This review is based upon my ordering takeout. I made a special request off the menu and they…read morehonored it. I recommend checking & opening the containers before leaving the restaurant, however. I asked for vegetables to be cooked until very soft for my elderly mother's weak teeth. They were not cooked soft. Perhaps communication error. Nice family-run place. I am used to Chinese-American cooking, which this is not. It seems authentic Chinese. A mandarin-speaking couple was dining in while I was there. Prices were higher than what I was used to for Chinese takeout. But I am new to the area and this is an upscale neighborhood. If you have a yen for Chinese food, give it a try!

I love this restaurant. The food is authentic Chinese food not "renovated" mixed Chinese style and…read morewestern style food

We were vacationing on Vancouver Island and came here for dinner when in Nanaimo. We had made…read morereservations a few weeks prior to our trip and I would highly recommend making a reservation if you plan on coming here. The restaurant was packed and the kitchen was hustling. There were so many beautiful and creative dishes passing by our table all night long; if I lived here, this would definitely become one of my regular places to go. The service was quick and friendly. The food was incredible; really fresh and presented beautifully. We had met up with a neighbour who had moved to the area and we ended up staying until the place closed. It was just a lovely evening overall. I would definitely recommend Nori for delicious Japanese cuisine but be sure to make a reservation!

=== 1. VERDICT/VALUE If you've a hankering for Asian…read morecuisine in Nanaimo and there's only one place you could go to, Nori should be one of your top picks! Good food, good service, and in a place with good vibes. === 2. FOOD When dining at lunch, the lunch specials offer incredible value; each option includes 4-piece California roll, small green salad, 2-piece gyoza, 2-piece prawn tempura, a miso soup, and a side dish ("okazu") of the day. Some thoughts: - The portions are decent even if you're hungry! - The prawn tempura (at least today) feel more batter than prawn. - The okazu (at least today) was fried - a fancy spring roll - which is interesting as side dishes in Japan in this context are often fish-based?). - Overall, the food quality is good. Buta Shoga Lunch Special ($22) Shoyu, ginger-marinated pork on rice - a good heart-warming combo as any! Sashimi & Sushi Lunch Special ($23) 6 pieces of sashimi (salmon and tuna) and three pieces of sushi (also salmon and tuna) make this lunch special one of the healthier options on the menu. Chashu Miso Ramen ($18) My little guy loves noodles, even if it comes in piping-hot pork bone broth. Depending on your little one, kids 6 and under in age may need a grown-up to help finish this dish! === 3. SERVICE The place is POPULAR and so be prepared to wait. One the most recent visit during lunch, we were lucky to slide in fairly quickly and the servers were fairly prompt and professional. === 4. ENVIRONMENT It's basic, yet has a modern open-view environment with a view of the bar/kitchen from across the restaurant. It's similar in vibe to its sister restaurant nearby (Horang) but the service is better and diners with small children will find more appealing seating options here. Wheelchairs and baby strollers would fit just fine and your chance at finding a place to park in the shopping complex lot outside is pretty decent!

Sad to say this place is temporarily loses. But the owner came out and apologized. Seemed really…read morenice.

Amazing food and service! I'm glad a friend told me about…read morethis spot or else we would have never found it. This restaurant is off the busy path and in an older looking building, but it is a diamond in the rough! We started off with the K-Fried chicken and our server recommended the sweet and spicy version and it was amazing! We then had the Korean beef bulgogi and the pork tenderloin katsu! Both were awesome! We will definitely make this a stop when we head up to Whistler!

This restaurant serves mostly Japanese cuisine (although not authentic) as well as Pho at the same…read moretime. Owned by a nice korean family. The ramen were frozen ramen packets you can buy at the grocery stores and the soup was definitely not pork bone soup simmered for hours. They did try to make some fusion taste and it was ok but because of the lack of work needed to make this, it should not be priced similar to real ramen. Also comes with a button mushroom disguised as a shitake mushroom. The udon soup was on par with other japanese restaurants since the dashi stock is fairly easy to make. The portion is very huge and the taste is not bad. The tempura was fried nicely. This one is priced fairly. Since Port Alberni lacks authentic Japanese cuisines, this is all they have. Taste-wise is ok for a fusion palate.

What a great little spot. They have pho and ramen everything was good. Our family enjoyed it.read more

Before ending our camping trip, we stopped by this cute Japanese restaurant before our ferry. The…read morerestaurant is very spacious and clean with modern decor. There wasn't a lineup when we got there, so we were seated right away. Their menu has lots of options of different rolls, udon, sashimi etc. Because it was lunch time, we ordered some bento box. I ordered bento box A with California roll for my daughter, and chicken udon for myself. My hubby ordered some sushi taco, and a Ubuild bento box. The food came pretty slow, which was strange. There wasn't a lot of customers when we got there. The bento boxes were pretty fresh with good portion. The sushi taco was a little yummy, however, the deep fried seaweed is on the greasy side with lots of batter. I was a little disappointed with the chicken udon, it was pretty standard and the chicken was pretty soggy. However, nothing beats a hot bowl of soup in a rainy day. Overall, we still enjoyed our meal. Not sure if I will go back, but I'm glad we got to experience it.

This was our second time eating here, we had mid expectations. We ordered two bento boxes to share…read more The deep fried components tasted like old fryer oil. Which was 90% of the bento box. When we told the waitress we didn't like it she took it away and just brought us our bill without offering us anything else. There was no discount or compensation. We left hungry and sad.

How is this not at least 1 Michelin star? Service, food, ambiance all a solid 10. Amazing!read more

We were just scrolling around after being in the area, and Don caught our eyes! Wasn't too busy for…read morea Saturday night-- but it was perfect because we got seated right away! Small and cozy restaurant, with good vibes for a date night out! Shoutout to our amazing waitress. She was so sweet and welcoming. I wish we got her name!! I had no expectations walking in and didn't have any expectations. I was surprised that the portions were actually decent. My boyfriend's favourite was the jumbo prawns-- he liked the texture and flavour! It was the opposite for me.. I thought the outside made it hard to eat and it was a little too salty for me. Their salmon don and chicken karaage was superb though. Flavours were on point for both and I just really enjoyed them overall. We both agreed that the beef tartare was nothing special. Didn't really taste the freshness of the beef. This was a pleasant experience overall!

Lunch Lady is an award-winning Michelin guide Vietnamese eatery in Vancouver paying homage to a…read moreVietnamese street food legend, Nguyen Thi Thanh. Reservations are highly recommended here so plan accordingly. Wifey and I pulled with our homies for a birthday brunch and were seated right away upon arrival. Our group shared some Egg Rolls and Prawn Fritters and those were absolutely delicious. I got the Steak Luc Lac and wifey got the Beef Pho. Everything that we had was amazing and all of the staff are very friendly and welcoming. Lunch Lady is Viet gang approved!

The absolute best Saturday brunch in Vancouver! Whenever I'm…read morein Vancouver, The Lunch Lady is a non-negotiable stop. The atmosphere is fantastic, the service is wonderful, and it's always packed--so definitely make a reservation ahead of time! Their Saturday Special Seafood Noodle is the ultimate hangover cure. The broth is thick, deeply flavorful, and has a rich dried shrimp taste that is incredibly addictive. With shrimp, shrimp balls, crab balls, and pork, you get the best of both land and sea. A squeeze of lime and a few jalapeños make it completely flawless. We lucked out today and ordered the seasonal Pomelo Salad, and it was spectacular. The balance of refreshing citrus, savory fish sauce, and the crunch of fried vermicelli noodles was flawless. It actually managed to outshine the noodles today! Ended the meal with a sweet Pandan Coffee. The pandan coconut cream creates the perfect harmony with the strong Vietnamese coffee. Vancouver's food scene is seriously unmatched. Everything about this meal was just right!

We've order several different items from here and by far our favorites are the Pho and the Orange…read moreChicken. The pho broth is deep and flavorful that you can tell takes a long time and is authentic. The noodles are always a perfect texture with quality ingredients. The orange chicken was fantastic and it wasn't deep fried! Definitely one of the best that Whatcom has to offer.

Walked here from our nearby hotel. Kind of a strange vibe when we entered--completely empty and the…read morekitchen area looked like it was closed. Got a little concerned, but we ordered and noticed a decent amount of carryout orders being picked up--so got less worried. Then the food came (I got the Panang Curry) and it was really good! Worries gone--just enjoyed a nice Thai meal. Good reminder not to judge a book by its cover--or a restaurant by being empty when you arrive. I'd go back.