August 2013

In Four Beakers

Trilussa Pizza & Pane: Thin Square Pizza

August 11, 2013

Trilussa Pizza and Pane is located on Main Street near 28th ave. They serve up authentic Roman pizza and uses fresh ingredients that make the pizza taste great.

Alessandro Fonseca is the owner and the creator of the pizzas. Very friendly staff here too.

Our department at work decided to do a mini food crawl during the afternoon at Trilussa. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this place because it’s so cozy…plus they have good pizza.

One thing you just have to get is the pizza. The prices are quite fair and all under $10.

Once you look at their counter full of the thin crust pizza, I am sure you mouth will start drooling.

They have a pretty cool way of cutting the pizza, so you won’t find triangle slices, but you will have squares.

Trastevere on the right has pancetta, mozzarella and pecorino cheese. Really good and goooey.

Garbatella has sausage, tomatoes and mozzarella.

Margherita has the tomato and mozzarella. It’s very simple, but is really good.

Attilio on the right side of the board has mushrooms and mozzarella. Simple, but really good!! This was my favourite because I love mushrooms.

Overall, the pizza was pretty good! I’ll definitely be back again. If you’re a fan of thin crust pizza and want to try something different, take a visit to Trilussa.

We Rate Trilussa Pizza and Pane:

Address:
4363 Main Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://trilussa.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=4363+Main+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V5V+3P9&sll=49.178436500000004,-123.1360005&sspn=0.3447883506423936,0.7033394507619536&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=4363+Main+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5V+3P9&z=16″]

In Cafe

Matchstick Coffee: Local Coffee Roasters

August 10, 2013

Matchstick Coffee is located on Fraser and Kingsway, just a few stores down from Les Faux Bourgeois. M and I were eating nearby and a coworker suggested we walk a block over to try his favourite coffee spot.

It’s a little bit hidden, but if you walk around, you’ll find the big ‘M’.

This place is pretty hip. A good place to chill with friends, do some work on your laptop, or have a meeting.

The space is pretty perfect and the interior is aesthetically pleasing.

They sell their coffee as beans and even have some little pastries.

Almond Milk Latte ($3.75) I tried getting soy but that wasn’t an option. I’ve never had a latte with almond milk before, but it really made this latte taste weird. Also almost sour tasting. It was hard to drink.

Cold El Llano Brewed Coffee ($3.25) was ordered by M and he loved it. He liked the taste as it had hints of macadamia nuts and plum.

Overall, it’s a great place for brewed coffee, but stay away from the Almond Milk Lattes. I’d definitely come again for a regular latte and just sit and chill here.

We Rate Matchstick Coffee:

Address:
639 East 15th Avenue
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.matchstickcoffee.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=639+E+15th+Ave,+Vancouver,+BC+V5T+2R6&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=639+E+15th+Ave,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+2R6&z=16 “]

In Downtown

Miku Restaurant: All About the Aburi Sushi

August 7, 2013

Miku finally relocated in the Waterfront area right by the Convention Centres. It has taken up the former location of Aqua Riva. Miku is known for their Aburi sushi. It’s really what draws people back over and over again. The prices are a bit high, but it’s sure to impress you.

We came here for Mandu’s surprise birthday and boy was she surprised when she came through the front door. We weren’t able to be seated by the time of our reservation since we needed to add one more seat. Luckily, they were kind enough to let us sit in their private dining area.

Rosemary Gimlet ($12) was highly recommended by the server. It contains gin and homemade rosemary syrup. Mandu and KoreanGirl both ordered this drink but they didn’t like it very much. So, they asked for beer instead.

The Katana ($12) was my cocktail of choice. It contains shochu, sweet vermouth, lemon, raspberry purée, egg white, and shiso. It was a decent cocktail, very sweet and didn’t state too strong.

They give us a little tasting of scallops and a cucumber puree. I don’t remember what else was in it, but it was a nice touch.

Kale Goma-ae ($6) has a sweet sesame soy sauce and crispy lotus root chips. It tasted pretty good.

Spicy Shrimp and Pork Gyoza ($13) has sweet miso-pork belly with a chili pepper coulis.

Sockeye Salmon Sashimi (6 pcs- $15) very fresh!

Snow Crab & Heirloom Tomato Matcha Soba ($18) has garlic-dashi, shrimp, shaved fennel, shiso, wild arugula, and green tea soba. It’s a cold dish. This dish wasn’t very good.

Aburi Beef Carpaccio ($18) has sterling silver AAA short rib, tamari horseradish crème fraîche, ponzu, celery, scallions, cucumber, wasabi pickles, fresh herb artichoke relish, and crumbled organic egg. It is delicious and worth the price! Mmmmm so good!

Sable Fish ($29) has sake dashi braised, mussels, clams, shrimp, scallop, yuzu-kosho, kaiso-seaweed, shiso-leaf, preserved meyer lemon, heirloom cherry tomatoes, fennel, kale, and baby potatoes. InsecureGirl though it was ok, but nothing amazing.

Premium Aburi ($26) has chef’s selection featured seafood, each paired with a unique house made sauce, lightly flame seared aburi style. Any aburi dish here is amazing.

More aburi!

Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi ($15) has pressed BC wild sockeye salmon, jalapeño, and their special miku sauce. This roll is crazy amazing and everyone who comes here orders this.

Overall, the experience was good, but some of the food is a hit or miss. You definitely want to grab reservations before dining here because it’s quite busy. My favorite items are the Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi, Aburi Saba Oshi Sushi and the Aburi Beef Carpaccio.

We Rate Miku:

Address:
70-200 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.mikurestaurant.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=200+Granville+Street,+Granville+Square&sll=49.2581893478533,-123.13866570472457&sspn=0.01812223641872372,0.05849726889674606&t=m&dg=opt&hq=Square&hnear=200+Granville+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+0A4&z=16 “]

In Gastown

Tsuki Sushi Bar: Sushi in Gastown

August 5, 2013

Tsuki Sushi Bar is a new restaurant located close to Gastown and Chinatown. It’s across the street from Tinseltown. I pass by this place often and was curious about how their sushi would compare with some other places in town.

I came here with Magz for lunch since it’s so hard to find good sushi near our work place.

The interior looks pretty awesome with its high ceilings.

Complimentary tea arrives. Sushi really isn’t complete without tea.

Complimentary Miso Soup came to the table before our item arrived. It was decent and had lot of tiny tofu at the bottom of the bowl.

Chawan Mushi is what Magz ordered. It is a Japanese steamed egg custard. It was packed full of seafood, mushrooms, and vegetables. Really delicious.

Can’t remember the name of this roll but it was a California roll with avocado and eel on top. It tasted ok, but wasn’t anything super amazing.

Aburi Combo ($11.50) came with 5 pieces – unagi, saba, scallop, salmon, and tuna. Each one had their own unique sauce to compliment the flavours. A lot of people of Fourquare recommended this dish, but I didn’t think it was a very well executed dish.

The aburi could be seared a bit more since you could barely taste the charcoal. The cuts were also quite lean, so it didn’t really melt in your mouth.

Overall, the dishes we had here were ok. I wasn’t too impressed with their sushi.

We rate Tsuki Sushi Bar:

Address:
509 Abbott St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://tsukisushibar.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=509+Abbott+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V6B+6C1&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=509+Abbott+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+6C1&z=16 “]

In British Columbia

July Snackbox: 50% Discount Code

August 4, 2013

The last Snackbox by Foodee was curated by Erin Ireland containing only local products. This box came with 12 different products.
What I love about the Snackbox is how they open your palate to different snack options if you are looking for healthier snack options. Healthy snack doesn’t have to be bland and flavourless, there are tons of options in your local grocery store.

Check out her website to see how she chose these products.

Related Links:

When the box arrived on my desk at work, I was pretty excited. You really never know what you’re going to get.

Fresh is Best Tortilla Chips are pretty awesome. When my coworker saw it in the box, he raved about how good it was. The chips were quite fresh and had the perfect crunch when I bit into them.

Urge Chocolates came in a plain packaging, but don’t be fooled. It was pretty darn tasty. The people in my office went nuts over this product and finished it up so fast.

Skeet & Ikes Trail Mix is organic and isn’t salted. I’ve always found it hard to find nuts or trail mixes that don’t have salt. This product is simple but quite delicious.

Rumble Energy Drink tasted pretty bad. Even though it was dutch cocoa flavoured, it tasted very watery and bland.

Hippie Snacks has their coconut chips in the snackbox again. There are the best coconut chips I’ve had. They are thin, crispy and taste natural.

Powerplant Fruit Bars was covered with delicious chocolate. For those picky eaters out there, this product is raw, organic, vegan, gluten-free, and peanut free. These bars are made in Kelowna.

Hardbite Chips are my favorite chips! They are kettle cooked and have an amazing crunch to them. I love very crunchy chips. I still prefer their original flavour.

OrganicLives Chocolate Macaroons comes with 3 in the box. It was very good! A mix of coconut and chocolate.

Granola Girl had a small sample. It went well with some soy or almond milk. I wish I had a little bit more of this sample since it didn’t even fill a small bowl.

Salted Caramel Peanut butter by Monkey Butter. I’ve seen them a lot at food conventions and they always have crazy flavour combinations. The salted caramel peanut butter tasted ok, but I much prefer their chocolate flavour.

Cocolico Sweet and Salty Pretzel Snack Mix was pretty good too. The people in the office polished this right up. There’s even a recipe online to show you how to make it yourself.

Kitchening & Co had their Ginger Chocolate Cookies in the box. My coworker described the taste of this cookies as thinking out of the box. While the taste was complex he was able to distinguish the cinnamon, chocolate and ginger taste. The texture was not your ordinary cookie which made it even more interesting and delicious. The chocolate chunks were a joy to savior as they were proof of authentic chocolate in the cookie.

Overall, I still enjoyed the Snackbox! Every month, it is an adventure to see whats inside. Since I don’t really actively search for products, it good that some of the best organic and gluten free products are inside to test out. Even though the products are natural or organic, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are 100% healthy.

Website: http://getsnackbox.com/

COUPON CODE: Use the code “FOODOLOGY” to get 50% off your first Snackbox. It’s valid until August 31st, 2013.

Website: http://getsnackbox.com/

In Brunch

Tour de Feast: Hidden Gem in North Vancouver

August 4, 2013

Tour de Feast is this little restaurant on the north shore. After hiking at Deep Cove, we got hungry and decided to come here for brunch.

The restaurant is very cute and adored by locals. The outside of the restaurant didn’t look like very much, but once you walk inside and look at the menu, you know it’ll be good.

It’s a family run restaurant and you can definitely feel the love in this place. It was a busy Saturday for them, but when we arrived at 2pm, the place was starting to clear out.

Home made Iced Tea ($2.50) is infused with blueberries and strawberries. It was a big glass and was very refreshing our hike. Not too sweet.

Lyon ($12) comes with two poached eggs, mushroom, spinach, red wine sauce and bacon. The dish is presented on a cast iron pan and comes with buttered bread and a simple salad. InsecureGirl and NotFauna thought this dish was ok. It was kinda like a stew.

The salad that comes with the Lyon is mixed greens with a vinaigrette.

Confit Pork Sandwich ($7) has slow cooked pork, ciabatta, dijon, onion Jam and a side salad.

You can choose to add the soup of the day to your meal for $2.50. Coconut Bisque with roasted pepper, carrots and seafood. It was pretty good and it has lots of seafood, which was unexpected.

Smoked Salmon ($10) has sunny side up, english muffin, smoked salmon, capers and lettuce salad. There was a generous amount of smoked salmon. It was really good. Simple but delicious.

The smoked salmon and Lyon dishes came with a side of roasted vegetables. They were a great addition to the meal.

Overall, the food was great and it was very unexpected. The environment is very relaxed and we will definitely be back again.

We Rate Tour de Feast:

Address:
319 Mountain Hwy
North Vancouver District

Website:
http://tourdefeast.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=319+Mountain+Hwy,+North+Vancouver,+BC+V7J+2K7&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=319+Mountain+Hwy,+North+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V7J+2K7&z=16 “]

In Bakery

Smart Mouth Coffee: Croissants and Lattes

August 1, 2013

Smart Mouth Coffee is located in the heart of Gastown. I came in the morning with kamsicle to get our daily coffee. I’ve never been here before and for some reason I always thought it was a bar for some reason.

They always have cheeky signs outside the store. They change everyday and are quite funny.

The interior has the “Gastown” look with its brick walls. Strangely, they also sell beer here too.

There are lots of sandwich choices too. I was tempted to grab a sandwich, but it’s only breakfast time. I probably need to come back to try one.

Good thing there were a few pastries there.

Almond Croissant was actually massive. Tons of almonds on top! The croissant itself was a bit dense and took me a long time to finish. Not the best almond croissant out there.

Soy Latte had a nice strong taste. Good stuff.

Overall, pretty good place to do some work or to grab a snack. The service was definitely lacking here, but it doesn’t really impact your experience since its more of a grab and go place in the morning.

We Rate Smart Mouth Coffee:

Address:
117-131 Water St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=131+Water+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V6B+4M3&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=131+Water+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+4M3&z=16″]