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In Cafe

Leonidas: Its Hot Chocolate Time

February 6, 2013

Foodology Disclaimer: Leonidas invited me to try some of their Hot chocolate to gear up for the Hot Chocolate Festival.

Leonidas is located below Canada Place and serves great hot chocolate to locals and tourists. Besides hot chocolate, they have dessert, coffee and shakes. It is a popular franchise all over the world and a few years ago, it arrived in Vancouver.

They pride themselves of offering chocolates made with 100% cocoa butter – no fillers, no wax, no vegetable oil, no animal fats. Their chocolates are flown in from Belgium and not made in-house.

This year, they are participating in the Hot Chocolate Festival starting Saturday January 19th till February 14th, 2013. These sound crazy amazing, especially the frozen noisette.

Their 4 flavours offered this year are The Frozen Noisette, Tiger Milk, Jamaican Kiss and Boho Secret.

The Frozen Noisette
Melted praline blended into frozen yogurt, topped with a shot of melted chocolate, and finished with crushed hazelnuts.

Everyone LOVED this! You must get this!

Tiger Milk
Leonidas White chocolate, saffron, cardamom, nutmeg, and finished with slivered almonds.

This drink kinda reminded me of Chai tea. It definitely different than all the other hot chocolates.

Jamaican Kiss
Leonidas Milk Chocolate, coconut milk and pineapple rum.

M loved this! It has a stronger taste of coconut than the rum, but is a great combination.

Boho Secret
Leonidas 72% Sao Tome dark chocolate, mint and a secret ingredient.

This was my second favourite and it reminded me of a peppermint patty or After Eight chocolate.

With the hot chocolates, you get a choice of a chocolate, a sample of leige waffle or some treat to accompany your drink.

This is their regular menu.

72% Dark Hot Chocolate is definitely not for everyone. It is very rich and good for people who like dark chocolate. If you enjoy something a bit smoother, the 52% dark hot chocolate might be better.

The hot chocolate is served in a double walled cup, so it stays hotter for longer.

It even comes with a little chocolate.

Champagne Hot Chocolate isn’t on the menu, but you can order it. It is made of the Champagne truffles and is so good! It’s not alcoholic at all, but it adds a nice after taste. I really enjoyed this one!

Earl Grey Macaron had a very nice flavour, but the texture of the macaron tends to stick slightly to your teeth. The macaron didn’t fall apart easily as some other places in town. A good macaron to go with your hot chocolate is always a plus.

Words of Wisdom:

Delicious Dark Chocolates and hot chocolates!
Under $10
Closest Skytrain: Waterfront

We Rate Leonidas:

Address:
#29 – 1055 Canada Place
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.leonidaswaterfront.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=%2329+%E2%80%93+1055+Canada+Place+Vancouver,+BC&ie=UTF8&hnear=1055+Canada+Pl+%2329,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Riley Park/Little Mountain

The Acorn: FeastVan 2013

February 5, 2013

The Acorn was participating in FeastVan and they were offering a 3 course meal for $30. You start off with the Sunchoke Soup, then you can choose any main and dessert on the menu. FeastVan was happening at the same time as Dine Out Vancouver, so I thought that was kinda weird. They had a few good restaurants, so I decided to check one of them out. I let Wongers decide where to go since she has pretty good taste in food. Join our awesome dinner was Foodobyte, so make sure to check out his blog to see what he thought about The Acorn.

You can find vegetarian, vegan, raw, gluten-free options on their menu.

You can’t make reservations, but the only table you can reserve is the “family table” that can seat 6 or more. We reserved the table at 6:30 for 7 people. Soon after, this whole restaurant was packed! There was even a line up.

Water comes in super cute bottles.

Even the shape of the cup is kinda cute. Clearly, I get amused by little things.

Coconut Water ($3) comes with a slice of lime at the bottom. The lime overpowered the subtle taste of the coconut. It’s quite a strange combination. I am a firm believer that coconut juice shouldn’t be mixed with anything…but thats probably because coconuts are best on their own.

Sunchoke Soup (Starter Size) is topped with parsnip crisps, grilled scallion oil, and hazelnut salt. Very delicious soup!

The Harvest ($19) always changes and is made with their seasonal vegetables, herbs, and produce from local farms. Today they were featuring a butternut squash risotto with grilled ridicchio, endive, green cauliflower, goat cheese and pecans. This was my favorite dish of all the entrees.

Halloumi ($19) has 3 pieces of beer-battered Halloumi, zucchini pancake, smashed peas, yogurt, and lemon balm. I wasn’t a fan of the halloumi because it was very rich and oily. Everything else I loved…just not the main ingredient. Some people on the table disagreed, but everyone has different tastes.

Porcini ($18) has braised porcini mushrooms, daikon, edamame, buckwheat noodles, sesame, kombu Dashi, and nori chips on top. This dish was OK, but nothing too amazing.

Zuni ($18) is a heirloom zuni bean cassoulet with confit fennel, apple and rustic baguette on the side. Our group thought this was a pretty good dish a well.

Goji ($11) is comprised of a raw chocolate ganache tart, walnut crust, lemon goji berry preserve, raspberry coulis, and frozen grapes.

Chai ($8) is a chai pot de crème and 2 cardamom shortbread pieces on the side.

Olive ($9) is an olive oil cake with apple puree, white chocolate, frozen yogurt, lemon balm, and candied olives.

Pumpkin ($9) has pumpkin semifreddo, amaretti crumble, crème fraiche, and sage crisps. The BEST dessert on their menu! It wasn’t too sweet and who knew carrot would make such a delicious dessert. You must order this!

Overall, pretty good meal at The Acorn. I couldn’t believe it was vegetarian! There are a few dishes that can be a hit or a miss. The Harvest and the Pumpkin dessert are a must!!

We Rate The Acorn:

Address:
3995 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.theacornrestaurant.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=3995+Main+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=3995+Main+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5V+3P5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Chinese

Peaceful Restaurant: Hand Pulled Noodles

February 4, 2013

Peaceful Restaurant is located on Broadway near Broadway/City Centre Skytrain on the Canada Line. They are best known for their hand pulled noodles! It’s been there for a few years and I remember seeing it when I go to Sha Lin Noodles. I kinda always had a bias against this place because they have similar dishes and Sha Lin was there first. I decided I should really stop thinking that way and just keep on eating through all the restaurants in the city.

Even Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on the Food Network was here filming a segment.

Here’s the video!

Peaceful Beef Roll ($7.95) has five spiced beef rolled in a green onion crispy green onion flat bread and sweet hoisin sauce. You can see him making it on the show and it is really good! Definitely one of the better ones in town. Everyone gets this when they visit, so do give it a try.

Xiao Long Bao Steamed Buns ($7.95) is filled with minced pork, ginger, and some sauce. It arrives on the table in a bamboo steamer with 8 pieces of buns.

Peaceful House Stir-Fried Noodles ($12.95) has seafood, pork, veggies, and a chili garlic sauce.

Cumin Lamb Stir-Fried Noodles ($12.95) has peppers, lamb and other spices. M liked it and enjoyed the flavours.

Sichuan beef noodle soup ($7.95) has stewed beef in a dark spicy broth in spinach and cilantro. It was really good! Lots of noodles and the beef was very tender. Highly recommended.

Overall, the food here is pretty solid. It is quite busy during peak hours, but turnover is quick. The service is ok but not great. There is very very limited parking in the rear. Just 1 spot…so its pretty hard to fight for that one spot. There is paid street parking around the block.

We rate Peaceful Restaurant:

Address:
532 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.peacefulrestaurant.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=532+W+Broadway+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=532+W+Broadway,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5Z+1E6&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In BBQ

HK BBQ Master: All About the Meat and Skin

February 2, 2013

HK BBQ Master has been well-known to the community for having amazing BBQ meats. Far better than any other place in Vancouver. I had to take KoreaGirl and CanuckGirl here for lunch. The prices were good for under $10.

It’s located under the Superstore on #3 Road. There’s tons of parking, so no worries about fighting for spots.

When we arrived here, it was about 1pm and the place was packed with lots of people doing take-out. I hate my roast pork skin soggy, so eating it fresh was definitely on my mind. They have a few tables available. We were able to get a table right away! The service was very quick and rushed. They’re all about speed and efficiency.

BBQ Pork and Roast Pork ($7.50) is what KoreanGirl ordered. The roasted pork was amazing! Crispy skin and deliciously fatty. Each plate comes with a piece of broccoli and it really sucks.

Roasted Pork, BBQ Pork and Soya Chicken ($9.50) was a great way to try all their meats and I had to agree that the Roasted Pork was crazy good!

BBQ Duck and Soya Chicken ($7.50) is what CanuckGirl ordered. I stole some duck from her and it was really good!

Overall, we were impressed with their meats! If you want the best, you really have to come to HK BBQ Master. The crisp skin on the roast pork is addictive. MMmmmmmmmm! We left happy and will definitely return.

We Rate HK BBQ Master:

Address:
4651 #3 Rd
Richmond, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4651+%233+Rd+Richmond,+BC&hnear=4651+No+3+Rd,+Richmond,+British+Columbia+V6X+2C4&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Dineout

Fraiche: Dine Out Vancouver 2013

February 1, 2013

Fraiche is a restaurant located in West Vancouver and is popular for their views of the Lions Gate Bridge and surrounding areas. Their Dine Out this year is $38 and contains 3 courses.

The space isn’t very large. You get the best view when you sit near the window. Perhaps its best to request sitting by the window.

We ordered a few cocktails in the beginning since we got to the restaurant very early. Who knew there would be very little traffic on the Lions Gate Bridge after work.

Even the men had some cocktails too.

All the cocktails were pretty good! A great way to start off the meal, but definitely hurts your wallet afterwards.

Amuse Bouche

Complementary bread comes in 2 varieties – white and an olive bread. We all agreed the olive bread was the best.

Poached Lobster Salad also has melon, jalapeno, and basil. Good amount of lobster, but it was a small salad. I think there were more lobster pieces than greens.

Smoked Onion Veloute has a 63-degree egg in the centre, parmesan, and shimiji.

House-Cured Duck also contains foie gras mousse, blood orange, and brioche. The duck reminded me of prosciutto.

Butter Poached Sole with Truffle also has oyster root, asparagus, and potato.

Roasted Sablefish is on top of brandade dumplings, sunchoke, and topped with a horseradish foam.

White and Dark Chocolate was ok, but didn’t taste super amazing.

Orange Mascarpone was the better dessert, but it wasn’t crazy amazing.

Overall, the view is breathtaking up at Fraiche. The Dine Out menu wasn’t very impressive for the $38 price, but I am sure they bring their A-game on a regular night. The service was very attentive and the staff was helpful in figuring out the menu.

We Rate Fraiche:

Address:
2240 Chippendale Rd
West Vancouver

Website: http://www.fraicherestaurant.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2240+Chippendale+Rd+West+Vancouver,&hnear=2240+Chippendale+Rd,+West+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V7S+3J2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Downtown

Carl’s Jr. Vancouver: A Quick Review

January 31, 2013

M here with a flash review of the new Carl’s Jr. in Vancouver! I’m always on the hunt for the best burgers in town, but my favourite fast food burger in the States is from Carl’s Jr. When it was announced Carl’s Jr. was coming to Vancouver I passed out in excitement. Diana will do a proper review soon, but for now here are my pointers.

If this is your first time at a Carl’s Jr. it will be daunting to see all the choices you have! My suggestion for newbies and for future converts of the Church of Carl’s Jr. are any of the Thick burgers. In the State’s they’re popular as the “Six Dollar Burger” and is a signature for Carl’s Jr. The one I had is the Guacomole Bacon one. I’m happy to announce that the burger was as delicious as the one across the border!

ProTip number one for this place is bring an empty stomach and always order SMALL. The cashier can be tricky and ask you, “Medium or large combo?” Just like Wendy’s don’t get Medium as that’s basically getting a Large at McDonalds here. It’s also 90 cents more if you choose Medium. Trust me Small will fill you up! The venue itself is super narrow and I think stupidly laid out, but the burgers more than enough makes up for it. There are rumours that the staff here is undertrained, so try to be patient as someone goes around yelling a number. Keep in mind this is a Fast Food place, so it does give off a Burger King feel. Nonetheless, it’s the best fast food burger in town in my opinion from trying their burger once.

What do you think of Carl’s Jr. Vancouver?

Address:
625 Howe St.
Vancouver, BC

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

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=625+Howe+St.+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=625+Howe+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6Z+2H7&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In American

Sip Resto Lounge: Dine Out Vancouver

January 31, 2013

Sip Resto Lounge on Granville Street is participating in Dine Out Vancouver again! What is unique about Sip is that every dish is made of alcohol or at least used to be. Even though most of the alcohol is burned off in the cooking process, its a cool concept. For $18, you get a 3 course meal. I came here about 7 years ago for Dine Out and remembered it was good. CandiedZen and I came here since the menu looked OK and the price seemed right.

Beef Carpaccio is topped with Arugula, Garlic Aioli, and Aged Parmigianno. Delicious and the aioli worked nicely.

Tuna Tower has Sherry Marinated Albacore Tuna, Cool Coleslaw, and Tropical Pineapple. It tasted more like spicy tuna sashimi. You have the tuna on the first layer, and then layer 2 and 3 is the cracker.

Guinness Grilled Chicken has Free Range Organic Chicken, Roasted Garlic Mashed potatoes, Seasonal Veggies, and Guinness Gravy. The chicken was plenty moist, but the Guinness Gravy didn’t mad must taste to the chicken.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin is Bacon Wrapped with an Apple and Caramelized Onion Filling. It also has Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Season Veggies, and a Mushroom Strongbow Cider Pan Sauce. The pork was tender and plenty flavourful.

Frangelico Chocolate Cake was very thick with the chocolate ganache. It wasn’t that good.

New York Style Cheesecake was probably the best of the 2 desserts. It has a nice smooth texture and the fruity sauce worked well.

Overall, the food was just average, but paying $18 for 3 courses was acceptable. The staff was nice and attentive, but the tables were not as clean. It wasn’t as pretty as I remember from all those years ago.

We Rate Sip Resto Lounge:

Address:
1117 Granville St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.siplounge.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1117+Granville+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1117+Granville+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+2G6&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Gastown

Brioche: Unofficial Dine Out Menu 2013

January 30, 2013

Brioche has an unofficial Dine Out Menu featuring 4 courses for $19.90. There’s no way you would find out that they are offering this deal unless you step into their shop. They don’t even post it on their website.

The 4 courses include your choice of daily soups, salad, an entree, and a dessert. Not bad considering lunch itself if quite expensive. I decided to come dine here with ScienceMan because it was a great deal for the price we paid.

8 Bean Soup was definitely very hearty and filling.

Their other soup was a cream based soup. I wish I was paying attention to all the items that was in this soup, but sadly my memory fails me. Nonetheless, the 2 daily soups that they were offering tasted great.

Greek Salad had a lot of flavour and was a good portion too. Each item had a lot of dressing on it, so you can definitely taste the herb and spices.

Mixed Salad is another option of salad.

Lamb Shank was beautifully cooked! The meat was very tender and falling off the bone. Sitting in its delicious juices is a pile of spaghetti.

Mocha Creme Brulee was topped with strawberry and grapes.

Mixed Berry Cheesecake was good as well.

Overall the items were decent and the price was great for the 4 course meal. I would have never thought about coming here for dinner since it seemed more of a lunch place.

Words of Wisdom:

Food is a pricey and no visible pricing on dishes
Best in small groups
Panini’s are really good
Parking garage across the street. Discounted parking for SFU students after 6pm.

We rate Broioche:

Website:
http://www.brioche.ca/

Address:
401 West Cordova Street
Vancouver BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=401+West+Cordova+Street+Vancouver+BC&hnear=401+W+Cordova+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V6B+1E5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Bakery

Bagel Street Cafe: Mayo, Mustard, Salt & Pepper

January 29, 2013

A time before I started blogging, there would be one place I would go all the time. There was a small little cafe in the Kensington Plaza called Bagel Street Cafe. It is the place to get breakfast bagels in Burnaby. It is owned by a husband and wife and they have operated this cafe for way over ten years.

Every time you order a bagel, they always ask “mayo, mustard, salt, and pepper”. I giggle a little bit every time I hear them say this because its like an automated response. The owners can sometimes be grouchy, but are generally nice.

I ordered the egg florentine bagel on the everything bagel ($4.95). It’s a very simple bagel sandwich but they make it really good! You have the egg with the spinach, tomatoes, and spread.

Overall, the bagel sandwiches are great and not expensive at Bagel Street Cafe. They have a lot of different bagels too.

We Rate Bagel Street Cafe:

Address:
6552 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=6552+Hastings+St++Burnaby,+BC&hl=en&hnear=6552+Hastings+St,+Burnaby,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Bubble Tea

Cattle Cafe: All About the Laksa

January 28, 2013

Cattle Cafe has now opened 3 other locations in Richmond, Edmonds, and another on Kingsway. I usually just go to the original locations on Kingsway and Nelson. It’s open late and you get good value for what you pay.

The downside is the service. Its pretty meh, but you can probably get by. We’re experienced a whole range of attitudes from the servers in the past. We only really come here for a quick cheap meal.

Deep Fried Shrimp Skewers (6 for $3.99) looked pretty intriguing. A little bit cruel, but I love eating shrimp. The seasoning they used was good, but I think the shrimp themselves were not fresh, the meat was dry and may have been frozen at some point.

Iced Milk Tea is always a must at any HK style Cafe.

Malay Laksa Soup + fish tofu, beef brisket, and vermicelli noodles is a popular combination for their popular noodles. Mandu and KoreaGirl both ordered this and the loved it.

This was another noodle combination. I just pointed at a picture on the menu, but I didn’t have a clue what it is called. It’s quite big and there’s lots of noodles, but wasn’t as good as the laksa. Probably best to stick with laksa if you don’t want to be disappointed.

Overall, the food is ok for the price you pay. You can probably spend less than $10 and leave full. It’s a popular place to go to for late night meals and they even have a few other locations a few KMs away.

Words of Wisdom:

Parking Underground, street parking
Decently priced food
Noodles are their specialty and items on rice.
Limited seating, best to come in 2 or 4

We Rate Cattle Cafe:

Address:
4885 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4885+Kingsway+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=4885+Kingsway,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5H+4T2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Coquitlam

Sushi K Kamizato: Crazy Addictive Sushi

January 27, 2013

One of my favorite restaurants in 2012 and probably 2013 is Sushi K Kamizato in Port Coquitlam. Sushi K Kamizato is run by Chef Keith and his wife Chika in Port Coquitlam.

Salmon and Tuna Karaage comes complementary. It’s really addictive and a great start to the meal. My sister loves these, so every time we are here, she steals half of mine.

Seared Toro Nigiri is my favorite item on their menu. The toro just melts in your mouth! You don’t need any sauce for it, eating it in 2 bites is just perfection. You must order this!!!

Tuna Tataki Salad has spinach, peppers, carrots, and the chunks of tuna tataki on the centre. It’s really good too.

Salmon Sashimi has about 8 pieces and it’s really good quality salmon!

Grilled Aburi Saba comes with some sauteed cabbage and lemon on the side. The lemon definitely goes really well with it, so remember to squeeze it.

Torched Dynamite Roll isn’t on the menu, but having it torched adds a nice taste and texture to the roll.

OceanWiser Roll is a must try when you come here. It has raw ebi, salmon belly and cucumbers on the inside. It is topped with more salmon and avocado. It has its own sauce, so you don’t need to dip it in soy sauce.

PoCo Gunner was shrimp tempura and cucumber in the middle and topped with seared inari. Another popular roll.

Tuna Four-Ways isn’t on the menu, but it’s sometimes on their specials. It’s really good! He prepares tuna four different ways and extends the flavour and texture in each item. It must be eaten in order too. Definitely ask for this!

Pretty in Pink Roll is a special roll created to support anti-bullying. It has seared Japanese scallop in a bed of fresh spinach, brown rice, homemade salsa and garlic sauce. All held together with a pink soybean wrap and raspberry puree drizzle.$1 from each roll sold went towards the Boy & Girls Club of Greater Vancouver.

This is definitely a very healthy roll and it didn’t taste very good at all.

Chopped Scallop comes with 8 pieces and the scallops are large! You really get your moneys worth!

Saba Battera comes in 8 pieces and has mackerel and rice pressed into a box shape. Really good roll as well.

Green Tea Ice Cream is the same as anywhere else that would have green tea ice cream.

Overall, good service and food every time I come here. When the place is busy, expect your food to take a while longer. The strongest items on their menu are definitely anything from the sushi bar that’s raw. The cooked food is slightly lacking the saba is really good.

Words of Wisdom:

Small restaurant
Decently priced, but some items can be a bit expensive
All sushi comes with 8 pieces
Fresh ingredients
Grilled Aburi Saba, Seared Toro Nigiri, OceanWiser Roll, Tuna Tataki Salad, Agedashi Tofu, Salmon Sashimi, Tuna 4 ways, and Spicy & Shout Rolls is recommended!

We Rate Sushi Kamizato:

Address:
2850 Shaughnessy St, suite 2105

Website:
http://www.sushikkamizato.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2850+Shaughnessy+St,+suite+2105&hnear=2850+Shaughnessy+St+%232105,+Port+Coquitlam,+British+Columbia+V3C+6K5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Downtown

Go Go Thai Food: Lunch Specials and Take Out

January 25, 2013

Go Go Thai Food is located on Seymour Street across from Granville Skytrain and the Bay. Is a small little restaurant, but its popular with the lunch crowd for either Take Out or their good lunch specials. I met up with TaiwaneseGirl during our lunch break and decided to have their lunch special which contained a soup, appetizer and a curry for about $10.

Tom Yum Soup was very basic and there were only mushrooms in it. The taste is spicy and sour, thus giving the soup its distinctive taste.

Chicken Skewer was dry and didn’t really resemble fresh chicken. It tasted OK, but not great.

Spicy Green Curry with lamb was very very spicy. The menu had 3 hot peppers on it, but I ignored it since I thought I could handle it. It also comes with rice. The portion was a good size for lunch and you definitely get full.

Overall, the food was ok and had a good price. They have a lot of different curries, so you don’t have to get anything super spicy like what I accidentally did. The service was quick and we were able to get back to our offices in under 1 hour.

We Rate Go Go Thai Food:

Address:
682 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=682+Seymour+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=682+Seymour+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+3K6&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In All You Can Eat

Point Zero Four Fusion: Mediocre Hot Pot

January 23, 2013

Flo and I bought a voucher from SocialShopper to use at Point Zero Four Fusion. The voucher would entitle us to all you can eat hot pot for 2 people, plus a soup base of our choice, 2 drinks and 2 sauces. For $25 it wasn’t a bad deal at all.

After we bought it, our friends warned us about this place. We looked online and saw horrid reviews. I know it’s probably not good to read reviews before going to a restaurant. We tried to keep an open mind when we visited.

The interior is very large and has tons of seating!

We both had Sour Plum juice to go with the hot pot. It’s not a drink for everyone, but pairs nicely.

We added a few dollars to upgrade the drink to unlimited. The server wasn’t very keen on refilling our drinks and we ended up only drinking our 2 cups and the jug. We felt kinda ripped off since they said it was unlimited.

Satay Soup + Spicy soup wasn’t included in the voucher, so we added a few dollars to upgrade. There is definitely a few upgrades you need to do on top of the voucher to get a good experience.

Our frog legs, pork collar, sirloin beef, and grade beef.

Siu choy, tong ho, spinach, and baby bok choy.

Mushrooms, bean curd, tofu, fish, chicken, shrimp balls, beef ball, and cuttlefish balls.

black fungus, frozen tofu. pork blood, tofu puffs, and glutenous balls.

An incorrect amount of items arrived at our table. We only ordered 2 pieces of pork blood, but there was 6 pieces. We were not that thrilled about eating that much pork blood. The quality of most of the items on their all you can eat menu were OK, but not very amazing.

A few items we ordered did not arrive. We were missing some meat, oysters, noodles and some cooked items. We didn’t realize till the end but decided not to bother the waitress since she seemed very rude. The experience here was ok, but there are so many other hot pot restaurants around.

We Rate Point Zero Four Fusion:

Address:
8500 Alexandra Rd
Richmond, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=8500+Alexandra+Rd+Richmond,+BC&hnear=8500+Alexandra+Rd,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Gastown

Dish Crawl Vancouver: 4 Restaurants in 1 Night

January 21, 2013

Dish Crawl Vancouver launched near the end of last year to give locals and tourist a food adventure through 4 restaurants in a particular area of town for $60 per person. Imagine a pub crawl, but with restaurants. We are lead to 4 mysterious restaurants and we only know the first restaurant a day beforehand.

The DishCrawl I was on was showcasing the historical district of Gastown. There were 39 other people on this tour, so it was quite large. Each restaurant is within walking distance of each other, so all you need are your legs!

Catch 122

Our first stop was at Catch 122, lots of people arrived prior to the 7pm start. We got our name tags and sat down. I was joined by my foodie friends Sherman and Janice.

We literally filled the entire restaurant. The owner came around to each table and welcomed everyone. He told us a little about what we were having at Catch 122. If you needed drinks, you would have to prepay for it at the bar. We didn’t even get water, which was quite strange.

Chicken Cordon Bleu, Portobello Wild Mushroom Risotto & Beef Bourguignon

We had a sampling of their 3 popular dishes and it didn’t disappoint. I’ve had both the Chicken Cordon Bleu and the portobello wild mushroom risotto and they are awesome choices.

Terracotta Modern Chinese

Our second stop was at Terracotta Modern Chinese, which is located on the edge of Gastown. They opened in 2010 and have been serving their modern twist on Chinese food and tea cocktails.

We were seated downstairs and their staff told us about their restaurant. They also had aloe vodka cocktail on specials too.

Veggie spring roll, crispy fried beans & prawn wonton soup

The execution of the dishes was quite poor in my opinion. The crispy fried beans needed a dip of some sort to balance the flavours. The veggie spring roll was very oily and the wonton soup was very salty. The most delicious thing on the plate was the prawn wonton.

Brioche

Our third stop was Brioche. It’s quite a popular spot for lunch, but I was surprised they were open for dinner. They have some very delicious pasta and sandwiches.

Chef Eduardo Bilardello gathered us all in their main dining space and told us about the restaurant and his passion for cooking.

Tortellini with Italian sausage, pesto fusilli with seafood and penne with wild porcini mushroom sauce.

The dish at Brioche was the most filling of all the restaurants. Pretty good pasta dishes and the penne with wild porcini mushroom was my favorite.

Nuba

Nuba was our last stop for dessert. I know what you are thinking…Nuba for dessert? We were all surprised! We would never have guessed.

Nuba is best known for their amazing Lebanese cuisine.

Rosemary Mascarpone Mousse, Chocolate Quinoa Cake & Pistachio Mamoul, perfect way to finish the night! The 3 items had very different textures and tastes, but the best one on the plate was the Chocolate Quinoa Cake.

Overall, the DishCrawl is not for everyone. If you are a hardcore foodie like me, you might as well take your $60 and go have a nice meal at fancier restaurants. Since the restaurants are a mystery until you get there, you don’t really get a glimpse of what you will be having. It’s not necessarily a bad thing since some people like the mystery behind it all. If you are new to the city, you get a taste of 4 restaurants in 1 night! Perhaps somewhere along the way, you may find your favorite restaurant.

Even though I’ve been to all these restaurants before, I did learn a thing or two. Brioche has an unofficial dine out menu for $20 and its a great steal since lunch can be about $18. Nuba is a great place for dessert!

To check out DishCrawl Vancouver: www.dishcrawl.com/vancouver/

In Dineout

EBO Restaurant: Dine Out 2013

January 19, 2013

EBO or otherwise known as ‘East of Boundary’ is located inside Grandvilla Casino in Burnaby. I’m not a gambler, but I come here for some good food. I decided to come here for Dine Out with M since I’ve heard their menu is amazing and only $28.

The interior is very beautiful and can seat lots of people. Our server Michael was very nice and helped us make some decisions.

Complementary Bread arrived at the table and there were 3 different varieties, which was great.

Wild Mushroom Soup has Mushroom Terrine, Truffled Brioche Coal, and Feta. I know the picture isn’t appetizing, but this soup is SO AMAZING. It was a good portion and if I could die in a pool full of this soup, I would be so happy. Definitely recommended!!!

Tuna is encrusted in a crisp rice crust, with Dungeness Crab, Avocado Puree, Compressed Watermelon on the plate. The portion was definitely way smaller than the soup. M thought this dish was ok, but preferred the wild mushroom soup instead.

Roasted Duck Confit is has curried butternut squash puree, white bean stew, and maple gel. It was very tender and had a crisp skin, but the duck was salty. If you want something less salty, maybe stick with the steelhead option.

Grilled Lamb Chops Barley (Additional $7) has braised neck, Sunchokes, and Salsa Verde. We were so excited to see the lamb chops on the menu that we didn’t see the addition $7 charge for this dish. It makes sense since this dish is originally $33 on the menu. M got the lamb medium and was cooked perfectly.

Chocolate Pot de Crème, Momon, Crispy Chocolate Bits

Looking at the menu, you probably have no idea what will arrive at your table. M imagined a chocolate cake, but it was more like a small chocolate mousse, cake and bits. It still tasted good.

Poached Pineapple, Spiced Filo, Almond Cake

This dessert was pretty good and I enjoyed it. A good end to the meal.

At the end we even got white chocolates with a passionfruit filling.

Overall, the $28 menu at EBO was pretty good. You just need to choose which item appeals to your palate . I totally wish I chose the steelhead instead of the duck. Just looking at their regular menu, you are definitely saving when getting the Dine Out menu.

We Rate EBO Restaurant :

Address:
4331 Dominion St
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.eborestaurant.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4331+Dominion+St+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=4331+Dominion+St,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5G+1B2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In American

Joeys Burnaby: Ahi Tuna Deliciousness

January 17, 2013

I got a lovely email from Joeys with a $50 gift card for the holidays. A nice surprise, so I decided to have dinner with ShyGirl. Joeys has come a long way and I remember a time when they only had one location in Coquitlam. Super addictive place! That was probably 5 or 6 years ago.

I always wanted to try having dinner here and see how the menu has evolved. Joeys Burnaby location is in the old location of Shark Club near Brentwood Mall.

The location is quite nice and their menu has slowly evolved over the years. It’s definitely funny to see sushi on the menu.

Sapporo ($6) is a beer that I must have and it’s on tap too! It’s light and crisp.

Ahi Tuna Tacos ($12) has seared tuna, toasted sesame ginger coleslaw & wasabi aioli. It’s not spicy at all. It tasted great and the sesame and tuna is a perfect match. I’d definitely recommend this item, but it can be a tad expensive.

Sashimi Tuna Salad ($17.50) has seared rare ahi, mixed greens, mango, peanuts, avocado & cilantro mint lime dressing. I had no idea what to expect from the salad but when it arrived at the table, it was SO pretty. I really didn’t want to eat it since it looked like art.

After staring at it for a long time, I dug in and the flavours were really good. But for $17.50, it was an expensive salad!

Rotisserie Chicken ($22) comes with its natural juices, dirty rice & seasonal vegetables.

Overall, the food was delicious and presented nicely on the plate, but it sure is quite expensive. You still get a great meal and the service is great as well. There is free valet parking in the parkade too.

We Rate Joeys Burnaby:

Address:
1899 Rosser Ave S
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.joeyrestaurants.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1899+Rosser+Ave+S+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=1899+Rosser+Ave,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5C+6R5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Cafe Savoureux: It’s Coffee Time

January 16, 2013

Cafe Savoureux is located in Richmond on Capstan Way near all those other bubble tea and dessert restaurants. After having Cruzpresso’s Bday dinner at Dinesty, we headed over to this place for some coffee.

This place is known for their coffee and has a variety of different types. If you’re not a coffee drinker, they have teas, slushies, and desserts.

The interior is cute and has very ornate plates and teacups on the walls.

They even have Kopi Luwak for $60! Kopi Luwak is coffee made from the beans of coffee berries eaten and excreted by civets. I’ve only heard about this on the news, but apparently its very good coffee.

Another coffee specialty is the Syphon Style Coffee. It gives you a clean pristine cup of coffee. A few of us ordered the coffee and they said it was really good!

Earl Grey Tea ($5.95) comes in a cute pot and tiny tea cup. The candle underneath keeps it warm.

Floating Coffee ($4.95) has iced coffee with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. M didn’t particularly like this but it might have been due to the funky ice cream cone cup.

Walnut Cheesecake came with the coffee and tea since there was a combo special when we went. It was decent cheesecake but it wasn’t crazy good.

Chocolate Toast ($2.95) is Nutella on top of thick toast.

Condenseed Milk Toast ($2.95) has drizzle of condensed milk on top.

Creme Caramel ($4.95) is quite average too.

Overall, the drinks were good, but the desserts were average. Cafe Savoureux is a nice place to have a drink of tea or coffee but you can probably pass on the desserts.

We Rate Cafe Savoureaux:

Address:
8368 Capstan Way
Richmond, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=8368+Capstan+Way+Richmond,+BC&hnear=8368+Capstan+Way,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6X&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

Fung Sing Cafe: New Hong Kong Style Cafe

January 15, 2013

Fung Sing Cafe is a new Hong Kong style cafe. This cafe was previously Sun Yee Cafe Restaurant but has switched owners and a new menu to go along with it. The owner of Fung Sing Cafe was a chef at Curry King and opened Fung Sing Cafe to call his own.

The interior isn’t amazing but there are large tables if you want to come in big groups.

Depend on what set you order, it might come with soup. They have 3 types of soup – cream soup, Chinese soup, and Russian borscht. All of them tasted pretty good. Everyone at our table had their own favorite soup. I personally love cream soup.

Cold Milk Tea is always a must when going to a HK style cafe.

House Special Beef Short Ribs ($10.50) has lots of short ribs and was tender. Pretty solid dish.

Sweet and Sour Pork ($10.50) was really good. I usually hate sweet and sour pork but they make it really good here! The breading is thin, so you can taste the pork inside. Definitely recommended!!

2 item sizzling combination ($12.95) comes with your choice of any 2 meat choices, soup, drink, a sauce and a side. I chose the rib eye steak and the chicken steak. I also chose the side of vegetables and mushroom sauce.

Choice of 2 combinations ($9.95) thats what the menu said what this was. Essentially you choose 2 meats, a sauce, and a side. It also comes with a choice of sauce and drink. Kgirl chose her option with fries.

This is what it looks like if you chose rice as a side.

This one would be the one with the side of vegetables.

It’s a pretty good value for under $10 and you get full. This option is very popular.

4 of us ordered the same thing. It’s simple and good.

Baked Ying Yang Rice (King Size -$9.50) is a must order! It’s huge! It’s so large that I have no idea who would be able to finish it.

Trust me, it’s quite large even if the pictures don’t 100% justify the size. It tastes good and its worth your money!

You can get a choice of dessert if you order a set item. There are 3 options – Mango pudding, tapioca with coconut milk, and ice cream crepe.

The mango pudding is quite plain but still a nice ending to the meal.

The coconut milk with tapioca is typical of a Chinese restaurant, but still good.

The ice cream crepe was a surprise to see.

Once you cut into it, the ice cream just oozes out. Really cool and a fun desssert for kids.

Overall, Fung Sing Cafe is pretty solid and we had no complaints. The price is very reasonable, staff were nice, and food was decent. I’d definitely come back for some of their specials!

Words of Wisdom:

You gotta order Choice of 2 combinations and the Baked Ying Yang Rice
Free parking at rear

We Rate Fung Sing Cafe:

Address:
2128 East Hastings St
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://fungsingcafe.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2128+East+Hastings+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=2128+E+Hastings+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5L+1V2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]