British Columbia Archives - Page 104 of 138

In Chinatown

Foo’s Ho Ho: Eerie Dining Experience

October 6, 2012

Foo’s Ho Ho is known to be the oldest Chinese restaurant in Vancouver. Since it has such a funny name, I decided to bring M and S here for lunch. When we arrived at 12pm, all the signs said the restaurant was closed. The door was open, so we walked inside and there was one customer but no staff to be seen. We decided to leave and walk around the block but didn’t find anything else cool enough to eat. So, we called the restaurant back because we knew it was open. We called twice and they told us they were open.

We went back but the signs said it was still closed. The chef had to seat us down as there was only one server. We were very confused by how disorganized this restaurant is. This restaurant has been on magazines an attract lots of tourist, so it was strange how they were not prepared.

The interior is very outdated, but some people like it because it gives them nostalgia of when this place use to be the “it” place to go for Chinese food.

Hot and Sour Soup was alright. It could of been more spicy in my opinion.

Curry Chicken had lots of onions, peppers, and celery. It tasted ok as well.

Beef chow fun has a nice char on the noodles and the meat.

Overall, our experience was quite poor and the food was also mediocre. I had high hopes for this restaurant since it has been around for lots of years and has a rich history. The organization is poorly executed and they didn’t even have fried rice.

Words of Wisdom:

Long rich history since the 50’s and 60’s
Village-style type of Chinese food

We Rate Foos Ho Ho:

Address:
102 E Pender St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.fooshoho.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=102+E+Pender+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=102+E+Pender+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+2V2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Coquitlam

Sushi Kamizato: New Japanese Restaurant in PoCo

October 5, 2012

Sushi Kamizato is a new Japanese restaurant that opened up 4 months ago in Port Coquitlam. It is Japanese owned and they serve awesome sushi and its very different from Sushi Town or California Sushi. The owners stay true to their roots and make sushi like how it can be found in Southern Japan.

There are only about 22 seats in the restaurant, so it’s a bit tricky to fit large parties here unless you arrange with them ahead of time.

Try to strike a conversation with the sushi chef or the waitress, they can be helpful in deciding what to order. They are also extremely nice.

Green Tea is complementary! It’s good too.

When we arrived at the table, we got a complementary appetizer. I think it as like a seafood karrage. It was really good and my little sister love it so much that she ate most of it.

Aburi Saba is seared saba with a miso sauce on top. It was so good!

Asian Nachos have sheets of deep-fried wonton sheets with a mixture of tuna, avocado and tomatoes. It’s very different from regular nachos, but it tastes good!

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

Aburi Beef Carpaccio was tender and lightly seared on the outside.

Some slices could have been a bit thinner, but the flavours were still good.

Ocean Wiser has raw ebi, salmon belly and cucumbers on the inside. It is topped with more salmon and avocado.

It has it’s own sauce, which makes this roll deliciously flavourful!

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

Tiger eyes is one of their special nigiri rolls. Rice is wrapped with seared salmon belly and topped with chopped scallop mixture. It tasted so good! The salmon belly just melts in your mouth! So good!

Overall, I was impressed by their menu and how creative they are with their dishes. They aren’t trying to be like the other sushi restaurant around town. If you are looking for something different and creative, come to Sushi Kamizato!

Words of Wisdom:

Small restaurant
Decently priced, but some items can be a bit expensive
Fresh ingredients

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

Miku Restaurant: Aburi Sushi Gourmet Cuisine

October 4, 2012

Miku has been around since 2008 serving delicious Japanese food. They are best known for their aburi style sushi. It’s sear-flamed sushi. You won’t need any soy sauce or wasabi with any of their items.I’ve heard much about it, but it took me a long time to finally dine here. The thing is that it is a bit expensive and dinner can burn a hole in your pocket.

The interior is very open and has lots of natural light. It is highly recommended to have reservations as they are really busy.

Green Tea was good! The servers also did a great job diligently filling up the cup too. It was never empty.

Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi ($14) has local salmon pressed and dressed with soy & Miku sauce, topped with jalapéno. This is what you must get! It’s so good!

Aburi Sashmi ($25) is a trio of aburi sashimi paired with house made sauces

Rainbow Salad ($18) has 6 kinds of sashimi, avocado, organic greens, and tosazu jelly. It was really good! The acidity from the jelly really complimented the delicate taste of the sashimi.

Soba Pepperoncino ($15) has squid, sweet pepper, shiitake, jalapeno, garlic, and tempura bits.

Green Tea Opera ($10) has green tea sponge infused with espresso and frangelico liquer, green tea butter cream, dark chocolate ganache, azuki bean cream, green tea sauce, and green tea ice cream.

Cherry Panna Cotta ($10) has vanilla bean panna cotta, cherry and amaretto infused sauce, cherry compote, sesame crumble, almond tuile cookie, cherry vanilla ice cream and sorbet. The presentation was really cool! I was definitely impressed.

Overall, I loved the entire meal! The service was amazing with great attention shown by the servers. This place is expensive for certain dishes, but you will fall in love with their aburi sushi for sure! Its a great place to take your girlfriends or your significant other.

We Rate Miku restaurant:

Address:
1055 W Hastings St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
mikurestaurant.com

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1055+W+Hastings+St+Vancouver,+BC&hl=en&hnear=1055+W+Hastings+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6C+0B2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Chinese

Excellent Tofu & Snack 好好豆品專門店: Tofu Dessert in Richmond

October 2, 2012

Excellent Tofu & Snack makes in-house tofu desserts and soy milk! M, TaiwaneseGirl, and I were eating at Dinesty and decided to take a trip to have tofu dessert. I love tofu dessert, so I never miss a trip for some yum yum tofu! The last time I came here was 2 years ago and I really wanted to come back.

The shop is very plain looking on the inside and outside, but the tofu dessert is the star of the show!

Menus are in English, Chinese, and Japanese.

Soy pudding with grass jelly ($3.50) was what I ordered. It tastes very bland without any sugar, so you will want to add ginger syrup or liquid sugar for more taste. I love it because it’s healthy!

Soy Pudding with red bean and coconut milk ($4) was what M ordered. He thought it was OK since he’s not too use to eating this.

Soy Pudding with Basil Seeds ($3.50) came warm instead of cold. All our other orders were really cold. We asked them to exchange it for a colder one and they did fix it.

There are items you can add into your tofu dessert – peanuts, ginger and liquid sugar.

Overall, I do really love this place. I also purchased a big tub of sweetened tofu dessert to bring home! It was devoured so quickly too!

Words of Wisdom:

Parking in the parking lot, but it’s usually full during peak hours. Alternative parking at Aberdeen Mall or Parker Place.
Tofu dessert is a must!
Really inexpensive, should cost you less than $5
They also sell a variety of soy drinks and soy desserts to go.

We rate Excellent Tofu & Snack :

Address:

160-4231 Hazelbridge Way
Richmond, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=160-4231+Hazelbridge+Way+Richmond,+BC&hnear=4231+Hazelbridge+Way,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V6X+3L7&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Italian

Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria: Italian Restaurant in North Burnaby

October 1, 2012

Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria is a new restaurant located in North Burnaby. Anducci’s used to be in the same location. They serve italian cuisine with authentic Neapolitan pizza and classic Italian dishes. It’s a nice change to have more restaurant like these in the area. There is available parking in front and around the adjacent streets.

I came with Lensflaaare and Flo to chill after a long day.

I ordered a beer as it was a nice day out on the patio. What better way to de-stress with some beer.

Limoncello was very tiny like a shot. We thought it would be more like a cocktail type of drink since it was a bit expensive. Lensflaaare really tried to savour this drink.

Calamari Fritto ($11) is crispy fried squid with roasted roma tomato and salsa verde. It was crispy on the outside with alight batter. The squid was tender and delicious.

Gnocchi Patata (Small -$12) has fried potato gnocchi, Sloping Hill pancetta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, arugula, and herb oil. I really liked this dish because it was a different way the gnocchi was prepared. I’ve never had fried gnocchi before.

Papardelle Carbonara (Small-$12) has Two Rivers guanciale, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, roast garlic, and a 63 degree egg in the center. The egg really pulled the dish together nicely. The crunchy guanciale is really yummy!

Pizza Carne ($16) has guanciale, pancetta, sopressata, coppa, Grana Padano, and San Marzano tomato. I love meat, especially cured meats. The dough had bits where it was burnt and the center could have been more crunchy.

It didn’t come with olive oil or chilli oil, so we had to ask them to bring some over.

Overall, the food was good, but a bit pricey. My favorite items were definitely the pasta. It’s a great new addition to the neighbourhood!

We Rate Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria:

Address:
6011 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.cotto.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=6011+Hastings+St+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=6011+Hastings+St,+Burnaby,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V5B+4A1&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Chinese

Ken’s Chinese Restaurant: Signature Dishes

September 28, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: ChineseBites.com approached us to try a few signature dishes at Ken’s Chinese Restaurant. Although the meal was complimentary, the views and opinions expressed are entirely our own.

In early August, Foodology.ca headed out to Kingsway with the regular ChineseBites crew (Raymond, Sherman, Rick, Kevin, Janice and Romina) to try a few signature dishes at Ken’s Chinese Restaurant. The first dish our merry little crew dug into was the Lobster with Konyaku Hotpot. This was a great way to kick start the meal as we were all quite hungry and the lobster was cooked perfectly. I was not entirely sure why this warranted CRA recognition as I have had better lobster in Vancouver but the dish was still quite good. The lobster meat was very tender and flavorful and the portion was quite generous.

The second dish we dug into was Golden Dungeness Crab. This dish was interesting in that it is a standard fried crab dish but coated in an egg yolk coating. Personally, I prefer my crab prepared differently but this dish was actually pretty good. You could definitely taste the richness of the egg yolk along with a subtle saltiness which complimented the crab meat well.

The third dish we tried was a plate of Free Range Chicken. I really liked this dish as the chicken was very fresh and prepared very well. The skin was slightly rubbery but tasty and the actual white meat was very moist and delicious. I could have eaten this plain or with rice, served with a side of ginger. Note: We didn’t end up ordering any bowls of white rice as we ordered a lot of food already.

Our fourth dish is not something I usually order at a Chinese restaurant but still turned out quite delicious: Grilled Rack of Lamb w/ Black Pepper Sauce. I am a big fan of lamb so I ended up loving this dish, the meat was moist and well cooked with a beautiful grill top sear. The black pepper sauce was quite strong but went boldly with the strong red meat.

The fifth dish we tried was the Stewed Pork Hock w/ Peanuts. This is definitely something I could see my parents ordering as it was definitely very traditional home cooking. The dark soy definitely lent a deep, rich flavor profile to this dish and the long stew successfully made the meat tender. Due to the high heat, the peanuts were soft but not mushy which I appreciated.

The sixth dish we had was the Stewed Oxtail. I was excited to try this as I had just tried a delicious oxtail ramen the night before but was pretty disappointed with this dish. The meat was nowhere near as tender as I would have liked. Technically being a stew type dish. I definitely would have liked to see the meat falling off the bone. The included vegetables were also not that flavorful so overall, a pretty disappointing offering.

Thankfully, after the disappointing stew, our seventh dish was a delicious Stewed Pork Belly. When this dish first arrived at the table, I was a little concerned at the huge layer of fatty tissue but after taking my first bite, I was in love. The pork belly was prepared so perfectly that the cut literally dissolved on my tongue. The rich dark sauce was delicious and actually made me want to eat the accompanying broccoli. Overall, one of my favorite dishes of the evening and something I would definitely order again.

Our eighth dish was quite simply Ox Tongue. I cannot recall who ordered this but I very rarely eat this type of delicacy so was a little apprehensive. My first bite into my ox tongue made all my worries vanish as the meat was actually very good! I really dislike dishes like liver and was expecting the ox tongue to be of a similar consistency but it was much better. Again, the dark sauce helped a lot and seemingly goes well with anything served at Ken’s.

The ninth and tenth dishes of the evening were Four Seasons Green Beans and Salmon Roe Fried Rice. I just want to note here that by this point in the meal, I was beyond full. The heavy meat based meal definitely took its toll on my gastronomic prowess. I tried a couple green beans and a small bowl of fried rice but could not really fully enjoy either. From what I remember, the salmon roe rice was decent but not altogether flavorful. I believe the intent was for the rice to be somewhat bland to support the heavily flavored main dishes. The green beans were firm and you could definitely taste the garlic and shredded pork seasoning with every bite.

To wrap up with a few final thoughts, there was a lot of food served and other than one clear miss, the food really was very good. Our dinner definitely was dominated by meat entrees but it was clear that Ken’s can do a variety of dishes very well. On a return visit with a smaller group, I would definitely go for a few bowls of plain white rice and a couple meat dishes. The lobster and crab dishes were good but there are definitely better places for similar dishes but the meat dishes were definitely very strong.

Words of Wisdom:

Definitely go for the rich Pork Belly with a few bowls of white rice
Skip the Oxtail Stew but give the Grilled Rack of Lamp a try
Go with friends/family that love meat, you will not be disappointed

We Rate Ken’s Chinese Restaurant:

Address:
1097 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC, Canada
604-873-6338

Website:
http://www.kenschineserestaurant.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1097+Kingsway+Vancouver,+BC,+Canada&hl=en&hnear=1097+Kingsway,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V5V+3C9&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Salt Spring Coffee: Fair-Trade Coffee Shop in Vancouver

September 26, 2012

Salt Spring Coffee was just named Best Fair Trade Coffee Shop in Vancouver for 2011 and 2012 according to The Georgia Strait. The coffee shop sells a variety of drinks such as Happy Planet, San Pellegrino, juice, tea and of course coffee. They also sell pastries and sandwiches.

I came here since I needed some wi-fi to get some work done. Plus, I was getting bored with Starbucks coffee. This place is a definite refresher.

I also needed a snack and caffeine to make my day complete.

Soy latte ($3.05 +$0.75) was very smooth and had a nice strong flavour. I had to add $0.75 cents for soy, which was a bit much in my opinion. Nonetheless, it still tasted good.

Chocolate Croissant is flaky on the outside with 2 chocolate stick inside. It tasted alright.

Overall, it s a good atmosphere just to study or do work. When I was here, there was a bunch of people on their Macbooks.

Words of Wisdom:

Complementary Wifi and electrical plugs available
Tables inside and outside
Friendly service
Great tasting fair-trade Coffee

We Rate Salt Spring Coffee:

Address:
4295 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.saltspringcoffee.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4295+Main+St+Vancouver,+BC&hl=en&hnear=4295+Main+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V5V+3P9&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Downtown

Michael Angelos Mega Slice Pizza & Donair: Pizza with Personality

September 25, 2012

Mega Slice Pizza & Donair is located below The Network Hub and very close to SFU Harbour Centre. From 11am to 2pm on weekdays, they have slices of pizza for 99 cents. As we obviously didn’t come at that time, we had to pay regular price.

The pricing is a little bit strange, but for 2 slices of pizza and a complementary pop, it came out to be under $5.

The star of the restaurant isn’t the food, it is the man behind the food. Michael Angelo or so he calls himself has an awesome flamboyant personality. He is able to speak Korean, Cantonese and Mandarin. He’s not fluent, but he is able to get a few giggles from his customers. A lot of international students come here for lunch.

You can see the different pizza that they offer. We came here very late so, there wasn’t a lot of variety. He can create some special for you, if you are able to wait.

I settled with a can of coke, donair pizza, and a pepperoni mega slice. I threw some ranch sauce on top. The pizza was surprisingly very filling. I could only finish one and a half slices. It probably has something to do with the crust. I prefer my crusts a bit thinner.

Overall, the pizza is quite mediocre since it isn’t as fresh as it could be. My friend ordered the donair and it was huge! One thing is for sure, you won’t leave here hungry since the portions are big.

We Rate Michael Angelos Mega Slice Pizza & Donair:

Address:
420 Richards Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://megaslicepizza.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=420+Richards+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=420+Richards+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V6B+2Z3&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cambodian

Indochine Kitchen + Bar: Wings and Import Beer Specials

September 22, 2012

Indochine is located on Broadway and Ontario St. They have menu items influence by South Asian countries such as Thai, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. After heading from Science World, we drove a few minutes and decided to come here for the Wednesday special of half price wings and $4.99 import beers. Past visitors have remarked a few items are similar to popular restaurant – Phnom Penh. It is indeed related to Indochine! Same family of restaurants, but Indochine is higher end.

They have some good specials on other nights too! Notably Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday.

The interior has a large bar with lots of TVs surrounding the room. It’s a great place to see the game or just kick back for a few drinks.

Heineken ($4.99)

Vietnamese Iced Coffee took a long time to arrive at the table. M finished half his beer before my drink even arrived. The taste was good, but the wait was long.

Indochine Garlic Butter Chicken Wings ($4.75) comes with garlic chips and lemon pepper dipping sauce. It was delicious and the most popular item in Indochine. Hands down, awesome! It is also similar to Phnom Penh but its in smaller portions.

Sriracha Buffalo Wings ($4.75) has traditional buffalo wings marinated with Sriracha hot sauce. It wasn’t too spicy either.

Honey Garlic Wings ($4.75) has deep-fried wings glazed with a honey garlic sauce. We enjoyed these and had a good balance of sauce ratio.

Butter Beef Carpaccio ($12) has buttery slices of raw beef in a citrus Vietnamese vinaigrette, garlic chips and cilantro. It’s a very popular item and people order this because it’s a popular item found at Phnom Penh. During our visit at Indochine, when our butter beef carpaccio arrived, the meat was warm and threw off the entire taste and texture of the dish.

Singaporean Laksa ($8.75) has rice vermicelli noodles in a spicy seafood coconut curry broth with prawns, tofu puffs, fish balls, Fish slices, a hardboiled egg and bean sprouts. It was a decent size, but it was definitely a hard dish to share. The flavours of the broth was very good and not too spicy. We enjoyed it.

Overall, the food was good during the 1/2 priced Wings on Wednesday, but I felt the regular prices are a bit expensive. A lot of people compare Phnom Penh and Indochine, but they have different target demographics, so if you have Phnom Penh expectations, you may be disappointed. Portion sizes and prices are different.

We Rate Indochine:

Address:
1 E Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.indochinekitchen.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1+E+Broadway+Vancouver,+BC+V5T&hnear=1+E+Broadway,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+1W1&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Bar and Grill

House of Wings Restaurant & Lounge: 37 Cent Wings on Sundays

September 19, 2012

House of Wings Restaurant and Lounge is located in Highgate Mall in South Burnaby. They are quite popular on Sundays for $0.37 cent wings on Sundays. There are no lineups unlike Wings a few blocks away. People usually come here if they want to avoid the line up at Wings.

You need to order a beverage with your wings. Alternatively, your group can share a pitcher to avoid everyone getting a drink. It saves money and the people who want to drink can drink.

The interior was very narrow and the decor was very bare and boring. There are a few large tables, so they can accomodate large groups.

There is a long list of dry and wet wings. What is cool about the menu is that there are a few unusual flavours such as peanut butter & jelly, Fire & Ice, and zippen pepper. The minimum amount per flavour is 10.

Pint of Beer ($9.99) they didn’t have a large amount of beers on their tap, so we just ordered any beer that was light.

We all ordered 60 wings and shared it amongst 6 people. The sizes were a bit on the small size and not as juicy as they could be.

Buffalo Wings were very very saucy, so your fingers do get very dirty. The taste was a tad spicy, but not too bad. If they cut down the amount of sauce, that would be good.

Roasted Red pepper and Garlic Wings was everyone’s favorite. It had good overall flavour.

Cheesy Parmesan Wings was really bad. You could barely taste the cheesy flavour.

Greek Wings looked exactly like the Cheesy Parmesan Wings. We couldn’t tell the difference.

Honey Garlic Wings tasted ok, but it went really cold very fast. I guess that can be said about all of the other wings too.

Salt & Pepper Wings is always a good choice anywhere you go. I liked it.

Overall, the wings and service were satisfactory. We ordered one ranch and one blue cheese dip and she brought us 2 ranch dips and confused everyone at the table. I wouldn’t come in for any other day but Sunday because regular price for what you get is kinda a rip off especially when Wings is a few blocks away. We were all kinda hungry, but we didn’t want to order more.

Words of Wisdom:

Come only on Sundays for wings and beer specials
Make reservations for large group

We Rate House of Wings:

Address:
7155 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC V5E1E9

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=7155+Kingsway+Burnaby,+BC+V5E1E9&hl=en&hnear=7155+Kingsway,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5E+0A6&t=m&z=16 “]

In Korean

Potter’s Garden Korean BBQ: Bibimbap, Seolleongtang, tteok-manduguk, and Sangyetang

September 17, 2012

Potter’s Garden Korean BBQ (항아리갈비) is located on Kingsway in South Burnaby a few blocks away from Metropolis. This restaurant opened a few years ago and serves up traditional Korean cuisine.

They have a happy hour special from 10am to 3pm, a large amount of their items are cheaper. When I arrived, we just missed their specials, so we had to pay regular price.

With most Korean meals, they offer a series of Banchan – complementary side dishes. There was kimchi, bean sprouts, seaweed, and potatoes. Each person at the table had their own favorite item. They were all delicious.

Bibimbap ($7.95) has steamed rice with vegetables, beef, and egg. You mix it up and you can put in some red pepper paste to add more taste. There is also the stone bowl option, but my mom wanted this version of it. The bowl was huge! You really get your bang for your buck!

Seolleongtang ($8.95) is a milky soup made of simmered bones and meat for 24 hours. There are noodles and slices of beef. The broth was very band when it arrives at the table, so you need to add a lot of salt to improve the taste. You also get a small bowl of rice on the side. The portion was huge, but I probably wouldn’t order it again.

Tteok-manduguk ($8.95) has sliced rice cakes with dumplings in soup. It was really good! The portion was also huge and the broth was just SO GOOD.

Samgyetang ($16.95) has a chicken stuffed with rice, dates, and ginseng in a broth. It’s an expensive dish since it’s only serves one person. It’s probably expensive because it has a whole small-sized chicken. It also take a long time to prepare, so you will most likely be the last person served.

Overall, the food was good and traditional. Some items are a hit and miss, but thats just because I’m not used to some of the dishes. The prices are great between 10am and 3pm, so I would return if I’m in the area.

Words of Wisdom:

Prices can be under $10
Each table has a bell to ring for service (pretty cool)
Lots of free parking

We Rate Potters Garden:

Address:
5599 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”380″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=5599+Kingsway+Burnaby,+BC+V5H4W7&hl=en&hnear=5599+Kingsway,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5H+2G5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Sandwich

Sunset Burger: Closes and Becomes Ace Burger Bar

September 14, 2012

Earlier in the month, I decided to use up my Groupon at Sunset Burgers on Nelson St. before it expires. The Groupon was $10 for $20 worth of food. It was set to expire at the end of the month…so good thing I used it since it closed and has become Ace Burger Bar.

If you haven’t used up your Groupon yet, I would suggest getting in contact with Groupon to get your money back.

As for Ace Burger Bar, it has completely new ownership but does serve similar items. I haven’t been there yet, so I am not sure if Ace Burger Bar is good or not.

Below are some pictures of what I had at Sunset Burgers before it closed.

Canned Limonata

Poutine

Cheese Burger

Bacon Cheeseburger

In Mount Pleasant/Main Street

Cray Kitchen + Bar: Cray-vings Dining Package

September 13, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Cray-vings” dining package and write a review about it. I got a complementary dining package for myself and I brought along CandiedZen to keep the review as unbiased as I could.

Cray Kitchen + Bar on Main street near Broadway serves Louisiana Style Crawfish and seafood. If you’ve ever heard of Crab Pot in Seattle, it’s like that but with plastic bags and lots of aromatic sauce. I came here with CandiedZen to check this place out.

Vaneats.ca currently has a dining package called “Cray-vings”, which you can get the following for only $18.50 for a limited time.

1/2 lb of Crawfish, shipped live from Louisana
1/2 lb of Shrimp, shipped from Thailand/Ecuador
Cod Nuggets, deep fried and crispy (3 pieces)
Deep Fried Oysters, spiced in a Louisana cajun fry batter (2 pieces)
Cajun Fries, cajun spice peppered

The interior was nice and has a good amount of seating. It’s good for large groups too, unfortunately, they don’t take reservations on Fridays and Saturdays.

The menu

When you order the Cajun Seafood Boil, your table will be lined with a large parchment paper and come with a bucket with bibs, paper towels, and gloves. Eating this type of seafood is messy and you don’t want to get any of your clothes dirty.

The first basket of goodies that arrive are 3 piece of cod nuggets, 2 deep-fried oyster, and a bed of cajun fries.

The Cod Nuggets are very very delicious! The outer batter is crispy and thin, so you can taste the amazing light and moist texture of the cod. I would highly recommend this!

Deep Fried Oyster were very large and plump. When I bit into them, it was very moist and flavourful! Even a bit of juice started running down my fingers. Highly recommend these as well!

Cajun Fries were crispy on the outside and seasoned with cajun spice. I thought it was ok, nothing too impressive.

You also get 3 dips to go along with your item – Tartar sauce, ketchup and spicy mayo.

As we waited for the 1/2 lb shrimp and 1/2 lb crayfish to arrive, we prepared ourselves by reading instruction and putting on our bibs. We didn’t bother with putting on gloves since we wanted to get down and dirty with our meal.

Our Cajun Seafood Boil came with choices of seasoning and spicy level. We chose the Mild Cray Mix ( Juicy Cajun +Garlic Butter +Lemon Pepper). It arrives on your table in a plastic bag.

The Crawfish were very tiny and it was just like a mini lobster. All of their Crawfish is shipped from Louisiana. You can acquire meat from this creature from its tail and claws. This wasn’t our favorite item since it takes a bit of effort to get a little bit of meat. Another problem, the meat had very little flavour from the sauce, so you need to dunk it into the sauce to add more favour to it.

Most of the crawfish is our bag was fresh, but there was one that was completely black on the inside. I’m not sure what happened here, but we decided not to eat it and discard it. If you come across one that looks like that…its probably best not to eat it.

The shrimps are from Ecuador and very massive. It’s almost the size of a spot prawn. It had a lovely sweet flavour to it. I would highly recommend the shrimp!

Our table definitely got messy. After eating everything that was part of the package, we were still hungry and craving more items, so we ordred more.

I saw that they had Sapporo on tap, so I got a pint of it to enjoy more of the meal! It’s one of my favorite beers. It was about $7 or $8 for a pint.

1lb of Clams ($11.99) in a mild garlic butter sauce. The clams tasted great in the sauce, but I felt the clams were a tad bit small. We ate these pretty fast since the bag is mostly the shells.

1 lb of Shrimp ($10.99) in a medium Cray mix sauce. I did enjoy the sauce more when you increase the spiciness of it. It definitely adds a lot more flavour.

Overall, the concept of getting messy with your food is very fun! I would definitely come here again, but I would not order the crawfish. I would order the cod nuggets, deep-fried oysters and the shrimp. Parking was a bit difficult since it was on a major street, so I parked a few blocks down in a residential area. Service was ok, but we felt it was a bit awkward at times.

You won’t get full by just having the amount of items included in the dining pass. you probably want to add an extra appetizer or a few extra pounds of seafood like what we did. Nonetheless, if you haven’t experienced getting down and dirty with your meal, I think the dining pass is a good opportunity to do that and try new types of food. You can get the dining pass at Vaneats.ca for $18.50.

Words of Wisdom:

Best to make reservations just in case it gets busy
Shrimps are massive and so are the deep fried oysters and cod nuggets
Metered parking a long the streets
Don’t wear white

We Rate Cray Kitchen + Bar:

Address:
2470 Main Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.getcray.com/

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In Granville Island

Sandbar Seafood Restaurant: $12 Mussel Mania

September 11, 2012

The Sandbar Restaurant has a happy hour special for mussels called “mussel mania” in their Teredo Lounge. It includes mussels, fries, and a pint of Granville Island Beer for $12. It used to be $10, but prices have risen. You can get this on the weekday from 3-6pm. It’s a good deal considering Sandbar is a bit expensive for dinner.

KoreanGirl, CanuckGirl and I came here to grab a quick bite.

It wasn’t very busy inside, nor was the Teredo Lounge very busy either.

Complementary Bread arrived at the table, but they didn’t give us utensils to spread the butter onto our bread. We had to ask them to give us side plates and cutlery.

Service was very poor from the start of the meal and didn’t improve. We found this was very interesting because the restaurant had lots of staff, but most of them were standing around.

Granville Island Pale Ale is my favorite beer since it’s light and sweet.

The mussels come in 3 sauces of your choice – Thai Curry, Vindaloo, and Tomato Provencal. When the mussels arrive, you think you are getting a bucket of mussels, but the bucket is just for the shells.

Vindaloo Mussels was ordered by me and I did enjoy the sauce. It wasn’t too spicy and coated each mussel nicely. The size of the mussels were fair and there were no complaints.

Tomato Provencal had pieces of chorizo inside. CanuckGirl enjoyed them because of the meat and the mussels.

Thai Curry Mussels was enjoyed by KoreanGirl. She was kinda disappointed by the size once she realized the bucket didn’t contain as my mussels. Looks can be deceiving.

Overall, it was a good-sized snack before dinner. We girls did have a good meal despite the lack in service.

Words of Wisdom:

Poor service
Weekdays 3-6pm Mussel Mania for $12

We Rate Sandbar Seafood Restaurant:

Address:
1535 Johnston St, Creekhouse #102
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.vancouverdine.com/sandbar

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In Bakery

Krause Berry Farms: Blueberry Picking, Lunch, + More

September 6, 2012

Every Summer, my friends and I would go berry picking somewhere within driving distance of Vancouver. Last year we went to Driediger Farms , but this year I chose Krause Berry Farms a few blocks down. It is about 40 mins drive from the city.

Krause Berry Farms is family operated and offers visitors to participate in “U-Pick”, where you can go into the fields to pick blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. All you do is pay the weight of what you picked. It’s a great activity with friends or family.

If you are feeling lazy, you can purchase berries from their market.

Besides picking berries and purchasing produce, they also have a small playground, a petting farm, and carriage rides.

We headed into the blueberry patches and saw rows upon rows of bountiful blueberries. You have to pay attention to what you pick because there are berries that aren’t ripe yet.

If it’s a sunny day, remember to bring a hat or wear sunscreen. My friend brought me a small red straw hat to wear. It was really random, but at least I was shielded by the sun.

I got really excited when I see really big plump blueberries like these. We probably spent about an hour or so in the fields. Some people may take longer depending on how much care they put into picking the berries.

At times, you can hear people screaming in the blueberry patches. It’s because they are startled by the spiders and insects. It’s nature, so what can you expect? You will come across bugs in the fields but they won’t hurt you…at least I don’t think they will. The insects just look ugly.

There are also really big flying bugs too. Don’t let this detour you from picking blueberries. It’s part of the whole experience!

We picked about a whole bucket. If you do fill the whole bucket, it’s about 6 lbs and will cost around $10. Not bad of a price!

The Porch is the area where you can grab some food after picking your berries. They have a selection of different pies, donuts, pizza, roasted corn, drinks, ice cream and other yummy treats.

It’s usually a nice sunny day, so it’s really awesome to eat out on the patio. There are lots of seats and not too cold during blueberry picking season.

Raspberry Smoothie ($3.50) was really good and made out of the raspberries picked fresh from their fields.

Blueberry Smoothie ($3.50) was yummy as well. The downside about drinking this smoothie is that some of the blueberries might be stuck in your teeth. When you finish this drink, remember to check your teeth.

10″ Baked Corn Pizza ($14.95) is divided up into 4 slices. Ordering the whole pizza is great for a group of people. It contains a lot of corn, tomato sauce, cheese, green onions, peppers, and artichokes.

Slice of Corn Pizza ($3.99) you can alternatively order a slice instead of the whole pizza.

The pizza is packed full of corn and is very yummy. I just didn’t like the crust of the pizza. It didn’t seem very fresh.

Farm Fries ($3.95) were golden brown to perfection, but lacked in taste. It needed a bit more salt and needed to be a bit more crispy.

Roasted Corn wasn’t on the menu, but you can still order it. It is rubbed with a bit of butter and tastes yummy!

Slice of berry custard pie ($4.50) was loaded with tons of berries, but I wasn’t in love with the pie. I loved the look, but I found the combination of the custard and the glaze to be a bit too sweet.

Scoop of Raspberry Ice Cream ($2.50) was delicious in the hot weather.

Inside the market is a lot of produce, products and a bakery.

If you are too lazy to pick berries, you can purchase then from the counter. It’s a bit more expensive, but it’s still delicious and fresh.

Everyone fall in love with the custard berry pie. It’s $15.99 and you can be staring at this forever!

Overall, picking the berries and having lunch at Krause Berry Farms is pretty awesome. Some of the food from The Porch is a bit hit and miss, but you can’t go wrong with a refreshing smoothie. I really enjoyed the U-Pick portion of this adventure. I always pick a whole bucket so I can freeze them for later months to make milk shakes.

Words of Wisdom:

Check website for up to date prices and what berries are in season
Lots of activities
One of the more popular berry farms to go picking

Address:
6179 248 Street
Langley, BC

Website:
http://www.krauseberryfarms.com/

Phone:
(604) 856-5757

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In Downtown

Guanaco Truck: Guanacombo Dining Package Review

August 27, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Guanacombo Dining Package” and write a review about it. I got a complementary dining package for myself and I tried to keep the review as unbiased as I could.

Guanaco Truck and VANEATS.ca have teamed up to create the “Guanacombo” Dining Package for only $9. I came downtown with Alvin to check this deal out. I’ve never been to Guanaco Truck, so I was pretty excited. Guanaco Truck serves authentic Salvadoran food.

Their truck explains their name and how to pronounce it. It’s good to note how to pronounce the name because I told people I was going to the Guantanamo Truck. I know, I am horrible and I was embarassed! Remember, it’s [gwah-nah-koh].

The Guanacombo Dining package comes with Pasteles, Yuca Fritas, Pupusas, Bebidas, and Curtido. It makes for a very filling lunch!

The line ups around noon were ok, but it did take a bit of time for the food to be ready. Everything is freshly made, so I am willing to wait a bit longer.

Bebidas is Spanish for drink. You can choose from

Horchata: beverage made of morro seeds, ground cocoa, cinnamon, sesame seeds, nutmeg, tigernuts and vanilla
Tarmarindo: chilled beverage made from the tropical tamarind fruit
Cebada: chilled beverage made from flavoured barley, coloured with crushed seeds

I chose the Horchata and it was ok, but at the end all the seeds settled to the bottom and created a bit of a paste. You may want to stir it up once in a while.

Time to dig in to the other items of this meal. The Yuca Fritas are made of deep-fried cassava root. They are really crunchy and taste nothing like regular fries. Definitely something to try.

Pasteles are deep-fried corn pocket stuffed with beef, cheese, and vegetables. I really liked it! Yummy flavours and it goes well with the sauce that accompanies this meal.

The pupausas come in 4 different flavours:

Revueltas, seasoned pork with vegetables, cheese and savoury refried black beans
Queso Y Frijoles, savoury refried black beans, and a mixture of fresh and aged cheeses
Ayote, savoury refried black beans, cheese and zucchini
Pollo, seasoned chicken with vegetables, cheese and savoury refried black beans

I chose the Pollo Pupausas since I really love chicken. The chicken was well seasoned and pairs nicely with the ooey gooey cheese.

Fresh Tomato Sauce comes with the meal and it’s great to dip the pasteles and pupusas into it.

Curtido is pickled slaw. It was alright, but nothing too amazing.

I personally enjoyed this meal since I don’t often eat food like this. It’s great exploring different types of cuisines. The downside is that some items are a bit oily. My favorite items were the pasteles and pupusas.

The menu is a tad confusing, but don’t worry, most people struggle with pronouncing the menu items.

You save about $4 with buying the Guanacombo dining package from VANEATS.ca. The package is available now on their site. If you are looking for something different for lunch, give Guanaco Truck a try.

Words of Wisdom:

Under $10
Pasteles and pupusas taste awesome
Lines can get a bit long around 1pm

We Rate Guanaco Truck:

Address:
Seymour St & Robson St (Outside H Mart)
Vancouver, BC

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

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In Japanese

Sushi Garden: Craving Japanese Food For Lunch

August 22, 2012

KimboCake and I had a really failed ritual of waking up at 8am to be productive at Starbucks. We only successfully met twice. On one of the successful days, we went to Sushi Garden on Lougheed Hwy near Brentwood Town Center to chow down on some sushi.

Miso Soup was really good! It had green onions and bits of puff tofu in it. Pretty awesome compared to the other miso soups out there.

Agedashi Tofu was crispy on the outside and had a bunch of sauce on the bottom. If you wait too long, the crispness will go away. It tasted good!

Half order of Spicy Salmon Sashimi is a must! It is slathered with Korean hot sauce. It’s not too hot, but eating too much at one time can make someone tear up at a little. If you can handle a moderate amount of spice, you’ll definitely enjoy the flavours and texture.

Alaska Roll has a lot of avocados in the center and topped with salmon sashimi and a citrus sauce. It’s one of the very popular items here. Yummy!

Smoked salmon cream cheese roll is not for everyone. Some might think the cream cheese gives it a weird texture. For myself, I do enjoy the cream cheese and smoked salmon!

Tobiko with Quail egg is very yummy, but yet again not for everyone. It has a slimy texture from the quail egg and the little tobiko will pop in your mouth once you bite down. It’s a cool item to order if you want to experience different food textures.

Overall, the sushi was pretty good and satisfied KimboCake and I. During lunch time, this places isn’t too busy so it’s a good time to go if you hate crowds.

Words of Wisdom:

Free Parking in the front
Busy during peak hours
Large variety of items

We Rate Sushi Garden:

Address:

4269 Lougheed Highway
Burnaby, BC

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In Burnaby Central

El Inka Deli: Latin American Food in Burnaby,BC

August 21, 2012

M, Jewels, and I decided to have dinner at El Inka Deli. It’s a hidden restaurant in the Burnaby Central area. I’ve never heard it until someone told me I had to check it out. It’s also beside the Burnaby Hospital, so if you are in the area, do check this place out.

El Inka Deli serves Latin American food and it’s very unique to find this type of food in Burnaby. It is family owned and you will get a sense of that once you walk in the door.

Jarritos Lime was ordered by M and he really enjoyed the fizzy sour taste of it. I had half of this and it’s really good Mexican soda.

Horchata is a traditional drink made out of almonds, sesame seeds, rice and barley. The way they made the horchata was very gritty and had a strong sesame seed taste. We were not a big fan of this.

Chicken Empanadas was an item was started out with. It was crispy on the outside and nicely toasted.

The inside had a good amount of filling and was delicious. Yum!

Cheese empanadas was even better than the chicken empanadas. It took a while for it to arrive at the table, but ooey gooey cheese was inside this empanadas! SO GOOD!!! If you love cheese, you will go GAGA over this!

Picada Criolla has pork chop, pork, sausage, fried plantains, fried cassava, corn bread, and potatoes. It was definitely a meaty dish. The sausage tastes good, but the pork chops and ribs were really dry. The fried cassava were like fries, really really delicious. M and Jewels both ordered this, but I don’t think they would order this again.

Mixto Ceviche has raw fish and octopus with corn, yam, onion and cilantro in a acidic sauce. It was huge!

It was probably one of the better ceviches I’ve had and the portion was very very large. It’s a good size for sharing!

I wanted a bit of heat in my ceviche, so they give a hot sauce on the side. It’s not the usual hot sauce you would think of, but this was spicy and it did the trick!

Overall, the food can be a hit and miss at El Inka Deli and take a while to arrive at your table too. I would still come again because it’s close to where I live and I love ceviche!

Words of Wisdom: