Yang's Izakaya and Japanese Cuisine

Looking for a place to have lunch without the hassle of waiting turned out to be a tall order the other day as many places were packed and had line ups well outside the door.  Having said that we were surprised to find this restaurant to be relatively quiet on a beautiful afternoon then again Yang’s Izakaya, located on the east side of Richmond Hill, had just opened their doors for lunch when we approached them looking for a table of 8.  They were certainly able to accommodate us and even gave us the center table.  It almost felt like a VIP lunch as there was no one around us except the sushi makers and the waitresses. 

Bento Box - Chicken and Salmon Teriyaki

Looking around the room, the place reminded me of being in a club as the place had its lights dimmed in contrast with its black colored walls.  Scanning the menu, I was about to order the curry chicken with rice however the bento boxes really caught my attention.  Actually it caught the attention of many of my fellow peers that day. 

Bento Box - Salmon Teriyaki and Shrimps

I decided to go with the chicken and salmon teriyaki bento box ($12.00) while some of my fellow peers went other variations of the bento box which included scallops and shrimp as well which was priced at $18.00 each.  A couple of katsu-dons and 1 nabe udon later and we were set to order.  Prior to the arrival of the entrees, some of us were given miso soup and salad as starters.  Both starters were pretty decent and were nice appetizers to have to start the day.

The entrees arrived soon afterwards.  The bento boxes contained its usual items.  My chicken and the salmon teriyaki were placed in separate compartments, and there were dumplings, a bowl of rice, and the cucumber sushi were placed in the other ones.  The dumplings were nice and crispy and the chicken was quite delicious.  The one thing I hated about my salmon was that the bottom and the skin were completely seared.  As you can see from the picture, one of the pieces was burnt to a crisp and I for one really try to refrain from eating anything that has been burnt that badly due to the potential risks that it can have on one’s health down the road.  So I ended up having to carve the burnt salmon skin and some of the meat off the fish prior to eating.  I looked over to my friend's salmon and it too was burnt pretty badly on the side.  The sushi was just a basic cucumber sushi which to me fell a tad below standard as the rice was again mushy.  

Katsu Don

One of the other meals that was order that day was a katsu don bowl which was basically pork mixed with seaweed and rice.  This dish was actually quite nice and the porkwas nicely marinated, soft and tasty.  If I had to choose between the bento box and the katsu donI would go with the katsu don.  It was more filling, the meat was juicy and it only cost $6.99 to have. 

Nabe Udon

Another dish we had ordered that day was the nabe udon.  The dish which consisted of an egg, mixed with pork, carrots and shrimp tempura looked good and based on my peers actually tasted pretty good.  I took a sip of the soup base and it was pretty enticing and I noticed the noodles were nice and thick as well.  The meat were all well cooked and the single shrimp tempura was decent.  This dish cost about $11.80 and personally I thought this was well worth the price. 

Overall it was a nice setting and the exterior to this place looked somewhat majestic as they also had an outdoor patio for one to sit at if one wished to eat their food outdoors.  I would have given them higher marks if the quality of the sushi was better and if the salmon was not burnt as badly as it was.  It was at least better than some of the other sushi places that I have been to and could warrant a second visit in the not so distant future.  I give it a 3.25 out of 5.

Yang’s Izakaya and Japanese Cuisine

8432 Leslie Street Unit 110

Markham Ontario

905-881-9808