This past January, my friend recommended I check out Ocean: West Coast Japanese Bistro in South Granville because her friend just opened it, and she was going to have her birthday party there. Plans changed, and we didn’t get to celebrate there, but I kept the business card because it looked cool (with a title like “West Coast Japanese Bistro” who could resist) and I’m always down to check out new places.
My boyfriend and I decided to have a date night out, and drove down to the area. The place is clean, booth-less and not really what I expected; it looked more like a casual cafe. However, the big bar and over-sized photos of downtown Tokyo give it an izakaya feel, which – as they say in their menu – is what they were going for.
Ocean prides itself on its tapas. Appetizers range from $4-9 and entrees aren’t much more. The sake selections were probably the most expensive items. Although the place wasn’t busy for a Saturday night, I could see it getting busy if more people knew about it.
Food: The Okonomiyaki (“Japanese pizza”) I ordered didn’t have as much filling as I’m used to – definitely more doughy, and they skimp out a little bit on the sauce. For those who haven’t tried this dish, it’s more like a Japanese pancake than a pizza – definitely not crusty.
Okonomiyaki
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