Dining Out: An All-You-Can-Eat Wagyu Early Birthday Dinner at Shinta Japanese BBQ

When we came across an IG reel for 20% off all-you-can-eat wagyu at Shinta a few weeks ago, Minji, Daniel, and I immediately made plans for dinner to start off my birthday week properly.

Australia M9+ top sirloin steak
US Gold Grade brisket short rib
US Gold Grade brisket short rib
Australia M9 toro beef
Australia M9 toro beef
Chef-selected wagyu cuts 
Chef-selected wagyu cuts and pineapple
Garlic scallop and shrimp, enoki mushrooms, and cheesy butter corn
King oyster mushrooms, asparagus, and zucchini
Takoyaki
Bibimbap
Desserts: Crème brûlée, mango pomelo sago, mango pudding, and deep fried buns with condensed milk

Not pictured (because there was just too much food on our table and we had to keep eating to make room for more): baked sweet potatoes with cheese, Japanese-style tofu salad (to keep it healthy?), chicken karaage, Korean cold noodles, and tempura udon. We ended up getting double servings of all the wagyu, and then triple servings of the chef-selected wagyu cuts and brisket short rib (Daniel and I are serious pigs). It would've been churlish not to take advantage of the 20% discount, after all. (Note: This discount is only applicable when paying in cash.) It was still $100 per person after tax and tip, but I thought it was totally worth it just for the sheer amount of wagyu we ate. 

Shinta Japanese BBQ

Jubilee Square

280 West Beaver Creek Rd., Unit 37 - 39

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3B1

(905) 597-0305

Dining Out: Premium Hot Pot and Sushi Feast at Gourmet Tribe

Took Minji out for her 30th birthday at the newly-opened Gourmet Tribe, an all-you-can-eat hot pot and sushi restaurant. The premium menu is $20 more than the regular menu, but includes a bigger variety of soup bases, meats, seafood (with lobster and crab!!!), and sushi. The regular menu only includes hot pot — no sushi — and has a much smaller variety to choose from. Needless to say, we went for the premium menu.

Shrimp, scallops, bean curd rolls, lotus root, quail eggs, tofu, and tripe
Winter melon, abalone, enoki mushrooms, bean curd sheets, quail eggs, and taro
Lamb and beef slices
Corn, shrimp wontons, winter melon, and daikon
Lobster!
Sukiyaki hot pot
Sweet shrimp, white tuna, squid, and salmon sashimi
Salmon, scallop, and octopus nigiri

Gourmet Tribe is both a market and a restaurant, so you can actually just drop in to shop for a variety of Japanese seafood and meat. The market area is open and airy, and the dining area is sleek and spacious. If you're dining in, you get a dedicated cart for your table, choose your hot pot broth, "shop" for a huge variety of food at the market with the aforementioned cart, and then bring everything back to your table to cook. (Each person at the table gets their own individual pot, which I personally prefer.) Nigiri, sashimi, maki, and donburi are ordered via the QR code menu on your table. 

The food selection for hot pot is fresh and nicely presented; all ingredients are stored in wall-to-wall, transparent-doored fridges that are well-stocked, incredibly clean, and properly labeled. The sauce station comes with a huge selection of condiments, and liquids are stored in pourable bottles so everything is neat and tidy (and, most importantly, avoids contamination). I was incredibly impressed with the quality and presentation of the food. The service was also lovely — super friendly, helpful, and attentive to our needs. Frankly, the only thing I regret is not leaving enough room for sushi. By the time we got through all of our hot pot selections, we were already quite full and I only had room left for a few pieces of sashimi and three pieces of nigiri. So, yes, I would absolutely make a return trip and do the premium menu again, but will need to be far more strategic with stomach space next time. A rookie mistake.

Gourmet Tribe

7500 Woodbine Ave., Unit 201

Markham, ON L3R 1A8

(647) 368-7732

Dining Out: Japanese BBQ and Sushi at Gyuyaki

Went with Minji and Daniel to check out the newly-opened all-you-can-eat Japanese BBQ and sushi restaurant, Gyuyaki:

Japanese BBQ spread

Prime kalbi

Spicy miso beef brisket

On the grill: Beef short ribs, black pepper beef brisket, mixed mushrooms with garlic, and clams with sake and butter

Smoked salmon tataki with tamarind sauce

Smoked beef tataki with ponzu sauce

Torched box sushi: Squid, scallop, salmon, and wagyu

The big draw here is that their menu includes AYCE sushi along with Japanese BBQ, so it's kind of like if Shinta and Ichiban had a baby. The only thing is that Gyuyaki doesn't really do either as well. The BBQ-sushi concept is great in theory but not so much in execution. The food is still decent, but we found that their cuts of meat aren't as fresh as Shinta and their sushi options aren't as well-prepared as Ichiban (or another similar AYCE sushi restaurant). That having been said, they do have a great variety of food on their menu, as well as a salad bar (the mango salad and spicy marinated bean sprouts are great as refreshers in between courses), a dessert bar (where, along with the usual ice creams and puddings at AYCE sushi places, you can make your own bingsu), and a self-serve fountain pop dispenser so you don't have to wait for a server for refills. 

The space is a little too cramped for my comfort, to the point where you might as well be sitting with your neighbours. (And hear all of their conversations, too.) Unless you get seated at a booth (which we were not), the tables are separated by plastic partitions on one side and about a foot of space on the other, so bear this in mind if you're a bit claustrophobic. Or want to have a slightly more private conversation. I might come here again once the hype has died down and we don't have to wait an hour (YES, AN HOUR — we literally watched over half of KPop Demon Hunters in Minji's Tesla) for a table. (Again, if you're interested in coming here, don't be stupid like us and MAKE A RESERVATION.) For now, though, I think I'd still go to Shinta for my Japanese BBQ cravings and Ichiban for AYCE sushi. 

One thing they do have over all other Japanese BBQ and AYCE sushi restaurants, however, is their operating hours — they don't close until 1:00AM. In case you have those late-night barbecued meat and sushi cravings.

Gyuyaki

5328 Highway 7, Unit 3

Markham, ON L3P 1B9

(905) 320-9988

Dining Out: A Belated Birthday All-You-Can-Eat Japanese Feast at Ichiban

When my friend Iris asked where I'd want to go for a belated birthday dinner, I was craving Japanese food but also just wanted to eat a lot, so what better place than Ichiban, my go-to AYCE Japanese restaurant?

Assorted sashimi: Salmon, surf clams, sweet shrimp, scallops, and white tuna

Beef tataki

Smoked duck and wagyu aburi sushi

Truffle wasabi tuna roll with jalapeño

Assorted aburi sushi: White tuna, snapper, shrimp, salmon, eel, and wagyu

Japanese-style cubed beef with garlic

Deep-fried scallops

Grilled jumbo shrimp skewer

Cream puffs

Deep-fried coconut custard

There was also steamed shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, Japanese steamed egg, enoki beef rolls, baked mussels with uni sauce, deep-fried calamari, deep-fried tofu, and a plethora of tempura. Unfortunately, we were too full to even touch the Asian stir-fried and noodle and rice sections, but you know, I think we did pretty well overall. GLUTTONOUS BIRTHDAY DINNER, SUCCESS!

Ichiban Asian All You Can Eat

4261 Highway 7, Unit C-8

Markham, ON L3R 9W6

(905) 305-8825

Dining Out: Holiday All-You-Can-Eat Japanese Feast at Ichiban

Took my friend Iris out for a belated birthday/holiday dinner tonight at Ichiban, where we ate and ate and ate some more:

Surf clams, sweet shrimp, snapper, scallop, octopus, and salmon sashimi
Avocado salmon, salmon, and fish roe temaki
Fish roe, salmon, BBQ eel, snapper, and mackerel nigiri
Shrimp, salmon, smoked duck, BBQ eel, and salmon box aburi sushi
Beef tataki
Shrimp, zucchini, yam, and pumpkin tempura
Agedashi tofu
Japanese-style cubed garlic steak
Enoki mushroom beef rolls
Torched mussels with house sauce
Stir-fried shrimp with vegetables
Cream puffs
Banana tempura
Deep-fried coconut custard

I have a massive food baby right now (twins, actually), but I can conclude from this second visit that Ichiban is officially my go-to Japanese AYCE restaurant. Although, judging from the line-up out the door on this Thursday evening (and the 15 minutes we had to wait even though we had a reservation), it's everyone else's, too. 

Ichiban Asian All You Can Eat

4261 Highway 7, Unit C-8

Markham, ON L3R 9W6

(905) 305-8825