Kuma Izakaya

Hey everyone,

Near the end of July, we were invited by @sophiaeats to a media tasting at Kuma Izakaya. It’s a new Japanese/Korean fusion restaurant that is located on the steps of Yaletown. Yaletown is known for great food and stunning atmosphere and Kuma Izakaya is a great addition to the mix. Their interior is modern, sleek and clean. They are very close to the skytrain station so don’t worry about transportation. I would recommend taking transit because they have some pretty amazing alcoholic drinks there and i do not recommend drinking and driving!

First, we got two salads from them. Their Kuma Signature salads are fresh and delicious! If you are looking for a light, healthy, delicious dish to eat, I recommend ordering one of their salads.

Hand model: @foodiegramca

Next up, we got to try a variety of flavors of their Korean Chum Churum Soju drinks! My favorite flavor is the grapefruit one! I believe they were approx. 13% alcohol.

We also got to try the Makgeolli drink- slightly sweet alcoholic rice liquor. At first I was a bit skeptical trying this out because I thought it’ll have a milky consistency BUT its no where close to milky. It was silky and smooth and I would probably order this again when I come here. I highly recommend trying this out.

Mango Ebimayo- “Deep- fried prawns with mango sauce on a bed of fresh greens. Topped with Kuma’s house dressing, balsamic sauce, garlic chips and cherry tomatoes. Oriental calamari whole squid lightly coated and deep-fried. Served with spicy mayo and ginger soy sauce. ” This was delicious, lots of flavors mixed into this dish that goes extremely well together.

Hand model: @pickydiner

Next, we got the Crispy Chicken- “deep fried boneless chicken with pan-fried veggies and korean style sauce. Served on a bed of fresh greens with Kuma’s house and balsamic dressings.”

Osso Buco – “Premium AAA beef ribs simmered in house made oriental soy sauce. Served with Rice”

Kuma Chirashi Tartare – “Balsamic Spicy Aburi Tuna and assorted sashimi served atop of warm sushi rice, drizzled with avocado dressing. Garnished with tenkatsu, and yam flakes.”

I really liked this. Everything mixed together had great flavor and I like how they used spicy tuna because the taste is so dominate and goes well with the fresh ingredients used, such as avocado. This dish also reminds me of “Sushi Vans”- Tokyo Tower!

Of course, we can’t forget the Assorted Sashimi! We got a variety of fishes available to try and I love how they were placed on a ICED bowl! Its so cool and I love the concept of how they keep the fish fresh and tasty.

Kuma Seafood Champon- “Noodles in hearty tomato seafood soup. Simmered with assorted pan-fried vegetables, chilli oils & chilli powder.” This was a BIG bowl of delicious noodles. Don’t let the redness scare you because it is just the tomato soup! This is so different compared to your usual noodle bowls that you get from Japanese or Korean restaurants, so if you are looking for a big bowl of hot noodle soup, recommend checking this out!

We were also served with a plate full of different types of sushi selection!

Chef: @kuma_chef_kim

Chef: @kuma_chef_kim

Last but not least, we were served with Tiramisu for Dessert! They were so cutely plated and it tasted great!

**Sponsored media tasting**

Thanks for reading everyone!

-Jess