Restaurant Review: Dorinku
DORINKU TOKYO STREET FOOD 10205 82nd Avenue ~ tokyo.dorinku.ca Instagram: @dorinkutokyo ~ Twitter: @izakaya_dorinku Co-Diner: Tim Golem
Over the past decade izakaya-style restaurants landed in Edmonton and the city has never looked back. These informal Japanese bars filled with alcoholic drinks and tasty snacks might just be the ideal way for Edmontonians to sink into this particular culture. Think "Irish pub," except Japanese. Open since 2016, Old Strathcona's (technically located in CPR Irvine) Dorinku (meaning drink in Japanese) attempts to capture the perfect Tokyo atmosphere - and they accomplish this extremely well. Voted #1 Best Japanese 2018 by VUE Weekly and with me being a major fan of Japan myself (I traveled there in 2016) this restaurant was high on my must-try list. Walking into the restaurant on a Saturday evening (reservations are recommended), I was practically giddy at the flawless embodiment of Tokyo in this space. It looks exactly like places that I have been to - in actual Japan. In fact, the vibe reminded me an awful lot of a casual gyoza shop that I visited in Harajuku. Entering under a series of red chōchin (lanterns) you will be greeted immediately by the staff shouting "irashaimase!" in your general direction. This exuberant welcome is absolutely authentic. Seated at our table, I began to take stock of everything that made this space so incredible. From the J-Pop playing over the speakers, to the complete slew of perfect memorabilia, this restaurant is a narrow Tokyo back alley in every sense. The dark wood, concrete walls, and moody atmosphere play the part. Complete with amazing graffiti-style street art on the walls. I was very excited to find a Pachinko machine and then even more excited to discover a beverage vending machine (serving both hot and cold drinks). There are anime figurines in cases (Sailor Moon, of course) and there are even robot toilets in the bathroom. They couldn't have done a better job with this place if they tried. It is actually Japan. Being an izakaya, you've gotta drink. They've got all the sake and shochu and plum wine that you could want. I was extremely curious about the hot chocolate sake (complete with mini marshmallows) but found myself in the Cocktail section and clearly had to order the Tokyo ($8.80) to stay with the theme.
The presentation and attention to detail in this beverage alone demonstrated the same level of care that you'll find in Japan - an excellent sign. The three triangular slices of grapefruit were frozen and fused together to create the cutest garnish. A lively and refreshing drink, it really did remind me of sakura season. The food menu has everything. All of the best stuff. There was also an extensive specials menu that somehow offered even more. Bluefin tuna? They even have that. I was really impressed by all of the creativity that I was finding within the menu. Sushi served on a 4 foot long bridge? SURE! This is the kind of stuff that makes dining an experience. I decided to order a whole whack of stuff in an attempt to sample a bunch of different things. Our friendly server was delivering the goods to our table in the blink of an eye! First, the Dorinku Appetizer Platter ($16.30) from the Snack + Share section seemed like a great opportunity to try a variety of items.
Apparently only available in limited quantities each day, I was glad to get my hands on one. Each little dish was filled with something unique and I enjoyed sampling each one. From the tako wasabi with chopped octopus and wasabi dressing (it packed a punch!!). To the tuna tataki with lightly seared tuna sashimi with onions, citrus sesame soy sauce and housemade chili oil. To the beef tataki with lightly seared and sliced AAA tenderloin and oriental chili dressing. I really loved the pickled daikon, which was simple yet excellent. Another of the items seemed to be deep fried tuna with a luscious mayonnaise. This was a really nice way to sample many different flavours. I've heard good things about the chicken karaage and would like to try it on my next visit! Next was our "wild card" item, the Carbonara Udon ($14.80) from the Noodle section.
Arriving piping hot, frothing and bubbling, this mass of molten cheese and noodles enchanted me immediately. Upon stirring the contents of the bowl together, I was even more impressed to find a runny egg in the bottom of the dish and watched as swirls of golden yolk combined with the creamy sauce like ribbons. I don't think that I expected this dish to work as well as it did. The thick udon noodles bathed in a cheesy, ultra-creamy sauce... Plus bacon. This was a wonderful example of fusion cuisine done just right. I simply had to try the Aburi Shime Saba ($14.80) from the Sashimi section since I'm a major fan of mackerel.
Unfortunately, this was not seared in front of me but I did see some flames flying in the open kitchen so I was able to imagine it a little bit. One of my favourite fish of all-time, mackerel is very strong in flavour. It's oily and buttery and salty. This one was cooked just right with a beautiful sear over the skin, leaving tender and flavourful meat underneath. The preparation is simple enough that it allows the fish to speak for itself. Mackerel heaven, if you ask me. I wanted to order something that would give me a bit more of a sashimi experience and noticed the Smoking Sashimi Salad ($14.30) in the Salad section.
Normally I wouldn't pay much attention to the salads but this one is served with smoke to add a lightly smoked flavour to the sashimi. It sounded very interesting! There was a literal glass of smoke sitting atop the salad which our server removed at our table and wafted around. There were three different types of sashimi included; salmon, tuna and scallop. Each one was very fresh and lovely. I was especially impressed by how well the smoke flavour permeated each bite. The salad itself was somewhat lackluster, however all of the vegetables were bright and I liked the elements of texture. Next thing I knew, we were ordering dessert off of the specials menu. It had to be the Kind Skillet Brownie ($12.80) because it looked so epic.
Made in collaboration with local ice cream shop Kind Ice Cream, this dessert arrived in a frenzy of hot bubbles. I found the ice cream to be nicely creamy and captured this signature fall flavour well. The brownie was decently good but maybe not as ooey-gooey as I would have hoped. Dorinku filled me with quite a lot of nostalgia and happiness. I absolutely want to try the Dorinku ramen, specifically because they offer the shio type (my favourite). I will return to have a ramen themed visit when I can! Too expensive to fly to Japan? Want to feel like you went there anyway? Dorinku is your answer.
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