M had praised Kaide for their sushi but I hadn't really had a chance to go there. So off we went, in the rain and cold. But our bravery was well rewarded. Kaide's sushi is, by and large, one of the best I've had in years. And it's not really all that expensive, despite its Yaletown location.
We had edamame, a few dynamite rolls, spicy tuna and kaide rolls (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian). The food here is simply amazing. And the service was very nice too. M had been here before, but I hadn't and I am glad she invited me. The spicy tuna is enough for two people and can make you become addicted to this dish.
Funny how it goes, I was going to write a blog post commenting on M's sense of loyalty, so I warned her before "don't be mad at me if I say sappy things on my blog". But it's true. There are many qualities to her, but M's sense of loyalty is uncanny. Every time we hang out, I am reminded of the time when she had to deliver a report and stayed up for over 36 hours. She wasn't being paid all that time, but she did it because she felt the responsibility. She is fiercely protective of her friends and has a lovely and sarcastic sense of humor. Which is quite alright by me :-)
One time, she felt so ill and sick she couldn't really drive me home from Commercial Drive, and she was like "you're my friend, I should be able to drive you". But she was really sick that time and I said "no, drop me off here and go home NOW". When I first moved back to Vancouver, she basically drove me around to pick up furniture, see places for rental, etc. And again, I think that's one of the things I admire most of her: how loyal she can be with her friends, family, work. For this and many more things, thank you :)
1 comment:
I was at Kaide about two years ago with my friend and her two children. One thing to know about Kaide is that, though the restaurant serves Japanese cuisine, it's owned by a Chinese family. Japanese cooking traditionally does not include the use of peanuts; Chinese cooking does.
Anyways, on with my story...the family that owns Kaide put their own spin on recipes, as would any restaurant owner. NOWHERE on the menu did it say that any menu items contained peanuts or nut products, and NOWHERE on the menu did it warn patrons to alert staff if you have any allergies.
Knowing that gomae is made of spinach leaves and sesame paste, we didn't hesitate to order some for the kids. This gomae, completely unbeknownst to us, was made instead with peanut paste. Both children almost immediately broke into allergic reactions.
The elder child was mostly okay, but within the hour, we were sitting in the emergency room at St. Paul's hospital. Doctors told us that, had we arrived only minutes later, one of the two children probably would not have survived the peanut exposure.
Thankfully, both were okay, but needless to say, we called the restaurant upon returning home late that night. When we were there in the first place, the waitstaff denied that the children were even having reactions, and the manager had the audacity to say, word for word, "it's your fault anyways!"
When we talked to the manager on the phone again that night, he again refused to take any responsibilty, avoided the fact that the menu contained no warnings and did not list "peanut" as an ingredient in any of their food items and was nothing short of belligerent.
Needless to say, I will never visit Kaide again.
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