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Commercial Drive / Grandview

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Kawaii Salads in Vancouver specializes in Japanese salads in jars. Layered salads in jars isn’t a new concept and was very trendy on Instagram and Pinterest a few years ago. What makes them stand out is their pairing of ingredients and their homemade salad dressings.

Behind Kawaii Salads is Keiko and Yasuyo who created these Japanese salads in jars because couldn’t find Japanese-style salad dressings to pair with their salads. They use fresh high quality ingredients that might even convert salad haters. Their ultimate goal is to offer flexible work hours to women who are looking for opportunities to get back into the workforce. I love how they are making our community that much better.

We were invited to try out their different salads.

Pick up and Delivery

You can order pick up at the Coho Commissary on East Georgia in Vancouver. When you get there, just call and they will bring out your order.

If you opt for delivery, they have partnered up with Uber Eats, Door Dash, and Skip the Dishes. You just need to be in the delivery zone.

What’s in the Jar?

You’ll find these items inside:

  • Mixed greens
  • Your choice of protein (chicken or tofu)
  • Veggies
  • Toppings
  • Beans
  • Grains
  • Dressing (Pink Beet-licious, Popey the Green, Sunny Carroty, Sesame Street, and yuzu sweet)

More specifically, it has carrots, red cabbage, quinoa, cucumber, bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, edamame, corn, broccoli, mixed greens, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. These items could potentially change from season to season.

The salads dressings are Japanese-style, homemade, vegan and made with all-natural ingredients. 

Vegan Salad (Tofu)

The vegan salad with the fried tofu has chickpeas, quinoa, cucumber, bell peppers, carrot, red cabbage, green onion, cilantro, corn, edamame, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and mix greens. It is paired with their Pink Beet-licious dressing.

The salad is best poured into a large bowl and mixed up. I put them in really big bowl and I was surprised at the portion size. You can eat it by yourself and be really really full or share among the table.

Protein Salad (Chicken)

The protein salad with chicken has chickpeas, quinoa, cucumber, bell peppers, carrot, red cabbage, green onion, cilantro, corn, edamame, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and mix greens. It is paired with their Sesame Street dressing.

This dressing was very good! My favourite of the two just because I really love sesame flavours. The combination of textures and flavours worked very well.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to get back to a healthy diet, Kawaii Salads might spark that habit. For me, I’ve been eating way too much fried chicken and sweets during the pandemic that I really miss salad now. The prices are fair and you can do pick up or delivery in Vancouver.

If you do have a sweet tooth, Kawaii Salads also sell cookies and brownies too. They are Japanese flavoured and also less sweet.

Website:
https://www.kawaiisalad.ca/

Address:
1370 E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC

Takenaka Vancouver specializes in Japanese Bento Boxes to go. They craft these beautiful boxes using a combination of fresh local and Japanese ingredients. It’s not easy opening up a business during this pandemic, but these take out bento boxes are perfect for this time of year. With more picnics and get togethers during phase 3, these are a great way to feed small to large groups. They also have plans of launching their food truck and catering services soon too.

Owner and Chef Shogo Takenaka has spent the last 15 years at Kingyo Izakaya and Raisu showcasing his culinary talent. Both locations are known for their ornate bento boxes.

We were invited to try out their popular Family-sized bento boxes.

Pick Up and Delivery

You can order pick up at the Coho Commissary on East Georgia in Vancouver. When you get there, just call and they will bring out your order.

If you opt for delivery, they have partnered up with Uber Eats, Door Dash, Ordereze and Fantuan. You just need to be in the delivery zone.

Family-Size Deluxe Seafood Bowl

This is their stunning deluxe seafood bowl that serves 4-6 people. It comes on their bed of original sushi rice mix topped with sashimi, seafood cubes, egg, ikura, veggies, and spot prawns or uni depending on the season. They provide soy sauce and wasabi to go with the big bowl. It’s more like a sushi pizza or a platter. It is then topped with gold flakes for some extra bling.

I love how they use seasonal seafood to keep this as fresh as possible. They do recommend bring a cooler if you are travelling long distances to make sure it stays cool.

There is a lot of rice so you have to make sure you don’t grab too much sashimi and leave all the rice. It’s all about the ratio. This bento is definitely filling and you will want the soy sauce and wasabi to add a bit more flavour the dish.

If you don’t want want to go deluxe with the seafood, there is also the Family-size Seafood Bara Chirashi which is cheaper.

Family-Size TAKENAKA Special A La Carte Set

If you want more cooked items instead of raw seafood, this family-size TAKENAKA special A La Carte set is a great option. This also is great for sharing with 4-6 people. Chef chooses what goes in it and it’s usually a sampler of items from their menu.

Our set had these items and may change:

  • Chicken karaage
  • Ebi mayo
  • Sashimi Salad
  • Omakase Aburi Sushi
  • Pickled vegetables
  • Ramen eggs

If you wait too long, the karaage and the ebi mayo will go limp because of the moisture in the box. We put it in the oven to reheat and it did the trick. I thought this set was a great way to try the different items on the menu and it’s quite affordable.

This box was eaten up very quickly and our favourite items of it was the chicken karaage and ebi mayo. Can’t go wrong with fried goodness.

Final Thoughts

If you don’t have such a large group of people to feed, they have smaller bento boxes and salads as well. I really enjoyed these family-sized options as we are always with immediate family, so sharing food isn’t a concern as we see each other daily. Everything is very fresh and made to order.

Address:
1370 E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://takenakavancouver.com/

The Lunch Lady is the famous Vietnamese street stall in Ho Chi Minh City in South Vietnam made favour world-wide by Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. They are opening their first North American location in Vancouver. I’ve personally never been to The Lunch Lady, but I do appreciate really good flavours in food especially noodles.

Michael Tran and his mother Victoria, the restauranteurs and owners behind Five Elements restaurant on Commercial Drive are the people behind The Lunch Lady in Vancouver. They bonded with Mrs. Nguyen Thanh’s dishes and her stories that they had to bring her recipes to Vancouver and continue her legacy.

We were given a sneak peek of The Lunch Lady for take out to see what they are all about.

Keeping You Safe

With the Covid-19 pandemic, they are ensuring everyone’s safety when dining in. When they open, they will have the following safety protocols.

Physical Distancing

The restaurant will be set up where social distancing is possible. There will be designated waiting areas from take out and delivery too.

Strict Safety & Hygiene

They follow WorkSafe BC’s hygiene protocols. Staff undergo wellness screenings and will ensure everything that is touched is either responsibly disposed of or thoroughly sanitized.

Limited Capacity

For dine-in guests, there is 6 people maximum per party and will be seated at tables 2 meters apart.

Menu

Spiked Soda Chanh

One of the cocktails on the menu is the spiked soda chanh, which has fresh calamansi, lime, simple syrup, vodka, and Contreau. It’s very refreshing and pairs well with their dishes. I love the addition of the fresh calamansi.

Lychee Passion

The second cocktail is their Lychee Passion, which has lychee and raspberry fruit, fresh lemon, gin, dry vermouth, and lychee liquor. Very delicious as well.

Banh Tom Chien

This is Miss Thanh’s crispy prawn fritter with sweet chili sauce. I really enjoyed this. For takeout, it stayed very very crisp.

Nem Nuong

These are housemade pork sausage salad rolls with a house sauce. I loved it and the addition of the pandan leaf gave it a lovely aroma.

Bun Thai

This beautiful bowl of noodles has prawns, squid, local clams, sliced beef, and vermicelli noodles with sweet and spicy tamarind broth. The dish is beautiful and the broth isn’t too spicy at all.

You can only find this on the specials on certain Mondays, but make sure to follow them on social media to see if they are featuring this.

Banh Canh Cua

This bowl of noodles has prawns, crab and shrimp cake, sliced pork, and tapioca noodles in a rich crab broth. I enjoyed the texture of the tapioca noodles with that delicious crab broth.The prawns were large and had a natural sweetness to them. You’l want to eat the crab and shrimp cake soon as it can get soggy in the soup.

You can only find this on the specials on Saturday only.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we had a really good impression of The Lunch Lady from the items we have tried so far. Everything was great and I’m sure it’ll taste even better at the restaurant when everything is fresh to order.

We are excited to see them open on July 1st to welcome customers from dine-in and take out. We will be back for more of the flavourful dishes.

Address:
1046 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC 

Website:
https://thelunchlady.com/

Chance Cafe is a local Vancouver cafe on Commercial Drive and had to shift their business drastically because of the Covid-19 pandemic. They have introduced their DIY Bubble Tea Kits with 31 differing ingredients you can choose from to create your perfect bubble tea kit.

31 Different Bubble Tea Ingredients

Yes, thats right, 31 different individual ingredients. You can mix and match items in your kit to create your perfect bubble tea kit.

Here are the different ingredient options:

  • Bancha Roasted Tea
  • Boba Tapioca Pearls
  • Coconut Powder
  • Coconut Jelly
  • Crystal Pearls
  • Earl Grey Tea
  • Green Apple Syrup
  • Honey Dew Powder
  • Jasmine Tea
  • Longan Syrup
  • Lychee Syrup
  • Lychee Popping Pearls
  • Mango Syrup
  • Mango Popping Pearls
  • Mango Stars
  • Matcha Powder
  • Mint Chocolate Chip
  • Oolong Tea
  • Orange Pekoe Tea
  • Passion Fruit Syrup
  • Peach Syrup
  • Rooibos Tea
  • Rose Syrup
  • Strawberry Syrup
  • Strawberry Heart Jelly
  • Taro Powder
  • Thai Tea
  • Vietnamese Coffee (Grinded)
  • White Peach Oolong Tea
  • Yogurt Syrup

Types of Kits

  • 1 bag of ingredient $13
  • 2 bag of ingredients $25
  • 3 bag of ingredients $35
  • 1 Reusable BBT Cup $17
  • 2 Reusable BBT Cups $30 (comes with 2 metal straws, 2 straw cleaners, 2 metal sealed lids, 2 customized plastic lid with hole for the straw to go through)
  • The Ultimate DIY BBT Kit for $50: 2 Reusable BBT Cups (comes with 2 metal straws, 2 straw cleaners, 2 metal sealed lids, 2 customized plastic lid with hole for the straw to go through) and your choice of 2 ingredients
  • The Ultimate DIY BBT Kit for $60: 2 Reusable BBT Cups (comes with 2 metal straws, 2 straw cleaners, 2 metal sealed lids, 2 customized plastic lid with hole for the straw to go through) and your choice of 3 ingredients
  • Eco-Friendly Bubble Tea Kit for $65: You get your choice of 3 bubble tea ingredients in mason jars with 2 matching bubble tea lids, stainless silver straws, and cleaner.
  • Turn any kit into an Eco-Friendly one with a $3 upgrade to jar packaging

How to Order

  1. Choose your ingredients
  2. Choose the type of bubble tea kit
  3. Email them at chancecafevancouver@gmail.com to coordinate (pick up or delivery)
  4. Send E-Transfer
  5. Order ready within 1-2 business days

If you have questions, feel free to contact them anytime and they respond quite quickly. The prices are current as of the writing of the article and is subject to change.

Final Thoughts

I love the 31 types of ingredients to choose from as I’m the type of person that has a little bit of everything in my kitchen. I’m just missing things like pearls, syrups, and powders to complete my bubble tea creation.

If you have your own milk, tea, and sugar at home, you can easily just pick up a few more ingredients to turn it into a bubble tea. I’m loving it and my husband can’t get enough of my peach green tea with coconut jelly and mango stars. I also love the eco-friendly options too.

Address:
3424 Commercial St, Vancouver, BC

Falconetti’s on Commercial Drive is back! Last year, they closed their doors for renovations and their customers feared they closed for good. Renovations took a bit longer than anticipated, but their doors are now open.

There is a lot of confusing information online if they are open or not. They are definitely open despite their drowsy social media presence and non-functioning website.

Interior

There are two levels to Falconetti’s – downstairs and upstairs. The downstairs is very dark and pub-like while the upstairs is more open and bright. Even the music is different.

Menu

In addition to their regular menu, they have happy hour 4-6pm daily and all day Tuesdays. Plus, a pasta menu that they are currently promoting.

Strawberry Fields Forever

This cocktail has Beefeater Gin, Prosecco, lemon juice, berry kombucha, simple syrup and strawberry. It is an easy drink, sweet, and fruity with the tartness of lemon.

Rum & Roll

This has Bacardi Rum, Malibu, lemon juice, pineapple juice, simple syrup, and egg whites. Another easy cocktail to drink as the juices balance out the rum and Malibu.

Amoxicillin

This has Famous Grouse Scotch Whisky, Teachers Peated malt, lemon juice, and ginger honey syrup. This is a stronger drink compared to the other two. Even the bartender says its good for colds.

Dora Gone Wild

Cazadores Reposado, Chamboro, Triple Sec, and lime juice. This is on the stronger side as well. The drink gets its pink hue from the Chamboro, which is a raspberry liqueur.

Veggie Deluxe

This has roasted red peppers, zucchini, portobello mushrooms and garlic prepared in red wine. We got this with rotini pasta as well as added meatballs to the dish. The pasta was decent and the meatballs have a bit of heat to them, which balances out the dish.

Add $4 for meatballs.

Spicy Chicken Curry

This has sauteed onions, roasted red chilli pepper with their housemade chicken curry sauce. We got this with penne. The dish was decent and the sauce had a kick of spice from the curry. Definitely not too spicy at all despite the name.

Kale Caesar Salad

The salad has baby kale, bread crumbs, parmesan, and creamy caesar dressing. It was a good salad and the portion was large. The dressing was a bit on the heavy side, but you can always ask for it on the side.

Sausage platter

Falconetti’s is known for their sausages. Remember when there was a deli next door? They specialized in all things meat. They have 3 flavours – sweet italian, hot, & basil parmesan.

Portobello Mushroom Burger

This has a big oven roasted portobello mushroom, goat cheese, arugula salad, and pesto aioli in a sesame bun. Surprisingly, the portobello and arugula combination did work. The goat cheese was a nice subtle touch too. We did find that there was too much bun in comparison to the items inside the burger.

B&B Burger

There is 8oz beef patty stuffed with portobello mushroom, cured smoked bacon and topped with cheddar, caramelized onions, butter lettuce, tomato, and garlic aioli in a sesame bun.

You get the crunch of the lettuce in the burger and the salty patty. With all the sauces and bacon, it was more on the salty side.

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

Who would have ever thought Jalapeño Poppers and grilled cheese would come together? The sandwich has cheddar, Swiss, cream cheese, and roasted japalapeños inside. A very unique concept.

Curly Fry Poutine

Curly fries with cheese curds and gravy. Hard to go wrong as curly fries are more fun.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a place to hang out for large groups for drinks and food with friends, Falconetti’s is it. The pastas are huge, so you definitely get bang for your buck.

It’s great that Falconetti’s is back on Commercial Drive, so if you were a fan before, you can now head back. They have a good balance of meat and non-meaty dishes which caters to different kinds of people.

Address:
1812 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC 

Marcello Ristorante and Pizzeria is an iconic restaurant on Commercial Drive for over 20 years with Chef Marcello being the first to bring handmade pasta to Vancouver. 

Commercial Drive aka Little Italy is a bustling part of town with great eateries and local shops for many many blocks. You can always find superb espressos, gelato, pizza and pasta on this street.

We were invited by Marcello Ristorante to get a taste of the different items on the menu.

Interior

They have a lot of indoor seating as well as some limited patio seats for small groups. Inside, they can seat a lot of people, but some of the tables are situated close to each other. I would suggest putting in a reservation to suit your needs. We had a stroller with us, so they made sure there was space.

Latte

I got a latte since I really needed some caffeine for the day.

Shirley Temple

They can make non-alcoholic drinks that aren’t on the menu. When I asked for a Shirley Temple, they had no issues making it at all. If you have a request, definitely ask the staff and they’ll try to make it happen if they have the ingredients on hand.

Frittura di calamari

This is deep fried baby squid and it comes in a huge portion. It is served with a slice of bread and tzatziki. They had a light crisp exterior and was pretty delicious. Don’t forget to squeeze the lemon all over for more of a citrus tang.

Caprese

The caprese has tomato, bocconcini, onion and capers with a light dressing. It is also served with a slice of bread too. It’s a good size for a group of 4 as there are 4 pieces. It’s not what I imagined, but perhaps its their own twist to a traditional caprese.

Ai quattro formaggi Gnocchi

This gnocchi is sautéed with 4 cheeses and broiled till it’s cheesy. The gnocchi is soft and fluffy, when paired with the cheese, its so good! I really enjoyed this.

Lasagna

The lasagna is prepared from scratch and baked in a ceramic dish. There are layers of spinach, noodles and meat sauce topped with bechamel. It is served with a side of bread. A good portion for one person, but we shared it among the table. It was delicious as well.

Funghi con Tartufo

This Fungi con Tartufo has a blend of cheese, mushroom, and truffle. This was really good. These 3 ingredients just meld so well together. Highly recommended.

Marcello

Their signature pizza named after Marcello has tomato sauce, mozzarella, anchovies, black olives, capers, and onion. It’s not a pizza for everyone as these pungent ingredients aren’t for all. You have the saltiness from the anchovies, while the olives are bitter and nutty.

We wanted to give this a try but didn’t jive with our taste buds.

Marscapone Cream

This essentially is Tiramisu in a cup. It’s very rich and decadent.

Panna Cotta

The panna cotta was a joy to eat. It was very smooth and went well with the cherries and whipped cream. Of the two desserts, we really enjoyed this.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a nice visit to Marcello Ristorante and Pizzeria as it’s been a staple in Little Italy for over 20 years. A few items that were a hit and miss, but we love the frittura di calamari, ai quattro formaggi gnocchi, funghi con tartufo, and the panna cotta.

Address:
1404 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://marcellopizzeria.com/

Bombay Kitchen + Bar is located on Commercial Drive near Parker Street and they serve up a modern twist to traditional Indian dishes like tandoori, curries, naan, roti, etc. They also do delivery and pick up, so it’s convenient if you want Indian cuisine.

We were invited to try a few of their popular items.

Interior

The interior is nice and modern. They have large tables for bigger groups. They also take reservations so that’s great to secure your spot for a party.

Menu

Cocktails

They have a varieties of cocktails on the menu that are alcoholic or non-alcoholic. You can have it more sweet and fruity or more bold and strong.

They also do have the usual Mango Lassi, and Masala Chai Tea drinks. It’s good to have options so you can have it with your meal.

Papadum with Mint Chutney

Papadum is a crisp lentil cracker and it’s paired with their mint chutney. I love papadums as it’s like a large chip but made with lentils. The crunch is music to my ears.

Sweet Chili Gobi

This dish has fried cauliflower fritters in a sweet and sour sauce. The sauce had a good balance between the sweetness and spice, definitely good and tasty. We did notice that the longer you leave the dish, the more soggy it gets.

Veggie Pakora

A classic item to get at any Indian restaurant. It has mixed vegetables battered and deep-fried. It is crisp and paired with a chutney dip. A good texture too.

Tandoori Goat Chops

One of our favourite dishes of the night and it’s also one of their house specialties. It has tender goat chops with crisps. Highly recommended.

Curries

They have a few different curries on the menu and it is best with basmati rice so you can scoop a little curry and some rice to enjoy.

Lamb Kalya is a boneless lamb braised in an aromatic curry. Very tender and full of flavour.

Malai Kofta has mixed vegetables and paneer dumplings in a light tomato and cream sauce. The dumplings had a texture like a potato ball, which adds texture to the curry.

Butter Naan

Buttered Naan is classic to dip into curry. It comes out nice and hot, plus it has a good chew. It’s always good to have both naan and rice to go with curry.

Final Thoughts

The restaurant is nice, has friendly staff, and the food was pretty good. The prices are fair and there are a lot of varieties of dishes on the menu to check out.

Address:
1018 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://bombaykitchenandbar.ca

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Spade Coffee in Vancouver serves up brunch all week long on Commercial Drive. It’s a cozy cafe serving up coffee, spirits, treats and small plates. If you want a cocktail and croissant, you can do that too. It is owned by Sammy Piccolo, an award winning Barista and the owner of Prado Café.

What differentiates Spade Coffee is their freshly baked in-house Italian pastries, classic egg sandwiches as well as plenty of authentic Italian tapas and family-style dishes to transition you from day to night.

Interior

There are long communal tables as well as smaller ones throughout the cafe. It’s a chill spot and there are people catching up, people on their computers, and people who are just chilling over a coffee and book.

Brunch Menu

Latte

Coffee is a must here since they have some great beans and talented baristas to craft up your drink.

Breakfast Bowl

The Breakfast Bowl has arugula, seeds, house pickles, marinated artichokes, roasted red pepper, two poached eggs, and prosciutto.

It was simple, light and one of the only options that has minimal carbohydrates on the menu. Since my doctor put me on a strict diet, I love how there are options on the menu.

The yolks were poached perfectly so it oozed with grace.

Meat Breakfast Sammy

The meat breakfast sammy has a poached egg, prosciutto, aged cheddar, onion jam, green mayo, and greens on a brioche bun.

A solid choice to pair with coffee and tasted good.

Final Thoughts

A quick brunch for the 2 of us Spade Coffee on Commercial Drive. The atmosphere is chill, so its very casual and a great space to catch up with friends over brunch and coffee.

Address:
1858 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.spadecoffee.ca

Poke Five is Commercial Drive’s newest poké restaurant. It has five owners, five signature bowls, and will officially launch on August 18, 2018. We were invited to their soft launch opening to get a sneak peek of what they have to offer.

Interior

It’s a fairly small space, but one that is well designed to show-off all their fresh ingredients and let you watch your poké bowl being made.

Menu

There are five signature bowls: The Drive, Simply Poke, Ahi Hawaii, Akuma Tuna, and the Buddha Bowl (Vegan).

Unlike most poké restaurants, their seafood and vegan protein options are not pre-marinated. It is coated in your choice of sauce when ordered.

You can also Build Your Own Bowl. Everyone can get exactly what they want because there are five bases and eight difference sauces to choose from.

Poké Five also offers nine different toppings:

  • Wasabi Peas
  • Walnuts
  • Cashews
  • Tempura Bits
  • Sesame Nori
  • Toasted Coconut
  • Ramen Bits
  • Fried Garlic
  • Fried Shallots

It’s such a spectacular way to add flavour and crunch to your poké bowl.

Akuma Tuna Poké Bowl

Akuma Tuna is an aburi poké bowl that has ahi tuna, avocado, kimchi, wasabi tobiko, teri-mayo, shoyu egg, green onions, and matchasabi aioli.

The aburi ahi tuna, avocado, and shoyu egg makes this dish very filling.

Make your Own Bowl

We tried to make our own bowl and chose some unique ingredients they offer.

Base: citrus kale. Protein: shrimp, crab, and scallop. Ingredients: cucumber, watermelon, lychee, edamame, avocado, and shredded carrot. Sauce: teri-mayo. Topping: crispy ramen and tempura bits.

We made sure to try ingredients we’ve never seen elsewhere, including lychee and watermelon. Initially, it sounds odd but they were refreshing and complementary to the seafood taste.

Hoochy Booch Kombucha

They serve craft kombucha on tap! We tried the Mango Ginger Fizz and Cucumber Mint Fizz. Both were very refreshing and pairs well with poké bowls.

Final Thoughts

Their poké bowls are loaded! It’s not quite two meals, but it’s a very large serving so come hungry.

Poké Five is experimenting with unique ingredients that differentiates them from other poké restaurants in Vancouver. I would love to see which ingredients make it to the final menu for their official launch, and if they continue to offer seasonal ingredients.

There are many developments being constructed near the Commercial-Broadway area, and Poké Five is in a great spot to take advantage of the upcoming population increase.

Address:
2247 Commercial Drive, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.pokefive.com/

Via Tevere is a Neopolitan Pizzeria in Vancouver close to Commercial Drive. I’ve heard they have some good pizza and it’s taken us a long time to come here for dinner. If you ask Vancouverites where is the place to have the best pizza in Vancouver, this place is probably on that list. We came here for Valentines Day unplanned as our original plan was to cook dinner…but both of us didn’t feel like cooking. As we passed by Via Tevere, we couldn’t help but park and see if we could get a seat. There are no reservations, so it is walk-in only. Luckily for us, it was still early and there were a few spots left.

Interior

There are a good amount of seats and a bar in the dining area. The pizza oven is in the back and there are a few seats there so you can see them make all the pizza.

Menu

Drinks

They have a bunch of ciders, beer, wine and spirits on the menu, but we had some Apple Cider to go with our meal.

Polpette della Nonna

These homemade meatballs in tomato sauce are delicious. You order it by piece but I would highly recommend it. It is so moist and the tomato sauce is so addictive.

Pasta del Giorno

Their pasta dish changes daily, so you’ll have to ask the serve what is on the menu. The day we were here, it had mushrooms and it tasted great.

Margherita Al Pomodoro

We went with the classic Margherita pizza as its a good way to see if they can make this delicious and they sure did. The pizza was thin and had a crispy crust with spots of char from the oven.

Tris di Dolci

This is the trio of their 3 dessserts, which is great to share between us. Since I love to try a bit of everything, we had to get this.

Graffe con Nutella 

This is handmade Neapolitan fritters dusted with sugar and cinnamon and lastly drizzled with Nutella. Essentially, it was like a Nutella donut.

Tiramisu

This Italian Classic has layers of coffee drenched lady fingers with Mascarpone cream It is then topped with cocoa powder. It has 2 layers of lady fingers and 2 more layers of cream.

Torta Caprese

This rich chocolate cake is made with roasted almonds and walnuts with a hint of orange. This is flourless and gluten free if you have dietary restrictions. It was pretty good and it also reminded me of nutella because of the nuts.

Baci Chocolates are given at the end of the meal and these Italian chocolates are made with hazelnuts, chocolate and sealed with a love note. A good ending to the meal.

Final Thoughts

The meal was great and we left happy with our stomaches full. We’ll definitely be back. You must order the meatballs as well as the pizza here.

We Rate Via Tevere

Address:
1190 Victoria Dr, Vancouver

Website:
http://viateverepizzeria.com/

Dundas Eat and Drink is best known for their Six o Pho 5lb pho challenge. They recently came out with a new vegan menu to cater to those with dietary restrictions. A few of us were invited to check out this menu and I was pleasantly surprised at these dishes since I love vegetables.

Vegan Bao Sliders

Between these bao buns are veggies, eggplant, king oyster mushroom, and lemongrass tofu.

Vegan Pad Thai

There are rice noodles, mushrooms, tofu, broccoli, carrot, chives, beansprouts and tamarind sauce. The tamarind gives it a good flavour and balance well with the ingredients in the dish.

Vegan Curry

This is a red curry with taro root, tofu, mushrooms, potato, carrot and eggplant. It comes with rice on the side.

Vegan Pho

This pho has veggies and tofu in the slow simmered broth that has lots of depth in flavour which I was really surprised. Very delicious.

Kale Salad

The salad has kale, jimaca, grape tomato, tofu and garlic vinaigrette. A healthy item to have on the side when you have a bowl of pho.

Vegan Wontons

Inside these vegan wontons are sweet yam, taro root, king oyster mushroom, shallot, and leek all in the vegan wonton wrapper. It’s crisp on the outside and then inside are all the veggies.

Final Thoughts

It’s great that they are able to offer these items to their customers so vegans and carnivores can eat together with no issues as there are lots of options on the menu.

Address:
2077 Dundas St, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.eatdundas.com/

 

Spade, a beautifully designed cafe-bistro bringing an eclectic blend of authentic Italian flavour to Vancouver’s vibrant Commercial Drive neighbourhood. Owned by Sammy Piccolo (Award-winning Barista, Prado Café owner), Spade features freshly baked in-house Italian pastries, classic egg sandwiches as well as plenty of authentic Italian tapas and family-style dishes to transition you from day to night.

Interior

Since we were invited, they had us at the long table that can accommodate a lot of guests.

Pickled Vegetables

The house-made pickled vegetables was a nibble before the meal started.

Insalata di Halloumi

This has berries, pesto, walnuts, and halloumi a top a piece of endive. The natural crunch of the endive and the halloumi cheese paired well together.

Nachos Italiano

A twist to this classic has eggplant conserva, roasted red pepper, pickled red onion, and served with a side of salsa verde.

Gnocchi

This was one of my favourite dishes. There is squid ink, black garlic, cream, and lemon. I would highly recommend this dish.

Cauliflower

This dish has roasted cauliflower, ricotta, salsa verde, and seeds. A nice healthy accompaniment to go with some of the other dishes.

Octopus Conserva

This dish has artichoke soubise, potato, dill, and pickled vegetables. The octopus was very tender and enjoyable, but it would have been better if it was warm.

Papardelle with Lamb Shoulder Ragu

This dish was another favourite. Simple but with so much flavour and great texture. I would order this again.

Burrata

The burrata is paired with fennel, citrus, serrano jamon, basil and breadcrumbs. Burrata is awesome and you can’t go wrong with it.

Meatballs

The meatballs are served with a rosemary garlic cream sauce, mushrooms, braised endive, gorgonzola and walnuts.

Chocolate Cake

To end the night, we tried the chocolate cake, which reminded me of black forest cake. It was ok.

Cafe Latte Panna Cotta

The Cafe Latte Panna Cotta was delicious! A small sweet taste to the end of the meal.

Latte

Ending the night off with a decaf latte is great. The warm milk is so comforting. Highly recommend decaf if you’re sensitive to caffeine int he evening.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed dinner here and I’ll definitely be back. The concept of an Italian Coffee bar really shows and I loved all their pasta dishes. Even if you’re not a coffee drinker, you’ll want to come here for their homey pasta.

We Rate Spade

Address:
1858 Commercial Dr, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.spadecoffee.ca/

There’s a new food challenge in town at Dundas Eat + Drink for their Six O Pho challenge until December 31, 2017. There’s some satisfaction to devour such a beast but I personally couldn’t conquer this. Other’s have dared and have failed by making a tiny dent into it. Seattle has been know for their huge pho challenge at Dong Thap Noodles, but now you can stay in Vancouver for this. Just a quick drive to East Vancouver for this gem.

The details of the Six O Pho challenge:

  1. Be the fastest person to finish the 5 lb bowl of pho in under 30 minutes (meat and noodles)
  2. The big bowl of pho is $34.95 if you fail to finish it in time. Your name and time will still be recorded if you finish it.
  3. Unlimited water is provided.
  4. Limited quantity per day – FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. Available everyday from 5-10pm
  5. The fastest time by December 31, 2017 will be the winner of the grand prize and names will be announced on January 2.
  6. Contestants are allowed to challenge this multiple times.
  7. Grand Prize – $100 Cash and your name on our trophy; 2nd and 3rd place winners receive $25 gift cards

Regular vs Six O Pho Size

I could easily down a whole regular bowl, but the Six O Pho size is probably 4 or 5 times the size. It’s massive for one person to finish. If you have the stomach for it, good luck!!

I found the taste of the pho actually good. The Beef Brisket, Rare Beef, and Beef Balls were delicious and the broth was equally as good without any MSG. I would come back again for their regular pho.

Are you ready to take on the Six O Pho Challenge?

Address:
2077 Dundas St, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.eatdundas.com/

 

Bandidas Taqueria has been on Commercial Drive for a long time serving up vegetarian Mexican-inspired cuisine. It’s been a while since my last visit, but it was nice to see they have expanded their space to have more guests.  We came on a weekend and its was pretty busy.

Interior

Lots of tables inside for small to large groups. They don’t take reservations so it’s first come, first serve.

Chips, Salsa and Guacamole

To start off the brunch, we had this to munch on before getting our other dishes. Loved how the dishes were overflowing with salsa and guac.

Breakfast Tacos

There is 3 handmade corn tortillas topped with scrambled eggs, black beans, caramelized onions, roasted tomato salsa, cheese, and sour cream, and served with purple cabbage. I added guacamole for $1.50 extra.

Breakfast Burrito

This has scrambled free-range eggs, pinto beans, roasted tomato salsa, cheese, and sour cream wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla and grilled. Then, you can get this baked with cheese on top. We added roasted yam and potato hash for $2.50 extra.

Ronny Russell Burrito

This has roasted yams, guacamole, black beans, salsa verde, purple cabbage, and toasted pumpkin seeds. Baked and with added cheese too. These burritos are very filling.

Horace “Lefty” Burrito

This has spicy Mexican corn mix, pinto beans, fresh jalapeños, cheese, fresh-cut tomato salsa, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips. This is also baked and added cheese on top.

Beer

They have a range of local beers on tap. I got a beer and my friends ordered the East Van Radler with Driftwood’s Fat Tug IPA and freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice.

Mimosa

Weekend brunch time calls for mimosas. It comes in a small mason jar, but it’s a good match for brunch here.

Horchata

For something non-alcoholic, they have horchata, which is a Mexican drink made with rice and is flavoured with cinnamon and sweetened with sugar.

Final Thoughts

We Rate Bandidas Taqueria

Address:
2781 Commercial Dr, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.bandidastaqueria.com

Kin Kao Thai Kitchen is located on Commercial Drive. It’s been a very popular spot since it opened for authentic Thai cuisine. My friends and I were craving Thai Iced Tea, so we decided to meet up and have lunch here on the weekend. We went around 1pm and it wasn’t too busy. I had to take my Thai friend as she could tell me how ‘Authentic’ it is to food in Thailand.

Interior

There is bar seating and a few other tables around the restaurant, but it’ll be hard to accommodate large groups unless you go early. It’s easier going in groups of 2 – 4 people.

Thai Iced Tea

Thai Iced Tea is made with black Thai tea, sweetener and topped off with half and half cream. You mix it around to incorporate the tea and the cream. It was absolutely delicious but I personally would have wanted it a bit less sweet.

Complimentary Soup

Before our order arrived, we got a nice complimentary soup for each person at the table. It was a clean garlicky broth and we really enjoyed it. My Thai friend said it really reminded her of home.

Chicken Satay

The chicken tender strips are marinated with coriander, cumin seeds, kosher salt, lemongrass, turmeric, galangal and coconut milk. It was really delicious and tender. The cumin, lemongrass and turmeric stand out in the flavour profile. It comes with 3 pieces.

Chicken Wings

These deep fried chicken wings marinated with fish sauce, garlic and white pepper tossed in garlic, red jalapeño, vinegar, sugar, salt and corn starch. The saucy wings has a sweet finish to them, but the crunchiness was definitely lost because of it. The size of the wings and drumettes were on the smaller side.

Papaya Salad

It has shredded green papaya, tomatoes and long beans with their spicy dressing – thai chili, fresh lime juice, fish sauce, tamarind, garlic, palm sugar and peanuts. Whey they mean spicy, they do mean spicy. Very fresh tasting papaya salad, but those thai chilis pack a punch.

Stir Fry with Thai Basil

Green Curry

It has coconut milk, chili, garlic, ginger, thai eggplants, lime leaves, bamboo shoots, palm sugar, fish sauce and thai basil. We got this with chicken. This was also medium spice, but it only had a tiny tiny amount of spice.

Candy

When we got the bill, it came with Amira candy for everyone. Amira is a tamarind candy.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the spice level of the dishes were strangely balanced. Everything was medium spice but the papaya salad was a ton spicier than our 2 main dishes. In terms of authenticity, it fell a bit short as it seems to be catered towards the clientele of the neighbourhood.

We Rate Kin Kao Thai Kitchen

Address:
903 Commercial Drive, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.kinkao.ca/

Kin Kao Thai Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Callister Brewing Co has a unique concept and they operate as a co-working brewer. They support independent, talented brewers to grow their business by creating accessibility to equipment and commercial facilities. They currently have Boombox Brewing, Real Cask, and Lightheart Brewing in this co-working brewery.

Tasting Room

The tasting room was busy around dinner time as there was a huge group here. It seems like craft breweries are popular for bachelors and bachelorette parties. There are a few long tables and some smaller tables in the form of barrels.

Flights of Beer

As usual, I asked them for their less hoppy beers on the menu. I got the Lightheart Brewing ‘Brain Candy’ Pale Ale, Real Cask Brewing Black Burn Bitter, Callister Brewing ‘Das Alt’ German Alt Bier, and Boombox Brewing Mystify Barrel Sour.

Of the bunch, all of them were meh, but I did enjoy the Boombox Brewing Mystify Barrel Sour. My friend didn’t like any of the beers in her flight.

Snacks

They have sine awesome snacks created by East Side Beer Food. There’s stuff like pretzels, pepperoni sticks, samosas, and twisty cheesy bread. All so good and indulgent. I got the spicy pepperoni stick and it had a nice kick to it. Best brewery snacks.

Final Thoughts

Overall, they have a lot of different beers, but a lot of them were mediocre.

We Rate Callister Brewing:  

Address:
1338 Franklin St, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.callisterbrewing.com/

Callister Brewing Co. Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Powell Street Craft Brewery is small independent microbrewery in East Vancouver close to a bunch of other breweries too. The brewery opened December 2012, but moved into their current tasting room in 2014. We came here to visit their tasting room and grab some beers.

Tasting Room

The tasting room is cozy and there are only a few tables here. There is a small look into the brewery from the tasting room. All those large containers making our favourite beers.

Flight

I always love getting flights so I can try a bit of everything. I asked them to choose 4 beers that weren’t as hoppy. They chose Dive Bomb, Test Batch, Old Jalopy and the Ode to Citra. All 4 were really good and I would order them again.

Snacks

They have some snack here to go with the beer. I got the honey garlic sausages and it had a good flavour. A bit floppy in texture compared to some other sausages out there.

Overall, I really enjoyed the chill atmosphere and great beer.

We Rate Powell Street Craft Brewery

Address:
1357 Powell St, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.powellbeer.com/

Powell Street Craft Brewery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Andina Brewing Company in East Vancouver. It was founded by Colombian/Canadian brothers, Andrés and Nicolás Amaya. The Amaya Brothers have lived in Vancouver for more than 18 years and are passionate about beer, music, culture, and family and friends.They offer an environment that is a unique blend of South American and Canadian flavours. If you are looking for something new and out of the ordinary stop by their brewery and try the Ceviche paired with their beers.

The Tasting Lounge

You can get growler fills at the counter or enter the Tasting Lounge with lots of tables to enjoy your drinks and food. It was pretty busy on a Saturday night, so we had to wait a little bit until we were seated.

What’s a better time than having a few beers with friends and having fun.

Ceviche

Ceviche preparation and consumption is practically a religion in the coastal South and Central America. In Andina you will have a ceviche lineup that includes Peruvian, Colombian, Mexican and vegetarian versions. I ordered the House Ceviche with shrimp and it comes with 3 plantain chips. We all loved it and was surprised at the quality. It is a bit expensive, but it is so worth it.

Tasting Flights

The tasting flights for with 4 types. I didn’t know what to choose so I got them to suggest 4 kinds that were not too hoppy.

  • Totuma, Kölsch
  • Ay Ay Ay, Pale Ale
  • Andina, Session Ale
  • Mapalé, Milk Stout

Overall, I really enjoyed our time here with ceviche and beers. Definitely check this brewery out.

We Rate Andina Brewery

Address:
1507 Powell St, Vancouver

Website: https://andinabrewing.ca

Andina Brewing Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato