Usually Valentine's day for me and Sue Choy comprises of nothing. We celebrate it the following day, and I let her choose any restaurant in the city......that's in the coupon book.
This year though, I thought we'd do something more special. We've been together for years and it's great to know that we'll be growing old together, so what would be a better place than Hi Genki? Getting old is something that I spend a fair amount of time thinking about, so I'm amazed I didn't think of going here sooner.
Hi Genki is located on 6680 South Oaks in Burnaby, just off of Kingsway. It's right adjacent to the Nikkei Place which is a Japanese Canadian museum and heritage center, but most importantly...yep, a Seniors Center. Hey...I'm like everyone else, I love all things Japanese, but really turns me on about this place is that it's an old folks home.
Hi Genki is owned by the same people as Fujiya, the food is quite similar but obviously much fresher, they don't just ship everything in. They've got a few authentic dishes that veer from the norm, but you still have your staple items like California rolls. For those who discriminate, the food I'm pretty sure is made by a full blooded Japanese person too. Ambience wise, it feels a bit... institutional, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
The customers comprise pretty much exclusively of families taking grandma out, this doesn't phase me though, it's the price I pay for just being ahead of the game.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
