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In Chinese

Fatty Cow Hot Pot: Signature Dishes

August 19, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: ChineseBites.com approached us to have dinner at Fatty Cow Hot Pot. Although the meal was complimentary, the views and opinions expressed are entirely our own.

On July 19th, I headed back to Victoria Street along with Raymond, Sherman, Rick, Kevin, Janice and Romina to have dinner at Fatty Cow Hot Pot. Widely acknowledged as one of, if not THE best hot pot in the city, I was eager to compare Fatty Cow to some of the better Chinese hot pot experiences I have had around Vancouver and abroad.

From the outside, Fatty Cow looks like your typical humble Chinese restaurant, however, the interior is a much different story. Boasting a smart, modern aesthetic with Asian elemental flair, I was very surprised at how clean and attractive the entire area was. I am quite used to enjoying hot pot in some pretty run down dives so this beautiful seating area was a pleasant surprise.

Anyone that is familiar with how hot pot works knows that the most important aspect of the experience is the broth. Singularly used to cook the various ingredients, the foundation or base flavor set of the entire meal is dictated by the broth used. For this particular outing, we had two pots going with a home-style peanut satay broth and a Fatty Cow ‘Hot and Spicy’ broth. Both broths were quite strong but personally I loved the spicy variation better. Seemingly anything we put into the spicy pot came out tasting delicious from thin strips of meat to seafood and veggies. Those with delicate palettes or aversion to spicy food may find the spicy broth a bit too much but I thought it was just perfect.

One of my favorite dishes of the night was a plate piled high with deep fried fish skin. A very simple dish but delicious nevertheless. The skin was perfectly crispy and flavorful, almost like the prawn crackers served with Peking duck.

Throughout the evening, it was very apparent that all the ingredients were extremely fresh. In addition to the marvelous seafood, I also really enjoyed the plentiful plates of thinly sliced meat. When added to the spicy broth, the meat became infused with flavor and when cooked properly, came out extremely tender. I cannot recall how many plates of meat we ended up polishing off but it was definitely very delicious. Note: Be sure not to cook the meat for too long however, as they are quite thin and do not require that long in the boiling broth.

A rare miss of the evening came in the form of the diced cubes of beef. Unlike the thin strips that cooked quickly and were eaten even quicker, these cubes were extremely chewy and difficult to get through. I definitely recommend sticking with the plates of sliced beef over these cubes as diners may find the thick form factor a bit difficult to manage.

You can never have hot pot without some form of fish balls! All three varieties of this fan favorite were exceedingly fresh and tender. The fish balls were well formed and constructed with zero filler content which lead to exceptional taste and flavor infusion.

Although the guys at the table had ‘conveniently’ forgotten to order any vegetables, one of the ladies with us ordered this basket of beautifully fresh veggies. Just like everything else, the vegetables were very fresh and definitely were a nice respite from the heavy seafood/meat experience we were engaged in for about 1.5hrs.

Two of the dishes we were served were special order and not part of the regular hot pot price. First, a Fatty Cow Giant Scallop served on a half shell! This scallop was simply massive and many of us at the table were gawking at the size of each serving. Although it cost extra, it definitely was worth it in my opinion as the scallop meat was delicious and the sheer size was amazing. I will definitely order this again on a return visit.

The second special dish we were given was lobster! Now, lobster can be quite expensive which is why it is understandable that this is not part of the normal hot pot package. The lobster was very fresh and sweet and really made for a luxurious hot pot. I sometimes order crab with hot pot but two entire lobsters is very uncommon. I think we were all very appreciative of the special offering at the tail end of the meal as it really capped the meal off nicely.

To wrap up with a few final thoughts, there are many hot pot restaurants in Vancouver but very few of them are actually any good. As iterated earlier, the keys to a good hot pot experience are 1) amazing broth and 2) fresh ingredients. It is clear after this dining experience that Fatty Cow has both in spades. I was personally very impressed with the aesthetic appeal and overall cleanliness of the interior as well as the very high quality of fresh seafood and other produce. After this experience, I have no reservations about stating that Fatty Cow may be the best hot pot establishment in the lower mainland. I will definitely be back soon with either family or friends, especially once Vancouver starts getting cold again.

Words of Wisdom:

Go with the spicy broth, your taste buds will thank you
The diced beef cubes were a bit tough, definitely go with the thinner slice sets
Enjoy with larger parties, hot pot is a social event!

We Rate Fatty Cow Hot Pot Restaurant:

Address:
5108 Victoria Dr.
Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 568-6630

Website:

http://www.fattycowhotpot.com/

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In Brunch

Tommy’s Cafe: Brunch in North Vancouver

August 16, 2012

A while ago, @petitefoodie and I ventured to North Vancouver to try Tommy’s Cafe. I seldomly go to the North Shore and it was about time too since there are lots of restaurants up there. They are best known for the brunch! When we arrived, there was already a line up! People are sure serious about brunch! It’s something I’ve noticed about Vancouver, people will wake up early for good brunch.

There is some seating indoor and some on the patio. It’s a bit cramped, but what can you do with such a small space? It was still comfortable for 2 – 4 people.

Coffee ($3) was definitely needed! It’s also bottomless, so you can drink all the coffee that you want!

Cajun Scram ($12) has eggs scrambled with chorizo, jalapenos, green onions, tomatoes, cheddar, toast & pan fries.

VW Scram ($12) has eggs scrambled with smoked salmon, tomato, spinach, red onion, cream cheese, served with toast & pan fries. What I like about the egg are that they are still a bit gooey, it’s just a personal preference. The eggs were really the star of the show as the bread and potatoes were just ok. You kinda need to eat everything in order to be full.

Overall, I found the food to be a tad pricey for this type of food. Given the area, I kinda see why they charge so much.

Words of Wisdom:

You may have to line up around noon
A bit expensive for what you get
Yummy eggs but small portions

We Rate Tommy’s Cafe:

Address:
1308 Ross Road
North Vancouver District, BC

Website:
http://tommycaters.com/tommys-cafe

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In Japanese

Kibo Restaurant and Lounge: New Restaurant in Yaletown

August 13, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: We were approached by the owner of Kibo Restaurant & Lounge to preview a few dishes. Although the meal was complimentary, the views and opinions expressed are entirely our own.

On July 26th, Foodology.ca was invited out to Yaletown along with Raymond, Sherman, Rick, Kevin, Janice, Romina and Grace to have dinner at Kibo Restaurant and Lounge. As a new addition to the Yaletown area, we were eager to see how Kibo intended to approach Japanese fusion cuisine and at what level of quality.

To start the meal off, we were served negitoro on thinly toasted pieces of bread. The fatty tuna with chopped green onion was fresh and went well with the toasted bread. A nice start to the meal.

The first main dish of the evening was the Kibo Sashimi Platter. Served on a bed of crushed ice with distinct sauces for each fish type, I found the cuts of sashimi quite fresh and inherently flavorful. As a bit of a sashimi purist however, I would have liked to see the actual sauces served separately but overall a pretty good offering.

The next two dishes that came together were the Kibo Salad and Beef Carpaccio. The salad was very fresh and quite sweet with a generous allotment of mango. Salad lovers will love the fresh greens which are complimented well by fresh cuts of tuna, salmon and creamy avocado. I felt the sauce was applied a little too liberally but wasn’t that bad in small portions.

The beef carpaccio was served with a cheese based, wasabi dressing that received mixed feelings from me. I enjoyed the subtle hit of the wasabi with each bite but the cheese component kind of threw me. The beef itself was sliced nicely and tasted wonderful but the sauce may have been better if it had been kept slightly more simple.

The chikuwa cheese dish looked amazing but ended up just tasting alright. The fish cake was quite tender but the actual batter was not as crispy as I would have liked. Again, the addition of cheese to this dish was slightly puzzling to me as it did not really strengthen the overall dish.

One of the most visually stunning dishes of the evening had to be the plate of Assorted Nigiri Sushi. Unfortunately, due to the large group I was in, I only got to taste 1/2 of one piece of nigiri so I cannot competently review this dish in its entirety. The 1/2 piece of tuna sushi I tried was nice but I will have to return to Kibo in the future to properly review this entire dish.

The next two hot kitchen items that followed the sushi plate were both very good. To be quite honest, you can rarely go wrong with short ribs and bacon wrapped ebi. The ribs were tender and very tasty and same for the shrimp skewers. The bacon itself was not that crispy but quite fatty which really infused the ebi with that smoky, bacon flavor. Overall, two very good kitchen items to order along with sushi.

To follow the above two meat dishes came 4 or 5 different specialty sushi rolls. These were intentionally ordered to showcase Kibo’s creativity with the traditional sushi format. First up was the Hamilton Roll which is basically a standard dynamite roll with slices of sashimi on top. I really like dynamite rolls and prawn tempura/sashimi in general so this roll was an easy favorite for me.

The next roll was the Volcano Roll which was probably the most visually/texturally unique roll of the evening. The fairly traditional roll was deep-fried and then sliced which cased the entire outer surface in a crispy, tempura type shell. The actual layer was not as crispy as I thought it would be but still a very interesting take on a sushi roll.

The third roll we tried was the Caterpillar Roll which again was basically a dynamite roll but with avocado and unagi on top. This roll definitely felt very luxurious with the creamy avocado and super tender unagi. I actually really liked this roll regardless of its bizarre name.

The fourth roll we tried was the Philadelphia Roll. As you may have guessed, this roll is named as such because it has cream cheese inside. For the sushi purists out there, this is definitely one of the more progressive fusion rolls out there. Similar to the salmon cream cheese roll at Kamei Royale, you will either love or hate this roll. I thought it was ok but generally I am not a fan of cheese in sushi.

The fifth and final roll of the night was the aptly named Mango Roll. Essentially a dynamite roll with mango, this roll was pleasantly sweet but the mango unfortunately made the rice a little bit soggy. An interesting roll but one I would not order again. Many of Kibo’s specialty rolls seem to simply be standard rolls with something on top which was a little disappointing to me. For a professed Japanese Fusion restaurant, I would have liked to see significantly more innovation in the menu.

At this point in the meal, there was a small lull in service so I actually thought the dinner was over. Amazingly enough, not only was the meal not over but there were 4 more dishes to be had! I was quite full at this point in the evening so this may have impacted my desire to eat further. That said, I really enjoyed the Grilled Sablefish and Kibo Beef dishes. The Sablefish was very tender and flaky and prepared very simply on a bed of vegetables. The beef was very moist and flavorful, infused with a great sauce. Unfortunately I found the Australian Rack of Lamb to be dry and generally unappetizing. We were all a little baffled why this was being served at Kibo as it didn’t seem very good or Asian in any way.

The last dish of the evening turned out to be one of the best dishes of the evening! Served in a traditional Japanese tea pot, the Kibo Seafood Dobin was a beautiful pure, clean broth infused with a variety of fish, mussels, clams etc. Somebody remarked that the broth would make for an amazing hot pot and I have to agree. Although I was only able to sample a small cup, the broth was simply amazing and refreshing. A fantastic end to a very long and generously endowed meal.

To wrap up with a few final thoughts, I was quite tough on Kibo in the above review but I genuinely did enjoy the experience. As the establishment is so new, I felt obligated to be brutally honest so that they can continue to refine their menu and get better as they find their identity in the Yaletown area. So close to the much heralded Aburi giant Minami, Kibo definitely has their work cut out for them even though their prices are markedly more affordable. I enjoyed many of the dishes I tried and can definitely see potential and room to improve in many others.

Words of Wisdom:

For hot dishes, you can not go wrong with the short ribs and bacon wrapped ebi
A large assortment of sushi rolls but many are hit and miss
Seafood dobin is amazing and a must try!

We Rate Kibo Restaurant & Lounge:

Address:
1261 Hamilton St.
Vancouver, BC, Canada
V6B 5P6

Website:
http://kibolounge.com/

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In Chinese

Golden Swan Restaurant: Signature Dishes

July 22, 2012

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

Last week, I headed out to Victoria Street along with Sherman, Rick and Kevin to try a few signature dishes at the Golden Swan Restaurant. The first dish we tried was the Golden Swan Appetizer Platter (五福拼盤). A very common offering, this opening dish was quite well done. The prawns, bean curd wrapped mushrooms and meats were tasty and definitely whet the appetite for the subsequent dishes. Portion wise, this dish is good for 5-6 diners. For larger parties ie 8-10, you will probably want to order two. Great presentation and good base flavors, a very familiar and welcome start to dinner.

The second dish was the Soft Tofu in Japanese Style (千頁滑豆腐). First off, the name was a little confusing as we were not quite sure what the Japanese element was but that aside, a pleasant dish. The tofu was very soft and well complimented by the sauce and diced vegetables. I think this dish would go very well with a few bowls of white rice. Vegetarians will definitely want to consider this as a light entrée over the meat platter above.

The third dish was the Sauteed Geoduck and Scallops with Sweet Peas (帶子象拔蚌炒蜜磄). For those not familiar with Geoduck, this dish will definitely be an interesting experience. The geoduck was tender but a little rubbery. That said, the highlight of the plate was definitely the large scallops and fresh sweet peas. Again, with a bowl of white rice, the tofu dish above and this seafood offering could be a light dinner unto themselves. Even though I am not a huge fan of geoduck in general, the scallops and vegetables were prepared well.

The fourth dish was the Sauteed Beef Tenderloin with Chayote in Black Pepper Sauce (黑椒合掌瓜炒牛柳粒). I felt the pan tossed beef was decent though I would have liked to see the beef a little bit more tender. The black pepper sauce was good and definitely appreciated as the prominent flavor profile as chayote tends to be rather bland. Personally, I could have done without the pieces of strawberry as they were served somewhat mushy and the sweetness was not really complimentary to the overall dish.

The fifth dish was a deep ceramic pot of House Special Salty Chicken (秘製鹽焗雞). This turned out to be one of my favorite dishes of the evening. The chicken was salty, tender and very clean. There was absolutely no oil residue which left the skin very crisp and crackling. The serving size was quite large and easily accommodated the six of us at the table. With a bowl of noodles or rice, this chicken can very competently stand as a primary entrée.

The sixth dish was an Egg white custard w/Almond milk (天鵝杏汁炒奶). Unfortunately, this dish was by definitely a “miss” in terms of taste and presentation. The white custard was extremely bland and not very appetizing. Visually, the dish was not very engaging so I ended up only taking a small spoonful to try. Although technically it did not taste that bad, I personally would not order this again. I strongly feel a dominant ingredient needs to be added to give this dish some semblance of flavor and structure.

The seventh dish was Angel Hair with Tiger Prawn (天使干燒大売蝦). This dish was an interesting ‘fusion’ attempt, combining the very popular Italian pasta ‘Capelli d’angelo’ or Angel Hair pasta with a very popular sambal prawn component. Overall, this dish was simple but very appetizing. The excess sauce from the prawn went very well with the pasta and almost made for an Asian spaghetti of sorts. I would have liked to see the prawn sauce with a bit of heat but to be fair, it was quite good as it was.

The eight dish was a large bamboo steamer of Lobster, Scallops, Shrimp with Rice on Lotus Leaf (荷香珍珠海龍皇). This large seafood dish was very generous, packed full of lobster, scallops, shrink and rice. Flavor wise, it was pretty good though the rice was a slightly dry/hard for me. Overall, the seafood was prepared very well and the portion was quite dense. A good signature or showcase dish for those wanting a bit of everything.

The ninth dish was actually one of two desserts we received, a Baked Tapioca Pudding (西米焗布甸). Those familiar with Asian cuisine will definitely recognize this dessert dish as it is very common in any Chinese restaurant. Having eaten this baked pudding dish literally hundreds of times, I can say this is definitely one of the better offerings in Vancouver. The pudding inside is not overly sweet and the top crust being slightly thicker than normal, almost like an almond cookie. Although I was quite full from the meal, I actually reached for seconds of this great dessert. A very pleasant end to a good meal.

The tenth and final dish of the evening was a plate of Durian Rolls (飄香榴連酥). For anyone familiar with what durian is, I do not think I need to say that there are few ‘fruits’ in this world more polarizing. Honestly speaking, you either love it or you hate it. Due to the very strong smell and thick, almost meat like texture of the fruit, durian is not exactly a universally embraced dessert ingredient. That said, I personally love durian and found these rolls to be pretty great. The actual flavor of the durian is not overpowering but it is definitely present. The pastry is flaky and fresh and with the durian infusion, is a very unique pastry you have to try at least once.

To wrap up with a few final thoughts, I felt the evening was a fairly strong showing by Golden Swan. Although there were one or two misses, the majority of the signature dishes we tried were quite good. With good presentation and simple, traditional seafood dishes, eating at Golden Swan will definitely feel like a very familiar experience to those well versed in Chinese cuisine. For those just starting out and wanting to learn more, I think this restaurant is a pretty safe choice for a solid orientation. I didn’t find anything startlingly innovative or new but for the food they do make, they do it quite well.

Words of Wisdom:

Anything with prawns, scallops etc. is a pretty safe bet
For vegetarians, there are several rather tasty selections to be had
Nothing ground breaking but traditional fare prepared well and at fair prices

We Rate Golden Swan Restaurant:

Address:
5380 Victoria Dr.
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Website:

http://www.goldenswanrestaurant.com/

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In Chinese

Hanami Japanese Restaurant: Dining on Dim Sum at YVR Airport

July 20, 2012

Hanami Japanese Restaurant is located right before you enter the security check for flights. They serve dim sum and Japanese food. Right before my flight to Hong Kong, my parents and I decided to have some dim sum since we went to the airport way too early.

We waited for a server to seat us at our table, but there was only one waitress on staff. There were two cooks at the sushi bar area, but they did not acknowledge our presence to help us get a seat. After an awkward long while, we just sat ourselves down. Off the bat, we were not impressed at all.

Tea! I’ll say this every time!

Deep Fried Mixed Meat Puff ($5) is not my favorite dim sum item. I always eat it, but I’m not a fan of the combination of the meat and the slightly sweet dough.

The inside has a decent amount of filling. It wasn’t anything too amazing.

Steamed Beef Rice Flour Rolls ($6) has the minced beef in the center surrounded by the rice flour. There are slits cut on top to allow flavour from the soy sauce to seep into the center, plus it’s makes for a good guide to divide this up when eating dim sum.

Bean Curd Rolls with Fish Paste and Greens ($5) was ok, but my parents both felt it was salty.

Pan Fried Eggplants Stuffed with Shrimp ($5) was very weird! It has the shrimp paste sandwiched between two slices of eggplant. It is also very oily, when you bite into it, a lot of oil comes out of it.

Steamed Scallops and Shrimp Dumpling ($5) was ok as well, nothing very special.

Deep Fried Shrimp Toast ($5) was very crunchy and had the slice of toast underneath and the shrimp mixture on top.

Steamed Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce ($5) was ok too, nothing very special.

Steamed Pork Dumpling with Shrimp ($5) didn’t look very appealing and the taste was ok.

Chilled Mango Pudding ($3.75) is always my little sisters favorite item. It is shaped like a heart and topped with evaporated milk.

Overall, the food was quite poor and way over priced. It’s what you get when you eat at the airport. I had some hope for this place, but our experience from beginning to end was very poor. We will probably not return.

We Rate Hanami Japanese Restaurant:

Address:
3211 Grant McConachie Way (Before Security, Int’l Level 3)

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In Fairview

Suika Japanese Snackbar: Stingray, Pig Foot, and Other Odd Dishes

July 17, 2012

Suika Japanese Snackbar is owned by the same people who created Kingyo Izakaya. It is located on Broadway near Fir St. I’ve been to Suika Snackbar a few times and it’s a great place to dine with friends over yummy Japanese food.

The famous chandelier!

Chicken Karaage ($7.80) is deep fried chicken pieces with a side of salt and pepper. Very yummy! I usually order this when I go to any Izakaya restaurant.

Corn Kakiage ($4.80) are corn niblets fried in cilantro batter, soy sauce and butter. It’s one of my favorite items! It comes with 3 pieces and the butter definitely enhances the flavour!

Tonsoku ($6.80) is a sauteed pig foot until it’s crispy. It is flavoured with soy butter. On the menu it says “Don’t try, if you never had”. Just because of that line, it made CandiedZen and I eat it! When it arrived at the table, it was indeed a pig foot. It tasted good, but it’s not for everyone. There’s not much meat on it, so you are basically eating skin, fat and cartilage.

Sweet Balsamic Sauteed Portabella Mushroom ($6.80) was a very interesting dish. It looked really weird, but with the balsamic vinegar, it was sweet.

Eihire – Dried Sting Ray ($4.20) was something that caught our eye on the menu. CandiedZen and I were so curious about how this would taste! It is also accompanied by a chili sauce and mayo. The look of it was quite weird as I commented saying it looked like very thick feet skin. I think I ruined M and CandiedZen’s appetite. hahaha. The taste was like dried squid, so it tasted totally fine.

Ahi Tuna Carpaccio ($9.20) had lots of slices of tuna with mayo, onions, tobiko, and pea shoots. It’s a pretty solid dish to order at any izakaya restaurant and Suika does a good job at making this. Yum.

Words of Wisdom:

Pay parking on Street
No refills on pop (M accidently spent $7.50 on 3 cups of coke)
Reservations highly recommended!

We Rate Suika Snackbar:

Address:
1626 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.suika-snackbar.com/

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In Downtown

Coast Restaurant: Lunch Specials in Downtown, Vancouver

July 13, 2012

Coast Restaurant is part of the Glowbal Group and they specialize in seafood. Located on Alberni Street, tourist and locals flock to Coast for fresh and delicious seafood. They a a bit expensive for dinner, but for lunch time, they have some amazing lunch sets for under $15. It has a good atmosphere to bring coworkers or friends.

Before I left to Hong Kong for vacation, I met up with Flo to have some lunch here. She’s been here several time, but I haven’t, so she was nice enough to join me on this food adventure.

Fish & Chips Cones ($8.95) has tempura cod, japanese tartar sauce, sprouts and tobiko wrapped up. The tempura was lightly battered and very delicious! It’s unlike the traditional Japanese sushi cones, these ones won’t make you too full.

Linguine Vongole ($14.95) has manila clams, bacon lardons, crushed chillies in linguine. Flo thought it was alright, but it wasn’t anything amazing. You can get the same item for dinner for $16.95.

Oyster Box ($13.95) has an oyster po’ boy sandwich, caesar salad, fries, and smoked fish chowder.

The Smoked Fish Chowder thats part of the Oyster Box was ok. I didn’t get a lot of the smoky fish taste in the chowder.

The Fries were my favorite part of the box. It was very crispy and awesome when dipped in the mayo sauce.

The Caesar Salad was quite plain. The dressing was very light, which isn’t a bad thing. The strip of bacon was yummy and crispy .

Oyster Po’boy sandwich was very poor. The bread was very hard and thick that it didn’t allow much flavour of the oyster to pop out. It was very hard to eat through the bun, so I just ate the oyster. The oyster wasn’t too bad, it was very large.

Overall, the Oyster Box wasn’t every appetizing even though the price is quite fair. It had lots of food, but didn’t hold up to the reputation of the restaurant. Flo commented saying how the food wasn’t as good as before. The service was also slow and was hard to have a meal in under one hour. You need at least 1.5 hrs to have a lunch here. We really didn’t know why the service was so slow because it was pretty empty at 11:30am. It started to get very busy around 12:30pm. Also check your bill since they may accidentally charge you the dinner price instead of the lunch price. Good thing Flo and I checked the bill!

Words of Wisdom:

Always good to have reservations just in case
Well priced lunch box specials
Good friendly service
Allocate more than 1 hr for lunch

We Rate Coast Restaurant:

Address:
1054 Alberni St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.coastrestaurant.ca/

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In American

Arby’s: Good Mood Food in a Food Court

July 12, 2012

I’m sure it’s no surprise that I have a secret addiction to fast food. Give me a burger and fries and I’ll slurp it right up. M and I were at Metrotown in the food court and were feeling hungry, so we stopped at Arby’s. It’s kinda our go-to place when we don’t want to make too many decisions. The roast beef is quite yummy and addictive.

This is the only location that we have Arby’s because it’s convenient.

Theres lots of seats, but it can get very crowded at peak hours. M and I have a tradition of always going down to the pet store to check out the kittens after lunch.

We grabbed a bunch of things and found a seat.

Don’t forget to grab some Horseradish sauce and Barbecue sauce! You can add it to your fries or into your burger.

Curly Fries are a must! It’s crispy and golden brown and is so much better than normal fries. Some curly fries can be really curly and some other not so much.

Large Roast Beef has heaps of roast beef sandwiched between a sesame bun.

Look at the layers. You probably would want to add the barbecue sauce to this.

Bacon & Cheddar Deluxe has the thinly sliced roast beef with lettuce, mayo, cheese and bacon in between the sesame bun.

The bacon was a bit of a disappointment since it was so small.

Thats the cross section of it. It tasted ok, but I felt the lettuce and bacon didn’t add much to the sandwich.Perhaps next time, I’ll just get the sandwich with cheese and roast beef.

Overall, if you like meaty sandwiches with loads of roast beef, go to Arby’s.

In Downtown

Holy Perogy: Perogy on Wheels in Downtown Vancouver

July 11, 2012

Holy Perogy is a new Food Truck that has hit the streets of Downtown Vancouver. They sells perogies of course. Since Jen and I were going on a little Vancouver food cart adventure, we decided to stop at Holy Perogy since it was new and different that some of the other food trucks out there. Holy Perogy is located outside the library.

Their truck has a cute perogy mascot too. Sometimes I wonder if they have a name. hehe.

Their menu is quite small, but has enough flavours to entice your taste buds.

Smoked Salmon Perogies ($10) contain bits of smoked salmon, cream cheese and potato filling. It’s topped with cream cheese and fried onions. The topping was supposed to have capers, but it wasn’t on there for some reason.

It tasted alright, but the salmon flavour needs to stand out a bit more. Perhaps even have bits of smoked salmon as a topping? It was a pretty expensive box of perogies compared to what you could buy at the grocery store said Jen. The quality was ok as some of them were falling apart. Perhaps we went on an off day.

Overall, it was a good experience, but kinda disappointing. Nonetheless, you do get a good amount of perogies to get full for lunchtime. With the variety of different food trucks in Vancouver, you might as well try it once.

Words of Wisdom:

A bit expensive for perogies
Easy to share
Good for perogy lovers

We Rate Holy Perogy:

Address:
700 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.holyperogy.com/

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In Dessert

True Confections: Dessert Restaurant in Vancouver

July 10, 2012

True Confections is an award winning dessert restaurant. They have 2 locations in Vancouver and it’s usually a go-to place for University students and cake lovers. The cakes are HUGE and thats what draws customers into the restaurant.

M, CandiedZen and I came here for some dessert. M and I have never been here, so it was definitely an adventure for huge slices of cake.

It was still pretty early, so there were tons of seats. The decor isn’t amazing, but it’s all about hanging out with friends and indulging on cake.

There is a large display case that houses the cakes and pies.

You’ll probably be staring at all the desserts for a while. It’s always good to bring friends so you can steal a taste of their cakes!

Devil’s Food Cake has layers of dark chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and marshmallow icing. It was very large! M liked it but he couldn’t finish it all in one sitting.

Hazelnut Belgian Chocolate Mousse has a thin layer of flourless chocolate cake, piled with rich hazelnut chocolate mousse and decorated with shards of Belgian milk chocolate. This is CandiedZen’s go-to cake when she’s at True Confections. M and I agreed it was pretty delicious.

Banana Cream Pie is made the old fashioned way, with lots of bananas and cream. You can really identify the two layers of the cake. I really love banana cream pie and it did not disappoint!

The slice of pie was huge. Here’s a comparison shot of an iPhone and the slice of cake.

Overall, it was a good experience. I would suggest sharing the cakes with your friends so you can try a taste of a few cakes without getting sick of your own cake.

We Rate True Confections:

Address:
3701 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.trueconfections.ca/

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In Four Beakers

The Peartree: Fine Dining in Burnaby, BC

July 9, 2012

The Peartree is owned by Scott and Stephanie Jaeger since 1997. They bring together world class cuisine with a downtown feel in the suburbs of Burnaby. The menu changes seasonally to incorporate the freshest ingredients. They have won several awards and have been recognized for their amazing food.

I bought a Groupon a while ago for The Peartree, where you would get 2 five-course signature menu dinner for $75. Seeing that it was a great deal, I had to get it. I brought along MedicalGiraffe since she really wanted to try this place.

The dining area isn’t too large, but most people make reservations since it is a nicer type of restaurant.

I got a cocktail, but I don’t remember what it was called. It wasn’t too alcoholic and had a nice fruity taste to it.

Brioche bread is served before your meal. It was very delicious, probably has lots of butter, but I could eat this all day.

Warm Potato and Leek Foam was very delicious. Good consistency and very yummy. It was a surprise to find little cubes of potato on the bottom.

Orange Caramelized Scallops With double smoked Bacon Risotto was very creamy and done perfectly. For MedicalGiraffe, she felt it was a tad salty. For myself, I didn’t notice it too much.

Fresh ‘Miracle Springs’ Rainbow Trout With Butternut Squash was well put together! The fish was tender and the butternut squash puree was a good accompaniment. This was my favorite dish!

24 hour Brasied Natural fed BC Short Ribs with Mushroom Ravioli was delicious as well. The best part of the dish was the mushroom ravioli! I could eat it all day! The short ribs was good, but it was a tad salty.

Fresh Pea Shoots comes with the meal too. It was lightly salted, so it was a good addition.

Valrhona Chocolate Ganache With Salted Caramel and Orange/Chocolate Sorbet was SO GOOD! It was MedicalGiraffes favorite item.

Hazelnut Macarons come when the bill arrives. They are smaller than the normal macarons you would see, but they taste awesome.

Overall, the meal was fantastic! You could probably tell by me over using the words “nice”, “perfect”, and “good”. I thought it was worth every penny. If you pay regular price for the set meal for 2, it’ll cost you $150 plus drinks, tax and gratuity. You really need a good excuse like a date or some special occasion to spend that much on a meal. Nonetheless, it is really great food.

Words of Wisdom

Amazing food, great for special occasions
12% HST + 15% gratuity
Good service
Make Reservations

We Rate Peartree:

Address:
4120 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.peartreerestaurant.net/

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In Bar and Grill

Relish Gastropub and Bar: Happy Hour Oysters of Disappointment

July 8, 2012

Relish Gastropub and Bar has buck-a-shuck oysters from 3 -6PM everyday, plus $3 beer specials. This really enticed KoreanGirl, Mandu and I to dine here.

I’ve been here several years ago and it has changed a lot! It use to be really large and was always packed for dinner. I also remembered they had some pretty awesome food back then too. I always wanted to make a return trip and now was the chance to do so over some oysters with the girls.

Their beer/wine specials are listed on a big chalkboard.

Bottle of Moosehead ($3) tasted good and it had a light and crisp taste.

Buck-a-Shuck Oysters ($1 each) were very tiny! Mandu had a look of terror on her face as it arrived.

They were also not shucked very well as there were bits of shell inside.

There are also a few vinaigrette sauces you can put on top.

Overall, the experience was quite poor. I would never return again for the oysters. I would go chill and relax with some beer, but I would never order oysters again. They were also very understaffed. Our host, server, and oyster shucker was the same person. We did have to wait for a long time for it to arrive too.

If you are looking for buck-a-shuck oysters in Vancouver, there are tons of other alternative places to go to.

Words of Wisdom:

$3 daily beer specials
Daily wine specials
Loungy atmosphere
Do not order the oysters

We Rate Relish Gastropub and Bar:

Address:
888 Nelson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.relishthepub.com/

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In BBQ

Gyu Kaku Japanese BBQ: Happy Hour Makes Us Happy

July 7, 2012

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ is a Japanese restaurant in Downtown. It’s located beside Relish Gastopub and below Guu Garden.

They have a lot of good lunch combos and even a wicked Happy Hour special. They sell Japanese BBQ grill dishes, noodles, rice and other dishes. You can have a good lunch for under $10 after tax. If you come at happy hour times, it’s pretty damn cheap too! KoreanGirl, Mandu, and I came on Monday for their all day happy hour special to just pig out and celebrate graduation.

Edamame ($1.75) is the perfect starter if you want something to snack on while drinking beer. It is lightly salted on the outside to give it a little bit of flavour when you chew at the edamame to extract the beans.

Pitcher of Sapporo ($9.99) is a good price. It’s kinda needed if you want to just drink and chill.

Large Sake ($5) we got a large sake too since mandu is always wanting some sake bombs.

We also decided to do a bit of barbecuing too.

The grill is hot and flames will shoot out of it. We ordered a bunch of different meats to go on the grill.

Kalbi Chuck Tare ($3.95) is thin cut beef. It was good.

Horumon shio ($3.95) is intestines! It’s not for the squeamish or people who hates eating animal organs. It was a bit tough and interesting to eat, but I’d probably never order this again.

Yakishabu Tare ($2.95) we got them to put spicy miso sauce on it to give it some more flavour when grilling.

Toro Beef Tare ($3.95) was good tasting as well.

Pork Belly ($2.95) comes in 4 pieces and it a must when doing barbecue.

Filet Mignon ($5.95) was our favorite. The cuts were nice and chunky, so you could cook them medium rare if you wanted to.

After you finish grilling your meat, you can dunk them into 3 different sauces – soy sauce, ponzu sauce and something else.

Chicken Karaage Bowl ($5.95) is a must order item!!! It’s the best karaage you will ever have. We order this every time!

Pork Belly chips ($3.95) was good too but it did taste similar to the chicken Karaage.

Overall it was a good experience. We usually come here during happy hour if we want to pig out and not spend over $20 per person. The first two dining experiences were great, but for my graduation dinner, we made reservations and they did not honor it. They made all 8 of us wait for 30 minutes for a table and we got fed up and went to Guu Garden instead. We tried asking the host several times for an update on when our table will be available, but they were not there most of the time. All we knew was that the table was finishing their dessert. We were quite pissed.

Words of Wisdom:

$9.99 pitchers of beer during happy hour
Some items are a hit and miss
Under $10 lunch specials
Happy Hour deals
Make reservations

We Rate Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ:

Address:

888 Nelson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.gyu-kaku.com/

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In Fairview

Maurya Indian Cuisine: Maurya’s Spice Dining Package Review

July 6, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Maurya’s Spice Dining Package” and write a review about it. I got a complimentary dining package and brought along TenantGirl.

601121_432226886799587_915855082_n — Photo by: VANEATS.ca

One of Dine Out Vancouver’s favourites, Maurya Indian Cuisine has won multiple diner’s choice awards over the years. A big fan of flavourful indian food, I was really excited to help DesignGirl with this review.

Dining Package details

Dining passes are currently available for $18 each which gives you 6 courses (http://vaneats.ca/mauryas-spice/):

Garlic and Basil Naan, Indian leavened bread flavored with chopped garlic and basil
Mixed greens & beets salad, lightly tossed with vinaigrette
Seekh Kebab, minced lamb mixed with spices & skewed in charcoal oven
Mixed Vegetables, seasoned and pan fried broccoli, bell peppers, green beans, zucchini
Chicken Chettinad, Marinated chicken in South Indian chettinad paste of coconut and poppy seeds – 2009 Dine Out Vancouver Award Winner!
Daal Maurya, Maurya’s Pride! Black lentils cooked overnight. A real accompaniment to an Indian meal

The Experience

On a Wednesday night, I picked up TenantGirl from school and headed over to Maurya’s. We decided to order one of the Vaneats.ca packages and order an additional dish, the Saag Gosht – Tender medallions of lamb tempered with cumin folded into our spinach curry sauce.

The only thing that wasn’t part of the package was the Saag Gosht (the greenish dish) and the rice. Ok, now let’s dig in:

Similar to getting bread before a meal, they first dropped us off some papadum that you can eat accompanied with mango chutney, Mint sauce, or Tamarind sauce. I enjoyed them all but my favourite was the tamarind sauce that had a light sweet and sour taste to it. It was interesting switching between the three and it was my first time having papadum. At first I thought that maybe it was some type of flat bread but imagine having a super thin pita chip.

Pictured here are the three appetizers that they served this included:

Mixed greens & beets salad, lightly tossed with vinaigrette
Seekh Kebab, minced lamb mixed with spices & skewed in charcoal oven
Mixed Vegetables, seasoned and pan fried broccoli, bell peppers, green beans, zucchini

The salad was light, sweet, and perfectly dressed with a raspberry vinaigrette. The Seekh Kebab, I’d compare it to having hot pepperoni. I’d say that it was a bit on the dry side for me but definitely had balanced spices. TenantGirl said it was salty for her taste but I think that’s a part of this dish. The mixed vegetables had a nice butteriness to it and weren’t overcooked which is a pet peeve of mine. I wouldn’t say that either blew me away but it had great variety. For appetizers, next time I’d really like to try their Karawari Prawns on their regular menu.

Yum Yum Garlic Basil Naan! A staple to Indian cuisine, Maurya’s naan is a little different from most places because it gets added flavour from the garlic and basil. It was a flavourful, rustic and what a great way to enjoy the saucey dishes that follow. I have to admit though, there is a lot of garlic, so make sure you chew some gum after this meal. I swear i had the taste of garlic in my mouth hours after.

This is the Chicken Chettinad, Marinated chicken in South Indian chettinad paste of coconut and poppy seeds – 2009 Dine Out Vancouver Award Winner!

This dish was yum yum yum! It had a sweet spiciness to it, and almost sort of fruity. I could see why this dish was a winner. The white chicken meat was tender and flavourful with the sauce. Have it with your naan in there and you’re ready for more. I wouldn’t say that it was very spicy though. There was heat but it wouldn’t leave you reaching for water after just 1 or 2 bites. At first I didn’t taste the spice, but after a few more bites, the heat was noticeable (in a good way). I think that you can request it be the top level of spice.

This is the Daal Maurya, Maurya’s Pride! Black lentils cooked overnight. Again, you can eat this with your naan and I was amazed by how good this tasted. I’ve had Daal before but I haven’t had one that was as aromatic as this. Not that you could literally smell it when it arrived but once you take a bite, the subtle taste of the lentils fill your mouth and senses. If you’ve never had daal before, I guess you’d compare it to mashed peas but … so much better.

Saag Gosht – Tender medallions of lamb tempered with cumin folded into our spinach curry sauce. This was our addition of the night, but for two girls, we left the night with packed away rice and maybe a third of the Chicken Chettinad and Saag Gosht.

We ordered this with a mild spiciness but I couldn’t really taste the spice much and perhaps I should have gone for medium. The taste might have been overpowered by the Chicken Chettinad we ate before starting this dish. I know it looks green and mushy but that’s the spinach curry sauce that actually turned out to taste very creamy because of the spinach. The lamb was not gamey and was not overcooked, so the meat was perfect. I know I ordered mild but I think I expected more of the spices to come forth. I might need to give medium a try but I’m not sure if I’d order this again.

Overall, if you’re buying this package expecting spicey heat that will leave you sweating, that’s not what you will expect. I think it’s suitable for both those who like spices/flavourful food as well as those who have more sensitive tongues.

If I had ordered the chicken chettinad on it’s own it would have cost $12.95 and with the added $4.95 to make a full dinner with rice, naan, and daal, it would have totalled to $18.00 as well. So for going with the deal, you don’t get the rice, but you do get the extra appetizers with it. I wouldn’t say that their appetizers blew me away, but it’s nice to get your vegetables and have a bit more variety. I think if I had gotten the full meal with both rice and naan, I would have been wayyyy too stuffed.

Words of Wisdom

If you love/don’t love spice, make sure you mention whether you want mild/medium/hot.

We Rate Maurya Indian Cuisine:

Address:
1643 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.mauryaindiancuisine.com

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In Bubble Tea

Bubble Queen: Mango Madness in Richmond

July 6, 2012

Bubble Queen is a very popular restaurant in Richmond that serves up a variety of drinks and bubble waffles. I’ve been meaning to check out this place but it took me a while since I don’t live in Richmond.

After going to the Night Market, FoodPunk and FoodQueen decided to come here. I think we were all excited. The place was packed and lots of people were doing takeout. We were determined to get a seat, so I had to stalk tables to snatch one up. A group left and I accidentally ran over a person to grab that table. I felt bad, but I really wanted a table.

Fresh Mango Slush with Mango Cubes is everything a mango lover needs.

The chunks of mango were very large and delicious. You may need a spoon or fork to help you out when eating this.

Overall, they have a HUGE selection of drinks and bubble waffles. You may need some time to figure out what you want to order. It’s a very popular place to hang out, but since the store is very small, most people won’t find a table to sit and chill.

Words of Wisdom:

Cash Only
Free Wifi
Large selection of drink and bubble waffles
Very limited seating
Paid Parking in front or free after a certain time (I can’t remember the time)

We Rate Bubble Queen:

Address:
8888 Odlin Crescent
Richmond, BC

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In American

Black and Blue: A Dinner of Meaty Proportions

July 2, 2012

Black & Blue is owned by the Glowbal Group. The same people who bring us Coast, Italian Kitchen and many others.Black & Blue is a steakhouse that prides themselves of having amazing steaks.

It was a special occasion for a few awesome SFU alumni and the amazing Sam Thiara! FoodPunk chose this place to have our little get together.

The interior is very gorgeous. High ceilings with two floors.

Fresh Oysters ($3.75) We ordered the Kusshi and the Effingham oysters. They are both locally sourced from BC! Angel has never ever had a raw oyster before, so, Ange and I made it a mission to get her to eat one. She loved it! Both of the oysters were really good and had their own subtle tastes that differentiated from each other.

Louie Salad with Dungeness Crab ($17) has romaine, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, eggs, avocado, louie dressing, and dungeness crab. This was an interesting twist on a salad. Its basically half a romaine. You have to cut it up yourself. Angel seemed to be enjoying it, but she really didn’t expect the salad to be more hands on. hahaha

P.E.I. blue ribbon 12oz New York Strip ($39) comes ala carte. You probably want to order a side for this dish. The steak is known for their superior marbling since they feed their cattle longer.

Mac & Cheese ($9) are deep-fried into little sticks. It is accompanied with a truffled cheese sauce. It was very delicious and the inside of it was very cheesy and gooey. It was highly recommended by the server and now I highly recommend it as well!

The steaks also came with 3 accompanying sauces – Chimichurri, Cabernet Jus,and Peppercorn. I actually quite liked the chimichurri sauce!

32 oz prime rib ($32) comes with yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, red wine jus, caramelized pearl onions and some horseradish. This prime rib was a good deal since it comes with a few items on the side. The prime rib was done perfectly and everything was very delicious!

New York Cheesecake was the special dessert of the day. We devoured it like a maniac. Very delicious and it was great how there were fresh berries.

20 Layer Chocolate Espresso Cake ($12) actually have 20 layers! We actually counted several times until everyone agreed there were 20 layers. This was my favorite since there were bits of crunchy espresso beans. It also comes with whipping cream and brandied cherries.

Overall, the experience was pretty good! The prices are reasonable and the ambiance is very nice! I’d probably come back for other special occasions since the prime rib wasn’t too expensive.

Words of Wisdom:

Reservations are recommended
Beautiful decor
Great steaks

We Rate Black + Blue:

Address:
1032 Alberni Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://blackandblue.ca/

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In Fairview

Thai House Kitsilano: Appe-THAIzing Dining Package Review

June 29, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Appe-THAIzing Dining Package” and write a review about it. I got a complimentary dining package and brought along NewsBoy.

DesignGirl is on her travels again so PineappleBun (me) gladly stepped in to do this review.

Thai House Restaurant has multiple locations and has been running their businesses in Vancouver for quite some time now. Heard of Samba Brazilian or Pink Elephant Thai? That’s part of their group too.

Dining passes are currently available for $18 each which gives you 5 courses (www.vaneats.ca):

Lettuce Wrap, served with lean ground beef with chopped onion, bell pepper, basil and a touch of oyster & chilli sauce
Peeg Gai Yaad Sai, deep fried chicken wing stuffed with vegetables and glass noodles
Keang Kari Gai Ma-Mung, fresh mango & chicken in yellow coconut curry
Pad Kee Mao, stir fry rice noodles with beef, fresh basil, chopped veggies, bell pepper, onions and fish sauce
Kluag Tid Ma-Mung Ice Cream, deep fried banana served with mango ice cream

NewsBoy and I decided to start off with a few drinks to celebrate the little bit of sunshine we had peek out behind the clouds. Is it summer yet? Well, I can dream. I got the Coconut Lychee drink while NewsBoy decided to go for the Lime Soda. The Coconut Lychee drink is rich and creamy so if you’e expecting the taste of young coconut, that’s probably not what you want.

I don’t really like the taste of lime but the soda had fresh lime juice and Newsboy found it very refreshing. For me, The Coconut drink really helped bring the heat down from the food I ate.

So this is the Peeg Gai Yaad Sai, a deep fried chicken wing stuffed with vegetables and glass noodles. What are glass noodles? They pretty much look like clear vermicelli. The chicken Wing looked like it was about to burst! It was crispy, hot, and went perfectly when you dipped it into the chilli sauce. I’d say there was medium heat to the sauce and had a great sweet spiciness to it which I really liked. The chicken was really moist too! Definitely worth trying out. I wonder how they debone it… there were no bones inside! Take a bite and you’ll be surprised.

The other appetizer was the Lettuce Wrap, served with lean ground beef with chopped onion, bell pepper, basil and a touch of oyster & chilli sauce. It came out hot and I just love basil! The lettuce wrap also had a medium spiciness to it but the oyster sauce also makes it have a sort of sweet, savouriness to it. The lettuce helps cut the heat to give a cooling effect.

I’ve never had Keang Kari Gai Ma-Mung (fresh mango & chicken in yellow coconut curry) before but I was definitely surprised! Again, the sweet spiciness theme came up and I was surprised to find mango slices in the curry dish. I’ve had curry where they give you a lychee with it but mango was a nice change.

Say hello to Pad Kee Mao, stir fry rice noodles with beef, fresh basil, chopped veggies, bell pepper, onions and fish sauce. It kind of looks like the Cantonese beef fried noodles but the Pad Kee Mao noodles are a bit thinner in width. Overall, I thought this dish was good and I do prefer this over the typical Pad Thai which usually tastes a little more sour.

This dish wasn’t part of the package but it was the Red Curry Tiger Prawns. I came with a guy so one package to share definitely wasn’t enough. I expected that I’d order another dish so we chose this one. The prawns were a good size, fresh, and plump. I just thought that curry sauce on its own was a bit salty but together with the prawns in your mouth balanced the taste. This also came with rice.

To end the night and as part of the package, we were presented with Kluag Tid Ma-Mung Ice Cream, deep fried banana served with mango ice cream. To tell you the truth, i’ve never had a deep fried banana before but it was good together with the ice cream! The mango ice cream was great and together with the warm banana just made it comforting. On the dish, they’d look like two separate things but give it a try and eat them together.

For 18 dollars, this deal was amazing for the amount of food you get. Actually, I can’t imagine myself finishing all 5 of those dishes. If you like spice and would like an introduction to Thai food, you’ll really enjoy it. I hate making decisions about food so this is perfect for those indecisive people. Less work and more bang for your buck.

Purchase the deal at www.vaneats.ca

We Rate Thai House:

Address:
1766 W 7th Avenue
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.thaihouse.com

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In Fairview

Suika Snackbar: Suika Punch Dining Package Review

June 21, 2012

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

Suika Snackbar is owned by the same people who bring us Kingyo Izakaya. It is located on Broadway near Fir St. I’ve been to Suika Snackbar a few times and it’s a great place to dine with friends over yummy Japanese food.

The guys at VANEATS.ca is offering a new dining package called Suika Punch for $25, where you get 6 courses consisting of:

Lightly Smoked Tuna Tataki
Tomato Kimchi
Yellowtail Carpaccio
The Hellz Chicken
Chinese Poutine
Pitcher of Sapporo

I always end up taking a picture of this because it’s so pretty.

Pitcher of Sapporo is an awesome addition to this package because everyone wants to relax and have a drink with friends. CandiedZen and I shared the pitcher since M was the driver for the night. Sapporo is one of my favorite beers since it’s light and pairs really well with Japanese food. No joke, I actually prefer Sapporo over Asahi.

Lightly Smoked Tuna Tataki, Tomato Kimchi, and Yellowtail Carpaccio come on one plate. It’s not 3 full courses, but it’s more of a sampler.

Lightly Smoked Tuna Tataki is topped with chili oil and scallions. M really liked it since it’s nicely seared on all sides. It was a nice change to have the chili oil on top of this instead of the usual ponzu sauce. It’s not spicy! There are 4 pieces that come with it, so if you come with an odd amount of people, someone is gonna fight for the last piece.

Tomato Kimchi has kimchi marinated tomato with chinese chives & cilantro oil. I loved this since the taste just tickles your tongue. It’s not spicy at all. I am not sure if I was crazy, but it seemed like there was a bit of sesame oil to this dish as well.

Yellowtail Carpaccio has thinly sliced yellowtail topped with sesame soy dressing, tobiko and mayo. I thought the mayo was a bit too much since it just killed the light delicate taste of the fish.

Chinese Poutine has french fries topped with spicy ground pork sauce, mozzarella, chili oil, sansho and minced cilantro. It’s actually not spicy either. It’s a really weird spin on poutine. It tasted good, but it seemed a bit peculiar for the menu.

The Hellz Chicken has 4 balls of deep-fried chicken tossed the most most evil sauce imaginable. (It’s a lie, but it’s spicy! Wing’s Bobby wings are hotter.) The sauce is made with a combination of jalapeno, hot sauce, lemon, garlic, vinegar & tabasco. Since I knew this was coming, I had to bring a Korean to see how intense the spice really was.

M loves his spicy food, but he did not feel like there was a yummy spicy taste to this dish. I had to agree with him since it just burns your mouth. I ate 2 of the pieces and I drank a glass of beer and a glass of water to quench the burn. I can usually handle my spice since I eat jars and jars of spicy kimchi at home.

At the end of the meal, you get some awesome frozen grapes. I always look forward to these since it’s very yummy.

Overall, we felt that the ‘Suika Punch’ is not for everyone. If you can’t handle your spice…or have weak friends, someone is gonna end up crying because of the Hellz Chicken. For $25 for the dining pass, it’s a good price since the pitcher of Sapporo does come with it. It’s a good package for 2 people. If you have 3 people, you would be ok ordering a few more additional dishes.

You can purchase the Suika Punch Dining Package at VANEATS.ca for $25!

Words of Wisdom: