February 2013

In Brunch

Yolks Breakfast Food Cart: OMG SO GOOD

February 27, 2013

Yolks Breakfast Food Cart is located outside of Stadium Skytrain Station on Thursday and Fridays at 8:30am. Even though it was pouring rain, I really really wanted to try this! M and I went before work to grab a quick bite before going to our offices.

If you work Downtown, it’s hard to find good breakfast in the morning. Plus, this place takes debit and credit!

Their menu! Limited choices, but there’s a reason why…….it’s all delicious.

2 Eggs and Double Everything ($8.95) with a side of Truffle-Lemon Hashbrown Skewer ($2.75).

M chose the Double smoked bacon with arugula, and real hollandaise on their daily bread. The way they poach their eggs are very soft so the yolk will squirt out if you take a bite. It’ll be messy but it’s SO GOOD!

The Truffle-Lemon hashbrown was heavenly!! The truffle and the lemon paired perfectly and the hashbrows were crunchy too!

Roasted Portobello Mushroom English Muffin ($6.95) with arugula, pepper aioli, and aged white cheddar. The creaminess of the cheese and egg went really well with the mushroom. It was messy eating it, but it tasted so good. The way I avoid all messy yolk is biting a small hole in the egg and sucking out the yolk.

M and I loved this place! One of the better breakfasts we had in a long time. If you are Downtown early enough or happen to catch them at a special event, do try their amazing food! Just watch out for those pesky yolks and grab yourselves a lot of napkins.

We Rate Yolk’s Breakfast Food Cart:

Location:
Dunsmiur x Beatty (Stadium Skytrain)
Thursday and Friday 8:30am till 1pm

Website:
http://www.yolks.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=beatty+and+dunsmuir+vancouver&hl=en&hnear=Dunsmuir+St+%26+Beatty+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Deli

Apple Deli: It’s Like Your Kitchen

February 25, 2013

Apple Deli is right under Main Skytrain station. They sell simple soups, sandwiches and salads. On my first day of work, people warned me not to come here. Did I listen to them? I don’t think so, it made me more curious. How bad can a sandwich really be? It’s just slices of bread with filler.

The inside has lots of seats and there were a few group of people inside having lunch as well.

I just wanted a sandwich, so I looked at the menu and chose the Avocado and Bacon sandwich.

Avocado and Bacon Sandwich ($5.90) It’s nothing fancy, but it’s like a sandwich you can make at home.

They load it up with a ton of alfalfa spouts, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and mayo. The ingredients were very fresh, but the bacon and the guacamole were quite minimal. Nonetheless, I still felt healthier eating this that eating at any other restaurant…probably because most of it was vegetables.

You won’t find anything fancy or creative here, but it’s decent. Imagine it like your kitchen, but having to pay for your food.

We Rate Apple Deli:

Address:
189 Terminal Ave
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=189+Terminal+Ave+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=189+Terminal+Ave,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+4G3&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Japanese

Kishu River Japanese: Just Stay Away

February 24, 2013

I was in the area and my coworkers wanted to grab some lunch close by. We tried going to Congee Noodle King, but they were packed! All the tables were taken, so we settle on Kishu River Japanese.

No one was eating here during lunch and this place smelled pretty funky. There was a very unhygienic odor lingering but it smelled very stale. This was the first sign that something didn’t seem right.

As we sat down to order, we saw a makeshift office complete with a fax machine in the corner. This seemed weird too. We made our order and there was only 1 server and 1 cook. With 5 bento boxes ordered, this took about 40 minutes to prepare. The restaurant was not full at all. At this point, we were very scared, hungry and annoyed. We didn’t have much time to eat, so we just decide to get it to-go.

Bento Box F ($10.95) unagi don, salmon roll (6pcs), tuna and salmon sashimi, salad and fruits. Comes with miso soup too.

The description sounded great, when I opened my box, I was scared. The salmon rolls were falling apart, the salad looked old, the unagi (eel) was so small and not fresh at all. Plus, if I’m paying over $10 for lunch, it better me good.

The tuna sashimi pieces were large but the salmon was so minimal. The quality of sashimi was quite poor. It was icy and just defrosted.

Overall, I have nothing good to say about this place. The service was horrible, the food was barely edible, and everyone was pissed off.

We Rate Kishu River Japanese Restaurant:

Address:
3339 Kingsway Street
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Kishu+River+Japanese+Restaurant&hl=en&sll=49.2445,-123.034515&sspn=0.116101,0.260925&hq=Kishu+River+Japanese+Restaurant&t=m&z=12″]

In Canadian

Foodwares Market: Inside Granville Skytrain

February 23, 2013

At the Granville entrance to the Granville Skytrain is a restaurant called Food Wares Market, where they sell fresh paninis, baked goods, desserts, sushi, soup, coffee, premade salads and sandwiches.

If you work downtown, its a quick lunch thats around $10 and tastes good.

When you walk up to the entrance, you can see all their delectable treats. I was so temped to get a bunch of desserts for lunch, but I knew I just wanted a sandwich.

There’s prepackaged salads, sandwiches and salads in the coolers, but It wasn’t for me. I wasn’t in the mood for something cold. The weather outside was cold enough. hahaha.

Pastries.

I settled on getting a panini. It seemed quite popular and people were lining up for them.

Duo ($10.75) choice of panini served with a choice of baby greens salad or daily soup. This looked like the right choice for lunch.

There’s a good variety of panini types and it was calling for me. You can also choose whatever bread you want for your panini. A little bit of everything to satisfy all dietary restrictions…unless you can’t have gluten.

Aged Canadian Beef Brisket, topped with Canadian brie, grilled mushrooms, braised spinach and grainy mustard in olive bread.

I liked it, the creamy brie and the beef worked well together. The panini was toasted really well.

Corn Chicken Chowder was amazing! It had a good amount of corn and chicken, plus they add a hint of spices that give this chowder a nice spicy kick.

Overall, I enjoyed the lunch experience here and I would return for a quick lunch. I wish they had more hot food items, but I guess a sandwich and soup will do.

We Rate Foodwares Market:

Address:
674 Granville
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.foodwaresmarket.com/?cmd=Vancouver

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=674+Granville+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=674+Granville+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6C+3J3&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In International

Eight and a Half Lounge: Dining Package Review

February 20, 2013

Eight and a Half is a lounge on Main and 8th. I came here a while ago for brunch, but haven’t been here for dinner yet.

Right now they are doing a dining package with Vaneats.ca, where you pay $15 for a flight of beer, an appetizer and a pizza. Not bad actually. I was browsing through the menu and you save about $10 or $15 dollars. I came here with M and Scarface to try the package and order a few items on the side.

The interior is loungey and has a large bar.

The flight of beer arrived featuring 2 types of Stanley Park Brewery’s beer.

The first 2, which are lighter in color is the Amber, which has a cleaner finish when you drink it. You don’t taste a lot of the hops either.

The other 2 darker beers is the Bruns. The flavour profile is supposed to contain distinctive dried fruit aromatics, complex chocolate, roasted nut and malt biscuit. I’m not a beer expert, but it paired nicely with the food.

Dungeness Crab Cakes is served with lemony yogurt, avocados, and arugula. This is a badass crab cake. Really good and there wasn’t a lot of filler that went into it. You could taste all the meat!

The other options for the package is the tortilla soup or the Baked Brie.

For our pizza, we chose the Wild Smoked Salmon thin crust pizza. It is topped with BC smoked salmon, creamy dill, capers, red onion, and craisins. Any bite that you get the smoked salmon is pretty awesome. We really didn’t like the crasins in this pizza because once its cooked in the oven, the crasins get very hard. For some reason, we were charged an extra dollar and a few cents for this choice. I’m not really sure why, but I’m not the type to argue.

When we finished the package, we were still hungry, so we ordered a few more items to complete the meal.

Steak Bites ($9.50) are gluten free, but I guess you can tell since there isn’t just meat and a salad. The steak bites were marinated in a chili rub and done to medium rare. It is accompanies by a creamy parmesan dip. The steak was very pepper and over spiced.

When we saw that the baked brie was part of the package, we knew we wanted it, but we could only choose one appetizer. So we ordered it separately.

Baked Brie ($8.50) is so amazing! It’s a filo wrapped brie with the sweetness of honey. When you cut into the brie, it just oozes out. Once you get it onto the bread, it’s just fantastic. We all loved this and you can’t say no to yummy cheese…unless your lactose intolerant.

Pacific Bacon Sliders ($12.50) contain mini beef patties, alder smoked bacon, pacific pepper cheddar, Dijon aioli, fresh corn salsa, tomatoes and pickles. Pretty good sliders.

Overall, the food was good, but not crazy amazing. By being able to use the use the dining package and ordering off the regular menu, I would definitely recommend getting the package because you save a good amount of money. Our regular items excluding the dining package items came to about $37 for 3 appetizers.

We Rate Eight and a Half Lounge:

Address:
151 E 8th Ave
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.eightandahalf.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=151+E+8th+Ave+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=151+E+8th+Ave,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+1R8&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Izakaya

Rajio Japanese Public House: Japanese Izakaya Near UBC

February 19, 2013

Rajio is owned by the same people who have brought us Suika Izakaya and Kingyo Izakaya. It is located close to the UBC campus. Rajio is Japanese for Radio, so you will notice their logo is a radio.

I came here with Food Queen and Gastrofork for dinner as we were craving some good ol Japanese Izakaya food. Some of the items are similar to Suika and Kingyo, but they do have a few differential items on their menu like skewers and a crazy huge steaks.

Their decor is quite cool and the lanterns are soothing.

They have a cool bar too. They take reservations and have lots of seating. I didn’t take a picture of the other seats, but its not just a bar.

Complimentary cabbage with a light acidic dressing. Probably one of the healthier appetizers since its vegetables! Guilt free.

Corn Karaage ($4.80) was different that we anticipated. At Suika, they make is really different, more like a corn fritter. Eating the corn karaage was like a nice buttery corn on the cob, but much smaller.

*Y* Ebimayo ($6.80) are battered tiger prawns topped with a chili mayo. Delicious as always!

Kimchi Sobameshi Stone Bowl ($8.80) it has yakisoba noodles, ground pork, cheese, kimchi and vegetables on rice in a hot stone bowl.

Tuna Salt Tataki ($5.80) was beautifully presented! If you recognize what it is topped with, you know thats my favorite snack! It’s the dried noodles that are addictive.

Tako Wasabi (3.80) is chopped raw octopus in a wasabi sauce. You are given few sheets of seaweed so you can wrap it up together. It’s not an item for everyone since it is spicy. I enjoyed it.

Hellz Ramen ($8.80) is noodle in a clam and shrimp broth seasoned with spicy miso and spicy pepper topped with egg, ground pork and pickles. Contrary to the name of the ramen, it wasn’t too hot.

Octopus Balls ($1.50 each) is like a takoyaki on a stick. Tasted alright but you definitely need to add some seasoning to enhance the flavour.

My favorite condiment was the lemon salt.

Premium Kushi Katsu Set ($12.80) was a featured set that came with the following skewers: shiitake mushroom stuffed with shrimp, asparagus wrapped with pork, stewed pork belly, shiso chicken meat ball, lotus root stuffed with chicken, shiso wrapped shrimp, and seaweed wrapped rice cake.

I thought it was ok, but not as mouth-watering as Zakkushi’s skewers.

Smooth pudding ($3.80) was so good! It was like an inverted caramel pudding. You must get this!

Mango Pudding ($3.80) wasn’t what I expected. it was like a subtle tasting mango mousse with mango slices on top.

Almond Tofu ($3.80) the top has some gelatine and pieces of citrus. It was our least favorite. When you think almond tofu, you don’t really think of this.

Overall, pretty good dinner with the girls at Rajio. If you are around the area and love Japanese food, you definitely want to stop by for dinner. There is pay parking on the street.

We Rate Rajio:

Address:
3763 W. 10th Ave.
Vancouver, BC

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

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=3763+W.+10th+Ave.+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=3763+W+10th+Ave,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6R+2G7&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Chinatown

Harvest Community Foods: Mouth Watering Ramen

February 17, 2013

Harvest Community Foods is located at the edge of Chinatown. They are a neighbourhood grocery store and eatery. I’ve heard they had a killer ramen from a coworker, so I just had to come here during lunch to check it out. I’ve already been here 3 times during my lunch break.

They sell a lot of local and organic produce here. You will find Earnest Ice Cream, Beta 5 Chocolates, and many many other products.

Their chairs are old school, it reminded me of the desks from my high school. I thought I would never see that again. There’s not too many seats, so coming in super large groups are probably not ideal.

Ramen with pork shoulder, candied bacon, egg, and radish ($9.95)

This isn’t your typical bowl of ramen you would find. You can’t compare it to Kintaro or Santouka since it’s not remotely the same. I liked this dish because of the candied bacon and the pork shoulder. The pork shoulder is so tender and flavourul that is beautifully falls apart. The egg was perfectly cooked so the yolk is a golden yellow and gooey. You definitely should try this.

Udon with sake kazu chicken, watercress and shiitake ($8.95)

I didn’t really like this dish since the chicken was very dry and tough. I would probably just stick with the ramen…unless you are a vegetarian because they have some other vegan and vegetarian options.

Harvest Community Foods isn’t a place for everyone. If you are looking for 100% authentic Japanese noodles, you won’t find it here. It caters to a different crowd if you know what I mean. If you are in search of local, organic produce, you can find it here at Harvest Community Foods.

We Rate Harvest Community Foods:

Address:
243 Union Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.harvestunion.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=243+Union+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=243+Union+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+2Z7&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Dim Sum

Shanghai Xiao Long Bao Restaurant: Downtown Vancouver

February 16, 2013

Shanghai Xiao Long Bao Restaurant is located on Richards and Pender. I’ve always passed by this restaurant but it seemed a bit sketchy on the outside. We decided to give it a try as we were spending the day across the street and needed a quick bite.

There’s really no other restaurant like this in a few blocks. It’s a good place to go if you work in the Downtown area.

We were surprised at the interior, it wasn’t bad at all and there was a good amount of people eating here.

Tea

Fried Bun and condensed Milk is Scarface’s favorite item. The outside was crispy and the inside was steaming hot. Really yummy!

Xiao Long Bao ($5.99) was ok, it was passable, but not the best.

Pan-Fried Green Onion Pancake ($5.50) tasted delicious but you probably want some sauce to dip into it.

Pan-Fried Chive and pork ($5.99) nicely fried on the outside, so when you bite into it, you get the delicious filling of chives and pork. Highly recommended.

Superior Fried Rice ($12.99) was packed full of ingredients and the egg on top made it taste extra good.

Little Pork Buns ($6.99) were like the Xiao long Bao since it does have delicious soup inside. Pretty good.

Hot and Sour Soup (Small – $8.99 | Large – $14.99) was really good. Ask them for some vinegar to add to this as it enhances the flavour a bit more.

Marinated Shredded Jellyfish ($9.99) was ok, but it wasn’t as good as other places in town.

Chilled Pork Jelly ($9.99) was alight as well.

Overall, it was decent Shanghainese food in Downtown. Not the best, but the dim sum items are pretty good. If you do work downtown and craving for some Shanghainese food, its a good option.

We Rate Shanghai Xiao Long Bao Restaurant:

Address:
469 Richards St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.shanghaicuisinerestaurant.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=469+Richards+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=469+Richards+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+3A2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Robson Street/West End

Dinesty On Robson: Its Finally in Downtown

February 14, 2013

Dinesty is finally open on Robson Street in Downtown Vancouver. Dinesty took over the previous location of Jang Mo Jib and completely renovated the location.

Their menu is similar but there are a few new additions. The menu now has all pictures too!

The interior is pretty nice and has lots of space. It’s been quite popular even though it’s only been open for a very very short amount of time. It’s best to make reservations.

Their kitchen is quite large as well. You can watch them all at work. They definitely have less staff than the Richmond location, so when its a full house, service is slower.

Xiao Long Bao ($5.95) tasted the same and fantastic as usual. It’s a must have item!

Steamed Kimchi and Pork Dumpling ($5.95) made me very intrigued so we ordered them. The waitress warmed us that this would be quite spicy. It wasn’t spicy at all! Not quite sure what she was warning us about. This dumpling didn’t taste very good at all. Best to stick with the original XLB.

Pork and Prawn Potstickers ($4.75) comes with 6 pieces and has a piece of shrimp and minced pork inside each roll. I saw this on a few other tables as well. Seemed like a popular item.

Pan Fried Chive Dumpling tasted ok, but I prefer the pan fried beef dumpling.

Chinese Green Onion Pancake ($2.50) was crispy on the outside. You probably want some vinegar as a dip to accompany this.

Deep Fried Chicken roll comes in 2 rolls and has about 10 pieces. Pretty delicious and it comes with a dish of mayo to go along with it.

Beef Noodles soup with Pickled Vegetables pretty solid bowl of noodles and it’s a quick and cheap item to order if it’s for one person.

Overall, pretty good items overall. With this location downtown, it is bound to be very popular! Lost of people were doing take out orders too. I’d definitely come again! The service varies depending on how many other customers are there. When this place got packed, it was so difficult to order a can of coke. We had to ask 5 different waitresses before we got it.

We Rate Dinesty on Robson:

Address:
1719 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1719+Robson+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1719+Robson+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6G+1C8&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Chinese

Wu Fung Dessert: Specializes in Chicken Wings

February 13, 2013

Wu Fung Dessert doesn’t specialize in dessert, by they are quite famous for their Fried Chicken Wings. I’ve had them about 7 years ago and remembered they were quite tasty. I have a secret addiction to fried chicken, so I couldn’t leave the Adberdeen Food Court without grabbing a few wings for my friends to try out too.

There was a line up for them and the wait was quite long. It’s freshly made to order, so that why it takes a bit of time.

The chicken wings are lightly floured and deep-fried until golden brown and crispy. The inside was super hot and juicy. You should eat these right away (without burning yourself) as you don’t want the crust to get soggy.

I have to admit, the chicken wings were ok, but not the best I’ve had. I still prefer Church’s Chicken or the wings from Phnom Penh.

We Rate Wu Fung Dessert:

Address:
4151 Hazelbridge Way
Richmond, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4151+Hazelbridge+Way+Richmond,+BC&hnear=4151+Hazelbridge+Way,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6X+0A4&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Chinese

Lung Kee Congee Noodles: At the Aberdeen Food Court

February 12, 2013

Lung Kee Congee Noodles is located in the Aberdeen Food Court. I had no idea where or what to eat for dinner, so I walked around and around the food court.

Looking at the menu, the prices seemed good and I was craving for some beef brisket.

Beef Tendon + Brisket on Rice with Cold Milk Tea

This box was huge! It was pretty heavy since they packed it full of rice. The quality was OK, but not fantastic. I probably would not order it again. You can find much better beef brisket elsewhere.

We Rate Lung Kee Congee Noodles:

Address:
4151 Hazelbridge Way
Richmond, BC

In Chinese

No 1 Chinese Restaurant: Deep Fried Tofu is Addictive

February 10, 2013

Foodology Disclaimer: No 1 Chinese Restaurant invited me to try their dishes. I brought along 5 of my friends to keep the review as unbiased as I could. All dishes you see reflect what you would receive on a regular dining experience.

No 1 Chinese Restaurant is located on Hastings and Willingdon and they serve Chinese food. The Chef is John Mok and he has spent 30 years as a chef in Hong Kong, USA, China, and Vancouver. I’ve always passed by the restaurant on my way home from Downtown, but never really thought too much about it. It’s a family run restaurant and they put their heart and soul into their food.

When they approached me to try out their restaurant, I told me trusted buddies – M, Scarface, KoreanGirl, Cruzpresso, and RunningMan to join me.

The interior is a bit confusing as it still has the murals from the previous restaurant that occupied the space. Nonetheless, it’s really all about the food and they do have good food here.

Hot and Sour Soup (Small $5.50 | Large $9.95) was pretty good! It’s my favorite soup to order when I’m at a Chinese Restaurant. We gobbled it all up!

Deep Fried Tofu with Golden Garlic ($8.50) holy crap, the most amazing thing I’ve eaten in a long time! The outside is crunchy and the inside is soft tofu. It’s SO good. It looks very simple, but is so addictive. Go order this and you will know what I’m talking about. Everyone at the table thought this was the best item we ordered.

Sweet and Sour Boneless Pork ($10) was decent, still better than some other places in town. The batter wasn’t too thick, so you get a good amount of meat.

Beef Brisket with Curry Sauce ($11.95) had lots of tender beef, potatoes, onions and green peppers. This is one of their popular dishes. I would definitely order this again!

You can order rice to go with your curry. It comes in this cute little container. It reminded me of an elementary school lunch box.

House Special Chow Mein ($9.50) was loaded with a bit of everything. There was so much stuff packed on top, I lost count of what was on it.

BBQ Duck came with a good amount of pieces and was good as well.

Overall, some of the dishes were amazing. Definitely order the Beef Brisket Curry and the deep fried tofu. Since I grew up on Chinese food, generally not a lot of dishes stand out to me, but those 2 dishes are SO GOOD. They also have some pretty cheap lunch specials.

We Rate No 1 Chinese Restaurant:

Address:
02A-3701 Hastings
Burnaby, BC

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

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=3701+Hastings+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=3701+Hastings+St,+Burnaby,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5C+2H6&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

Safari Cafe: A Hidden Gem

February 10, 2013

Safari Cafe is a small coffee shop in the Strathcona area outside of Chinatown. I’ve passed by the place a few times and I basically think everything is sketchy in this area. Clearly, I am wrong. One day, my coworkers decided to go for a coffee run and told me this place is the place to go for coffee.

This place was busy around 10am on a Friday. All the seats were occupied and there was a long lineup. This told me that Safari Cafe is definitely a secret gem in the neighbourhood.

The drink menu isn’t extensive, but there are the usual items. The thing about Safari Cafe is that you never know what they will charge you. Sometimes you pay less than whats indicated on the board or sometimes they will give you get a large instead of a medium. It all depends on how the owners mood is.

Adam makes all the drinks and is a killer baker too.

Adam even has his own painting on the wall!

I ordered a medium latte, but Adam gave me a large latte and only charged me $3. I was very surprised and very confused at the same time. I guess he was in a very happy mood that day. Clearly, very unpredictable. The coffee tasted great and no complaints. I’ll definitely be back!

We Rate Safari Cafe:

Address:
1007 Main St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1007+Main+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1007+Main+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+4L4&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In British Columbia

McDonalds Canada: Raspberry Pie

February 8, 2013

McDonalds Canada is always churning out different pies. The past 2 pies introduced were the caramel pie and oreo pie. They never stick around for a long time, so this is also available for a limited amount of time.

The Raspberry pie was very sweet and tart. It just seemed like it was like a pie filled with jam. It doesn’t taste very good on its own, but definitely tastes better with a coffee and tea.

Have you tried this yet?

In Bakery

Terra Breads Cafe: Cookies, Sandwiches, and Hot Chocolate

February 7, 2013

Terra Breads Cafe is located in the Olympic Village. They have amazing artisan bread, pastries, sandwiches, and drinks. I recently started working near this area and it’s definitely one of our go-to places for lunch. It gets pretty packed during lunch, so it’ll be hard to find a table.

It’s super close to this stunning view of Downtown Vancouver! Too bad it was a cloudy day.

They have tons of pastries, you will find something that catches your eye.

Chocolate Espresso Cookie was very soft and had a nice subtle taste of espresso in the chocolate cookie. Definitely a nice treat for the mornings.

I got a portobello mushroom panini which also has goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, arugula, house-made chipotle mayonnaise and cracked black pepper. The mushrooms are sourced locally from Richmond too. It was a pretty good panini!

Stand Up and Stout is a hot chocolate infused with Cacao Barry Extra Brute Cocoa and R&B Brewing Dark Star Oatmeal Stout, served with house-made stout marshmallows and an oatmeal raisin cookie. It was really good! Who knew beer and hot chocolate would ever go together. This item is exclusively for the Hot Chocolate Festival.

Overall, pretty awesome cafe in the area. It is usually packed during peak hours, so not the best place to come with large groups. It’s nice place to just chill.

We Rate Terra Breads Cafe:

Address:
1605 Manitoba Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.terrabreads.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1605+Manitoba+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1605+Manitoba+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5Y+0B5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

Leonidas: Its Hot Chocolate Time

February 6, 2013

Foodology Disclaimer: Leonidas invited me to try some of their Hot chocolate to gear up for the Hot Chocolate Festival.

Leonidas is located below Canada Place and serves great hot chocolate to locals and tourists. Besides hot chocolate, they have dessert, coffee and shakes. It is a popular franchise all over the world and a few years ago, it arrived in Vancouver.

They pride themselves of offering chocolates made with 100% cocoa butter – no fillers, no wax, no vegetable oil, no animal fats. Their chocolates are flown in from Belgium and not made in-house.

This year, they are participating in the Hot Chocolate Festival starting Saturday January 19th till February 14th, 2013. These sound crazy amazing, especially the frozen noisette.

Their 4 flavours offered this year are The Frozen Noisette, Tiger Milk, Jamaican Kiss and Boho Secret.

The Frozen Noisette
Melted praline blended into frozen yogurt, topped with a shot of melted chocolate, and finished with crushed hazelnuts.

Everyone LOVED this! You must get this!

Tiger Milk
Leonidas White chocolate, saffron, cardamom, nutmeg, and finished with slivered almonds.

This drink kinda reminded me of Chai tea. It definitely different than all the other hot chocolates.

Jamaican Kiss
Leonidas Milk Chocolate, coconut milk and pineapple rum.

M loved this! It has a stronger taste of coconut than the rum, but is a great combination.

Boho Secret
Leonidas 72% Sao Tome dark chocolate, mint and a secret ingredient.

This was my second favourite and it reminded me of a peppermint patty or After Eight chocolate.

With the hot chocolates, you get a choice of a chocolate, a sample of leige waffle or some treat to accompany your drink.

This is their regular menu.

72% Dark Hot Chocolate is definitely not for everyone. It is very rich and good for people who like dark chocolate. If you enjoy something a bit smoother, the 52% dark hot chocolate might be better.

The hot chocolate is served in a double walled cup, so it stays hotter for longer.

It even comes with a little chocolate.

Champagne Hot Chocolate isn’t on the menu, but you can order it. It is made of the Champagne truffles and is so good! It’s not alcoholic at all, but it adds a nice after taste. I really enjoyed this one!

Earl Grey Macaron had a very nice flavour, but the texture of the macaron tends to stick slightly to your teeth. The macaron didn’t fall apart easily as some other places in town. A good macaron to go with your hot chocolate is always a plus.

Words of Wisdom:

Delicious Dark Chocolates and hot chocolates!
Under $10
Closest Skytrain: Waterfront

We Rate Leonidas:

Address:
#29 – 1055 Canada Place
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.leonidaswaterfront.com/

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In Riley Park/Little Mountain

The Acorn: FeastVan 2013

February 5, 2013

The Acorn was participating in FeastVan and they were offering a 3 course meal for $30. You start off with the Sunchoke Soup, then you can choose any main and dessert on the menu. FeastVan was happening at the same time as Dine Out Vancouver, so I thought that was kinda weird. They had a few good restaurants, so I decided to check one of them out. I let Wongers decide where to go since she has pretty good taste in food. Join our awesome dinner was Foodobyte, so make sure to check out his blog to see what he thought about The Acorn.

You can find vegetarian, vegan, raw, gluten-free options on their menu.

You can’t make reservations, but the only table you can reserve is the “family table” that can seat 6 or more. We reserved the table at 6:30 for 7 people. Soon after, this whole restaurant was packed! There was even a line up.

Water comes in super cute bottles.

Even the shape of the cup is kinda cute. Clearly, I get amused by little things.

Coconut Water ($3) comes with a slice of lime at the bottom. The lime overpowered the subtle taste of the coconut. It’s quite a strange combination. I am a firm believer that coconut juice shouldn’t be mixed with anything…but thats probably because coconuts are best on their own.

Sunchoke Soup (Starter Size) is topped with parsnip crisps, grilled scallion oil, and hazelnut salt. Very delicious soup!

The Harvest ($19) always changes and is made with their seasonal vegetables, herbs, and produce from local farms. Today they were featuring a butternut squash risotto with grilled ridicchio, endive, green cauliflower, goat cheese and pecans. This was my favorite dish of all the entrees.

Halloumi ($19) has 3 pieces of beer-battered Halloumi, zucchini pancake, smashed peas, yogurt, and lemon balm. I wasn’t a fan of the halloumi because it was very rich and oily. Everything else I loved…just not the main ingredient. Some people on the table disagreed, but everyone has different tastes.

Porcini ($18) has braised porcini mushrooms, daikon, edamame, buckwheat noodles, sesame, kombu Dashi, and nori chips on top. This dish was OK, but nothing too amazing.

Zuni ($18) is a heirloom zuni bean cassoulet with confit fennel, apple and rustic baguette on the side. Our group thought this was a pretty good dish a well.

Goji ($11) is comprised of a raw chocolate ganache tart, walnut crust, lemon goji berry preserve, raspberry coulis, and frozen grapes.

Chai ($8) is a chai pot de crème and 2 cardamom shortbread pieces on the side.

Olive ($9) is an olive oil cake with apple puree, white chocolate, frozen yogurt, lemon balm, and candied olives.

Pumpkin ($9) has pumpkin semifreddo, amaretti crumble, crème fraiche, and sage crisps. The BEST dessert on their menu! It wasn’t too sweet and who knew carrot would make such a delicious dessert. You must order this!

Overall, pretty good meal at The Acorn. I couldn’t believe it was vegetarian! There are a few dishes that can be a hit or a miss. The Harvest and the Pumpkin dessert are a must!!

We Rate The Acorn:

Address:
3995 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.theacornrestaurant.ca/

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In Chinese

Peaceful Restaurant: Hand Pulled Noodles

February 4, 2013

Peaceful Restaurant is located on Broadway near Broadway/City Centre Skytrain on the Canada Line. They are best known for their hand pulled noodles! It’s been there for a few years and I remember seeing it when I go to Sha Lin Noodles. I kinda always had a bias against this place because they have similar dishes and Sha Lin was there first. I decided I should really stop thinking that way and just keep on eating through all the restaurants in the city.

Even Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on the Food Network was here filming a segment.

Here’s the video!

Peaceful Beef Roll ($7.95) has five spiced beef rolled in a green onion crispy green onion flat bread and sweet hoisin sauce. You can see him making it on the show and it is really good! Definitely one of the better ones in town. Everyone gets this when they visit, so do give it a try.

Xiao Long Bao Steamed Buns ($7.95) is filled with minced pork, ginger, and some sauce. It arrives on the table in a bamboo steamer with 8 pieces of buns.

Peaceful House Stir-Fried Noodles ($12.95) has seafood, pork, veggies, and a chili garlic sauce.

Cumin Lamb Stir-Fried Noodles ($12.95) has peppers, lamb and other spices. M liked it and enjoyed the flavours.

Sichuan beef noodle soup ($7.95) has stewed beef in a dark spicy broth in spinach and cilantro. It was really good! Lots of noodles and the beef was very tender. Highly recommended.

Overall, the food here is pretty solid. It is quite busy during peak hours, but turnover is quick. The service is ok but not great. There is very very limited parking in the rear. Just 1 spot…so its pretty hard to fight for that one spot. There is paid street parking around the block.

We rate Peaceful Restaurant:

Address:
532 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.peacefulrestaurant.com/

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