1st time trying Ebisu on robson

[BlackZRoadster]

I went there after the canucks game on tuesday, place was already quiet and most ppl had left, i'd say about half full. My friend made reservations and I was seated promptly. However i wasn't even given a menu or drinks list for at least 10 minutes. Then i had to flag down a waitress after another 5 minutes and ask her for a glass of water. Which then took another 5 minutes. So in total i waited for 20 min for a glass of water.

Onto the food, nothing much to rave about, everything was like I expected, not bad but not excellent. What got me upset was the raw oysters, all 4 of us got stomach aches that night. We suspect its the oysters or it could be from the raw fish, who knows. Except the fish seemed fresh and the oysters were not that fresh.

I've tried the one in richmond, and food seems better in downtown though.

[clowe]

Sorry to hear you got a stomach ache.

I don't know if this is true or not but I hear it a lot: "Never eat oysters in a month without an 'R' in it."

What happens in May, June, July and August? And why shouldn't you eat oysters then?

Oysters spawn during the summer. Spawning takes a lot of energy. During reproduction, an oyster consumes the energy stored in its plump little body to aid in its heroic and taxing effort. The result is a tired, flaccid, mushy oyster with a milky appearance.

In actuality, it's not that you can't or shouldn't eat healthy oysters in the summer. Or that you'll die from eating one. It's that they're, er, busy and, as such, not at their prime for eating.

That could possibly be the reason why they didn't look fresh. I don't eat raw oysters so I don't know

[hamsup]

you could of just posted this in the ebisu thread !!!!

oysters are always really fresh at ebisu... i've had it many times !!

[6793026]

downtown's food is a lot better.
there's a huge warning on every places that serves oysters, pretty much has a notification saying that to beware from health vancovuer bc.

you're right, food is not bad, not epic either. sometimes the service ain't tip top but meh...
it's common.

[Obsideon]

This could/should be in the Ebisu thread but no biggie.
It's a shame that it's perhaps the oysters gave you a stomache-ache, it could have happened anywhere though. There's Advisory's up in every restaurant about the risk of potentially getting a stomache-ache from fresh oysters no matter where you eat it, be it Joe Fortes or Blue Water. Impossible to tell.

Found at BC Health:
"The consumption of raw or undercooked oysters have been the source of sporadic cases and outbreaks of foodborne illness. Bacteria and viruses present in ocean water can accumulate in oysters and cause illness when consumed without adequate cooking, especially in vulnerable people.

Vancouver Coastal Health advises:
“The consumption of RAW oysters poses an increased risk of foodborne illness. A cooking step is needed to eliminate potential bacterial or viral contamination.”
Medical Health Officer

At Ebisu I guarantee that we shuck all oysters only when ordered and we go through hundreds of them daily so it's ALWAYS fresh, no oyster sits in the restaurant for more than 36hours.
I was working on Tuesday, did I seat you? (I'm the only guy in the restaurant) ... that's weird that you didn't have menus. Usually the same person that brings you to the table would already be carrying a hand full of menus to lay on the table.
What dishes did you try? I could have recommended you some of our more popular dishes. Our menu has about 80 items not every dish can be "wow" hehe there are the generic filler dishes that cater to the simple public and the tastier ones.

[BlackZRoadster]

^ i arrived first before the rest of the group, and i did find it strange she didnt bring the menus along to seat me, instead she just sat me and walked away ,

regarding the oysters: for sum reason the oysters came at the end of our meal when we ordered it at the same time as everything. i thought it should be an appy. Our table was full of food, and after we almost finished everything, one of the waitress asked "if they could bring out the oysters now" They probably shucked it, and waited maybe 5-10 minutes ,b/c we didnt finish our food yet, maybe thats why it wasnt as fresh.

[ctsport]

I agree with OP, ebisu is just another sushi restaurant. The food and prices are fair and the service was average at best. I've been there only once and I was disappointed (mostly with the service, food was fine), it wasn't even busy lol.

But I'll give it another shot, I forgot to order the oysters last time