February 2011

In Uncategorized

Foodology New Layout

February 19, 2011

Since August of 2010, I used a very generic WordPress template for the start of the blog. It is quite a common theme used by people who use WordPress. For the longest time, I was very unhappy about it because I knew the blog could look so much better!

After searching online for different themes, I found one that worked with the branding of Foodology. I was super happy and it only cost about $35. I’d rather send the money buying a premium template rather than spending the mind numbing pain to code it. Time VS Money…. I have a full time job and part time school, so sacrifices needed to be made.

Even though the theme was already made, I could not just activate the theme and have it automatically work. The formatting was all messed up, certain things were not in the right place, and so many many issues. Even the documentation was not clear enough to help resolve the problems.

Since this was reading break I had the time to try to figure out how to piece this site together.

One 13″ MacBook did not do the trick, so two 13″ Macbooks needed to be used to check what I was doing.

Some of you may have seen the Under Construction page that I had to put up during this week in the evening time. I really didn’t want visitors to see the website while I was editing it. Some of you may know you can’t edit WordPress offline. If I made any mistakes, you’d probably see me editing around.

After the late nights staying up, it all paid off! I tried to minimize the down time of the site so people could see the reviews during the day. By doing so, this meant less sleep and BIGGER eye bags! Woot!

I really hope you all enjoy the new layout! I did it for all the loyal visitors of Foodology, so please visit often and let me know what you think about the layout!

In Food for Thought

Free Coffee at Yew with just one tweet

February 18, 2011

Wouldn’t it be great if someone just gave you free coffee before you go to work? (The brewed coffee at work so does not count). Yew Restaurant + Bar gives out free hot beverages in the morning if you can catch their tweet.

It all begins with a tweet. I saw this on Wednesday morning on my twitter feed. Since I usually spend $3 on a latte anyways, I thought I would just go to save a few bucks. Sure enough @floyvr and I went together! I work a block away, so I did not intentionally trek my way there for just a coffee.

If you have a twitter account, you can follow them at @FSVancouver and they usually use the hash tag #YEWyvr if it’s about Yew. They do the free hot beverages one a week, you just need to keep your eyes open.

At first I felt super super super weird just going in and getting a free drink, seriously….asian much?

Apparently a lot of people do it, so don’t feel like you are cheap by doing so. All you need to do is walk toward the bar and mention the tweet to get your free drink.

This applies to any hot drink…not just coffee.

Walking back to the office, I got my handy latte beside me!

Since I usually get a latte at Starbucks, I really got use to the taste. The latte was strong and had a bold flavour. This really reminded me of the lattes I had in Europe. Since this was stronger than what I would normally have, it definitely woke up for the majority of the day.

They also have milk and sugar to modify your drink. I probably should have added a bit too.

Website: http://www.yewrestaurant.com/

Address:

791 W Georgia St
Vancouver, BC

In Japanese

Guu

February 18, 2011

Guu on Thurlow is open for lunch. I heard from PinappleBun that they have great deals under $10. Since I’ve been to Guu for dinner and loved it, I thought lunch would be exciting too.

There are a good amount of tables for lunch and there’s a bar..if you are eating alone. I sat at the bar because it was just me. Don’t be afraid if you suddenly hear your waitress yelling to the chefs, it’s totally normal! They are just communicating your order in a fun way!

The menu on the walls, are dinner specials, so you can’t order them till dinner time. I was eyeing the Beef Carpaccio but I couldn’t get it.

Their menu is quite small, so you only have the main options of Bento box, Don, and curry. They have a few specials too

I ordered the assorted fry Bento Box ($8). I wanted a little bit of everything, so that was the best option.

There was chicken karrage, pork tenderloin cutlet, creamy croquette, bamboo shoots, daikon and a bit of noodles. This bento box also came with Miso soup and rice.

The chicken karrage and the pork tender loin was ok, but I really loved the creamy croquette! Nicely fried on the outside and rich/ creamy on the inside. Yum!

Words of Wisdom:

No waits during lunch
Under $10
Creamy Croquettes!
Small menu selection
No sushi

We rate Guu:

Address:

838 Thurlow St
Vancouver, BC

Website: www.guu-izakaya.com

In Four Beakers

Kimura (Visit #4)

February 17, 2011

Visit #1 Visit #2 Visit #3

As you probably know now, I am a huge fan of Kimura’s and is kinda my “go to” place to have some great food with friends.

Since it was Vday, I made reservations ahead of time just in case they became very busy. Indeed they were, but I was smart to make they a week in advance. You should be ok, if you make it a day ahead of time.

M and I had a big bottle of Kirin ($8.95). It was a Large size and it could fill up about 8 small cups.

M and I love their Spicy tuna on Crispy rice ($4.50). It has pureed spicy tuna sit on top of a piece of lettuce and on a circle of fried crunchy flavoured rice. It is garnished with jalapenos, and various sauces. Eat with your hands because eating with chopsticks are a bit hard. Plus, it is meant to be eaten with hands.

M wasn’t so keen on the Omakase set this time, so when he heard there was kobe beef steak for $25, he jumped at the chance to order it. You don’t only get the steak, but you get miso soup, rice, and a salad.

The kobe beef was made medium rare and it was very nice and juicy. Did you know kobe beef is quite sought after due to their distinct rich flavour? Because of the really nice marbling of the fat, it gives this steak it’s great flavour.

The salad was quite simple and had no dressing. It is made mostly out of cabbage, radish, carrots, cucumber and a tomato. Still quite refreshing.

I couldn’t help but order Kimura’s Omakase set ($30). This is the only place I find that I can’t get bored of their food, plus the set always changes up a little bit. It’s a good way to range the skills and strengths of the restaurant.

The first dish the came was the appetizer and it contained pieces of chicken, taro, gelatin, fried sardines and kabocha Japanese squash.

I like their appetizer because they are simple and not heavy.

I always feel awesome when the salmon carpaccio arrives with the omakase! Thinly sliced salmon in sesame oil, citrus sauce, peppercorn, salt, and garnished with sprouts and onions. This is my favorite dish! Never gets old!

Second dish was the baked oyster with a miso may sauce. This was a bit different than the ones they had before. They added mayo into it so it tasted more like a motoyaki. Still pretty good.

The third dish was another Spicy tuna on Crispy rice. I totally didn’t know this would came as well….so as you can imagine the rice get me a bit too full.

The fourth dish was the miso soup.This is always good to drink because it is refreshing and is not like the usual miso soups. It tastes a bit cleaner and has tofu skin in it!

The fifth dish was the shrimp pasta salad. There’s actually not pasta in this, he makes the noodles out of shrimp. You can see the shrimp in the noodles. Good light and refreshing dish and yummy sauce.

They changed this up a bit, this time the noodles were a bit more uniform like fettucini.

The sixth dish was nigiri. Shrimp, tuna and salmon. The tops of a few of the sushi already has a thin layer of soy sauce, so you may not need to add more. Personal preference perhaps.

The seventh and final dish was green tea ice cream! It was really good green tea ice cream! You can choose from a whole bunch of ice cream options – mango, black sesame, and red bean…but this can change due to what they have available.

Words of Wisdom:

For best experience sit at the bar and talk to Kimura
Parking in front or in residential areas
Most items under $10
Lots of combos and specials
Customizable dishes
Amazing service! (Like actually!)
Fresh Ingredients
Be adventurous and don’t try the usual japanese items, thats how you will love this place
Omakase set and Spicy tuna with crispy rice and items you need to order!!

We rate Kimura Japanese Restaurant:

Website: http://www.sushikimura.com/

Address:

3883 Rupert Street
Vancouver, BC

In Burnaby Cariboo-Lougheed

Red Robins

February 15, 2011

This is what happens when you have night classes and are left with little choices of restaurants past 10pm. M, InsecureGirl and I headed over to Red Robins to grab a bite before more studying!

The closest Red Robins is located at Lougheed Mall Plaza. We’ve been here several times and its just regular food.

We all started off with the tower of onion rings. This is probably that one appetizer that everyone oogles at since it’s so tall. I just think it looks kinda pornographic. Anyways, the onion rings are pretty good, crunchy on the outside and savory onion in the center. It also comes with 2 sauces but the onion ring was too large to dip into the sauces, so you would need to rip the onion ring in half first.

InsecureGirl ordered the Creamy Classic Mac & Cheese ($11.49). It comes with a salad with choice of dressing and bread.

M and I both got the ensalada chicken platter ($13.49). There are 2 chicken breasts as well, but they were rather flat and not very pump. Comes with salad, salsa and a creamy lime sauce on the side.

Words of Widom:

Large amount of seating, good for b-day parties ( reservation is recommended)
Lots of parking
Free dessert for Birthday and they sing you songs!

We Rate Red Robin:

Address:

9628 Cameron St
Burnaby, BC

Website: www.canadarobin.com

In Cafe

The Dirty Apron

February 14, 2011

The Dirty Apron is many things….a cooking school, delicatessen, grocer, and a lunch/dinner hot spot. They are owned by the creators of Cafe Medina and Chambar. They are actually located on the same block as well.

Mandu and I passed by a few weeks ago and noticed this new place. It wasn’t until today that we decided to try it out.

Walking inside, you can see there are 2 aisles of packaged products. Most of these are packaged products, so you can find canned items, pre-made pasta sauces, and specialty ingredients.

They have a variety of meats if you want to grab some for home or create your own sandwich.

They have about 5 of their grilled sandwiches on display. You can look at them and decide which one you want. Then they will grill it up for you!

They also have daily hot food such as roasted chicken, soups, rice, lentils, pasta, and stews. While you are there, you should try out some of their cheese samples. You may discover a new cheese which you will LOVE.

They have one main menu for baguettes and grilled sandwiches. They range from $7 – $9.

Mandu first wanted a sandwich but then when she saw a huge plate of lasagna ($6.99), she had to have it. First of all, this is some steller lasagna. It has lots of meat and vegetables. Perfectly cooked and had an amazing flavour. Highly recommended if you come here!

While we were there, 3 other people in the dining area had this as well. On any rainy day, this lasagna will turn your whole day around!

I ordered the prosciutto Grilled sandwich ($8.99). Inside this sandwich are figs, prosciutto, watercress, cheese, balsamic and onions.

The bread was really nice, it has inside nuts and cranberries. the outside was nicely grilled so it had a bit of a crunch to it. The balsamic and onions made this a very savory sandwich. I wish this sandwich had a but more prosciutto because at times I felt I could taste more of the figs than prosciutto. Still, the sandwich was amazing.

Oh, they also have cooking classes! Seriously, such an amazing looking set up. Who wouldn’t want to cook here?!

Words of Wisdom:

Free parking at Tinsel Town (Supposed to be for patrons…but it’s ok)
Cheap lunch
Specialty ingredients
Lots of seating

We Rate The Dirty Apron:

Address:

540 Beatty Street
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.dirtyapron.com/

In Downtown

Italian Kitchen

February 13, 2011

Italian Kitchen is part of the Glowbal Group which bring Vancouver amazing restaurants such as Coast, Sanifir, Trattoria, and Society. They take pride in all of their restaurants, so visitors will not leave unsatisfied.

FinanceGirl and I were looking for a place to go for lunch and since Ramen was a bit too far to walk to from our offices, we chose Italian Kitchen.

It was my first time in any of the Glowbal Restaurants, so I was super excited to hear what all the hype was about.

The interior is really nice and chique. THe waitresses were really nice as well.

Their kitchen is open and near the dining area, so you can see the chefs whip up your meals.

Like any italian restaurant, they had the usual pasta, pizza, panini’s, and cheeses and meats.

Since we both wanted to try everything, we just decided to split everything.

We first ordered the Lamb Sausage Pizza ($15.50). It has peppered goat’s cheese, wild mushrooms, with a free range egg .

I loved this pizza because it was thin, crispy and had so much flavour. The pizza was cut up into 4 slices and had even toppings on each piece.

Next we had the Lobster and Crab Monte Cristo Sandwich ($14.50). It also contained egg and parmesan battered bread. It was a delicious sandwich but you could tell it was quite oily. Best eaten with a knife and fork if you don’t want oily hands.

It also came with a daily soup which was a potato and bacon soup. It really tasted like a baked potato

Overall, I really enjoyed the food at Italian Kitchen, it was a bit pricy for what we ordered at lunch, but I would consider coming back to either try out the To Go option or try out their other lunch specials.

Words of Wisdom:

Amazing decor and ambiance
Pricey
They have cheaper To Go options
Pizza is AMAZING

We Rate Italian Kitchen:

Website: www.theitaliankitchen.ca

Address:

1037 Alberni St
Vancouver, BC

In Four Beakers

Gohan Japanese Sushi (Visit #4)

February 13, 2011

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Previous Posts about Gohan : Visit #1 Visit #2 Visit #3

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M and I decided to go here since we really do love this place. It’s not a chain restaurant and the quality is always good.

As per usual we ordered the Toro Sashimi ($9.95). It’s really thin and just melts in your mouth! There is about 8 or 9 pieces.

Next we ordered a full order of Spicy Tuna ($9.95). There was about 8 or 9 pieces as well. Very nice tuna with an amazing spicy sauce on top. The sauce is probably a mix of mayo and spicy sauce? I’m actually not 100% sure but it’s different from other places.

Next we ordered the Garlic Chicken Karaage ($5.95). They are deep fried breaded chicken meat served with a light honey cream sauce.

This was a pretty average dish.

Next is the Spicy Garlic Calimari ($7.50). The calimari was pretty bland. Not as flavourful as the Chicken Karaage. Even though it was stated it was spicy garlic, I did not taste any hint of garlic at all. It should have been seasoned with a bit more salt and pepper.

It’s probably because I am so use to the calimari at other places and its a bit different.

Next I had the Deep Fried Ice Cream. This was the size of a baseball. I was very surprised the that Deep Fried Ice Cream was covered in so much breading and left with not too too much ice cream. I guess it’s a bit unique. It still tasted really good, the breading tasted more like tapioca pudding or some types of sweet bread. Worked really well together!

We really enjoyed Gohan and it has become our favorite place to go to in Burnaby to get sushi!

We rate Gohan:

They are located at:

Burnaby
1815 Rosser Ave S
Burnaby, BC

In Bar and Grill

Bon Chaz 1 Year Anniversary

February 13, 2011

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Previous BonChaz Posts: Visit #1

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BonChaz was celebrating their one year anniversary last week by giving away free BonChaz to all their customers. They decked out the restaurant by putting up lots of balloons.

Since I work pretty close by, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to stop by for lunch.

You can choose from any BonChaz for free. I ordered the Banana Walnut BonChaz. I know some people hate banana but I love them in desserts and pastries. The inner of the BonChaz has the banana fillings and its SO Good!

If you don’t know what a BonChaz is, it’s a coffee bun type of pastry. Crunchy on the top and filled in the center with a nice sweet filling.

Since I didn’t want to take the BonChaz and go back to work. I ordered their Avacado and Brie Sandwich with a Curry Chicken soup (About $8). It is served on very soft bread and stuffed with tomatoes, cucumber, mayo, brie and avocados.

At first glance, you would expect you would taste more bread than filling, but this was not the case! They were quite generous with the brie and avocados, so it was nicely distributed throughout the sandwich and not cut too thin.

It was just perfect!

They had 2 types of daily soups but I chose the curry chicken. Had good sizable pieces of chicken and very good consistency.

And that was my fantastic lunch! Happy 1 Year BonChaz and I expect many great things from your team in the upcoming years!

BonChaz is a nice little cafe to do a bit of work and have a snack. They have pastries, sandwiches, tarts, soups, coffee, and tea. I don’t think you can find such pastries anywhere else.

We rate BonChaz:

Check out their Facebook page: http://www.bonchaz.ca/

In product

Candy Aisle

February 12, 2011

Have you ever walked by Robson street and saw this candy shop? I’ve been going here for a few years and it really makes me feel like a kid again. They have so many different types of candies that you can’t find at any of the big box stores.

You know how there are so many candy bars you can find in the US, but you don’t get in Canada? They have some of that here.

They have so many types of gummies, sour candies…and even a lot of jelly bellys. They have all the colors of the rainbow!

They even have a wall full of Pez.

In the end I got Astros, which are chocolate covered wafer balls. They use to have it at places like Walmart. Now, they only sell them exclusively only in Africa.

M loves Milky Way since it was his favorite candy bar as a kid. It tastes similar to 3 Musketeers.

The last thing I got was the Milo Chocolate Bar. I usually have the drink but when I saw the chocolate version, I had to have it. It kinda reminded me of Aero.

I honestly think this is a really cool place to find gift. Who wouldn’t want a box of chocolates from their childhood. Or even some humorous chocolate bars. They have a lot of really weird things like chocolate covered crickets, scorpion lollipops, nintendo mints, and chocolate cigarettes.

Website: http://www.candyaisle.com/

Locations:

Downtown (635 Robson Street)
Kitsilano (2083 West 4th Ave)

In Dineout

DineOut: Ciao Bella Italian Restaurant & Piano Bar

February 12, 2011

My last Dineout of 2011 was at Ciao Bella was with FinananceGirl, SFUPretender, EnvyGirl and LGirl.

Ciao Bella is an Italian restaurant on Denman Street which has a lot of traditional italian dishes.

When we walked inside, the interior was very homely and they even had a piano player. This is seriously a perfect location for an intimate romantic dinner. Someone even get engaged while we were there. So crazy!

They have the DineOut menu and their regular menu. We stick to the DineOut since thats the purpose why we are going. It was $28 for 3 courses.

Before we got our appetizer, we got bread. You can drizzle oil and balsamic vinegar all over it! It’s so delicious. I even accidentally poured too much balsamic….so my bread looked all black. BUT it was still delicious because I love balsamic!

For my appetizer I got the Grameroni Della Casa, which is cold poached prawn cocktail with horseradish dip. This was a small appetizer since it only had 4 prawn. Since I love prawns I gobbled them down like they were potato chips. The prawns and the horseradish dip was just quite average and nothing too special.

Everyone else had the Zuppa Al Aragosta , which is the chef’s lobster bisque. They all liked the soup and loved how there were bits of lobster in it!

LGirl, SFU Pretender and I got the Pollo Pavorotti, which is a breast of free rangec chicken stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach. It is topped off with a Porcini mushroom demi glaze. You can choose either vegetables or pasta. But I chose vegetables because of my diet of no pasta or rice.

One thing that was a pain was cutting into the breast and the filling would just pour out. The chicken was a little on the dry side, but it you smother it in the sauce, it’s tastes just fine.

FinanceGirl and EnvyGirl ordered the Agnello E Gamberoni , which is grilled Lamb Chops and tiger prawns. Both of them got it with the pasta option.

LGirl ordered the Tiramisu. It has layers of lady fingers, marscarpone cream cheese, and chocolate.

SFUPretender and FinanceGirl ordered the Creme Carramelo, which isa custard dessert with a layer of caramel on top.

EnvyGirl and I had the Torta Chocolate, which is their house special chocolate italian cake. I think this was by far the best dessert, you have some rich chocolate cake and very nice chocolate mousse in the middle. Yum!

Words of Advice:

Parking in rear
Amazing live piano music
Amazing weekly deal and evening dinner specials (50% off pasta on weekday lunches)

We Rate Ciao Bella:

Website: www.ciaobellavancouver.ca

Address:

703 Denman St
Vancouver, BC

In Food for Thought

How to properly drink a Hot Chocolate

February 11, 2011

It has occurred to me I am oblivious when it comes to drinking hot chocolate. I always drink all the way to the bottom where most of the syrup and gunk settle. Is this really how you drink hot chocolate? I even googled, but they only tell me how to make hot chocolate.

There really shouldn’t be too much science or instruction to properly drink a hot chocolate….plus hot chocolate just looks so good to taste bad. In most of the hot chocolates I have encounter have the chocolate settle to the bottom of the cup. Powdered form of hot chocolate for sure wil have it.

The Hot Chocolate from Starbucks tasted so good until I got closer and closer to the bottom, as you can tell, there is the chocolate gunk that settles to the bottom and leave the last 1/4 of your Hot Chocolate to taste like sediments.

There are theories on the proper way to enjoy your hot chocolate. FinanceBoy is the biggest Hot Chocolate lover…EVER. If I told you how many hot chocolates he has had in a day… you would be scared.

Here are some of his tips to enjoy the best Hot Chocolate:

Find Hot Chocolate made with real chocolate rather than the powdered form
Don’t leave it for too long or else it’ll cool down too much
Stirring is always an option
Don’t drink the whole hot chocolate, leave 1/4 left in the cup to avoid the “gunk”

Suggested places for awesome hot chocolate:

I am not a hot chocolate expert, but perhaps you know a bit more than I do. If you would like to shed some light on enjoying hot chocolate or even some other places to get hot chocolate. Post a comment below!

In Fast Food

McDonalds: The ButterMilk Biscuits

February 9, 2011

I love writing reviews on new items at Fast Food Joints. I am sure most of you have heard that Mc Donalds has introduced the ButterMilk Biscuits at all locations in Canada. A few weeks ago, I passed by a few Mc Donalds and kept seeing signs advertising the sandwich. It wasn’t until I kept seeing commercials, billboards and so much online buzz about this Butter Milk Biscuit….I finally tried it. I have succumb to advertising pressure. Clearly, they have good advertising if they even made me upsize my meal. Damn the subconscious memories of childhood.

Whats even more sad is I bought 2 of these meals with:

OJ, 2 Hash Browns, 1 Egg and Bacon Biscuit, and 1 Egg and Sausage biscuit.

Since, most everyone know what the OJ and the hashbrowns taste like, we can skip that. I know you are mainly interested on the biscuits!

The Bacon and Egg Biscuit looked pretty good ..plus everyone loves bacon. At first bite, not too bad, but as I kept eating, I really could not taste too much of the filling. The ratio between the biscuit and the filling was not good. When I have it with the McMuffin, you can taste the the delicious bacon and egg.

The Sausage and Egg Biscuit was the same deal. Even though there is more meat compared the bacon and egg, I really couldn’t taste the oily fat of the sausage. When I eat the McMuffin version, I love love LOVE the grease!

Final thoughts:

Too much biscuit overpowers meat taste
Crumbles easier
Sticking with my Mc Muffin

In Dineout

DineOut: L’Abattoir

February 8, 2011

DineOut #2 was at L’Abattoir! I have actually never heard of this place until PhotographyGirl took me here with a bunch of people. This was all on the $38 menu category. Expensive, but we still saved a lot.

The name ‘L’Abattoir’ mean Slaughterhouse in english. It’s kinda funny because it’s nothing you would expect from such a nice sounding name. When we figured this out, we were enjoying out meatly entrees. hahaha.

L’Abattoir is located in the building which use to be Vancouver’s first jail. Even thought it use to be a jail, they really made this place look super amazing. I wish I took pictures but I didn’t for some reason. You can even feel a bit of eeriness when you see the bricked walls.

I LOVE THE BREAD. It came with 3 types – Anchovy cheese twists, bread buns with bacon bits, and this flat cracker type thing.

One of their appetizers were the Dungeness crab and chickpea toast ($13), it has toasted brioche, light crab custard, and carrot pickles. Everyone who had it loved it.

I had the Raw pacific oysters ($15). It has Mushroom and marrow croquettes. It was SO GOOD! Very light and delicate and has so much flavour! The bone marrow croquettes were also very flavourful.

For the entree a few of us had the Pan fried filet of steelhead ($24) It has Squash puree, olive gnocchi, and anchovy butter. The people that had it loved it and the foam was a really cool touch.

I had the Slow cooked loin of pork. It has Cassoulet, brussels sprouts, and mushroom. The pork was cooked perfectly and was not tough at all. Unlike some people, loved the brussel sprouts! Everything blended nicely.

Another entree was the Lamb loin and sausage ($26). It is served with grilled endive lettuce and cleriac (root-like vegetable).

Everyone had the Dark chocolate and coffee layer cake ($10). It is served with cherry apricot compote, whipped vanilla crème fraiche. It is nut free and rich! Everyone loved it and i envied them because i got something else.

I was different and got the Fizzy lemonade ($9) It has Blood orange sorbet, tapioca pearls, and earl grey granita. This I found was very sour. It was still a really cool dessert.

Words of Wisdom:

Dineout menu items are also on regular menu
Amazing food
On the expensive side…
Cool looking interior
Pay Parking on adjacent streets
Great place to just get drink…good for intimate date

We Rate L’Abattoir:

Address:

217 Carrall Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.labattoir.ca

In Downtown

Dae Ji

February 8, 2011

I went to Dae Ji during lunch and the hamburg steaks just looked pretty good. Dae Ji, serves up korean Pork cutlet and many other dishes. It is very popular amongst international students. BCIT, SFU, and a bunch of language school are only a few blocks away.

The interior is very orange and not too bad looking inside. The kitchen is an open kitchen, so you can watch the cooks cook up your meal.

THe menu isn’t too large, but there’s everything you need to be happy for a lunch.

I ordered the hamburg Steak ($8.50). Hamburg Steak is basically hamburger patties without the bread and fillings.

The dish came with 2 patties smothered in gravy and ketchup. There is also rice, macaroni, coleslaw and pickled radish.

The steaks were very moist and delicious, but the ketchup was a bit too sweet to go with the steak. it’s just a personal opinion, some people love it with ketchup.

As for the sides…the coleslaw and macaroni were really bland.

Words of Wisdom:

A block away from Granville Skytrain
Pay Parking on street
All items are under $10, very cheap

We Rate Dae Ji:

Address:

519 Dunsmuir Street
Vancouver, BC

In Cafe

Michi Waffle House (Visit #2)

February 8, 2011

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Continuation of :

Visit #1

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I went to Michi Waffle with a few friends but I was a bit too full for dinner to enjoy their amazing waffles. So, I got some tea instead.

I ordered the Premium Macha . I like to buy things blindly, what can’t be exciting about something that starts with premium. This tea is made with real macha, even though it does look a bit milky at the top, it’s just the foam from mixing it. Like most teas that come without sugar, it was quite bitter and strong, which is usual for green teas. They even give you a bit of red bean jelly thing. It works well to counter act the bitterness of the tea.

I always come here with friends just to chill when theres nothing else to do on Robson, plus we are pretty asian, so we enjoy our teas and dessert. We prefer this place over the other places like Capstone Tea House.

The ambiance of Michi Waffle and Espresso Bar is the perfect place to have a conversation. If you go there on a date or a meeting, it will leave a lasting impression.

We rate Michi Waffle and Espresso Bar:

Visit their website: http://michicafe.com/

In Four Beakers

Gohan Japanese Sushi (Visit #3)

February 6, 2011

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Continuation of :

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It was NotFauna’s goodbye dinner, so she decided that we go to Gohan Japanese

Since I am still on my no rice diet, I got the Age Chicken ($6.95). there are 4 chicken strips and a side of salad. The strips were deep fried and drizzled with teriyaki sause. The side salad had a citrus orange sauce.

Overall, it was pretty good, not too oily tasting. I would probably get this again.

Next I ordered half an order of spicy tuna sashimi ($5) and half an order of toro sashimi ($5). The spicy tuna had a really nice spicy sauce to it, it wasn’t like the other japanese restaurant where they just have korean hot sauce over it. They take time to make their own spicy sauce.

The toro sashimi was nicely cut and really fresh.

Words of Wisdom:

Great fast service
Food came very fast
High quality ingredients
The best toro you will ever eat!
Reasonably priced.
Closed on Sundays

We really enjoyed Gohan and it has become our favorite place to go to in Burnaby to get sushi!

We rate Gohan:

They are located at:

Burnaby
1815 Rosser Ave S
Burnaby, BC V5C

In Pub/Bar

SportsTown Taverna

February 5, 2011

Last week, I did a 3 hour lesson on Archery. Boy…was it ever fun. I’m not a Robin Hood yet, nor can i shoot an apple off your head…but I can ensure you that I can hit one of your organs. Be afraid..those arrows go fast!

Since the Archery Association has their facilities in SportsTown in Richmond, a bunch of us headed over to the taverna to get a quick bite.

I ordered the chicken strips ($10) and it came with a salad. There were 2 sauces..dijon mustard with the chicken strips and balsamic vinegar for the salad.

The chicken strips were pretty average. When it came down to having the salad, the balsamic vinegar sauce was fairly warm and tasted more like oil than balsamic. Some of their salad leaves seems a bit wilted and not too fresh.

The worst part was the service, I swear…there must have been one person working there. This woman was manning both the bar and the dinning area. It took her about 10 mins to acknowledge we were here…so we sat ourselves down. The menus took a while to get to our table too. Ordering was totally fine, but when we asked for the bill, she said she would bring it right away because we were in a rush….5 mins later we saw her at the bar chatting up with a customer.

You may think I am probably just crazy, but I am not. The dinning room had only one group of people seated…and this was us.

Words of Wisdom: