July 2013

In Downtown

Triple O’s #SecretMenu: Triple Triple Burger

July 31, 2013

Hello, this is M, back with another fast food review.

This time, I went to Triple O’s to try out their new #secretmenu which includes the “Triple Triple Burger combo”.

First of all, it was difficult to even find a Triple O’s that wasn’t pure take out. The locations I knew of in Robson and Davie, were both closed. Google Maps showed that there was one in Bentall Centre, so I took 3 of my co-workers on an epic journey into a place we all never went to.

The Triple Triple burger ($9.99) is named after it’s triple patty and triple cheese composition. I believe that each patty is a quarter pound, so basically you’re eating a 3/4 pounder burger.

I brought 3 guys with me and split the 2 burgers in half and it was filling enough.

The burger was technically good, because I’m a fan of Triple O sauce and saucieness of their burgers. The bun was really boring and normal, the lettuce was sliced, and the tomato didn’t contribute anything to the burger.

The fries were atrocious! One of the worst fries in a fast food chain. It was stale tasting and needed globs of ketchup to wolf it down.

The Triple Triple is basically a burger that has nothing but the size going for it.

If you asked me 3+ years ago, I would have loved the idea of big burgers. However, now I know it doesn’t matter the size of the burger, but the quality of the ingredients and the taste of pure ground beef that is the most important thing in an amazing burger. I’d take a single Triple O’s burger any day, the Triple Triple just felt like an indulgence, and it wasn’t a good one.

To be fair, out of all the Triple patty burgers, the Triple Triple was one of the best for the fast food category of burgers. Triple O’s burgers are probably the “softest” burgers in the fast food business, that is the bun is soft, the lettuce is sliced, and it’s super saucy. In that aspect, it’s easy to eat fast and leaves you feeling full.

Location:
1055 Dunsmuir St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.tripleos.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1055+Dunsmuir+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V7X&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=1055+Dunsmuir+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V7X&z=16″]

In Chinatown

Oyster Express: Buck A Shuck in Chinatown

July 30, 2013

After hearing Oyster Express has buck a shuck, my coworkers and I decided to come here after work. Its quite close to our office, so we just had to see how it compares to the other buck a shuck options in town.

Oyster Express is located on Keefer and Gore. It’s a little hidden. The restaurant is a bit small, so it’s a bit hard to fit several large groups.

The restaurant doesn’t have air conditioning, so the interior is very very hot. We came during one of the hottest weeks of the summer and it was a bit painful dining here, so we definitely needed to grab some cold drinks.

I got the Philips Lager ($5), it was pretty good lager. Light and crisp.

The buck a shuck oysters that were servered were fanny bay oysters. For $1, the size was great and the shucking was done superb. The oysters were mighty fresh as well.

Your first dozen is $1, but after that, it’s $1.50 per oyster. Thats the downside of the buck-a-shuck here.

You have a few sauces to dress up your oysters with – red wine mignonette, tabasco sauce, and a cocktail sauce.

Overall, the oysters were great, but the experience was dampened by the extreme heat inside the restaurant. The heat kinda makes you afraid to eat the oysters. I would be back if they are able to install air conditioning or some sort of air ventilation system.

We Rate Oyster Express:

Address:
296 Keefer Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.oysterexpress.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=296+Keefer+St,+Vancouver,+BC&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=296+Keefer+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&z=16 “]

In Bakery

Berry Good: Dessert Cafe in Richmond

July 29, 2013

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Berry Good in Richmond. My last visit was 3 years ago. All the cakes are homemade and created in very small batches. They are closed on Wednesday and Sunday, and the other days they open in the evening.

This time when looking at the menu, I thought it was interesting how they have a section for Korean drinks. It definitely caught our attention, so we had to try the grain latte.

Hot Five Grain Latte ($2.95) is pretty good. You will need to stir it around a bit because I found that there was a concentration of powder on the bottom of the cup.

Iced Korean Grain Latte ($3.99) this is the cold version of the drink above.

The cakes listed on the menu are not correct because they change everyday. Go to the fridge by the cashier to see whats available. Once they run out for the day, its gone. There’s always something good to munch on.

Green Tea Chiffon Cake has the moist green tea cake inside with the layers of cream surrounding it and sprinkles of matcha.

Earl Grey Cheesecake was really really good! The best combination. The earl grey flavour is strong and well integrated throughout the cheesecake.

Green Tea Roll in a sense in kinda similar to the Green Tea Chiffon Cafe, but in a different form.Yet again, the cake is moist and wrapped up with whipped cream. Delicious.

Overall, the cakes were great and you really get the homemade feeling from this cafe. On the other hand, service is alright. The drinks came at staggered times after the cake.

We rate Berry Good:

Address:
#1120-8766 McKim Way ( In Excel Centre)
Richmond, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1110-8766+McKim+Way,+Richmond,+BC+V6X+4G4&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=1110-8766+McKim+Way,+Richmond,+British+Columbia+V6X+4G4&z=16 “]

In Noodles

Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle: Noodles in Richmond

July 28, 2013

Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle is located on the 2nd floor of Aberdeen Mall in Richmond. They are an award winning noodle chain around the world.

We walked all around the mall trying to find a place to eat, but we settled on this place since we found it was cool that they made their own noodles. I think we were more mesmerized by the moving mechanized noodles by the front entrance. But, Taiwanese Beef Noodles are usually pretty good.

When you walk inside, there are tons of seats. Great for large parties too. A private room is available too.

Instead of ordering food the normal way, you must fill out this form with your order and then give it to the waitress. It’s not a bad thing because you can get your order done accurately.

They serve Chatime bubble tea and Frappe Bliss flavoured shaved ice here too.

Pan-Fried Ground Beef Cake ($5.20) comes with 2 pieces and you can cut them in half to share it with people at your table. The inside is quite meaty and oily. Best to share since it’s a lot for one person to consume.

Champion Braised Beef with thin noodle in tomato soup ($10.95).

The braised beef was tough and wasn’t very tender at all. It was ok, but it wasn’t very crazy amazing. The noodles were firm and it made it a good bowl of noodles, but that beef needs to improve.

Champion Beef Brisket with thin noodle in clear soup ($11.95).

The meat was VERY tender. THe broth was a bit bland, but when you add in the chili oil, it makes it taste so much better.

Overall, the food was ok, but not crazy amazing. There definitely needs to be some improvements here.

We Rate Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle:

Address:
2800-4151 Hazelbridge Way
(Aberdeen Centre)

Website:
http://www.chefhungnoodle.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=4151+Hazelbridge+Way,+Richmond,+BC+V6X&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=4151+Hazelbridge+Way,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6X&z=16″]

In All You Can Eat

Toyotomi: All You Can Eat Hot Pot & Sashimi

July 24, 2013

Toyatomi is a Japanese restaurant that features all you can eat hot pot and sashimi in Richmond. When I heard there was all you can eat sashimi, I just had to come here with some friends.

We made reservations ahead of time for 8pm. For those that didn’t make a reservation, they had to wait a while for a seat. Make sure to get a reservation before coming here.

AYCE hotpot is $14 and the addition of the AYCE sashimi is $6. You can’t order the AYCE sashimi on its own.

All the information is on the wall if you are sitting in a booth. You need to add extra for the soup base, plus and sauces. The price tag does add up. At the end of the meal, it’s about $30 per person.

This is the main ordering sheet where you want to choose what you want. On a few of the items, there are quantity restrictions like the tuna toro sashimi, oysters and black cod.

Anything you order and don’t finish, they have a penalty record displayed on their menus to discourage people from over ordering.

Soup base is an additional $8.68. There’s no way of not ordering it or else all your food would just taste boiled and bland. We chose the sukiyaki beef flavour.

Oysters, black cod, tofu puff, mussels, tofu puff, shrimp wonton, and fish tofu.

They are very accurate about their orders, so what you order is what you get. If you complain, the servers are going to give you some attitude.

Tai sashimi, ika sashimi, saba sashimi, tuna sashimi, salmon sashimi, spicy tuna sashimi, spicy salmon sashimi, and tuna toro sashimi.

There’s a good amount of variety, and the $6 extra is definitely worth it.

AAA prime beef, snow beef, pork shoulder, lamb shoulder, and pork cheek.

It’s per piece, so make sure to order lots in the very beginning.

Vegetables!

Deep Fried Chili salmon

It contains a lot of long bones, so not very good for kids…or in our case adults that hate picking at bones.

BBQ Yam and deep fried mochi.

Some people at the table likes it, but some people didn’t. Instead of filling up on carbs, you should definitely order more protein.

Beef sashimi is very good. Order lots of it!!!!

The second time we ordered salmon sashimi, it looked so much better and presentable. When you go during peak times, the cutting of the sashimi gets a bit sloppy. But later in the night, it gets so much better.

Overall, the people who I dined with had mixed reactions. The quality of the food was good, but the service was a bit lacking. The quality also varies depending on how busy the restaurant is. Also, the extra changes for soup base and sauces.

We Rate Toyotomi:

Address:
110 – 8111 Anderson Road
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.toyotomicanada.com/Maps.html

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=8111+Anderson+Rd,+Richmond,+BC+V6Y+2C1&sll=43.6568775,-79.32085&sspn=0.763349351799743,1.407190298341395&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=8111+Anderson+Rd,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6Y+2C1&z=16 “]

In Buffet

The Buffet at the River Rock

July 22, 2013

The Buffet at the River Rock Casino is located on the second floor of the building. Every night of the week they have “themed nights” where they feature certain types of food. My mom loves buffets, so she was just itching to come here.

We came here on a Thursday night and the theme was Memphis BBQ Night. They feature ribs, fried catfish, pulled pork and pies.

Dinner begins at 5pm and costs $24.95 for adults, $21.95 for seniors , and $12.50 for kids. You pay for the buffet before being seated.

There are 260 seats in the restaurant, so you can go in really large groups if you like.

The buffet isn’t very large when you go inside. I thought there would be more choices…but there really wasn’t.

There’s a salad bar in the middle with lots of greens to choose from and the toppings to go on your salad. Everything was pretty typical and not too exciting.

There’s also a section of Chinese food… from wonton soup to deep-fried tofu.

Another section made more heartier items to choose from like curry beans, noodles, etc.

The popular items for the night – BBQ ribs, BBQ chicken, and pulled pork was in another section under heat lamps and being served by staff.

The dessert section had fruits with fondue.

It also had other sweeter items to go with the fondue.

Of course there was cake too. A few varieties of cake but a lot of them looked really sweet.

The pop and juice are self-serve but alternatively the waitress can grab you a drink at your table. There’s also coffee, tea and water that you can ask for. The servers are very nice and attentive.

There is an ice cream machine and you can create your own cones. The machine can make vanilla and chocolate…or ever a twist cone!! This machine is a favourite among kids.

A lot of the food here was ok, but the featured items of the night like the ribs and BBQ chicken were very juicy and flavourful.

The beef brisket and the deep-fried catfish were alright as well. The brisket was pretty dry on its own, so you really need that gravy.

I had an addiction for the mushrooms and their chicken. The wonton soup was alright.

The desserts were ok, but the only item that I genuinely liked was the cheesecake.

Overall, I felt underwhelmed about the variety of food here. The quality was ok but I wasn’t very impressed. For $25, I might as well eat a meal somewhere else. I probably wouldn’t return again. Our buffets in Vancouver can’t really compare to the ones in the united states.

We Rate The Buffet at the River Rock:

Address:
8811 River Rd
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.riverrock.com/dining/the-buffet.aspx

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=8811+River+Rd,+Richmond,+BC&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=8811+River+Rd,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&z=16″]

In Bubble Tea

Strike: Taiwanese Food in Kitsilano

July 21, 2013

Strike is a Taiwanese Restaurant near UBC and they will soon open another location in Richmond. I came here twice before and I’ve been addicted to their sizzling plates. You can super full for $12.

I came here again for a ChineseBites dinner with my fellow food bloggers.

Yam Fries is probably one of the last things I would think would appear on a menu of a Taiwanese restaurant. It tasted good, but I wouldn’t normally order it off the menu unless I wanted something to nibble on with bubble tea.

Wonton with Chili Oil was good. Meaty plump wonton pieces wrapped in a thin wonton wrapper. If you like it more spicy, go ask for some hot sauce.

Stewed tofu with garlic sauce was alright.

Five spice beef wrap was ok. It fell apart easily as the wrap itself was a bit thick.

Deep fried chicken nuggets is a must have dish at any Taiwanese restaurant. Well seasoned and very crunch. Yum.

Thai style chicken was good, nice sweet sauce on top, but of all the deep-fried chicken items, I would stick with the Deep fried chicken nuggets.

Deep fried pork chop was tender, well seasoned and I really did enjoy this. Good appetizer if you just want to pick away at something.

BBQ chicken is probably not an item you want to order on its own. You may want to order it as a combo with rice. The skin in spiced really well.

House special beef noodle soup was ok, but I found the beef to be a bit tough.

Taiwanese cold noodle is a great item for the summer. It has peanut sauce, cucumbers, carrots and the noodle. You mixed it all up together and enjoy.

Taiwanese Braised Minced Pork Rice with meat sauce, tea egg, pork fluff and pickled mustard greens. It was really good! One of the must order items here.

Taiwanese style chicken steak with black pepper sauce is one of my favorite item to order here. You have so much going on with this dish and you will get full. Highly recommended. You can choose either noodle or rice.

Taiwanese style steak with black pepper sauce is the same as the dish above but just the protein is different. I liked this dish too but My personal preference is to get the chicken instead. Don’t get me wrong, both dishes are awesome.

Milk Tea with Pearls is definitely a must if you want to indulge in the whole experience. I wanted to get it with real milk, but they didn’t have it on hand to accommodate. They did use the powdered milk to make it. It tasted good, but

Overall, the food is pretty good at Strike, but the best way to enjoy your time at Strike is to order the combos or the sizzling plates.

We rate Strike:

Address:
3217 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Strike/113553352131031

In Canadian

Mosaic Bar and Grille: New Summer Menu

July 20, 2013

Mosaic Bar & Grille is located in the Hyatt Vancouver on Burrard and Georgia Street. They specialize in locally sourced produce, sustainable seafood and choice ingredients with careful and creative preparation.

Their menu’s change often to really adapt to the seasonal ingredients. You are guaranteed that you will find something yummy on their new Summer menu.

Related Links:

As usual, the meal starts off with complimentary biscuits that arrive as you wait for your meal. It’s fluffy and comes with butter.

Mosaic Martini is a mix of absolut raspberri vodka, absolut mandarin vodka, grey goose la poire vodka and cranberry juice.

The first little dish was to show us their gorgeous skuna bay king salmon that arrived that morning. Chef Heinrich was very excited about it and amazed by the quality, so he shared a little sampler with us.

The skuna bay king salmon lays on top of a brine, and squid ink then garnished with lemon lime caviar and an ice plant from San Diego. I did enjoy the fresh taste of the salmon with the different textures and tastes.

The second dish is the GBE Heirloom Tomato Salad. The tomatoes are quickly blanched quickly in a sou vide and infused with onion and garlic flavours. It is served with a 12 year old balsamic reduction, basil fluid gel, local greens, and buffalo mozzarella. It was like a caprese salad, simple yet very complex.

Crab Cannelloni is on top of an avocado mousse. Below the mousse is a crouton crust. It was good! The crab meat was nice and sweet to go with the creamy mousse and crunchy crouton crust. Great textures that worked really well together.

Seared Scallops with a fire roasted green pepper coulis, and a succotash made of sweet corn and roasted tomato. The scallops were great but I didn’t really think the succotash complimented the dish very well.

Pan Seared Ling Cod served with baby bell pepper and a tomato nage. The dish was ok, it needed some more flavour to enhance the flavour of the cod.

Slow Cooked Lamb Tenderloin was beautifully cooked. It is served on a pomme puree, mustard greens and a peppercorn sauce. This was my favorite dish of the night! Really good!

The Cassoulet is a french bean stew with organic heirloom runner beans, duck confit, oyama sausage, tomatoes, onions, garlic and duck jus. The dish was hearty and rich. I didn’t particularly like this dish, but perhaps because I was pretty full. This item is meant to be shared among the table.

Ricotta Cheesecake was garnished with strawberries and a mango puree. It was deliciously creamy!

Creme Brulee was served with some berries and 2 macarons.

Mosaic Chocolate Cake is always a must! The slice is huge and tastes really good.

Overall, the menu does have its hits and misses but it’s generally delicious.

Words of Wisdom:

Follow @CheftHeinrich on twitter, You can be up to date on new menus that he launches at Mosaic
Steps away from Burrard Skytrain
Free Mosaic Chocolate Cake on your birthday
Beef Carpaccio is a must!
Great service

We Rate Mosaic:

Address:
655 Burrard St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://vancouver.hyatt.com/

In Bakery

Forty Ninth Parallel Cafe and Lucky’s Doughnuts

July 19, 2013

On Main Street lies 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters that also serve Lucky’s Donuts. They keep it simple in this cafe by just serving coffee and donuts. You can’t come here without being tempted with a donut to go with your coffee.

Kamsicle and I decided to take a break at work and head to here for a snack. I’ve always heard much about it but never stopped by until now.

They have lots of seats and seems like a really cool place to just chill and do some work.

I got a Soy Latte and it was really good. Nice, strong and great taste.

Salted Caramel is a classic old fashioned donut dipped in a creamy caramel and finished with maldon salt. It wasn’t too sweet, but the caramel does stick a little bit to your teeth.

French Cruller is a French choux paste fried and topped with a vanilla glaze. This was very good! The donut was very soft on the inside and not too sweet.

Overall, I quite liked this place. It’s simple and not complicated. A great addition to the neighbourhood, and I’ll definitely be back.

We Rate Forty Ninth Parallel Cafe and Lucky’s Doughnuts:

Address:
2902 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.luckysdoughnuts.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=2902+Main+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V5T+3G3&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=2902+Main+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+3G3&z=16″]

In Cafe

The Mighty Oak: Neighbourhood Coffee Shop

July 16, 2013

The Mighty Oak is literally your neighbourhood coffee shop. It is located in the middle of a residential area with nothing but houses. Imagine just waking up and walking a few houses down to grab a coffee and a treat. Flo and I were in the area and just had to check this little place out.

They are also a small grocery store. They sell pies, Earnest Ice Cream, Nice Pops and so many other little things. If you are in some need of some yogurt or ingredients, I’m sure you can find it here.

It’s very cute. Instead of having a front lawn, I suppose they wanted a coffee shop/grocery store instead. Even though I don’t live in the area, it really brought me back to my childhood where you would go with your parents for a short walk to get a nice treat.

The interior is very nice and simple. You can tell the owners put a lot of their heart and soul into the business.

Since it was a very hot day, Flo and I decided to get some Ice Lattes and a Baileys Pecan Butter Tart.

Iced Latte was just what I needed on a hot summers day. It was nice and strong. Just perfect.

The Baileys Butter Pecan Tart was very cute and from the outside, you definitely see more crust than filling.

When we cut into it, there’s a good amount of filling and doesn’t make it too sweet. It paired well with the coffee.

I couldn’t resist but to get a Raspberry and Basil Nice Pop. The flavour was really delicious! It wasn’t cheap though, it was about $4. The amount of fruit they pack in there is pretty good.

Overall, we liked The Mighty Oak. Cute little place! We will definitely be returning when we’re in the area.

We Rate the Mighty Oak:

Address:
98 W. 18th Ave.
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://themightyoak.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=198+W.+18th+Ave.++Vancouver,+BC&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=198+W+18th+Ave,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5Y+3B8&z=16″]

In Cafe

Qoola Plus: Now Open in Richmond Centre

July 15, 2013

Sometimes people do crazy things to get what they want. M has been craving frozen yogurt for weeks now and of all the yogurt places in Vancouver, we had to drive all the way down to Richmond for Qoola Plus based on CoffeeGuy’s recommendation.

We’ve been to a few Qoola locations before, but this one is different. It’s Qoola Plus. What makes this location a little bit more special? They serve coffee, sandwiches, pizza and salad.

It’s a nice option here if some of your friends want froyo and some want food.

The interior is quite nice and modern with lots of seating.

Some of the seating is quite comfortable. Nice large lounge chairs, which are great for relaxing and chilling with friends.

They have 10 flavours at a time similar to some of the other froyo places in town. The froyo is by weight, so you don’t need to fill up your entire cup.

After you fill your cup with froyo, you can begin choosing the toppings that you want on top.

I usually skip right to the fruit section where I find my favourite toppings. Seriously, fruits are the best.

Once you’re done, you take it to the cashier and weight it. I don’t exactly remember what the price per weight was but I remember it was something decent.

I got mine with the original flavour with mango, mochi, raspberries and kiwi on top. My favorite way of enjoying froyo…with lots of FRUIT!

M got the original flavour too but he packed his cup with fruits, mochi and these weird juicy balls.

Our other friend got the watermelon sherbet with a variety of different toppings. The cups are reusable. You can bring it back next time and get $0.25 off your order.

The experience at this Qoola was pretty good. As they are still in their soft opening stages, they are perfecting processes here and there to best meet the needs of their customers. The staff was very friendly and was eager to educate customers on their products.

Overall, I did like the ambiance of this Qoola. They offer free wifi, so it make it a good spot to just have a snack and do some work or have a small gathering or meeting.

We Rate Qoola Plus:

Address:
6060 Minoru Boulevard (Richmond Centre Mall)
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.qoola.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=6060+Minoru+Boulevard+Richmond,+BC&hnear=6060+Minoru+Blvd,+Richmond,+British+Columbia+V6Y+2V7&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Kitsilano

Maenam: Hot, Sour, Sweet and Salty

July 14, 2013

M has this goal of finding the best Thai restaurant in Vancouver. We heard much about maenam and decided to come here for dinner. The space looks beautiful and very modern.

We really didn’t know what to order since there were so many choices, but in the end we settled on the Chef’s Menu that includes 5 courses for $32.50 per person. Traditionally, Thai dishes are supposed to have a balance of hot, sour, sweet and salty in the flavour profiles. As we didn’t know what dishes would be arriving, we were very very excited and worried at the same time.

The first item to arrive was a mixed mushroom and halibut hot and sour soup. This dish was really good and did have a great balance of sour and hot. I really liked it.

Steamed Mussels in Lemongrass and Thai basil arrived next.

The mussels were plump and full of flavour. The lemongrass and basil were nice accent flavours that went well with the mussels, but the sauce that came with it was pretty hot, so we didn’t use it.

The final 3 dishes arrived and are meant to be shared. In the Thai culture, meals are best shared amongst family and friends.

Pork Cheeks came with 5 pieces and tasted ok. They were not very tender nor very fatty. We thought it would melt in our mouths, but it was a bit dry.

This salad had some salmon, ikura eggs, kaffir lime leaves, orange chili dressing, peanuts, and cilantro. The salad was very sour and salty. The balance of this dish was not to our liking.

This curry has fresh baby corn, pea eggplants, thai basil, holy basil,and Fraser Valley chicken. This dish was incredibly hot. We ate this with the jasmine rice, but it still packed a punch.

Overall, as this was our first time at Maenam, choosing the chef’s menu was a bit of a mistake. The dishes were definitely a hit and a miss. Best to start out with dishes you are familiar with and then start venturing out. I also thought that it was weird that this set menu didn’t come with dessert. Next time, I’ll probably not do the Chef’s menu and just chose items off the menu, it would be cheaper.

We rate Maenam:

Address:
1938 W 4th Ave
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.maenam.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1938+W+4th+Ave+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1938+W+4th+Ave,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6J+1M5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Canadian

Emelle’s Westside Wheels: Caterer turned Food Truck

July 12, 2013

Emelle’s Westside Wheels was at EPIC, the sustainable living festival last weekend. Looking at the 12 or so food carts, I gravitated towards this food truck. I’ve heard much of Emelle’s amazing catering services, but was curious how they would fare as a food truck.

There was a long line up and the speed of service was quite slow during the noon hour. There were about 8 people in front of me, so imagine the wait.

Looking at their menu, they mostly have sandwiches. I thought they would have something more intricate beside sandwiches, tacos and soup. It was really hard deciding what to order.

On the left we have Mike’s Breakfast and in the back there is a bacon bomb.

Bacon Bombs ($4) is a slider with a slice of herb ground turkey wrapped in bacon and some vegetables. The turkey was nice and lean and had great flavour with the bacon wrapped around it. On the other hand, it was a bit expensive for a slider, which you’d finish in a few bites.

Mike’s Breakfast ($5) has a large egg, 2 slices of thick cut bacon, melted Canadian cheddar cheese, slices of tomato, and mayo on a toasted ciabatta bun. The bun was soft, but a bit thick. It tasted alright.

Overall, the food cart was ok. Simple sandwiches.

We Rate Emelle’s Westside Wheels:

Location (sometimes changes):
586 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.emelles.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=586+Granville+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=586+Granville+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6C+1X6&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Event

Joy of Feeding 2013: 16 cooks. 16 different ethnic backgrounds.

July 9, 2013

The 3rd Annual Joy of Feeding was held at UBC Farm on Sunday June 30th. The event celebrates the creation of simple, home cooked meals from various heritages around the world. In Vancouver, we are blessed with so many diverse food options but there are still some cuisines that you can not find in any restaurant.

Whats unique about this event is that it does not feature restaurants, but it features household cooks that share their dish from their country. The countries represented were – Malaysia, Columbia, Caribbean, Fiji, Russia, Sudan, Ukraine, Basque, Canada, Turkey, Mexico, Scotland, Lebanon, and Serbia.

The tickets were $50 each, but there was a Vancity member perk offer where you could get a 2 for 1 deal. My coworker snagged me 2 tickets, so I was a happy camper.

It was beautiful day without a cloud in the sky. It was during the same week as the supposed “heat wave” that hit Vancouver. It was very hot, but tons of people gathered at UBC Farms to chow down on some amazing food. There was also lemonade, water and Vij’s Chai to go with the food.

At every single booth, there were lines up but they went pretty quickly. The cooks prepared well ahead of time to deal with long line ups.

Alfredo Perdomo served up Caribbean Jerk Chicken.

A lot of the cooks were very open about sharing their love of food with the people attending the event.

Yana Lobacheva shared her Meat Dolma from her Azerbaijan and Ukraine background.

Elena Serrano served Tortilla de Patatas from her Basque background.

There was a lot of food and I wasn’t disappointed at all. You could probably eat till you have food coma or get flustered by the heat.

There were some really cool cooking techniques used too. An old oil barrel converted into a pizza oven.

Smoked Salmon was made in a smoker by Angelina Frote and her little helpers.

It was very hot, so staying at the event for over an hour was a little bit difficult if you were not in the shade. I definitely needed a hat, but unfortunately I don’t own hats.

There was even some Mariachi dancers. Anyone can join in the fun, but its encouraged that everyone participates in the fun.

Everyone was giving a cookbook with all the recipes of dishes that were featured at the event. You can go home and recreate the dishes and instil the importance of cooking at home. Whether its cooking with local ingredients with your family or putting on a dinner party for friends. My favorite item from the event was the Tarte de Sucre by Genevieve & Patrick Robert.

Definitely keep this event on your radar for next year if you are interested in the celebration of whole foods, culture and cooking!

Website: http://joyoffeeding.com/

In Cafe

Cheat Day: Seriously Good Gourmet Grilled Cheese

July 8, 2013

There’s a new restaurant in town called Cheat Day. It’s a cute little cafe that lets their customers indulge in gourmet grilled cheese. Cheat Day is a clever name since most people tend to try to go on a diet but reserve one day out of the week as their “cheat day” to indulge in whatever they want. In this case, its grilled cheese.

I came here during lunch hour with Magz. We have cheat day every day of the week, so we were not worried about our waistlines.

When we went inside, the space is quite narrow but there are seats on the side. The cool thing about the tables are they are made of wheel barrows.

On the left of the wall is this sick murals. I thought the bear and the little penguins were really cute.

On the right side are tons of toy soldiers and tanks. Never thought I would see that done before.

More toy soldiers. As you can tell, the interior is very playful and perfect for hipsters.
They sell Phillips Soda – Intergalactic Root Beer and Sparkmouth Ginger Soda.

They even have little plants at their tables. Ok ok, enough of the cool little decorations, lets dig into the food.

Peach Brie ($8) has brie, caramelized onions, peach chunks and peach jam on your choice of bread. We had it on brioche bread and it made it taste so amazing. This grilled cheese is the most gooiest grilled cheese I’ve ever had in Vancouver. Magz had a fun time eating it as it dripped on her hands and onto the table.

She was in heaven for the duration of the lunch hour.

Bacon Grilled Cheese ($9) comes with smoked gouda, mushrooms, caramelized onions, arugula, roasted garlic and bacon on brioche bread.

The exterior has a perfect crust and a gooey centre. When you bite down into it, it’s music to your ears.

This grilled cheese isn’t as gooey as the Peach Brie Grilled Cheese, but is still very stringy as you bite into it. I loved it.

Overall, we had a great experience here during lunch and was not disappointed all. Will definitely be returning.

We Rate Cheat Day:

Address:
552 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://cheatday.ca/

Twitter:
@CheatDayVan

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=552+Seymour+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=552+Seymour+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+3J5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Fast Food

McDonalds Happy Meal: Minions

July 7, 2013

Minions have invaded McDonalds all around the world. Starting this month, you’ll be able to snag up 8 adorable Despicable Me 2 toys. They are available in Canada, Philippines, Indonesia, USA, UK, Austria, Australia, Brazil, Panama, Mexico, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Romania, Portugal, Latvia, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Guatemala, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Taiwan. Perhaps there is more, but I have no clue.

It took myself, my sister and a few friends to get our hands on at least 4 of them. Then…someone had to take a trip to the states to find more to complete the set. We were a bit obsessive, but it’s the hunt and chase that’s the most fun. We could have easily bought it the set off eBay for $20 but that’s just cheating. Even people on Facebook are coordinating how to get certain toys and giving each other tips on which locations to go to. I haven’t been this excited about McDonald Toys since the 90s.

Happy Meals have changed since I was a kid. They used paper bags and had a limited amount of options for your meal. These days, you have more “healthier” options (kinda, not really).

Choice of Entree:

Chicken McNuggets (4 pcs)
Chicken Snack Wrap
Cheeseburger
Hamburger
Grilled Cheese

Choice of side:

Mini Fries
Small Fries
Apple Slices with Caramel Dip

Choice of Drink:

1% White Milk
Chocolate Milk
Child-sized Soft Drink
Juice

All meals come with a toy and yogurt. All for $3.99 before tax. No age limit too. I’m a big kid and I totally deserve a Happy Meal once in a while.

The tiny fries are so cute in the little container. It’s really a meal meant for little kids.

This location didn’t have the minion toys which sucked, but I still liked my meal. If you get toys on their own, it’s about $2. If you’re on the hunt for the minions, I think it’ll save your health if you buy the toy without the meal.

The best part of the nuggets is the infamous boot-shaped nugget. It still makes me wonder why they ever decided to make it look like that.

There’s even a website just for Happy Meals: http://www.happymeal.com

What crazy thing did you do to acquire those minion toys?

In BBQ

Chinatown Night Market: Closest Night Market to Downtown

July 6, 2013

The Chinatown Night Market has changed a lot since I was a kid. With the emergence of the other Night Markets in town, the quality of the Chinatown Night Market isn’t as good as it used to be. Despite that, it still attracts thousands of people every weekend to enjoy the festivities. It’s the closest night market to the Downtown core, so it makes sense. If you’re in the area, take a short stroller here and then enjoy the sunset at False Creek near Science World.

The Vancouver Chinatown Night Market is open from May 17th till September 8th, 2013 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Related Link:

2011 Chinatown Night Market Food Vendors

The market spans from Main Street to Columbia Street on Keefer street. The block is closed off so people can walk freely on the streets.

There are a few stalls that sell toys, jewellery , clothing, and a lot of random stuff.

I honestly never come here to buy things. It’s all about the food for me. But when it was about 10 years ago, I would come here to buy pokemon cards. Nowadays, there’s nothing very spectacular from the vendors.

Bar-B-Q

There’s a stall that sells a lot of skewers. It’s one of those staple items that you must have at a night market.

Bubble Gallo Tea House

There’s bubble tea too. Perfect for the hot summer weather.

Dim Sum Express

The food area is quite popular and the most congested part of the street. There’s even Dim Sum Express, they have a food truck near Waterfront station too.

Potato Tornado

One thing that was a must for MedicalGiraffe and I were the potato tornadoes. You might know them as hurricane potatoes…. depending on where you’ve been. It’s $3.75 each and you can choose your seasoning. They also sell popcorn chicken for $4.50.

This was a popular stall, so the food did take about 10 minutes.

The way that they cut the potatoes is with a drill. Very strange but I guess it gets the job done. Then they deep fry it for the crunchy goodness. The last step is sprinkling on the spices.

We got our ketchup flavoured potato tornado and it sure looked pretty. The taste was ok, but it was very very oily.

Takoyaki

Takoyaki was another item on our mind. It was very very busy at this stall, so it took about 20 minutes to get our order.

They had a lot of people waiting for them, but it took me a long time to figure out something was off about this stall.

All the balls looked ready and perfect to eat, but they took a long time to cook. After watching them for a while, we realized they were frozen store bought takoyaki heated up in these pans.

She wasn’t poking to see if the batter in the centre was cooked, she was seeing if it was not frozen on the centre.

6 pieces for $4.50.

We did feel a bit ripped off since we now know we could probably go to T&T and get a gab of frozen takoyaki for that price.
It tasted passable, but sucks that it wasn’t prepared the way it should be.

Bubble Waffles

There was also bubble waffles too. 1 for $3.75 or 2 for $6.50.

Near the other side of the Night Market seemed a little more Gastown-like with artist, local produce, plants, and jams on sale. There were also 3 Food Trucks there too – JJ’s Trucketeria, Holy Perogy and Ze Bite.

JJs Trucketeria

JJ Trucketeria is a Filipino themed Food Truck. I’ve always wanted to go for a visit but they are usually on Fraser and 43rd. Way too far for me to get to during lunch.

During the night market, they had salads, garlic fried rice plate, panwiches and their market bowls. Their prices are pretty good for a food truck. We really wanted to try their meaty items but we held back and decided to try the market bowl.

Market Bowl ($5) has brown rice, carrots, leeks, caramelized onions, yams, black beans, chick peas with their signature JJ sauce. It is completely vegan, so good for those people with dietary restrictions.

MedicalGiraffe and I didn’t particularly like this item since it was mostly the brown rice mixture with a bit of sauce.

Ze Bite

Ze Bite was there selling their amazing French food.

Nice Pops

Nice Pops were selling some gourmet popsicles with 4 flavours:

Rhubarb and Cardamom
Cucumber, lime and Chili
Strawberry and balsamic Vinegar
Strawberry and buttermilk

The prices are $4 each or 3 for $10.

Cucumber, lime and Chili starts off with the refreshing cucumber and lime flavours but them the spicy chili taste kicks in. MedicalGiraffe’s mouth was literally on fire. She can handle her spice, but this was definitely spicy.

Rhubarb and cardamom was very refreshing. Highly recommended.

On the day that we went, there was outdoor karaoke. Surprisingly a lot of people were fearless and stepped up on the mic. There was a variety of songs sang by people of various ethnicities.

The Chinatown Night Market is not as impressive as the Richmond Night market, so don’t go out of your way to come here. If you are in the area after dinner Downtown, you can just take a stroll over here after dinner.

Website: http://vancouverchinatownnightmarket.com/

In Cafe

Chez Christophe Chocolaterie Patisserie: Chocolates Galore

July 5, 2013

Chez Christophe Chocolaterie Patisserie is located on Hastings Street in North Burnaby. It’s pretty awesome to see that The Heights is starting to get some amazing shops in the area. Over the past few years, I’ve always complained about how few dessert places we have. My go-to place was always Cumpari’s on North Road.

The interior of Chez Christophe Chocolaterie Patisserie is quite small with a few high tables near the windows. Not a great place for large groups, but it s a nice quiet setting for a few friends to catch up over some cakes.

M was intrigued by all the chocolate, so he decided to get one of each. I think he didn’t know which ones to choose, so he got them all. Each piece is $1.40 and is a bit pricey, but they look very pretty.

Noix de Coco et Passion
Praline Amande
Citron et Thym
Pistachie
Mango
Gianduja Dark
Tanka Amande
Kalamansi Framboise
Noix de Coco
Caramel
Gianduja Milk
70% Ganache

He ate them all quite quickly. All those in one sitting. He didn’t even leave me a piece. He said they were pretty awesome.

Besides chocolate they also have a variety of cakes and tarts. We came near the end of the day so most of the goodies were gone. All their treats looked quite cute.

Trio de Chocolate ($4.50) has layers of dark, milk and white chocolate mousse. It’s quite small and it can be easily gobbled up in a few bites, but did taste pretty good.

Box of Macarons ($9.95) comes with 6 flavours. The different flavours that they had were caramel, chocolate, coconut, lime basil, limoncello, maple syrup, passion fruit and pistachio. I have no idea which flavours were in the box since I got it as a gift for MedicalGiraffe. She did say they were tasty.

They also have bars of chocolates too.

It’s a nice change to have such a delectable pastry shop in the area. If you are passing by this area, definitely stop and go inside. Parking is a little bit tricky but there should be some on Beta Street.

We Rate Chez Christophe Chocolaterie Patisserie:

Address:
4712 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.christophe-chocolat.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4712+Hastings+St+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=4712+Hastings+St,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5C+2K8&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]