes or am quietly on the phone.
For reals, their Avalanche Roll is some of the most unique sushi I've tried. Purple yam tempura with cream cheese, avocado, AND miso sauce drizzled around? Who could possibly resist!? The plate arrives so aesthetically presented, and there is no need for soy sauce with THAT sushi.
Mandala is speedy, high quality, very reasonably priced, unique, friendly, AND they deliver! I love the brown rice option as well. So if you want some quality sushi around Kitsilano in Vancouver, this is definitely a great place to go. -
Review from Jeremy D.
Vancouver, BC
2/28/2012
Disappointing. Food was flavourless and overcooked. Rock-bottom Asian cuisine. Will never eat here again.
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Review from Alexander Bromley Clark D.
Vancouver, BC
1/19/2011
For many people, myself included, the food category "fusion" conjures up disturbing images of vindaloo xiaolongbao and miso-glazed New York strips. A concept that exploded in the Eighties, fusion cuisine is now passé and sets off gastronomical warning bells for most foodies. This is not to say that the combination of ingredients and flavours from dissimilar cultures cannot result in creative and enjoyable dishes, but the term "fusion" has been tarnished by many culinary experiments gone awry.
I recently dined Mandala Iki Asian Bistro with co-workers and was totally disturbed by the dishes served and the inattentive service. Mandala is popular because it serves brown rice sushi (which I find disturbing in and of itself!), but it also serves a slew of fusion disasters and pan-Asian classics such as sate and chow mein. To give Mandala a break, it does not market itself as a fusion restaurant. Having said this, I cannot think of anything that this establishment is doing well. Our large group of ten ordered everything from pad thai to fried rice, and every single person stated that their meal was bland and sloppily prepared. I was the poor soul who ordered the ketchup-laden, octopus-packed pad thai. This single dish has turned me off Thai food for the time being, and I freakin' love Thai food. The fried rice wasn't fried, and the Chinese dishes were wet with cornstarch slurry.
Mandala is trying to offer a menu similar to those found at the Red Door and The Flying Tiger (which is actually just a few blocks west). These two restaurants serve pan-Asian fare as well, in addition to the occasional "fusion dish", but the chefs at these two restaurants clearly know how cook within each culinary tradition.
You are better off going to The Flying Tiger! -
Review from Scott W.
Vancouver, BC
1/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
I really dont understand how people can give this place any more than 2 stars. I have been to sooo many sushi spots in Vancouver - i consider myself a sushi whore in many ways.. and i think this restaurant is very lost.
Firstly - pick a specialty! How could a restaurant be successfull if they are serving Japanese, Chinese, and Thai food all at once! Ya ok fine, they have brown rice sushi which seems to be their claim - but when we were there, we sat right by the kitchen and it was not pretty.
They had stacks and stacks of old mail and bills sitting on the table in front of the kitchen, there was dust and dirt everywhere - and the cooks in the front did not look clean. We basically knew that the quality of the food we were about to order was not going to be very good - and we were right.
Everything even down to the tea was not good. Gyoza was mushy and doughy, the specialty roll we had was falling apart, the agadashi tofu sauce was too thick like it was sitting around for hours, and many of the rolls we had to cover in soy sauce and ginger to get any decent flavor! Its common knowledge that good sushi should not require soy sauce to make it better!
Why am i not giving this place 1 star? Only because they do have tvs in there, and it is close to my house - so i see potential of at least getting some benefit of going there - but after my last experience of lack of quality, i will not be returning - especially since there is a really good sushi spot just down the street!! -
Review from Sarah A.
8/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
I walk by this place all the time and never go in as it looks very unassuming. However, the brown rice sushi sign was intriguing. I was very pleasantly surprised. They have one of the best veggie bento boxes I have ever eaten - it is huge and comes with a ton of everything I love (miso soup, crunchy yam roll, tempura, spinach gommae, green salad (with actual greens, not iceberg lettuce like most sushi places serve), tofu terryaki (with huge slices of grilled tofu), white or brown rice (no extra charge for the brown rice) and edamame (unsalted and lovely). All of that for less than $9. It was all very yummy and healthy. I was extremely impressed with this place and will be back.
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Review from Ysabelle R.
Vancouver, BC
4/28/2010 2 photos
My favourite sushi place by far. I've been going to Mandala (and Iki) for years. Their fire tower (off-menu item, but occasionally offered - basically spicy yam fries) are the greatest things I've ever eaten. The rolls are unique, striking a balance between inventive and authentic. Many of the specialty rolls come with their own sauce, like the crispy mango roll that comes with an absolutely divine blueberry mayo. The sashimi has always been top notch, very fresh, very flavourful, served in generous portions. Salads are standard, of fair-to-good quality, and their miso soup is what you'd expect. Note that the only complimentary beverage they offer is water with lemon; green tea is something like $.60, which is why the previous poster was not offered it while waiting for their food.
Service wasn't exceptional, but there was nothing to complain about.
My advice: Come here for the sashimi, rolls and appetizers. If you're looking for Vancouver standard Japanese food with the same california roll, dynamite roll, etc., go to the sushi place one block east. But if you're tired of the standard rolls and want a different flavour, give this place a shot. It's hands down my favourite sushi place in the entire cityListed in: My Neighborhood, Top Restaurants
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Review from Stephanie M.
Vancouver, BC
10/17/2010 1 Check-in Here
Yummy! I love the availability of brown rice sushi in Kits, and this place was no exception. We tried the rainbow, dragon, dynamite and spicy chopped scallop rolls, as well as the agadashi tofu and tempura veggies. Everything that I tried (everything non-tempura) was great, and the fish was very fresh. I want to go back for more rainbow and dragon rolls!
The service was pretty quick, too, and prices are reasonable. I'm looking forward to my next visit to Kits! -
Review from Sarah M.
Vancouver, BC
5/3/2011
disgusting!
The food is gross.
Do not go there!
If you are in the area and craving sushi there is plenty of options just around the corner.
DO NOT GO THERE.
I ordered the chicken cashew nuts, IT WAS GROSS. I dont even know where to start:
It had only 3 pieces of chicken, the taste oo the sauce was bad and had hardly any vegetables. it only had onions and canned sweet corn.
GROSS, i was very dissaponited when the bill came.
do not go here. -
Review from Ravenas M.
Vancouver, BC
5/8/2011
I'm actually allergic to rice and soy, an absolute tragedy because I LOVE sushi. I love sushi so much I take my chances and eat it anyway. That being said, I didn't try, and probably won't try much on the menu. BUT I'm absolutely in love with the Volcano Roll. The tempura yam pieces and spicy sauce are what make this roll outstanding. I had a piece of a friend's sushi as well, it was pretty standard. I love that they do brown rice sushi. We just did take-out, but the atmosphere was pretty nice. The next time I'm feeling a little daring I will come here again.
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Review from Neville I.
Vancouver, BC
7/20/2011
The brown rice option at no extra charge gives this place a boost in the ratings. The sushi is quite good, especially the volcano roll. I really liked how they had the option of Chinese food too, but the quality of the beef in black been sauce left something to be desired. I got the meal combo for one, and previous times that I'd been here they brought you each dish in a separate plate, but this time they just threw everything on to one plate which didn't look or taste as good as before. Stick to the brown rice sushi here and you'll be just fine.
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Review from Frank N.
Vancouver, BC
3/26/2011
Nothing special to be found here - except that it was cold and you will get the same quality of sushi anywhere else. But I don't think this will qualify this restaurant for any further visit.
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Review from Sabrina S.
Montréal, QC
5/26/2009
This restaurant is a mix of different cuisines, they specialize in sushi but have chinese and even vietnamese dishes. The main attraction is the brown rice sushi, it's great! Everything is always fresh and the take out service is wonderful. They have the ''Volcano Roll'' that is a spicy tuna roll with a balsamic based sauce on top withTempura Yam fries.. OMG it's so good!! They have lots of seafood sushi rolls ( I 'm allergic) so I can'T vouch for those.. All i can say it'S that they've been attentive to my allergy needs.
The chinese dishes specials are decent and the porting is pretty big! Give it a try! -
Review from Nadine N.
Vancouver, BC
8/27/2008
I was lured in by the big sign advertising brown rice sushi. The brown rice part was great, as in it tasted just like the white rice variety. Unfortunately, all three of our rolls tasted the same. What's worse is that there was a bone in my sushi! This is the first time that's ever happened to me and I was not impressed.
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Review from Jesse H.
Vancouver, BC
6/24/2009
We freaking love this place. We never even look at prices because we know how reasonable it is. We've never done the Chinese but the japanese/fusion is glorious. Tuna nigiri melts in your mouth! Try it!
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Review from Eric B.
Vancouver, BC
6/6/2009
Since I moved out of Kitsilano, I always miss the brown rice sushi. Everyone I brought there that tried this "healthier" option has been surprisingly happy of the taste. Besides the brown rice, the rolls are consistently fresh and tasty. I tried other things on the menu and all of them were always great. The volcano roll is a must. Try it at least once and i'm sure you'll find something to really like about the place.
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Review from Allison F.
Updated - 12/7/2009
bleck. we went here on a rainy day when we were in complete need of sushi. i got to the restaurant and while i was being lead to the table, almost fell on my face as the floor was so slippery. not slippery because it was wet, but because it seemed super oily. i had to call the friend who was meeting me to warn her when she came in.
i ordered the same beef bento box that i had last time. the miso soup was much better this time. there were more tiny tofu pieces and even some green onions this time. after reading the reviews about the brown rice, i decided to try it. i was pleased that both my california rolls and the little pyramid that comes in the section with the beef, were both brown rice. it wasn't super mushy, as i usually find brown rice sushi to be and was much better than my first meal. the real kicker that has me writing this review though, was the beef. yuck. it came in long strips that were probably 6"x3" and super thin. this was by far the toughest meat i've ever eaten and the size made it even more difficult. there's no lady-like way to try to rip off a piece of meat that's tougher than leather when dealing with chopsticks. it definitely made me not very pleased with the meal.
last time we found it super cold in the restaurant and were informed that the heater was broken. this must still have been the case a month later as the couple beside us had a portable heater beside them and we had to keep our coats on.
while i still recommend this restaurant for cheap and tasty food, avoid the beef as it appears to be hit or miss.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/9/2009
I attended here for the first time on a Saturday night around 7pm. The place was quickly filled… Read more »
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