British Columbia Archives - Page 98 of 138

In Fast Food

Arby’s: Loaded Curly Fries

April 15, 2013

Whenever we’re at the food court, we kinda like to see what new products are being created by fast food chains. It’s kind of a weird obsession of mine. Also, Arby‘s is one of my favorite fast food chains. Seriously, those curly fries are so good. I’m sure you know what I mean. Who can make curly fries better than Arby’s?

There is only 1 country that McDonalds sells curly fries and that’s in the Philippines…but they call them twister fries.

They just introduced the Loaded Curly Fries. It has Arby’s signature curly fries, topped with creamy cheddar cheese sauce, sour cream and bacon bits. At first, I was quite skeptical of this item, it’s like a weird version of a baked potato but with curly fries.

I didn’t really notice too much amazement from the additional toppings since the curly fries are still the main spectacle of the dish.

Have you tried the Loaded Curly Fries yet?

In Canadian

Mosaic Bar & Grille: Local, Sustainable, Creative, and Delicious.

April 14, 2013

I was invited to Mosaic Bar and Grille by Chef Thomas Heinrich to explore their amazing cuisine. They specialize in locally sourced produce, sustainable seafood and choice ingredients with careful and creative preparation. When you look at their dishes, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Mosaic is located inside the Hyatt Vancouver Hotel on the 2nd floor. It is easily missed if you come out from the Burrard Skytrain. It’s right above Grain Tasting Bar.

When you sit by the window, you get a great view of Georgia Street and Burrard.

Right now, they have teamed up with Vaneats.ca to create a 3 course dining pass for only $22. Seriously, it a really good deal!

We start off with complementary biscuits that arrive as you wait for your meal. Good bite-size pieces and you can always ask for more.

Spring Creek Beef Carpaccio has 15 thinly sliced pieces topped with fried capers, crispy chives, castillo de canena smoked olive oil, and a 68-degree yolk.

It was really good! If you’ve ever had beef carpaccio, this will blow you away! The crispy capers and chives add an amazing texture to the savoury beef slices. Highly recommended!

Pork Jowl lays on top of pickled radish, and snow peas. The dish has a galbi marinate sauce drizzled around the dish. The dish is garnished with crisp lotus roots and edible flowers. The pork jowl was deliciously fatty and super tender.

Local Seasonal Spring Salad looks amazing. Probably one of the prettier salads I’ve seen in a while. The greens are very fresh and you can definitely tell they put a lot of care into sourcing the ingredients. The housemade sheep milk ricotto and the citus/mustard dressing liven the dish.

Warm a la Minute Smoked Skuna Bay Salmon arrives on your table with a dome-shaped cover. Insides the dome is smoke. When they remove the dome, the delightful smokey smell envelop your senses.

Once the cloud of smoke goes way, you will see the salmon, avocado terrine, maple matured sherry bourbon oak vinegar gel. The presentation is really amazing, so it was hard to take the first bite out of it. You can tell the restaurant puts so much love into their food. Each item is beautifully arranged. Highly recommended!

Grilled Skuna Bay Salmon lays on a bed of British peas and topped with a lemon foam. The salmon was beautifully cooked, so the center was very juicy and tender. I usually don’t liked cooked salmon, but they do a fantastic job!

Oceanwise Long Line BC Gray Cod has a bed of baby bok choy, shiitake mushrooms surrounded by a dashi broth. The combination of all the items have it a bit of an Asian flare to the dish.

8 hour braised short rib with BC foraged ramps, sweet onions, and morel mushrooms. The meat is tender and the morel mushrooms was a treat to devour.

Lamb Medallions were cooked nicely with fresh greens on the side.

Mosaic Chocolate Cake is their signature triple layer cake. This cake has been with Mosaic for years and years and year. The recipe has never changed and will probably be there for more years to come. Anyone that comes here raves about how huge this cake it. I’ve had this twice and it’s quite hard to finish. But have no fear, there is always a takeout box for it.

Banana Split is huge! There is caramelized banana, vanilla ice cream, almond brittle, chocolate sauce and fresh fruit. What I love about Mosaic is that their desserts aren’t small.

Overall, I loved my experience at Mosaic. After this experience, I came back with a bunch of my friends with 11 Vaneats dining passes. They all loved it too. 3 courses for $22 is totally worth it because a regular entree is a about $20. I would go back again for special occasions and pay regular price. I am usually not impressed by fine dining, but I’ve enjoyed my 2 visits to Mosaic and was not disappointed.

Words of Wisdom:

Steps away from Burrard Skytrain
Free Mosaic Chocolate Cake on your birthday
Beef Carpaccio is a must!
Great service

We Rate Mosaic:

Address:
655 Burrard St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://vancouver.hyatt.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=655+Burrard+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=655+Burrard+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6C+2R7&gl=ca&t=m&z=14 “]

In Hastings-Sunrise

Tacofino Commissary: Hello Churros

April 13, 2013

We went to Tacofino Commissary on a weekend to catch their brunch. Tacofino has come a long way since their days of running a food truck in Tofino, BC. I can remember having my first bite of Tacofino Cantina and Tacofino Blue. When I discovered they finally had a restaurant on Hastings, I had to go.

M, Scarface and I came just in time for brunch and were super excited. The restaurant was hard to spot as the outside doesn’t look very unique.

When you look at their ceiling, they have a really cool light installation. It’s a jumble of copper and lights with plants inside some of them. Pretty cool!

They also play records! It adds a nice touch since it matches the restaurant. Plus, it’s so rare to see people play records these days.

The back of the restaurant looked pretty cool. All the bottles lined up on the shelves looked very unique.

Tortilla Soup ($9) has bits of chicken, ancho chile, avocado, queso fresco, and slow cooked egg to top things off.

Burrito ($10) is filled with chorizo verde, egg, potato, and cheese. It’s grilled on the outside, topped with salsa and stabbed with a knife.

Inside, you can see all those ingredients. M liked the burrito!

Gringas ($11) contains pork al pastor, cheddar, kimchi, sunny side egg, and kimchi hollandaise. You eat this with a knife and fork or else it’ll be awkwardly messy. Scarface said it was really good.

Torta ($9) has grilled skirt steak, pickled vegetables, cilantro, egg, and black garlic mayo. The bun was soft and went well with the ingredients. When you bite into the sandwich, the egg pops, so it coats whole sandwich with the ooey gooey yolk that adds flavours. It can get messy, so make sure you aren’t eating it over your lap. I found the grilled skirt steak could have been a bit more tender since it was a little bit tough to chew through.

Banana Churros ($8) comes with 3 pieces and 2 sauces – dulce de leche and spicy chocolate. We loved this item! The sauces paired perfectly and the churros was so fresh! Highly Recommended!

Overall, the food is good but can be a bit pricey. There is still one item I’ll come back for and it’s their amazing banana churros! SO GOOD.

Word of Wisdom:

Free parking around the corner
Churros are amazing
Most items just under $10 for brunch

We Rate Tacofino Commissary:

Address:
2327 E Hastings St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.tacofinocommissary.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2327+E+Hastings+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=2327+E+Hastings+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5L+1V6&gl=ca&t=m&z=14 “]

In BBQ

Friend’s BBQ Restaurant: Just Stay Away

April 12, 2013

Friend’s BBQ Restaurant is a new restaurant in the former location of Mui Garden on North Road. We came here thinking it would be a BBQ place where we could grill our own meats. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. They specialize in HK style food similar to Mui Garden but has an emphasis on the BBQ meats like crispy roasted pork or BBQ duck.

As we entered, a majority of the decor was the same as Mui Garden but a few little changes here and there. When we sat down, we immediately knew the place was going to be bad. Even though the restaurant was fairly empty, we had a really hard time flagging down a server to take our order. They all congregated by the cashier and one of the managers were eating in the hallway near the kitchen and washrooms. We thought this was a strange sight.

When one of the servers finally took our order, they forgot all the drinks that we ordered. So, we had to get another server to grab us our drinks. Instead of getting the drinks, they gave us a receipt… and the drinks came about 10 minutes later. The food took another 45 minutes to arrive. All we ordered were BBQ meats that are already cooked….so we were very confused why putting rice on a plate and chopping up BBQ meat would take that long.

Daily Soup came with our order of 3 BBQ meats on rice. It was a nice touch since it makes it more of a complete meal. The soup was good and had lots of beef and radish inside.

3 BBQ meats on rice ($8.50) took 45 minutes to arrive. By 8pm, they only had 3 meats left so we had no options to choose from. We really wanted BBQ Roasted Pork or BBQ Duck, but that wasn’t available. We had the BBQ Pork, Soy Chicken and Ribs. The quality of meats were passable, but not as delicious as some other places in town. It was a bit tough and riddled with lots of bones. Rice was very dry. I would still say T&T has better BBQ meats.

Red Bean Soup came at the end of the meal. It wasn’t very sweet, which I liked.

Overall, the prices are decent and the amount that you get will surely fill you up. I usually can handle crappy service, but the service was down right BAD. The servers took inaccurate orders, food took too long to arrive, and very inattentive. When we wanted to grab the bill to pay, none of the servers turned around from the cashiers area. We decided to go up and pay. As we paid with debt, the machine declined the card. Then we tried credit card and it declined the card too. The machine flashed “Cannot connect to base”. The server said the machine worked fine and didn’t believe us that it was the machine. So we just paid cash and left. With so many restaurants in the area, you can go elsewhere.

Words of Wisdom:

Quality not as good as Mui Garden
Horrible service
Decent prices and set meals
Not open on Wednesdays

We rate Friend’s BBQ Restaurant:

Address:
4327 North Road
Burnaby, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4327+North+Road+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=Bikram+Yoga+Burnaby,+4501+N+Rd,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V3N+4R7&gl=ca&t=m&z=14″]

In Korean

Chui Restaurant: Korean Fusion Restaurant

April 10, 2013

I’ve never heard of Chui Restaurant until my friend decided to have dinner here. It’s a relatively new restaurant on Robson across from Whole Foods. They serve Korean fusion food.

The space is pretty cool. It’s divided up so there is an upper floor and a lower flood. It’s separated by bricks and fake cherry blossoms.

Complementary side dishes consist of kimchi, tofu and edamame beans. It was a nice variety of items, but if you are a large group waiting for your order to arrive, this will be eaten quite quickly. We had to ask for several refills of this.

Beef Yaki Udon was the first item that arrived at the table. It tasted pretty good but had a strong sesame taste to it.

Seafood Paella was a very interesting item to see in a Korean restaurant, but I guess its one of those dishes that make it “fusion”. It has a ample amount of mussels, prawns, squid, and a larger spot prawn in the centre.

Seafood Pancake was large and tasted good. Decent amount of seafood inside too.

Pork Belly with fried vegetables. I’m sure there is a real name for this dish, but sometimes my memory fails me. The fried vegetable can be eaten together with the pork. They definitely compliment each other as you have the crispy vegetable with the savory pork.

Overall the food isn’t bad but some items aren’t that great for Korean fusion food. The service for the food can be a bit slow, so make sure you have some drinks in hand. It gets pretty busy on Friday and weekends as it attracts a young crowd.

We Rate Chui Restaurant:

Address:
1660 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1660+Robson+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1660+Robson+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6G+1C8&gl=ca&t=m&z=14″]

In British Columbia

Snackbox by Foodee: 50% Discount Code

April 8, 2013

A lovely package arrived at work from Vancouver-based company – Food.ee. They have recently revamped their monthly Snackbox subscription service. Whats different about their new snackboxes is that they contain healthy, delicious snacks that are ethically produced by small to large companies. The products that you will receive are gluten-free and natural.

I thought this was an awesome idea since it’s pretty hard to figure out what cool snack to pick up at the supermarket. The snackbox gives you a sample of whats out there in the market. 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.

Once you open the box up, the snack are hidden under the paper that hides the snacks that will be devoured shortly.

When I opened the box, I had no idea what anything way. My version of snacks are chocolates and chips. This was a nice healthy change since I’ve never heard of any of these products before. If you go to Urban Fare and Whole Foods, you know these snacks aren’t cheap at all.

One of my favorite items were the coconut chips! How on earth did anyone think of turning coconut meat into chips?! I shared some with my coworkers and they gobbled it all up.

My favorite of all the items was the Kale Krunch chips. The crunchiness of the dried kale and the ranch seasoning went so well together. I ate this whole bag in a few hours. yum.

The pack also came with 2 Pirates Booty Aged White Cheddar. Imagine Cheetos but with white cheddar. I really didn’t like the flavour of these, it just reminded me of some stinky feet. My coworkers did like the brand of Pirate’s Booty but agreed this flavour wasn’t the best.

Another item in the box was Glazed Almond’s by Dave & Friends. It’s a local product from Burnaby, BC. I’ve had their products before and I love it but this particular flavour didn’t resonate well with me. This item is a Thai chilli flavour so it is a bit sour. Some of my coworkers loved this item.

The Hippie Granola was another cool item too! Interesting to see brown rice and Quinoa in Granola.

In the snackbox was some tea. It was great to see that it wasn’t just snacks but a nice drink to complement the snacks. I wasn’t a fan of cinnamon so I didn’t try this…plus I already made a batch of my daily green tea at my desk. My coworkers tried it and loved the aromatic flavours and perked them right up for their meetings.

Overall, I did enjoy the Snackbox! There will definitely be items you love and some you won’t be too fond of. The reason why I love this box was because it gets you to try a bunch of different items without thinking about it at the grocery store. It comes right to your door and you don’t have go do anything extra.

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

Guu Garlic: Lunch Time

April 7, 2013

Guu Garlic is open for lunch from Tuesday to Sunday 11:30am till 2:30pm. It’s a nice place to go for lunch if you want to spend about $10 and have a good Japanese meal. I was never able to make it here during a weekday since my office is too far away. M and I were downtown during St. Patricks Day and was looking for a place downtown to eat. As we wanted something Japanese, we decided to go to Guu as they have lunch specials.

Ramune is a Japanese soda and they have their own Guu branded bottles. The bottle is sealed with a marble, so when you open the bottle, it makes a ‘POP’ sound. Imagine it as like a 7-up, but without the lime flavour.

Pork Cutlet on Rice ($9.25) was the St. Patricks Day special. I’m pretty sure there wasn’t any extra green to this dish besides the green onions for the garnish. Anyways, the meal came with miso soup, and pickled vegetables on the side.

The pork cutlet was nicely cooked with egg, cucumber and green onion on top. M did enjoy it and the size was perfect for lunch. He thought the pork was nice and tender without bones.

Deep-Fried Assorted ($9.20) comes with karaage, cream croquette, pork tenderloin, pickled vegetables, miso soup and rice.

Fried things for lunch probably isn’t the most healthiest thing, but when it’s at an izakaya, they make it taste amazing. The chicken karaage and the cream croquette is always a hit. I’ve never had pork tenderloin battered and deep-fried, but it tasted great as well. It was a good thing that there were vegetables and miso soup to complement these items. I’d probably order this again during lunch.

Overall, pretty good choice for lunch. When looking at their lunch offerings, there’s a lot of fried items. It’s a nice space to eat too if you love the izakaya feel.

We Rate Guu Garlic:

Address:

1698 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.guu-izakaya.com

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1698+Robson+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1698+Robson+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6G+1C8&gl=ca&t=m&z=14 “]

In Bar and Grill

Falconetti’s East Side Grill: Dining Package Review

April 5, 2013

Falconetti’s is located on Commercial Drive near 1st Avenue. They are famous due to their sausage. Even Guy Fieri came here to film Diners Drive-ins and Dives. They make all their sausages in-house on the right side of the restaurant and the right side is a restaurant.

Right now they are doing a dining package with Vaneats.ca, where you pay $16 to get a mini poutine, 2 4oz glasses of beer, slow smoked pork ribs, and one of their famous sausages. I came here with my sister during the evening to try the package.

The interior is narrow and has a long bar on the right side. They have special performances at night too.

The 2 4oz glasses of Phillips Beer’s Blue Buck arrives first. As you wait for your meal, you can enjoy the taste of beer. The Phillips Blue Buck Beer is a deep amber coloured beer with a crisp finish featuring a delicate hop aroma. If you like your beer, you know just 4oz won’t do the trick. You’re just getting started.

The Mini Poutine is made of skinny fries with gravy cheese curds and a bit of pepper. This item was our favorite of the night. The skinny fries were crisp and it was the perfect type of fries to have in this poutine.

The slow smoked pork ribs comes with 4 pieces and is slathered in their special rub and tequila BBQ sauce. The meat was quite tough, so it made the eating a bit difficult. We thought this would be tender, but it wasn’t.

Honey Bratwurst was the sausage we chose for the package. it is an old world flavor, dressed with honey mustard, and caramelized onions on top. My sister and I were torn on the sausage, she thought it was very moist and I thought it was kinda dry. Clearly, we have different tastes.

Outside of the menu, we ordered the Polish ($12) that has beef sirloin sausage with sauteed sauerkraut, onions & grain mustard. We got the yam fries on the side. Their fries are pretty damn good. As for the sauasage, it was ok.

This is probably not a very healthy dining package, but it get us really fully. I’m not a huge fan of pub food, so this wasn’t my favorite package, but you do save some money by getting the Falconetti’s Fix package from Vaneats.

We Rate Falconetti’s:

Address:
1812 Commercial Dr
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://falconettis.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1812+Commercial+Dr+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1812+Commercial+Dr,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5N+4A5&gl=ca&t=m&z=14 “]

In Four Beakers

Nuba on Main: Munching on Lunch

April 4, 2013

Whats awesome about my new job is that I’m so close to some pretty yummy food. When I discovered Nuba is close by on 3rd and Main…I just had to have a taste of their food. I come here at least once a month since the closest places – Starbucks, McDonalds and Tim Hortons are not the best options for lunch.

Nuba offers up authentic Lebanese cuisine that is fresh and healthy. Trust me, its good stuff! I usually go for lunch for their plates.

Since it was anti-bullying day, they had a special beet juice on special. I’ve never had beets before and wow, did it ever taste like dirt. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the taste profile of beets is very earthly like dirt. If you had beets, you will know what I’m talking about. It’s also quite healthy for you too.

Lamb Hushwie ($9) has sauteed lamb, onions, peppers, pine nuts and spices on top of hummus. There is avocado, pickled cabbage and a spicy sauce.

Sometimes they have specials and this one was a lamb of some sort. I should have written it down, but alas my memory does fail me.

Najib’s Special ($11.25) has crispy cauliflower tossed with lemon and sea salt, served with tahini. It also has hummus, olives, pickled cabbage, and salad. The crispy cauliflower is deep-fried and tastes sinfully delicious. It’s a very popular dish during the lunch hour. All the ingredients are fresh and it’s so addictive.

This was my first time going to this location and I have to say, the food was pretty consistent. It can get pretty busy during a weekday lunch.

We Rate Nuba on Main:

Address:
146 3rd Ave E
Vancouver, BC

Website:
nuba.ca

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=146+3rd+Ave+E+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=146+E+3rd+Ave,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+1C8&gl=ca&t=m&z=14″]

In Cafe

Ali Shan Restaurant: Meal Under $10

March 31, 2013

Ali Shan Restaurant is a Taiwanese Restaurant located in Crystal Mall. I was in the area with my coworker and we wanted some lunch before heading back to the office, so we went to Ali Shan for a quick bite.

All items either come with daily soup or cold tea. We chose the tea as we wanted something refreshing. It was good and it was sweetened.

Braised Pork Belly with Red Fermented Sauce ($7.20) comes with egg on rice, pickled vegetables and a side dish.

Beef Hotpot ($6.90) was inexpensive, but the hotpot broth was rather bland. Even though it is a good deal and has lots of items packed into the pot, it’s not the most delicious thing I’ve eaten. It’s decent for the price.

Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with this place but the price is good if you want an inexpensive lunch. The service is alright, but it does take a bit of time for the food to arrive at the table. There are a lot of other options in the area too. They are cash only.

We Rate Ali Shan Restaurant:

Address:
4500 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4500+Kingsway+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=4500+Kingsway,+Burnaby,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5H&gl=ca&t=m&z=14″]

In Italian

Anton’s Pasta: Stuffed Pasta

March 26, 2013

Another late night meal at Anton’s Pasta. There’s not too many late night places in this area. M and I like to come here for the amount food. Rawr we’re monsters. We have never finished a whole plate nor would be ever try. We usually eat part of it and then save leftovers for breakfast and lunch….and sometimes dinner.

It’s usually busy, but we come pretty late around 9pm. There’s still lots of people inside but at least there are no line ups out the door.

Complementary Bread arrives at the table as you wait for your dish. When you’re super hungry, you’ll probably eat a fair amount of bread, but it definitely fills you up before your pasta arrives. I usually just nibble on the bread and just wait till the pasta arrives.

Spinach Tortellini Napoletana ($16.95) contains spinach tortellini stuffed with ricotta cheese in a fresh basil tomato sauce. It was the first time I ordered stuffed pasta and it was alright. The sauce isn’t as addictive as their specialty pastas. There was a lot of tortellini, but I kinda prefer their other pastas.

Tondi Don Vincenzo ($16.95) has romano cheese & garlic stuffed pasta in a cream garlic parsley sauce with diced onions. The creamy garlic sauce was good!

Overall, the stuffed pasta is definitely different that their speciality pastas. Yet again, it’s not the best pasta, but its alright. People come here for the large quantities.

Words of Wisdom:

Free parking near TD Bank
Long line ups during peak hours
Large variety of pastas
No debit, they only accept credit and cash

We Rate Anton’s Past Bar:

Address:

4260 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

Website:
www.antonspastabar.com

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4260+Hastings+St+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=4260+Hastings+St,+Burnaby,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5C+2J7&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Canadian

Forage: Mmmm Seafood Chowder

March 24, 2013

Forage is located inside the Listel Hotel in Downtown Vancouver. They pride themselves of being very sustainable, meaning zero waste and using local sustainable ingredients. After seeing tons and tons of people instagramming photos from Dine Out Vancouver, this was on my ‘to eat’ list. When TaiwaneseGirl was thinking of a venue for her birthday party, I suggested we come here. Making a reservation for a large group was easy and not a hassle. They don’t allow outside desserts, but they were nice enough to make something special for the birthday girl.

Instead of candles, they have a jar of fake moss and an electronic candle. Very cute.

Since it was a celebration, we decided to order a bottle of Riesling. We know we’re getting a bit older when we order a bottle of wine for the table.

Fresh Shucked Oyster ($2.50 each) were small, but they were packed full of flavour. I can’t remember what type of oysters they were but they were good.

Fanny Bay clams ($12) with merguez, sea cider, and romesco.

Squash Pierogies ($12) has a birch syrup vinegar reduction, smokey potatoes, and scallion crème fraîche. Highly recommended.

Pacific Provider salmon ($16) with Pemberton potatoes, “bread n butter” sea asparagus, and pickled huckleberries.

Smoked albacore tuna ($22) with blackberry and fir jelly, chantarelle, brown butter gnocchi, hazelnuts, and squash.

Spiced grains and wheat berries ($12) with quinoa, autumn vegetables, handmade roti, and raita.

Double-fried pork cutlet ($14) with green cabbage, bull kelp, and pickled cipollini’s.

BC spot prawn and seafood chowder ($12) with soft-poached egg, smoked chicharrón, and pork hock.

The smoked chicharron had a texture like puffed rice crackers and it soaks up the favour of the chowder. This item was everyone’s favorite. The chowder is famous since it won the Chowder Chowdown from the Vancouver Aquarium. Highly recommended!

Rangeland game burger ($16), caramelized onion preserve, house-cured bacon, Golden Ears cheddar, and fries.

The burger had some pretty cool ingredients inside since it wasn’t beef. The patty is bison, elk and venison.

Pain Perdu ($8) has autumn spice brioche, hazelnut caramel, and brie Anglaise.

Carrot cake ($8) has a Neufchåtel frosting, candied walnut, and cranberry sorbet.

Overall, the food was a tad expensive, but its understandable since the place uses sustainable ingredients and the calibre of restaurant that it is. All the dishes were carefully put together and the service was phenomenal! Our server was so humble and shared his stories of when he was in Brazil. Everything he said left a smile on our faces.

We Rate Forage:

Address:
1300 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.foragevancouver.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1300+Robson+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1300+Robson+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6E&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Scandilicious: Delicious

March 21, 2013

After finishing dinner on The Drive at Havana’s one dark and rainy Tuesday night, my friends and I were craving something sweet.

We wracked our brains for a while thinking of a dessert place in the area and could only think of La Casa Gelato. It was pretty cold out so we weren’t really in the mood for ice cream.

I hopped onto Urbanspoon and saw a name that I didn’t recognize – Scandilicious. It was only 1 block away so it was perfect!

Scandilicious is a new waffle café that opened on The Drive about a month ago. They serve 5 different types of waffles with so many sweet or savoury options!

Liege – served hot, a dense chewy and sweet waffle
Brussels – The typical waffles you see served at most places
Vaffler – a thin, tender, lightly crispy waffle spiced with cardamom
WOS – Short for Waffle on a Stick
Gluten Free – Good option for those with dietary limitations

They also make their own sauces that they are looking to bottle up and sell soon in store.

When I arrived at the store, I was greeted with such a warm scent. I was also mesmerized by all the options. After debating for awhile, we finally got to ordering.

Vaffler with espresso sauce topped with vanilla ice cream

WOW. This was my absolute favourite of the night. The pairing of espresso with vanilla ice cream is perfect. My favourite part of it was the espresso sauce. It was flavourful, not too sweet, and had a butteriness to it like caramel.

The Vaffler itself on its own was really good and spiced with cardamom, which made it have a nice subtle and light gingery taste to it.

Vaffler with Coconut spread
The coconut spread was similar to the Malaysian Coconut Spread called Kaya but was more flavourful and richer. It wasn’t overpowering or artificial tasting either. It initially looks like it might not be enough sauce but it definitely is enough for such a delicate waffle.

Vaffler with dark chocolate cherry sauce

The dark chocolate cherry sauce wasn’t my favourite but that might also be my taste preference. It was a little grainier compared to their other sauces.

Brussels Waffle with Almond Butter

This style of waffle is one that you see often. It was light and crispy. My friend chose the almond butter that was quite thick and tasted just like ground almonds.

To sum up my experience at Scandilicious, I was surprised and will definitely be back again soon. It’s a great addition to the neighbourhood and provides lots of options for those looking for something heavier, sweeter, or lighter.

The price point is also good – see their menu for prices.

They have lots of sauces and it just so happens they’re hosting a sample night on Friday, March 22, 6pm to 7pm at their quickie take out window. Stop by if you’re in the area (limit one sample per person)! Check out their website or facebook page for more information.

Words of wisdom

Ask them for help and suggestions if you’re overwhelmed by the options
Experiment with flavours and be creative!
Good on the wallet!

We Rate Scandilicious:

Address:
1340 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.scandilicious.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1340+Commercial+Drive+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1340+Commercial+Dr,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5L+2T6&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Bubble Tea

Lazy Den Bubble Tea: $5 Bubble Tea Combo

March 20, 2013

If you are from the Port Moody area, you must know Lazy Den Bubble Tea. I vaguely remember coming here in 2008 during my early University days cause it was open pretty late. Where else can you get bubble tea in Coquitlam/North Burnaby at 11pm? Sure, there are tons of places in South Burnaby, but thats quite a bit of a drive. I’m not a huge bubble tea fan, so I didn’t come back till now.

We came back here again because some friends told us they have good cheap food at night. All I heard was food, so I was happy to come here. I was really hungry during this day.

The interior isn’t pretty, but it’s a good place to chat and chill with friends over bubble tea till midnight.

On their menu, they have 4 items. All under $6 with a food item and a bubble tea. Not bad at all! It’s not a large selection, but it will do.

Meat Sauce with Noodles and Green Milk Tea ($5) is the most popular item. It’s not relatively amazing, but it’ll satisfy your hunger without breaking your wallet.

If you are needing a cheap place to go at night for $5 noodles and bubble tea, definitely come here.

We Rate Lazy Den Bubble Tea:

Address:
#105 – 3003 St. Johns Street
Port Moody, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=%23105+-+3003+St.+Johns+Street+Port+Moody,+BC&hnear=3003+St+Johns+St+%23105,+Port+Moody,+British+Columbia+V3H+2C5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Bakery

Beaucoup Bakery & Cafe: Buttery Goodness

March 18, 2013

Beaucoup Bakery and Cafe opened at the end of 2012 and their customers have raved about their amazing croissants. After seeing my sister bring home boxes full of their croissants, I decided to come here with my girls – KoreanGirl and Mandu. They love to eat, so an afternoon catch up session definitely needs coffee and pastries.

On a Saturday afternoon, this place was packed! There were swarms of people almost out the door. There’s not a lot of seating, so you kinda need to wait patiently for some spots to free up.

The croissants smell so good and look good too. Once you walk through the door, your eyes will just stare at them intensely to figure out which pastry you’ll devour.

They have more than just croissants.

The perfect items for 3 girls.

Latte is made with 49th Parallel coffee and went well with the pastries. Anytime coffee that is made with 49th Parallel beans, you know its good stuff.

Macchiato had a cute little heart.

Croissant is very flakey on the outside and soft in the middle. This croissant is definitely one of the crispiest in town.

Look at all those layers! When you bite into it, you will know this is loaded with butter to get the crispiness.

Mini Chocolate Croissant was really good as well. The size was perfect, so you get a few bites without feeling guilty afterwards.

Citrus Scroll was sticky and sweet kinda like a marmalade. It was good, but not overly sweet.

Marcona Almond Bar was one of my favorite treats! It is packed full of nuts on top and a piece of gold foil. Definitely recommended.

Overall, we enjoyed our time here…especially the food. Coming on a weekend, it is quite busy, so the place will be packed. Will definitely be back!

We Rate Beaucoup Bakery & Cafe:

Address:
2150 Fir St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.beaucoupbakery.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2150+Fir+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=2150+Fir+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6J+3B5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In British Columbia

Vancouver International Wine Festival

March 12, 2013

Foodology Disclaimer: We were invited to attend the Vancouver International Wine Festival.

This was our first year going to the Vancouver International Wine Festival and to tell you the truth I was feeling a little nervous about feeling the need to wade through the 175 wineries showcased.

I’ve always enjoyed wine and though I can’t use proper wine lingo, I’ve always viewed wine as a social thing to be enjoyed with family and friends. Not necessarily as something only enjoyed by the people who can fit into the culture.

This year’s theme region sponsor was California. Primarily there were two sections – one for California and one for the other wines of the world ordered by country and region. The booths were also organized alphabetically and numbered which made navigation very simple!

If you’ve never been to a larger scale wine tasting before, you might be wondering what the buckets and jugs of water are for. Enter in and you’re given your own wine glass. When you’ve finished tasting, you can pour out any remaining wine into the bucket and use the water to rinse off your glass to move on to the next thing.

I started off trying mostly whites and when I wanted to move on to the reds, I realized that it was already 9:30pm so I didn’t get much time to go through many of the reds. This year’s time for the tasting was from 7:00pm to 10:00pm.

I’m not an expert and am quite new to the wine world but here are a few wines that I came out quite enjoying and look forward to drinking again in the future:

2011 Amalaya vino blanco (Torrontes – 90%; Riesling 10%) from Argentina: For those of you who enjoy a crisp, refreshing, and floral light-bodied white. Drinking it reminded me of the coming spring and summer nights.
2009 Yarden Viognier from Israel: A smooth-mouth feeling white with a touch of sweetness that reminds me of biting into a peach. More of a medium-bodied wine that is lightly oaked.
2010 Signorello Chardonnay Hope’s Cuvée from California: Yum. This was definitely a treat. Check out the linked description and tasting note. It’s a well-crafted wine very balanced oak and had a very nice elegance to it. My description does not do it justice.

If you’re thinking of heading into next year’s festival, my recommendations would be to:

Do some general research about some wineries/regions – you won’t have time to be able to taste everything but be open to being spontaneous!
Don’t feel intimidated to ask questions. The people behind the labels are passionate and willing to explain the differences in their lineup as they take you through their light whites to bold reds.

I do have to say that $95 might be on the high side for the average person attending the event but if you are someone genuinely interested in learning about wine and talking to the people behind the product, it’s worth it. I’m not sure when I’ll have such ready access to so many different bottles.

Until we meet again #VanWineFest!

In Downtown

Kita No Donburi: Lunch Downtown

March 11, 2013

Kita no Donburi is located near Seymour and Hastings street. Kimbob E Ramyun used to be in this location before Kita no Donburi took over. It’s very close to Waterfront Skytrain. We were having a meeting nearby and needed a quick spot for lunch.

They sell Japanese food and have a huge menu. We arrived too late for their lunch menu, so we had to settle for other items on their menu.

You order up at the counter first and then take a seat as you wait for your food to arrive. It kinda reminded me of those fast food restaurants in Asia.

Oyako Don ($6.95) contains egg, chicken, onions, and topped with seaweed and sauce. It comes with a side of miso soup too.

Buta Kimchi ($9.50) has marinated pork chop, kimchi, and vegetables in a hot stone bowl.

Shogayaki Don ($7.80) contains pork, egg, onion, green onion on top of lettuce and rice.

Overall, the prices are quite fair for the food you get. It’s not the most amazing food, but good for a lunch.

We Rate Kita No Donburi:

Address:
423 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.kitanodonburi.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=423+Seymour+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=423+Seymour+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+1L6&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Delta

Akari Japanese Restaurant: Sushi In Delta

March 10, 2013

Akari Japanese Restaurant is located in Delta at Strawberry Hill. I would have never thought to have Japanese food in this area. Plus, I never frequent this area anyways. The restaurant has been around for 15 years and is operated by Koreans, so you will see some of that influence come out in their cuisine.

This place was packed on a weekend and was quite busy.

When we sat down, we received some tea.

M and Scarface as usual always orders a coke wherever they go.

Complementary edamame beans arrived soon after.

Secret Castle Salad ($11.95) contains crab meat, salmon, tuna, avocado, tobiko, and sprouts with 3 kinds of dressing. This item was pretty impressive and looked amazing.

You can see the layers of all the ingredients. You need to dig in to discover all the ingredients in this.

Spicy Delight ($6.95) contains salmon, tuna, tobiko with a spicy sauce served in orange cup.

Akari Island ($8.95) has spicy sashimi wrapped by seared salmon, and tobiko on top spicy house sauce. The salmon that wrapped around the roll could have been a bit more smooth or seared more lightly.

Crazy Roll ($10.95) is a deep-fried California roll with Tobiko. You can substitute it with black rice, so its more healthy.

Black Cod Miso Yaki ($12.95) the cod is marinated with miso and sake and then grilled. It is served on a hot plate with vegetables.

Akari Roll ($10.95) has tuna, salmon, Aasparagus, tobiko, ebi, avocado, crabmeat with a soy wrap instead of seaweed.

Rock Cracker Roll ($10.95) contains double prawn, cucumber, avocado, crab meat on top with deep-fried scallop, spicy flakes, and tobiko.

Coffee Ice Cream came with 2 scoops and was very enjoyable. We were surprised this was even an option since most places only have green tea or mango ice cream. This was our favorite.

Green Tea Ice Cream was the other ice cream we got. It was good and was a good way to end the meal.

Overall, Akari Japanese Restaurant is good if you live in this area. It isn’t the best but one of the better ones in the Delta area.

We Rate Akari Japanese Restaurant:

Address:
7261 120th Street
Delta, BC

Website:
http://www.deltaakari.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=7261+120th+Street+Delta,+BC&hnear=7261+120+St,+Delta,+British+Columbia+V4C+1B4&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]