Tim Taekyun K.
Google
My wife and I enjoy Japanese food, and Zakkushi has been one of our go-to Japanese restaurants in Vancouver. We have visited every year on our birthdays for the past three years.
The food was very good as usual, and the staff were generally kind. However, this visit left us with some concerns that affected our overall experience.
We ordered a 720ml bottle of Nabeshima sake and asked to have it served warm. The server asked if it was okay to serve it in multiple rounds, which we agreed to. Normally, when ordering a bottle of sake, the new bottle is shown at the table, opened in front of the guests, and then poured into a tokkuri to be warmed. This time, the sake was brought already warmed in a tokkuri without showing the bottle. From a customer’s perspective, this made it unclear which sake was served or whether a new bottle had been opened.
When we asked to see the bottle to confirm, an unopened bottle that was not ours was brought to the table, which was confusing... After explaining the situation again, the sake was eventually brought from the already opened bottle. We understand that there may have been some miscommunication, as English is likely not the first language for both sides, but the process felt unnecessarily awkward.
We were also aware of the 2-hour reservation limit and accepted this when booking. That said, ordering two beers, around $200 worth of food including Sashimi, Oden, Skewers, and a bottle of sake within that time felt rushed. By the time we ordered, had a beer, reviewed the menu, and received the warmed sake, about 30 minutes had already passed. This left just over an hour to finish a full bottle.
In the end, we were pressed for time and had to leave without finishing the last dish we ordered. Being rushed out while still eating was a little bit uncomfortable and took away from the overall experience. I understand that making exceptions can be difficult, but when a large bottle of sake is ordered, it would be greatly appreciated if there could be some flexibility to allow guests at least to finish what they ordered. Otherwise, due to time constraints, we may have to avoid ordering 720ml bottles in the future.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.