December 2011

In Coquitlam

Church’s Chicken: Finger Lickin’ Good

December 17, 2011

My sister and I didn’t want to make lunch…and we had a HUGE craving for some fried chicken. We always have these random moments where we love to overindulge ourselves with fat. Plus, Church’s Chicken is SO good!! We went down to the closest location and ordered a 10 piece meal with gravy and fries. It ended up to be about $25ish after tax.

It comes with an assortment of thighs and drumsticks. I personally prefer all the thighs because it has more delicious skin and more meat.

The best part is the gravy. I know it might seem like i’m a fat ass, but I LOVE dunking the fried skin into the gravy!! Do you do this too?

The gravy isn’t fresh, it’s made from a huge pack of powder mixed with water.

The fries are pretty normal, nothing special about them. They go soggy after a while too, so eat them fast or reheat them in the oven.

Overall, good stuff and ten thousand times better than KFC!

Words of Wisdom:

Check for coupons in the mail…sometimes there are some
Take out is best
Sometimes they have good combos
Jalapeno Poppers and chicken tenders are awesome
Free Wifi

We Rate Church’s Chicken:
Address:
555 North Rd
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
http://www.churchschickenbc.ca/

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In Cambodian

Phnom Penh: Delivered By Foodsters

December 16, 2011

The hardest thing about studying for final exams on campus is how crappy the food is…and how nothing is open at night. M, Scarface and I were studying and we really didn’t want to go off the hill to find food…plus there is nothing good nearby anyways.

There is this new service called Foodsters.ca and they deliver food from any restaurant to you. Pretty awesome concept especially when certain popular restaurants don’t deliver… or are out of range.

Since the three of us wanted some killer study food, we wanted Phnom Penh but didn’t want to do much of anything. So, we put in a request to Foodsters.ca and it was delivered in about 30-40 mins. Pretty good timing since we were near Coquitlam. All you need is a credit card.

We ordered two Vietnamese Ice coffees, Chicken wings, Butter beef and the luc lac. Perfect set of items for our hungry stomaches.

Butter Beef ($8.95) was much smaller than what you would have in the restaurant. Take out food always seems to be a bit smaller than dining -in. They give you this large constrainer of sauce and trust me, do not pour this onto the meat! Best to dip the beef slices into the cup of sauce. Nonetheless it was delicious!

Deep Fried Chicken Wings ($12.50) is another staple dish that you must get! It is topped off with garlic, onion, and other stuff. They left out the lemon and pepper sauce to go with the wings, which is sad since you can taste more the salt or MSG.

Luc Lac with 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. You probably don’t want to pour all the sauce on top either since unless you wanting it to drown in that sauce.

It didn’t come with the complementary beef bone soup 🙁

Overall, it was pretty painless ordering from Foodsters.ca . It’s great for lazy students who just want food delivered to them! Since there is a delivery fee, it’s always best to order in large groups so it doesn’t seem like a huge addition to your bill. They also have a Christmas Campaign going on right now where you can donate 10 cans of food and receive free delivery!

The food from Phnom Penh was delicious as usual, but it was missing a few items. I had about the same meal when I was dining-in and this is how it com pared (https://foodology.ca/?p=7363). 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:

Marinated Butter beef, Chicken Wings, Luc Lac, and Deep fried squid!!!

We Rate Phnom Penh:

Address:

244 E Georgia St
Vancouver, BC

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In Brunch

De Dutch Pannekoek House: Sweet vs Savory

December 15, 2011

Foodology Disclaimer: I was provided with a $50 gift card to De Dutch to try out their sweet and savory dishes to promote their upcoming contest on Facebook. I brought along 3 picky eaters to really keep this review as unbiased as possible! This review does not guarantee 100% similar service you might normally get from this restaurant.

De Dutch Pannekoek House in North Burnaby isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing location since it’s located in a back alley, but it’s known in the community and serves lots of hungry customers with their famous Pannekoeken, which is a Dutch Pancake. I came here with KoreanGirl, M and my little sister.

We wanted to duke it out between sweet and savory breakfast lovers…plus everyone loves breakfast!

The interior is quite narrow and not very pretty. They even have fake windows. I’ve actually never been to any other De Dutch location, so I dont know how it compares.

Coffee ($2.60) is needed in all mornings. It was normal, nothing special about it.

Dutcha Mocha ($4.25) was pretty awesome. There was a lot of whipped cream! In fact, 1/4th of the cup was rich thick cream! The coffee part was strangely lukewarm. Nonetheless, it had a rich chocolate accent and was a delight to drink all the way down to the bottom. M was clearly indulging.

Chocolate Milk ($3.25) was incredibly disgusting. M said it tasted watered down. So watered down, it’s mind blowing that something simple as chocolate milk failed to satisfy. My little sister had this too and even though she drank it all, it really wasn’t good.

Boer’s Farmer’s Pannekoken ($16) was the best of the lot. There was a plain pannekoken in the bottom of a pile of hashbrowns, two eggs, two ham, two bacon like ham, and a delicious bratwurst. To top it all off was their Hollandaise sauce. M’s not a fan of Hollandaise as he says that the sauce isn’t flavorful. The eggs were medium as ordered, and the overall meal tasted fresh. The hashbrowns are unique in that they feel light and have great texture. All in all, the best pannekoken in De Dutch…but expensive.

Mixed Fresh Fruit and Whip Pannekoken ($12.50) has the pannekoken on the botton with powdered sugar with a lots of whipped cream and some fruit. It really didn’t seem impressive for the price you pay. It tasted alright.

Meat Lovers Pannekoken ($13.50) has DeBakon, ham sausage, turkey bacon integrated into the pannekoken. It is then topped with 4 slices of edam cheese and tomatoes.

It’s kinda like the Boers Farmers Pannekoken but with all the meat part of the pannekoken. My little sister thought it was good, but she wasn’t a fan of the tomatoes.

‘Abby’ Perogie Pannekoken ($13.50) has Hash Browns, DeBakon and Onion inside with Cheddar and Sour Cream on top. This was surprisingly good! It really did remind me of a perogie.

We all got pretty full from our pannekoken at the end.

I’ve always had a firm stance on being on #teamsavory and could never stand sweet pancakes.

If you want some sweet discounts from De Dutch, like their Facebook Fan Page and retrieve your 25% off January Pass to get 25% off your meal. Also, if you participate in their savory vs. sweet poll, you are entered to win a $500 De Dutch gift card. Contest ends of Dec 24, 2011.

Do you like your breakfast sweet or savory?

Words of Wisdom:

Entrance in the back
Free parking in the back
Overpriced for what you get
Pannekoek should probably be ordered

We rate De Dutch Pannekoek House:

Website: http://www.dedutch.com

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

Address:

6651 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

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In Event

Vancouver Christmas Market: Bratwurst, Baked Potato and Roasted Almonds

December 13, 2011

My coworkers and I decided to check out the Vancouver Christmas Market since it’s only $2 from 11am – 4pm on weekdays. It’s located on the Plaza of Queen Theatre. It usually cost $5 to get in and you get to check out delicious authentic German food, snacks and ornate crafts.

I went to the Christmas Market last year and I found that going during the daytime and night time are 2 different experiences. During the daytime there are no lines, but at night time there are more….especially for food.

What I found super cool is there are 2 gingerbread characters running around interacting with the crowds. There is also live singer in the middle of the Christmas Market, so it was neat. This year they also have a small carousel too.

One of the most popular places to eat here is the Black Forest Meats and Sausage booth. They serve up delicious bratwurst and other types of sausages.

Grilled Bratwurst with onions and sauerkraut ($8) was really good and the addition of the onions and sauerkraut. This is probably one of the cheaper items there and most popular. Highly recommended.

Baked Potato ($9.50) was quite expensive! Prices definitely increased from the previous year. AvocadoGirl liked it.

You can find this at the Potato Hut vendor.

Coffee-Flavoured Roasted Almonds ($8) was really good! The price was a bit steep, but it’s something quite unique. It has a strong coffee flavour, which all coffee lovers will definitely enjoy!

You can find these at Haerthe Roasted Almonds Booth.

Overall, the Christmas Market has some unique eats, but the prices are quite steep. It’s a good experience to go with a bunch of friends.

Words of Wisdom:

Go at night
Bratwurst is a must!
Dussa’s Ham & Cheese is very good!!!
Coffee Flavoured Almonds are also good!
Bring cash!
Wear a warm jacket because it’s outdoors

Website: http://vancouverchristmasmarket.com/

Location:
Georgia St and Hamilton St.

Hours:

NOV 24 – DEC 23, 11AM-9PM
DEC 24, 11AM-6PM

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In Bakery

Faubourg: A Little Taste of Paris

December 12, 2011

Faubourg is a cafe offering Parisian baked goods and other delicious goodies in the Kerrisdale area. I’ve heard they had some amazing desserts and bread, so FoodQueen and I headed off to Kerrisdale to try it out. It wasn’t a quick drive for either of us since we both live so far. Oh the things we do to try delicious food.

The interior looks really nice and has a good amount of seating.

They even have another area too.

All of their items are baker fresh daily and I hear their croissants are really crispy and delicious. Since it was nearing the end of the day, there wasn’t too much to choose from. Best to go early!

If you don’t have a sweet tooth, they also have a few savory items too.

Cafe Latte (Grande $3.85) was good and compliments well with some of their pastries.

Individual St. Honoré has a base of puff pastry with tiny pastry cream puffs covered in chocolate and whipped cream on top. I loved this dessert since I am a huge from of profiteroles-type of desserts.

Overall, good place to stop by for a quick treat and coffee.

Words of Wisdom:

They also offer breakfast, bunch, lunch and afternoon tea
Lots of unique items
Lots of seating
Best to go early before some items are sold out

We Rate Faubourg:
Address:
2156 W 41st Ave
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.faubourg.com/

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In Bar and Grill

Hurricane Grill: Hurricane Fiesta Dining Package

December 11, 2011

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Hurricane Fiesta” dining package and write a review about it. I got a complementary dining package and brought 3 friends to keep the review as unbiased as I could. This review does not guarantee 100% similar service you might normally get from this restaurant.

Hurricane Grill is located near False Creek Marina. It’s a popular place to watch the game while munching on their delicious creations.

This month, VANEATS.ca is offering a Hurricane Fiesta Dining Package where you can choose 2 of their signature salads and their Bruschetta. To try out this package, I brought 3 of friends to see how this package adds up. The package is meant for 2 people, but there seemed to be a lot to eat.

There are a lot of comfortable seats and lots of TVs to watch the game. They also have a large selection of alcohol too.

Hurricane lager ($4.99) tasted very light and did not have much taste to it. If you do like light beers, I would say it might be the beer for you.

Bruschetta ($10.99), classic made with tomatoes, parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, basil, balsamic reduction, mozzarella and goat cheese

Their bruschetta blew us all away! This is not the usual hard crunchy bruschetta you would find. It was toasted on the outside and was soft on the inside with the delicious savory ingredients on top. It’s a must have!

The Grill Salad ($16.99), six oz N.Y. steak on grilled vegetables, spring mix and tossed together with a balsamic reduction

You have a choice of how you would like your steak done and we chose medium-rare. It was cooked perfectly. What I liked about this salad is that it’s not your typical salad with leafy greens, it has large chunks of other vegetables. The balsamic vinegar added a nice acidity to the dish, which I enjoyed.

Fiesta Salad ($14.99), romaine lettuce, corn, black beans, avocado, blackened chicken, salsa, nacho cheese, sour cream and a cilantro mint dressing

This salad may look simple, but hands down, this is the best salad ever! The blackened chicken and avocado adds a punch into this dish. The chicken has a lot of flavour!! One bite of the chicken and everyone at the table instantly loved this.

The Classic Nachos ($14.99 + $2.99 for Guacamole) were taller than a pint of beer. We were really scared this would topple over, but they have mastered the art of nacho making! There is a good amount of cheese and toppings that everything holds nice and firmly. It’s not included in the Hurricane Fiesta Package, but highly recommended to try it out sometime.

Even though the food was great, the service confused us a lot. It took them a long time to figure out what ‘Hurricane Fiesta’ was. As they were confused, it made us more confused. They didn’t explain how the package was going to work, so my friends were very confused…until I had to fill them in on what we were ordering. After this little mishap, all was understood and the service improved.

Overall, the prices are reasonable for what you get and I was impressed with the overall quality.

The Hurricane Fiesta package is available starting December 15th for $25 from VANEATS.ca and you get your choice of 2 salads and the bruschetta. You save about $18 and get some killer food.

Words of Wisdom:

Nachos!! Most popular item!
Lots of seats and great for sports games
Closest Skytrain: Yaletown Skytrain
Fiesta Salad is good!

We Rate Hurricane Grill:
Address:
1137 Marinaside Cres
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.hurricanegrill.ca/
Twitter:
@hurricanegrill

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In Japanese

Ogenki Sushi: Sushi on Main Street

December 10, 2011

Hello Internet! RomanJ, here with another Sushi Restaurant review. Today we explore Ogenki Sushi Restaurant in Vancouver

I have been to this restaurant before with Abbytizer. However, since my last visit the restaurant has changed. Ogenki Sushi has been divided into two restaurants in the same location. One side is called Ogenki Sushi and the other side is Ogenki Ramen. Today I tried out the Ogenki Sushi side of the restaurant.

Ogenki Sushi is in a very small area with modern décor.

Their menu has a list of specialty rolls that look delicious to try as well as other items.

Ebi Sunomo ($3.25) is a very standard delightful dish.

Salmon Sashmi ($9.25) and Cheese Lover’s Roll ($7.95)
The Cheese Lover’s roll is loaded with salmon, avocado, cucumber, cream cheese, smoked salmon and tobiko. This roll is very creamy and blends deliciously well in your mouth.

Salmon Sashimi was pretty standard, not too cold at all. The salmon sashimi felt like it was freshly cut.

Chirashi Don, ($10.95) is a bowl of assorted sashimi on top of sushi rice. The assorted sashimi ranges from, salmon, wild salmon, tuna, octopus, shrimp and tamago. The assorted sashimi tasted wonderful but the sushi rice on the bottom does not bring the whole bowl to justice.

Miso Soup comes complementary with any order of a Don.

Overall, this restaurant has a lot to offer in terms of Japanese cuisine offering Ramen and Sushi. The service was adequate and the specialty roll I tried was delicious. I would probably come back here again to try out the other specialty rolls and of course try the Ramen.

Words of Wisdom

Lunch and Dinner Specials
They serve Ramen and Sushi
Fresh Sushi

We Rate Ogenki Sushi:
Address:
4342 Main St
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.ogenkisushi.ca/

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In Downtown

Ebi Ten Japanese Fast Food: Cheap but Not Good

December 9, 2011

Yet again, I had no idea where to eat lunch, so I headed down and randomly found Ebi Ten. They have Japanese fast food, which I don’t know what that means…but they are known for their decent dons. They are quite affordable and under $10. Good for a quick cheap lunch.

The inside does have a few chairs, but mosts for groups of 2’s. There is one table of 4, but during peak hours it might be occupied.

All meals are well priced. You can upgrade into a combo and get miso soup or a can of pop.

Ebi Ten Plate (Combo – $9.40) comes with assorted tempura, california roll, chicken teriyaki with salad and mayo.

With the upgrade to a combo, I chose the miso soup instead of the pop. Just trying to be a bit healthier.

Miso soup was alright, nothing special here.

The assorted tempura tasted good, very fresh and the batter has a nice crunch to it. The vegetables and ebi were cooked perfectly too.

California roll came with 8 pieces. I was not a fan of it. They were constructed poorly and you can see the avocado was going a bit brown.

Chicken Teriyaki with salad and mayo was pretty disgusting. I just really don’t like mayo with my salad. it really didn’t seem like salad at all. Also, the leaves were wilted and not fresh.

I think I probably chose the wrong dish to have here since most people were ordering the bowl items instead. Best to stay away from the Ebi Ten Plate.

Words of Wisdom:

Under $10
Go with the bowl items or specials
Do not get Ebi Ten Plate
Poorly constructed sushi

We Rate Ebi Ten:

Address:
388 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

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In Bakery

French Made Baking: Macarons, Caneles, & Totoro Macarons

December 6, 2011

I go to a few food markets in Vancouver and I always have such good luck bumping into Catherine of French Made Baking. Catherine and David own French Made Baking and they can be found all over town selling their delicious treats.

Their most popular items are the Macarons and Le Caneles. Those are the items I usually purchase.

Le Caneles ($2.50 each or 5 for $10) is a small French Pastry. It is flavored with run and vanilla and baked in a mould.

I’ve never had anything like it! I’ve been to France, but I didn’t discover this till now. It’s just so good! It’s a bit custard-like in the middle with a nice golden exterior.

It goes very well with coffee and tea! Eating it just really makes me smile because it’s SO GOOD!

The Macarons ($2 each or 6 for $10) are 2 almond meringue sandwiching a ganache filling. What I love about their Macarons are that they taste good and don’t have too much food coloring

Le Breton filling has Salted Butter Caramel, Fleur de sel, sugar, butter, cream, and toffee bits.

Le Yuzu filling has yuzu juice, cream, and dark chocolate.

Le Passion filling has cream, milk chocolate, and passion fruit.

Le Framboise filling has white chocolate and raspberry jam. It’s also dairy free.

This is their Totoro Macaron that made everyone go crazy. I actually didn’t know they sold this especially for the Nikkei Center Craft and Bake Fair. Sadly it doesn’t taste like a Totoro…not that anyone would know how he tastes like.

It is made with their L’Anglais filling which is made of milk chocolate, cream and earl grey tea.

So cute, who could resist?

Soon they will be opening up a store soon on 81 Kingsway near Broadway and Main ! I’m just waiting for the day it opens!

Overall, pretty delicious macarons and Caneles.

Words of Wisdom:

Found at local bakers market or farmers market (Check their website for where they will be)
Must get the macarons and caneles!!
Store coming soon.

We Rate French Made Baking:
Website:
http://frenchmadebaking.com/
Twitter:
@FrMadeBaking

In Dessert

Pinkberry @ Metropolis: Swirl Pearls and Swirled Flavours

December 5, 2011

Pinkberry has opened their newest location at Metrotown. I was really looking forward to this since its always a pain to drive all the way to North Vancouver to get my fix of froyo. I came here with a CCK, Gmoney and Jewels to get some frozen yogurt.

Inside Metrotown, there are also 2 other frozen yogurt stores – Yogen Fruz and Qoola. I personally prefer Pinkberry due to their variety of yogurt flavors and fresh unlimited toppings. The Pinkberry location is beside Nandos near the Food court.

The interior is very nice and accommodates more of take-out rather than sitting down and chatting. They only have 3 tables that sit either 2 or 3 people, so it’s not an ideal place to come with friends to chill. Perhaps grab it to-go and head downstairs to stare at some puppies and kittens at Pet Habitat.

They have 6 flavours to choose from, but if you are indecisive, you can combine flavours together without any extra charge.

They have many sizes available, but either a small or medium will be a good size for the average person.

You can choose as many toppings as you want, as long as it fits comfortable in your cup.

There’s a lot of toppings… from chocolates to sour candies…..to even cereal.

I personally gravitate towards the fresh fruit section since I think fruits are the perfect compliment to frozen yogurt. The mochi is really good too. Soft and chewy.

Swirl of original and green tea (Medium with Toppings -$6.55). I put in all the fruits – watermelon, kiwi, pineapple, strawberry, blackberries and oranges. I also added mochi and the two types of swirl pearls. With the combination of flavours, the original flavour overpowered the green tea flavour since the original flavour has more of a a sweet and tart taste.

The swirl pearls reminded me of salmon roe on sushi. As you bite into the pearls, the ball pops and you taste the sweet liquid. Don’t get too many or else it’ll just get annoyed to pop them. Its still quite fun.

Mango (Medium with Toppings -$6.55) is fruity and sweet.

Original (Medium with Toppings -$6.55) is sweet and tart. You can’t go wrong with this unless you really hate tart taste.

Overall, we were pretty satisfied with the frozen yogurt. Better quality than the other frozen yogurt stores in the mall.

Words of Wisdom:

Peppermint Flavour tastes like toothpaste…and looks like toothpaste
If unsure of flavour, you can ask them for samples before deciding which flavour you want
Must try swirl pearls since they can only be found at Pinkberry
Small or medium is a good size

We Rate Pinkberry:
Address
F142 – 4700 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC V5H4M1
Website:
pinkberrycanada.com

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In Food for Thought

Recipes to Riches: Chicken Grenades Are The Bomb

December 2, 2011

I actually don’t watch Recipes to Riches on Food Network every week since I’ve been pretty busy with school. I often go to Superstore and I saw the Chicken Genades all sold out! I thought to myself, “damn, these must be good”. I eventually went to Extra Foods and saw one box left…I thought it was a sign, so I just had to get it.

For about $7, you get 10 pieces of the Chicken Grenades. Pretty expensive if you know what I mean.

It was pretty solid, but the instructions told me to break the apart. Seeing that I’m pretty lazy, I just put it into the oven to heat up without killing myself to pry them apart.

I put them in a small toaster oven since it didn’t seem right to put it in the big oven. It works quite well in the toaster oven actually.

Since the frozen product has uncooked chicken, it’s best to just stab one of them to make sure its cooked. I decided to plate these since there is a lot of oil that comes out of the bacon and chicken. This whole plate is a few thousand calories…so don’t eat it all yourself.

I love how it’s a bit spicy with the Jalapenos and the apple pepper jelly glaze. My little sister really didn’t like it spicy. I liked it, but it really didn’t seem as good as it could be.

This is a good product if you grab a few beers, sit in front of your TV for the game, and eat these appetizers. If you have lots of friends over, this probably won’t last you long. I wouldn’t suggest buying this product, but you can do the same thing at home from scratch.

The recipe is on their website here.

In Fast Food

Extreme Pita: There’s Probably A Reason Why No One Orders Pizza Here

December 1, 2011

I was at school and decided to go to the food court for lunch. I was craving some pizza and I remember Extreme Pita having some pita type of pizzas. I had it at another location and it was pretty good. I thought I would indulge and grab a pizza. Most people usually get pita’s..but I felt a bit different today.

….I actually should have stuck with the pita….and you will see why.

Pepperoni Extreme Pizza (~$7) has pizza sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella on a pita wrap bread thing.

What I found very strange is that the person making my pizza had no idea how to make it! She had to look for instructions to put it together. Seeing that it’s really only 3 toppings, it shouldn’t too difficult. Clearly it was a bit challenging to them since you couldn’t see any pepperoni on this pizza. It was all hidden under the copious amounts of mozzarella. It took them a while to make this and it tasted really bad! It wasn’t crispy at all and was just a pile of cheese….that drowned out the pepperoni. They should probably rename this ‘Mozzarella Extreme Pizza’.

I’d probably never come back here…probably never go for the pita either since it was that disgusting.

Words of Wisdom: