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August 2010

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My coworker suggested I go try out Cilantro & Jalapeño, which serves Mexican food. I am not a big fan of Mexican food since I hate beans. Nonetheless, I tried it out anyways.

The line up was pretty long so this indicated that this is a popular place to eat at Lonsdale Quay. So, I lined up and took a look at their menu. They had a large selection of Mexican food from enpanades to taquitos. It was pretty cheap since it was under $10 an entrée. The seating is not great, but what can you really expect from a food court.

I decided to have the small quesadilla with chicken. You can choose the type of meet that you want at no extra cost. You can choose from wither chicken of beef. So, if you are not a beef eater, then choose the chicken.
The quesadilla was very simple since it consisted of tortillas, Edam cheese and chicken. Even thought it was simple, it tasted very clean and fresh.

The quesadilla came with 3 sides – guacamole, salsa and beans. The guacamole and salsa were just amazing and fresh! I have never had such delicious guacamole and salsa in my life! You know its fresh because they make new batches everyday! So, you know you don’t get week old salsa sitting in a jar. Everything is made fresh right in their kitchen and you are able to see them make the dishes.

They also have a grocery section to their shop where people can purchase the guacamole, salsa, and different sauces they use for their dish. After eating this dish, I bought their signature tortilla chips and a large tub of guacamole.

If you love the taste of authentic Mexican food which tastes super fresh, try Cilantro & Jalapeno! You will not be disappointed. Remember to try their Guacamole and Salsa!

We rate Cilantro & Jalapeno:

Check out their website: http://www.cilantroandjalapeno.com/



Cilantro & Jalapeno on Urbanspoon

What are BeaverTails? They are not tails of beavers but a type of hand stretched fried pastry covered in sugar and cinnamon. I kept hearing about this Canadian wonder called BeaverTails but I never got around to purchasing one on grouse. I always imagined it to be a cinnamon bun … or something like that.

One day as I was wondering around Lonsdale Quay for lunch and I saw the Beavertails stand! I was so amazed by it because I finally found it and had to try it before I missed out again. This small little stand was just a franchise owned by a cute Asian couple. The average price of these Beavertails are about $4 or $5.

I was really excited and I didn’t know what to get, so many topping and choices for these BeaverTails, but I just decided to be plain and boring and order their most popular – Cinnamon and sugar. While ordering, I could see how they made the whole BeverTail, they would first start off with the dough and begin stretching it into the shape of the tail, afterwards, they would then dip the dough into the vat of oil. After a few minutes of frying, they would cool this off and begin coating the fried dough with the cinnamon and sugar.

The BeaverTail did resemble and Beaver’s tail. I decided to take a big bite out of it. It was good but I found that there was too much sugar and cinnamon that it was getting all over my shirt when I ate it. I could even feel all the sugar granules being stuck between my teeth. I felt like I needed to start brushing my teeth right there in front of the shop.

In the end I did not finish it because it was so big! (That’s what she said). I just wrapped it up and took it home. This was probably not a good idea since it went limp really fast and became not crispy.
Don’t be fooled by this BeaverTail, it packs a lot of sugar so if you do not have a sweet tooth; this may overwhelm your teeth and cause cavities.

We rate BeaverTails:

Check out their website: http://www.beavertailsinc.com/



Beaver Tails (Lonsdale Quay) on Urbanspoon

Thomas Haas Patisserie is located in North Vancouver. It is a bit tricky to get to if you are unfamiliar with the North Vancouver area, about 5 minutes from Lonsdale Quay when driving. Thomas Haas focuses on high-end gourmet pastries. There are 2 locations in Vancouver and they have won countless awards and received major media coverage.

Taiwanesegirl won a $50 gift certificate so we decided to go since she wanted to use it and she wanted a ride there.

The store is quite cozy and quaint! You walk in and you see all sorts of chocolates from bars, sculptures, and cakes to drinks. It’s like dying and going to chocolate heaven! Even the owner – Thomas Haas (duh) was there to serve his customers.

For beverages, TaiwaneseGirl and I got the Passion Fruit Iced Tea came in eco friendly cups!

M got the Iced Mocha that was nothing special but it had a very bold and not too sweet taste.

The Champagne cake is composed of layers of champagne ganache between 3 layers of sponge cakes: chocolate, almond and hazelnut. On top there is even a bit of gold leaf! The chocolate frosting surrounding the cake was very gooey and rich. To balance this out, the bottom had a nice crunch bite to it.

The Exotic CheeseCake had a passion fruit, mango and orange zest on top of the cheesecake.

Manjari Chocolate Cake contained chocolate mousse, chocolate cake and rum creme brulee, which made this cake very velvety, rich and super enjoyable. You can hardly taste the rum.

To finish everything off, we all got a piece of chocolate each.
M got Palet au cafe truffle, iced mocha and Champagne cake. The Palet au Cafe Truffle was very smooth and rich. The center was filled with velvety dark chocolate ganache infused with fragrant Hawaiian coffee beans.

The Pistachio Marzipan contained delicate almond marzipan refined with pistachios from Sicily and a hint of kirsch. I did not take a liking to this chocolate because of the almond marzipan taste. It’s just a personal preference.

The Caramel Truffle was basically a ball of chocolate surrounding a liquid caramel center. It was delicious and sweet.

Thomas Haas is the place to go for quality desserts! You may burn a hole in your wallet but it is worth it!

We rate Thomas Haas:

Visit Thomas Haas website: http://www.thomashaas.com/
Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates & Patisserie on Urbanspoon

Hey all, M here with my first review on foodology.ca! The restaurant DesignGirl went to this fateful day was Nando’s on Kingsway near Metrotown. Now I met Nando’s for the first time while living in London, England for a year and I can tell you my expectations were high. Nando’s in London were middle to high end type restaurants with great interior design and great quality food. I was surprised when I saw Nando’s present itself as a fast food place in Metropolis, Metrotown but I had hopes for the restaurant location.

First impressions of this Nando’s restaurant was pretty bad. Bad location, and poor outside and inside presentation. Terrible doors that are found in the worst of KFC’s and when we went inside, there was duct tape holding cushions together in one booth. There was no improvement in the cashier booth either. Seriously ordering counters from McDonalds looked better. There were no fountain soft drinks, only bottles! We ordered and waited patiently for our food in our booth with a wooden number stand.

DesignGirl got the standard Nando’s order of chicken breast and a side of coleslaw. I ordered Nando’s chicken sandwich with a side of spiced rice. The food came relatively quickly, but as you can see from the pictures , they did not look that appetizing on the plates. DesignGirl’s chicken breast was on the dry side but tasty. Her side of coleslaw was awful though. It just tasted like bad lettuce and nothing else.

My chicken sandwich was delicious but small in portion. The rice was dry and not that delicious. It was so bad that we spent a total of 10 minutes there and left. I guess the only positive way to look at this Nando’s experience was that the coke bottle was cold and refreshing.

Perhaps I am looking at Nando’s the wrong way. In London it’s an actual restaurant like Earl’s and Cactus Club here in Vancouver, but maybe the Nando’s in Canada just presents itself as a fast food slash restaurant hybrid. If so, who can explain the bill coming to $28.99 with mandatory tips? Tips??? There was no waiter or waitress, only a cashier and cook! You don’t see people tipping in KFC do you?

You can easily find better chicken sandwiches anywhere else and Church’s Chicken spiced rice tastes so much better with actual chicken bits in it too! The price was too high, you can eat great food at a real restaurant with that money.

Nando’s is great for their Peri-Peri sauce, and London Nando’s makes a great deal about it. However, the Nando’s here seemed to have stopped trying. Just buy their Peri-Peri sauce and make your own chicken at home!

If you are looking to pay a lot of money for a nice seat in chicken restaurant to eat… Buy an airplane ticket to London, England’s Nando’s Chicken! If not, do not go to Nando’s in Vancouver and head over to KFC or Church’s!

We rate Vancouver Nando’s Chicken:

Check out Nando’s Canada’s Website (Newly Renovated and pretty neat flash): http://www.nandoscanada.com/

Also for comparison here is Nando’s London UK Website: http://www.nandos.co.uk/

Nando's Chicken (Metrotown) on Urbanspoon

I was at work at a special event at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. At lunch I really wanted seafood and my friend had a craving for clam chowder!

After walking around loops at the market, we had decided to try out Screaming Mimi, which apparently has a good selection of seafood as well as dishes with seafood. Located right near the plaza, it is in a spot with lots of traffic. Since the place is inside Lonsdale Quay, their seating is limited and the ambiance is pretty ugly. When they are very busy, the service is slow, so you will need to flag someone down for an order.

TaiwanGirl decided to order first and got a large Cream Roma Clam Chowder. Unlike the traditional clam chowder, it was a mix of cream and tomato together to make a very nice soup. What amazed TaiwanGirl was how many clams they gave you in the soup. They scooped one huge ladle of clams into the cup and then filled it with the soup. She commented saying how it was totally worth the $4 since it had so many clams and also they were delicious!


Right after, I ordered a large tomato clam chowder because there was no more Cream Roma soup left. But nonetheless it was good trying something different. I too was amazed by the amount of clams they gave and how delicious they were! I am a huge seafood fan, if I had to drink seafood, I probably would. In addition to the chowder, I got the fried oysters. WOW! These were so delicious and I am going to get these again! It was not oily or strangely cooked. It tasted like what an oyster should taste like. You can even taste the butter that the oysters were fried in. It gives it a nice texture of crunchiness. You can order these as single, doubles or colossal! And they are around $2 each.

If you are on the quay and craving some seafood while looking at the river and the sight of downtown Vancouver, you must try Screaming Mimi! If you love seafood, you will end up screaming for more Screaming Mimi! But don’t expect too much from their decor.

 

We rate Screaming Mimi:

Screaming Mimi is located at:
123 Carrie Cates Crt
North Vancouver, BC
Screaming Mimi's on Urbanspoon

Two of my friends and I decided to embark on a journey to The Market, this was no market indeed. This was The Market by Jean-Georges in the Vancouver Shangri-La. We knew it would be a bit pricey during the dinnertime, so we opted to go during the lunchtime.

The Market I located on the third floor of the Shangri-La so you will need to take the elevator or the stairs up from the main floor. The little area that we were seated in reminded me of the 70’s. The green furniture worked with the decor but if you put it into your living room, it would be quite awkward.

For the Appetizer, we started off with the Beef Carpaccio Pizza, which was quite unique and super delicious. But, I’m not quite sure if you can still call it Carpaccio is it’s a bit cooked? I’m not sure either but it was yummy. If you are not a big fan of raw food, you won’t even notice the raw beef on this pizza. The Parmesan, arugula and mushroom balance this dish out so it is very flavorful.

For the main dish, Taiwanese girl ordered grilled salmon with a side of fries. It seemed like she really enjoyed the salmon especially the sauce that came with it since she kept dipping her fries into it. Apparently, your salmon can be rare, medium rare, medium, or well. I really thought this was only for steak or lamb, but salmon too. The green peppers on the plate seems like it could be super spicy but when you taste it, it was not anywhere near spicy. Very mild and had a nice taste.

CanuckGirl ordered the Grilled MARKET Burger. It was a very nice tasting burger with the regular stuff plus Russian dressing and a cool Onion Ring. The burger had 2 patties of meat! A very meaty burger if you are a carnivore. Also, you can choose what type of cheese you can have on your burger! Swiss and cheddar are the ones I can remember off the top of my head,

For my main dish, I had the halibut which was so soft and delicate. it came on a bed of boiled spinach with a nice creamy sauce. It was so yummy that I was so tempted to lick the plate.

To finish it all off, I had the chocolate pudding! This was by far the BEST part of the meal. If you look at the picture, the green part is the cup. For the longest time, we were staring at other tables thinking there was cool jello under neither the pudding. On top was a softly whipped cream and crystallized violet. As you dig deeper into this pudding, you find a nice piece of cake in the center and it just really gives the dessert a bit more of a texture.

If you are looking for a fancy place to eat, this is the place to go! Everyone must try this place at least once … or twice in their lives because it is just so delicious!!!!

We Rate The Market:

Check out The Market’s Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/vancouver/shangrila/dining/restaurant/market

Market By Jean-Georges (Shangri-La Hotel) on Urbanspoon

After M came back from Whistler, we decided to go out and eat at California Sushi. Sushi California is one of the better sushi places in Burnaby. It’s a block away from Lougheed Mall and has a wide selection of sushi. The restaurant is owned by Koreans which seems to be the trend in Japanese sushi restaurants which I can never figure out. Lunch times and dinner times can be quite busy, so i really suggest going a bit earlier so avoid the rush.

When I arrived at the restaurant, I couldn’t help but notice one of the soy sauce dishes was a bit dirty. So, you should watch out too if your plates look like it as bits of food on it.

We started with half order of spicy tuna sashimi which tasted not as spicy as I expected. It was a bit sweet. M said they used Korean hot sauce paste and mixed it with sugar to get that taste. As most sushi places, it usually comes with radish garnish, but we did not get any with this one. If you don’t want to eat too much of this dish, just do half an order because it’s cheaper and you know you can finish it without wasting it. You could take it home to eat but it will not taste as good.

We ordered Tempura scallop asparagus roll as well. At first I thought it was probably the weirdest thing to order a sushi roll fried in tempura batter. It had a nice crunch texture to it and it did not taste too oily.

Followed smoked salmon cream cheese roll II. I guess they have two versions of this roll, so they had to add a “II” to the end of it. I’m not exactly sure how it’s different but I did not find this roll too special. It reminded me of an Alaska roll but with different insides.

The next thing we ordered was toro nigiri. I always enjoy ordering a piece of toro at sushi restaurants. If you don’t know what toro is, it is the belly portion of the tuna which is more fatty. Compared to other sushi restaurants, I found this toro was a bit icy, so i assume they froze it and defrosted it for the day. I’ve had better.

Then finally we had tobiko with quail egg nigiri, these just remind me of boobies because it has the yellow dot in the middle. This is certainly very odd to eat and you must make sure you shove this into your mouth so no tobiko or the quail egg spill on the plate. Whenever i encounter a restaurant with red tobiko, i get kinda weirded out since I usually see orange tobiko. According to google, they come in various colors like green and black.

If you like sushi in the mid-range price, then sushi california will be for you. They have the basics as well as some specialty roles. Just watch out for the cleanliness of your dishes.

We rate Sushi California:


Sushi California is located at: 501A North Road in Coquitlam, BC.
Sushi California on Urbanspoon

Cumpari’s Gelato & Caffe used to be the home of Burger King in the 1990’s and after years of abandonment, Cumpari’s took over this deserted venue. There is no other authentic Italian dessert place near Lougheed Mall. They have anything from cakes, gelato, to coffees and teas. They even play Italian opera music to set customers in the mood.

At a given day, there are a dozen of different cakes and pastries produced. Even though they look super delicious, it will put a bit of a dent in your wallet. Each piece can range from $5 to $8 per piece. If you have that sweet tooth right after dinner, it’s quite enjoyable.

Along with their cakes, they produce gelato! Without the gelato, they could not pull off the whole Italian dessert place. They do not have 300 flavours but they do have one that people will enjoy. We ordered the large which gave us 3 flavours – pistachio, mango creme, and Hazelnut. If you are not so keep on so many flavours they also have smaller sizes too.

Ferrero Rocher cake! Yes, it is made out of Ferrero Rocher! It was a big slice, so sharing is key! I found it to be a bit too sweet for my liking.

This cake, which I have forgotten it’s name was sweet and when you got to eating a strawberry they were a bit sour.

Mini Von Horne is made out of small profiteroles filled with cream and drizzles with chocolate. This dessert was not overly sweet and was just perfect.This is probably the best way to share a dessert since there are 5 balls that come apart easily without the messy ripping and sharing.

Craving Italian pastries during the night but too lazy to drive to Vancouver or Richmond? Get your fix here, but it is slightly pricey.

We rated Cumpari:

Cumpari Gelato & Caffe is located at 535 North Road in Coquitlam, BC
Cumpari's Gelato & Caffe on Urbanspoon

IndecisiveGirl and I were leaving Simon Fraser University at 11pm after a meeting. We were craving for a late night snack in Vancouver. After countless failures to find a place open on Commercial Drive at midnight, we stumbled upon Waazubee Café.

We didn’t know much about the restaurant before hand, so we went in blind and asked the waitress for her recommendations. She suggested the Nachos, Mac & Cheese, Yam Fries and the BBQ Chuck Rib. After she told us about each of the items we had our heart set on the Mac & Cheese and BBQ Chuck Ribs.

As we sat waiting for our meals, I kept admiring the very strange wax candle holders and odd Jesus candle centerpieces, I couldn’t help but think about a past restaurant MedicalGiraffe and I went to the previous week – Subeez. After thinking and discussing the interior decor, Indecisivegirl told me to ask the waitress and sure enough, Wazzubees and Subeez are by the same owners!

As we devoured the Mac & Cheese, it was obvious that this dish has far surpassed the childhood Kraft Mac & Cheese! It was very savory and was made with some type of white cheese, it reminded me of the cheese you would use in cheese fondue but I can’t be certain. The Mac & Cheese was a great twist on the childhood classic. Even though this was made at 12am, you could still taste it was freshly made. The only thing we disliked from this dish was the green onion garnish on top. Perhaps the dish could have been better with finely chopped parsley.

The other dish we ordered was BBQ Chuck ribs, this came in nice thin slices upon a bed of some type of bean salsa. It was very nice and sour to balance the starchy taste of the beans. I personally do not like Potatoes or beans but it was a delight to try out.

Even though we did not try breakfast here, the breakfast menu did look very delicious! We will definitely hit this place up again to try their famous breakfasts!

Whether you are looking for a late night snack or a fantastic breakfast place, Waazubees is the spot to satisfy your cravings.

We rate Wazzubees:

Check Waazubees at: http://www.waazubee.com/
Waazubee Cafe on Urbanspoon

I started going to Sha Lin Noodles House after I saw it on an episode of “$40 a day” by Rachael Ray. I thought if Rachael Ray went there it should be amazing.

What I really enjoy about Sha Lin Noodles for their food since it tastes very clean unlike Pho places. They have a variety of different noodles, which you can choose from (Dragging, cutting, broad, etc). If you are lucky, you can even watch the chef make the noodles!

We both ordered the Dragging noodles with chicken and vegetables soup (Told you Indecisive Girl is indecisive). The noodles were cooked perfectly and had enough chicken and vegetables to go along with it. Adding a bit of chili sauce to the dish is pretty good too if you love an extra kick in your dish. I could finish the whole bowl and I was even tempted to drink the soup too. It was good to be at a restaurant where they do not put MSG into their food.

On the side we had Fried Bun, which came with condensed milk. It was really crispy on the outside and the inside was just so nice and fluffy. Definitely worth a try! But when you order it don’t eat it right away because it’s hot.

The interior of the restaurant is like a typical Chinese restaurant where it’s quite bland and feels slightly unsanitary. When Indecisive Girl and I were there, they took all the hot chili pepper sauce from all the tables and put it in a big giant bowl. They then cleaned all the containers and refilled it. If you plan to use the chili sauce, imagine kissing hundreds of people’s food.

If you are ever craving hand-crafted noodles with no MSG, check out Sha Lin Noodles. But beware of the Chili Sauce.

It’s a great place to go if you really want a cheap meal under $10.

We rate Sha Lin Noodle House:

Check out their location:

548 West Broadway

Vancouver, V5L 1E9

(604) 873-1816
Sha Lin Noodle House on Urbanspoon

Vancouver sleeps early. It’s pretty difficult to find an eatery that serves food after 11pm. The Naam is one of the few; it’s open 24-hours, 7 days a week. After our night scuba lesson, Batman and I were famished, and met up with DesignGirl to indulge in some midnight snacking (more like, food-hoarding).

Even at midnight, the Naam is brimming with business, mostly from starving students. We pulled up a few seats near the back as courtyard dining was not available at such a late hour, but the dim lighting and deep foliage that lined the courtyard made it irresistibly romantic. You’ll find an eclectic group of diners here – everything from lululemon-wearing yogis to blockbuster celebrities such as The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Jessica Biel. The appeal of the Naam rests in its simplicity – the Naam serves up huge portions of simple, warm, comfort food. Hempwear and dreadlocks are common. Oh, and did I mention that it’s completely vegetarian? But even the most meaty meateaters go gaga for the Naam.

DesignGirl opted for the Buddha’s Feast – and it is what it sounds like – a heaping plate of stir fried vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, tofu, peppers, zucchini, beets, carrots) atop organic brown rice. The veggies are meant to be jumbled together and post-mixing, we arrive at a dish that’s undeniably delectable. The vegetables are crisp and well-cooked, the tofu is flavour-bountiful, and the brown rice is soft and savory.

Batman’s quite affectionate about avocados, and ordered the cashews and avocado enchilada, which came with a side salad. His dish arrived piping out, with guacamole gushing below a tortilla coated in melted cheese. Batman’s verdict  “avocado, beans, and other hippy vegan veggie stuff (which is good for you) baked inside cheese. Need I say more? The salad was interesting too.” Personally, I found the enchilada to be too heavy on the avocado – a few spoons would have satisfied me, but eating a whole enchilada was just too rich. The side salad had your standard greens, tomatoes, and sprouts. The dressing was their homemade ‘miso-gravy’ dressing – light and different, without the usual acidic zing of a vinaigrette.

Batman also ordered a beer – the Deadfrog Brown Ale: “The deadfrog brown ale is not dead at all. It was hoppy and jumping all over the place! Settling down with this refreshing beer made me feel grateful to be alive and well. (I think he was just happy to have alcohol) For me, it’s not as consistently drinkable as a lager or pale ale, but I enjoyed the glass of this acquired taste. It made me feel like a froggin’ King.”

I finished everything off with a large carrot juice – which by the looks of it, did not come in a very large glass – and with this being The Naam, I knew it was freshly squeezed.

The service was horrible, I’ve could’ve friven home, planted and harvested my own carrots for juice, with the time it took them to take out order.

For huge portions of organic veggie eats that will fool even the most clever carnivore, The Naam is your best bet – especially for those late night cravings.

We rate The Naam:

Check out their website: http://www.thenaam.com/naam/
Naam on Urbanspoon

My favorite place in Richmond for tea and dessert is Yavis Café. Since Medical Giraffe made a frozen cheesecake the other day, I wanted to show her a place that served Glacier Cheesecake.

When you first enter the café, you will enjoy the look of their interior design, which will connect to their menu. The menu starts off with a story about the concept of their café and how they came up with the famous glacier cheesecake.

I ordered their best selling cheesecake – White Romance; it is a normal cheesecake with fruit compote on the side. It was really nice and the fruit compote was a nice addition. I really wished there was more of the compote and not just used on the design of the plate. I also got a Japan Genmacha tea to go with it. It came in a really cool looking cup. It is overpriced tea but it does come with refills so keep on drinking until you get your money’s worth.

Medical Giraffe ordered the Lavender Cheesecake, which really tasted like lavender. If you do not like spices, this may not be the cake for you. The waiter said this was a very popular choice from customers. But, personally, the taste of lavender was not to my liking.

Medical Giraffe’s cousin ordered the Green Tea Glacier Cheesecake. It is like a normal cheesecake, but frozen. The texture is similar to ice cream. Don’t spend too much time ogling and look of the cake because it will melt.

This place stays open pretty late till 1am but make sure you don’t go on a Monday because its closed the whole day.

If you are ever in Richmond and are craving for a late night dessert, head over to Yavis Café and try out their unique cheesecakes.

We rate Yavis Cafe:

Check Yavis Cafe at: http://www.yavisclub.com/
Yavis Club Cheesecake Cafe on Urbanspoon

Fricassee was on my mind. I heard that the best fricassee in town was at Café Medina, so I called up DesignGirl for a taste quest. Sitting on Beatty Street, Café Medina thrives adjacent to its classy Belgium nighttime counterpart, Chambar. When we arrived, the cafe was bustling with alfresco diners relishing in the summer sun and Café Medina’s renowned Belgium waffles.

While waiting for a lunchtime seat, we were startled by a “Hellloo there!” behind us. I realized then that this was a warm welcome from our host and server – there are no apron-donning busboys, or penguin waiters (the classic black and white look) here! Medina’s servers are warm and casual – blending well with the clientele and truly lending the café an ‘at home’ feel.

I have a fresh-squeezed juice addiction and needed my fix that afternoon! For an eatery that prides itself on brunch items, Café Medina surprisingly does not offer freshly-squeezed juice. Nonetheless, I settled for a “just as awesome” OJ, upon our server’s recommendation, while DesignGirl opted for a vanilla latte, after deliberating between chocolate, vanilla, or raspberry caramel. My OJ arrived – although lacking the subtlety of fresh OJ – and still tasted smooth and saccharine. Anal Beads DesignGirl’s latte came oddly in a glass juice cup, but she said that the coffee tasted so delightful and looked so pretty that it wouldn’t have mattered if it arrived in an egg shell! Her coffee came with leafy latte art, and after sneaking a few sips, I concurred that it indeed was a luscious latte. The menu also has a wide selection of mimosas and beers.

Café Medina’s menu has extensive breakfast, lunch, and brunch options, ranging from the classic omelet to exotic paella. We saw that there were two items served all day – the fricassee and the saumon fume (smoked salmon). Without hesitating, we decided that these two must have been the most popular to allow for its AM-to-PM availability.

My fricassee arrived with two fried eggs (I love runny yolks!) and verdant arugula greens covering the roasted potatoes, braised short ribs, caramelized onions, apple, and chedder cheese beneath. The fricassee is meant to be mixed to allow the juiciness of the ribs and the smokiness of the cheese to mingle with the succulent onions, and crispy greens and apple bits. The side of focaccia bread came unadorned of any herbs – warm backed Italian bread that perfectly complemented the firework of flavors from the fricassee, without taking way from it. The fricassee is a breakfast item, but I recommend selecting it for either brunch or lunch. I found it to be a very heavy breakfast-eat due to its large quantity and overabundance of meat, and would wish for more applewood chedder.

DesignGirl’s saumon fume was served as an open-faced ciabatta sandwich, with smoked-salmon, caper cream cheese, and fried egg on one side, and arugula pepperdew and artichoke salad on the other. The two sides of the sandwich offered contrasting textures and tastes – the cold smoked salmon mixed well with the warm runny yolk of the fried egg, creating a richer feel upon the palate; the arugula and artichoke salad held a an acidic vinaigrette and offered a light zest and freshness.


Even with our stomachs satisfied, we couldn’t pass up the chance to sample Café Medina’s fresh Belgium waffles, especially with their aroma wafting through the café corridors. The waffles come with a variety of toppings – everything from dark chocolate to yoghurt to white chocolate pistachio rosewater. Our waffle arrived daintily dusted with confectioner’s sugar and a side of white chocolate pistachio rosewater topping. At first, I thought the name was just a fancy tag, but upon digging and dipping into our topping, we could really taste the smoothness of the white chocolate, the nuttiness of the pistachio, and the softness of rosewater – what a surprise! The waffles were not overly sweet and were the perfect ending to a delectable lunch.

Cafe Medina’s varied menu provides an amazing array of choices at a reasonable fare (most items range between $10-$16). They also offer grab-and-go coffee/tea and impeccable service.

We rated Cafe Media:

Check out their website: http://www.medinacafe.com/

Cafe Medina on Urbanspoon