British Columbia Archives - Page 118 of 138

In Coquitlam

Kulinarya: Delicious Heart Attack

September 16, 2011

Back to Kulinarya to have the last supper with Fabo before she heads off to Western to finish off her degree. We wanted something good in the Coquitlam area, so we decided to eat here.

It wasn’t very busy in the evening, so finding a table was no issue. Something about all the mirros and the old style wall paper just creeps me out. I think it’s because I watched too many horror films.

Dalandan Soda ($2) is a carbonated lime-like soda. It tasted pretty good, but I really didn’t like the look of the can. I am a bit of a design nazi.

Calamansi Juice ($2) is essentially lime juice made out of calamansi- the tiny tiny Filipino limes. It tastes very good and it’s something you should try.

Both of them taste somewhat similar, but the Dalandan Soda is carbonated and Calamansi is not carbonated.

Large Garlic Rice ($4.50) is very good and it has a good amount of garlic flavour. Very aromatic and tasty. If you are tired of just plain rice, this is a good change.

Pancit Malabon ($12) are thick rice noodles garnished with shrimps, hardboiled eggs, smoked fish flakes and pork cracklings. I thought this dish was alright, not that special.

Sizzling Sisig ($10) is crispy minced pork served on a sizzling plate. In the middle of the plate, there is a raw egg. All you need to do is mix everything together and it’s just yummy. Don’t eat this dish on your own because it’s filled with a lot of calories! The taste is so good, but it’s best with a bit of rice as well because it’s quite oily.

I have this every time and it’s pretty delicious.

Lechon Kawali ($9) is deep fried pork belly. The skin is super crispy, but it was also very fatty at the same time. I didn’t like the end pieces because there isn’t too much meat. As you can tell there is a large glob of fat at the end. It’s a dish that is meant to be shared. It’s still pretty delicious but when you eat too much. you won’t feel to good.

Overall, pretty consistant and delicious between the 2 visits that I’ve been here. THe best dishes are the ones with meat!

Words of Wisdom:

Free Parking in the front
A bit expensive
Pretty good authentic Filipino food
Most dishes are meant for sharing
Busy during peak hours
Popular for take out

We Rate Kulinarya:

Address:

114 – 2922 Glen Drive
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
www.kulinarya.ca

In Gastown

Guu Gastown: Guu’d Food

September 13, 2011

My goal in life is to go to every single Guu in the world! Hopefully that can be achieved in my lifetime….which may be hard since locations keep popping up around the world. Today, my adventures brought me to Guu Gastown for a friends “catch up” dinner.

Even though I put down reservations, we still had to wait in line. I came prepared and came a bit early to make sure we didn’t have to wait too long.

We got seated at their large window…my this wasn’t too bad of a view but it did get colder once the night rolled in. For the people attending the dinner that didn’t know where it was…its a fun idea to scream out the window so they know where Guu Gastown is. Keep in mind, that would be very embarrassing if others started looking at you.

The menu is similar on most days, but they also have a fresh sheet too.

You know me, Sapporo is a must at Guu. We ordered 2 pitchers and they have the tall Sapporo glasses. Yum!

Tako Wasa ($3.50) is marinated cooked octopus with wasabi and its served with sides of roasted seaweed. This is not a dish for everyone. If you hate wasabi, best to avoid. I love this dish because wasabi give your face a nice kick. I am not a big fan of wasabi, but I quite enjoy it in this form with the octopus.

Ebi Mayo ($7.80) are deep fried prawns in a crispy batter with spicy mayo. I really don’t like ebi mayo battered like this. It’s a bit thick and I think the other Guu’s make it better.

Takoyaki ($4.80) are deep fried battered octopus balls with tonkatsu sauce, wasabi mayo, mustard mayo, bonito flakes and dried seaweeed.

It’s pretty good and comes with 5 pieces. So much better than night market!

Saba with Garlic Herb ($7.20) is soy sauce + olive oil grilled mackerel with garlic chips, bill, peppers, herbs, lemon and onions.

I find the best part about this are the garlic chips! The saba has no bones, so it’s great for children!

Guu Tataki ($6.20) is seared beef sashimi with ponzu sauce, garlic chips and green onions. There’s really nothing I can say about this dish since its so delicious!

Eel Cutlet and Egg ($7.20) is deep fried panko breaded eel with kabayaki sauce, topped with a soft egg and japanese peppers. I’ve never had anything like this and CandiedZen and I just thought this dish was fabulous. The crunchiness of the fried eel matches with the soft gooey egg.

Sashimi Salad ($8.20), I was not very impressed by…but it did still taste good.

Guu Yakiudon ($7.50) is pan fried udon with beef, green onions and mushrooms topped with bonito flakes and dried seaweed. Always one of the most delicious dishes!

Overall, the choices on the menu were pretty good. I like how all the Guu’s have similar items, but are executed a bit differently. You really can’t get bored of the different Guu chains. After trying the Gastown location, I still prefer Guu Garden and Guu Garlic.

Words of Wisdom:

Yakiudon, eel cutlet and egg, beef tataki recommended
Very busy during the evenings
Best to get reservations
Closest Skytrain: Waterfront

We Rate Guu Gastown:
Address:

375 Water St
Vancouver, BC

Website:

www.guu-izakaya.com/gastown.html

Twitter:

@GuuIzakaya

In Coquitlam

Sushi California: Cheap & Affordable

September 11, 2011

After a long day, Monster, ConsultingGirl and I headed to Sushi California to grab some cheap sushi. I’ve been here before, but its still one of those go to places for decent cheap food.

The lines were starting to pile up and they wanted to seat the 3 of us at a 2 person table, but was very very cramped. They were quite hesitant to give us a table of 4 since they know they could seat more people soon. With a little bit of negotiating, the waitress let us sit at a table of 4 instead.

Here is a shot of their menu. They have the usual items and it’s not an overly complicated list.

The combos are pretty well priced too.

Seafood Salad ($5.95) looked very disappointing! it came with a bed of glass noodles, lettuce, cucumbers, and carrots. It is topped with octopus, 2 stick of imitation crab meat, slice of smoked salmon, piece of ebi and wasabi mayo.

This was really not what I was expecting. When did salad come with a bunch of noodles?

The salad also came with a huge side of salad dressing. With the noodles, the salad was a bit soggy to begin with, but the amount of salad dressing was way too much. We only added a little bit to it.

The salad didn’t taste good either. I would never order this again.

Salmon Sashimi (Half Order – $5.50) is a good item to order. It is sliced nice and thick so you get your moneys worth!

Chicken Karrage ($3.95) comes with 6 pieces and was very moist inside.

Spicy Salmon ($2.95) is not on the menu, but Monster didn’t like tuna, so she asked them to substitute and they were able to. It comes with 8 pieces and has enough spice to give your mouth a tingle.

California Roll ($2.95) has the usual imitation crab and avocados. It also comes with 8 pieces.

Chopped Scallop ($3.95) was pretty good and comes with 8 pieces. Similar to most sushi joints.

Spider Roll ($6.95) comes with 6 pieces and has cucumber, lettuce and fried soft shell crab inside.

Overall, this is not the best Japanese restaurant in Coquitlam. It just has cheap affordable sushi. You really get what you pay for. The service is not that great and this place is usually packed.

Words of Wisdom:

Good Prices
Horrible service
Very busy during peak hours
Take Out option

We rate Sushi California:

Address:

501A North Road in Coquitlam, BC

In Brunch

Cozmos Cappuccino Bar & Grill: Decent Food, Cold Service

September 8, 2011

MedicalGiraffe was back in town and she really does love brunch! The closest brunch place near our hood is Cozmos Cappuccino Bar & Grill. It’s quite popular in the Burnaby North area. If you are a student from Burnaby North Secondary School, I am sure you’ve heard of this place as well.

They have lots of seating and aren’t too busy during weekend brunch. At least when we went there, it wasn’t very full.

They have a few cool interior pieces that make this place stand out. They have metal Greek god art pieces and in the back of the restaurant they have a mini waterfall.

Their menu is very limited and you can get the usual omelets, and egg dishes.

Latte was nothing special. Just taste like any regular latte.

I tried ordering normal drip coffee, but the server didn’t know what I was talking about. So, I just ordered this. After ordering our meal, I didn’t get a good vibe from him. He seemed very cold towards us, like we were a bother to him. MedicalGiraffe and I were quite puzzled why he was so cold.

Mushroom & Cheddar Cheese Omelet ($8.75) comes with hash browns and a slice of orange. MedicalGiraffe thought the omelet was quite mediocre. Nothing mind-blowing, but quite bland. Perhaps they should have seasoned it a bit more.

The hash browns are deep fried, so you do get that nice crunch when you bite into them.

Eggs Florentine ($8.75) has 2 poached eggs with spinach and hollandaise sauce on english muffins. You also get hash browns and a slice of orange. I thought this dish was not too bad. The poached eggs were nice and runny on the inside, so when you cut into it, all the delicious yolk just runs out and covers everything. Yum. One thing I didn’t like was the english muffin, didn’t seem very fresh to me at all.

Just like MedicalGiraffe, I did like the hash browns! Nice and crunchy!

Overall, the food was alright, but we were very turned off by the cold service we received. Just because of his attitude when he took our orders, it made us feel very uneasy throughout the entire meal. Maybe they were having a bad day, so perhaps if you go, you might get different service.

Words of Wisdom:

Limited Brunch menu
Italian-feel to the restaurant
Under $10
Decent food
Very cold service
Eggs Florentine is a popular item

We Rate Cozmos:
Address:

6691 Hastings Street
Burnaby, BC

In Mexican

Vallarta’s Mexican Restaurant: Burrito Packed Full of Shrimp

September 7, 2011

I came to Vallarta’s Mexican Restaurant a while ago and it’s a really great hole in the wall restaurant with huge delicious portions. They serve up authentic Mexican food which will tingle your taste buds. Last time they ran out of the Cameron Burrito, so I just had to have it this time.

I am a huge huge shrimp lover and anything with lots of shrimp… I must devour.

Their menu can seem a bit pricey at first, but the portions will surprise you once it arrives at the table.

Camaron Burrito ($12.99) has garlic seasoned prawns, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers in a flour tortilla. It’s a good alternative to the other meaty dishes they have. The burrito is huge and you’ll be stuffed when you finish it… or you might be like me and get full half way. It can make for 2 meals.

This burrito had a lot of shrimp and I was surprised! There was probably over 10 pieces of shrimp. All the ingredients inside melded well together and you get good taste of the shrimp. One downside of this dish was the a few shrimp pieces had a bit of shell still on the shrimp. At least they aren’t bad quality shrimp.

Overall, I got my fill of shrimp. No matter if you get a meatless or meat dish, you will leave happy.

Words of Wisdom:

Free parking in front
Large portions of yummy food
Suggested – Caritas Burrito, Chicken Fajita Burrito, Cameron Burrito
Decent prices

We Rate Vallarta’s Mexican Restaurant:

Address:

2891 E Broadway
Vancouver, BC

In Brunch

Nice Cafe: Nice Breakfast and Delicious Mushrooms

September 6, 2011

Nice Cafe is another Vancouver hot spot for cheap delicious brunch! It’s cheap, it’s affordable, and it’s not just a pile of crap… the food looks pretty good.

The interior is not the most pretty place in the world, so don’t expect anything fancy. There is a row of tables down the middle and a few booths.

If you don’t mind the interior, you will find that Nice Cafe is a nice place to go on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Coffee ($1.60) is a norm for anyone that hates walking up before noon. I plan my weekends out where I make no plans until after 1pm…. unless something good is going on… like brunch with good company.

The coffee is refillable, but they don’t have soy option instead of the usual cream or milk.

2 eggs, hashbrowns, toast, sausage ($4.60) also known as the all day breakfast. It’s probably the most popular item since it’s cheap and you get a generous amount of food. The sausages are beautifully butterflied and grilled up! The hash browns are nice and crispy on the outside. It’s your typical breakfast, nothing fancy shmancy.

Side of mushrooms ($0.75) is a must at Nice Cafe. Obviously, if you hate mushrooms with a passion, you shouldn’t force yourself to eat it.

It is grilled and the flavours really come out! It kinda tastes a bit nutty. Yum.

Spinach & Feta Omelette ($6.10) it comes with hash browns and toast. For that price, it’s not bad!

Overall, pretty good price for what you get. The food is so much better than Bon’s Off Broadway….and looks better too!

Word of Wisdom:

Line up early to avoid line ups
All Day Breakfast is the most popular item
Free parking along adjacent streets
Under $10
Side of Mushrooms!

We rate Nice Cafe:

They are located at:

Mount Pleasant/Main Street
154 E 8th Ave
Vancouver, BC

In Japanese

Kimura: Changes in Portion Sizes Makes Me Sad

September 3, 2011

It’s always a good end to a day by having a delicious Japanese dinner with friends. Since Fabo is leaving soon to the east coast, she wanted to come here to eat their crispy rice. I came with her before, but I guess it was time for a revisit since it’s been a few month, who knows what has changed.

2L Asahi ($27) was their only option. They didn’t have any pitchers, so we had to get this. I dont think they have anything on tap, so most of their alcohol is just bought from the store.

Hakutsuru Sake ($21) is a cold bottled sake you would also find at any liquor store. I’m not exactly sure why M chose this sake, but I guess he wanted to try something different since he always just orders the hot sake.

Chicken Curry ($11.50) comes with the side of curry, rice and chicken cutlet. M enjoyed this since it really brought him back to the days when he visited Japan. This dish is pretty large, so don’t order too many dishes.

Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice ($4.50) is much smaller than I remember! It has pureed spicy tuna sit on top of a piece of lettuce and on a circle of fried crunchy flavoured rice. It is also garnished with jalapeno, and various sauces. I think there are now 70% of their original size. It was still good, but it was just so disappointing to see it so big, to being so small.

Oyster shooter ($3.50) usually comes with the omakase, but I didn’t want to spent $30 to just have it in my meal, so I asked for an order of it and it was totally fine! It has quail egg on top, oyster on the bottom with ponzu and soy sauce mixture. I am not exactly sure what was 100% in the shooter, but it didn’t taste too bad. Just remember to mix it before drinking.

Everyone else at my table just stared at me as I drank this. They thought it was the strangest thing in the world.

They had a Black Cod Special ($19.50) that comes with grilled black cod, tempura, sashimi, yakitori, kobachi, rice and miso soup! I thought it was a pretty good deal since you get to try so many different items.

The miso soup is always my favorite since it has more than just the water, paste and green onions, He ads some tofu curds into it the soup so there is more texture.

Kobachi just means little dish. It has cucumbers and conch (I think). I’m not 100% sure, but it kinda tasted like it. It was a refreshing dish.

The Assorted Tempura had a light coating of the tempura batter and was nicely fried. What I like about their ebi is how they salt it a little but before battering. When you bite into it, you can taste more the of ebi and it really stands out.

Yakitori in this special comes with 2 skewers. One with chicken and bits of wasabi and mushroom and peppers. Their yakitori is pretty good! I think there might have been cheese wrapped around both of these. Yum!

The sashimi has salmon and tuna. Very thin sliced delicate pieces. I prefer my sashimi small because you can really taste the quality and favours of it.

Black Cod is the main dish of the combo and I have never had black cod till now! It is the most delicious delicate fish you will ever have. It is so fatty that it literally just melts in your mouth!

Another good experience at Kimura, it’s also good to note that some portions of items have changed. Spicy tuna Crispy rice…why couldn’t you have stayed the same size. I guess thats why revisits are good. Fabo was disappointed by the size too since she expected the size to be the same. Despite that little change, we all had a good time…and they way you can tell that is when the bill is over $200…for 6 people… ouch!

Words of Wisdom:

Grilled Black Cod and yakitori is delicious
They now accept reservation again!
Parking in front or in residential areas
Customizable dishes, order off the menu
Sushi is not very good
Best to stick with combos and special to get the bang out of your buck

We rate Kimura Japanese Restaurant:

Website: http://www.sushikimura.com/

Address:

3883 Rupert Street
Vancouver, BC

In Downtown

Japadog Restaurant: Novelty Has Worn Off

September 1, 2011

I have to admit, when I heard they opened up a Japadog shop, I wasn’t very keen on visiting. I mean, they do serve up really unique Japanese inspired hotdogs, but no more street eating culture. I just find the best part of eating Japadog is just sitting on concrete steps and trying to fend off the rain.

For the others, the Japadog restaurant is great for people who just want to stay indoors and sit on some real chairs. The restaurant isn’t very large, so there is still very limited seating. Most people just do take out.

I came here with MedicalGiraffe and MedicalDog when they came to visit. She wanted to show him the world famous Japanese Hot Dog.

You order at the counter on the left and then you can pick up from the right side.

They have many options to their menu. The main one above the cashier has the usual japadog, sweet japadogs, ice cream japadogs and the shake fries.

Near the door is another menu, where they have additional items and substitutions such as vegetarian options.

Here are all 3 of the Japadogs that we ordered – Oroshi, Terimayo, and Okonomi.

Terimayo ($4.75) has a beef hotdog with mayonaise, teriyaki sauce and shreds of dried seaweed. This is probably the most popular Japadog. The bun is toasted on the outside, and you can tell by the grill marks. MedicalDog thought it was good! He thought it was pretty unique and is nowhere to be found in the States.

If you really want to be cheap, you can also remake it at home. very simple and easy.

Okonomi ($6.25) has Kurobuta Pork Sausage with mayo and bonito flakes. “Okonomi” means “what you want”, which if funny for this Japadog because the toppings are already preset.

MedicalGiraffe thought it was alright, but didn’t taste as good as a few years go. Perhaps the novelty of the Japadog wore off for her.

Since I was doing Meatless Mondays with a few people on Twitter, I really had to try my best to not eat meat. So, I just substituted the normal bratwurst sausage with a veggie sausage.

Oroshi with Veggie Dog ($4.74) has a veggie sausage with radish and some light sauce with green onion on top. The bun for this one was slightly different, it seemed to be oiled and then grilled. The taste was alright, every time I eat this, I do feel a bit healthier since I am eating vegetables.

Butter + Shoyu Shaked Fries ($2.39) is the most popular shake fries, but I was very disappointed. It just tasted like McDonalds fries and looked like them too. The flavour of the butter and Shoyu were very very subtle. I actually didn’t full taste it until, I picked up a large clump of the butter and shoyu in the bottom of the bag.

Shichimi & Garlic Shaked Fries ($2.39) were really good! You coud actually taste the seasoning compared to the Butter + Shoyu!

They also have a curry flavour of shake fries too and that flavour is pretty popular as well!

Overall, I found the Japadogs not as exciting when it comes from the restaurant. The food is pretty average, but people eat it for the novelty of it because it is THE Japadog! My relatives from Hong Kong heard about it on the news and just had to get one when they visited. A lot of people have differing opinions about it, but if you love a good hot dog with crazy toppings, come here to Japadog.

Words of Wisdom:

Limited Seating
Under $10
Closest Skytrain: Granville or City Centre
Curry Shake Fries and Shichimi + Garlic Shake Fries are worth a try

We Rate Japadog:

Address:

530 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.japadog.com

In French

Chez Meme Baguette Bistro: Baguettes and Slow Service

August 31, 2011

Chez Meme Baguette Bistro is a hot spot for sandwich lovers! They are best known for their selection of baguettes and french onion soup. Since Louieseries is a sandwich fanatic, I just had to take her here!

I don’t find it wrong to revisit places, I really do love it because each visit is a story of its own and it reminds me of all the fun eating times I have with my friends.

The place was packed and we did have to wait in line for a table. We spent a large potion of the time here waiting. That seemed to be the trend since we waited for a table, waited for a menu, waited for water, waited for someone to take our order and waited a long time for our food to arrive.

If you do come here, do have a bit of patience. The 2 times I’ve been here, you probably spend more time waiting than eating. Their food is worth the wait.

Jambon- Brie Baguette ($9) has Black forest ham, brie cheese and mustard in a nice baguette. What Louieseries liked most about this is how the ham is wrapped around the brie. She enjoyed the melty brie and ham. The bread is quite crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

She also added an additional $3 to get the french onion soup. It has onion soup, beef stock, bits of baguette and swiss cheese on top. It’s really one of the must have side dishes! Some may not like the soup since it can be very bold with flavour and a bit salty.

Nordique Baguette ($9.25) smoked salmon, red onions, cucumbers, and lemon dill cream cheese in the fresh baguette. It is one of the lighter baguettes that they have. I liked it since it was simple are the cream cheese and the salmon were the stars of this baguette.

I had the side salad with the balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I found the greens in the salad were not very fresh. You can tell by the dark edges around some leaves. It was a bit scary, but I just ate it anyways. The only reason why I ate it was because of their balsamic vinaigrette sauce. I really love the acidity and the tingly sensation it gives my lips.

Overall, consistant slow service, but the food is pretty good…except the part with the wilted greens.

Words of Wisdom:

Amazing French Onion Soup! Must order!
Free Parking on adjacent streets
Busy during lunch hours
Slow service
Under $10

We Rate Chez Meme Baguette Bistro:

Address:

4016 Hastings Street
Burnaby, BC

In Gastown

Big Lou’s Butcher Shop: Sandwiches, Sandwiches, and Sandwiches

August 30, 2011

Big Lou’s Butcher Shop is best known for their selection of meats as well as their sandwich counter. Some say that their sandwiches are equally as good as Meat & Bread.

I am never in this part of town, so it took me a while to make a trip here. M wanted a sandwich as usual, so I thought this would be a perfect place.

The back of this small store is the sandwich counter. They have a decent sized selection of sandwiches, but you really have to come here before certain items run out. I really really wanted the Porchetta, but that was sold out…also the turducken was sold out too.

They have very ornate decoration in the store. I just adored their shelves because of all the old style items that are there. Mostly it was the Boylan bottles of pop, but it gave it a cool look.

M is a huge cherry cola fan but I have never liked the flavour of any cherry type of cola…..till now.

Boylan’s Black Cherry soda is so good! It has a nice refreshing taste of the cherry flavour and it’s the best I have ever had. even said it was the best he’s ever had as well.

We took the sandwiches home to eat since there were only 2 stools to sit on. Since they were closing in 30 mins, we really didn’t mind taking it out. I hear thats what most people do anyways. I love how they wrap up these sandwiches so nicely in butcher paper and wrap the string around it.

Banh Mi ($8) has pickled vegetables, shredded pork shoulder, pate, cilantro and spicy mayo. This was pretty good. The bread is super crunch on the outside and quite nice and fluffy on the inside.

It is packed with a good amount of the shredded pork shoulder! The sauce worked really well with the ingredients too! They really created a good variation of this vietnamese classic. Just look at all that tender meat, who could resist?

Big Lou’s Chicago Style ($7.50) has in-house made sausages, pickles, onions, mustard, tomato mayo, peppers and celery salt. This sandwich uses the same type of bread as the banh mi sandwich.

I wasn’t a fan of this sandwich. The sausage had a really good taste, but I didn’t like the combination of the pickled, peppers and onions. I didn’t feel like it accentuated the flavour of the sausage since it really is the star of this sandwich.

The Shooter has seared medium steak slices, mushrooms, caramalized onions and perhaps horseradish. This sandwich is definitely different than the other ones. All the ingredients are embedded into the middle of the sandwich like a cross-section. All the laters are quite visible and you can see the medium color of all the steak slices.

The bread is different and it’s more dense and full of grains than the other bread.

When you bite into the sandwich, you will notice that is cold. I think they prepare it ahead of time and slice a piece off when someone orders it. It did have a good combination of flavours, but since it was cold, it was hard to taste some of the flavours. If this was a hot sandwich, I am sure the caramelized onions would have stood out a bit more.

Overall, Big Lou’s Butcher Shop has some interesting sandwiches. I found that some sandwiches can be a hit or a miss. Since I didn’t try the porchetta, I still don’t know which is better. For the time being, I will still stick with Meat & Bread. I will return for another visit and see which sandwich shop reigns supreme.

Words of Wisdom:

Super sketch area of town
Under $10
Banh Mi is good choice!

We Rate Big Lou’s Butcher Shop:

Address:

269 Powell Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.biglousbutchershop.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/BigLousButcherShop

Twitter:

@biglousbutcher

In Chinese

Tai Wan Restaurant: Amazing Korean Style Chinese Food

August 28, 2011

I was at Metropolis Comics & Toys near Metrotown buying some KidRobot Figurines, when M wanted to get some food close by. He didn’t want to walk far to find food, so we stayed on the same block to find something. I was so surprised at the restaurants on the block! I always thought it was super sketch.

Turns out there is a restaurant called Tai Won specializing in Korean-Style Chinese food. If you have never had Korean Style Chinese food, you must have some! It might even be better than authentic Chinese food. At one point, the restaurant was pretty packed for dinner time.

The tea is complementary like most restaurant and comes in a tea pot.

Their menu is quite simple and does not offer a large array of choices. Nonetheless, the items are good.

Like most Korean restauants, they provide you with complementary side dishes called banchan. Instead of the usual spicy sides such as kimchi, they have pickled radish and cabbage. It is pickled in vinegar and sugar. These are some of my favorite side dishes … and I ate all of them by myself. I didn’t want to share with M. hehehe.

Koon Man Doo / Deep Fried Dumplings ($6.99) has choppped pork and veggies inside. It is perfectly deep fried and has a nice crunch when you bite into it. One of my favorite dumplings ever. Definitely recommended.

Since you want some dipping sauce for the dumplings. Mix these 3 ingredients together. I think it’s vinegar, soysauce and chili powder. Mix these all together and you will get the perfect sauce to go with your fried dumplings.

Bo Keum Bab ($7.99) has fried rice with veggies, shrimp and ham. It is them topped off with the traditional korean black bean sauce. M really liked the dish.

Yoo San Seul Bab ($8.99) has rice with assorted veggies, pork and seafood on top. There’s a lot of sauce, so when you mix it around you will have plenty of sauce and taste of the rice. It kinda reminded me of the chinese egg swirl with rice, but with no egg. Still very delicious.

Overall, very good place despite the somewhat sketchy location.

Words of Wisdom:

Free parking in rear
Under $10
Deep Fried Dumplings, Bo Keum Bab and Yoo San Seul Bab recommended
Closest Skytrain: Metrotown

We Rate Tai Wan (태원) Restaurant:

Address:

4727 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC V5H

In Granville Island

Celine’s Fish and Chips: Worst Fish & Chips On Granville Island

August 27, 2011

I’ve been on a Fish & Chips hunt this Summer whenever I happen to pass by a place. While I was on Granville Island, I decided to try out Celine’s Fish & Chips. Its been here for a long long time and I thought it really couldn’t be that bad. I had it many years ago, but I totally forgot what it tasted like.

When I approached this place to order, I was a bit shocked at the way they communicated with customers. They didn’t seem very happy and the only thing they said was “$16 dolla”. The wait for my dish was quite long too, which was funny since there wasn’t a lot of people lining up. A few other people ordered after me and the serve was also cold to them as well.

Sample Platter ($16) was quite expensive. It has a few onion rings, fries, calamari, one small fried oyster, one small fried prawn, and a small piece of cod. I was very disappointed in this platter. The majority of this plate was onion rings and fries. All the seafood items were quite small.

The onion rings were heavily breaded with batter and it felt like you were eating more of the batter than the onion. The fries were also soggy and pretty bland. The cod was pretty good, but it was a small piece and also heavily coated with batter. I had to remove the batter to get a good taste of the cod. The prawn and the oyster were both mediocre and did not seem very fresh. Quite ironic because they are located on Granville Island. The only item that saved this patter was the fried calamari. It had a nicely seasoned light batter that surrounded it, so you can really taste the squid.

Overall, major disappointment. If they can’t get a platter right..I wouldn’t imagine the fish & chips to be good either. The food is quite greasy as well. I will never order from here again.

Words of Wisdom:

Self Serve napkins and condiments
Overpriced
Greasier than normal
Horrible onion rings and fries
Bad service

We Rate Celine’s Fish & Chips:

Address:
109 – 1689 Johnston Street
Vancouver, BC

In Granville Island

Market Grill: An Awesome Burger Find!

August 27, 2011

The Market Grill on Granville Island is in the marketplace. They are best known for their amazing burgers! My sisters and I were in the marketplace looking for seafood to bring back home, but then we felt kind hungry, so we decided to grab a bite here.

The Market Special Burger with Caesar Salad ($8.75) is one of their most popular items. It has Swiss cheese, mushrooms, onions, tomato and a thick beef patty on a toasted bun. The patty has a nice char on the outside, but when you bite into it, the flavours are just amazing. With the combination of the savory mushrooms and gooey cheese, it really just makes your day better.

The caesar salad is quite basic. It has romain lettuce, parmesan and dressing. Nothing too fancy.

Overall, great burger and we will definitely come here again. The burger was really good and I wouldn’t see why the other burgers wouldn’t be as awesome as well.

Words of Wisdom:

Good Prices
Market Special Burger!
Lots of seating, but usually full

We Rate Market Grill:
Address:
104 – 1689 Johnston Street
Vancouver, BC

In Coquitlam

Fuji Sushi: Your Friendly Neighbourhood Japanese Restaurant

August 26, 2011

Since I live near the Lougheed area, I wanted to try something different with M, BusanGirl and PoliceMan. I was tired of the usual Korean and Japanese Restaurants in the area, so I did a bit of research to find Fuji Sushi. I’ve never heard of this place before and it seems like it’s a local favorite for the people in the Burquitlam area.

When we arrived, the place was packed and there were also a few people in line. They have 2 bigger areas in the back for larger groups and everything else seats 1, 2 or 4. If you do come here with a large group of 4+, it’s best to make a reservation just so you don’t have to wait in line, or have awkward seating.

When we arrived, it took us a while to get our seat. As we were waiting, we actually considered perhaps just going elsewhere, but as we began to walk away, our table became available.

The menu has the usual items you would find in a Japanese restaurant. The prices are decent, but they are slightly higher than other places.

Since I found out that I passed my Finance course at SFU, I really needed a drink to relieve all the stress.

I had to get a bottle of Sapporo to celebrate! I thought it was funny how they gave me a Kirin glass to go with it. It boggles your mind when you drink from it.

M got his usual warm house sake. I don’t think we ever know what brand or type of sake we get. He loves sake no matter what brand or type.

Katsudon ($8.50) has a fried pork cutlet with egg, onions, green onions and pickled diakon. M thought it was quite average, but it wasn’t bad or anything like that.

Dinner Box – Sashimi Combo ($14.50) is comes with tuna and salmon sashimi, beef teriyaki, tempura, grilled salmon, fruit, garden salad, rice and miso soup. BusanGirl and PoliceMan shared this since they both weren’t too hungry. They enjoyed everything, but they did not take a liking towards the grilled salmon.

Miso soup that comes with the combo is just normal. Miso soup isn’t complicated since it’s just mixing water with miso paste. It’s just your standard miso soup with green onions.

Fried Oyster ($4) came with 3 pieces. They are medium sized oysters that are breaded and fried. The oysters were pretty good with a crunchy thin crust. It also tasted quite fresh as well.

California Roll ($2.50) has tobiko, artificial crab meat and avocados. It was alright, but it’s not the best.

Spicy Tuna Roll ($3.75) has a large chunk of tuna sashimi with green onions and spicy sauce. I liked this because even though the spicy sauce isn’t mixed into the tuna, they add enough sauce around it that there is enough spiciness.

Overall, it’s a decent place to go to. It might just be equivalent to California Sushi.

Words of Wisdom:

Bento Boxes are good value
Good fresh quality sashimi
Line ups at peak hours, make reservations
Decent Service

We Rate Fuji Sushi:

Address:

526 Clarke Rd
Coquitlam, BC V3J

Website:
www.fujisushi.com

In Brunch

Bino’s Family Restaurant: Bang For Your Buck

August 25, 2011

I have to be honest, I judge restaurants based on what they look like from the outside. Bino’s is a family restaurant of Kingsway and Joyce. They are best known for their cheap all day breakfast. For some others, it is their “hangover cure”. For M and I, its just good cheap eats! All their seating is booth style and the interior is quite dated.

We were introduced to this place through a friend and we were mesmerized by their cheap breakfast. We decided to come again since I somehow misplaced those pictures.

Their menu does really have everything from breakfast, lunch to dinner…it’s all there. They also have a kids menu. Most of their items are under $10.

M ordered the Monte Cristo with side of sausages ($6.30 +$2.60). It originally comes with fries, but M felt like sausages, so we opeted out of the fries for a discount of $0.65. Then he added the side of sausages. The sausages were the usual breakfast sausages and they were good.

Their version of monte cristo is egg dipped french toast with ham and swiss cheese. Since there are so many variations of the monte cristo, it wasn’t the version that M was looking for. He wanted it deep fried and smothered in jam. He’s still on the hunt for that kind.

In the case of Bino’s version of the monte cristo, it is still very good and it tastes best with syrup.

I had the Corned Beef special with a side of bacon ($5.95 +$2.60). It has slices of corned beef and mustard on rye bread. I substituted the fries for bacon. hehehe. BACON! I really liked the bacon here, its crispy!

The sandwich doesn’t have too much meat, but it is an ok amount for what you pay. I like how they have mustard on both sides of the bread so you get a good amount of mustard to go with the meat. Mustard+corned beef are a good combination! I really just wished there was more meat.

Bino’s doesn’t have the best breakfast you will ever have, but they give you the bang for your buck. They try to keep their prices low to cater to seniors. I think most of their customers are seniors who just like good eat for good price. It’s just simple and more like “home” type of food thats not overly complicated.

Words of Wisdom:

Free parking in rear, don’t forget to register license plate with waitress
Cheap eats, decent food
Good breakfast deals
Corned Beef Hash is very good
Most popular item is the All Day Breakfast and

We Rate Bino’s Family Restaurant:

Address:

3312 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC

In Richmond

Pajo’s Fish & Chips: Down By The Sea

August 24, 2011

I’ve heard the Pajo’s in Steveston is quite popular for Fish & Chips, so it was time for a visit. Pajo’s is located on a dock, which floats on top of the green murky water and it’s attached to the waterfront by stairs. Since it was a very nice sunny day, there were pretty huge line ups just to order.

All the seats on the dock were taken up already!

They also have additional seating near the waterfront, so there is plenty of seating for all! On the hot sunny days, its best to find seating that has shade or else you my develop a nice tan!

They specialize in Fish & Chips, but they also have a large variety of burgers and hot dogs.

They also have beverages and lots of sides to add to your meal.

The first thing you must do is to is to take a look at the menu and order at the first menu, then line up to pick up your order.

Yep, thats tartar sauce that goes with your fish and chips! Yum Yum! Don’t forget to grab yours when you pick up your order.

M and ScarFace both ordered the “One of Each Fish & Chips” ($14.99), which has one piece of salmon, cod and halibut. The 3 pieces rests on a bed of fries. M thought the best fish was the salmon since he really couldn’t tell the halibut and the cod apart due to their taste and color. The fish nice and delicate with a crunchy layer of batter on the outside. M really hated the chips since they were quite bland and soggy.

Even though Vancouver is known for its fresh fish, M still thinks that the best fish & chips are still found in London. He hasn’t found a place here that has amazing Fish & Chips.

I ordered the Halibut Fish Burger and Chips ($10.79). It comes with the burger and a cone of the chips.

Similar to M, I did not take a liking to the chips. Perhaps they didn’t fry them long enough. The only way I could eat them all would be dipping them into the tartar sauce.

The Halibut pieces were quite small, so there were 2 pieces in the burger with tar tar sauce and lettuce. I was not a fan of the bun since it was not toasted. The bun was quite soft. The halibut had a really nice taste, but I wished it came with one large piece of fish and not just 2 smaller pieces. One of the pieces kept trying to escape. Nonetheless, I did enjoy biting into the fish

Overall, they taste of the fish was alright, but the fries are just horrible. Since it’s called Fish & Chips, both should be exceptionally delicious, but it wasn’t too greasy or anything like that.

Words of Wisdom:

Free parking on streets
Decent Fish, Horrible soggy chips
Certain items can get expensive
Get seaside atmosphere
Salmon is good!

We Rate Pajo’s Fish & Chips:

Address:

3500 Bayview St
Richmond, BC V7E

Website:
www.pajos.com

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

Twitter: @pajos_fishchips

In Dessert

Screamers Soft Serve & Treats: I Scream For Ice Cream…and Slurpee

August 23, 2011

A long time ago, there was a shop at Metrotown that served up a delicious blend of ice cream and slurpee. It was one of the highlights of going to Metrotown with my parents. I was so devastated when it shut down. I thought I would never see the delicious concoction again.

As I was browsing through Twitter, I found out a shop called Screamers in Steveston was selling the wonderful dessert. Since it was so far away in Steveston, I had to give M a good reason to take me here. It really didn’t take much convincing since we were both bored after exams.

You order from the first window and pick it up in the other window. The simple menu is located on the right side. They only have 4 flavours of screamers, but its good enough.

Grape Crush Screamer (Small – $3.35) has the mixture of the vanilla soft serve ice cream with the grape crush slurpee. You can see that the ice cream is surrounding the entire cup and not just on the bottom or just at the top. Well integrated so you won’t miss a bite of the slurpee and ice cream.

Orange Crush Screamer (Small – $3.35) was my favorite because I’m a orange crush girl! Super delicious on a hot summers day.

Lime Crush Screamer (Small – $3.35) was also good. We all come to a consensus that the soft serve ice cream was really really good. M and ScarFace loved the combination of the 2 items but felt that the small was really large. We kept going at the screamer, but it didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Well worth the money.

Words of Wisdom:

Mini or Small is a good size
All items under $5
Free parking on most roads (Super hard to find a spot during peak hrs)
Delicious soft serve ice cream

We Rate Screamers Soft Serve & Treats:

Address:
12211 Third Avenue
Richmond, BC

Website:
www.screamerssoftserve.ca

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

Twitter:
@screamers_ss

In Commercial Drive / Grandview

Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen: Great Addition to The Drive

August 22, 2011

My sister found a new Japanese place on Commercial Drive called Kishimoto that serves up sushi and different izakaya dishes. Since I just adore Japanese food to death, I dragging M to come eat with me.

There are a few other Japanese Restaurants on Commercial Drive and at first we accidentally went to the wrong place. It looked nothing like Kishimoto, but it had a similar name. M thought I took him to a crappy place, but we just went to the wrong place. We felt super bad to be leaving, so we just grabbed our stuff and quickly said “umm errr we have to go”. As we walked infront of Kishimoto, our eyes just lit up.

Their interior is quite dark, so it gives it a bit of a romantic intimate vibe. The servers were really nice!

I can’t live without beer, so I got a bottle of Kirin. Kirin isn’t as good as Sapporo or Asahi.

Ebi Chili Mayo ($9.75) comes with 5 pieces of the battered and fried prawns with chili mayo sauce. The prawns were beautifully butterflied so you can taste more of the natural taste of the prawn . I loved how the mayo is on the side since I really don’t like my ebi mayo doused in the sauce.

What I found was that even though this dish is good, it is quite pricey for just 5 pieces.

Sockeye Salmon Ishinabe ($14) is rice and sockeye salmon sashimi with a bunch of other ingredients in a 450 degree stone bowl. This reminded me of the Korean bibimbap, but with a Japanese twist. You need to leave the ingredients in the bowl until the bottom gets crispy. I love the crispy rice, so I let it sit there for awhile.

For the price, you wont’ get super full from the dish. It also tasted really good, but quite pricey.

My favorite dishes were probably the sushi! It comes with such a lovely presentation! It has a tea light candle in the center with red currants. Red currants are currently in season, so its a perfect garnish.

They do little things on the dish that just impresses me. They even turned bits of carrot into a butterfly!

Kishimoto Roll ($5.95) has scallop, salmon, radish sprouts, wrapped in rice and soy paper. It was really good!!! It’s probably one of the best sushi’s I’ve had in a while. Its the type of sushi that requires no soy sauce and the flavours really just shine through. It was not super dense and it was really just perfect.

Little Princess Roll ($7.95) has oba leaf, cream cheese, unagi, mayo wrapped in rice and inari. This roll even has edamame eyes! The roll just melts in your mouth and you really just fall in love with the combination of unagi and cream cheese.

Overall, M and I fell in love with their sushi! We did like the other items, but they got pretty pricey. You really need to look and choose the items carefully on the menu or else you will break your wallet. The quality of the food is amazing and I will probably come here again for their sushi.

Words of Wisdom: