October 2011

Bandidas Taqueria: Vegetarian Tacos!

October 10, 2011

Bandidas Taqueria is a vegetarian Mexican joint on Commercial that sells some amazing vegetarian tacos. Since I have not seen Eva in a while, so some taco from Bandidas Taquria seemed fitting since she’s a vegetarian.

The interior is very rustic and has lots of tables.

The tables even have these cute little micro plants.

Horchata is a traditional Mexican rice beverage. It’s refreshing, sweet, milky, nutty and has a nice cinnamon taste.

Ronny Russell Taco has roasted yams and onions, fresh guacamole, black beans, green salsa, purple cabbage and toasted pumpkin seeds. You can turn the 2 tacos into an entrée for a little bit extra and you get rice and beans on the side. Eva usually gets this dish quite often, which means this must be good.

Fajitas ($12) has smoked tempeh, sautéed strips of poblano chilies, onions and red peppers. It is also served with rice, beans, cheese, roasted salsa, sour cream, red cabbage and corn tortillas. This was a pretty big plate of food.

I don’t usually eat vegetarian food, but this was so good! The flavours were amazing and the tempeh tasted very good. Tempeh is like a dense version of tofu.

Bandidas Taqeria did not disappoint at all! Good food, good location and good company!

Words of Wisdom:

No reservations
All Vegetarian food
Good quality ingredients
Closest Skytrain: Commercial/Broadway stn

We rate Bandidas Taqueria:

Address:

2781 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.bandidastaqueria.com

In Four Beakers

Pho Tam: Best Pho in Town

October 6, 2011

I started having class at SFU Surrey Campus and I was super excited because I could finally check out Pho Tam! They are known for the best Pho in the Lower Mainland! They may look pretty ghetto, but they do have the best pho and I really had to see for myself.

The interior is alright. It has lots of tables and there is always someone inside chowing down on rice or noodles.

There’s lots to choose from the menu, so it might take you a while to figure out what you want.

Their garnishes looked pretty fresh!

#1 House Special (L-$7.50) has beef and rice noodle in soup. It basically has everything in here. So, if you have no idea what you want in your pho, just choose this.

They also have a special combo, where you can add a spring roll to your pho for $9.75. This was probably the strangest looking spring roll i’ve had, but it was good. Crispy on the outside and savory on the inside.

#7 Well done beef slices Beef tripe and rice noodle in soup (L -$7.50) it has lots of meat and tripe!!

#6 Rare beef slices beef tendon and rice noodle in soup (Large- $7.50) made me super full! There was so much meat inside! Best pho I’ve ever had! This is really worth your money!

It had so much tendon! By the end of the meal, I still had so much tendon. My friends had to basically force feed me to finish the rest.

I don’t remember what this one was, but it looks good too!

#68 Grilled lemon grass chicken and spring rolls with steamed rice ($8.50) this was huge! Large slab of chicken, 2 spring rolls and lots of rice!

Pho Tam definitely met my expectations with their huge bowls of pho full of meat! Cheap too!

Words of Wisdom:

House Pho is the way to go
Limited parking
Closest Skytrain: Surrey Central
Under $10
Cash Only

We Rate Pho Tam:

Address:

10302 135 St
Surrey, BC

In Dessert

Footo Delights: Pesto Turkey Croissant Sandwich

October 6, 2011

I went back to Footo Delights to try more items. Last time, I came here and bought a whole bunch of croissants for the office/home. I wasn’t disappointed at all. I really value little shops that focus on healthy natural ingredients. Looking at my slowly increasing weight, I could really cut down on bad stuff.

My goal during this visit was to try their croissant sandwiches since they did look pretty damn good from my last visit.

The croissant comes in a cute little box with their customized branding.

Inside this box is the Turkey Pesto Croissant Sandwich ($4.95 ala carte or $8.50 with soup), which has the most delicious pesto I have ever tasted! It is matched really well with the turkey, swiss, tomatoes and lettuce. Not a bad sandwich at all. The croissant was flakey on the outside with crispy ends! The inside was nice and fluffy.

Their daily soup that they had was the Carrot Ginger Soup. I’m not a huge carrot or ginger fan since I prefer more of the clear types of soup. Ya… I’m so asian. The soup has a dominant flavour and the ginger is very very subtle.

Overall, a good place for a quick lunch since I am a few blocks away.

Words of Wisdom:

Made with natural ingredients
Large selection of desserts
Small local and independently owned
Not your typical croissant
Highly recommend the chocolate croissant and Turkey Pesto Croissant Sandwich
Closest Skytrain: Stadium or Granville

We Rate Footo Delights:

Address:

820 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.footodelights.com

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FootoDelights

Twitter: @FootoDelights

In Downtown

Suzette’s Cafe: Cheap Breakfast and Lunch for Under $6

October 4, 2011

I’ve heard the sandwiches at Suzette’s Cafe is a must try. I have to admit, I’ve passed by so many times and it really doesn’t appeal to me. Perhaps it’s the outdated decor or perhaps their Coca-Cola signage.

Nonetheless, I decided to try it out with @floYVR for some cheap lunch eats!

You order at the counter and it reminds me of a Subway. There are lots of seating around the restaurant and lots of windows, so it’s well lit.

They have all day breakfast, so you can get your fill of eggs and bacon! At these prices, it won’t break your wallet.

They also have another board for sandwiches. They have a good amount of choices.
This place is quite popular for their cheap eats and attracts many international students in the area.

Schnitzel Sandwich ($5.50) has freshly prepared schnitzel with your choice of bread and fillings. They don’t have a large selection of vegetables, but you can choose from the basics like lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and sauce.

Flo was feeling a need for pickles, so she asked for a side of pickles to fill her cravings.

She thought the sandwich was alright for the price. It’s not the most amazing sandwich, but you get what you pay for.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich ($5ish) is this huge hotdog looking sandwich! It has whatever vegetables filling you want. It has cheese on top and the best sauce to go on top is BBQ sauce.

I got pretty full from this sandwich, the taste was already, but nothing super delicious. I wish they had more variety of toppings to add on, but I guess thats why it’s so cheap. There was lots of meat piled on top, so I wasn’t disappointed.

Overall, it was just pretty average. They are well priced and will fill you up! Perfect for students in the area that want a quick cheap lunch or breakfast. After 2:30pm, they have a special deal where it’s buy one get one half off. (I think)

Words of Wisdom: