Archive

March 2013

Browsing

Ali Shan restaurant

Ali Shan Restaurant is a Taiwanese Restaurant located in Crystal Mall. I was in the area with my coworker and we wanted some lunch before heading back to the office, so we went to Ali Shan for a quick bite.

Ali Shan restaurant

All items either come with daily soup or cold tea. We chose the tea as we wanted something refreshing. It was good and it was sweetened.

Ali Shan restaurant

Braised Pork Belly with Red Fermented Sauce ($7.20) comes with egg on rice, pickled vegetables and a side dish.

Ali Shan restaurant

Beef Hotpot ($6.90) was inexpensive, but the hotpot broth was rather bland. Even though it is a good deal and has lots of items packed into the pot, it’s not the most delicious thing I’ve eaten. It’s decent for the price.

Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with this place but the price is good if you want an inexpensive lunch. The service is alright, but it does take a bit of time for the food to arrive at the table. There are a lot of other options in the area too. They are cash only.

We Rate Ali Shan Restaurant

Address:
4500 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC

Ali Shan Restaurant 阿里山品味餐廳 on Urbanspoon

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4500+Kingsway+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=4500+Kingsway,+Burnaby,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5H&gl=ca&t=m&z=14″]

Wendys Son of Baconator

When it comes to fast food, I love the stuff. We all know Wendy’s famous Baconator – a tower of bacon strips, cheese and 2 quarter pounder patties. Sometimes that burger is way too big and has so much meat. Wendy’s came up with a new alternative called ‘Son of Baconator’. It is essentially a smaller version of the baconator with smaller patties.

Wendys Son of Baconator

Son of Baconator has 2 small patties, 2 cheddar cheese slices, 4 bacon strips, ketchup, and mayo. It was way smaller than the baconator, but its a good choice if you aren’t too hungry.

Wendys Son of Baconator

Poutine has canadian cheese curds, and loads of gravy on top of their fries. Obviously not the best poutine, but it was alright.

After ordering the combo, I was stuffed! I really do enjoy Wendy’s for their fast food. Much fresher ingredients than some of the other fastfood chains out there.

Do you love the baconator? or the Son of Baconator?

Another late night meal at Anton’s Pasta. There’s not too many late night places in this area. M and I like to come here for the amount food. Rawr we’re monsters. We have never finished a whole plate nor would be ever try. We usually eat part of it and then save leftovers for breakfast and lunch….and sometimes dinner.

Anton's Pasta

It’s usually busy, but we come pretty late around 9pm. There’s still lots of people inside but at least there are no line ups out the door.

Anton's Pasta

Complementary Bread arrives at the table as you wait for your dish. When you’re super hungry, you’ll probably eat a fair amount of bread, but it definitely fills you up before your pasta arrives. I usually just nibble on the bread and just wait till the pasta arrives.

Anton's Pasta

Spinach Tortellini Napoletana ($16.95) contains spinach tortellini stuffed with ricotta cheese in a fresh basil tomato sauce. It was the first time I ordered stuffed pasta and it was alright. The sauce isn’t as addictive as their specialty pastas. There was a lot of tortellini, but I kinda prefer their other pastas.

Anton's Pasta

Tondi Don Vincenzo ($16.95) has romano cheese & garlic stuffed pasta in a cream garlic parsley sauce with diced onions. The creamy garlic sauce was good!

Overall, the stuffed pasta is definitely different that their speciality pastas. Yet again, it’s not the best pasta, but its alright. People come here for the large quantities.

Words of Wisdom:

  • Free parking near TD Bank
  • Long line ups during peak hours
  • Large variety of pastas
  • No debit, they only accept credit and cash

We Rate Anton’s Past Bar: 

Address:

4260 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

Website:
www.antonspastabar.com

Anton's Pasta Bar on Urbanspoon

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4260+Hastings+St+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=4260+Hastings+St,+Burnaby,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5C+2J7&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

Forage

Forage is located inside the Listel Hotel in Downtown Vancouver. They pride themselves of being very sustainable, meaning zero waste and using local sustainable ingredients. After seeing tons and tons of people instagramming photos from Dine Out Vancouver, this was on my ‘to eat’ list. When TaiwaneseGirl was thinking of a venue for her birthday party, I suggested we come here. Making a reservation for a large group was easy and not a hassle. They don’t allow outside desserts, but they were nice enough to make something special for the birthday girl.

Forage

Instead of candles, they have a jar of fake moss and an electronic candle. Very cute.

Forage

Since it was a celebration, we decided to order a bottle of Riesling. We know we’re getting a bit older when we order a bottle of wine for the table.

Forage

Fresh Shucked Oyster ($2.50 each) were small, but they were packed full of flavour. I can’t remember what type of oysters they were but they were good.

Forage

Fanny Bay clams ($12) with merguez, sea cider, and romesco.

Forage

Squash Pierogies ($12) has a birch syrup vinegar reduction, smokey potatoes, and scallion crème fraîche. Highly recommended.

Forage

Pacific Provider salmon ($16) with Pemberton potatoes, “bread n butter” sea asparagus, and pickled huckleberries.

Forage

Smoked albacore tuna ($22) with blackberry and fir jelly, chantarelle, brown butter gnocchi, hazelnuts, and squash.

Forage

Spiced grains and wheat berries ($12) with quinoa, autumn vegetables, handmade roti, and raita.

Forage

Double-fried pork cutlet ($14) with green cabbage, bull kelp, and pickled cipollini’s.

Forage

BC spot prawn and seafood chowder ($12) with soft-poached egg, smoked chicharrón, and pork hock.

Forage

The smoked chicharron had a texture like puffed rice crackers and it soaks up the favour of the chowder. This item was everyone’s favorite. The chowder is famous since it won the Chowder Chowdown from the Vancouver Aquarium. Highly recommended!

Forage

Rangeland game burger ($16), caramelized onion preserve, house-cured bacon, Golden Ears cheddar, and fries.

Forage

The burger had some pretty cool ingredients inside since it wasn’t beef. The patty is bison, elk and venison.

Forage

Pain Perdu ($8) has autumn spice brioche, hazelnut caramel, and brie Anglaise.

Forage

Carrot cake ($8) has a Neufchåtel frosting, candied walnut, and cranberry sorbet.

Overall, the food was a tad expensive, but its understandable since the place uses sustainable ingredients and the calibre of restaurant that it is. All the dishes were carefully put together and the service was phenomenal! Our server was so humble and shared his stories of when he was in Brazil. Everything he said left a smile on our faces.

We Rate Forage

Address:
1300 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.foragevancouver.com/

Forage on Urbanspoon

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1300+Robson+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1300+Robson+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6E&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

After finishing dinner on The Drive at Havana’s one dark and rainy Tuesday night, my friends and I were craving something sweet.

We wracked our brains for a while thinking of a dessert place in the area and could only think of La Casa Gelato. It was pretty cold out so we weren’t really in the mood for ice cream.

I hopped onto Urbanspoon and saw a name that I didn’t recognize – Scandilicious. It was only 1 block away so it was perfect!

sc-inner

Scandilicious is a new waffle café that opened on The Drive about a month ago.  They serve 5 different types of waffles with so many sweet or savoury options!

  1. Liege – served hot, a dense chewy and sweet waffle
  2. Brussels – The typical waffles you see served at most places
  3. Vaffler  – a thin, tender, lightly crispy waffle spiced with cardamom
  4. WOS  – Short for Waffle on a Stick
  5. Gluten Free – Good option for those with dietary limitations

They also make their own sauces that they are looking to bottle up and sell soon in store.

When I arrived at the store, I was greeted with such a warm scent. I was also mesmerized by all the options. After debating for awhile, we finally got to ordering.

Scandilicious

Scandilicious

Vaffler with espresso sauce topped with vanilla ice cream

WOW. This was my absolute favourite of the night. The pairing of espresso with vanilla ice cream is perfect. My favourite part of it was the espresso sauce. It was flavourful, not too sweet, and had a butteriness to it like caramel.

The Vaffler itself on its own was really good and spiced with cardamom, which made it have a nice subtle and light gingery taste to it.

Scandilicious

Vaffler with Coconut spread
The coconut spread was similar to the Malaysian Coconut Spread called Kaya but was more flavourful and richer. It wasn’t overpowering or artificial tasting either. It initially looks like it might not be enough sauce but it definitely is enough for such a delicate waffle.

Scandilicious

Vaffler with dark chocolate cherry sauce

The dark chocolate cherry sauce wasn’t my favourite but that might also be my taste preference. It was a little grainier compared to their other sauces.

Scandilicious

Brussels Waffle with Almond Butter

This style of waffle is one that you see often. It was light and crispy. My friend chose the almond butter that was quite thick and tasted just like ground almonds.

To sum up my experience at Scandilicious, I was surprised and will definitely be back again soon. It’s a great addition to the neighbourhood and provides lots of options for those looking for something heavier, sweeter, or lighter.

The price point is also good – see their menu for prices.

They have lots of sauces and it just so happens they’re hosting a sample night on Friday, March 22, 6pm to 7pm at their quickie take out window. Stop by if you’re in the area (limit one sample per person)! Check out their website or facebook page for more information.

Words of wisdom

  • Ask them for help and suggestions if you’re overwhelmed by the options
  • Experiment with flavours and be creative!
  • Good on the wallet!

We Rate Scandilicious: 

 Address:
1340 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.scandilicious.com/

Scandilicious on Urbanspoon

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1340+Commercial+Drive+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1340+Commercial+Dr,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5L+2T6&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

If you are from the Port Moody area, you must know Lazy Den Bubble Tea. I vaguely remember coming here in 2008 during my early University days cause it was open pretty late. Where else can you get bubble tea in Coquitlam/North Burnaby at 11pm? Sure, there are tons of places in South Burnaby, but thats quite a bit of a drive. I’m not a huge bubble tea fan, so I didn’t come back till now.

We came back here again because some friends told us they have good cheap food at night. All I heard was food, so I was happy to come here. I was really hungry during this day.

Lazy Den Bubble Tea

The interior isn’t pretty, but it’s a good place to chat and chill with friends over bubble tea till midnight.

Lazy Den Bubble Tea

On their menu, they have 4 items. All under $6 with a food item and a bubble tea. Not bad at all! It’s not a large selection, but it will do.

Lazy Den Bubble Tea

Meat Sauce with Noodles and Green Milk Tea ($5) is the most popular item. It’s not relatively amazing, but it’ll satisfy your hunger without breaking your wallet.

If you are needing a cheap place to go at night for $5 noodles and bubble tea, definitely come here.

We Rate Lazy Den Bubble Tea

Address:
#105 – 3003 St. Johns Street
Port Moody, BC

Lazy Den Bubble Tea on Urbanspoon

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=%23105+-+3003+St.+Johns+Street+Port+Moody,+BC&hnear=3003+St+Johns+St+%23105,+Port+Moody,+British+Columbia+V3H+2C5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

Beaucoup

Beaucoup Bakery and Cafe opened at the end of 2012 and their customers have raved about their amazing croissants. After seeing my sister bring home boxes full of their croissants, I decided to come here with my girls – KoreanGirl and Mandu. They love to eat, so an afternoon catch up session definitely needs coffee and pastries.

On a Saturday afternoon, this place was packed! There were swarms of people almost out the door. There’s not a lot of seating, so you kinda need to wait patiently for some spots to free up.

Beaucoup

The croissants smell so good and look good too. Once you walk through the door, your eyes will just stare at them intensely to figure out which pastry you’ll devour.

Beaucoup

They have more than just croissants.

Beaucoup

The perfect items for 3 girls.

Beaucoup

Latte is made with 49th Parallel coffee and went well with the pastries. Anytime coffee that is made with 49th Parallel beans, you know its good stuff.

Beaucoup

Macchiato had a cute little heart.

Beaucoup

Croissant is very flakey on the outside and soft in the middle. This croissant is definitely one of the crispiest in town.

Beaucoup

Look at all those layers! When you bite into it, you will know this is loaded with butter to get the crispiness.

Beaucoup

Mini Chocolate Croissant was really good as well. The size was perfect, so you get a few bites without feeling guilty afterwards.

Beaucoup

Citrus Scroll was sticky and sweet kinda like a marmalade. It was good, but not overly sweet.

bar

Marcona Almond Bar was one of my favorite treats! It is packed full of nuts on top and a piece of gold foil. Definitely recommended.

Overall, we enjoyed our time here…especially the food. Coming on a weekend, it is quite busy, so the place will be packed. Will definitely be back!

We Rate Beaucoup Bakery & Cafe: 

Address:
2150 Fir St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.beaucoupbakery.com/

Beaucoup Bakery & Cafe on Urbanspoon

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2150+Fir+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=2150+Fir+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6J+3B5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

Foodology Disclaimer: We were invited to attend the Vancouver International Wine Festival.


winefest-6

This was our first year going to the Vancouver International Wine Festival and to tell you the truth I was feeling a little nervous about feeling the need to wade through the 175 wineries showcased.

winefest-2

I’ve always enjoyed wine and though I can’t use proper wine lingo, I’ve always viewed wine as a social thing to be enjoyed with family and friends. Not necessarily as something only enjoyed by the people who can fit into the culture.

winefest-1

This year’s theme region sponsor was California. Primarily there were two sections – one for California and one for the other wines of the world ordered by country and region. The booths were also organized alphabetically and numbered which made navigation very simple!

winefest-3

If you’ve never been to a larger scale wine tasting before, you might be wondering what the buckets and jugs of water are for. Enter in and you’re given your own wine glass. When you’ve finished tasting, you can pour out any remaining wine into the bucket and use the water to rinse off your glass to move on to the next thing.

winefest-5

I started off trying mostly whites and when I wanted to move on to the reds, I realized that it was already 9:30pm so I didn’t get much time to go through many of the reds. This year’s time for the tasting was from 7:00pm to 10:00pm.

I’m not an expert and am quite new to the wine world but here are a few wines that I came out quite enjoying and look forward to drinking again in the future:

  • 2011 Amalaya vino blanco (Torrontes – 90%; Riesling 10%) from Argentina: For those of you who enjoy a crisp, refreshing, and floral light-bodied white. Drinking it reminded me of the coming spring and summer nights.
  • 2009 Yarden Viognier from Israel: A smooth-mouth feeling white with a touch of sweetness that reminds me of biting into a peach. More of a medium-bodied wine that is lightly oaked.
  • 2010 Signorello Chardonnay Hope’s Cuvée from California: Yum. This was definitely a treat. Check out the linked description and tasting note. It’s a well-crafted wine very balanced oak and had a very nice elegance to it. My description does not do it justice.

winefest-4

If you’re thinking of heading into next year’s festival, my recommendations would be to:

  1. Do some general research about some wineries/regions – you won’t have time to be able to taste everything but be open to being spontaneous!
  2. Don’t feel intimidated to ask questions. The people behind the labels are passionate and willing to explain the differences in their lineup as they take you through their light whites to bold reds.

I do have to say that $95 might be on the high side for the average person attending the event but if you are someone genuinely interested in learning about wine and talking to the people behind the product, it’s worth it. I’m not sure when I’ll have such ready access to so many different bottles.

Until we meet again #VanWineFest!

Kita No Donburi

Kita no Donburi is located near Seymour and Hastings street. Kimbob E Ramyun used to be in this location before Kita no Donburi took over. It’s very close to Waterfront Skytrain. We were having a meeting nearby and needed a quick spot for lunch.

Kita No Donburi

They sell Japanese food and have a huge menu. We arrived too late for their lunch menu, so we had to settle for other items on their menu.

You order up at the counter first and then take a seat as you wait for your food to arrive. It kinda reminded me of those fast food restaurants in Asia.

Kita No Donburi

Oyako Don ($6.95) contains egg, chicken, onions, and topped with seaweed and sauce. It comes with a side of miso soup too.

Kita No Donburi

Buta Kimchi ($9.50) has marinated pork chop, kimchi, and vegetables in a hot stone bowl.

Kita No Donburi

Shogayaki Don ($7.80) contains pork, egg, onion, green onion on top of lettuce and rice.

Overall, the prices are quite fair for the food you get. It’s not the most amazing food, but good for a lunch.

We Rate Kita No Donburi

Address:
423 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.kitanodonburi.com/

Kita No Donburi on Urbanspoon

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=423+Seymour+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=423+Seymour+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+1L6&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

Akari Japanese Restaurant

Akari Japanese Restaurant is located in Delta at Strawberry Hill. I would have never thought to have Japanese food in this area. Plus, I never frequent this area anyways. The restaurant has been around for 15 years and is operated by Koreans, so you will see some of that influence come out in their cuisine.

Akari Japanese Restaurant

This place was packed on a weekend and was quite busy.

Akari Japanese Restaurant

When we sat down, we received some tea.

Akari Japanese Restaurant

M and Scarface as usual always orders a coke wherever they go.

Akari Japanese Restaurant

Complementary edamame beans arrived soon after.

Akari Japanese Restaurant

Secret Castle Salad ($11.95) contains crab meat, salmon, tuna, avocado, tobiko, and sprouts with 3 kinds of dressing. This item was pretty impressive and looked amazing.

Akari Japanese Restaurant

You can see the layers of all the ingredients. You need to dig in to discover all the ingredients in this.

Akari Japanese Restaurant

Spicy Delight ($6.95) contains salmon, tuna, tobiko with a spicy sauce served in orange cup.

Akari Japanese Restaurant

Akari Island ($8.95) has spicy sashimi wrapped by seared salmon,  and tobiko on top spicy house sauce. The salmon that wrapped around the roll could have been a bit more smooth or seared more lightly.

Akari Japanese Restaurant

 Crazy Roll ($10.95) is a deep-fried California roll with Tobiko. You can substitute it with black rice, so its more healthy.

 Akari Japanese Restaurant

Black Cod Miso Yaki ($12.95) the cod is marinated with miso and sake and then grilled. It is served on a hot plate with vegetables.

Akari Japanese Restaurant

Akari Roll ($10.95) has tuna, salmon, Aasparagus, tobiko, ebi, avocado, crabmeat with a soy wrap instead of seaweed.

Akari Japanese Restaurant

Rock Cracker Roll ($10.95) contains double prawn, cucumber, avocado, crab meat on top with deep-fried scallop, spicy flakes, and tobiko.

Akari Japanese Restaurant

Coffee Ice Cream came with 2 scoops and was very enjoyable. We were surprised this was even an option since most places only have green tea or mango ice cream. This was our favorite.

Akari Japanese Restaurant

Green Tea Ice Cream was the other ice cream we got. It was good and was a good way to end the meal.

Overall, Akari Japanese Restaurant is good if you live in this area. It isn’t the best but one of the better ones in the Delta area.

We Rate Akari Japanese Restaurant: 

Address:
7261 120th Street
Delta, BC

Website:
http://www.deltaakari.com/

Akari Japanese Restaurant on Urbanspoon

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=7261+120th+Street+Delta,+BC&hnear=7261+120+St,+Delta,+British+Columbia+V4C+1B4&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by Tangoo to check out their Tangoo Night on Main Street. The portions on the dishes or service may not be representative of what you would expect from a normal dining experience.


The General Public

Tangoo Nights brings together Vancouverites that love food and mingling. You just chose the night that you like and then you are taken to a few venues around town. It’s hassle-free and you just sit back, relax and eat a lot. All you have to do is pay a flat fee and you get 3 courses and 2 drinks.

I went to one of the night on Main Street and we were taken to The General Public for appetizers, dinner and a drink. Then to end the night, we headed to Eight 1/2 for a late night drink.

The General Public

The General Public is the sister restaurant of The Eatery in Kitsilano. If you are a UBC student, you must have been to that restaurant before. If you don’t want to travel so far, The General Public is a good option to go to.

They have innovative rolls and Japanese inspired items on the menu. It’s not the most amazing food, but you will definitely love the decor and ambiance.

The General Public

When you walk into the front door, you will be stunned by a huge Frankenstein stuffed animal.

The General Public

All the decor around the room will resonate in your mind if you grew up in the 80s or 90s. I got excited by this bust because its Darth Vader! I am a huge fan of Star Wars.

The General Public

As a drink was included, I ordered a Caesar that came in a boot. The tequila I had inside was a Habanero tequila! It tasted so good and a tad spicy, but it worked so well together. Great way to start the night.

The General Public

Sushi Pizza Bites was the first item that arrived. The texture of the crunchy base and the raw fish on top blended together quite nicely.

The General Public

Bacon Striptease is the ultimate fat food. It’s essentially deep-fried bacon. As a woman, it just reminded me of how much I need to go to the gym the next day.

The General Public

Volcano Roll is not what you would normally expect because the rolls here have a fusion twist. These aren’t spicy, the shape of how the rolls were oriented resembles a volcano.

The General Public

Cucumber Wrap Roll has the cucumber instead of the seaweed and rice. I thought this was a very strange roll. Might as well just eat a salad.

The General Public

The Fat Elvis aka the deep-fried avocados. I’m not sure why it’s called the Fat Elvis, but I even tried searching on the internet to find out, but I found nothing. This dish was good, but something about a heated avocado didn’t resonate well with my taste buds, I usually like them cold.

The General Public

Tuna Sashimi was wrapped up like a rose. It also has some sauce and asparagus on the side.

The General Public

Tuna Tempura was something I never would have thought of. It was a cool combination and the tuna was nice and delicate inside.

The General Public

Main Roll is lightly battered and deep-fried. It was ok, but when it comes to the sushi rolls here, you can’t really compare to the authentic Japanese restaurants.

The General Public

Salmon Tartare comes with some fried wontons. You just scoop some of the tartare onto it and munch away.

The General Public

Tuna Tartare is shaped more like a pyramid, but nonetheless delicious. I think they mix the tuna with avocados to give it a much more creamier texture.

The General Public

Prawn tempura was nothing special but tasted ok.

The General Public

Bob Marley Roll has mango inside and topped with tuna.

The General Public

This roll, which I have already forgotten its name has eel on the inside and is topped with salmon and a slice of lemon.

The General Public

GP Roll as you can guess stands for General Public, just like the restaurant.

The General Public

Seared Salmon Belly nigiri was a bit disappointing. The texture wasn’t as delicate and soft as it could have been.

The General Public

After ALL that food arrived, we all basically wanted to unbutton our pants because they gave us so much food! In between all the food, we entertained ourselves with Jenga. It was a great game that really helped break the ice with all the attendees of Tangoo.

The General Public

Deep Fried Mars Bar with Ice cream man, this was good! I usually hate Mars bars, but if you deep fry it and put some ice cream on, its like so delicious.

The food at the General Public isn’t the best, but they have a variety of items that will appeal to your taste buds. Don’t come here if you’re expecting authentic Japanese food, it’s all fusion here.

The General Public on Urbanspoon

Eight and a Half

After General Public, we all headed over to Eight 1/2 for a drink before the night was over.

eight 1/2

tangoo-eight-wine

We had the option of a few different beverages, but I chose the white wine to end the evening. Trying to be classy when I’m so not. I enjoyed having one last drink at the end of the night since you can still socialize and have fun.

Overall, I really did enjoy my experience at Tangoo. The price you pay it totally worth it. I think it was about $50. You are stuffed silly and we all wondered when the food would stop coming (that’s so rare). I met some cool people, tried new restaurants and would consider going again.

Check out Tangoo: http://www.tangoo.ca/ 

Chewies Steam & Oyster Bar

Chewies Steam & Oyster Bar is located in Kitsilano. The specialize in oysters and seafood inspired by New Orleans. I came here with FoodQueen and Gastrofork. Parking is always scarce in this area since you either have to have a parking permit or fight for the paid parking spots. This is what I usually dislike about this area, but since we came here for brunch on a weekend, we were lucky enough to find a few parking spots open. Boooyah!

Chewies Steam & Oyster Bar

Who doesn’t love brunch with oysters? I love oysters any time of the day.

Chewies Steam & Oyster Bar

We tried 3 types of oysters – Kumamoto, Kusshi, and Fanny Bay. They were all really good and fresh! The person who shucked this did a fantastic job too, there were not particles inside. Of all the oysters, the best one was the smallest oyster – Kusshi.

Chewies Steam & Oyster Bar

The oysters come with 3 different types of homemade sauce. My favorite sauce to use was the habanero sauce. It’s really spicy, so watch out.

Chewies Steam & Oyster Bar

Southern Fried Chicken and Waffles ($12) comes with 2 buttermilk waffles topped with fried chicken and then drizzled with a cajun honey butter. Amy and Dee both ordered this. It’s one of the more popular items on the menu.

Chewies Steam & Oyster Bar

Braised Short Rib and Hash ($15) consists of black eyed peas, smoked gouda, diced Kennebec potato fries and topped with 2 poached eggs. I thought this was ok.

Chewies Steam & Oyster Bar

French Quarter Beignets ($6) are Cafe Du Monde style classic beignets with a chicory coffee anglaise. We were all trying to be anonymous and acting like people who really like to take food pictures, but that didn’t work out well. One of their staff asked jokingly if we were bloggers and gave us this complementary dessert and didn’t charge for our oysters. This rarely happens, but it didn’t affect our reviews.

You can’t get this item during brunch, but it’s a pretty awesome item to order for dinner. It’s the size of an iPhone and is hollow inside. The coffee sauce went really well with the beignets. Really delicious.

We Rate Chewies Steam and Oyster Bar:

Address:
2201 W 1st Ave
Vancouver, BC

Websitehttp://www.chewies.ca/

Chewies Steam & Oyster Bar on Urbanspoon

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2201+W+1st+Ave+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=2201+W+1st+Ave,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6K+3E6&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

Rain City Soups

How many people do you know have a passion for soup? Daniel Wagner is the brains behind Rain City Soups. He creates artisan soups in small batches to keep his quality of soups high with the freshest local and most natural ingredients he can find.

Rain City Soups can be found at local Farmers Market or retailers such as Cioffi’s Meat Market and Deli or Lee’s Market. There are other retailers too, but you just gotta check their website.

My friends and I got a few packs of the soups to share just to get a taste of their soup. Everyone was excited. We usually have Campbell’s soup if we felt like soup, so this was a definite change. We thawed the soups and then began brining it to a boil on the stove.

Rain City Soups

Chorizo, White Bean and Kale was the soup we all had to try first. The soup is made with filtered water, house-smoked chorizo, onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes, squash, kale, white beans, garlic, salt, and pepper. The guys really loved the soup as it had a good balance of ingredients and the smokey chorizo adds so much flavour. On their website, they say you can enhance this soup by adding in garnishes such as crispy chorizo, garlic bread or pesto.

Rain City Soups

Lentil and Spinach Soup was my personal favorite. If you have a few dietary restrictions, this soup is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan. It is made with organic lentils, onions, celery, carrots, spinach, garlic, lemon zest, spices, salt, and pepper.

The acidity from the lemon zest paired well with the lentil and spinach. I felt super healthy from eating it afterwards.

Rain City Soups

Butternut Squash and Fennel soup is gluten-free and vegan. It is made with filtered water, butternut squash, fennel, onions, carrots, apples, coconut milk, garlic, olive oil, spices, salt, and pepper. The apple was a surprising ingredient in this soup, but it did sweeten up the soup. The texture was very smooth but I felt that eating the soup as-is was a bit bland for my tastes, so I would definitely try to spice things up with their suggested garnishes – bacon, creme fraiche, toasted seeds or fried onions.

Rain City Soups

Lemon Thyme Chicken Noodle Soup is made of chicken stock, onions, celery, carrots, free-range chicken, lemons, garlic, thyme, linguine, spices, salt, and pepper. This is a classic soup and it a bit hard to reinvent the wheel and try to enhance the flavours. The lemon they add gives a a bit of a slight acidity to compliment the soup.

Overall, the soups taste pretty good and tasted quite healthy. I’d definitely try these again.

Websitehttp://www.raincitysoups.com/