September 2011

In Japanese

Suika: Suika Me Silly Dining Package

September 29, 2011

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Suika Me Silly” dining package and write a review about it. I got a complementary dining package for myself and bought an additional one for a friend to keep the review as unbiased as I could. This review does not guarantee 100% similar service you might normally get from this restaurant.

I’ve been to Suika before and its always seems so busy, even for a weekday! Suika is a Japanese Snack Bar on Broadway. They are similar to the other Izakaya restaurants in Vancouver. VANEATS.ca is offering a “Suika Me Silly” Dining Package in October, which has 6 different items for $16. I came with InsecureGirl to see if the dining package lives up to expectations.

The first thing I noticed was that almost all the tables had reservations! I felt bad since I didn’t make a reservation beforehand, but they were nice enough to find a table for us. (If I accidentally took your table, I am very very sorry!!!!)

I love their lights! It’s made from old Japanese glass bottles. Seems pretty cool and makes good photos.

Before InsecureGirl and I dug into the dining package, we needed our fix of Japanese beer! The dining package does not come with drinks, so you have to order it on top of the dining package.

Asahi Black ($6.40) is InsecureGirls pick of beer. Asahi Black is a dark lager made with barley, maize and rice. Even though it is called “black”, it is in no way like Guiness! It’s not very heavy or bitter. Just like the normal Asahi, it is still crisp and light, but with a strong nutty taste.

Sapporo Pint ($5.80) is my favorite beer of all time. The taste is light and crisp, but not as heavy as the Asahi Black. Its great with raw food and doesn’t leave a strange taste lingering in my mouth.

“Beef Tataki”, smoked AAA beef filet tataki.

This is the first dish that will arrive at your table. It is thinly sliced beef filet with the accompaniment of crisp garnishes. InsecureGirl and I both liked it, but I found the slices to be a little bit too thick for my liking. InsecureGirl didn’t think it was too thick, but it is a bit thicker than the beef tataki at Guu. It’s just personal preferences. If you just focus on the quality, it’s pretty good. The beef is nicely marbled with fat, so it is tender.

“Ma-Po Rice Cake” and “Corn Kakiage”

This will be the second plate that will arrive at your table. It has 2 different items.

“Corn Kakiage”, organic corn niblets fried with cilantro batter, soy sauce and butter

We really really loved this dish. Its something different that most restaurant. Plus, corn is just delicious! The cilantro batter holds all the niblets together and doesn’t fall apart too easily. The addition of the butter complements the corn nicely…thus thats why butter and corn is so popular.

“Ma-Po Rice Cake”, deep fried rice cake w/spicy ground pork sauce dusted w/Japanese pepper

InsecureGirl and I did not really like this dish. The sauce tasted nice, but we didn’t think it matched well with the rice cake. If they had fried tofu instead, it would have been good. It was just so hard to eat the rice cake since it’s so sticky and had to chew.

I personally find that rice cakes are a korean thing and the ma-po sauce is a Chinese or Taiwanese thing. It was just weird mixing the two. Some people may disagree.

“Negitoro Battera”, pressed sushi with tuna belly, scallions, avocado & sesame topped with home made soy dressing & seaweed sauce

InsecureGirl was not really impressed by this dish since she’s had it during a previous dinner here. She finds that there is too much rice and the flavour of the negitoro does not shine through.

I found that this pressed sushi falls apart quite easily, but the seaweed sauce was a good accompaniment to the negitoro. I also agreed that it can be hard to taste the flavour of the negitoro with all the rice.

Not that many restaurants offer the “pressed-sushi”, so it is something new to try.

“Aburi Shime-Saba Sushi”, seared cured mackerel pressed sushi served with mustard soy dressing

Yet again we both found that is also fell apart easily and had a lot of rice. The mackerel on top tasted very nice. It does have a fishier taste than salmon, but some people like that.

“Matcha Brulee”, frozen matcha creme brulee with fresh whipped cream & red bean sauce

This was really good. I have never had frozen matcha creme brulee before. It was like eating ice cream.

Overall, we felt that the ‘Silly Me Suika’ provides a good value for $16. To a newcomer to Suika, it’s a good way to get a sense of their menu offerings. Usual dishes are priced at $7ish, so you do save money.

You can purchase the Silly Me Suika Dining Package at VANEATS.ca for $16, there’s only 50 available, so get it fast! Starts October 1st and is redeemable till the end of the month!

Words of Wisdom:

Pay parking on Street
Reservations highly recommended!

We Rate Suika:

Address:

1626 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC

In North Burnaby

The Ladle: Grilled Cheese + Soup

September 28, 2011

The Ladle is one of the few places on at the SFU Burnaby campus that will really cater to vegetarians. It’s close by since I’m always at the West Mall Center. It’s cheap and won’t run you out of all your money.

Spicy Vegetable Soup was really nice it is like a tomato soup filled with vegetables. The best part is the spicy kick. It’s not over powering, but it does tingle your taste buds a bit.

They have lots of different types of soups, so you really gotta choose wisely. You can ask to try the soups too if you are unsure of what to get.

Grilled Cheese is my favorite! It is made of whole wheat bread with cheddar and mozzarella cheese in the middle. I honestly think the cheese slices aren’t real slices of cheese but rather the processed slices. I could be wrong though…

Nonetheless, the sandwich was grilled perfectly and had a nice crunch on the outside.

I would say go here if you don’t want to walk all the way to the cornerstone. Too bad there’s no meat here.

Words of Wisdom:

Grilled Cheese, Creamy Mushroom Soup, or shepards pie are my Favs
Mac & Cheese is super super bland…get some salt and pepper if you get the dish
Under $10
Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten-Free Friendly

We Rate Ladle:

Address:

8888 University High St
Burnaby, BC

In Food for Thought

Philippine Branded Drinks: What I Came Out of the Store Buying

September 27, 2011

After I went to yoga, I stopped by the store for some groceries and well…I always come out buying more than I anticipated to buy. Ever since I went to Kulinarya, I could not stop thinking about the Philippine Brand drinks…I saw them all lined up on a shelf and I must try them all!

Mango Nectar is quite sweet and reminded me of their dried mangoes. The juice is quite thick compared to normal juices. It’s best when it’s chilled.

Calamansi is a little lime that they have in the Philippines. It is not thick and its also best served cold. I really like this because it’s not overly sweet and refreshing!

Mango Calamansi was not my favorite. I found that the mango dominated the calamansi and the balance wasn’t quite right.

Guava is not my favorite by a long shot. I found that it was very sweet and too thick for my liking. I much prefer Vita Soy’s version of Guava.

Pineapple was good! It was sweet but not too sweet. I find that with some pineapple juices, they don’t taste very authentic, but I thought this had a great taste!

I know the Mandarin Orange Beverage from Six Fortune isn’t part of the Philippine Branded drinks, but when I was shopping it was on the same shelf so I grabbed it. Plus I grew up drinking this…and I love it!

I like the taste and the amount of pulp inside. I honestly think it’s better than Tropicana! But…what can I say, I was brainwashed my childhood to believe this is the best orange juice I have ever had.

Have you ever had any of the drinks above?

In Coquitlam

Ddoo Gau Bee (The Toad): Average Food, Mediocre Service

September 26, 2011

Ddoo Gau Bee is a Korean Restaurant on North Road that serves up traditional Korean food. They also make sushi, but I actually have never ordered it here.

A long time ago, I use to come to Ddoo Gau Bee often, but after an incident where they rushed our table out due to another reservation and chased us down because we didn’t tip enough. It left a very sour taste in my friends mouth. M, Scarface, InsecureGirl and I were in the area and decided to give it another go. Years have passed and perhaps something has changed.

This time, we walked in the door at 3pm and the place was empty. The 4 of us stood in the middle of the restaurant, but there was no one in sight. It took the workers in the back to notice we were standing there looking super confused. Instead of a waitress or waiter telling us which seat to sit at, one of the kitchen staff showed us where to sit. I’m sure this doesn’t happen during the busier times in the day, but it’s lunch time at anytime for students.

We started off with complementary side dishes. It has spinach, potatoes, picked radish and kimchi. M really enjoyed the kimchi because it has a homemade taste. Since he is Korean, he seems to have a 6th sense about kimchi. He says you know by the fresh crisp bite of the cabbage.

Kan Poong Ki ($16.95) is fried crispy chicken in hot chili vegetable sauce. It’s pretty good and delicious! It’s a bit sweet and spicy at the same time. It’s a bit pricey, but it’s similarly priced to other restaurants in the area.

Jajang with rice ($7.95) is is the black bean sauce served over rice with a side of egg. There usually isn’t the egg on the side, but for some reason there was. The best way to eat the dish is by mixing the rice and sauce thoroughly.

Spicy Pork ($9.95) comes on a sizzling place and it is very spicy. As you can see by the red sauce, it will hurt you later in the evening ….if you know what I mean. This comes with a side of rice.

Jam Ja Bok ($9.95) has Jajang Mein, jampong and fried rice. The jajang mein and jampong comes is a dish thats split in half. The jajang mein has noodles on the bottom, so you will need to mix it well.

The jampong is always very spicy to me. It is essentially a spicy seafood noodle soup. I found both of their tastes pretty average. You do get your moneys worth since you do get to have 3 different dishes in 1.

The fried rice that comes with the Jam Ja Bok combo is not bad. It has the scrambled egg on top covering the fried rice. I guess you can call this omurice (omelette + rice).

Overall, the food was alright, but I would not say it was exceptional. The service is also mediocre. This place is good for large groups if you want a venue for a large birthday party. In terms of just the food, I much prefer Hee Rae Deung Korean Chinese Restaurant a few blocks away.

Words of Wisdom:

Large varied menu
Traditional Korean Restaurant that also serves sushi
Takes reservations…but no need on a usual day if its a small group
Large space for large groups/parties
Mediocre service

We Rate Ddoo Gau Bee:
Address:

203-4501 North Road
Burnaby, BC V3N

Website:
www.ddoogaubee.com

In Commercial Drive / Grandview

Nuba Waldorf: Worst Dining Experience Ever

September 25, 2011

Nuba Cafe opened up at the renovated Waldorf Hotel on Hastings. They serve up delicious Lebanese food.

When we arrived, the place was packed. The hostess greeted us and we had to wait a 5 minutes for a table, so they told us to wait at the bar. They had lots of reservations, but the only table available was a table at the back of the restaurant beside the back exit to the hotel. It seemed like the most out of place table in the entire restaurant. We still didn’t mind since we were looking forward to the meal.

Looking around, it is a beautiful venue and it was quite lively at night.

At a later point in the night, all the lights get dimmer to set the mood.

Mexican Cola ($4) is similar to the usual coca-cola, but made with cane sugar. The old school bottle made it fun to drink!

Young Coconut ($6.50) is a real coconut that is brought to your table. The juice is very sweet and crisp! You even get a small spoon to scoop out the coconut meat to eat.

Fruit et Feta with chicken($9.50 +$4) has Macedonian feta, dried nuts and apricots with organic greens and a red wine pomegranate vinaigrette. I added on chicken for an additional $4. I have to say, I was quite disappointed by the size of the skewer…and for $4…quite a rip off! The salad did get me quite full since it was filled with lots of dried fruits and nuts!

Here is where the dining experience started to take a turn for the worse.

As I got my entree, M’s Lamb stew never arrived. We thought that the lamb stew would take a bit longer since salads are so much faster to prepare. I thought I would wait till he got his entree, but since he’s a gentleman, he told me to go ahead and start. I was hungry, so I didn’t mind. Half way though my salad, I dropped my fork, so I thought I would wave down a waitress to get me a new one. I tried flagging them a few times but no one seemed to notice us. I shrugged it off and just took M’s fork since his food didn’t arrive yet.

I ate the salad pretty slowly for 40 minutes but still no sign of the entree. We thought this was particularly strange, so we tried yet again to flag down the waitress. A few of them passed us by and we saw our waitress tend to a few tables 2/3 times…and she didn’t even once stop by our table to ask how we were doing.

Now it was an hour later, I was close to finishing my dish and the waitress finally see our hands up. We ask what the status of M’s entree was and she said she did not hear us ordering the lamb strew. She felt bad and asked us if we still wanted it, M politely declined since there was no point since I was almost done my dish. She told us we should of totally flagged her down. (We tried!!!! Oh god! We really tried hard!). She even offered the dish free of charge, but we declined again since we had to go. She said the music in the room was quite loud and she also didn’t hear an order at another table.

I don’t completely blame her since it was a busy night, but it would be good to repeat customers orders just in case you didn’t hear anything, also check up on them. Plus, isn’t it strange that 2 people walk into a restaurant and order 2 drinks and a salad? We’re asian, but we aren’t that cheap.

To compensate us, they didn’t charge us for the coconut drink. It was nice of them, but still left us feeling bitter. In the end, I spent $24 eating a salad, drinking drinks, flaggin down waitresses, and watching M get hungry & frustrated. This might have just been my asian side, but I thought they should have compensated us for the whole meal.

Thanks Nuba, you ruined a perfectly good date for us. You may have good food, but you ruined our night.

Do keep in mind that this is probably those rare occurrences that happen, so I’m sure it doesn’t happen every night.

Words of Wisdom:

Special Menu’s every month
Make reservations in advanced and ask to be seated by the booths near the window
More expensive than the other Nuba locations

We Rate Nuba Waldorf:

Address:

1489 E Hastings St
Vancouver, BC V5L

Website:
www.waldorfhotel.com/nuba/

In Japanese

Yamato Sushi: $5.95 Sushi Special Combos

September 24, 2011

After a night of 2 back to back yoga sessions, CanuckGirl and I went to Yamato Sushi for some cheap eats. They are known for their cheap affordable sushi combos and bento boxes.

They have very limited seating, so take-out is quite popular. You could easily just take out and eat at a nearby park as well. The seats are in 2’s and 4’s so it’s not meant for large groups.

Just looking at their menu, there is nothing over $8, unless it’s a party tray. Great for students and people on a tight budget!

The other items that are ala carte are still cheap!

Tuna and Salmon Combo ($7.45) comes with tuna maki roll, salmon maki roll, 2 salmon nigiri and 2 tuna nigiri. You also get miso soup on the side. The sashimi was fresh and it satisfied my cravings of raw fish.

It’s not the best put together rolls as you can see the non uniformity of the maki rolls.

The miso soup that comes with all combos is pretty average, nothing spectacular. Nothing to complain about either.

Sushi Special A ($5.95) has tuna maki, california roll, yam tempura roll, salad and miso soup. This is an even better deal than the salmon and tuna combo. You get way more food and for much cheaper!

All the rolls are well made really good for the price. CanuckGirl likes this place because it’s cheap and you can’t beat their prices.

The salad that comes with this combo is your usual salad with the citrus sauce on top. If you do take out, you won’t get the salad.

Overall, the prices are great and the food is decent. You get what you pay for, so don’t expect this to be the best sushi you have ever had.

Words of Wisdom:

$5.95 sushi special combos are worth the price!
Decent food, nothing super amazing
Not authentic Japanese Food
Best to get sushi rolls

We Rate Yamato Sushi:
Address:
616 Davie St
Vancouver

In Downtown

Frenchies 50s Diner: Montreal Smoked Meat of Disappointment

September 23, 2011

I always by this place when I walk to Stadium Skytrain. I always look inside and drool at the montreal smoked meat, but never had a chance to go inside. This week, I thought I would go since I was a hungry girl needing some lunch. Frenchies focuses on French-Canadian like montreal smoked meat and poutine.

You really can’t get anymore Canadian than this. There are so many warning signs outside saying this place is addictive.

The interior is set to a 50s diner theme. Pretty cool since there’s not that many around.

The interior has a few seats, not the best for large groups since seats are in 4s and 2s. They have a few old hockey photos on the walls too.

Trio smoked meat (~$15) comes with 5oz montreal smoked meat sandwich with fries and pop. I found this to be quite expensive especially for lunch. If i’m paying $15 for lunch, it better be damn good.

Looking at the cross section, the amount of meat was quite decent. The bread was sourdough and it had mustard. The meat was nice and delicate.

Even though this picture is nice, it’s not a great representation of the sandwich!

All the meat was bunched up in the center and very little was on the edges. I felt lied to!! It really did not feel like 5oz of meat. The edges of the sandwich were basically empty. The only good bite was the first bite in the center.

The fries that came with this was pretty good. Nice and crispy on the outside. I love crispy fries!

I was pretty disappointed, it was expensive and not worth the price at all! There are so many better restaurants in the area that would even be cheaper. I would not visit again.

Words of Wisdom:

Around $15 for lunch
expensive for what you get
Mediocre service

We Rate Frenchies 50s Diner:

Address:

425 Dunsmuir Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.frenchies-diner.com

In Fast Food

A&W: Whistle Dog (Yes, they serve hot dogs)

September 21, 2011

M was on the hunt for the famous Whistle Dog from A&W. It was popularized by the ‘All She Wrote’ song by T.I. and Eminem. In the lyrics, Eminem raps “they say McDonalds isn’t a restaurant well I guess I’m wrong
but if you gon tell me that the A&W aint the spot for the best hot dogs you can get the “F” on dawg”.

I’m not exactly sure why it was in the song, but it really made M want to get this. I found hot dogs at A&W so interesting because people normally order the chicken or the burgers. I’ve never ever heard of a whistle dog until now. It’s also pretty hidden on their menu and not available at certain locations. The larger A&Ws will have it, but express places like the Waterfront locations don’t have it.

For $3.60, the whistle dog comes on a toasted hot dog bun with relish, sausage, processed cheese and bacon. The sausage is nicely butterflied , so you get more sausage taste from every bite. They probably don’t make this that often, so M had to wait 5 minutes for them to prepare it. Not very ‘fast’ for fastfood.

It’s obviously not comparable to the usual hotdog, but it’s not too bad. We really loved the addition of the bacon and the gooey cheese. For $4 after tax, I might as well just make it myself at home.

Have you tried this before?

In Four Beakers

Cafe Medina: Lineups + Delicious Lunch

September 20, 2011

CanuckGirl gets off early sometimes, so I take advantage of it and eat delicious lunches without feeling lonely! I have to admit, I do quite often eat lunch alone and it can be mighty depressing. CanuckGirl loves Cafe Medina and they have a reputation of delicious eats…especially brunch!

I’ve been doing quite a few revisits lately, but every visit is special to me and it’s a good way to see how consistant restaurants are with their quality. Also, it’s good to note if something changes.

Whenever I see Matcha Latte (12oz – $4.25) on a menu, I must have it. I honestly did not like their matcha latte. I found it very gritty and made me want to grab some water. I have pretty high standard for matcha lattes ever since I’ve been to Sajin’s Green Tea House. Once you go to Sajin’s nothing else can really compare.

Best to stick with the Lavender latte instead when you are here.

They ran out of a few things on the menu, so CanuckGirl ordered the Saumon Fume ($12). It is served on a toasted open faced ciabatta bread with a fried egg, smoked salmon, caper cream cheese, avocados, and arugula. You don’t need to put these together like a sandwich, it’s best eaten separately with a knife and fork.

The best part is really the runny yolk. It’s always fun to pop it and smother it all over everything!

I felt very very meaty today, so I got the Les Boulettes ($14). The meatballs are made out of spicy moroccan lamb and beef. It’s actually not that spicy. In the sauce, there is roasted vegetables! to complement the meaty side of the dish, they also serve you with hummus and grilled foccacia. The taste of the meatballs were very nice, but I felt like I needed some rice to go with this. Perhaps that just my asian self craving rice. It was still a filling dish with exotic flavours.

Overall, the food at Cafe Medina is quite consistant. Even the line ups are consistant. I wouldn’t be embarrassed to bring anyone here. Great food and great atmosphere!

Words of Wisdom:

2 hours free parking at Tinsel Town (I know its for patrons…but FREE parking! I break rules)
Waffles and lavender lattes are popular
Best to go in 2s for quick seating

We rated Cafe Media:

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

Address:

556 Beatty St
Vancouver, BC

In Chinatown

Phnom Penh: Coffee, Butter Beef, Wings and Luc Lac

September 19, 2011

Back to Phnom Penh to try more of their delicious food! @etodac grabbed a few of us here because he just needed to try their famous chicken wings. I wanted to come here for more butter beef…if you’ve tried Phnom Penh before, you know what I’m taking about.

If you are new to Phnom Penh, they are a vietnamese restaurant serving up authentic dishes. It is the most talked about restaurant in Vancouver. The have amazing food at great prices… but it’s in the sketchy area of Chinatown.

Phnom Penh is always packed! For 4 people, it took us about 15 minutes to get a table. The turnover rate of each table gets cleared pretty fast. The larger the group, the longer it will to get a table. They have won numerous awards and is the “go to” place for Vietnamese food! Forget the Pho…theres more to their cuisine that just that.

Condensed Milk Iced Coffee is something I have to get here…every single time! You just wait for the coffee to drip down, then you mix the coffee and the condensed milk together. To cool it down, just add the ice. I love this coffee because its bold and strong!

The Buttered Beef ($8.95) is one of the dishes that I always get! You can’t come here and not try it… unless you are a vegetarian or hate raw beef. Its a dish that is great for sharing…plus you don’t want to eat this all by yourself or else you might get a heart attack.

Deep Fried Chicken Wings ($12.50) is another staple dish that you must get! It is topped off with garlic, onion, and other stuff. There’s also a lemon and pepper sauce to go with the wings.

Luc Lac with no egg is a rice dish with a bunch of tender marinated beef. This beef was really really tender!! It also comes with side of salad and cucumbers to balance out the meaty dish.

It also comes with a a beef bone soup on the side as well.

Phnom Penh two kinds of noodle no broth wasn’t as exciting as the other dishes. The two types of noodles are egg and rice. It was alright, but didn’t stand out.

Beef Bone Soup comes complementary with the rice or noodle dishes on the menu. Very nice clean broth with a good chunk of meat.

I always find that the usual items that are most popular will tingle your taste buds. Good price with good food! Can’t go wrong.

Words of Wisdom:

Very busy during peak hours…line up for sure!
Marinated Butter beef, Chicken Wings, Luc Lac, and Deep fried squid!!!
Metered parking on street
Kinda sketch looking area….near chinatown
Closest Skytrain: Main

We Rate Phnom Penh:

Address:

244 E Georgia St
Vancouver, BC

View Larger Map

Vancouver

In Four Beakers

Sushiyama: Cheap + Amazing Bento Boxes

September 17, 2011

InsecureGirl and I were itching to eat before we had to go to a friends party Downtown, so we decided to check out Sushiyama, I’ve heard their ebi sunomono was huge and people keep telling me to go.

The owners of Sushiyama are Korean, so don’t expect this to be super authentic. It seems like its a trend for Koreans to open up Japanese Restaurants for some reason.

Deluxe Yama Box ($12.95) comes with miso soup, assorted sashimi, ebi sunomono, gyoza, tempura and spicy tuna roll. For the price that you pay, its a really good deal

The miso soup is similar to most restaurants with the addition of the green onion.

The ebi sunomo is probably the best I have had in a while. This is because of their larger pieces of ebi. They are still not the best ebi, but it makes the sunomono much appealing to devour.

The assorted tempura is lightly battered and had the yummy “crunch” when you bite into it. I think if they added a little bit more salt, the flavours of the ebi and vegetables would pop out more.

The Gyoza is deep fried and comes with 2 pieces for this combo.

The assorted sashimi comes with 2 of each type – tuna, salmon, red snapper and toro. Good sized pieces and they were really good!

The spicy tuna roll was cut up Korean style…like how they cut the Kimbap. It had a good amount of spicy sauce added to the tuna , it is them complemented by the cucumbers and avocado to tone down the heat. Very enjoyable!

In addition to the Combo, we ordered Grilled Black Cod. I forgot what the price was, but it was definitely under $10. InsecureGirl wanted this because it just melts in your mouth! I had it a few time before at other restaurants and it still pretty good here! The meat is very tender and a bit oily.

Overall, the food was decent and it was cheap! The downside is that this place is PACKED and service is quite mediocre. If you can handle that, then you should be alright.

Words of Wisdom:

Very cheap and affordable
Mediocre service
Long Lines
Best to go in 2’s if you hate to wait. the larger the group, the long it will take
Bento boxes are of great value if you want to try a bit of everything

We Rate Sushiyama:

Address:
371 E Broadway
Vancouver, BC

In Four Beakers

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese: “World’s Best” Mac & Cheese

September 16, 2011

I came here a while ago with a few of my friends. I’ve been to Pike Place in Seattle before, but I never knew it was home to the “World’s Best” Mac & Cheese. The next time I visited, I knew this had to be on my list of places to go. I found out through Follow Me Foodie’s post about Beecher’s Handmade Cheese.

When we arrived in the afternoon, this place was packed! Line ups out the doors and people were everywhere. All these cheese are made in house and used in all their products.

They have a large open room, so while you wait, you can watch their staff in action making all the cheese. There’s so much cheese!!

Here’s a very bad view of their menu! I couldn’t move around to find a good spot to take a photo.

I know this is the place for Mac & Cheese, but we really couldn’t leave without some grilled cheese. With a row of their panini presses, you can’t resist!

Ham & Flagship ($7.27 USD) has ham, their all natural Flagship cheese and tomato on a rustic artisan bread. Imagine your classic ham and cheese, but so much better! The outside in perfectly grilled, so when you bite into it, you get an amazing “CRUNCH”. The inside is savory and deliciously gooey!

Grilled Cheese ($5.91 USD) is made with the Flagship cheese in the rustic artisan bread. Nicely toasted and it’s so good! Good choice of bread and quality of cheese just make this sandwich amazing!

‘World’s Best’ Mac & Cheese (5oz- $5 USD) is very very very very good! It is made with penne pasta with a good amount of their Flagship cheese. The whole dish is very savory and is very rich. I’ve never had anything as good as this.

Mariachi Mac & Cheese (5oz- $5 USD) is a Mexican twist to the traditional Mac & Cheese. It contains roasted chilies, vegetables, their Flagship cheese with penne. We all shared this and it was not our favorite. It does have an added kick, but the ‘World’s Best’ Mac & Cheese is still our favorite.

Overall, very amazing eat here if you are a cheese lover. They take a lot of pride in their flagship cheese and the quality really shows when you grab food here.

Words of Wisdom:

Recommended items: ‘World’s Best’ Mac & Cheese + Grilled Cheese
Packed during peak hours.. or long weekends
Decent prices
Under $10
AMAZING Delicious food!

We Rate Beecher’s Handmade Cheese:

Address:

1600 Pike Pl
Seattle, WA

Website:
www.beechershandmadecheese.com

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/beecherscheese

Twitter:

@BeechersSeattle

In Coquitlam

Kulinarya: Delicious Heart Attack

September 16, 2011

Back to Kulinarya to have the last supper with Fabo before she heads off to Western to finish off her degree. We wanted something good in the Coquitlam area, so we decided to eat here.

It wasn’t very busy in the evening, so finding a table was no issue. Something about all the mirros and the old style wall paper just creeps me out. I think it’s because I watched too many horror films.

Dalandan Soda ($2) is a carbonated lime-like soda. It tasted pretty good, but I really didn’t like the look of the can. I am a bit of a design nazi.

Calamansi Juice ($2) is essentially lime juice made out of calamansi- the tiny tiny Filipino limes. It tastes very good and it’s something you should try.

Both of them taste somewhat similar, but the Dalandan Soda is carbonated and Calamansi is not carbonated.

Large Garlic Rice ($4.50) is very good and it has a good amount of garlic flavour. Very aromatic and tasty. If you are tired of just plain rice, this is a good change.

Pancit Malabon ($12) are thick rice noodles garnished with shrimps, hardboiled eggs, smoked fish flakes and pork cracklings. I thought this dish was alright, not that special.

Sizzling Sisig ($10) is crispy minced pork served on a sizzling plate. In the middle of the plate, there is a raw egg. All you need to do is mix everything together and it’s just yummy. Don’t eat this dish on your own because it’s filled with a lot of calories! The taste is so good, but it’s best with a bit of rice as well because it’s quite oily.

I have this every time and it’s pretty delicious.

Lechon Kawali ($9) is deep fried pork belly. The skin is super crispy, but it was also very fatty at the same time. I didn’t like the end pieces because there isn’t too much meat. As you can tell there is a large glob of fat at the end. It’s a dish that is meant to be shared. It’s still pretty delicious but when you eat too much. you won’t feel to good.

Overall, pretty consistant and delicious between the 2 visits that I’ve been here. THe best dishes are the ones with meat!

Words of Wisdom:

Free Parking in the front
A bit expensive
Pretty good authentic Filipino food
Most dishes are meant for sharing
Busy during peak hours
Popular for take out

We Rate Kulinarya:

Address:

114 – 2922 Glen Drive
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
www.kulinarya.ca

In Fast Food

Costco: Hot Dog, Pop, Twist Ice Cream, Churros For Under $3

September 14, 2011

CanuckGirl and I took an impromptu trip to the states. We shopped till we dropped, but we didn’t want to over indulge on food too. Soo…what we did was go to Costco for lunch. I always wanted to go to Costco in the states because of their Churros. They don’t sell churros in Canada’s Costcos.

Hotdog + Pop Combo ($1.50 USD) is basically the same in Canada. It’s an all beef hotdog thats 1/4 of a pound! This is not your sissy hotdog. You’ll be satisfied eating this! You can add mustard, ketchup, relish and even chopped onions!

Twisted Soft Serve Ice Cream ($1.35 USD) will bring back memories of your childhood when you take a good look at it. Remember when McDonalds had the twist cone? You get a lot of ice cream for what you pay for, it’s literally a whole cup! If you get this with the hotdog, you will be full.

Churro ($1 USD) is warm on the inside, crispy on the outside and coated in cinnamon and sugar! I love churros and what made me so drawn to this was how long this was! I’ve had churros in Vancouver and I’ve never seen it so large.

While I was holding it to get ready to eat, I felt like I could cast a spell on everyone around me. Alakazam! The churro tasted great, but what sucked so bad about this churro was how you would get so dirty! The cinnamon and sugar would just be falling everywhere.

Overall, I think meals at Costco are worth the price. CanuckGirl and I were so happy because we only spent a measly $3 USD on lunch. You might be thinking to yourself…”I don’t have a Costco Card, thus I can not eat here”. False! CanuckGirl and I forgot our Costco Cards at home, so we snuck in from the exit and pretended we were going to customer service. Works every time!!

Words of Wisdom:

1/4 pound hot dogs +pop combo
Pizza seemed pretty popular too and HUGE slices
No Costco card needed
Dirt Cheap!
Under $5 per meal

In Gastown

Guu Gastown: Guu’d Food

September 13, 2011

My goal in life is to go to every single Guu in the world! Hopefully that can be achieved in my lifetime….which may be hard since locations keep popping up around the world. Today, my adventures brought me to Guu Gastown for a friends “catch up” dinner.

Even though I put down reservations, we still had to wait in line. I came prepared and came a bit early to make sure we didn’t have to wait too long.

We got seated at their large window…my this wasn’t too bad of a view but it did get colder once the night rolled in. For the people attending the dinner that didn’t know where it was…its a fun idea to scream out the window so they know where Guu Gastown is. Keep in mind, that would be very embarrassing if others started looking at you.

The menu is similar on most days, but they also have a fresh sheet too.

You know me, Sapporo is a must at Guu. We ordered 2 pitchers and they have the tall Sapporo glasses. Yum!

Tako Wasa ($3.50) is marinated cooked octopus with wasabi and its served with sides of roasted seaweed. This is not a dish for everyone. If you hate wasabi, best to avoid. I love this dish because wasabi give your face a nice kick. I am not a big fan of wasabi, but I quite enjoy it in this form with the octopus.

Ebi Mayo ($7.80) are deep fried prawns in a crispy batter with spicy mayo. I really don’t like ebi mayo battered like this. It’s a bit thick and I think the other Guu’s make it better.

Takoyaki ($4.80) are deep fried battered octopus balls with tonkatsu sauce, wasabi mayo, mustard mayo, bonito flakes and dried seaweeed.

It’s pretty good and comes with 5 pieces. So much better than night market!

Saba with Garlic Herb ($7.20) is soy sauce + olive oil grilled mackerel with garlic chips, bill, peppers, herbs, lemon and onions.

I find the best part about this are the garlic chips! The saba has no bones, so it’s great for children!

Guu Tataki ($6.20) is seared beef sashimi with ponzu sauce, garlic chips and green onions. There’s really nothing I can say about this dish since its so delicious!

Eel Cutlet and Egg ($7.20) is deep fried panko breaded eel with kabayaki sauce, topped with a soft egg and japanese peppers. I’ve never had anything like this and CandiedZen and I just thought this dish was fabulous. The crunchiness of the fried eel matches with the soft gooey egg.

Sashimi Salad ($8.20), I was not very impressed by…but it did still taste good.

Guu Yakiudon ($7.50) is pan fried udon with beef, green onions and mushrooms topped with bonito flakes and dried seaweed. Always one of the most delicious dishes!

Overall, the choices on the menu were pretty good. I like how all the Guu’s have similar items, but are executed a bit differently. You really can’t get bored of the different Guu chains. After trying the Gastown location, I still prefer Guu Garden and Guu Garlic.

Words of Wisdom:

Yakiudon, eel cutlet and egg, beef tataki recommended
Very busy during the evenings
Best to get reservations
Closest Skytrain: Waterfront

We Rate Guu Gastown:
Address:

375 Water St
Vancouver, BC

Website:

www.guu-izakaya.com/gastown.html

Twitter:

@GuuIzakaya

In Coquitlam

Sushi California: Cheap & Affordable

September 11, 2011

After a long day, Monster, ConsultingGirl and I headed to Sushi California to grab some cheap sushi. I’ve been here before, but its still one of those go to places for decent cheap food.

The lines were starting to pile up and they wanted to seat the 3 of us at a 2 person table, but was very very cramped. They were quite hesitant to give us a table of 4 since they know they could seat more people soon. With a little bit of negotiating, the waitress let us sit at a table of 4 instead.

Here is a shot of their menu. They have the usual items and it’s not an overly complicated list.

The combos are pretty well priced too.

Seafood Salad ($5.95) looked very disappointing! it came with a bed of glass noodles, lettuce, cucumbers, and carrots. It is topped with octopus, 2 stick of imitation crab meat, slice of smoked salmon, piece of ebi and wasabi mayo.

This was really not what I was expecting. When did salad come with a bunch of noodles?

The salad also came with a huge side of salad dressing. With the noodles, the salad was a bit soggy to begin with, but the amount of salad dressing was way too much. We only added a little bit to it.

The salad didn’t taste good either. I would never order this again.

Salmon Sashimi (Half Order – $5.50) is a good item to order. It is sliced nice and thick so you get your moneys worth!

Chicken Karrage ($3.95) comes with 6 pieces and was very moist inside.

Spicy Salmon ($2.95) is not on the menu, but Monster didn’t like tuna, so she asked them to substitute and they were able to. It comes with 8 pieces and has enough spice to give your mouth a tingle.

California Roll ($2.95) has the usual imitation crab and avocados. It also comes with 8 pieces.

Chopped Scallop ($3.95) was pretty good and comes with 8 pieces. Similar to most sushi joints.

Spider Roll ($6.95) comes with 6 pieces and has cucumber, lettuce and fried soft shell crab inside.

Overall, this is not the best Japanese restaurant in Coquitlam. It just has cheap affordable sushi. You really get what you pay for. The service is not that great and this place is usually packed.

Words of Wisdom:

Good Prices
Horrible service
Very busy during peak hours
Take Out option

We rate Sushi California:

Address:

501A North Road in Coquitlam, BC

In Brunch

Cozmos Cappuccino Bar & Grill: Decent Food, Cold Service

September 8, 2011

MedicalGiraffe was back in town and she really does love brunch! The closest brunch place near our hood is Cozmos Cappuccino Bar & Grill. It’s quite popular in the Burnaby North area. If you are a student from Burnaby North Secondary School, I am sure you’ve heard of this place as well.

They have lots of seating and aren’t too busy during weekend brunch. At least when we went there, it wasn’t very full.

They have a few cool interior pieces that make this place stand out. They have metal Greek god art pieces and in the back of the restaurant they have a mini waterfall.

Their menu is very limited and you can get the usual omelets, and egg dishes.

Latte was nothing special. Just taste like any regular latte.

I tried ordering normal drip coffee, but the server didn’t know what I was talking about. So, I just ordered this. After ordering our meal, I didn’t get a good vibe from him. He seemed very cold towards us, like we were a bother to him. MedicalGiraffe and I were quite puzzled why he was so cold.

Mushroom & Cheddar Cheese Omelet ($8.75) comes with hash browns and a slice of orange. MedicalGiraffe thought the omelet was quite mediocre. Nothing mind-blowing, but quite bland. Perhaps they should have seasoned it a bit more.

The hash browns are deep fried, so you do get that nice crunch when you bite into them.

Eggs Florentine ($8.75) has 2 poached eggs with spinach and hollandaise sauce on english muffins. You also get hash browns and a slice of orange. I thought this dish was not too bad. The poached eggs were nice and runny on the inside, so when you cut into it, all the delicious yolk just runs out and covers everything. Yum. One thing I didn’t like was the english muffin, didn’t seem very fresh to me at all.

Just like MedicalGiraffe, I did like the hash browns! Nice and crunchy!

Overall, the food was alright, but we were very turned off by the cold service we received. Just because of his attitude when he took our orders, it made us feel very uneasy throughout the entire meal. Maybe they were having a bad day, so perhaps if you go, you might get different service.

Words of Wisdom:

Limited Brunch menu
Italian-feel to the restaurant
Under $10
Decent food
Very cold service
Eggs Florentine is a popular item

We Rate Cozmos:
Address:

6691 Hastings Street
Burnaby, BC

In Mexican

Vallarta’s Mexican Restaurant: Burrito Packed Full of Shrimp

September 7, 2011

I came to Vallarta’s Mexican Restaurant a while ago and it’s a really great hole in the wall restaurant with huge delicious portions. They serve up authentic Mexican food which will tingle your taste buds. Last time they ran out of the Cameron Burrito, so I just had to have it this time.

I am a huge huge shrimp lover and anything with lots of shrimp… I must devour.

Their menu can seem a bit pricey at first, but the portions will surprise you once it arrives at the table.

Camaron Burrito ($12.99) has garlic seasoned prawns, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers in a flour tortilla. It’s a good alternative to the other meaty dishes they have. The burrito is huge and you’ll be stuffed when you finish it… or you might be like me and get full half way. It can make for 2 meals.

This burrito had a lot of shrimp and I was surprised! There was probably over 10 pieces of shrimp. All the ingredients inside melded well together and you get good taste of the shrimp. One downside of this dish was the a few shrimp pieces had a bit of shell still on the shrimp. At least they aren’t bad quality shrimp.

Overall, I got my fill of shrimp. No matter if you get a meatless or meat dish, you will leave happy.

Words of Wisdom: