Category

Chinatown

Category

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Juke recently opened in Chinatown serving fried chicken and ribs. The fried chicken batter is gluten-free so all those who are gluten-intolerant won’t have to worry anymore.

I came here with a few friends to celebrate the end of a long week. What better way to do that than consume meat and beer? We came around dinner time and it was packed. So, we waited about 15 minutes for a table for 6. They told a lot of people to go to get drinks at nearby lounges so they wouldn’t be waiting around the restaurant.

Interior

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The interior is dark and cozy. Not too many seats if you are planning to eat in. There is a take out area if you don’t wait to dine inside.

There’s a neon light of a lady near the back of the dining area.

You can even see cartoon drawings of ladies on the paper that comes with the chicken and ribs.

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Draft Beer

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Postmark Brewing Blonde Ale is what I got to go with our feast of meat. It has a nice light and crisp taste to it.

Spirits & Suds

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Mezcal and Postmark Brewing Blonde Ale was what my friends ordered on the menu. You take the shot and then chase it with the small cup of beer. I’ve never seen this option at a restaurant before.

Snacks and Sides

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Charred Corn is covered in delicious sauce and comes with 3 pieces. Good flavours, but it was a bit saucy for me so it kinda masked the sweetness of the corn.

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Mac and Cheese is another item we ordered on the side and it was pretty good. Cheesy just the way I like it.

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Dirty Fries wasn’t dirty enough for me. I wanted more sauce and toppings.

Mains

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Full Rack of Spicy Pork Ribs comes with a slaw. Good amount of meat for each piece. We shared this with our table of 6.

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Fried Chicken is gluten-free and also comes with slaw on the side.The chicken is nice and juicy with the batter having a nice crunch.

Take Out

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As it is pretty busy during dinner time, there is a take out section if you want to grab and go. The menu is a bit different than the dining in menu.

Final Thoughts

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It was fun coming with a group of 6, but there aren’t a lot of tables for large groups. Best to come early to snag a table. We enjoyed our night of drinks, fried chicken and ribs. As for the food, it was good but Church’s Chicken is still very dear to my heart…plus its hard to beat the price.

We Rate Juke: 3rated

Address:
182 Keefer Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.jukefriedchicken.com/


Juke Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Treasure Green Tea Company is a hidden gem located right in Chinatown across the street from Phnom Penh. Olivia is a second generation tea master that now runs the shop. The shop was established in 1981 by Olivia’s father as the first authentic Chinese tea shop in Vancouver.

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I stopped here with my coworkers to grab an iced oolong tea with orange peel. It was a hot day and we wanted something unique.

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One sip and I was hooked. It was not too sweet and was just so well balanced. Originally, I was the only one that wanted one and suddenly everyone else had to order one too.

The iced tea flavours change often, but its really good.

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They also sell a lot of loose leaf teas. From small 50g pouches to larger ones that will last you a while. They have a few cheap options, but then there are a good amount of premium teas that will cost you quite a bit.  I love asian teas! A good way to taste test the teas and learn more is to book a tea tasting with Olivia.

Address:
227 East Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://treasuregreen.com

Treasure Green Tea Company Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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The Tuck Shoppe is located in Chinatown and they serve up sandwiches, soups, salads, snacks and craft beer. All items are made from scratch and use local ingredients. I came here a few times with my coworkers during lunch as it seemed like a new addition to the neighbourhood.

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All items on the menu are all under $11. The menu doesn’t change between lunch and dinner.

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I love the look of the shop and they have super awesome retro accents here.

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There are Hudson’s Bay inspired pillows.

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They have a bunch of Pez for sale, as well as little toys like frisbees, paddle ball and airplanes.

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All the utensils and napkins are on the centre table and there is cucumber water.

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Everything is made in the same space, so you can see them at work.

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When you put in your order, your order number is on a wooden spoon. Very cute.

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Celery Root Soup has their shoppe veg stock, celery root, fennel, and pork belly lardon. Mags commented saying it tasted great but there is only so much they could do to make it look pretty.

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Wedge Salad has 2 slices of iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, pork belly lardon, blue cheese, IPA ranch, and a balsamic glaze. It was a good sounding, but I felt the dressing was a bit heavy. If they eased up a little bit, that would be a lot better.

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Tuck Salad has mixed greens, dates, pea shoots, shoppe croutons, white balsamic and tomatoes. Good simple and fresh salad.

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Pork Belly Cubano has mojo pork belly, ham, swiss, shoppe pickles and mustard. It is served with a shoppe pickle and a handful of Hardbite chip.

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Tuna Katsu has panko crusted rare albacore tuna, wasabi, daikon, and soy ginger. It is also served with a shoppe pickle and a handful of Hardbite chips. Unique flavours and its nice that there is the kick of wasabi.
Overall, the food is pretty good for lunch. Simple menu and very casual dining experience which I enjoyed.

We Rate The Tuck Shoppe35rating

Address:
237 Union Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.thetuckshoppe.com/

The Tuck Shoppe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

phnom-inner

Phnom Penh is a Vancouver staple and if you haven’t been here, you’re missing out on some amazing Vietnamese/Cambodian dishes. It’s crazy busy everyday for lunch and dinner. Try to get reservations or avoid peak times. They only take resos for groups of 5 or more. I’ve come here so many times in the past 5 years and I can’t get enough of a few of their signature dishes.

One of my coworkers haven’t been here, so we made it a mission to come here!

Essential Dishes

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Butter Beef is a must! It is raw beef with a delicious soy vinegar mixture on top with garlic and cilantro. It’s so good and that sauce is just so addictive. We wish we ordered 2 of these, but decided to pace ourselves as other dishes would arrive at the tables.

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Luc Lac with egg is another popular dish. This is a good dish if you want it all to yourself. Its a good portion for lunch, but in our case, we shared it amongst the 3 of us. The beef is very tender and the sauce is so good with the rice.

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Deep Fried Chicken Wings is probably ordered by every single table in the restaurant. It is served with a lemon pepper dip. Super crunchy and full of salty garlicy flavour.

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Vietnamese Rice Roll was an item that we randomly ordered from the menus we wanted to try something new. We found that it was a great dish to balance out the other ones as its not as salty or sour.

Overall, the food is pretty consistent at Phnom Penh. If you haven’t been here before, make a visit and order the above dishes.

We Rate Phnom Penh:  4rated

Address:
244 E Georgia St
Vancouver, BC

Phnom Penh Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The Keefer Bar is a pretty awesome place to hang out after work especially for happy hour. The interior of the bar is very grungy and dark, but it’s so interesting to look around the walls to see remnants of old Chinese medicine and pictures. It’s perfect because this bar is right on the edge of Chinatown, where a few Chinese medicine and herb shops are still around.

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My coworkers and I came here right after work to indulge in 2 for 1 appies and cheap drinks. They have the happy hour on Sunday to Thursday from 5pm to 7pm, where appies are 2 for 1. Plus all the daily special cocktails of the week are available. Pretty good deal.

The last time we came here was back in 2013.

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Since it is the winter, it gets pretty dark fast, but at The Keefer, it’s always dark in the back room. It’s quite nice and it really sets the atmosphere. Their water is pretty tasty too since its infused with a cinnamon stick.

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Singha Beer ($5) is an awesome beer as it has a clean crisp taste, which pairs well with the type of appies they serve here.

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Veggie Fritters comes with 6 pieces and accompanied with a cilantro pesto plum dip. It was ok, but I wish it was a bit more crisp.

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Peking Duck Sliders comes with cucumber, cilantro, spiced pineapple, and plum sauce inside a big bun. AT first I wasn’t quite sure about the bun, but after I bit in, it surprisingly works well together.

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Dim Sum can be chosen with any combination of their Pork, Shrimp or Veggie Dumplings. They were decent, but nothing crazy.

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Green Onion Pancake Pizza was topped with a lot of cheese. It was divided up into 6 slices and tasted ok as well.

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Spring Rolls can be ordered in any combination of their Vegetarian, Shrimp or Duck spring rolls. We ended up ordering 3 orders of duck spring rolls, so that’s why this plate is topped with a lot of spring rolls. We couldn’t taste much duck inside. It tasted like a plain spring roll.

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Chinese Churros with Dulce de Leche was a bit odd sounding since its not exactly a churro. It’s a deep-fried chinese donut. They are actually supposed to be for savoury dishes like congee. The dulce de leche was delicious but we felt like it could have been a tad better if there was a sprinkling of sugar on the Chinese donuts.

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The space was very dark, so taking photos was a struggle, but I think I did ok with the candle lights.

Overall, the space is pretty awesome for a few drinks and appies. This is primarily a drinking place where you would socialize and have a few drinks. The food really isn’t the star of the show. The only food item that was pretty good was the Peking Duck Sliders. Their cocktails and beer selection were great!

We Rate the Keefer Bar

Address:
135 Keefer Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.thekeeferbar.com/

The Keefer Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Ba Le Sandwich Shop in Chinatown is a tiny shop that sells incredibly cheap banh mi sandwiches. Any lunch thats under $5 has got my attention. It’s even cheaper than McDonalds. I’m trying not to spend much for lunch, so anything cheap and decent is good enough for me.

Even when I went to order, they just handed it to me right away. I supposed since it was the lunch rush, they have a few sandwiches premade.

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Cold Cut Banh Mi ($3.50) is always one of my favourite kinds of banh mi sandwiches, so I gave it a try to see how it is. When I unwrapped it, it’s really does not look impressive at all. It’s kinda hidden inside.

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Inside the crispy bun are the slices of cold cuts and veggies inside. I could always use more ingredients inside, but for $3.50, I won’t complain.

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It filled me up for lunch and it wasn’t bad at all. I would come back again for a quick cheap lunch to bring back to the office. Most people come here to get take out.

We Rate Ba Le3rated

Address:
638 Main Street, Vancouver

Ba Le Sandwich Shop Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Another lunch visit to Ramen Butcher means trying something new on the menu with my coworkers. The space is nice and its never too crowded during lunch as most people head to Phnom Penh. This area has definitely changed a lot. The Menya Kouji group has opened up The Ramen Butcher and they own over 150 ramen shop locations around the world.

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Such a cute drawing of a pig and its different cuts of meat.

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The tall window really give this place a lot of natural light.

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Tsukenmen is a Japanese noodle dish consisting of ramen which is eaten after dipping in a separate bowl of soup. When I saw this new item on the menu, I had to give it a try. Seeing that this restaurant has changed a few items on their menu since their opening, I thought I would give it a try.

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Tsukemen ($11.55) has a bowl of their house cold thick noodle and then their bowl of their special dipping soup. The noodles seems a bit overcooked and a bit thick for my liking. They stuck together a lot more than I would have liked.

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The egg and the pork were delicious. Look at that beauty. The only thing that bothered me about the taste was the strong fish meal taste. It was warmed in the menu, but it was pretty darn fishy.

I would still prefer Taishoken’s Tsukemen a lot more. If you come here, definitely get Ramen Butcher’s other ramen.

We Rate The Ramen Butcher25rating

Address:
223 E Georgia St
Vancouver BC

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/theramenbutcher/
The Ramen Butcher Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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The Union is an industrial-chic hub serving creative cocktails & Pan-Asian eats, including bibimbop and banh mi. I was quite surprised by the pan-asian menu. It is located right by the Georgia Viaduct.

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I came here with my coworkers after work for a few drinks and bites. It was close to our office and it wasn’t too busy yet. Most of the space was reserved for reservations later in the evening, but they were nice enough to squeeze us in.

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Main Street Session IPA has a smooth hop bitterness balanced with premium malts, then dry hopped to create this “sensational session” IPA.

Main Street Saison No. 7 is a blend of three Saison yeasts. Light in colour with a golden haze, this Saison shows through with fruity esters, pepper and citrus notes. We all enjoyed this beer as it was definitely lighter than the IPA.

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Crispy Pork Belly Vermicelli Bowl has noodles, carrot daikon pickle, cucumbers, lettuce, bean sprouts, peanuts, herbs, scallions, and nuoc cham, a Vietnamese dipping sauce. It was a pretty big bowl! I couldn’t even finish it. The pork belly was delicious deep fried and tasted so good. You can’t go wrong with that.

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There are a few different types of sauces that you can also add to your bowl.

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Around 7pm, this place got a lot busier. It’s a great place to hang out after work. We all got super full from the items we ordered, plus great selection of beer, wine and cocktails.

We Rate The Union:35rating

Address:
219 Union St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
 http://theunionvancouver.ca/

The Union Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Crackle Crème is a small, craft-style dessert cafe serving up artisan crème brûlée and authentic Belgian liège waffles in small batches. They are located right in Chinatown close to the Gerogia Viaduct. I came here with a few friends after work to indulge in some sweet sweet desserts.

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The little shop has a few counter seats. Not idea for large groups, but since it was quiet, no one was here. It got busier later in the evening.

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Their menu is up on the board but its only a small selection of what they have. Specialty items like their macaroons and different flavours aren’t up there.

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You can even look into the kitchen to see where all the magic happens.

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I ordered the trio creme brûlée, which comes with an assortment of 3 mini brulees. The flavours on this day was matcha, salted caramel and white chocolate rose. I like how the owner torches them up right in front of you.

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We got the trio as it was a good way to try everything without getting too full.

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Digging in, we love breaking the caramelized sugar on top so you can hear the delicious crack. The flavours were ok, but the texture was a bit off as it felt more goopy.

We all agreed that we liked it a tad more firm in texture.

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I bought a set of 6 of their totoro themed macarons to go. They looked amazing and it really brought out my inner child. How can you not love Totoro.

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The flavours are – Rose, matcha, jasmine, lavender, and black sesame.

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My two favourites were the matcha and sesame. Other than that, the other flavours kinda tasted like soap.

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The macarons were definitely cute but the taste didn’t shine through. These were definitely fun to take picture of for instagram, but I probably wouldn’t order them again.

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Overall, I love the concept and the aesthetics, but the flavours and consistency of the creme brulee weren’t there.

We Rate Creme Brulee:3rated

Address:
245 Union Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.cracklecreme.com/

Crackle Crème Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Deep in the heart of Chinatown, there is a hole in the wall restaurant called Gain Wah. Once I stepped inside, it felt like I was transported back into the 90s, or perhaps even before then. At first I was a bit skeptical coming here since it was pretty empty. Mags brought me here for lunch since she saw some decent reviews online. Since I’m always up for an adventure, I had to come here.

Their menu is quite typical of a Chinese Cafe, but they also have roast BBQ here too if you just want a bunch of meat and rice.

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Century Egg Congee with Pork ($4.25) was comforting. I really love congee, so it really hit the spot. For the price, it was really good. There was a good amount of ingredients in it too.

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Duck Leg with Noodle in Soup ($4.25) this has a good amount of duck! Look at that leg!

Lunch for 2 for under $10 is pretty awesome. It is cash only, so make sure you get some before coming here. I was quite impressed, so I’ll be back again. Staff are friendly and service is pretty quick.

We Rate Gain Wah

Address:
218 Keefer Street, Vancouver

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fat-mao-outer

Fat Mao is the latest addition to Chinatown. Recently, there has been a bunch of new restaurants opening up nearby like Torafuku and Ramen Butcher. Since I work close to this area, I get super excited when something new opens up.

Chef Angus An’s (chef and owner of Maenam) newest venture serves noodle dishes inspired by a range of Asian cuisines. Recipes at Fat Mao are inspired by Chef Angus’s travels in Asia and his favourite family meals from childhood. Flavourful curries, sauces, and rice and wheat noodles are made fresh from scratch, and dishes touch on Thai, Taiwanese, Japanese, and Singaporean cuisines.

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The casual 25-seater is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday to Sunday from 11am. Fat Mao will stay open until noodles run out, or 10pm—whichever comes first. Dishes are affordably priced under $12.

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I came here with my coworkers during lunch and we were excited to give it a try.

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While you wait for your order, you can read some Slam Dunk comics. If you can’t read Chinese like me…you can just look at the pictures. hahaha.

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Century Egg with House Tofu ($7.99) is a nice dish to share in addition with your own individual noodles. I love this dish as the egg and the tofu are perfect matches. We were amazed by how smooth the tofu was.

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Braised Duck Noodles ($11.99) comes with a huge duck leg which was awesome. They use rice noodles rolls in this dish. I didn’t like the use of the noodles as they didn’t really match to soak up the broth. The sauce is more thin compared to some of the other dishes. The broth was bland and I didn’t like it very much.

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The waitress also suggested to add a few scoops of the hot vinegar sauce. It didn’t really help with the flavours either.

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Koh Soi – Chiang Mai Curry Chicken ($11.99) was our favourite dish from the group. The sauce was pretty good, the chicken leg was huge and we loved the added texture from the crunchy bits on top. We would definitely recommend this.

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Taiwanese-style Beef Noodle ($11.99) was another good dish according to Anne. Its well-balanced and has a good amount of beef.

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Dan Dan Noodles ($8.99) is made with the same noodles as the curry noodles. My other coworker enjoyed it.

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In the end, a bowl full of noodles and a shared side dish was just the right amount. Most of the dishes were fusion and the lack of descriptions on the menu may surprise some when the food arrives. The price is good for lunch but you definitely should get the Koh Soi – Chiang Mai Curry Chicken dish.

If you eat all the way down into your noodle bowl, you will find a cute surprise. Meow.

We Rate Fat Mao

Address:
217 East Georgia Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.fatmaonoodles.com/

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golden-garden-outer

Golden Garden Vietnamese Cuisine / Kim Saigon Sandwiches is an affordable restaurant with amazing items like pho, bahn mi sandwiches, spring rolls, and a lot more. I was introduced to Golden Garden by my coworkers a few years ago and this has become my go-to place for lunch. Take out is quick and I always made sure I get a bahn mi since it’s only $4. Every few months, a couple of my coworkers will have a group lunch and dine in.

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When you look inside the dining area, its clean and quite nice compared to other places. It’s not sketchy at all. You will find families, business workers in the area, and some tourists.

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Vermicelli Bowl with chicken was what I ordered. It came with a small bowl of fish sauce and I poured a bit over the noodles. I added some hot sauce too for some added heat. It was really good as there were lots of bean sprouts and veggies. I couldn’t stop eating this.

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On another day, I got bahn mi for take out. Remember that they can only do debt or credit card transactions for an order $5 or more. If not, you will have to have cash on you. Thats why I ordered a Bahn Mi and a drink to get me to $5.25 so I could use my debt card.

I love how its wrapped up and then tied up in a plastic bag.

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I know I could have made this look better, but I didn’t have a knife to cut this in half.

Pate Bahn Mi ($4) has assorted cold cut meat, pâté, pickled vegetable, jalapeno, cilantro and some fish sauce. The bun is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Overall, a great restaurant in the heart of Chinatown with good food and prices. It’s a comfortable space and not sketchy at all.

We Rate Golden Garden:

Address:
509 Main Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://goldengardenrestaurant.ca/

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scent-of-a-sandwich-bije

Scent of a Sandwich is located close to Main St and Hastings St. This place always catches my eye because it’s one of the only places near my office to send mail. My coworker and I thought we should try this place out as we were quite curious about it.

They started off as a catering company, but now has a store to serve sandwiches to the Downtown Eastside community. They roast their meats in-house, source local ingredients and bake fresh bread.

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There are a few seats inside, but when we were here, most people were taking it to go.

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They usually have 1 feature sandwich of the day you can order, or else you can build you own sandwich.

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We decided to keep it simple and get the special. They have a bunch of different types of bread you can choose from.

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Chicken and Brie on Whole Wheat Sourdough was what I ordered and I had it to go. It was a busy day at work, so I needed a grab and go type of meal. The is the sliced up chicken, brie, spinach and mayo. Then they put it into a panini grill to get the brie nice and melted.

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My coworker and I found it to be a tad dry and underwhelming. It could have used a bit more brie too.

We rate Scent of a Sandwich:

Address:
100-418 Main Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://scentofasandwich.com/

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brewmaster-okanagan-spring-taxadermy

I had the pleasure of being invited to the Okanagan Spring Brewmaster’s Dinner at Mamie Taylors a few days ago. The event celebrates the start of Vancouver Craft Beer Week and the launch of Okanagan Spring’s new Sonder Hefeweizen.

As a beer lover, I’m always intrigued by the different pairings with food and how it can transform a dish.

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Okanagan Spring brewmaster Stefan Tobler along with Chef Tobias Grignon from Mamie Taylor’s walked us through the 4 course meal.

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At our table setting, we had the menu, a bottle opener, and some glasses.

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Beer Caesar was the first drink that came to all the tables, it uses Okanagan Spring 1516 Bavarian Lager as it’s base. I’ve never had a caesar with beer before, but it definitely adds a light crisp finish to the end of your sip.

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Okanagan Spring Pale Ale is my absolute favourite beer!  It’s clear and copper coloured, it is fruity on the palate and hearty in hops with a nice, round finish. It’s very light and fruity, so thats why I enjoy it.

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They paired the Pale Ale with a Tuna Smokie with fennelkraut and dijonaise. Beer and Hot Dogs go together duh! The flavour of the tuna smokie was phenomenal and that bun had great texture.

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Okanagan Spring Sounder Hefeweizen is their newest beer. It is natural, unfiltered and crisp. The golden coloured German-style wheat beer is made with a unique yeast strain that gives it a malty aroma and subtle banana-clove flavours with a dry, yet refreshing finish.

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Cornmeal fried rock fish with cajun spices, orange, fennel, parsley and old bay aioli. The rock fish really crispy on the outside and then the meat was quite dense but still a tad juicy.

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Okanagan Spring Cloudy Amber Ale starts with a floral, hoppy taste followed by caramel malt tones, making it a well-balanced brew. It is a hazy deep amber colour and kept unfiltered for a unique cloud on the pour.

I found this beer to be quite strong and hoppy. It’s not the typical beer I would normally drink.

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Slow Roasted Porchetta with roasted apples, polenta, and a olive & herb puree. I found the porchetta quite dry, but the polenta and the puree were very enjoyable. Plus, the skin on the porchetta was so crunchy and enjoyable.

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Okanagan Spring Porter has a rich, full flavour. It is nearly black in colour with a creamy head and a nose reminiscent of a dry stout. Not for the faint of heart, this is a beer for dark beer lovers. It has a slight chocolate tasting finish to the beer.

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Brown Sugar Cake with a custard made with Okanagan Spring Porter. I love brown sugar cake and such a sweet dessert goes well with a dark beer.

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With all the beers I’ve tasted tonight, my top 2 favourites are Pale Ale and Porter.

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Overall, it was a great event to meet other beer lovers out in Vancouver and try the different varieties of beer that Okanagan Spring produces. It was a great way to start Vancouver Craft Beer Week ( May 29th till June 7th).

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by a PR agency to attend the event with a few other bloggers. The service and food is not representative of their usual dining experience since it was a special event.

Websitehttp://okspring.com/
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propaganda-outer

Propaganda Coffee is located in Chinatown on East Pender and Main Street. They opened up earlier this year. They use beans from local companies like Timbertrain and Elysian.

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Their bar is pretty neat so you can see what they are doing. You don’t have the big bulky machine that blocks the way.

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The space can seat up to about 30 people. It’s another great cafe to just chill and do some work on your laptop.

propaganda-table

The interior is very sleek and modern.

propaganda-seat

propaganda-cappuccino

I grabbed a cappuccino ($3.50) and it came out looking beautiful with a little bit of latte art on top. The quality of it was pretty good and strong. My perfect morning pick me up.

propaganda-croissant

Butter Croissant was something I needed to just fill my tummy before lunch time. It was crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

propaganda-cup

Their logo on their cups is super cute! It’s a robot. I brought it back to the office and kept on sipping away.

propaganda-globe

Overall, I thought it was a great addition to the area. It’s another alternative with great coffee and space to work.

We rate Propaganda Coffee:

Address:
209 East Pender Street,
Vancouver

Website:
http://www.propagandacoffee.ca/

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ramen-butcher-lineup

The Ramen Butcher hasn’t even officially opened yet, but there is a line up. They have a soft opening from February 1st till February 4th with $5 ramen. They open at 11am and close when they run out of noodles and broth. They officially open February 6th with regular hours from 11:00am – 10:30pm.

Since it’s only a few blocks away from my office, a few of us headed over there for lunch. We arrived at 11:30 and there was a bit of a wait. We found that most people came in large groups, so seating groups is difficult. It’s best to come here with smaller groups so you can get seated faster.

ramen-butcher-kitchen

The Menya Kouji group has opened up The Ramen Butcher and they own over 150 ramen shop locations.  At The Ramen Butcher, they serve up 7 types of ramen, rice bowls, gyozas, and beer.

ramen-butcher-ramen-sign

They have taken over the previous location of East of Main, but most of the interior is similar.

ramen-butcher-menu

ramen-butcher-menu-sides

ramen-butcher-free-noodle

Did you notice the FREE Kaedama extra noodles? I love how they make sure their customers leave full. It’s great for people who are big eaters. I was full from one bowl, but some people could always use more noodle.

ramen-butcher-classic

Classic Ramen ($8.95) is their signature tonkotsu (pork) broth. The noodles are made in-house. You can add an extra ajitama marinated egg for $1.

You can choose to have your pork fatty or lean. Most of us at the table chose to have it lean.

ramen-butcher-garlic-black-lean

Black Ramen ($10.95) has tonkotsu pork broth with roasted garlic oil, freshly made noodles, aburi pork chashu and their medium boiled marinated egg.

ramen-butcher-orange-fatty

Orange Ramen ($11.55) has tonkotsu pork broth with rich miso marinated ground pork, noodles, aburi pork chashu, and their medium boiled marinated egg.

Mags chose to have fatty pork and it looked like pork belly because it looked like a thick bacon strip.

ramen-butcher-red-ffatty

Red Ramen ($10.95) has tonkotsu pork broth with spicy garlic paste, noodles, aburi pork chashu, with their medium boiled marinated egg. You can choose how spicy you would like this ramen.

The broth is rich and great for people who like spicy foods. I had to choose the fatty pork. Go big or go home right? There is a large amount of fat content, but it’s pretty delicious.

ramen-butcher-gyoza

Original Gyoza ($5.35) is made of pork and its pan-fried. It has a little bit of a char, but it was decent.

ramen-butcher-okonomi

 Okonomi Gyoza ($5.95) is the original gyoza topped with mayo, bonito flakes, and green onions. This was definitely a unique experience.

The table had mixed reactions. Some said it was salty, but I just gobbled it up. It reminded me of a JapaDog, but with Gyozas.

ramen-butcher-orange-lean

Overall, The Ramen Butcher was good but it still wasn’t the best Ramen I’ve had. There could be a little bit more meat but you can always order additional meat. The best part is the free extra portion of noodles!

ramen-butcher-logo

We Rate The Ramen Butcher

Address:
223 E Georgia St
Vancouver BC

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/theramenbutcher/

Ramen Butcher on Urbanspoon

mitzie-outer

New Mitzie’s Restaurant is located in the heart of Chinatown in Vancouver. I feel like I’ve been to Mitzie’s when I was a kid as my parents would come to this area all the time. The interior seemed like it was stuck in the 90’s. I’m not sure what happened to Old Mitzie’s but maybe there were some ownership changes.

The servers were nice and spoke good English.

mitzie-menu

It’s a Hong Kong style cafe with western breakfast and burgers. I was pleasantly surprised.

mitzie-tea

Hot Milk Tea is a classic for Hong Kong Style Cafes. I can’t live without it.

mitzie-breakfast

Porkchop, 2 eggs, hashbrown and toast is a large breakfast dish.

mitzie-toast

2 slices of bread toasted and then buttered. There is strawberry jam on the side too.

mitzie-noodle-fried

Black Pepper Beef with Crispy noodle in Skillet all the noodles were very crispy and it was kinda like eating instant noodle blocks. The sauce on top didn’t soften up the noodles too much.

mitzie-pork-chop

Pork Chop, vegetables and egg with teriyaki sauce was one of the lunch specials. It looked almost the same as the pork chop breakfast M ordered except its vegetables instead of hashbrowns.

Overall, it’s decent but don’t expect too much. Meals are cheap and you will get full, but not the best Chinese food out there.

We Rate New Mitzie’s:

Address:
179 E Pender St
Vancouver, BC

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matchstick-chinatown-inner

Matchstick Coffee has opened their newest location in Chinatown close to Phnom Penh. They are a specialty roastery and retailer in Vancouver, BC, with an emphasis on hand-crafted preparation and delivery of single-origin coffees. Their Chinatown location is a lot bigger than their Kingsway/Fraser location. It’s a great place to work or relax with friends.

I came here with my coworkers to grab a cup of coffee and a snack and then head back to our office. Besides coffee and pastries, they do sell breakfast and lunch.

matchstick-chinatown-coffee

They sell coffee in their cute packaging. They have 6 varieties that vary in taste.

matchstick-chinatown-chem

They make really good and strong pour overs.

matchstick-chinatown-making

I decided to get my usual cappuccino.

matchstick-chinatown-latte

Cappuccino ($3.25) is quite smooth and creamy. The espresso is strong and I really enjoy their coffee.

matchstick-chinatown-puff-tart

Savoury Puff Tart has squash, béchamel, ricotta & kale. The puff pastry was really flakey  and made lovely crunch noise when I bit down on it. Then the yummy ricotta taste fills your mouth.

Overall, it’s great to have a hip coffee shop in Chinatown. It’s really changing up Chinatown and it should be interesting to see how that neighbourhood transforms in the next few years.

We Rate Matchstick Coffee Roasters: 

Address:
213 East Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC

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

Matchstick Coffee on Urbanspoon