Squamish’s ever-growing foodie scene now has another unique local offering downtown.
The newly opened Blue House: Korean Buffet and Sushi, as its moniker reveals, offers a unique blend of authentic Korean and Japanese food, buffet style.
The eatery reflects the backgrounds of chef and co-owner, Dan Kwak, and co-owner Ikuko Bass.
Blue House, located beneath the Crash Hotel, on Cleveland Avenue, opened its doors a little over a month ago.
The co-owners moved to town in December from Kamloops, where Kwak previously owned a restaurant for about 10 years.
Bass translates for Kwak, though they don't share a first language. Bass is Japanese, and Kwak is Korean; they both speak Japanese because Kwak went to university in Japan.
"That's why we can communicate. I don't speak Korean, and he doesn't speak English," Bass said, smiling.
Together, they make their business partnership and the restaurant work smoothly
He said Squamish was the ideal place for Kwak to open his dream eatery, noting that they spent a lot of time checking out options in Vancouver before deciding on the district.
Squamish didn't have many Korean options, and offering buffet style was somewhat unique, and makes it fun for customers, he said.
Korean items for lunch and dinner available in the buffet include favourites such as tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), mung bean pancake, jeyuk bokkeum (spicy fried pork), chicken tangsuyuk (sweet and sour chicken), as well as lighter sides such as spring rolls, and Soegogi-muguk (beef and radish soup), among many, many others.
There are also cold dishes, like salad, watermelon and strawberry cake.
"Also, we added a little bit of good Japanese fusion to the buffet," Bass said.
They serve between 15 and 30 items in the buffet.
(Check out their social media, such as bluehouse.koreanbuffetsushi on Instagram, for their menu, or stop by and friendly staff can walk customers through it.).
For the uninitiated, the buffet is a set price, and you can order sushi rolls on the side.
Customers have a lot of choices, including gluten-free and vegetarian options.
"Super hungry buffet or sit down for one roll," Bass said.
Kwak said that combining the two cuisines in one restaurant is somewhat unique.
"Equally, together is, I think, unusual."
Kwak hopes to be successful with this restaurant and help those in need in Squamish, he added.
"To be successful in the way that's not just making money … but that people can come anytime and enjoy," he said.
Kwak has a background in international trade. He got into the restaurant business when he moved to Canada. He first managed a relative's Korean restaurant in Vancouver for a few years. As he was working toward his permanent residency, he worked for a restaurant in Kamloops for seven years. Then, he opened his own Japanese-Korean restaurant there, which he ran for a decade, becoming a Korean and sushi chef along the way.
Being more of a small town, Squamish offers more of a balanced lifestyle, and access to nature, than he had in Kamloops, he said.
"Of course, he has to support the family. That's the main duty, but now, this restaurant, this is his dream. This is full of what he wants to do."
For Bass, moving to Squamish was a big decision. She followed Kwak because she worked with him in Kamloops, and believed in his dream too.
Her kids are grown now so it was time to decide what she was going to do next.
"He has lots of dreams. He has a big heart," she said, of Kwak.
"Maybe I can help."
The pair said they mainly want the community to know that locals and tourists alike are welcome to come in and try their dishes. The goal of Blue House is to make them happy, Kwak said.
The Food Beat is a new series from The Squamish Chief newsroom focusing on restaurants, cafés and eateries in Squamish that are newly opened or have something newsworthy about them. If you think your business fits that bill and would like to be considered for this series, reach out to [email protected].
