Category

Fairview

Category

Modern Indian Comfort Food definitely exists in Vancouver and Saucin Staples does it so damn well. They put a lot of love into the menu by crafting up the perfect items that pair with their signature sauces.

broa

The menu is customizable in 3 easy steps:

  • Staple (Tacos, Samosa, Biryani rice, mac and cheese, sandwich, and tuscan salad)
  • Protein (Chicken, Pork, Beef, Boiled Eggs, Paneer, Mixed Veggies, and Chickpeas)
  • Sauce (Butter masala, Madras Coconut, Cilantro Cream, and Korma)

Upon looking at the menu, I didn’t have a good sense of what to expect, but when I took the first bite, I was in love.

They are now open for dine-in, delivery and take out.

Interior

There are a few tables inside for you to dine-in, but mostly people are doing take out and delivery as it’s so nice outside.

Menu

Mac n Cheese with Chicken and Butter Masala

So cheesy and the chicken and butter masala paired so well to make it a butter chicken mac n cheese. Highly recommended. This is definitely one of the most popular items on the menu and it hits the spot.

Biryani Rice with Beef Korma

This hit the spot and Korma is actually one of my favourite sauces of the 4. This dish was so flavourful that I can’t imagine it with any other combination. Highly recommended.

Samosa with Butter paneer and cilantro cream

It comes with 3 pieces per order and its a good item to share with a few people. The cilantro cream was really good too.

Gulab Jamun Creme Brulee

Incorporating the Gulab Jamun into a creme brulee was nice, but it felt like it didn’t set well and was a bit soupy after I cracked the top.

Mango Lassi

Mango lassi is a classic and a good way to cool down after the meal.

Final Thoughts

Definitely give them a try because it’s insanely good. We highly recommend it. Perfect food to even pair it with a beer.

Address:
1073 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC 

Website:
http://saucinstaples.ca/

It’s almost Mother’s Day and there are many exciting meals and kits created by local Vancouver restaurants. One of them is Tojo’s Mother’s Day Temaki Party Sets. They are available for pre-order now until May 8th, 2020 for pickup on May 10th from 12-4PM.

We got a nice little sneak peek to give these their Temaki Party sets a try.

Temaki Party – Classic Set (For 2)

This set includes everything you need to make your favourite temaki (handrolls) at home. It features their selection of the finest local and imported seafood and fresh seasonal vegetables. It’s a great way to unleash your creativity and invent your own rolls, or follow the recipe ideas included.

This is aimed for 2 diners, where they can make 7-10 rolls each. You can definitely stretch this meal and have more people.

The Classic Set includes:

  • Albacore Tuna with Ume (pickled plum)
  • Negitoro (tuna belly and scallions)
  • Wild Pacific Salmon
  • Unagi (Barbequed Eel)
  • Hotate (Hokkaido Scallop)
  • Ebi (Wild Jumbo prawn)
  • Ikura (Salmon Roe)
  • Tobiko (Japanese Flying fish Roe)
  • Tamago
  • Cucumber
  • Avocado
  • Asparagus spears
  • Bell pepper
  • Canola flower
  • Wasabi
  • House pickled ginger
  • Tojo’s special sauce
  • Seasoned Sushi Rice
  • Nori

Final Thoughts

The quality of the ingredients are really fresh and the sushi rice is superb. It’s a very fun dinner activity and we were all trying to find out who at the dinner table could create the best temaki handroll. The ladies at the table did win and the men did not fare so well. hahaha.

My personal favourite combination was the Albacore Tuna with Ume and avocado rolled up in the cone.

Love the interactivity of the meal and highly recommended. Make sure you pre-order before Mother’s Day.

Address:
1133 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://tojos.com/

Tojo’s is back with a new menu which focuses on takeout and prepare at home meals. With the Covid-19 pandemic, they really have to work hard to pivot their business to offer fresh and delicious meals to their customers while maintaining social distance.

Their main focus is to provide comforting, healthy and flavourful dishes using locally sourced ingredients. They have always stuck to this motto and it shows with their new offerings.

They offer curbside pickup and complimentary delivery to Vancouver addresses with a minimum order. If you do decided to pick up, they offer a nice complimentary side dish for all takeout orders.

Complimentary Side Dish

You can choose between miso soup, sunomono salad or potato salad with your order. We tried the miso soup and potato salad for our meal and its a nice accompaniment especially for the bento bowls.

Spring Vegetable Roll

This roll uses fresh organic vegetables, beautifully topped with Nanohana and pickled cherry blossom. It’s really nice and fits the season perfectly as the cherry blossoms are blooming right now for a short amount of time.

The ingredients are very fresh and provides a nice crunchy texture to this item.

Battera Sushi

Their newest items it the Battera Sushi Box sushi topped with either house smoked Canadian Sablefish, Salmon or Mackerel and pickled kombu. I was very impressed by strong flavours of the fish and it worked well with the amount of rice. I was skeptical at first, but it worked well. You can eat it right away when you get home. It does stay good for 2-3 days in the fridge.

The Battera Sushi depicted in our pictures are a different size and was part of a media sample to try a few different sushi items.

Tako Chirashi Bowl

The tako chirashi bowl features thinly sliced Pacific Octopus, and masago smelt roe with organic greens, wakame salad, seasonal veggies served over sushi rice. It is accompanied with a soy balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

It is a beautiful bowl and the seasonal ingredients are very fresh. The octopus is a touch chewy, but thats pretty typical of octopus.

Soy Ginger Sablefish

There are a few items on the menu where you can prepare at home. One of those items is their Soy Ginger Sablefish. This is Tojo’s famous Canadian Sablefish marinated in soy ginger honey. It’s so nice and tender that it melts in your mouth. Make sure you serve this over rice as it’s a perfect pairing. You can also pair this with steamed, sautéed or baked veggies.

If you don’t eat this right away, this can be stored for 12 months in freezer.

Final Thoughts

It’s great to see Tojo’s is back with different dining options with this pandemic. Their new items like the Bento Bowls and Battera sushi are more affordable option. I really love the marinated seafood in the pouches as it tastes so good and you just pop it in the oven to cook.

Address:
1133 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Tojo’s at Home Website:
https://my-site-100695.square.site/

Fufú Café is going to be Vancouver’s first-ever all Japanese soufflé pancake cafe. There are other cafés and shops serving up different versions of soufflé pancakes, but Fufú Café will have a variety of them available from sweet to savoury.

They are just days away from Soft Opening, so watch out on social media to see when that is happening.

Grand Opening Special

They will have their grand opening on Saturday, September 7th, 2019 with a great promo where the first 50 customers will get a free classic soufflé pancake. After that, the classic soufflé pancake will be 50% off.

Photo Courtesy of Fufú Café

Interior

The whimsically designed 20-seat cafe is influenced by modern French-style aesthetics, highlighting soft and light pastels colours, artwork and textures.

Photo Courtesy of Fufú Café

It’s absolutely stunning and you’ll definitely get a few good photos here with your friends or family.

Menu

Mixed Berries Soda

There are a few different sodas on the menu and they are gorgeous. I went with the mixed berries soda as it’s in season and you can’t go wrong with berries. We have this a quick stir and patiently waited for our pancakes to be ready.

Their made-to-order Japanese soufflé pancakes each take about 15 to 20 minutes to make. I didn’t find the wait that long since having a good catch up session with a friend definitely last longer than that.

FuFú Classic Soufflé Pancake #1

There are 2 versions of the Classic. This one has 3 pieces of the Soufflé Pancake accompanied with butter, maple syrup, and “Fufú” icing sugar. I love seeing the 3 layers jiggle when you shake it slightly.

This is definitely classic and I love how it’s simple, yet it shows off the texture and flavour of the Soufflé Pancakes the most. The butter and maple syrup pair so well. This was one of my favourites.

FuFú Classic Soufflé Pancake #2

The second version also have 3 pieces, but it has sea salt mascarpone cheese whipped cream to accompany the Soufflé Pancakes. The sea salt mascarpone cheese whipped cream does have a good balance of saltiness and sweetness to pair with the pancakes.

Matcha Mochi

There are 2 pieces of Soufflé Pancake topped with shiratamako balls, housemade matcha sauce, matcha whipping cream, double chocolate raspberry ice cream, white chocolate flakes, and matcha flakes. The matcha whipping cream isn’t too intense and has the right amount of sweetness to pair with the pancakes. If you want more matcha flavour, the matcha sauce is more concentrated. They get their ice cream from Rocky Point Ice Cream and it’s pretty darn good.

Mixed Fresh Fruit

This has 2 pieces of Soufflé Pancake topped with mixed fresh fruit, classic whipped cream, dried raspberry flakes, and icing sugar. I love the dried raspberry flakes as it adds a nice crunch to the dish. This was my second favourite flavour as the whipped cream and fruit compliments the pancakes well without masking the texture or taste of the pancakes.

Lemon Crème Brûlée Soufflé Pancake

There are 2 stacked soufflé pancakes, house-made lemon crème brûlée sauce, lemon yogurt ice cream, with seasonal fruits. This was one of the sweeter options because of the lemon crème brûlée sauce but still well balanced in taste. I personally found that the lemon crème brûlée sauce did mask the taste of the soufflé pancake as it has stronger flavours. I really enjoyed the ice cream because it has a nice biscuit texture embedded in it. It is also supplied by Rocky Point Ice Cream.

Earl Grey Milk Tea & Tapioca Pearl

This is definitely a fun Soufflé Pancake topped with housemade earl grey tea sauce and tapioca pearl. This is another popular item on the menu. For me, I found the chewiness of the pearls and strong earl grey tea sauce overshadowed the Soufflé Pancake similar to other items on the menu. If you love bubble tea, you’ll really enjoy this.

Eggs Benedict

You can find their savoury soufflé pancakes on the menu on weekends from opening till 3pm. The eggs benedict has two poached eggs on top of soufflé pancakes, housemade hollandaise sauce, and your choice of local pork sausage or bacon, fresh organic greens salad. I got mine with bacon.

It is super creative since I would have never thought Soufflé Pancakes would be part of brunch. The eggs are poached perfectly with a silky hollandaise sauce. It doesn’t highlight the pancakes well, but it is a pretty well rounded breakfast and it tastes good.

Final Thoughts

They have a good sized menu and different items that either show off the Soufflé Pancake or their creativity with the sauces. When they open, they are definitely going to be really busy, so you’ll probably have to brave the line ups are peak hours until it settles.

It’s great to finally have a Soufflé Pancake shop open in Vancouver because these pancakes are just so good. I absolutely love the classic and the mixd fresh fruit Soufflé Pancakes.

Website:
http://fufusoufflepancake.ca

Address:
266 West Broadway, Vancouver BC

Heritage Asian Eatery is best known for their take on modern Asian comfort food and a signature menu of Far East-inspired fare such as baos, rice bowls, dumplings and noodles.

They are pivoting their menu to offer new Chinese BBQ items exclusively at their Broadway location including its own Heritage BBQ chicken recipe, soy chicken, BBQ duck, and BBQ Pork.

All they’re missing are roast pork and pork sausages. Either way, having 4 options is better than no options given the area. There really aren’t any Chinese BBQ options near Vancouver City Hall area.

The new menu is best eaten family-style, but if you want your own portion, they have the BBQ meats on rice.

We were invited to check out their new Chinese BBQ Menu.

Menu

Heritage Chicken

This is their signature item on the menu. I liked how the chicken was moist on the inside and the outer skin was thin and full of flavour. Very enjoyable. You can order this as a half or whole chicken, but unfortunately no individual portion on rice. Recommended.

Soy Chicken

The soy chicken was impressive as well with thin skin but the flavour penetrated into the chicken. Very moist as well. Highly recommended.

BBQ Duck

The BBQ duck has a nice flavour but I felt like the fat between the meat and skin could have been rendered better as a few pieces would have quite a bit of fat. This is served with plum sauce.

BBQ Pork

The BBQ pork is quite meaty, but I thought the the caramelization of the sauce surrounding the pork could have been better. It’s decent but not the best I’ve had.

Chili Wonton

The prawn wontons are served with chili and vinegar. This was really good and I like the amount of prawns in the wontons. That chili sauce is so good. We wanted them to jar it up and sell because we loved it so much. Highly recommended.

Crispy Wonton

These are golden prawn wontons and it is served with their house sauce. Great texture and it is very crispy on the outside and the soft bouncy prawns inside were yum. Highly Recommended.

Fried Edamame

I didn’t like the sweet and salty seasoning on the edamame and would have just preferred boil and salted. I totally understand their twist to fry it, but didn’t work out for me.

Wonton Soup

There is a few prawn wontons in the broth. It’s a good side dish if you want soup with your meal. It is large enough to share with a few people if you just want a taste.

Five Spice Chicken Wings

These are gluten-free chicken rubbed with their signature five spice dry rub. I wasn’t a fan of the coating around the wings and the red chili flakes were very potent for the pieces on top. It was a bit heavy handed.

Pork and Chive Dumpling

These are pan-fried pork and chive dumplings. These were ok, but I wished there was more filling.

Gai Lan

The gai lan is steamed and topped with crispy garlic and sauce. Sometimes you just need veggies as part of the meal and its a great portion.

Spicy Tofu

The tofu is crispy and served with their version of spicy gochujang sauce. That sauce is really nice and goes so well with the tofu. It is spicy, so I love the extra kick of heat to it. Highly recommended.

Milk Custard

They have seasonal toppings on their milk custard and it can be coffee, tapioca or a special. When we were here today, they had their brown sugar tapioca topping. It sounded very intriguing as you see the layer of milk custard on the bottom and the brown sugar tapioca on top. I wanted to like it but I felt the tapioca and brown sugar took away from the milk custard. It masked the taste of it so it had an overwhelming taste of the sugary syrup.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the addition of the Chinese BBQ meats is brilliant because this area needs something like this. Whether you are eating the items family-style or just getting your own portion on rice, it definitely fulfills those cravings. There is enough variety on the menu with the sides and share plates that you can craft an excellent meal.

They also do delivery and pick up, so if you’re looking for a quick lunch and don’t want to go outside, you can get it straight to your door.

Address:
382 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.eatheritage.ca

Tojo’s Restaurant just launched their cocktail hour featuring new libations and a seasonal selection of small bites. This new menu is available Thursday to Saturday from 4 to 6 pm.

Parking here can be a bit tricky during rush hour but there are a few complimentary visitor parking spots in the back.

You can expect a delicious new cocktail list, as Tojo’s has teamed up with award-winning mixologist and Canada’s Top Bartender 2019, Jeff Savage. Tasty libations are arguably best enjoyed with good food, and Chef Hidekazu Tojo has created a new small bites menu, which are updated seasonally to pair with the new cocktail list. 

Here is a sneak peak of their cocktail hour.

Tojo’s Pickles

This has a mix of seasonal vegetables. It is light, tart and crunchy. Best paired with the Nitobe Garden Fizz mocktail.

Edamame

This is a very healthy snack that is boiled and lightly tossed in sea salt. It comes in a regular size and a large size. It’s a good item to snack on as you have a drink like the Tokaido 53 cocktail.

Miso Mustard Lotus Root

The lotus root is crunchy and in the middle of the lotus room is the miso mustard, which gives it a slightly spicy taste. The texture and hint of spice works really well. This pairs well with the Japanese Highball.

Citrus and Sea Salt Wings

This dish uses organic chicken and its prepared Tojo-style, which means the the drumsticks are transformed into lollipops and the wings cut in half, so its mess-free. They suggest pairing this with the Japanese High Ball too.

Tojo Maki

This is the most popular item at Tojo’s. This is the pioneer of the modern California Roll using local Dungeness Crab, avocado, spinach and egg rolled inside-out with sesame seeds on top. Give this a try with the Tojo’s Milk Punch cocktail.

Dragon’s Sweet Potatoes

This is a hometown favourite from Kagoshima. These little sweet potato nuggets have a nice texture and is a touch sweet which is nice and enjoyable.

Dashimaki + Caviar

This has a few pieces of Japanese egg omelette and topped with Ikura and tobiko. Very delicious and I love the hints of saltiness as the ikura and tobiko as they pop in your mouth. Yet again, you can pair this with Tojo’s Milk Punch.

Tojo’s Tuna

This is Chef’s signature dish with wild albacore, and a wasabi sesame sauce. It comes in 2 sizes – regular or large depending on how much you’re craving Tojo’s Tuna. The tuna is very fresh and the sauces go well together. You can try this with the Tokaido 53 cocktail.

Seafood Salad

This uses their freshest seasonal seafood and it does change depending on what’s available. I enjoyed all the seafood as there was a good variety to it. The Salaryman cocktail pairs with it.

Cocktails

Tokaido 53

A vibrant martini riff inspired by journeys on the ancient road connecting Kyoto and Edo. Bison Grass Vodka, Kazuki Gin, Herb and Citrus Oil.

Salaryman

A stern cocktail best used to signal the end of the workday. Japanese Whisky Blend, Notes of Matcha and Black Sesame.

Kitsune Gimlet

A bright, fresh cocktail that’s as cunning and playful as it’s mythical namesake Kazuki Gin, Yuzu, and Honey. A well balanced cocktail.

Tojo’s Milk Punch

Eastern flavours and Western techniques meet in this milk punch, named after the Iconoclast himself. This is made with Bank’s 5 Island Rum, Shiso, Sencha, Mint, Lime, and Clarified Milk.

This was my favourite cocktail that we tried. You get aromas of the milk yet the cocktail is clear. I was very very impressed with the different techniques that are used to create this beverage.

Japanese Highball

This is made with Suntory Toki, Bittered Sling Lem-Marrakech Bitters, and Soda. You can really taste the Suntory Toki and the bitters. Not my favourite, but it pairs well with fried food.

Nitobe Garden Fizz

Vibrancy and earthly bounty come together in this drink honouring the beautiful Nitobe Memorial Garden. Seedlip Garden 108, Matcha, Herb, Citrus Oil, and Soda.

This is a mocktail and does not contain any alcohol at all. I like their use of the Seedlip Garden 108 as it gives this drink a herbaceous aroma similar to gin.

Final Thoughts

The cocktail hour is a great way to enjoy the taste of Tojo’s and exceptional cocktails created by Jeff Savage. The prices are reasonable and you can have a good catch with friends or even make new friends here.

Address:
 1133 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://tojos.com

Usagi Sweets is a small shop with Japanese pastries like mochi mochi, brownies, cookies, and other sweet treats. It is run by the daughter of the owners of the now defunct Basho Cafe, which has now become Yama Cafe after switching ownership.

I had to make a stop here with my friend to chat over mom life. Sometimes it’s just nice to relax and take a break from our babies.

Interior

The space is small and only has 3 tables, so its hard to fit large groups. It’s a good space for a coffee chat over drinks and treats.

Onigiri Lunch Set

The only savoury item on the menu is their onigiri lunch set with 2 onigiri rice balls, pickled veggies, egg, black sesame green beans, broccoli, and pumpkin. We decided to split this and it was a nice item to just munch on and pick at the items on the plate. Very nice clean flavours that won’t weigh you down. All this for $11.

Usucha

This is a traditional matcha tea with a bright green vibrant colour but it is unsweetened.

Houjicha

This is their pot of roasted green tea that has a brown colour to it.

Assorted Sweets

We ordered a lot of sweets to share – matcha mochi, cream cheese mochi, matcha espresso cookie, goma miso brownie, matcha alfajores, houjicha cookie, and black sesame mochi. It’s always good to get an assortment of treats.

Final Thoughts

The space is really cute and great little spot to catch up with friends. It is busier on the weekends but during weekdays it’s not too bad and we were able to get a table. A lot of people come here to get the sweets to-go but its nice to be able to sit here if you have the time.

Address:
3720 Oak St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.usagisweets.com/

Edge Yuandian is a tea and juice bar in Vancouver on West Broadway, they pride themselves of using fresh fruits in their beverages. So many healthy bubble tea alternative type of shops are popping up in Vancouver and it’s a nice change.

They are open Tuesday to Sunday from 1pm to 10pm.

Interior

The space is very nice and there are these cloud structures on the side of the walls which makes for great backdrops for photos.

There is a bench on the side where you can shift around tables to accomodate your group. Most people end up taking their drinks to-go.

Menu

Puppy Love

This is one of their seasonal drinks. It has peach, strawberry, lemon, mint leaf, oolong tea, and soda. You can get it with varying degrees of sweetness and ice levels. The drink was refreshing with the addition of the soda. It’s an alternative to bubble tea if you love fruits.

The other seasonal drink is the Raspberry Noel with raspberry, soda, mink leaf, and soda. We didn’t get a chance to try this but sounds refreshing as well.

Mango Tofu Tea

The mango tofu tea is great for those who love tofu and fruits. It’s an interesting combination that I’ve never seen before. It has mango puree, tofu and oolong tea. The tofu flower is soft and smooth in texture like a dessert cup.

This was our favourite of the 3 that we tried. It’s essentially like a dessert rather than a drink. Filling too.

Signature Fresh Fruit Tea

This is what they are known for. You can choose you tea base of either black, green, or oolong tea. They it as passion fruit jam, kiwi, strawberry, orange, apple, watermelon, mango, and cantaloupe.

It was a good standard fruit tea that has more variety of fruits than some shops in town.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a cute shop that is photogenic and has different fruit inspired drinks. They are a juice and tea shop, so you won’t find that traditional bubble tea drinks here. Good for those who love fruity drinks. Their drinks are generally not too sweet so that good as fruits bring in a lot of natural sweetness on its own. We did get all drink half sweet so that was it too.

Address:
106-950 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/edgeyuandian/

DALINA has opened their second location and it’s slated to officially open on Monday, February 11, 2019 just a short distance from Vancouver General Hospital if you’re looking for a grab-and-go meal during the day. We were invited for a sneak peek of the space and items on the menu.

As the space is smaller, there aren’t a lot of grocery items at this location. It’s pretty sparse and mostly has to-go meals and drinks.

Interior

At 900 square feet, they sit 35 people in this space. It is very beautiful and has textures of white tile, white oak, concrete, stainless steel and marble textures. Insta-worthy interior.

Grab-and-go meals

Looking at their fridges, there are dozens of freshly prepared meals including salads, sandwiches, wraps, and pastries.  In addition to the artisanal coffee DALINA has become famous for, featured drink additions will include Superfood Smoothies and Hoochy Booch Kombucha on tap.

All dishes are being created by DALINA executive chef Simona Bonelli, who brings her blend of healthy, innovative, and authentic fare to this new take-away menu. Aside from the baked goods, drinks, and coffees, most menu items will run between $10 to $15 and will come in compostable packaging.

There is wifi in the space if you need to connect to the internet. They also have still and sparkling water on tap, which I absolutely love. A nice little touch.

Lattes

I’ve always been a fan of their lattes and hot chocolates on the menu. It’s just acozy spot to just catch up with friends in the beautiful space. Glad there is another location to do that in.

Local Sweets

They work with a lot of local bakeries to fill their pastry area like Dipped Doughnut Co, To Die For, and Flour Girl Baking. They make some amazing vegan treats and they really do taste good. My favourite was the Banana Cream doughnut.

Final Thought

It’s a great addition to the area and I can’t wait for them to open their doors. Perfect for those who work in the area for a quick meal, coffee, or a drink.

Address:
992 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.dalina.ca/

There is a new French bakery on West Broadway close to City Hall – Forêt Noire Pâtisserie. They just opened a a few weeks ago serving up delicious treats like croissants, macarons, chocolates, cakes, and beverages. They have a few other items planned on their menu like sandwiches to cater to different times during the day.

Interior

The space is about 2,000 square feet with some seats inside and outside on their patio.

They can’t fit many large groups from the tables observed as most of them seem to be tables of 2.

Beverages

On the menu, they have a variety of hot and cold beverages – teas, coffees, and other non-caffeinated drinks.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

They have a spiced hot chocolate served with a whole cinnamon stick. A nice way to enjoy an aromatic hot chocolate that isn’t too sweet or bitter.

Latte

I went with a latte to go with the pastries. A good ratio of espresso and milk.

Cheese Croissant

This croissant is crisp and butter on the outside and the inside is stuffed with feta, ricotta with fresh herbs and lemon. It was good to have more of a savoury item as it was around noon.

Apricot Danish Puff Pastry

The puff pastry is crisp and buttery with the apricot and creme in the centre. Pretty good item for texture and sweetness.

Mont Blanc

The Mont Blanc has made of muscovado sablé breton, mascarpone rum cream, yuzu compote, chestnut cream, coconut meringue, and a marron glacé.

An interesting flavour combination with the yuzu incorporated into it, but it balanced out the other ingredients to keep it a tad light.

 Paris-Brest

This has pâte à choux, hazelnut mousseline cream, homemade praliné and hazelnut craquelins.

This classic item was good with all the different textures. It is a bit sweet on its own, but when paired with a latte, it’s not as noticeable.

Final Thoughts

It’s a good addition to the City Hall area where you can get pastries, coffee and hang out with a friend. There are a lot of options on their menu too which is nice.

Convenient to get to and there is metered street parking around.

Address:
 236 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://foretnoirepatisserie.com/home/

New India Buffet is located in Vancouver and they have a large buffet with over 70 items and it’s all you can eat. They aren’t the largest Indian Buffet in the Lower Mainland, but they have a good variety of curries. They even have vegetarian and vegan dishes, which is great to suit those with different dietary needs. The prices are fair with dinner prices around $20.

If you don’t want to dine in, they have take out options too for pick up and delivery. There are some free parking spots for the restaurant but there are still ample 2 hour free parking on side streets.

Interior

The interior can seat up to 200 people and has tables for small to large groups. This used to be an Earls, so their interior is nice. They even have a really large bar if you want to watch the game or have a drink.

Drinks

Starting the night off with mango lassi is a great start. It is a traditional Indian yogurt drink and its a way to cool yourself down from any spicy curries. It isn’t included in the buffet as its an extra $4.95.

The Buffet

They definitely don’t boast as much variety as Flaming Tandoori in Delta- Surrey but they have a good range of curries that are really the star of the show.

There is an area for salads to get you started before diving into the richer items on the menu.

Crispy veggie pakoras is a classic item on the menu that you must grab a piece of. They also have french fries, samosa, and spring rolls if you want something else thats deep-fried.

Curries go great with naan or rice. Both great options.

Don’t forget the dessert like the Gulab Jamun, which are milk balls dipped in honey syrup.

What’s on the plate?

A proper buffet requires many trips back to the buffet line to try new things and each time, you discover something new.

Our favourite items of the evening was the naan, butter chicken, lamb curry, fish curry, egg curry, mutter paneer, chicken Manchurian and tandoori chicken. Also, don’t forget to get come Papadom, which are these thin, crisp, disc-shaped crackers. Crazy addictive.

As it’s a buffet, there is endless amounts that you can try. The only thing that may hold you back is your stomach space. hahaha.

Tandoori chicken

There is another menu where you can order specialty items like the Tandoori Chicken served on a sizzling plate. The chicken is marinated in yogurt and spices, then cooked in a hot clay oven.

Final Thoughts

There are some good options if you want a buffet or not. Prices are fair and it’s good they can seat up to 200 people for any occasion.

Address:
901 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://newindiabuffet.com/

Assembli is a new restaurant that lets you create your own pizza or salads at one set price rather than annoying add ons that will cost you. I was invited to come try a few of their creations to see how they differentiate themselves among the other restaurants in the area.

Interior

When you get here, you can walk up to the counter to put in your order and then pick up on the side.

You can watch them put your order together so there isn’t any secrets to what goes into your meal. They use fresh, non-GMO, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and local and organic when possible.

Pizza

You can create your own pizza or you can get choose their pre-built pizzas with suggested toppings. It’s a good option if you are particular about what item goes on your pizza.

Of all of the pizza’s, I really enjoyed the Smoke and Fire Pizza, which has pepperoni, smoked cheddar, mozzarella, banana peppers, red onion, and a spicy tomato sauce. I like it hot.

Salad

When it comes to salads, I like to create my own since I’m a bit particular about what I put in it. Similarly to the pizza, you can choose pre-built versions or create your own. If I had to choose one of their salads, it would be the O-Mega Braniac Salad with mixed greens, quinoa, cucumber, cabbage, blueberries, beets, avocado salsa, walnuts, seed mix, and glory dressing. Very filling and packed with great ingredients.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a place with build your own pizza or salad, check Assembli out on Cambie Street. It’s a pretty busy place for lunch as it’s unique in this neighbourhood. Imagine it like a Chipotle but for pizza and salad.

We Rate Assembli

Address:
2325 Cambie St, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.assembli.ca/

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

Benkei Ramen in Vancouver has always been innovating their ramen to cater to those who love authentic Japanese ramen as well as those with dietary restrictions. I was invited with a friend to try their new Peko Ramen as well as some other items off the menu. As my friend has a seafood allergy, they have a few vegan options.

Interior

The interior is nice with wooden walls and bamboo. The staff are nice and friendly.

Green Tea

Start off with a hot cup of green tea.

Housemade Gyoza

You can order it as a side portion with your ramen or a full order for the table. They only have a pork filled gyoza but are working on a veggie gyoza to add to their menu in the near future.

The pork gyoza was a good accompaniment with a hot bowl of ramen. Great to share with a friend too.

Peko Ramen

Their Peko Ramen is a silky milk broth made of tonkotsu broth, milk, shio-dare and brandy. The broth is very clean, rich and not oily at all. It wasn’t salty at all and with the amount of veggies in this bowl and the slices of lean chicken meat. I slurped up the bowl.

This is back for a limited time until March 31.

Black Vegan Ramen

For those with dietary restrictions, it’s hard to enjoy ramen. Benkei introduced their 2nd vegan ramen – Black Vegan Ramen along side their vegan miso ramen.

Vegan black is deliciously rich. The broth is made with rich vegetable stock, black sesame miso, and drizzle with coconut milk and roasted red pepper. The noodles are also eggless.

More Vegan Ramen

A sneak peek into another vegan ramen they are in the process of creating. They introduced this to me as their white vegan ramen, but they are still tweaking the recipe and name.

I really do appreciate how they are expanding their menu to those ramen eaters with dietary restrictions.

Sauce

Raw Garlic and chili sauce is available for free, all you have to do is ask for it. It’s helpful to enhance the broth if you are feeling its a bit bland.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Benkei Ramen has a lot more to offer than just their usual ramen. I’m impressed they are continually trying new ramen creations.

We Rate Benkei Ramen

Address:
545 W Broadway, Vancouver

Website:
benkeiramen.com

Benkei Ramen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

pepper-lunch-1

Pepper Lunch has their newest location in Vancouver on Cambie Street a block away from City Hall. I’ve been a fan of this place since they first opening up their Richmond location. This Japanese ‘fast-steak’ casual restaurant is popular all over Asia. I went to one in a Hong Kong food court, but I found that it wasn’t as good as these 2 Canadian location. This is most likely due to the sourcing of their ingredients.

I was invited for a sneak peek of the Cambie location.

pepper-lunch-4

The restaurant has 2 levels, but only the bottom floor is open. The owners said they would open up the 2nd level for private parties and special events. Their kitchen is open concept, so you can see right into the kitchen and observe how your meal is put together.

pepper-lunch-2

Here is the view from the other side. There’s not too many seats, so I would assume during peak times, there may be a bit of a wait. They can fit about 40 people on the main floor.

pepper-lunch-3

The menu has the same items as Richmond, so they have:

  • Pepper Rice
  • Premium Steak dishes
  • Pepper Pasta
  • Chicken and Salmon steak dishes
  • Combos
  • Kids Meals
  • Dessert
  • Drinks

They also have brown rice options for their dishes!

pepper-lunch-5

Genmai Cha is brown rice green tea with matcha. It comes in a prepackaged pouch.

pepper-lunch-6

You’ll need to do a bit of work, but thats ok since the tea is good. Since I’m a tea guzzler, I had to ask them a few times to refill my cup with hot water.

pepper-lunch-11

Beef pepper rice with added cheese and egg.

The dish is their best seller and you can’t go wrong with the added egg and cheese. When you mix it all together, it’s the perfect combination. We got this with the brown rice option.

pepper-lunch-12

Mix it all up so all the ingredients are well incorporated. Since the pan is piping hot, leave it in there to crispy up.

pepper-lunch-7

Kobe Burger with Egg was so good. Well spiced and had a good amount of cracked pepper.

Spread that brown butter on top and it’s ready to eat. It’s mostly cooked when it gets to the table, so you don’t have to cook it for a long time unless you want it really well done.

pepper-lunch-8

Scallop and Prawn Pepper Pasta was an item I haven’t tried yet. The pasta is topped with pepper, cheese, mushrooms and the seafood. The cream sauce is separate, so you have all the fun of pouring it into the skillet.

pepper-lunch-9

Look at that cream sizzle up when it hits the plate. Stir it up so the cream sauce coats all your noodles.

pepper-lunch-10

I found this dish ok, but I felt like it could have been more creamy or the noodles weren’t cook long enough.

pepper-lunch-13

Rib Eye Steak is 100% Canadian Certified Angus Beef, so you are getting the good stuff. We also got egg, corn and mashed potatoes added on. You will want to spread the butter on top and then cook both sides of the steak until its medium rare.

Once you are finished a bit of the dish, add the rice on the skillet to soak up the delicious sauce.

Steak is always best served medium rare. Or at least, that’s my preference.

pepper-lunch-14

Mushroom and Tofu Pepper Rice is the vegetarian option. You would mix up this dish as well just like the other ones. Since I’ve had the other pepper rice options, those who get this are really missing out on the beef, pork, chicken and salmon. It’s just not as good.

pepper-lunch-15

Salmon Pepper Rice is actually my favourite dish. The salmon they use is sashimi-grade, so you’ll be able to taste the difference. The corn is awesome too.

pepper-lunch-16

Make sure you don’t let the salmon overcook. We mixed it up quite quickly after it arrived on the table.

pepper-lunch-17

Mmmm Mmmmmm so good! I’ll always order this item.

pepper-lunch-19

I never realized they have Mochi Ice Cream for desserts. This was a surprise.

The flavours they have are:

  • Vanilla
  • Green Tea
  • Black Sesame
  • Mango
  • Strawberry
  • Red Bean
  • Chocolate

We tried all but the chocolate flavour. I enjoyed the vanilla and black sesame ice cream mochi. The fruity flavours felt a bit artificial. Green tea was a bit mute. The skin of the mochi was thin and not too thick. The ice cream that lies inside was really a nice treat to end the meal. Great item for those who just need a small bite of something sweet after a meal.

Overall, its great to finally have a Vancouver location so close to Downtown. For those who haven’t been here before, you must try the Beef Pepper Rice or the Kobe Style Burger. Don’t forget to add an egg. The addition of the egg really pulls the dishes together.

We Rate Pepper Lunch35rating

Address:
2323 Cambie St. Vancouver

Website:
http://www.pepperlunchcanada.com/

Pepper Lunch Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

farmers-apprentice-sign

The Farmers Apprentice is located in Fairview and they serve a farm to table style cuisine that uses the best ingredients that our local farmers have to offer.

As per weekend tradition, brunch is a must! Farmers Apprentice has been on my ‘eating list’ for a while. They were named best new restaurant of 2014 by En Route Magazine, Restaurant of the Year by Vancouver Magazine, and so many more.

It just seemed like it opened and instantly won all these awards. Either way, I wanted to check it out for myself.

farmers-apprentice-inner

The interior is rustic and has about 40 seats, but they are quite busy. The atmosphere is casual that you feel like you fit right in.

farmers-apprentice-kitchen

Their kitchen is pretty open, so you can see what they are all doing. I love it since you know they have nothing to hide. They just want to make delicious food. The best view of the kitchen is from the bar seats. I love bar seats since you can see all the staff in action.

All the dishes for brunch are meant to be shared and it arrives in the order they prepare them.

farmers-apprentice-coffee

Cappuccino was our drink of choice to start off our day. It came in these clear mugs, so we can see the contents inside.

farmers-apprentice-board

Smorrebord (all 3 – $16 or $6 each) is an open-faced sprouted rye bread sandwich. When we dined here, they had 3 kinds:

  • filet beans, fromage frais, soft boiled egg and roasted onion
  • beef tartare, mustard emulsion, and pickled shallots
  • cod rillette, creme fraiche, pickled beets and dill

It’s a great item to share among friends. What I liked most about this item is the bread! I just love the texture of all the seeds in it. All 3 flavours were great, as you can really taste the ingredients that go into each one. But, I felt like the beef tartare was under seasoned or needed a bit more mustard taste to make the beef taste shine through.

farmers-apprentice-biscuit

Berkshire and tamsworth pork biscuit sandwich with fried egg ($14) this was highly recommended by our server. She says it apparently changes lives when people sink their teeth into this. Definitely brunch worthy. The egg was fried perfectly with a soft yolky centre. The biscuit was damn good too.

farmers-apprentice-octopus

Octopus, sieglinde potatoes, pickled radish, charmoula, and poached egg ($15) was just delightful. The octopus was tender and flavourful. The sauce balanced well with all the other ingredients.

When I was eating this dish, you can’t help but adore each bite of each ingredient. The octopus was really good!

farmers-apprentice-egg

The egg was poached soft and made my heart sing. That’s my favourite type of egg to fit a perfect brunch meal. I get angry at other restaurants when they don’t know how to poach eggs.

farmers-apprentice-chicken

Confit Chicken, potato has, summer squash, and poached eggs ($13) had a similar presentation to the octopus. Great taste and it felt super clean and healthy.

Overall, you can really classify this restaurant as farm to table with hipster west coast flare if there was such a thing? I enjoyed the meal and you can feel the passion that the chef has for this restaurant and this type of cuisine. Plus, BC grows some amazing vegetables and produce great proteins. I’m sure if you asked the staff about where they source their ingredients, you’ll enjoy the stories.

This restaurant won’t appeal to everyone but it’s great to try at least once. It’s feels healthy, clean and delicious. Usually brunch is associated with being greasy and protein heavy, but it’s a nice change coming here.

We Rate Farmers Apprentice

Address:
1535 West 6th Avenue, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.farmersapprentice.ca/

Click to add a blog post for Farmer's Apprentice on Zomato

gyu-kaku-inner

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ on Broadway is their second location in Vancouver. The other location is in Downtown.

They offer their Happy Hour special on these days and times:

  • Monday All Day
  • Lunch: Everyday 11:30AM–6PM
  • Dinner: Sun–Thu 9PM–10:30PM
    Fri & Sat 9:30PM–11:30PM

The girls and I came here at 9:30pm on a Friday to indulge in this menu. We made reservations ahead of time to make sure we got seats.

gyu-kaku-booth

They have booths large enough for  big groups but not too large.

gyu-kaku-iced-green-tea

Iced Green Tea ($3) is the one drink I always get here. It’s not sweetened but it’s still good. The drink is also bottomless, so you can keep on getting refills.

gyu-kaku-beer

Mug of Sapporo ($3) is on their “Super Happy Hour” menu. You definitely need beer to go with BBQ meats.

gyu-kaku-cabbage

Shio Cabbage ($2) is very addictive. It has a distinctive sesame dressing.

gyu-kaku-edamame

Edamame is free when you check-in on Facebook and show the server.

gyu-kaku-rice

Chicken Karaage Bowl ($6.95) has the rice on the bottom, topped with the fried boneless chicken, cabbage, mayo, and garnish. It’s good and filling.

gyu-kaku-soup

Seaweed Soup ($2.95) is what Mandu had. She also added a bit of the rice from the karaage bowl into it.

gyu-kaku-cook

Of course, we needed some meat to BBQ on their grill.

gyu-kaku-meat

Kalbi Chuck ($5.95)

gyu-kaku-m

Toro Beef ($3)

gyu-kaku-belly

Pork belly ($3.95)

gyu-kaku-grill

The different meats were delicious and only needed to be cooked a few minutes per side.

Overall, service was friendly and the Happy Hour deals were great.

We Rate Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

Address:
201-950 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://gyu-kaku.com/cn/broadway.htm

Gyu-Kaku Japanese Barbecue on Urbanspoon

Pauls-Omlette-outer

Where do Vancouverites go for all things omelettes? Paul’s Place Omelettery Restaurant serves all day breakfast and all day lunch. We came early in the morning and there was already a line up of people waiting to be seated. It is located just off of the Granville Street bridge.

I’ve heard of this place before but hadn’t come here until JK took M and I here. Making new friends and discovering new restaurants around town.

Pauls-Omlette-inner

Lots of seats downstairs. There’s a staircase that goes upstairs but I have no idea where it leads to.

Pauls-Omlette-coffee

Coffee is necessary to fuel to sleepy minds of people who haven’t had breakfast yet.

Pauls-Omlette-om

3 Cheese Omelette ($7.25) is made with a blend of cheddar, edam & cream cheese. The eggs used are B.C. Free Run Eggs. It is served with your choice of toast. You can also add $1.50 for pan fries.

Pauls-Omlette-m

Florentine Omelette ($9.75) has shiitake, oyster, button mushrooms sautéed with garlic, onions, spinach and feta. M chose his toast to be whole grain. The omelette is folded together nicely, but it wasn’t as big as I had imagined.

It tasted good , but the omelette was quite thin, but that means you get a lot more toppings than egg. The portions are a bit small, so if you are a big eater, you might want to order an extra side dish.

Pauls-Omlette-sausage

Side of Sausage ($2.95) comes with 1.5 sausages.

Pauls-Omlette-mear

Meatlover Omelette ($10.25) has bacon, oktoberfest sausage, ham, onions, cheddar, edam and romano cheese. Very good item with lots of meat.

Pauls-Omlette-toast

Zimmer ($9.75) is one of their specialty items and it comes with avocado, sauteed mushrooms, cream cheese, 2 free run poached eggs
on toasted rye bread topped with cheese sauce and alfalfa sprouts.

Overall, is pretty good, but may not make you super full. The quality of the omelettes are great, but the omelette is a bit on the thin side. The food is simple and nothing fancy.

We Rate Paul’s Place Omelettery

Address:
2211 Granville St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.paulsomelettery.com/

Paul's Place Omelettery on Urbanspoon

ouisi-bistro-outer

Ouisi Bistro is located on Granville Street in Fairview. They are an New Orleans Restaurant in Vancouver serving up Cajun and Creole cuisine. M was missing this food since he hasn’t had it in over 10 years. There really aren’t a lot of restaurants in Vancouver specializing in this type of cuisine. M insisted we come here as I haven’t been here yet. They have been around since 1994.

ouisi-bistro-inner

The dining room is dark, romantic, and filled with Jazz pictures.

ouisi-bistro-patio

They also have an outdoor garden courtyard to dine at. It’s a good option for the Summer if you want to still be out in the sun.

ouisi-bistro-lights

There are even little lights above you….also TONS OF BUGS.

ouisi-bistro-whiskey

Ouisi Bistro has a good collection of single malts and bourbons. So, M got himself an ounce of Ardbeg. He’s been on the search of the best Whiskey, but he didn’t like this one because it had a plastic after taste.

Too bad the first drink had a fly in it, but we asked them to get us a new one.

ouisi-bistro-sausage-seafood

Jambalaya ($17) is a classic Louisiana dish with tomatoes, smoked ham, andouille, chorizo sausage and two sautéed Gulf prawns. The dish comes with corn bread and your choice of 2 sides.

M thought the dish was ok, but did not have much rice. It was mostly the sauce and chorizo. M did not like corn bread either as it was very dry.

ouisi-bistro-seafood

Seafood Creole ($19.75) has Gulf prawns, scallops, mussels and baby shrimp sautéed in their homemade creole sauce. The seafood was not fresh and quite small. This was not worth the price. I was disappointed with this dish.

I think I needed more carbs than just the Corn Bread. Perhaps some rice so it soaks up the sauce.

ouisi-bistro-sides

For our sides that came with our meal, we got Jicama Slaw, Lemon Braised Kale, Sweet Potato-Pecan Hash, and Cajun style Potato Salad. None of them were particularly good.

Overall, the first visit here was disappointing. It took a while for the dishes to come out but nothing tasted fresh…like it was sitting in a pot for a few days waiting for it to be scooped up.

We rate Ouisi Bistro:  

Address:
3014 Granville St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.ouisibistro.com/

Ouisi Bistro on Urbanspoon