March 2014

In Brunch

Hawksworth: Brunch Time

March 31, 2014

In the past few months, I’ve come here several times for brunch. Usually on long weekends, they have a promotion where if you follow their social media accounts and mention #BrunchClub, your dining companion gets their brunch for free. It’s a pretty sweet deal.

Unfortunately, I always ending up coming here when it’s not a long weekend. Their brunch is pricey compared to some places in town, but it’s definitely worth it. I’ve never had to make reservations as it’s not as busy as some other places in town.

Classic Eggs Benedict ($18) has caramelized ham and hollandaise sauce. On the side, there are potatoes and a tomato.

What captivated me was the delicious ham! It was so flavourful and was a thick slab of meat on the english muffins.

Another time I went here, the ham wasn’t as thick. It didn’t even fill most of the english muffin. Some inconsistencies with the cut, but the flavour is still very good. The friends that I came with on this visit, also liked it but was disappointed by the amount of ham.

Pacific Sablefish Brandade ($19) has poached eggs, tomato, chorizo, watercress, and grilled bread. Really good and the crunch of the chickpeas complimented the dish.

Smoked Chicken Hash ($19) has sunny side eggs, wild mushroom, and peppercorn sauce. Really good! I was surprised by the mix of flavours.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes ($17) has pear, walnut, caramelized honey yogurt, and maple syrup. Also a very good dish! The yogurt and pear really goes so well with the dish.

Overall, the experience was great. The food is definitely pricey, but it is fair if you look at some of the higher end brunches in town. The service is very friendly and attentive.

We Rate Hawksworth:

Address:
801 West Georgia Street Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.hawksworthrestaurant.com/

In Chinese

The Jade Seafood Restaurant 玉庭軒海鮮酒家: Alaskan King Crab

March 30, 2014

Every year, I look forward to eating Alaskan King Crab. When Tourism Richmond invited me to come down to join them and some food bloggers and media, I couldn’t say no. We headed to Jade Seafood Restaurant in Richmond. This restaurant has been recipients of multiple Chinese Restaurant Awards and Vancouver Magazine Awards. I haven’t been to this restaurant till now.

The restaurant was packed and most tables were having Alaskan King Crab. It is always best to call ahead of time to guaranteed the size of King Crab that you want for your party. You can get one up to 20 pounds!

Since there was only 7 of us, we settled for 7 pounds ($28.88 per pound), which is a great size so everyone gets about a pound each. They can turn this crab into 3 or 4 dishes depending on what dinner set you choose.

The dinner set we got was the 10 person dinner set, which comes with 10 courses and cost a total of $398. Items on it can be modified. It is a bit pricier than some Chinese restaurants in town, but always come with a large group, so you can split the bill so the price is more reasonable.

Steamed Mushroom Dumplings was a modification to the set meal. This is one of their signature items on their menu and it is filled with a mixture of mushrooms. It’s great for mushroom lovers like myself.

Shredded Chicken with Fish Maw Soup is another great dish. I love this type of soup, but some people may not like it after finding out fish maw is the air bladder of a fish that controls its buoyancy. Don’t be afraid, it actually tastes like nothing but has a consistency of jelly.

They serve the soup individually and you can add some of the red vinegar for added taste. I love vinegar, so I added a good amount into my bowl. It really changes the flavour profile completely.

Steamed King Crab Legs with Garlic is another staple item on an Alaskan King Crab meal. All the legs are cut open, so you can easily scoop out the meat. They really make it easy to eat especially for picky eaters. This item is very standard across all Chinese restaurants and you can get it anywhere.

Deep Fried King Crab Knuckles in Spicy XO sauce is always one of my favourite dishes. It wasn’t spicy at all and the crunchy exterior was so yummy. The added edamame and garlic chips were just perfect. Nom nom nom nommmmm…

Grandpa Chicken came with the whole chicken. It was served cold and it’s like a smoked soy sauce chicken. It was ok, but it wasn’t anything amazing.

This was also a substitute item and on the original menu, it would have been the peking duck.

Minced Beef with lettuce wraps. If we had the peking duck, this would have been the duck and lettuce wraps. I didn’t mind too much since this is always a fun dish to put together.

You take the lettuce wrap and then scoop up the filling and add a dash of the sauce for extra flavour. Then, you roll it up and start munching away. The flavours were good and I always like the chestnut for an extra crunch in texture.

Bean curd and bok choy in fish soup was a nice break from the rest of the items in the meal. I personally love tofu and vegetables so I ate this up. I could eat endless amounts of this.

Braised Halibut with Green Onion and Ginger was a very surprising dish. The halibut was in meaty chunks, very moist and had a nice crisp exterior.

Baked Rice in Portuguese Sauce with King Crab Head is what we have all been waiting for. All the rice and sauce overflowing out of the shell.

They serve it to you in individual bowls and it’s always a treat to eat. Loved that there was so much sauce.

Steamed Brown Sugar Honey Cake was a new item to me. It looked crazy cool and looked very porous. It was spongy and was like a very firm jello. After taking a bit out of it, it was really good! Not too sweet at all.

Coconut Cookies and Lotus seed pastries was the last dessert. Went well with tea and was a nice item to end off the meal.

Overall, Alaskan King Crab is a pricey meal, so always make sure you have a group of friends to go with. It makes it more fun. Jade Seafood Restaurant is more of a higher end Chinese Restaurant, but you still have tons of options in the Lower Mainland to enjoy Alaskan King Crab while the season lasts.

We Rate Jade Seafood Restaurant:

Address:
8511 Alexandra Rd
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.jaderestaurant.ca/

In Bakery

The Boss Restaurant 大班餐廳餅店: Lunch in Chinatown

March 29, 2014

Magz and I went to The Boss Restaurant in Chinatown for lunch. It was packed and quite busy. We had to wait in line for a seat. Usually the turnaround is quite quick, so we didn’t have to wait too long.

There is also a bakery in the front where they sell cakes, pastries and bread. That section was quite busy too. Their lunch menu is quite cheap, so you can be full in under $10.

Hot Milk Tea is a classic choice for any meal in a Hong Kong Style Cafe.

Cold Milk Tea was good. I wish I could have added my own sugar because it was a tad too sweet.

Beef Steak with Pepper Sauce was part of their lunch menu. The best part was the beef steak and pepper sauce. The beef was tender and cut easily. It came with 2 thin pieces. There was also a lot of rice and some broccoli on the side.

Overall, not a bad lunch as its cheap and satisfies the tummy.

We Rate The Boss Restaurant:

Address:
532 Main St
Vancouver, BC

In American

Burgoo: Amazing Comfort Food

March 28, 2014

I’m so glad I work so close to Burgoo. Burgoo is the ultimate place for addictive comfort food. Sometimes, we have to put diets aside and just indulge in delicious food. Their location is on Main street and have others in Kitsilano, North Vancouver, and Point Grey areas.

They have Mac and Cheese, Grilled Cheese, fondue, soups, stews and a bunch of other satisfying items. They don’t take reservations on Fridays/Saturdays, but they only do reservations for large groups (8-12 ppl) on other days. The wait time can fluctuate. One time I had no wait and another time, it was an hour.

After School Special ($16.50) give you the choice of any sandwich and soup on the menu. To keep it classic, M chose Gooey Cheese Grillers which includes two grilled, angle cut, house baguette sandwiches with melted Mozzarella, Gruyere, Emmenthal and white Cheddar. For his soup, he chose Straight Up Tomato Soup with red wine simmered tomato and garlic, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

This is the ultimate comfort food! Best grilled cheese I’ve ever had. You can’t go wrong with this choice. They don’t skimp on the cheese.

Mussels Cocotte ($18) has fresh mussels cooked with white wine, cream, herbs and bacon, served with house bread. Its an appetizer that is supposed to be shared, but I had it all to myself. This is my version of comfort food. There was a lot of mussels and the size was definitely worth the price.

There was so much sauce too! Great for dipping the bread into. There was also large chunks of bacon. MMMMmmmmmm BACON.

Overall, M and I were impressed. The price is fair and if you make the right choices of your dish, you’ll be in heaven.

We Rate Burgoo:

Address:
3096 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://burgoo.ca/

In lunch

Salsa & Agave: Mexican Cuisine in Yaletown

March 27, 2014

I headed to Salsa and Agave Mexican Grill to meet up with fellow blogger – Sharon M Fung. I always pass by this restaurant and never stopped by to try their food until now. Their menu looked good for lunch and you can’t go wrong with tacos or burritos.

They have patio and indoor seating, so it’s perfect for the hot Summer days.

The interior is a bit small, but there are a decent amount of tables for large and small groups.

The lunch specials are quite affordable.

Azteca Soup and Tostada combo ($8) is made with fresh local ingredients.

The Azteca Soup is essentially a tortilla soup with chipotle pepper, diced avocado, cheese and sour cream. The soup tasted ok, but it wasn’t anything special. It also looked very oily.

Tostadas are crispy open face corn tortilla stacked with beans, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese and avocado sauce.

Sharon got the Azteca soup and small burrito combo for $9.50, but we disappointed by the shrimp burrito. She said it was dry.

Overall, we were not impressed by the experience. The food was ok and the service was non-existent. Our glasses of water were left empty and it was hard to get a servers attention. I really wanted to like this place, but it didn’t satisfy us.

We Rate Salsa & Agave:

Address:
1223 Pacific Blvd
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://salsaandagave.com/

In All You Can Eat

Fatty Cow Hot Pot: All You Can Eat Hot Pot in Vancouver

March 26, 2014

Fatty Cow Hot Pot on Victoria Drive is known for their amazing hot pot. Best part is that you don’t need to go to Richmond for some goood all you can eat hot pot. My friends and I come here when we don’t want to travel far. Plus, the interior is nice and the quality of ingredients are pretty good.

We made reservations in the afternoon and they didn’t have many spots left, so we began eating at 6pm. I don’t speak Chinese, so it was very difficult to make a reservation as they couldn’t understand me half of the time. It worked out after a lot of repeating to make sure they didn’t mix up the time with the amount of people in the party. 6pm for 5 people can be a bit confusing.

The prices are reasonable too. $20 for adults with a few additional addons for broth, drinks and whatever else. You will probably end up spending around $30 after tax and tips.

They only accept cash and debt, so make sure you have one or the other.

Double Soup ($8.50) has hot and spicy on one side and the other was a clear vegetable broth. This is my favourite kind since the spicy is great for cooking meat and the clear broth is best for vegetables. Also, its a good way to satisfy the different tastes at the table. Me and my friends would never be able to agree on which broth is better.

To accompany the hot pot, I ordered Sour Plum Juice ($1.50 – glass | $5 a jug). It’s definitely an acquired taste. Only the Chinese people at the table liked it and all the Koreans thought it tasted like BBQ sauce. They couldn’t handle it.

The first order of meat arrived. We ordered a lot, but we had to get our moneys worth. In these huge stacks, there was Beef Rib Eye, Beef Sirloin, Pork Jowl, and Lamb.

You can’t go wrong with any of these.

Marinated Beef and Bean Curd always good stuff to order too. The bean curd does look a bit weird, but it is good.

Beef Cubes had potential, but you have to make sure you don’t over cook them or else they will be chewy and flavourless.

Spam is required. My friends love spam but its not for everyone. Nom Nom Nom Nom spam.

Here comes the healthier items! Vegetables, tofu, mushrooms and the fish balls/meat balls. There needs to be a balance.

Fish Skin is surprisingly AMAZING. It’s crispy and crunchy like chips. You can eat them as is or you can dunk it into the broth. I know it seems weird to eat fish skin, but it’s really good and addictive.

Frozen Tofu is another one of my favourite items to order. It’s so porous, so it has lots of space to absorb the broth. The texture is so different from regular tofu. Get this!!

The oysters are on steroids or something. It’s huge! It was the size of my palms. As they aren’t fresh, it’s good to make sure its cooked all the way through. These were so massive, that it was hard to enjoy.

Mango Pudding was a complimentary at the end of the meal. It was a nice touch since other places won’t have desserts.

Overall, we all had a good time. There’s nothing better than spending a nice dinner with friends eating mass amount of meat and arguing over what side of the broth we should be putting the ingredients into. I’ve never had a disappointing time here yet.

We Rate Fatty Cow Hot Pot Restaurant:

Address:
5108 Victoria Dr.
Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 568-6630

Website:
http://www.fattycowhotpot.com/

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In product

Tea Sparrow Tea Box: 60% off Tea Subscriptions

March 25, 2014

A little brown box arrived in the mail from Tea Sparrow Tea Box. All the teas inside are free of artificial ingredients and are sent from tea blenders around the world. Each month, a particular box will have a specific theme.

There are a few subscription options available:

A One Time Tea Box – one Tea Box, one time ($25)
3 Month Prepaid Subscription – three tea boxes over three months ($66)
6 Month Prepaid Subscription – six tea boxes over six months ($120)
Ongoing subscription – here you can subscribe for ongoing tea boxes at $20 per month. You can start/ pause/ stop this subscription at any time.

60% Discount Offer: This entitles readers to 60% off the first Tea Box in an ongoing subscription.

Discount link: http://www.teasparrow.com/promo/

Promo Code: teas

I was excited to give it a try since I usually stick with Jasmine and green tea.

When you open up the box, there are 4 packaged loose leaf teas.

For the February box, the theme was Valentines Day, so they included:

Organic White Rose
Organic Lavendar Earl Grey
Organic Chai Rooibos
Strawberry Champagne

As tea is hard to prepare if you don’t know what you’re doing. It can really ruin the flavour of the tea. There are tips on how to prepare the teas. Also, on each package, it will show you how much to put into a cup and how much water and for how long.

Lavendar Earl Grey is a classic tea with the hints of lavendar. It is made by rishi tea. It does contain Caffeine and it is a black tea. The info on each package has a lot of information, so you know everything about that tea.

Ingredients: Organic Fair Trade Certified™ black tea, Organic lavender flowers, natural essential oils of bergamot and lavender.

Organic Chai Rooibos is made by Gathering Place. It has a lot of different flavours going on and it is supposed to produce a calming effect. This tea is surprisingly caffeine free.

Ingredients: Rooibos Tea, ginger, cinnamon, fennel, cardamom, cloves and black pepper.

Strawberry-Champagne was an interesting flavour. It is sweet and aromatic fruit flavour.

Ingredients: Sencha green tea, carrot pieces, pineapple pieces (pineapple, sugar), strawberries, cornflowers, sunflowers, natural flavour.

Organic White Rose is very light and delicate. The smell is just amazing. You can’t use boiling water or else you’ll alter it’s taste. This was my favourite of the bunch.

Ingredients: Fair trade certified organic white tea and organic rose.

Subscription boxes have been a rage as it gives people at taste without purchasing large amounts and wasting it. Plus, you can easily order it from the comfort of your home.

Website: http://www.teasparrow.com/

In Korean

KOBOB Burger: Korean Rice Burgers

March 24, 2014

A new restaurant has opened up a few blocks from my office. I was really excited because I’ve never had a Korean rice burger before. Rice Burgers have been popping around Vancouver for a while, but there was never a restaurant dedicated to it as their main feature.

Guu Garden used to have rice burgers as part of their lunch specials, but they don’t offer it anymore.

KOBOB Burgers is Korean owned and is family-run. The husband and wife duo – Colin Park and Connie Mun opened up the restaurant to share the delicious taste of Korean cuisine with the local community.

The menu has Bibimbob, Ramyeon, Korean Rice Burgers, and Korean Pancakes. The prices are very affordable for lunch.

The restaurant is quite small, so it can’t sit large groups. A lot of my coworkers come here to do take out or come with a smaller group.

The Korean Rice Burger is all wrapped up and put into a container.

Spicy Pork Korean Rice Burger with egg ($6 + $0.50) each side of the rice patty has seaweed and sesame seeds embedded into it. In addition to the spicy pork and egg, there is pickled radishes, and corn.

It is definitely a bit hard to eat as the rice is sticky, so I eat it with chopsticks rather than eating it like a traditional burger. The amount your get is pretty good. You will get full.

All of the flavours combined reminded me of a bibimbob, but in another format. I really like Korean food and all their yummy flavours, so thats why I enjoyed it.

Ramyeon with dumplings was simple and satisfying. This can be a bit spicy for some.

Overall, the food is simple and makes a great lunch in the neighbourhood. The prices are great and you will leave with your belly full. As they are still fairly new, they still have a few kinks to work out.

We Rate KOBOB Burgers:

Address:
1019 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/kobob.burger

In Bakery

Faubourg: Delectable Pastries in Downtown Vancouver

March 23, 2014

Faubourg opened their new location last year in August 2013. It is located right beside the Vancouver Art Gallery and has indoor and patio seating. They also have a location in Kerrisdale and Park Royal in West Vancouver. KoreanGirl and I stopped here for some croissants and a drink. But most importantly, to chill and talk.

The interior is really beautiful and a great place to send the afternoon with friends. Look at those chandeliers.

We came here when it was a little bit snowy outside, but it was nice to get out of the rain/snow.

They have a variety of savoury items great for the lunch time crowd.

There are also some very sweet treats. You might be staring at this section for a while because everything looks good.

Many baked items that smelled amazing. Croissants are definitely very popular here.

Don’t forget to look at their beautiful macarons. So many choices!

Hot Chocolate was our drink of choice. We’ve been definitely having a huge craving for hot chocolate. It was rich and nice and smooth.

Butter Croissant was good too! It was flakey on the corners and soft on the inside.

Small Assorted Pastry Box ($16) was something I grabbed to take home to M. It is a bit pricey, but it makes a great gift. It comes with 4 mini versions of their signature tarts. It has lemon tart, blueberry tart, coffee opera, and chocolate tart. They are all bite-sized and great for people who like a taste.

Overall, we had a good time at Faubourg for a girl chit chat session over drinks and pastries. I’d come back again with friends. The location is also great because it is near skytrain and in the heart of Downtown.

We rate Faubourg:

Address:
769 Hornby Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.faubourg.com/

In Cafe

Blenz: Hot Chocolate on a Rainy Day

March 20, 2014

What do I do on rainy days? I have hot chocolate! I was really bored after work, so I had myself a hot chocolate treat. Besides the coffee, they are known for their hot chocolate too.

Belgian Hot Chocolate is one of their signature beverages at Blenz. It is made with 100% Belgian Chocolate. No powders or syrups are used. It’s simple but very good! The rich taste from the chocolate melds nicely with the foamy milk.

I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed by Blenz. It’s a nice alternative for drinks and a place to study. Free Wifi woot!

We rate Blenz:

Address:
603 Abbott St
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://blenz.com/

In Canadian

Pie on Pi Day in Vancouver

March 19, 2014

It’s been a while since my last dose of pie. Since it was Pi Day (March 14), I just had to indulge in some pie. A few blocks away from my work is The Pie Shoppe. They are a cute little shop that bakes pies and serves coffee. The shop has no chairs or anything, so it is purely takeout.

We didn’t put in an order of what we wanted before hand, but they had enough pies to choose from. I did notice that they had a lot of orders for Pi Day. If you want to guarantee they have your favourite flavour, call in ahead of time.

Gluten Free Chocolate Pecan Pie ($8) was oh so sinfully delicious. I have a soft spot for butter tarts. The crust was perfectly crisp and the filling was oozing with delicious sweetness. I did enjoy the amount of sweetness balanced with the dollop of chocolate. Some people may find it sweet., but that can be counteracted with a cup of coffee or tea.

Classic Apple Pie ($20) was alright. I found that there was a lot of space between the crust and the filling, so cutting it perfectly was a challenge. The best part really was the crust.

Overall, the pies were enjoyable and were gobbled up quite quickly. When it’s Pi Day in Vancouver, pick up a pie at the Pie Shoppe.

We Rate the Pie Shoppe:

Address:
721 Gore Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.thepieshoppe.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=721+Gore+Ave,+Vancouver,+BC+V6A+2Z9&sll=49.891235,-97.15369000000001&sspn=45.72347923378347,88.1395350118194&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=721+Gore+Ave,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+2Z9&z=16 “]

In Downtown

$2.85 Hamburger Cart: Amazing Deal in Downtown Vancouver

March 18, 2014

The mysterious $2.85 Hamburger cart has been making news in Vancouver. This is probably the best deal out of any food cart out there. It’s even cheaper than McDonalds. If you’re looking for a cheap, delicious and quick lunch, this place is for you.

My coworkers and I came here at 11:45am and there was already a line forming with about 18 orders already. The wait isn’t too long, so make sure you come early to beat the rush.

By noon, larger lines started forming and waits got longer.

You have only 2 options of burgers to order – Hamburger for $2.85 or a Cheeseburger for $3.50.

You order at the side of the cart and put in your order. Do note that it is cash only. They give you a number and you begin your wait for your meal.

Cheeseburger ($3.50) has a lot of lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, teriyaki sauce, cheese, and beef patty on the toasted white bun. The patty was flavourful. It’s a really good burger at a really good price. Definitely check it out if you’re in the area.

We Rate $2.85 Hamburger Cart:

Location:
Granville and Pender Street
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=Granville+St+%26+W+Pender+St&sll=49.2846675,-123.114861&sspn=0.0053748,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=Granville+St+%26+W+Pender+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&z=16″]

In Brunch

Joe Fortes: Weekend Brunch

March 17, 2014

Joe Fortes was the place where TaiwaneseGirl highly recommended we come here for eggs benny. There are open 11am till 11pm daily. We are continuing our hunt for delicious eggs benny in town. We came here a bit past 11am and this place was beginning to get busy.

By 12:30pm, this place was packed and there were waits. The restaurant is quite large, so it seats a lot of people.

We were given complimentary scones as we waited for our order. It was a nice touch. You get one scone per person.

Orange Juice ($6.95) is what we needed to start off the brunch.

Crispy Fried Local Oysters ($14.95) is served with Joe’s classic tartar sauce. There were only 4 pieces, so it was definitely very expensive. We thought there would be more. Nonetheless, it did taste good. The oysters used were Ocean Wise.

Eggs Benedict ($13.95) comes with Canadian bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise. It also comes with hashbrowns, house-made english muffins, fruit and ketchup. We got the eggs to be soft poached so the yolk oozed out.

Smoked Salmon Benedict ($14.95) has poached eggs, chive hollandaise. It was good, the smoked salmon pieces were cut thick, but it could of had more smokey flavour.

I got the soft poached eggs and man, was it ooey gooey and oh so delicious.

Joe’s Signature Benedict ($15.95) has wild mushrooms, crisp proscuitto, and truffle sage hollandaise. Same items come on the plate as the other bennies.

Overall, the eggs bennies was good. There’s a lot of food on the plate, so you will definitely be full after eating. Certain items on the menu can be quite pricey like the seafood options.

We Rate Joe Fortes:

Address:
777 Thurlow St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.joefortes.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=777+Thurlow+St&sll=49.2850465,-123.1244619&sspn=0.0053748,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=777+Thurlow+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6E+3V5&z=16″]

In Cafe

Deer Garden Signatures 鹿園魚湯米線: DIY Noodle Combos

March 16, 2014

KoreanGirl had major cravings for laksa so we all went to Deer Garden Signatures on Fraser street. It was a far drive for us, but it was worth it to give this place a try. Too bad there isn’t one near Burnaby.

Deer Garden Signatures is best known for their noodle combos for $8.50.

Looking at the noodle combos menu, it looked like a great deal since you also get a drink to go with it. You choose your soup base, type of noodles, toppings, drink and any additional side dishes you want to order.

As you wait you get tea.

Coffee Milk Tea Mix is what I ordered. Really good! Most people usually order the coffee milk tea mix or just the regular milk tea. Can’t go wrong with either.

The side dishes arrived first. Pan Seared Ox Tongue ($1.95) was so tender! So flavourful too. Best tongue I’ve had in a long time. The sprinkle of salt and pepper on top was perfect to accentuate its flavour.

Pan Fried boneless chicken in teriyaki sauce ($1.75) pretty good!

Deep fried pork chop ($1.75) was another side dish and it was not bad. Pretty decent.

Desert wings with ginger ($1.75) came piping hot. It was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It has a distinct taste of ginger and white pepper.

Laksa with sliced beef brisket, specialty pork sausage and fish puffs. The bowl was huge! It comes with a bunch of other toppings as well, so you aren’t just getting what you ordered.

Overall, the food here was good and satisfying for a rainy cold day. Service is alright. You have a bell at your table to call for the servers to come. I do find that they do mix up orders and that some items are missed, so you need to check what you ordered properly. The pricing is decent and noodles are highly customizable, but it can add up. It’s also cash only.

We Rate Deer Garden Signatures:

Address:
6270 Fraser St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.deergarden.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=6270+Fraser+St&sll=49.2276641,-123.0906887&sspn=0.005381,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=6270+Fraser+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5W&z=16″]

In Four Beakers

Ask for Luigi: Yummy Pasta in Gastown

March 15, 2014

Ask for Luigi is a casual Italian-inspired restaurant serving up fresh handmade pasta. It is located in Railtown where the old 2 Chefs a Table until they closed the location. There is some free parking in the area.

The way you order is family-style, so all dishes are meant to be shared among the table. The appetizers arrive first and then the pasta dishes quickly follow. They have some gluten-free option available each day. They also do take-out too.

FoodQueen and I tried making a reservation on a Wednesday for a Sunday dinner and all their reservations were all gone. But, they said to come at 5:30pm and we would have a high chance at getting a spot.

It was 5:29pm and there were already people inside with 70% of the tables occupied. By 5:45pm, this place was packed! Not a single seat was left. People are crazy about their pasta. Some people have indicated that they had to wait over an hour for a table. Best to come early or attempt to make a reservation.

Fried Cauliflower & Aioli ($10) is their most popular appetizer. It reminded me of Nuba’s Najib’s Special. Really good!

Bocconcini Fritti ($9) is a vegetarian dish and its is essentially deep-fried cheese balls.

Oh boy, was it ooey and gooey with the cheese super stringy and dripping out.

Beef Carpaccio ($14) is topped was many different ingredients and sauces. It was our favourite appetizer. It’s a bit hard to taste the real flavour of the beef with all the fragrant toppings, but it was still very enjoyable.

Pappardelle & Duck Ragu ($19) was the pasta that we ordered. The thick pasta they used was perfect and it latched onto the sauce. The shreds of duck was yummy and tender.

Overall, FoodQueen and I enjoyed our dinner. The service was good and the food came quite quickly. We were all done within an hour. We were glad we came early so we didn’t have to wait in line.

We Rate Ask for Luigi:

Address:
305 Alexander Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.askforluigi.com/

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In British Columbia

2014 Vancouver International Wine Festival Recap

March 14, 2014

If you’re not a seasoned wine enthusiast, going to the Vancouver International Wine Festival can feel like an overwhelming thing. Thinking back, intimidated would be a good word to describe my experience in 2013. Eek!

While the set up was similar to last year, there was one thing that the organizing committee did differently that also worked to ease the nerves of those that might not know where to start. When you enter the room, you get the option to take a short quiz to help you find your style of wine. The different styles were represented by coloured circles that appeared on the signs above each vendor. That way, people could see from a distance which styles of wine each maker created.

One of my friends took the quiz and at the end, I did notice that he did tended to gravitate towards the more rich, complex full-bodied wines by the end of the night.

The theme of this year was France with a focus on “bubbles” so the first section of the tasting room was all about France. The second half of the room were the vendors from other countries.

I think that when people think of French wines, big expensive names pop up in our minds like Lafite. I’ve got to admit that I’ve been influenced by friends to try specific bottles but with wine, all you really have to do is trust your taste buds. It doesn’t really matter how much it costs but what matters most is, did you like it?

Aside from just the tasting room sessions, I was also lucky enough to be able to attend one of their many wine seminars offered throughout the week – France: Find your Style. The seminar was led by Angela Aiello and featured a panel of 10 representatives from wineries. Starting from the light whites to the full-bodied reds, the group was taken through a tasty journey through each region. The passion of the winemakers was so evident and it made me realize that wine really is an art to them.

As a consumer, not all works will appeal to you but once you find your style, you start knowing what to look for. So as someone who’s looking to learn more about wine, I found it useful to write down what you liked and what you didn’t like. Also try to pick out the smells and flavours in each sniff or sip!

Here’s what I found noteworthy to my palette:

Chateau du Cleray Muscadet 2012 (France)
Medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel, smells of sweet apples and pineapples. Also very crisp and refreshing to drink. It smells a lot sweeter than it tastes.
Taiitinger champagne brut reserve (France)
Wow, talk about bubbles. The tiny bubbles just dance on your tongue. Very easy to drink. Thoughts point to lemon, apples, and white flowers.

A German wine producer to look out for coming soon to BC liquor stores are a few rieslings from Schloss and Johannisberg.

There’s no better place than the Vancouver Wine Festival for trying new things. What’s also great is that you can buy some exclusive wines not yet offered in BC Liquor Stores! So if you liked a specific bottle, be sure to check if it’s exclusive to the Wine Festival store.

Looking forward to 2015’s focus on Australia! In the meantime, drink and be merry. 🙂

Website: http://www.vanwinefest.ca/

In British Columbia

McDonalds Canada: Steak Steak Steak

March 13, 2014

Currently, McDonalds Canada is having their Steak on Demand promotion from February 18 – March 31, 2014. The Steak n’ Egg Bagel and their Steak n’ Caesar Signature Wraps are two items they are featuring throughout the campaign.

I came for breakfast with a coworker for a coffee, but I saw the steak promos and I caved and got the Steak n’ Egg Bagel.

Steak n’ Egg Bagel is made with seasoned steak, folded eggs, processed cheddar cheese, sautéed onions, HP steak sauce, on either regular or multigrain bagel.

Once you take the bagel apart, it really doesn’t look that impressive. The first few bites were really good, but as I kept eating it, it got saltier and saltier. The steak patty was packed with pepper and salt, so you really couldn’t taste the true steak flavour. It tasted like their regular beef patty but with more spices.

Overall, it’s an interesting concept to offer steak 24/7, but for a good steak, you won’t find it here.

Website: mcdonalds.ca

In Brunch

Market by Jean Georges: Breakfast with Eggs Benny

March 12, 2014

The Market by Jean Georges is open for breakfast daily from 6:30am to 11:00am. The girls and I decided to give it a try as we are eager to eat all the egg bennys in town.

We made reservations for breakfast on a Saturday and it was surprisingly quite empty. Only a few tables were occupied. Even by 11:30am, we did see a few people either. I came here a few years ago for their brunch prix fixe and it was pretty damn good.

The interior is quite nice and really sets the mood for a beautiful brunch.

Freshly squeezed orange juice ($6) it comes in a tall glass and was perfect for the early morning meal. They also have grapefruit, carrot, apple, tomato, and pineapple juice as other options.

Before our dishes arrived, we received some complimentary fruit in a bowl for each person. It was definitely a nice touch. The fruits were fresh and there was a nice variety of fruits.

Black Forest Ham Classic Eggs Benny ($18) comes in 3 flavours – black forest ham, smoked salmon, and Spinach & Mushroom. We thought the eggs benny here was just OK. Nothing really special or anything. We did find that the hard egg was a turn off. We weren’t given the option to have it soft and runny like other places.

Mushroom and Spinach Classic Eggs Benny ($18) had the same issue. Everything revolving around the egg was fine…but that hard egg ruined the experience.

Smoked Salmon Classic Eggs Benny ($18) had a good amount of salmon but yet again, the same issue with the egg.

You have a variety of jams and tiny tabasco sauce if you want to flavour your dish. TaiwaneseGirl really liked her spice, so she used a few bottles of tabasco.

Brown Butter Waffles ($18) has macerated berries, mint, maple syrup and powdered sugar. It was alright, but it is quite expensive for a single waffle.

The eggs benny price is the same as Hawksworth and I would rather go to Hawksworth for eggs benny. We weren’t impressed for breakfast. If you do come here for breaskfast to order the benny, make sure to request a soft egg. Our server neglected as ask us how we liked our eggs and it kinda ruined our experience.

We Rate Market by Jean Georges:

Address:
1115 Alberni St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.marketbyjgvancouver.com/

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