November 2011

In 24 hours

Lucy Eastside Diner: Crazy Unique Eats at a 24 hrs Diner

November 10, 2011

It was another EatUp with the #YVRBreakfast club, but there was a twist this time…We were having breakfast in our Pajamas at night! I’ve always passed by Lucy’s Eastside Diner, but never went there till now. They are open 24 hours and serves breakfast and dinner all the time… no matter what time it is.

I’ve also heard it’s a great place to go eat after a late night.

The interior is quite small, so there is a lot of bar seating and very limited booths. It’s probably best to go in 2’s and 3’s ….but in this case we went with 10 people. It was quite cozy indeed.

They also have the menu up on a lit up board. Lots to choose from.

They also have a paper menu too with more description of the items they serve.

Whats nuts is that they also have an eating challange! It’s called ‘Uncle Grants Eating Challenge’. It must have been a new thing since only 5 people have attempted this.

We asked the server what was in the eating challenge. It was such a mouthful that we had to get him to write it down for us. If you can’t finish the challenge, it costs about $40. We were not in the mood for this, but perhaps one day in the future.

Dad’s Root Beer ($3.75)

Three Little Pigs ($10) has 3 egg bennies with hashbrowns. The bennies that come with it are chorizo, bacon and ham bennies. The hollandaise sauce has a bit of garlic taste to it. They could have worked on their consistency of their eggs a bit better since some people who ordered this dish expected the eggs to be a bit runny. The hash browns were very crispy!

Montecristo ($8) has chicken, ham, and cheese sandwich dunked in egg and grilled. It also come with side of fries and their ‘fry sauce’. M thought the Montecristo was a bit disappointing. It’s not the original Montecristo that he was looking for.

Meatloaf and Mac & Cheese ($9) is served in a hoagie bun filled with meatloaf and topped with mac & cheese. There is also fries and fry sauce on the side.

Mac & Cheese with Pulled Pork ($9) comes in a hoagie bun filled with mac & cheese and topped with pulled pork! Crazy combination but its what makes Lucy’s so unique. The Mac & Cheese tasted a little bit bland, but it matched with the bold taste of the pulled pork. This won’t be the most delicious meal you have ever had, but it’s different than other places. The fries are so good and addictive

Overall, the food is pretty so-so. We weren’t able to order their famous milkshakes since their machine was broken.

Words of Wisdom:

Limited seating, not good for large groups
Uncle Grants Eating Challenge
So-so Food
Amazing fries and hash browns….SUPER CRISPY!
Open 24 hours

We Rate Lucy Eastside Diner:

Address:

2708 Main Street
Vancouver, BC V5T

Website:
lucyseastsidediner.com

Vancouver

In Downtown

Tacofino Blue Food Truck: It’s all about the Burrito

November 9, 2011

I saw that there was another Tacofino truck near Burrard, but it had a different name “Tacofino Blue”. When I got there I just laughed because it was actually blue. I spent the whole morning trying to figure out how this one would be different than their other location. There is a big big difference between the two trucks – BURRITOS!

They still have a few tacos at this location, but you never know when they will be there or not. They don’t specialize in tacos here.

Their main menu has mostly Burritos. If you are feeling like Burritos, come here instead of their orange truck.

The burrito at first may seem a bit on the small side for about $10, but it has quite a bit of weight to it.

Chicken Burrito ($10) has slow cooked chicken with refried black beans, seasoned basmati rice, sour cream, chipotle mayo, salsa fresca and shredded cabbage rolled in a warm 12” flour tortilla. I really loved all the sauces and the flavours mixed together in this burrito. I was stuffed, so the $10 price tag was worth it.

Words of Wisdom:

Burrito are really filling
Tuna Ta Taco + Pork Gringa + Jarritos = Best meal!!
Really busy during lunch
Can get messy
Closest Skytrain: Burrard

We Rate Tacofino Blue:

Location: Burrard x Dunsmiur

Website: www.tacofino.com

Twitter: @TacoFinoCantina

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/TacoFino-Vancouver/157314964322202

In Cafe

Blenz: Addicted To Their Brownies

November 8, 2011

Ever since I started having class at SFU Surrey, I have been addicted to brownies. There’s no special illegal ingredients in them, but they taste so good. Since the school has a Blenz in the main level, I always find myself lining up for a brownie and a tea.

Gold Medal Brownie ($2.50) is a dense chocolate brownie with loads of walnuts inside and on top. It is very rich, so I suggest a coffee or a tea to accompany this.

Try to grab it in the morning when it’s a bit fresher because as the day goes on, it gets a little bit stale sitting in the fridge. I’ve never been so excited about a brownie before, but it’s definitely worth a try. Or…in my case 8 since the beginning of September. I need to stop eating these.

In Japanese

Yamato Sushi: 24 pieces of sushi for $5.95 is a steal!

November 7, 2011

Back to Yamato Sushi on Davies since it’s cheap and you get your moneys worth. $5.95 for a combo is definitely worth it! CanuckGirl and I love going here after yoga since it’s close and open late.

I had the Sushi Special E ($5.95), which has Kappa Maki, tuna maki, salmon maki, and avocado maki with salad and miso soup.

The salad was good as usual. Lettuce with the citrus sauce like most places. If you do take out, it won’t be included in the meal.

Miso soup accompanies the combos as well. There is nothing special about it since it’s similar to most other Japanese Restaurants.

This combo comes with 24 pieces of sushi, which isn’t bad at all. The maki rolls were well made and had good variety. You will get full from this.

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

Viet Sub Vietnamese Cuisine: Amazing Viet Subs

November 6, 2011

Viet Sub is a very popular place on Robson to grab some lunch. The sandwiches can be under $4 and the pho is about $6. There were lineups out the door, but most people were just doing takeout. The interior is very very small, so it’s not a place to take a group of people here. Best to just take out and sit outside the art gallery to enjoy some sun.

The reason why people keep going back is because it’s cheap and worth the price!

Chicken with French Bread ($4.20) was a good price for what you get! The chicken is nicely shredded on the bottom and has a good amount of pickled vegetables and cucumber in a milky bun. I really really like the buns they use. I kinda hate bread, but I could probably eat it all day.

Special Noodle Soup ($6.45) is decent but its not as good as the other Pho places. It’s good for the Downtown core if you are in the area.

Overall, I had a good experience just walking around the street eating it. Quick and easy.

Words of Wisdom:

Under $10
Small interior, best to takeout
Viet subs and the noodle soups are good!

We Rate Viet Sub:
Address:
520 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

In Brunch

Little Nest: Unique Breakfast for You…and Your Kids

November 5, 2011

It was another #YVRBreakfastClub, we came early at 9am since they don’t take reservations. It’s a nice kid friendly cafe. There are a lot of parents who take their little kids to dine here, so if you have a kid, it won’t be awkward to eat.

The inside has lots of space and even a little play area. There are also chalk boards, so as you wait for your food, you can doodle.

They even have cool unique high chairs. Since the people of #YVRbreakfastClub don’t have children, we just had a good time staring at all the kids. Not in a pedo kinda way or anything.

Since early mornings are always in need of coffee, I got the medium latte. Cute little latte art!

Spicy eggs special of the day ($12) came with 4 slices of the scrambled egg things with a spicy sauce, some greens and toasted baguette.

The baguette was nicely toasted. I can’t remember what type of baguette it was, but it might have been like a cranberry lemon type. When you order their meals, you can choose from a variety of breads.

The eggs tasted really good! I don’t know how to explain it, but it was layered with different ingredients. I really have no idea what was in this since I think I was way too hungry. hahaha.

Overall, decent food and overpriced. The breakfast is quite unique and different than the usual brunch places. There are lots of kids here, so if you don’t like the crying and screaming of kids, this isn’t your place to dine at.

Words of Wisdom:

Overpriced
Small portions
Kid friendly
Hard to find parking

We Rate Little Nest:

Address:

1716 Charles St
Vancouver, BC

Website:

www.littlenest.ca

In Food for Thought

A&W: New Fiesta Mama Burger

November 4, 2011

I was having a meeting at SFU Surrey and we just ventured to the food court to get a snack. I saw that A&W has a new burger called the Fiesta Mama Burger for $2.50. It seemed like a good deal! Over the past few years it seems like the mama burger keeps getting dressed up. Last time it was the Spicy Mama Burger and now the Fiesta Mama Burger. I wonder which one of the burger family members will have a special christmas version.

The Fiesta Mama Burger has fiesta sauce, tomato, lettuce, monterey jack cheese, beef patty and jalapenos between toasted buns.

I did like it because I always enjoy a bit of spice to my meal. If you hate jalapenos, you probably don’t want this. For $2.50, it’s pretty good for the price. Get it while you can because A&W is notorious for actually having limited time offers like this. It might not stay.

In Coquitlam

Paros Taverna: Music, Belly Dancers and Food

November 3, 2011

M took me to Paros Taverna, a Greek restaurant on North Road in Coquitlam. M had no idea what to expect since we just went there randomly. A year ago, I remember staring at their windows and I was so creeped out. I was sitting at the McDonalds across the street and I saw 2 men at a table getting charmed by a belly dancer. I was very confused.

The interior is pretty dark and it gets darker as the evening continues. At one point of the evening the lights go super dim and the music gets pretty loud…. then this man and this belly dancer dances around the restaurant to entertains all their diners. You can even tip the belly dancer to give you an extra personal dance. It was really awkward to watch. A lot of people seemed to enjoy it though.

Saganaki ($9) is Kefalotyri cheese pan fried, served hot with half lemon & pita.

This is my favorite item to get at any Greek restaurant. Who doesn’t love fried cheese? You need to squeeze the lemon on top of the cheese to taste good. The clothe surrounding it just catches all the seeds and pulp. Then you cut a piece off and put it on the pita bread and enjoy.

I really liked it because you get the nutty ooey gooey cheese with a hint of the sourness from the lemon.

Paros Platter for 2 ($31) comes with chicken souvlaki, prawn souvlaki, kalamaria,dolmades, pita bread, greek salad, rice, potatoes & spanakopita. We thought it was one of the items that had decent pricing

.

Chicken souvlaki was a tad on the dry side, but you do get a lot on a skewer.

Prawn souvlaki was alright, but it seemed like it was frozen ahead of time and then cooked. Maybe I’m wrong, but it did have a bit of a tough texture.

Kalamaria is piled up in the middle of the dish. It was decent, but it wasn’t mind blowing.

Dolmades is rice and other vegetables stuffed in edible leaves. It tasted good!

Spanakopita is phyllo pastry stuffed with spinach and feta cheese. It comes with 2 triangular pieces. The outside was quite crispy and delicious inside.

The pita is the same that comes with saganaki.

The potatoes and the rice will surely fill 2 people up! This is the hefty starch portion of the platter. Good flavour and it’s always better with more lemon!

The greek salad was decent too. Since there was also a lemon with this too, it seems fitting to use that too. hahaha.

Overall, the experience was very interesting. The platter is a good choice to get a feel of a wide range of items from this place.

Words of Wisdom:

Platter is pretty goof choice
Dinner experience may contain belly dancers
Lots of Parking

We Rate Paros Taverna:

Address:

526 Clarke Rd
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
parostaverna.com

In Downtown

Pita Wrap Cafe: Come Here, Eat Cheap, Be Full.

November 2, 2011

Pita Wrap Cafe is super popular for international students for their cheap lunch deals. You can probably get really full for about $7. They have about 2 daily specials, which are usually the most popular. Since I wanted to explore more of the unknown restaurants, I came here with Flo for lunch. We really had no idea what to expect.

The interior has a few seats and you just order up at the corner. It gets pretty packed here around noon, so it’s best to go earlier before noon or past 1pm.

The most popular items for lunch are usually on the middle menu section. Most regular menu items are under $8, but if they happen to be the daily special, it can be about $5 – $6.

Chicken Shawarma wrap ($5.25) has fresh lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, tzatziki and tahini. Not as good as other places, but it was decent.

Flo had a Lentil Soup ($2.75) to go with her wrap.

Beef Kabob Plate ($7.45) has rice, greek salad, roasted potatoes, tzatziki, pita bread and the beef kabob.

The 2 beef kabobs tasted alright but could have had more flavour. The rice and potatoes were decent as well.

Just like the rest of the meal, it was alright. you get what you pay for. You will get pretty full from this dish, but it won’t be the most exciting beef kabob you have ever had. You probably want to come here to eat cheap to be full.

Words of Wisdom:

Good variety of dishes
Pretty average dishes
Daily Specials everyday
Under $10
Closest Skytrain: Granville

We Rate Pita Wrap Cafe:

Address:
565 Dunsmuir St
Vancouver, BC

In Food for Thought

Tim Hortons: New Beef Lasagna Casserole

November 1, 2011

It always seems like there is a Tim Hortons everywhere I go. I couldn’t help noticing that they have introduced a new product – Beef Lasagna Casserole. Their advertisements looked really good, so while I was at school, M and I grabbed some.

It’s made with pasta, beef, ricotta cheese, basil and oregano in a tomato sauce. You also get garlic toast.

I thought it tasted really good, which is surprising for Tim Hortons. It seems like you can’t get very full from it unless you get the large size. M thought it was kinda similar to their chili, but wit noodles added into it. There could of also been a bit more cheese. Nonetheless, it’s worth a try, but its still not as good as the traditional lasagna you would find elsewhere. The garlic bread on the other hand was alright.

The prices vary at certain locations but a small size is around $4 and a large is between $6 and $7.