December 2010

In Japanese

Kintaro Ramen

December 9, 2010

Kintaro Ramen is one of the more popular ramen shops in Downtown. They are known for their large bowls of ramen, with customizable ingredients that go inside. People always complain about their long line ups… but today I thought of a very ingenious way to beat the line up.

Since it was the Santa Clause parade, TaiwaneseGirl and I spent a few hours waiting in the cold watching all the floats go by. Since we were grown cold, we thought a big bowl of ramen would make the day complete! We stood right by where the parade started, so we could watch every float and dash to Kintaro while everyone is still at the parade.

Sadly, others had that in mind too, so there was about 4 people in front of us, good thing the turn over is quite fast, so we got a table in about 10 minutes.

Kintaro is quite small and most seating is shared with strangers. They only have 3 tables that seat 2…while the other is bar seating or a large table. There isn’t much else you can do, but it does force you to meet strangers.

After we sat down, there was a rush of people wanting to get a taste of the Kintaro Ramen. When you walk in, you wil be able to see their open kitchen where the chefs prepare the meal. Some say it’s fun eating at the bar because you can see exactly what they chefs are doing to each meal.

We started off with the Gyoza ($5), it was nice and crispy on one side and it had a citrus soy sauce. It was good, but it wasn’t the best ones I’ve had. Especially, if you are paying $1 per piece, totally not worth it. When you bite into them, a bunch of juice would start leaking out.

TaiwaneseGirl had the Miso Ramen ($7.95). She asked for the lean pork rather than the fatty pork. It also had bean sprouts, corn, bamboo shoots and green onion.

I had the Shio ramen with medium soup and lean pork ($7.25). One thing that puzzled me was how much fat there was in the broth. It had eggs, bean sprouts, green onion, and bamboo shoots as well.

After hearing all the hype over Kintaro, the noodles were just average. It’s decent for it’s price and large , but this is not the best. After thinking about another Japanese Ramen place – Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, I prefer their overall taste.

Words of Wisdom:

Good prices, large portions
Long waits during peak hours
Limited seating, you may be sharing tables

We rate Kintaro Ramen:

They are located at:

788 Denman St
Vancouver, BC

In Bar and Grill

Moxie’s Classic Grill (Robson)

December 8, 2010

It was a lovely dinner with the SFU Student Marketing Association. We had dinner, raffles and played “white elephant”, which is an evil version of secret santa. All proceeds went to the BC Children’s Hospital, which is an amazing plus!

I’ve been to Moxies a few times on many special occasions. I even met David Choi here too!

Moxie has their special Winter Features on their menu, which is available November 4 to December 30th.

They even have big Bad Boy sized beers such as Heineken for $7 special. This was big! I was about a glass and a half worth of beer. We decided to put it side by side with a regular sized bottle…and you can tell…it’s quite massive.

InsecureGirl had a bellini.

We started off sharing the moxie’s combo platter ($25), which had calamari, chicken tenders, avocado spring rolls, med bread, chicken wings + three great dips. It was supposed to come with 3 dips….but for some reason 2 only came with the platter.

The platter overall was pretty big, but for some reason it came at the same time as our entree….so we had to tell them to hold back the entrees.

There could have been more calamari since it was so little compared to everything else.

TaiwaneseGirl had the coconut curry rice bowl, which had apples, ginger + curry-buttered naan bread, and chicken.

InsecureGirl had the beef dip, which has house-roasted beef, sautéed mushrooms & swiss cheese on baguette with au jus. She even got a daily soup as well.

Even though this is on the lunch menu, you can order it at dinner time too.

KoreanGirl and I both had the winter stew with puff pastry ($15), it has turkey, mushrooms & vegetables simmered with shallots & creamy white wine sauce, topped with puff pastry. The first few bites were delicious and the creamy taste of the stew blended nicely with the puff pastry.

As time went on, the taste got very boring and we got full fast because the stew was very rich. We felt really “fat” after eating this because we know it was just cream.

We rate Moxie’s:

Located at:

808 Bute St
Vancouver, BC

Website: www.moxies.ca

In Dessert

Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates & Patisserie (Kitsilano)

December 7, 2010

Thomas Haas is famous for his amazing chocolate creations. From cakes, to pastries, to chocolates…they are just amazing. I’ve got the chance to try the North Vancouver location, but not Kits until now.

FinanceGirl and SFUPretender got bored and decided to come here to just chill and talk.

Walking inside, you feel this little place is very very cozy. The ceiling reminded my of a honey comb. Even Thomas Haas was in the restaurant as well!

Many different types of cakes.

Lots of little chocolates.

A variety of pastries.

They even serve sandwiches!

Since it is te holiday season, there are new creations for Christmas!

FinanceGirl got the Milk Chocolate Passionfruit ($5.50), it contained light milk chocolate mousse, refreshing passionfruit cream, soft almond cake and crispy hazelnut wafer. I think this was everyones’ favorite pick since it had chocolate mousse.

I got a latte ($3.50)and Fresh Fruit Galette ($5.50). What I liked about the Galette was how easy it could be cut without falling apart. None of the toppings fell off or was too hard to cut off. I found this to be a healthier alternative to the rich chocolate cakes!

Crispy Chocolate Raspberry ($5.50), it contained dark Manjari chocolate-raspberry mousse, light vanilla Bavarian, chocolate sacher cake, and crispy hazelnut wafer.

And so with our drinks and cakes, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon!

Words of Wisdom:

Free parking in the back
Best in smaller groups
Limited seating

We rate Thomas Haas:

Visit Thomas Haas website: http://www.thomashaas.com/

They are located at:

2539 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC

In Italian

CinCin Ristorante + Bar

December 7, 2010

CinCIn Restaurant + Bar is a high end restaurant where many locals and celebrities like to dine. I came here a few years ago for Dine Out and I was not in love with this place. I heard it tends to happen during dine out.

Today, the Finance Club execs headed over to CinCin for a nice social dinner.

The interior has a very nice italian feel to the decor. Nice soft dim light are used to simulate romantic atmosphere.

In the main dining room, you can see their chefs cooking. Yet again you can see more of the warm italian looking decor.

Bread with olive spread

CFAGirl and I both had the Osso Buco Milanese ($34.00) which is milk fed veal shank with saffron risotto, hazelnut gremolata, and parmigiano reggiano. The meal fell off the bone very nicely. The hazelnut topping gave the meat a very nice crunch to the bite.

They even give you a small spoon to eat the bone marrow.

It was highly recommended by the waiter!

FinanceGirl got the Branzio ($36.50). It is a whole mediterranean sea bass, citrus and fennel salad with salsa verde. She accidentally ordered this and was so amused that she had a fish on the table when everyone else had meat or pasta.

She really enjoyed it even though it was just a piece of sea bass and a small salad, she really enjoyed dissecting her meal. There are bones, so this is not good for those people who hate working on their meal.

To end off the meal, I had a latte.

CFAGirl and FinanceGirl had the Dorian Grey tea.

I got the dark chocolate + lemon semi-freddo ($12.50), which has hazelnut nougatine and cherry sauce and caramelized winter fruits. The nougatine encrusted semi-freddo gave this dessert more body and texture.

I had this all to myself, but I soon realized it was meant to be shared. After eating such a large entree, your stomach may not have enough space.

FinanceBoy had the rhum baba ($12.50), which is fresh fruit salad with whipping cream and rhum raisin gelato. This dessert tastes quite alcoholic, so if you don’t like the strong rum taste, this dessert will not be for you.

FinanceQueen, Finance Girl and CFAGirl all got the tiramisu ($11.50). It has house made lady fingers soaked in espresso and kahlua and mascarpone cream.

At the end of our meal, we were given our bill of $280 (ouch) and 3 hazelnut butter cookies, and 2 banana bread tasting mini muffin things.

Words of Wisdom:

Expensive, good for special occasions
Oven fired pizzas are popular
They are open for Lunch in December, if you don’t want to go for dinner
Osso Buco Milanese is good

We rate CinCin:

Website: http://www.cincin.net/

They are located at:

1154 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

In Brunch

Brioche

December 6, 2010

Brioche has great food and atmosphere. They are known for their amazing daily specials. Located in Gastown, Broche offers up amazing items from pastas, soups and sandwiches.

Their daily specials are located on a chalkboard. The door leads to the washroom, so its not a good idea to stand in front of it just incase someone is inside and they happen to open the door. What is bad about the specials is that they do not specify the price. On their larger, there are prices.

The little cafe is a good place to have a nice little chat. Most of the tables either eat 2 or 4 people. Not good for large groups.

I got a latte. I didn’t think their lattes were extraordinary or anything. It was not as strong as other places.

I got the Grilled NY Steak Panini. It came with wild mushroom sauce. The bread was very fresh, it was very light and fluffy on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside. I was kinda skeptical about this sandwich, but the cut of the NY Steak was very tender and very easy to chew. This was a really really good sandwich and you will get full. The mushroom sauce worked well with all the ingredients.

It came with a greek salad. It was yet again very fresh and I did enjoy it. The latte, NY Steak Panini and the side of greek salad came out to be $18. I don’t remember the breakdown of this, but I was surprised how expensive it was for a lunch. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the panini and salad.

MedicalGiraffe had the Cioppino Mix Seafood Stew ($18), it had Sauteed Seafood, Penne Noodles, Veggies, and simmered in a Garlic Tomato Broth. She thought it was pricey, but she did enjoy the stew. It came wit 2 pieces of bread, but she wish there was more to eat with the stew.

Words of Wisdom:

Food is a bit pricey
Best in small groups
Panini’s are really good
Parking garage across the street. Discounted parking for SFU students after 6pm.

We rate Broioche:

Website: http://www.brioche.ca/

They are located at:

401 West Cordova Street

Vancouver BC

In Dessert

Sweet Revenge

December 4, 2010

Sweet Revenge is always the place to be when you want to be transported into a victorian setting. At Sweet Revenge you will be spoiled by the different types of desserts and beverages.

This place is pretty dark from the outside, so I always manage to accidentally walk past without noticing.

Once you walk inside, you know what type of Victorian setting I am talking about. It is covered in ornate paintings, red walls, fireplace and lighting. It is a very small space, so big groups are a no no unless you can get a reservation.

MedicalGiraffe and I shared a Medium London Fog ( Earl Grey Tea and Vanilla Syrup). You can customize your London Fog with any type of tea and syrup they have. We thought it would be best to stick with the original London Fog.

You get to enjoy their teas in nice little cup and saucers.

I got the apple pie ($6.35). It can be served hot or cold. On the side you will also get sliced strawberries and whipped cream. I really didn’t like the apple pie. It was a bit sweet and didn’t taste as good as it should of. Perhaps more cinnamon? I usually can finish a whole dessert but I left about 1/4 of it.

MedicalGiraffe has the chocolat pudding cake ($6.35). This I believe is the best thing on the menu. It was rich and chocolaty, but not too too sweet. Perfect!

We also added sides of ice cream with our desserts. I think it was either $1.00 or $1.50 more. I don’t think it was worth getting a side of ice cream, but it really depends which dessert you get. We thought sometimes it was good to have a taste of ice cream to break the constant taste of the cakes.

Words of Wisdom:

Best for small groups
Chocolate Pudding Cake is a must
Parking is hard to find
A lot of the dessert choices are a hit or miss

We rate Sweet Revenge:

Website: http://www.sweet-revenge.ca/

They are located at:

4160 Main Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada

In Brunch

Two Chefs and A Table

December 2, 2010

When MedicalGiraffe was back in town, she told me that we should try Two Chefs and A Table. I have never heard of this place before and decided why not! They are known for the simple food with AMAZING flavours! Looking around the neighbourhood of where Two Chefs and A Table are located, you would never expect such a popular restaurant would be hidden!

When you look inside, you can see the chefs hard at work preparing the meal. The open kitchen really shows customers that they have nothing to hide!

The interior decor is nicely decorated and modern. The waiters are really nice and helpful! Hey look it’s a garlic painting.

I started off with a green tea ($2). It even came with a little tray of honey.

I ordered the Tomato, Feta, Ham Frittata ($9), which also had spinach and basil pesto. It also came with potatoes and 4 pieces of whole wheat bread. The frittata was superbly made, the only thing i wished they had were more feta cheese.

The bread was very simple and was spread with butter. Nothing fancy, but it’s the way toast is supposed to be like.

MedicalGiraffe was in a dilemma about her meal. She couldn’t decide between the Monsieur Andres brunch or the scrambled benedict. Mark, our waiter took away our menu and left it up to a surprise. You could tell MedicalGiraffe was really excited. When does a waiter ever do that and make the choice for you?! I was excited too because i didn’t know what to expect.

After waiting for the mysterious dish to come out, Mark brought MedicalGiraffe the Monsieur Andres Brunch ($9). He said “Anyone who comes here must try the Monsieur Andres”. The Monsieur Andres has chacuterie meats and cheese within grilled sour dough. On top there is an over-easy egg and Parmesan Hollandaise. On the side there are potatoes as well.

This was an amazing take on the Traditional French Croque Monsieur (Twisted Fork Bistro). The Monsieur Andres was much smaller and had a better rich bold taste. The ingredients worked really well together!

And thus, we enjoyed our last meal together in November until MedicalGiraffe comes back for Winter Vacation.

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Since I had a positive experience, this could not stop me from visiting again with FinanceGirl. We needed to catch up on SFU Finance Club matters, so I suggested we go here.

In a few days since the last visit, they decked out the restaurant in christmas decorations. Take note of the art piece on the left in the black. They replaced the garlic with 2 Christmas StarWars figurines. Darth Vader and Yoda! FTW!

I always have a habit of always ordering the first thing on the menu. Today for Lunch, I got the Mac and Cheese. It had a 4 cheese sauce and topped with a layer of cheddar cheese. I chose to have the salad as the side. this Mac and Cheese was so good and cheesey. It may have looked small, but I was satisfied with the size. I looked around and 4 other people at different tables had it too. The salad was quite bland and too drenched with mango sauce that the leaves just ended up being very soggy.

FinanceGirl had the Grilled Chimichurri Wrap ($9). Inside this grilled wrap was Argentinean green sauce, grilled chicken, chipotle mayo, cheddar, tomato and rice. She seemed to enjoy this wrap. It’s pretty filling too if you want to be full. Yet again, the ingredients did go together really nicely. SO jealous of her fries too.

I was surprised by Two Chefs and A Table. It is true when they say it’s a hidden gem! I will return for dinner someday and I hope it meets my expectations!

Words of Wisdom:

Affordable brunch and lunch
Must try Mac & Cheese and the Monsieur Andres
Very sketchy neighbourhood
Free parking on side of road
Best for small groups

We rate Two Chefs and A Table :

Visit their website: http://www.twochefsandatable.com/

They are located at :

Gastown

305 Alexander St
Vancouver, BC

In Bar and Grill

Romer’s Burger Bar

December 1, 2010

Romer’s Burger Bar is the new burger joint in town. They serve up gourmet burgers with the freshest ingredients and stay true to being sustainable.

Romer’s Burger Bar has parking on the side, you will have to enter from the back alley. It is pay parking, so expect to pay $1.50 per hour. If you are impatient, this may be a better solution than stalking parking stalls and spending 15 mins roaming the block. (I try to be cheap and find free parking…but sometimes it just too hard).

The inside really does look like a bar. Tons of screens to see the game, lots of seating, and great interior decor.

M started off with the Fentiman’s cola ($4). This is a botanically brewed soda. I am not sure what that means, but it must mean something good. This cola had very strong flavours compared to Pepsi or Coca Cola. You can tell the makers of this soda took their time and care into producing them. It tastes like liquified cola balls…those silver candy balls.

TaiwaneseGirl had the Wicked Deadly Cheese Burger ($10). It had all-natural beef, plenty of cheese, red onion, Tuscan greens, tarragon Russian dressing.

I had the Magic Mushroom ($10), which had all-natural beef, plenty of chopped BC portobellos, arugula, herb and garlic Boursin cheese, and caramelized onions. With one bite, you can really taste the fresh ingredients used in the sandwich. It was very flavourful compared to other burgers i’ve had. The bun was very light and fluffy so you get the full taste of the mushrooms and the patty. The burger does not come with any sides…so you have to order a side.

In addition, I got the Fresh Garlic with tasted Sea Salt ($4) as my side. Wow, was the garlic fresh! It was raw garlic and it very potent. I think it would be better if the garlic was fried to bring out a more savory taste. Perhaps i should have gotten some dipping sauce to dull the strong taste. I should have brought some mints with me because my breathe was vile! At least I kept the vampires away.

M got the righteous rib burger ($12), it had all-natural beef, thick-sliced applewood bacon, braised short ribs, sweet onions, Gorgonzola garlic sauce, fresh thyme leaves. M could tell this was a very healthy type of burger with really good ingredients.

M got the GORGONZOLA GARLIC SAUCE serrano chili, and applewood bacon fries ($7) for his side. He thought it was ok, but way overpriced for $7.

Overall, Romers Burger Bar was a good experience. All the ingredients used in all their food really shined through. I can really say Romer’s Burger Bar sells gourmet burgers. The good balance of ingredients and the rich succulent taste can’t be matched by any typical burger joint. But, be expected to pay a bit more than your average burger.

We rate Romers Burger Bar:

Check out their website: http://romersburgerbar.com/

In Brunch

Havana’s – Revisit

December 1, 2010

A few months ago, we wrote a post about Havana’s. Since MedicalGiraffe was back in town, we thought it would be most appropriate to go back to Havana’s to try out some more tasty treats.

I started off with a latte ($4 or $5). This latte is huge! It’s like comparing it to a really big mug? Ok, that was just a bad comparison. This latte was not as strong as some other places. It lacked a very bold strong flavour.

Last time I had the Tuna Burger ($16) and this influenced MedicalGiraffe to get it! This is still my favorite burger of all time. YUM!

I had to try their brunch since I am in such a brunch phase these days. I got their Chorizo Hash ($13). I had 2 poached eggs, peppers, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, chorizo sausage, brown toast and Hollandaise sauce.

I found this breakfast to be a bit heavy, but for some I guess this is what you need to get you started for the day.