QShiQ @ Olympic Village

QShiQ 159 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1G4, Canada 604-428-QSHI (7744) Lunch - 11:30 - 2:30 Monday to Friday Dinner - 5pm - 10pm Monday to Thursday; 5pm till late Friday and Saturday Closed Sunday and holidays (So make sure you go on a WEEKDAY AND BEFORE 2:30 OR AFTER 5PM)

QShiQ has been on my bucket list for quite sometime now and I finally got an opportunity to try it a week ago. What drew me in to this restaurant when they first opened was the "street food meets visual" aspect. They make their own flavourful sauces and the sauces pair really well with the fresh cuts of meat. The restaurant has a after work atmosphere and its like they encourage you to socialize and meet new people like in a bar. Their skewers are meant to be shared, but of course, you can eat all of the yummy food yourself. No matter if you drop in for lunch or dinner or just to go, you'll enjoy this restaurant. *If you like to be full for your meal, I suggest coming at lunch. If you don't eat a lot and you're fine with a small bite to eat, then come anytime This place is located in Olympic Village which is a short walk from anywhere in downtown. It was a little hard to find, but I did eventually. Once you exit the Olympic Village skytrain station, you turn to your left and walk towards the bridge. Go under the bridge and walk a block forwards. Cross the street to the right hand side (4th Avenue) and walk straight until you see it.

Their menu is typically on a dim sum reminscent piece of paper where you write down what quantity of what type you want. For me however, possibly due to me being one of two customers in the early hours of dinner time, the waiter took our orders instead. After you ponder the menu options, you start to realize that it is a little on the pricey side. So unless you're feeling adventurous and you have a craving for luxury ingredients, come during the lunch special hours. The lunch special starts from 12pm to 3pm and ranges from $8 to $12 dollars.

Q Oishii Lunch Combo $12 This lunch combo turned out to be very filling and I thought that it was pretty tasty. This combo comes with 5 Skewers, Rice and Sumashi Soup (Dashi/Seaweed Stock with mushrooms). The Fizu drink is cheaper by a dollar when you order it with a combo. I also ordered a side dish of Kale Gomaae, and I loved how it tasted with the peanut butter dressing. My friends thought the soup was on the salty side and the Fizu had too much Yuzu aftertaste. But they loved the meaty skewers and the miso mayo fries.

Kushi-Q-Tine ($11) Winner of the 2016 Vancouver Poutine Challenge Cheese Curd Infused Potato Korokke Skewers + Grilled foie gras (duck liver) Duck and Dashi Gravy (Seaweed Broth Based Gravy)

I adored this dish from the taste down to the plating. I WISH THERE WAS A LARGER QUANTITY THOUGH! The twist on the regular poutine caught be by surprise and It was a nice change. Everything was a delicate balance of flavor and really stood out from each of the accompanying ingredients. Potato Korroke with Cheese Curds is a must try! Due to their victory in the recent 2016 Vancouver Poutine Challenge, this meal will remain on the dinner menu for a while longer.

Venison Striploin Skewer ($4.3) BC Red Deer Striploin, Sesame, Shiso, Fleur De Sel

This was my first experience with Venison. From watching an abundance of food shows, it was perfectly cooked and seasoned. So don't be alarmed when juices start dripping and its red in the middle; that's how its supposed to look like. There was a strong collision of salt and pepper though, which masked the Venison flavor.

48 Hour Pork Belly Skewer ($3.7)

48-Hour Cured and Braised Pork Belly

This skewer tasted like really smoky 'falling off the bone tender' chicken, after being braised and cured. It's a feature item on QShiQ's menu and I thought they did a great job with this one.

Fizu "Lemon Lemon" Flavor ($2.5) There are four flavours of Fizu at QShiQ. Shouga = Ginger, Mandarin Yuzu, Lemon Lemon and a seasonal flavor. They are all made in house with 100% natural botanical syrups and they are carbonated! It's not listed on the dinner menu, but it's also a must order.