Kinkaku Izakaya // Kitchener, Ontario

Hello there! Welcome to the first BECCABITE (; 

Kinkaku Izakaya

217 King Street West Kitchener, Ontario N2G 1B1

Overall Rating: 6 out of a 6 piece maki roll

Today I will finally be sharing with you a must-visit restaurant to go to for ALL YOU CAN EAT sushi in the Waterloo area. I was hesitant at first (as my roommate recommended this place) to think that this sushi restaurant would be worth a 20/25 min bus ride. However, after going there the first time, the second time and the third, fourth time.. it honestly beats all the rest in the area. Yes, Kinkaku Izakaya is the place! Located in front of the Kitchener City Hall, and a few minutes walk from the Charles Street Terminal. Their price is roughly $1 more than their competitors but TRUST it is well worth whatever you will be eating!

I really wanted to show you some of their yummy dishes, however, my pictures will definitely not do it justice and could possibly just disgust you so I would really recommend you to just go there and see it for yourself. If you can book a table ahead of time, please try to because wait time could be roughly 1hr+. On the other hand, you also only have an hour and forty five minutes to dine. The lighting is pretty dim inside, but the servers are rockets! They move pretty quickly to serve you your food, clear away your empty dishes and take your order too.

A few items that you should definetely try would be their Takoyaki, Ebimayo, Beef Roll with Enoki Mushroom, Karaage (FRIED BONELESS CHICKEN PIECES PEOPLE), their Beef Teriyaki (WHICH COMES ON A SIZZLING PLATTER TYPE OF THING) and of course their Coconut ice-cream. What I really like about this place is that their dishes actually arrive hot and not warm, so it feels like they really just cooked it then and there + no other restaurants nearby offer those type of items. Do you see why that $1 extra is worth it now? Then of course, their sushi is no where below par as they don't use too much rice and just enough of whatever the filling is.

I have only went there for lunch and have yet to try their dinner menu. Which features some pretty enticing dishes that I want to try... like DEEP FRIED MARS BAR is on that menu! So all and all, the next time you want to go out for ayce sushi you should really consider Kinkaku Izakaya.   

Thank you for reading yet another post!

Until next time,

Becca

HOW TO // Wine and Cheese

At the age that I am now, wine and cheese is like the new oreos with milk. Instead of sharing oreos with your friends, why not try cheese and crackers? 

Recently, I tried putting together a platter for a night-in with my friends. For $24.70, I was able to get 3 types of cheese - smoked gouda, harvarti, and marble cheese, 2 types of crackers - baguette garden herb crackers and breton basil & rosemary oil crackers, 1 package of salami, and 1 package of blueberries. Then I threw in some nuts and grapes from home. I have never made a platter before, but I ate plenty of cheese and crackers from platters before. So taking those into account, I guess you really can't go wrong with having cheddar cheese or mozzarella .. or marble (for the best of both worlds) on the platter. In all honesty, I really don't know how to put together a super impressive one, but for the basics to munch on, I suppose that'll do. 

I tried to do some research prior to buying the ingredients, and I learned the following:

1. Basically just have variety! Consider different textures and flavours for the cheese you would like to put onto the platter and the accompaniments that would go with it. At first, I aimed for a aged (smoked gouda), soft (brie) and firm cheese (jalepeno monterey jack); however, rolling with what I was offered at Walmart that didn't happen. BUT meh I guess it was close enough. 

2. Take out the cheese 30 mins prior to serving to let it set to room temperature.   

3. THREE is a good number of cheese varieties i'd say (or any odd amount).

4. Don't forget about the salami in your fridge LOL.

5. Any fruits are nice to put onto the platter, so that you can refresh your palate. 

Now for the wine portion, these 2 are what I'm currently loving. I am no wine expert to recommend wines to actually pair with cheese, but if you're up for anything then keep reading :) 

(Left: Manischewitz Concord Grape Wine | Right: Arbor Mist Flavoured Wine)

Manischewitz Grape Wine:

I once tried a glass of wine that my boyfriend shoved in my face with the phrase of "try it! it's sweet so you'll probably like it." & he was right, I really did like it. Ever since then, it left a mark in my memory. So for this special occasion I HAD TO FIND THAT WINE. Thankfully with the basic knowledge of "it's a jewish wine in a rectangular shaped bottle", I was able to pick the right bottle at the store. So if you like sweet wines, then try this, it'll surprise you! Another huge plus is that it is less than $10. 

Arbor Mist Flavoured Wine:

My friend recommended this wine, and I'm really glad that I know about this product now. If you're into a fruity sort of wine, then definitely give this one a try. This was also under $10. 

However, if you're not of legal age then I swear just having grapes with the cheese&crackers is already a nice pairing! 

VIOLA! Thanks for reading! I think you're ready to go and plan that wine and cheese night now! It's fairly simple to do, and it goes well with any grape company (; 

Becca