Finding authentic Japanese food at restaurants in Vancouver can prove to be a challenging task for most people. The ingredients and flavours from the food culture in Japan is very different compared to the Western food culture. A restaurant called, “Dosanko” that’s located at 566 Powell Street has a menu that offers authentic Japanese food as well as dishes that combine Western and Japanese food. Their dishes are creative and delicious. The story behind how Dosanko was created is an interesting one that reveals the inspiration and thought process behind the vision for the restaurant.

It all started around 10 years ago when Akiyo Tani met with chef Nathan Lowey and prepared a dish called nikujaga for him. The dish was a stew that had meat, potatoes and vegetable and was cooked with sweetened soy sauce. Her food was so delicious the Lowey said it tasted like it was made by the Japanese grandmother that he never had. I feel like that’s the best compliment that you could give someone because we all know about the amazing meals that grandmothers make us.

Dosanko is a combination of Akiyo Tani’s family recipes and Nathan Lowey’s mixed family traditions. Together they have created a menu with dishes that represent Japanese and Wester food cultures. The restaurant has a 45-seat dining room that’s a few blocks away from Canada’s oldest Japanese language school. Although, the food has Japanese influence, it has elements of Western cooking that is brought by chef Nathan Lowey’s experience of working in some of Canada’s top restaurants. Dosanko has a no-waste philosophy when it comes to the use of their ingredients in their dishes. I think that if the food is so delicious, I’d have a no-waste philosophy when it comes to eating the food as well. Eating at Dosanko is an opportunity to experience a different style of food and culture.