Reviewing a Vancouver take on this traditional Japanese dish
By Jerrison Oracion, Senior Columnist
Many students around Douglas College have been talking about Hyack Sushi since it opened a few blocks from the New Westminster campus. People go there to eat the authentic Japanese cuisine, get their daily specials, or eat appetizers during Happy Hour after an evening class. Recently, the restaurant added a special menu that contains food items that you could get in a five-star Japanese restaurant. One of the items on the menu is Gyu Katsu, and it looked so delicious that I just had to try it out.
Gyu Katsu is a New York sirloin steak breaded and thinly sliced raw. Next, you put a slice of the Katsu in a heated stone and you cook it however you like. When it is cooked, you dip it in either a Katsu sauce or soy sauce. You have to eat it quickly though, because the cooking fire runs out after a few minutes, then you must wait for the stone to be refueled. You can also put cheese on top of the Katsu. This cheese doesn’t necessarily melt like you think it would. The beef tastes very chewy and flavourful and the cheese adds a sharpness to it that I definitely enjoyed. The sauces also add a sweet taste to the steak.
Gyu Katsu comes with yam fries, pickled lettuce and miso soup. As with the other items on the special menu, it costs quite a bit, at $26. However, on Fridays the restaurant has Gyu Katsu Friday where you can get it for $2 off and as a bonus, they also give you rice. Hyack Sushi is one of the only restaurants in the Lower Mainland to offer this traditional Japanese cuisine, and my stomach thinks that it is definitely worth the high price tag.
