January 2014

La Mezcaleria: Mezcal, Tacos and Enchiladas

January 31, 2014

La Mezcaleria was created by the same people as La Taqueria. They are the first mexican restaurant offering the finest small batch mezcal, tequila and cocktails from different regions of Mexico. You will find it as a good drinking place with some Mexican cuisine.

It definitely has a different atmosphere than La Taqueria. It gets darker at night and louder. Not a bad thing as its more of a fun atmosphere at night.

Espadin Mezcal Flight ($26) They have their customized flights served with sangrita and lime. These are strong drinks! The flight I got had Fidencio Unico, Scorpion Silver and Rey Zapoteco mezcal. You’re supposed to be sipping these drinks throughout your meal and chase it down with the sangrita and lime.

Horchata is a traditional non-alcoholic drink made out of almonds, sesame seeds, rice and barley. It’s white, so it totally looks like milk. Tasted great!

Queso Fundido ($16 + Chorizo $2.50) is Mezcaleria’s molten cheese fondue served in a volcanic rock molcajete. You have your choice of either salsa verde or Mexican chorizo.

The dish is very rich and oily. You scoop this onto a corn tortilla and enjoy. I found that it didn’t hold very well in the tortilla because the oil would just be dripping out. The best part of the dish is the cheese on the sides of the bowl. It’s crispy!!

Guacamole ($7) is made to order with fresh avocado, cilantro, lime, onion, jalapeño and tomato. This is a staple dish to have at any Mexican restaurant. Good as an appetizer to nibble on with some drinks.

Enchiladas Clasicas ($14) is filled with spicy chicken, cheese or beans. Topped with green tomatillo or red tomato salsa, onion, cream and Mexican cheese. M went with the green tomatillo sauce. It was a bit spicy but he loved the sauce and the complex flavours.

Tostadas De Pato has Fraser Valley duck confit, guava, fruit mole sauce (manchamanteles), chayote squash and radish. The tortilla on the bottom is fried, so its hard to eat with your hands. I liked eating it with a fork and knife.

They have other taco selections too similar to La Taqueria. They’re all pretty darn good!

You have 4 sauces to choose from at the table – Chipotle, salsa verde, chile de arbol and habanero. My favourite is always the salsa verde.

Overall, if you are familiar with La Taqueria’s tacos and that’s all you want, you are best to probably stick with La Taqueria. The prices are a bit higher but you do have more variety of dishes. I know I keep comparing it to La Taqueria, but that’s what a lot of people are familiar with. People like coming here for the drinks and ambiance.

We Rate La Mezcaleria:

Address:
1622 Commercial Dr
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.lamezcaleria.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1622+Commercial+Dr+Vancouver,+BC&sll=49.2700892,-123.0694994&sspn=0.0053764,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1622+Commercial+Dr,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5L+3Y4&z=16 “]

In Canadian

Tap and Barrel Coal Harbour: Burger and Beer

January 30, 2014

Tap and Barrel has a new location in Coal Harbour. After an event, Foodobyte, Eating with Kirby, Gastrofork, FoodQueen and I headed over to grab some dinner. It was close by and there is always room food some beer and burgers.

They have lots of local craft beer on tap and comfort food.

It was a very busy night for them, so we got seated in their cafe rather than their main dining room. It’s not connected to the restaurant, so all the food is made in their other area and brought over. You even have to go outside to their main area to find the washroom.

Beer Sampler you can choose from any 3 beers from the menu. I asked the waitress for 3 of the lightest beers of the menu because I don’t trust myself in picking my own beer unless its asian beer.

PB&J Burger ($15) is their signature burger with chipotle peanut butter and bacon jam. It is topped with a deep fried pickle and side of fries.

Chicken Clubhouse ($15) has blackened breast of chicken, pulled pork belly, and fresh avocado. It has the fried pickle on top with the fries on the side.

Tap Greens with added albacore tuna ($9 + $6) is topped with hazelnuts, dried blueberries, crumbled goat cheese, and red wine maple vinaigrette. It was an ok salad. I added the tuna since I needed some more protein in the dish. It’s a good alternative to burgers on the menu.

The Original Cobb ($17) has blackened Fraser Valley chicken breast, bacon, fresh sliced avocado, tomato, egg, blue claire cheese, creamy draught craft beer dressing.

The food was decent and the price was fair for this area. It is still pricey but at least you have a great view of the Olympic Cauldron and the Burrard inlet. The downside is that when we were dining here, the service took a very long time. Even getting beer took a while. We were all hungry and antsy to eat, but it’s not quick here.

We Rate Tap and Barrel:

Address:
1055 Canada Place
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.tapandbarrel.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1055+Canada+Pl,+Vancouver,+BC&sll=49.290199,-123.1172135&sspn=0.0053742,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1055+Canada+Pl,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&z=16″]

In Bakery

Hot Chocolate Festival: Terra Breads

January 29, 2014

Terra breads is participating in the 4th Annual Hot Chocolate Festival put on by City Food Magazine. From January 18th till February 14th. The event is a fundraiser that supports the Downtown Eastside Women’s Job Training Centre program of PHS Community Service Society and East Van Roasters. It’s really a great cause and I would highly encourage people to go out there and grab some hot chocolate.

There are many more restaurants and shops participating:

Beaucoup Bakery
Bel Cafe
Bella Gelateria
Blenz
Chocolate Arts
Chocolaterie De La Nouvelle
Cocoa Nymph
East Van Roasters
French Made Baking
Gem Chocolates
KoKo Monk Chocolates
Last Crumb Cafe
Leonidas
Mink Chocolates and Cafe
Schokolade Artisan Chocolate
Soirette Macarons and Tea
Terra Breads
Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Cafe
Thomas Haas
UVA Wine Bar

I went to grab a hot chocolate from Terra Breads as it is a few minutes from my work.

‘Call me a Cab’ Hot Chocolate ($4.95) has cacao barry extra brute hot chocolate with cabernet, cinnamon and pear.

I liked the combination of flavours and didn’t really taste alcoholic at all.

It is served with a pear crisp and a cocoa sugar cookie. Very nice touch! Terra Breads always creates some awesome variation of hot chocolate. Last year, they had the Stand Up and Stout, which was hot chocolate and beer.

Address:
1605 Manitoba Street
Vancouver, BC

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

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1605+Manitoba+Street+Vancouver,+BC&sll=49.2715469,-123.106828&sspn=0.0053762,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1605+Manitoba+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5Y+3B7&z=16″]

In Canadian

Dine Out Vancouver: Bistro 101

January 26, 2014

My second dine out of the year was at Bistro 101 at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. I tried making reservations last year, but I lucked out as the reservations fill up very quickly! I woke up and put in my reservation on Open Table before going to work on the day they started accepting reservations . It’s one of the best $18 3 course menu option and you won’t be disappointed.

Their 3 course meals are usually $24, which is still a great deal. At $18 for Dine Out Vancouver, its pretty good.

Bistro 101 was created to provide a real-world training experience for the school’s professional Culinary and Baking & Pastry Arts students. I think it’s a great idea to give student a well-rounded experience with dealing with the back of the house and front of the house.

From inside the dining room, you can see them hard at work. It’s really cool to see all the work that goes into your meal.

Complimentary bread arrives at the table. It’s unlimited, so you can always ask for more. I find that they give you a lot initially, so you don’t really need a refill unless you really load up on the bread early. There’s a lot of varieties.

Peroni beer ($6) comes from Italy and is a popular beer there. I liked its light and sweet flavour profile.

An amuse bouche arrived before the appetizers. A nice little treat to start off the meal. I think it was cheese, bell peppers, pesto on little crispy bread.

White Onion Velouté topped with crisp cauliflower and lime yoghurt. It is a soup and M said it was really good. The crispy vegetables on the side added great texture.

Winter Squash Tortellini comes with 3 pieces in a smoked tomato broth. A different concept of a pasta dish.

Dungeness Crab Salad has shaved fennel & lemon foam. The lemon foam compliments the creamy crab.

Organic Ocean Wise Roasted Halibut sits on top of spinach risotto and lemongrass emulsion. The halibut was cooked perfectly. It was moist and really full of flavour.

Lamb Navarin has grilled polenta, braised Shallots and dates. There is also grilled peppers and asparagus.

Fraser Pork is like a pork sampler. It has roast loin, crisp belly, shoulder sausage and chive pomme puree. M really liked it and was music to his palate. Men love their meat.

Cheesecake Mousse has a raspberry sauce and pineapple sorbet. Cheesecake was simple and not overly complicated. Good as well.

Hazelnut Tart has blood orange, chocolate and sorbet on the plate. This was my favourite because I am very fond of hazelnuts.

Overall, I was very impressed by their menu and their affordable price. There is a trade off and the students are still learning how to serve, so the service may be less smooth than what you would normally receive. It was a fun experience for us and we will definitely be back. I love the concept of Bistro 101 and they did a great job when we dined here.

We Rate Bistro 101:

Address:
1505 W 2nd Ave
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.bistro101.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1505+W+2nd+Ave,+Vancouver,+BC+V6J+1H2&sll=49.2697268,-123.1384388&sspn=0.0053764,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1505+W+2nd+Ave,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6J+1H2&z=16 “]

In Dineout

Dine Out Vancouver: Chicha

January 24, 2014

Chicha is a fun and casual restaurant serving up Peruvian inspired cuisine. They opened up in May 2013 and located on Broadway near Main.

My coworkers have said amazing things about this eatery and I was very excited to come here for Dine Out Vancouver, Their menu is $28 and you get to choose, 1 entree, 2 mains, and a desserts. I love the tapa style dishes and great for sharing. It gives you an opportunity to try more dishes.

Their menu had lots of options and to be honest, I was very overwhelmed because I didn’t know what to order. Plus, a lot of the names of the dishes sounded very unfamiliar. These are times I wish I had one of those menus with pictures.

Chicha Morada ($3.50) is a traditional Peruvian beverage made of purple corn, spices, pineapple, and citrus. It’s a non-alcoholic drink and its very delicious. It comes with a cute paper straw and beautifully decorated with lime and pineapple.

Fresh Local Seafood Chowder has aji amarillo chili pepper, red nugget, sweet potatoes, corn and cilantro oil. Magz and FierceFeathers both got this as their appetizer and adored the unique combination of flavours.

Palitas de Yuca has cassava root and a huancaina sauce. The yuca was very crunchy and quite different from your usual fries. It’s a good dish but it really doesn’t compare to the seafood chowder.

Rocoto Braised Lamb and Wine Cured Chorizo Fettuccini has black olives, tomato and parmesan cheese, and cilantro oil.

Pollo anticuchos has aji chili marinated chicken breast skewers with brown butter fingerling potato, choclo corn, and trio of aji chili sauces. The chicken was moist and have great flavours that balanced out the aji trio sauces.

Yarrow Meadows Duck Spring Rolls has wild mushroom, five spice duck confit spring rolls served with a peashoot and pickled daikon salad and ginger and Japanese plum wine sauce. There’s a good amount of duck in the spring roll.

Lomo Saltado has flat iron steak, kennebec fries, red onion, peppers, tomato wok fried with soy sauce, garlic, and aji amarillo chili. Image it as like a Peruvian poutine. I actually imagined this dish quite differently. It tasted like an asian stir-fry with fries. We didn’t like this dish.

Spiced Aji Chili Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding with Peruvian dulce de leche, and pisco raspberry sauce.

Lucuma, white chocolate, and lime frozen torte with passion fruit and raspberry sauce. This was a very unique dessert and it really cleanses your palate.

We definitely felt there were dishes that were a hit and some a miss. You really have to read all the ingredients carefully or ask how the dish is presented. The food was ok, but I wasn’t very impressed by the choices of the dishes I chose.

We Rate Chicha:

Address:
136 East Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.chicharestaurant.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=136+East+Broadway+Vancouver,+BC&sll=49.2628222,-123.1020456&sspn=0.0053772,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=136+Broadway+E,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+1A1&z=16″]

In British Columbia

Dine Out Vancouver: Street Food City III

January 23, 2014

Street Food City is back for the third time brings together a plethora of Vancouver Food truck in one convenient location. It’s been very successful in the past years and keep coming back. I remember my first time here in 2012 when I got some Hot Chocolate from the Juice Truck.

The event is completely free and they feature a bunch of food trucks from January 22 to 26, 2014 outside the Art Gallery.

11:00am – 3:00pm Wednesday through Friday
11:00am – 5:00pm Saturday and Sunday

The food trucks participating include:

JJ’s Trucketeria
Roaming Dragon
Feastro
Holy Perogy
Dougie Dog
REEL Mac
Aussie Pie
Reef Runner
Vij’s Railway Express
Roaming Dragon
Guanaco
Le Tigre
Tacofino
Mom’s Grilled Cheese
Soho Road
Mangal Kiss
Yolks
Eli Serious
Mogu
Chili Tank
Taser
Kaboom Box
The Juice Truck.

It’s a great selection of food trucks and you will definitely find something you like. I came around 1pm, so the lines were manageable. The popular food trucks definitely have longer lines.

Lots of the tables were occupied, so you definitely need to stalk your way to find a seat. It sucks if you are with a bunch of people because you may not get a seat. Perhaps bring it back to the office to eat or eat somewhere else close by.

My pick was JJ’s Trucketeria because of their menu. The prices range from $5 to $8 and will be guaranteed full. Plus, Filipino food is pretty damn good.

Garlic Fried Rice Big Plate ($8) has a bed of garlic fried rice, a fried egg, Filipino BBQ Pork and a vinegar sauce. It smell so good and it made everyone want to line up just to get it. It’s a filling meal and worth the $8.

I only had one stomach, so I could only make one stop while I was here. My other coworker went to Le Tigre to get a soup and sandwich.

I did enjoying stopping by Street Food City for lunch. You have lots of options and can’t disappoint. Its a little bit chilly outside, but it’s much better than sitting inside a food court. Expect long lines during peak lunch hour.

Website: http://www.dineoutvancouver.com/events/street-food-city/

In Cafe

Waves: $2 Lattes for January

January 22, 2014

Waves $2 latte deal is back! Now I don’t need to have a Starbucks Treat receipt to wait for a coffee after 2pm. The deal is pretty good and its a medium sized latte. I always drink lattes, so as you can see, it hurts my wallet if I always buy it at regular price.

My girlfriends and I came on the weekend to just chat and chill over the $2 lattes.

Waves on Commercial Drive was packed on the weekend. Lot of people studying and hanging out.

The latte was pretty good and is a great size. It is an espresso based drink that is bold and balanced. The steamed milk that sits on top makes the drink sweeter. Some people add sugar, but I just like it as is. The latte art is definitely a plus.

Go grab one before January ends.

Website:
https://wavescoffee.com/

In lunch

Tealicious Richmond: Taiwanese Cuisine

January 21, 2014

Tealicious Taiwanese Cuisine is located in Richmond in a plaza near Cambie Road and Sexsmith Road. M and I were with CoffeeLover and he took us here to have some good noodles. They were open since August 2013 and serves up authentic Taiwanese dishes.

I’ve never heard of this place but was excited to give it a try.

Beef Noodle Soup ($6.75) has the beef broth some thick noodles and bits of beef. M thought it was ok. Not as good as some of the other places in town.

Black Pepper Chicken With Rice ($8.50) was huge! There is also some cold side dishes to accompany the meal. It was worth the price as you get pretty full. The chicken was tender and had the coating similar to salt and peppery chicken.

Seafood Noodle Soup 海鮮麵 ($8.95) was CoffeeLovers favourite item to order. There’s lots of seafood like fish, squid, and shrimp in it.

Overall, the food was ok. Nothing very special about the items that they have here.

We Rate Tealicious Richmond:

Address:
2116-3779 Sexsmith Rd
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.tealiciousrichmond.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2116-3779+Sexsmith+Rd,+Richmond,+BC&t=m&hnear=3779+Sexsmith+Rd,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6X+3Z9&z=16 “]

In Airplane Meals

Air Canada: From Beijing to Vancouver

January 20, 2014

So close to home, yet so far. After a 2 hour layover in Beijing (PEK), we boarded Air Canada. It took about 11 hours to get back. I definitely packed enough music and TV shows to last me through those hours. It wasn’t easy, but lots of naps were needed.

We first started with a snack. We got Pretzels and our beverage of choice. I asked for a can of tomato juice and they were kind enough to give me the whole can, usually if you don’t ask, they just give you a glass. I always get very thirsty on plane rides, so I make sure I drink a lot.

A few hours later, dinner was served. It was fried rice, steamed vegetables, and chicken in hot and sour sauce. It also came with pudding, a salad, bread and water. It tasted ok, but I wasn’t very impressed.

After this, I got bored for a very long time. Kids were crying, people were snoring, and I was just glad I had noise cancelling headphones. At some point I think I fell asleep.

Breakfast time! We had fruits, bread with jam and butter. The main item was scrambled eggs with mushrooms and potatoes.

The alternative item you could have gotten was congee. Both options sounded good, but I really just wanted eggs.

Overall, the food was ok, but not super impressive. After travelling Air Canada for a few years, the food is pretty standard and doesn’t really vary too much. It changes depending on your destination, but there are the same pieces.

In Airplane Meals

Air China: Flight from Seoul to Beijing

January 19, 2014

Before we could get back to Canada, we needed to stop at Beijing for a connecting flight. From Incheon Airport in South Korea, the only available flight was through Air China. The reviews seemed ok, but I was a bit scared since I’ve never taken Air China before.

The duration of the flight was about an hour and 45 minutes. Not a bad flight time and we also got a meal! Our flight was around noon, so we got lunch. I was definitely anticipating food.

The configuration of the plane has 2 seats on the side and then 3 in the centre. I always avoid the centre ones since I love a nice view from the plane. Plus since it was just M and I, we didn’t want to sit with strangers.

The screen and controller seemed a bit ghetto, so I just left it alone.

For lunch there was chicken and vegetables yi mein noodles with bread, and a salad for lunch. You also get your choice of beverage. The quality wasn’t bad at all. It was much better than Air Canada by a long shot.

I understood less than half on the things on the flight since I don’t understand Korean, Chinese or really badly spoken English. We tried to listen to the announcements, but we failed miserably.

In Cafe

How to kill time at Incheon Airport

January 18, 2014

When M and I arrived at Incheon Airport in South Korea to head back to Vancouver, we had a lot of time on our hands after we checked in and dropped out bags off. A few hours to be exact.

There’s lots to do actually…or to be more specific, lots to buy and eat. Duty free shops filled with gifts, souvenirs, alcohol and other junk. Then there are the cool little cafes inside. The two specific ones that intrigued us was the Charlie Brown Cafe and Hello Kitty Cafe.

We already went to the Hello Kitty Cafe in HongDae and Charlie Brown Cafe in Hong Kong, but it’s always nice to stroll through. All the other cafes were quite normal like Starbucks. Why not spend some time at a café you can’t find at hone.

The first Charlie Brown café that we found was on the 3rd floor near Gate 12. It is open from 7am till 9:15pm. They have beverages, cakes, sandwiches and some toys.

You will want to get their cakes or drinks because you can’t find it anywhere else that looks like this.

Website: http://www.charliebrowncafe.net/

Hello Kitty Cafe is a cute place for a snack or just go there to take pictures on their chairs. They are open from 6:30am till 9:30pm. It’s on the 3rd floor near gate 24.

Let again just like Charlie Brown Cafe, the drinks and cakes are good signature items to get.

Website: http://www.hellokittycafe.co.kr/

Their second location is 24 hours and is near Gate 113 and serves the same stuff as the other. This is on the other side of the airport after you take the little train to the other terminal.

With the left over time, you can just sit and wait for the boarding call. The airport is quite nice.

Once time is up, just hop on the flight back home. It’ll probably be a long flight, but as long as you have a book and headphones, you’re all set.

Website: http://www.airport.kr/

In Fast Food

KFC Korea: Tower Burger and Fried Chicken

January 17, 2014

Every time, I have a flight out of Incheon, I have to stop by KFC for a quick snack. 2 years ago when I was here, I discovered that KFC is pretty awesome in Korea. As I was here again, might as well turn it into a tradition. I have my love of fast food and I never give up a chance chowing down on global fast food chains in many countries.

There’s lots of seats and people tend to eat very quickly and move a long.

Tower Burger (4,800 won) comes at a whopping 800 calories. This tower is made of fried breast fillet, hashbrowns, lettuce, and cheese. It’s quite large and you will get your fill of carbs.

2 pieces of fried chicken (2,200 won) and you have the option to have it original or spicy. Of course I had it spicy since I was in Korea.

Just look at how crazy battered that is! It was very crispy on the outside and the meat was very moist. It had the right about of spiciness and oh man, finger lickin’ good!

I posed with Colonel Sanders because why not? We both have glasses and love fried chicken. It’s true what they say, KFC is better in Asia.

Address:
Various locations in South Korea, and all over the world

Website:
http://www.kfckorea.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?t=m&cid=0x8d4ba096cb5cbed4&z=12&iwloc=A “]

In Brunch

Kulinarya: Filipino Food in Coquitlam

January 16, 2014

KoreanGirl and I had a lazy Saturday filled with food and shopping. Thats how we girls roll. We came at 11am and it wasn’t busy at all. Kulinarya is a Filipino restaurant located near the Coquitlam Mall. It’s quite a drive from Vancouver, but if you’re in the area, definitely put this on your list of places to check out.

Breakfast was definitely on our minds and all of the breakfast items sounds like a delicious heart attack. There’s a lot of meat and carbs, but it’s really good food!

You get a small dish of complimentary Boy Bawang garlic corn nuts. These corn nuts were very good and lightly seasoned. It is light and airy so biting into it is no problem at all. It’s so good! You can buy larger bags at Kulinarya or at grocery stores like T&T.

Tapsilog ($10) has sauteed beef, garlic rice, and a fried egg. KoreanGirl liked it. Simple but very great flavours.

Bangsilong ($10) has fried milkfish, garlic rice and fried egg. There’s not too much meat on the fish because its a small fish. It’s a good portion for breakfast. That garlic rice is quite addictive!

Crispy Pata (Small – $10) is deep fried pork hock with a nice spicy vinegar sauce. We saw this on their menu and just had to have it! Worst thing to have it for breakfast but we didn’t care. The skin is very crunchy and was music to our ears. crunch crunch crunch!

Overall, the food was good and it’s great to see what Filipino Cuisine tastes like. The only issue is that a lot of the menu items are hard to choose from because if you aren’t familiar with the items, you have no idea what you are ordering. Plus, a few of the dishes are quite expensive and can rack up your bill.

We Rate Kulinarya:

Address:
114 – 2922 Glen Drive
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
www.kulinarya.ca

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=114+%E2%80%93+2922+Glen+Drive+Coquitlam,+BC&ie=UTF8&t=m&hnear=2922+Glen+Dr+%23114,+Coquitlam,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V3B+2P5&z=16 “]

In Brunch

Lily Mae’s Comfort Cafe: Brunch in Gastown

January 15, 2014

Lily Mae’s Comfort Cafe is located in the heart of Gastown. I came here with coworkers on the weekend to have some brunch. If you are looking for some comfort food, its a nice place to go to. They serve brunch on weekends from 10am till 3pm.

The cafe is very small but has a very cozy place to chat and chow down on food. Very adorable! The brick walls, the little windows and of course the hipster centrepieces on the tables.

They also have an small upper area for larger groups.

Coffee was needed or else I would have fallen asleep.

Maple Black Peppercorn Bacon ($4.50) is an expensive price to pay for 2 strips of bacon. Nonetheless, DeeBee enjoyed it and loved the flavour.

Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes ($10) is served with real maple syrup and strawberries on top. You get 3 big fluffy pancakes and it will definitely fill you up.

The Sunny Day Benny ($14) is a favourite on their menu. It has crab, avocado, and tomato smothered in hollandaise sauce. You get to choose your side of fried potatoes or mixed greens. There are a few pieces of fruit on the side too.

Magz really enjoyed the benny and would highly recommend it. She said there was a lot of crab in these bennies.

Chorizo Breakfast Wrap ($11) has scrambled eggs, basil pesto, chorizo and cheddar. I chose to have mixed greens as my side. The salad was pretty good and it had blueberries and cherry tomatoes. The wrap isn’t anything fancy, but the ingredients just go well together. Definitely comfort food that won’t destroy your waistline.

Overall, the food was good, but the wait time did take a while. They definitely need to work on their executing and timing a bit more. Granted, they did warn us it might take a while and a large group put in their order ahead of us. Once the food did arrive, we ate pretty quickly.

We Rate Lily Mae’s:

Address:
12 Powell Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.lilymaes.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=12+Powell+Street+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=12+Powell+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+1E7&z=15 “]

In Downtown

Zac Zac Japanese Curry House: Hidden Gem in Downtown Vancouver

January 14, 2014

Hidden at the back of the H-Mart food court is Zac Zac Japanese Curry. A lot of people don’t realize that there is a mini food court here. Quick and cheap lunch can be found here.

I came here before to order their chicken curry a few years ago, but I always felt like I ordered the wrong item. They have cool varieties of curry from chicken, to beef, to tempura…to even natto beans. Natto beans are equivalent to how some people feel about Durian. It’s fermented beans and they are either loved or hated.

This time around I came here with M for lunch and he ordered me the Katsu Curry.

Katsu Curry ($7.98) it has rice on the bottom topped with a crispy pork and their signature curry sauce. It was really good!

The week after, I came here again with my coworker for lunch to have the same thing. It’s definitely one of my lunch favourites. It’s nothing fancy, but the prices are good and taste great. It’s pretty hard to find good Japanese curry in town.

We Rate Zac Zac Japanese Curry:

Address:
590 Robson St Vancouver

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/zac.zac.japanese.curry.house

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=590+Robson+St+Vancouver&t=m&hnear=590+Robson+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+2B7&z=16″]

In Dessert

Hapa Izakaya: Japanese Tapas on Robson Street

January 13, 2014

Earlier last month a few of my friends and I were dining at the Hapa Izakaya in Coal Harbour. I’ve been to Hapa several times and had no issues, but that particular dining experience was horrible and I felt bad for my friends. I won’t delve into it, but you can read it all on thefoodqueen.ca. We were invited back to any Hapa Izakaya location to have a re-do of our meal.

Hapa Izakaya has a reputation for delicious Japanese food with pretty waitresses according to some of my Toronto friends. I spend more time staring at food than at people. Thats why I spend more time snapping pictures of food than of my friends. Horrible habit, but hopefully that will change one day.

The Robson location is quite large, so there is tons of room to accommodate large groups. We came on a snowy day, so that’s why this place wasn’t packed. No one wants to brave though the snow for some eats. Vancouverites fear snow, no matter how much there is.

Pint of Sapporo is my drink of choice at a Japanese restaurant. It’s light, crisp and refreshing.

Hello Kitty ($7.50) is a cocktail drink made of strawberry puree, calpis, absolut vodka, and soda. It was a fun drink and it did not taste too alcoholic.

Shigoku Oysters ($2.99) was recommended by our waitress and is OceanWise. It is from Washington and flavour profile is salty, mildly sweet with a water chestnut finish. It tasted pretty darn good.

Hapa has a large selection of fresh oysters with 17 different varieties. Very impressed.

Ahi Tuna ($11.99) is OceanWise and is beautifully cut. Yumm.

Sockeye Salmon ($10.99) is also OceanWise and are good cuts.

Beef Tataki ($9.99) is a very popular dish. It is made of lightly seared AAA beef with a sesame-chili sauce. I didn’t like it because of the sauce, I much prefer it with garlic chips and ponzu sauce. Just a personal preference.

Bintoro ($9.99) is made of OceanWise albacore tuna sashimi that is lightly seared. It also has Ponzu Sauce and fried garlic chips. Delicious!

Cho Wagyu ($12.49) is a fun dish. You get a super hot stone and you get to cool your own kobe beef. It comes with garlic ships, green onion and ponzu sauce.

Beef Short Ribs ($12.99) has grilled AAA beef short ribs with an apple-soy marinade. Its really good! The meat is quite tender and very flavourful.

Karaage ($8.99) has fried boneless chicken, and a soy ginger sauce.

Teriyaki Mochi Gnochi ($5.49) comes with 2 pieces on a stick. It’s a deep fried potato gnocchi with a teriyaki glaze.

Spicy Pork Ishi-Yaki ($9.99) has rice, minced pork, garlic sprouts, egg, tomato, lettuce, and spicy miso in a hot stone bowl.

Ebi Mayo ($8.99) has tempura prawns with a spicy mayo sauce. It was ok, but needs more mayo.

Kaki Fry ($9.99) comes with 6 pieces. It is pan-fried sawmill bay oyster, and panko breaded. It comes with tartar sauce.

Gindara ($11.49) has baked OceanWise sablefish in a sake-miso marinade with some veggies on the side. The skin of the sable fish was crispy.

Polenta Fries ($7.99) has polenta tempura, soy-balsamic reduction and arugula gel. All the fries are piles up in a stack like Jenga. It’s a fun dish to share.

Oyster Risotto ($13.99) is a new item on their menu and it is served in a hot stone bowl. It contains rice, oysters, mozzarella, onion, carrot, mushroom, green beans, and a cream miso broth. It was a filling dish and it really good. I love mushrooms and oysters.

Chocolate Parfait ($5.99) is a mishmash of different ingredients. Blueberries, corn flakes, brownies, cake, and chocolate ice cream.

Creme Brulee ($4.99) is topped with fruits and cookies.

Matcha Roll Cake ($5.49) has matcha cream with the match cake. Good for those green tea lovers out there.

The desserts were all pretty comparable.

Overall, if you are looking for some delicious Japanese tapas and some drinks for a girls night out or a date, this is the place to go. But it can get pricey compared to some of the other izakaya restaurants in town.

We rate Hapa Izakaya:

Address:
1479 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://hapaizakaya.com/

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In Fast Food

Starbucks New Caramel Flan Latte

January 12, 2014

Starbucks has turned the traditional custard dessert – Caramel flan into a new drink at all their locations. As the weather is still chilly sometimes we need to huddle inside with a coffee and enjoy the rainy Vancouver weather.

Thats just what KoreanGirl and I did this weekend. We both had a Starbucks reward available to redeem a free drink, so we both decided to try the new Caramel Flan Latte. If we hated it, it wouldn’t be a loss since we used our rewards on it.

The Caramel Flan Latte is composed of espresso, steamed milk and caramel flavours of creamy flan. Topped with caramel-infused whipped cream and caramel flan drizzle.

KoreanGirl ordered it with it’s normal sweetness and said it was way too sweet especially with the caramel flan drizzle. I got mine half sweet and it was much better. There’s definitely a lot of caramel going on here.

I’m still not sold on this drink, so I will still stick to my usual lattes.

If you tried it, what do you think about it?

Website:
http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/espresso/caramel-flan-latte

In Fast Food

McDonald’s Spicy Buffalo Chicken Snack Wrap

January 11, 2014

I needed a quick lunch and what better way to be lazy than go to McDonalds across the street. The weather was also terrible, so I didn’t want to go far for food. It’s been raining non-stop in Vancouver for the past few days and sometimes I just feel like a cat.

McDonalds has a new Spicy Buffalo Chicken Snack Wrap on their menu and probably only available for a limited time.

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Snack Wrap ($1.99) comes with shredded lettuce, chicken breast, monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, and spicy buffalo sauce.

The look of it isn’t impressive and seems carelessly put together. It obviously varies depending on who makes it. I chose the grilled chicken instead of crispy since I find that the chicken in more flavourful and tender.

The taste of the entire wrap isn’t bad. The spicy buffalo sauce reminds me of a milder version of Frank’s Red Hots.

Website: http://www.mcdonalds.ca/