British Columbia Archives - Page 97 of 138

In Japanese

Spaghetei: Japanese Style Spaghetti

May 16, 2013

Spaghetei opened on Robson Street a few days ago. They took over the former location of Benkei Ramen. This chain of restaurants has been around since 1975 and it’s finally landed in Vancouver.

KoreanGirl and I were wandering around Robson St for dinner around 9pm and we were curious about this place. It was quite empty, but we figured we should try it out anyways. Even though they are open, their card machines don’t work yet. To make up for the inconvenience, they are offering their customers 30% off. They are licensed too, so they have alcohol.

There are a good amount of tables inside.

Complimentary cup of soup was good and had bits of shredded lettuce inside.

Complimentary slices of garlic pesto bread was a cute touch before getting our meal. It’s lightly toasted and crunchy.

Mentaiko ($13) has spaghetti tossed with spicy cod roe, mushroom, and seaweed. This was my favorite and was the most expensive spaghetti. The taste reminded me of yaki udon. It wasn’t spicy either even though there is the spicy cod roe.

Neopolitan ($12) has bacon, chicken, sausage, and vegetables. It has a mild ketchup flavour. I wasn’t a fan of this dish since it seemed a bit simple and easy to make at home.

Overall, I was very torn about this place. I really wanted to love this place, but the price you pay doesn’t equate to what arrives. I definitely need to return to try a few more dishes. KoreanGirl already has plans to come back since she really wants to try their Clam Shellfish Spaghetti and butter & Soy sauce spaghetti. Eating here reminded us of being kids again when our parents would make us spaghetti.

We Rate Spaghetei:

Address:
1741 Robson St
Vancouver

Website:
http://www.spaghetei.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1741+Robson+St+Vancouver,&hnear=1741+Robson+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6G+1E1&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Four Beakers

Marutama Ramen: Newest Ramen Restaurant in Vancouver

May 15, 2013

Marutama Ramen opened up in Vancouver on May 5th, 2013. They have been around for about 10 years and since then it’s been opening up shops around the world. There are several location in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and now in Vancouver!

All their noodles are handmade in the shop and you can definitely tell the difference between the other ramen shops in town. I first noticed this restaurant when TaiwaneseGirl began bombarding me with messages to go eat here. It’s only been open for a bit over 1 week and she’s been there at least 3 times.

There’s not too many seats, so it can get busy during peak hours. In their first week, they’ve been so busy that they are starting to run out of food before their closing hours. I actually went again today but they were all sold out by 9pm.

Complementary cold tea arrives as you wait for your meal.

Dashimaki ($7) is a Japanese Omelette cut up into 6 square pieces. This is a popular item that tends to be sold out too. It’s sweetened egg. I didn’t particularly like this as I never liked the idea of sweet savory foods. Probably a childhood thing. Some people love this, but it wasn’t for me.

Marutama Tamago Ramen ($10.50) is a must! It’s their top-selling item. It contains the soft-boiled flavored egg, aosa seaweed, green onions, 2 pieces of chashu, and handmade noodles in a rich chicken broth. You can choose mild or spicy broth. Other ramen places use pork broth, but I love their chicken broth.

It’s not a large portion, but it tastes quite healthy and not too rich. If you are a big eater, you might want to add an extra portion of noodles. I liked their noodles since they are thin and takes us more broth as you eat it.

Highly recommended!

Out of all the ramen places I’ve been to so far, this is by far the best egg I’ve ever eaten.

Overall, it’s become one of my favorite spots in town for ramen. The quality of their ingredients is great and that egg is so addictive. I have a feeling this place is going to get quite busy once people figure out that this place has amazing eggs in their ramen.

We rate Marutama Ramen:

Address:
780 Bidwell
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.japanesenoodle.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=780+Bidwell+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=780+Bidwell+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6G+1C8&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Fairview

Suika Snackbar: SupaSUIKA Dining Package

May 13, 2013

I’ve been to Suika Snackbar several times in the past few years and it’s always been a great experience. They have sister restaurants located around town – Kingyo and Rajio. Suika means watermelon, Kingyo means goldfish and Rajio means radio. I find it funny how all those restaurants are named after things.

Vaneats.ca and Suika have teamed up together again to offer another dining package. It’s $35 and you get the following:

Salmon Battera
Magical Mojito Pitcher
Steak Salad
Ma-Po Rice Cake

I came with Mandu and KoreanGirl to check out the package since there was a mojito pitcher that is more for a group rather an individual.

It’s pretty busy usually, so it’s always best to make a reservation. Most of the tables we saw when we arrived had reserve signs too. To avoid disappointment, definitely reserve!

As always, this is their amazing light installation that catches everyone’s attention.

Magical Mojito Pitcher (Regular $28). You can choose from watermelon, pomegranate or aloe. We had a hard time figuring it out, so we asked the staff which one was most popular and they suggested the Suika Mojito, which is the watermelon flavoured one. I’m not a fan of artificial watermelon flavour, so I didn’t particularly like the flavour. They didn’t skimp on the alcohol because I turned bright red like Rudolph after having one glass.

There was enough in the pitcher to fill up 6 glasses. Pretty good amount. For 3 people, it was enough for us on a weekday.

Steak Salad has diced & marinated AAA beef filet steaks on a bed of organic greens, then topped with watercress and beets.

The steak pieces were done to about medium rare and was a tad chewy. It was still a pretty solid dish and we enjoyed it.

Ma-Po Rice Cake is deep-fried rice cake with spicy ground pork sauce. It comes with 4 pieces and has the sauce drizzle on top of each piece. My friends loved the stickiness of the rice cakes and the savoury sauce.

Salmon Battera is topped with sockeye salmon, salmon caviar, spicy cod roe mayo, Japanese basil, and then avocado shiso between the rice.

Overall, the 3 of us enjoyed the #SupaSUIKA dining package from Vaneats.ca. $35 for the 3 food dishes and the huge pitcher of mojito is worth it. There are also other items on their menu that will definitely make you drool. If you spilt this package with a few friends and add a few items on the side, it’s not too expensive.

Items not included in the SupaSUIKA Dining Package (Delicious things I ordered in addition to the package)

Deluxe Suika Box ($12) comes with a set of 9 assorted appetizers. If you are a person that like a little taste of everything, you’ll enjoy this box.

Deep Fried Chicken Cartilage with curry spice. It was an interesting dish to try. Who knew chicken cartilage would be tasty. It’s the curry spice that really makes this dish mighty delicious. Don’t worry, there is chicken meat in the dish and not just cartilage.

Corn Kakiage is one item you must order everytime you eat at SUIKA. It comes in 3 pieces and really good.

Tokyo Oxtail Ramen is another good choice too. It has slowly braised oxtail and noodles in a soy based broth topped with green onions.

Words of Wisdom:

Corn Kakiage, chicken kaarage, Deluxe suika box, Tuna tataki, Sashimi shake salad and ebi mayo recommended.
Nice decor and good service
If it’s your birthday, the staff sing to you
Pay parking on Street
Reservations highly recommended!

We Rate Suika:

Address:
1626 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC

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

View Larger Map

In Kid Friendly

Chen’s Shanghai Restaurant: XLB and Salty Soy Milk

May 12, 2013

I don’t go to Richmond that often, so we decided to make Kirsty (Eating with Kirby) take us to the good places in town. She was pretty confident that this place had some good xiao long bao. I am still a big fan of Dinesty, so she really wanted to show me this hole in the wall with amazing XLB. She even wrote a blog post about Dinesty vs Chen’s a few months ago.

This place is cash only and has won several awards too. It doesn’t have a nice interior but they are best known for their food.

Salted Soy Milk ($2.95) sounds like a weird dish, but it was surprisingly good. It’s also only $2.50! SO cheap! Somehow all the ingredients blended together very nicely to make a savory soup.

Mixed Meat Wo Ba was a cool dish to eat. You take some soup and then you throw in a chunk of crispy rice into it. Its a good combination of crispy rice and the smooth saltiness of the soup.

Noodle Soup with pickled cabbage and shredded pork ($6.50) was ok. Nothing special.

Xiao Long Bao comes in 6 pieces per order ($4.95) whats unique about these is that there is a lot of soup packed into these. Half of the table broke their XLB as they were transporting the dumpling from the bamboo steamer to their spoons.

Shanghai Spicy Green Beans ($7.95) was good as usual. A little bit oily, but not as bad as other restaurants.

Shanghai Pan Fried Pork Buns ($4.95) were oily and a bit burn on the pan-fried side.

Deep fried buns with condensed milk is a must! The deep fried buns come in 6 pieces and great for sharing. Crispy on the outside and steaming hot and fluffy on the inside.

The food was good and the prices were great. Some dishes can be a hit and a miss.

Words of Wisdom:

Must order the Xiao Long Bao, Salted Soy Milk, Deep Fried Man Tou
Cash Only
Free parking in the parking lot
Horrible Service
Hole in the Wall Decor

We Rate Chen’s Shanghai Restaurant:

Address:
8095 Park Rd
Richmond, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=8095+Park+Rd+Richmond,+BC&hnear=8095+Park+Rd,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6Y+2Y8&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Four Beakers

Dark Table Vancouver: Spoiler Alert! Photos!

May 11, 2013

Dark Table dining experience is really an adventure. Blind dining is popular in other larger cities around the world and has finally landed in Vancouver, BC. You’re dining in pitch darkness, so you can definitely feel how it’s like losing one of your senses. When it was first opened , I didn’t feel an urge to come here, but I’m glad I finally did it.

They are giving diners a unique experience and they proudly hire people with visual impairments. They state that the unemployment rate is 70% among the blind. In the dark dining environment, they are the ones guiding us through our dining experience and we follow.

We made reservations ahead of time and on a Friday night, it wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t crowded and was a good size for the amount of people freaking out over the darkness.

You order your meal outside in the lounge and choose from either 3 courses ($39) or 2 courses ($33). The main dishes you choose, but the starter and dessert are a mystery. Once you order, you wait a short while until one of their legally blind servers takes you inside. Lazaare was our server and he was very nice and humble. The dinner lasts 1.5 hours on average. They make you turn off your cell phone and any light producing devices like illuminating watches.

This is what we saw the entire night looked like. I felt pretty disoriented most of the time. You’re unaware of your surroundings, sense of time, and weird emotional feelings. My friends were scared and excited to be trying this out. The first thing you’ll notice is that your hearing gets better. You could hear everything in the room, but maybe it’s because your sense of sight is taken away, so you speak louder. For some reason I felt a bit anxious for no reason and when the food came, I had an urge to eat it fast.

It was fun trying to navigate the plate and seeing where to put the fork. I spent a bit of time eating with my hands and feeling my food. We made guesses to our mystery starters and dessert, but we soon discovered our sense of taste was quite weak.

Stop reading now if you don’t want to be spoiled by real pictures of their food.

This is what I would have posted, but we asked the restaurant to help us take pictures. They were happy to do so since no one really knows what the food really looks like. It is carefully put together and we should be celebrating the dining experience and the food.

Plus, it’s always fun to see the food that you image and what it really looks like.

Surprise Starter

While eating this, I thought it was a plate full of salad and poking it with my fork. My friend said she felt cups. “Stuff in cups” was her explanation. So I started navigating the plate with my hands. The “cups” that she was referring to were endives stuffed with some mixture and cheese. On the other side is a salad with walnuts and strawberries. I guessed the endives right, but I had no idea what else was on the plate. I actually thought the strawberries were peaches.

My failed taste buds fail me.

Fresh Ravioli with jalapeno, rosemary cream sauce.

M had this dish and he used a fork to pick at it. He kept going at it until there was no more. He did enjoy it.

Veal Schnitzel (Viennese Style) with potatoes and seasoned vegetables.

My friends ordered this dish and they said “It’s so big and feels hard”. We made a lot of bad jokes since were dining in the dark. The taste of it was pretty good.

Goat Cheese and dates stuffed chicken breast with orange gastrique, roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Looks pretty good. Too bad we couldn’t see it while we ate it.

Beef Tenderloin with a peppercorn sauce and potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

I ordered it medium rare and they made it right. You didn’t have to see the image to know. When I bit into the dish, I was so glad it was pre sliced so I didn’t have to accidentally slice off any fingers.

Surprise Dessert

This was the hardest dessert to decipher while eating it. In my mind, I was so sure it was a black forest cake. Our table had debates about what it could be. In the dark I ate it all, but when seeing it in pictures, it wouldn’t be a dessert that I wouldn’t pick. I’m pretty mindblown that I learned I eat with my eyes more than my tastebuds.

Another version of the Surprise Dessert. I’m sure they have different desserts with people with diet restrictions.

After the dark dining, we left quite satisfied with our meal. I remember thinking everything tasted great and had this idea of how the plate was presented. My imagination was soaring.

We then were led to the cashiers area to pay for the meal. After that, we were led back outside and all we saw was white for a few seconds since it was so bright outside. We were so curious what our food actually looked like since we all had different reactions to what was on our plate. The food tasted good but when you look at the pictures what you image may or may not align.

The food isn’t fine dining , but it’s more for the experience. You have to come here with an open mind and try everything. Definitely recommended.

We Rate Dark Table:

Address:
2611 W 4th Ave
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://darktable.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2611+W+4th+Ave+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=2611+W+4th+Ave,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6K+3V9&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Burnaby Cariboo-Lougheed

Jong Ga Korean Restaurant: More Restaurants in Korea Town

May 8, 2013

Jong Ga Korean Restaurant is another newer restaurant that has popped up in North Road AKA Korea Town in the past year. It’s a small restaurant, but its packed during peak hours. We went around 1pm as a group of 6 and there was still a decent amount of people inside.

Its located a few shops away from the Steve Nash Gym on North Road. Also steps away from the Lougheed Skytrain. Parking can be quite annoying during peak hours, but you’ll find parking close by.

Banchan are complimentary side dishes that arrive before the meal. It’s normal to see this at Korean restaurant and is expected. Jong Ga has 6 that comes and may vary from visit to visit.

Seafood Pancake ($13.99) was massive and quite thick. There is definitely lots of seafood and ingredients inside, but it was so thick that the center is mushy and falls apart. The exterior is still crisp, but could be done a bit better.

Beef Bone Broth with Noodles ($8.99) comes with rice in a stone bowl. This dish has always confused me. It tastes quite bland when you don’t add salt into it. We asked the waitress for salt but she gave us mustard and vinegar instead. It still made the soup bland. This is one time where we wished we had MSG. My sister said this dish tasted like water and noodles.

Buckwheat noodle in chilled broth ($8.99) was what my other sister ordered. It’s quite a big bowl and put together nicely.

Pork Bone Soup in Hot Pot ($8.99) is probably one of the better items to order here. It also comes with rice. The meat is delicious and tender and the soup was good. Not the best I’ve ever had, but good.

Overall, the food is good, but the service was quite sparse. They didn’t give us tea or water till we bugged them. They didn’t give us condiments for our dishes, so we also had to ask. The condiment jars were not filled up and only had a few drips left.

We Rate Jong Ga Korean Restaurant:

Address:
4333 North Road
Burnaby, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4333+North+Road+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=Bikram+Yoga+Burnaby,+4501+N+Rd,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V3N+4R7&gl=ca&t=m&z=15 “]

In Happy Hour

Joe Fortes: Happy Hour

May 6, 2013

Joe Fortes has happy hour from 4pm till 6pm daily, where select items are 50% off. InsecureGirl and I decided to come here after work to indulge ourselves in some oysters and other items. They don’t take reservations for this and you can only have the happy hour items in their bar seating area. It’s first come first serve, so you will have to be lucky enough to find open spots if you come in a group. Since it was just the two of us, it was easy to find open seats.

They have been open for more than 25 years and known for their seafood.

Basket of complimentary bread arrives and it comes with a lobster oil and balsamic vinegar dip. A good nibble before your food arrives.

Truffle Parmesan Frites (Reg $9.95 | Happy Hour $5) is seasoned with grana padano, herbs, and sea salt. It comes with a side of ketchup. It comes in a cute presentation on a skillet. The skillet is piled full of fries and is definitely enough for 2 people to share. There is a strong douce of truffle oil and it smelled amazing.

Jumbo Tempura Prawns (Reg $14.95 | Happy Hour $7.50) comes with 3 pieces and accompanied with togarashi mayo and a wedge of lemon. These prawns were massive!

Buck a Shuck (Happy Hour $1) are the bomb. They shuck them very cleanly and the size of the oysters are massive. It comes with a few sauces and lemon wedges. Of all the happy hour places I’ve been to in Vancouver, they probably have the best.

I do love happy hour since all the prices are great! You can’t beat 50% off. Downside of this great deal is the limited seating by the bar. You must get the oysters.

We rate Joe Fortes:

Address:
777 Thurlow St
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.joefortes.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=777+Thurlow+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=777+Thurlow+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6E+3V5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Chef

Chef’s Table: Chef Thomas Heinrich

May 5, 2013

Chef Thomas Heinrich is the executive chef of the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. He comes from the land down under – Australia, working at several high-end restaurants before making his way to New York. It’s great that his culinary journey has led him here to Vancouver.

I first met him via Twitter to check out Vaneat’s Art of Taste dining package at Mosaic. What I loved about his style is that he uses amazing ingredients that are in season and I was impressed by the presentation. Of course the taste was amazing, but it was the first time in a few years that I really enjoyed fine dining. A lot of places in town were disappointing, but I love eating here. In the past month, I’ve dined in the hotel at least 5 times. I never knew the Hyatt would have such amazing food. Twice for the #ArtofTaste, once for a company function , once at Grain Tasting Bar, and another time for a chefs tabled prepared by the Chef and his team.

Chef prepared a 10-course meal showcasing 10 unique themes – Oyster, Horseradish, peas, Artichokes, Bacon, Pasta, Foraged, Strawberries and Chocolate. He invited a handful of bloggers to the kitchen and created a meal we wouldn’t forget.

He teased us on Twitter to give us a sneak peek at what was to come. Every time the tweets came, I salivated. All the dishes prepared aren’t on the hotel’s menu, the Chef’s Table is where Chef can create whatever he wants.

What was so cool about this experience is a dining table smack dab in the middle of the kitchen. We could watch every step of preparation happening in the kitchen as we stared at what dishes were going to come out.

Around the table were amazing bloggers from Vancouver – Alvin (Foodimagery), Dee (Gastrofork), Grace (GraceCheung604), Janice (Good Eat), Kevin & Billy (Vaneats), Sean (Sean’s Adventures in FlavorTown), and Sherman (Sherman’s Food Adventures). A great bunch of people I admire and of course we love food. You can image there were lots of cameras on the table.

Oysters

Fresh oysters with pickled onions and micro greens in an escabeche foam served in a cute tin with giant tweezers.

On the table were potted plants, we thought this was part of the decorations, but little did we know, it would be our next dish.

This is an avocado & buttermilk mousse topped by pumpernickel bread crumbs with wild celery and baby carrots. This dish was inspired his trip to the famous Noma Restaurant in Denmark.

Horseradish

Argentinian Red Shrimp with raw Wagyu Beef, wasabi chips, wasabi foam and freshly grated wasabi atop a kalamansi gel. It’s a cross between Japanese and Spanish influence.

Peas

Peas prepared with different techniques skinless pea ravioli (via spherification), isomalt encapsulated pea oil and pea powder served atop black garlic puree.

Artichoke

Seared Halibut with artichoke relish, confit and puree that was sandwiched in a coconut and squid ink macaron. Also a ring of the dried halibut skin. Most people would think the protein in the main focal point of the dish, but in this case, it is the artichoke.

Bacon

Bacon-wrapped Skuna Bay salmon with citrus caviar, bacon disks, bacon relish and bacon fat powder atop a fava bean puree.

Pasta

Duck Confit Ravioli atop stinging nettle puree and crispy leaves was served with apple-brined duck and a Maple vanilla gastrique.

Foraged

Australian Lamb Tenderloin with fiddlehead ferns, pickled ramps and morels with black truffle.

Strawberries

Fresh green strawberries macerated in honey, strawberry chips and a pistachio-strawberry glass with cardamom ice cream. As well as a strawberry and vanilla streusel.

Chocolate

This is made of dehydrated chocolate, a 30 second chocolate cake and a chocolate fondant bar atop streusel with blood orange reduction and white chocolate ice cream. Grand Marnier fluid gel.

This amazing meal was put together by Chef Thomas Heinrich and his awesome team. You won’t find these items on their regular menu, but I wrote it to showcase his amazing talents. Sometimes its easy to forget what happens behind the scenes during your meals. We have amazing chefs in Vancouver that shouldn’t be overlooked. With the Chefs Table, we were able to see Chef’s range of skills sets that were not confined to the menus of the hotel.

One person we can’t forget is Mosaic’s chef-apprentice Tyson Gee. He helped create this amazing meal and is an alumnus of the Vancouver Community College culinary arts program. Tyson was also part of a team that prepared meals for Prince William and Kate Middleton when they were in Ottawa. He definitely has a bright future ahead.

At the end of the day, we all had fun and left crazy full. Thanks Alvin for this picture and Sherman for typing out the menu descriptions. If you get a chance to dine at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, you will know who’s creating the dishes behind the scenes.

In British Columbia

April Snackbox by Foodee: 50% Discount Code

May 1, 2013

The April Snackbox by Foodee arrives and it’s filled with yummy goodies. The snackboxes contain healthy, delicious snacks that are ethically produced by small to large companies. The products that you will receive are gluten-free and organic. Each snack box is well-curated by their staff. There are 3 sizes to choose from: individual ($33), Family ($67) and corporate ($97). The one I’m reviewing is the individual size.

You can see my review on the March Snackbox here.

Whats new about their April Snackbox are the products of course, but they also showcase a few of their products. Inside you will see a card that gives you a bit more information of the product and where to purchase them if you have become a major fan. It’s quite useful because there were a few items that I wanted to purchase after having this Snackbox.

When I opened up the box, I think I was so happy to see the items inside. This month there were 9 products inside from Beta 5, Mellifera Bees, Martin’s Marvelous, SIP Soda, Grok, SeaSnax, Popcorn Indiana, Alive & Radiant Kale Krunch, and Dave & Friends.

Beta 5 is an amazing local company that creates delicious award-winning chocolates. In the Snackbox is their 75% Dark Polygon Chocolate bar. My coworkers and I went crazy over this since it’s seriously good chocolate, plus when you open it up, the bar is in a cool shape. I should have taken a picture of the inside, but we ate it up very quickly.

Rummaging through the box, there was Martin’s Marvelous Crisps in their rosemary lavender flavour. This box took me some time to finish as there are lots of crisps inside. You can definitely put cheese on top or meat if you wanted to.

Holy crap, Grok was SO good! It’s basically crispy bits of cheese. Image the cheese on the nacho platter that’s baked and crispy…so you try so hard to pick off all the crunchy good stuff. It came in such a small package, but I was craving more afterwards. This was my favorite item in the snackbox.

Quite Cheesy Kale Krunch was another returning product, but this month it was a different flavour. The crunchiness of the dried kale and the cheese seasoning went so well together. I ate this whole bag in a few hours.

Kettlecorn popcorn by Popcorn Indiana was a cool item to snack on while waiting for my videos to render at work. It was ok, but I prefer other types of kettlecorn.

Another item in the box was Glazed Almond’s by Dave & Friends. It’s a local product from Burnaby, BC. This item is a Bavarian beer nut flavour so it is a bit salty and sweet. The coating around the almond has tapioca syrup, cane sugar, and Himalayan crystal salt.

Seasnax are little sheets of roasted seaweed snacks. If you’ve been to T&T or H Mart, there are very similar products in a lot of asian super markets. The flavour spicy chipotle was included in the Snackbox. I’ve had dried seaweed ever since I was a little kid, but it’s hard to find good spicy flavoured seaweed. This one was good.

SIP Soda is based in Vancouver and the Rosemary Lime soda came in the box. I’ve had this before, but I never liked it since I never liked sparkling water. I gave it to a coworker and she loved it. This soda isn’t for everyone, but if you so like sparkling water, you’ll like this soda. It’s not sweet and the unique flavours are refreshing, light and healthy.

Mellifera Bees has their lemon infused honey in the snackbox. It’s another local product from Vancouver and its pretty darn amazing. I have always had honey from those little plastic bear bottles, but this is a whole new level of amazing.

Overall, I still enjoyed the Snackbox! This month, I found even more items that I love! Beta 5, Mellifera Bees and Grok was the highlight of this Snackbox. Every month, it is an adventure to see whats inside. Since I don’t really actively search for products, it good that some of the best organic and gluten free products are inside to test out.

COUPON CODE: Use the code “FOODOLOGY” to get 50% off your first Snackbox. It’s valid until August 31st, 2013.

Website: http://getsnackbox.com/

In Downtown

Vij’s Railway Express: Indian Food On Wheels

April 30, 2013

It’s great working downtown since there is always good restaurants and food trucks around. On a nice sunny day, my coworkers and I took a little adventure to Vij’s Railway express to have a taste of their indian food on wheels. Their location is at West Georgia and Thurlow, but this location can vary.

If you’ve heard of Vij’s, they are known for their indian food.

Their menu always changes and they have some pretty cool items.

Mushroom Medley with Rice and Naan ($11.25) was a good portion for lunch. I love mushrooms, so it was a perfect dish for me. From the description, I didn’t know it was spicy. It was a tolerable spice, but it can pack a punch if you don’t like spicy food. I loved the naan, it was nice an crisp on the outside and was amazing.

Punjabi Lamb Curry with rice and naan ($12.50) was ordered by my coworker. On the way back to the office, she kinda spilled some on herself, so remember when carrying the box back to the office, keep it upright. She did enjoy it.

Overall the food was good and better than most food trucks. Do note, that you probably need to pop in a few mints before getting back to the office. One of my coworkers said she smelled like garlic for 3 days.

We Rate Vij’s Railway Express:

Location:

Varies but is usually at E Georgia and Thurlow. Double check on their Facebook or Twitter.

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/vijsrailway

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=V6E0B6&hnear=Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6E+0B6&t=m&z=16 “]

In Gastown

Rodney’s Oyster House: Gastown

April 29, 2013

Rodney’s Oyster House has opened a new location in Gastown. The have taken up the space of Cobre that used to be there. They have the same items like their Yaletown location. My coworkers and I came here for their happy hour from 4pm till 6pm. Oysters are $1.50 and their other items are on special too.

The interior is decorated similarly to their other location and has 2 floors too. They servers are really nice and know how to make their guests at home.

Complementary bread comes to the table with a lump of butter.

Zydeco Stew aka Caesar ($10.25) it contains the usual stuff with fresh grated horseradish and topped with a lemon and a huge shrimp. It was a really good caesar and the shrimp was fantastic.

Low Tide Oysters ($1.50) can vary in variety when ever you go. These were from Denman Island and are somewhat similar to a Fanny Bay Oyster. I found that this time around, they shucking wasn’t done as cleanly, so there were bits of shell when I ate some of them.

When the oysters arrived, it came with a whole platter of sauces – Worchester sauce, 2 types of Tabasco sauce, vodka pepper sauce, and 4 of their house sauces. If you want to burn in pain, try using the ‘back from hell’ sauce.

Pan Fried Oysters ($16.95), which are freshly shucked oysters, breaded and fried. They also some with tartar sauce and lemons for taste. Delicious as always and the oysters are a good size. The oysters are different kinds than the low tide ones as you can tell these are super long in size. This dish was ordered after the happy hour, so it was quite expensive.

Overall, the quality of good is great, but it will be quite expensive when it’s not happy hour. The only problem we had were the bit of sediments or shell that was left in the shell when we ate it. They usually shuck really well, but I guess I came on an off day.

We Rate Rodney’s Oyster House Gastown:

Address:
52 Powell St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.rohvan.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=52+Powell+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=52+Powell+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+2J1&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Four Beakers

Nuba Yaletown: Najibs Special and Beef Brochette

April 28, 2013

Nuba Yaletown is located on Seymour and Davie Street. If you are a fan of the Nuba chain of restaurants, this location is equally as good. Since Flo moved in across the street, we wanted to search for some dinner close by. When turning on the Urbanspoon App, we discovered this was literally half a block away.

They sell amazing Lebanese cuisine and fresh juices.

The interior is very different from the other Nuba’s. It’s smaller and structured more for take out orders. There are a few tables, but can get quite busy during peak hours.

Najib’s Special ($11.25) is crispy cauliflower tossed with lemon and sea salt, served with tahini. It also has hummus, salad, pickled cabbage, olives, pita and your choice of organic brown rice or roasted potatoes. I usually choose the organic brown rice. This item was very delicious as usual and is one of the most popular items. It’s vegetarian and gluten free.

Beef Brochette ($13) has a local grass-fed beef skewer and served with tahini sauce. It is also has hummus, salad, pickled cabbage, olives, pita and your choice of organic brown rice or roasted potatoes. Flo chose the brown rice for her dish. The beef was nice and tender and was super delicious.

Overall, food at Nuba is always great. The ingredients are fresh and the portions are good. I particularly like this location because they serve the lunch time items for dinner. I much prefer the lunch time items over dinner as the prices are better and its more of individual portions.

We Rate Nuba Yaletown:

Address:
1206 Seymour St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.nuba.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1206+Seymour+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1206+Seymour+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+3N6&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Downtown

Street Meet Food Truck: Mushroom Soup and Risotto Balls

April 27, 2013

Street Meet Food Truck is located on Pender and Burrard. It’s quite close to Burrard Skytrain. The chefs are very focused in providing great food while being as sustainable as possible in everything they do. They try to use local ingredients in their food and have gluten-free options too.

I came here during a lunch break with my coworker to grab something back to the office. They were raving about the risotto balls and I just had to join in the fun.

Wild Mushroom Soup ($3) has local mushrooms, cream and truffle. It’s smells amazing once you open the lid. They claim it’s ‘the best mushroom soup ever’ and it’s definitely great soup but could have more mushroom chunks. I really wish they had larger portions. I could drink this all day. I am a huge mushroom fan.

Crispy Risotto Balls ($5) is stuffed with homemade Italian sausage, and basil aioli. It comes with 2 pieces and it’s a great size if you don’t want a huge meal. It’s also good to split among 2 people. The exterior is nice and crispy and the inside is oh so delicious.

Tuna Nicoise Salad ($12) has Ocean Wise seared local BC albacore tuna, organic mixed greens, pickled beans, tomatoes, olives, egg, kettle chips, potatoes and dijon vinaigrette. This salad has everything, so many ingredients. It tasted alright but I felt there was too much sauce on the salad. Perhaps I will have the sauce on the side. Other than that, it was good.

Overall, really great food and different from some of the other food trucks in town. They also sell Cannoli’s but they weren’t available on the day we came here. Must make a return visit! Their location varies, so best to follow they on twitter – @StreetMeetTruck.

We Rate Street Meet:

Website:
http://streetmeettruck.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=burrard+street+and+pender+street&hl=en&sll=49.280328,-123.11844&sspn=0.100562,0.244446&hnear=Burrard+St+%26+W+Pender+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&t=m&z=16 “]

In British Columbia

Tim Hortons: New Thick Cut Bacon?

April 26, 2013

Tim Hortons recently introduced their new Thick Cut Hickory Smoked Bacon on March 12, 2013. They have really made a large push to show their customers that their bacon has changed. They even created a bacon mascot called ‘Evan‘ to personify it’s change.

I do frequent Tim Hortons on a regular basis as it is a block away from work. I do admit, sometimes I can have a love affair with bacon. I always order the same thing….the Turkey Bacon Club with a soup and a double double. Luckily, I happen to come here before and after they made the bacon switch. Lets see if there is really a difference in their bacon.

March 11, 2013 – Tim Hortons

I Instagram every meal, so even if I don’t blog about it, I have a log of what I eat. The Turkey Bacon Club with Turkey and Wild Rice Soup with a double double.

As we take a closer look at the bacon, there are 2 strips and stacked up in the center. Looks pretty firm as well. I remember it tasting like any other TIm Hortons experience. Decent and got me through the afternoon.

April 09, 2013 – Tim Hortons

This time I had the Turkey Bacon Club with Turkey and Chicken Noodle Soup with a double double. From this time, you can definitely see more of the bacon protruding out, but thats not a clear sign of the bacon being any better or thicker.

This time around, the staff made the sandwich a little bit sloppy. The bacon is more visible, but it’s clearly not as cooked as before. It’s for flimsy. I like my bacon harder.

From another angle, you can see the bacon is still quite thin. If the new bacon is going to be thicker, it really doesn’t show.

I am going off my experiences from this particular location in Vancouver. It didn’t resemble the imagery of the bacon on their promotions and the taste of the overall sandwich was the same.

Do you find any difference with their bacon during your experience?

In Chinese

Green Lettuce: Indian Style Chinese Food

April 24, 2013

Taiwanesegirl sometimes takes me to the strangest places I’ve never heard of. She took a bunch of us out to Green Lettuce Restaurant saying how amazing their food is. When I heard ‘Indian Style Chinese food’, I wasn’t sure what to think about it. It was hard to wrap my head around how those two cuisines would fuse together.

There’s parking in the back and this restaurant was packed early in the evening. It’s always good to make reservations here.

When we arrived, we were glad we made a reservation since most of the tables were already occupied.

Vegetable Pakora with Chutney Sauce seemed like it was a fitting choice to have at this restaurant. I was really good!

Chicken lettuce wrap was probably more on the Chinese side and it was also pretty darn good. It’s not exactly the same as the usual Chinese restaurants as they spice this dish quite differently.

Beef chow mein had the very crispy noodles topped with the vegetables and the beef. I’ve always been a fan of the crispy noodles ever since I was a little kid. What I love about this dish is that it stays pretty darn crispy even after they put the stuff on top of it.

Masala Chicken with Roti Nan was more on the Indian side, but we still loved it. They understand the amazing power of spices.

Chicken Fried Rice was pretty darn good too.

We all left happy and the prices were pretty good. I never thought I would like Indian style Chinese food, but it was so good. The combination of the spices work wonders with Chinese food. The taste was very flavourful. We all loved it and were pleasantly surprised by this restaurant. It doesn’t look very appetizing from the outside of the restaurant but they do have some great food.

We Rate Green Lettuce:

Address:
1949 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.greenlettucerestaurant.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1949+Kingsway+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1949+Kingsway,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5N+2T1&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Japanese

Hakkaku Ramen: Ramen in North Burnaby

April 18, 2013

I’ve passed by this place for about a year and a half, so I thought it was about time I try this place out. A friend of ours told us it had great ramen, so M really wanted to try it out. There really isn’t any other close ramen shops in the area, so we wanted to give Hakkaku Ramen a shot.

It’s located near Hastings and Willingdon in North Burnaby. There’s a lot of new restaurants popping up in this area.

As the bus stops right outside, there is a good flow of customers eating here.

Chashu Burger with a steamed bun ($3.95). It’s quite a fluffy bun and I chose to have the fatty pork belly meat instead of lean shoulder meat. Everything is a bit more delicious when its fatter. The bun was very thick, but it was very hard to hold and keep together when you bite into it. The burger was ok, but not worth $4.

Miso Ramen ($7.95) has chashu, bean sprouts, onions, corn, green onion, seaweed and bamboo shoots. You can choose from a regular or rich broth and type of chashu (fatty or lean). Scarface chose to have his rich broth and lean chashu. THe broth is rich and flavourful.

Shio Ramen ($7.45) has chashu, bean sprouts, onions, corn, green onion, boiled egg and bamboo shoots. M ordered is ramen with Rich broth and fatty chashu. The soup is smooth and light.

Hot Miso Ramen ($8.25) has chashu, bean sprouts, onion, corn, bamboo shoots, green onions, boiled egg, and spicy garlic. I got the rich broth and fatty chashu. I felt this was too oily as I got the most fatty options. The broth could have had a bit more depth.

Overall, the ramen here was ok for the price. It’s not the best ramen in town, but the closest one in North Burnaby. The portions are large, so you will get full.

We Rate Hakkaki Ramen:

Address:
4530 E Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4530+Hastings+St+Burnaby,+BC&hl=en&sll=49.28112,-123.023351&sspn=0.006285,0.015278&gl=ca&hnear=4530+Hastings+St,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5C+2K6&t=m&z=16 “]

In Chinatown

Finch’s Market: This Place Be Hipster

April 17, 2013

If you have ever heard of Finch’s in Downtown Vancouver, you will love their sister restaurant – Finch’s Market. They have been open since December 2012 serving up their delicious sandwiches and salads. It’s located on East Georgia and Jackson Avenue in the heart of Strathcona. It is literally in a residential area, so it can be a tad difficult to navigate from Chinatown if you don’t have a map.

I came here with my coworker and we were so amazed by the neighbourhood. The houses are quite beautiful and reminded us of houses we would see in San Francisco. If you are going to Finch’s Market, do take the time and look around the area.

Given the location is quite out of the ordinary, the vibe of the restaurant is quite calm and enjoyable for lunch. What is so unique about Finch’s Market is the small selection of local produce and ingredients. You can find spices and baking ingredients. You can enjoy lunch and also grab some ingredients for dinner, whether it be milk, cinnamon sticks or some cane sugar.

You will definitely notice their large shelf full of items too. From pasta to hot sauce. There is a lot of the out of the ordinary items you won’t find at larger grocery stores.

They have baked goods too but we were here for the sandwiches and salads. muhahahaha.

They also have this weird coffee contraption too.

Water in mason jars.

Pear Baguette has prosciutto, roasted walnuts, oil, vinegar and blue brie. My coworker loved it! You wouldn’t normally think these ingredients go well together, but they do!

Avocado and Walnut Salad comes with tomatoes, cucumbers with a balsamic dressing. It also comes with bread. The salad was very filling and held up to the same standard as the other Finch’s.

Overall, we both left full and happy. It was a lovely surprise to see such a restaurant in Strathcona. The prices are a bit pricey, closer to the $10 mark, but it’s good food.

We Rate Finch’s Market:

Address:
501 E. Georgia St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=501+E.+Georgia+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=501+E+Georgia+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+3E1&gl=ca&t=m&z=14 “]

In Riley Park/Little Mountain

Au Petit Cafe: Pho and Banh Mi

April 16, 2013

My friends love food and a cheap meal is what they love the most. We went to Au Petit Cafe on a weekend to get a taste of their spring rolls and banh mi sandwiches. All of their items are under $10 and it’s pretty good. Au Petit Cafe is family owned and has won several awards for their delicious food.

Even though it was a rainy Saturday morning, there was a line up outside. They don’t take reservations and it’s cash only.

Spring Rolls ($7.75) comes with 12 pieces and it’s plenty to pass around the table. The outside is very crisp and tastes great.

Pho Tai Bo Vien (Large $8) has raw and cooked sliced beef with beef balls and noodle in soup.

Banh Mi Dac Biet ($5) contains french bread, ham, meatballs, vegetables and hot peppers. This is one of their most popular items on the menu and tends to sell out.

It was pretty good, the bun is weirdly addictive as it’s soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The ingredients are quite simple. but the way they prepare them for the sandwiches works well.

Overall, it’s pretty solid Vietnamese food and good prices. No wonder there are huge line ups and the sandwiches can get sold out by the end of the day. The food isn’t fancy or anything but it’s good for something simple and easy.

We Rate Au Petite Cafe:

Address:
4851 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.aupetitcafe.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4851+Main+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=4851+Main+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5V+3R8&gl=ca&t=m&z=14 “]