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Renfrew-Collingwood

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I like to browse the take out apps to see what is new out there around my neighbourhood. One of the restaurants that kept popping up is Pampanga’s Cuisine for their Pampanga-style of Filipino cuisine. They are located right by Joyce Skytrain Station serving up their delicious cuisine.

I normally would order through food apps for delivery, but I wanted to make sure more money goes into the pockets of the owners.

Staff Meal

Pampanga’s Cuisine has joined the “Staff Meal” program initiated by Say Mercy, another local restaurant. There is a $2 donation per order and it is donated to the Vancouver Food Bank. It’s a great way to help those who need it.

Menu

Compared to their online menu, they have more specials and desserts listed in the restaurant.

Crispy Sisig

The Crispy Sisig has crispy chunks of pork with ginger, onions, chilli and their secret seasoning spices. The seasoning spices at first is quite strong and tart, but after a little bit, it does subside. For takeout, I was surprised how crisp the pork was even when we got home.

Beefsteak

The Beefsteak has thin slices of beef, marinated in soy sauce and lemon, topped with onions and potatoes. The beef was tender and the sauce was very nice. A great item to go on top of rice.

BBQ Chicken

This has chunks of chicken marinated in special mixture, grilled and mixed with their homemade special bbq sauce. It was good and has a nice char to the chicken.

Adobo

This adobo has chicken and pork cooked in vinegar and garlic soy sauce with diced potatoes. Definitely Filipino comfort food right here. A good depth of flavour.

Pinakbet

This has an assortment of vegetables such as bitter melon, okra, long beans and squash with shrimp and sautéed in shrimp paste. This was very delicious. The vegetables definitely standout and was a good accompaniment to the other meaty dishes in our meal.

Ginisang Monggo

This was a dish I’ve never had before. It has sautéed mung beans with sliced bitter melon and shrimp. The bitter melon was good and it wasn’t too bitter. I usually try to avoid that vegetable, but I wanted to give it a try. My parents also enjoyed this.

Pancit Palabok

This has thick rice noodles with sauce made of ground pork garnished with boiled eggs, onion leeks, shrimps and lemon. Their version was ok, but it needed a bit more sauce to go with the noodles.

Spaghetti

This has spaghetti noodles with Filipino style sweet sauce, ground pork and cheese topping. This was ok, but we felt the spaghetti needed to be mixed with the sauce. The spaghetti was underneath and then the sauce was on top. It didn’t get the chance to soak in the flavours of the sauce into the noodles.

Pork Spring Roll

The pork spring rolls are really cute. It’s their homemade pork spring roll with a sweet chilli sauce on the side. They look like cute little cigars, but they taste very good.

Ube Halaya

Onto dessert! This is purple yam cooked in evaporated milk and sugar with latik and desiccated coconut flakes on top. I really enjoyed this! It’s not too sweet and it’s like a soft pudding thats room temperature. I would get this again.

Buko Pandan

A classic Filipino dessert – Buko Pandan. This has sliced green jello & coconut strips mixed with whipped cream and pandan flavour. The pandan flavour isn’t strong as there is mostly a stronger coconut flavour.

Final Thoughts

It’s hard to be a restaurant at this time during the Covid-19 Pandemic, but the family behind Pampanga’s Cuisine is making this work. The dishes are well priced and tastes homey. The noodle dishes were mediocre but will give them another chance once dining rooms are open again.

They were busy for take out and delivery during the weekend lunch hour, so that was great to see.

Address:
5179 Joyce St, Vancouver, BC 

Website:
https://pampangascuisine.ca/

Ham & Eggman’s serves up breakfast and brunch in Vancouver. They are still fairly new and I’ve been here several times with many of my friends. They have a fun name which was inspired by Doctor Eggman, the arch nemesis of Sonic the Hedgehog.

We were invited for brunch on the weekend and to try an array of items on the menu.

Interior

The interior is simple and there are tables on either side of the restaurant. They can accomodate smaller groups of 2’s and 4’s easily, but if you’re in a large group, you should come earlier to grab the spots.

Kids

They have high chairs available for toddlers.

Oatmeal

The oatmeal on the menu comes in sweet or savoury. I decided to go with sweet since we had a lot of savoury items ordered. I like to order the odd item on the menu just in case its worth getting.

We actually really liked this dish a lot. Even though it is a sweet oatmeal, it wasn’t very sweet at all, which is nice. There’s so much in it that it gives it a lot of texture and body. There’s lots of chopped nuts and fried fruit in this bowl.

Waffles

This has two Belgium waffles with Chantilly cream, rotating confit, maple syrup, and hash browns. This was an ok dish, but it’s so similar to the chicken and waffle…sans chicken. The waffle was ok, but it wasn’t anything special. The best part of this dish was the hash browns as they were very very crispy.

Chicken and Waffles

This has buttermilk marinated boneless fried chicken, waffles, Chantilly cream, bourbon maple syrup, and fresh fruit salad. I enjoy their chicken and its flavourful and crisp on the exterior.

Pork Belly Hash

This dish has crispy pork belly, asian greens, cabbage, shiitake and Kennebec hash browns tossed in gochujang bbq sauce. It is then topped with two poached eggs. I’ve had this dish twice and the first time I did not like it, but it has since improved. The pork belly is tender and love the flavour on it. Some of their pieces were pretty fatty.

The hash browns were very very crispy even though it was covered in sauce.

Mexican Scramble

They have a few varieties of scrambled eggs on the menu, but we went with the Mexican. It has 3 eggs and served with the kennebec hash browns and toast. It also has house made chorizo, fajita peppers, onions, aged cheddar, and then topped with salsa and sour cream. You can choose from multigrain or sourdough bread. It was good, but I would have liked a bit more spice in it.

Wild Mushroom Benefict

The eggs benedict is served on toasted English muffins with poached eggs, house made hollandaise sauce and hash browns. There is a good amount of mixed wild mushrooms and topped with green onions. I’m a sucker for mushrooms, so I really enjoyed this dish.

Lomo Saltado hash

This dish has Peruvian-style marinated steak, fajita peppers and onions, grape tomatoes, and fresh herbs. It is also topped with two poached eggs. This was ok, but I would have liked bigger pieces of steak.

Shakshuka

This dish has Turkish style spiced tomato sauce, poached eggs, feta cheese, and fresh herbs. It is then served with two pieces of toast to dip into the delicious sauce. It was ok.

Final Thoughts

This is my favourite brunch spot in the neighbourhood. Their dishes are very consistent and I’ve only had delicious soft poached eggs. The hash browns are amazing and so addictive. I absolutely love how crisp they are. If you have to get a dish here, make sure hash browns are in it.

The favourites are the eggs benedict, chicken and waffles, pork belly hash and oatmeal.

Address:
3883 Rupert St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.hamandeggmans.com/

Pho Kitchen is a newest eatery near Renfrew Skytrain by the Broadway Tech Centre. It’s a much needed addition as it gives the workers in the area more food options for lunch and dinner. It’s definitely packed here during peak hours.

I love pho since it’s so comforting on a rainy or cold day in Vancouver. Can’t go wrong with a big bowl of hot soup and noodles.

We were invited to Pho Kitchen to give their dishes a try.

Interior

The space is really large for this Vietnamese restaurant. Very nice and clean. It can fit quite a lot of people, so having a party here wouldn’t be a problem.

Kids

If you want to come here with kids, they do have high chairs for the little ones. There is also a changing table in the washroom too.

Great and accommodating for families.

Menu

Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky

The papaya salad has shredded green papaya and carrot tossed with basil, caramelized peanuts, and garlic lemon soy sauce. We got this with beef jerky too.

The salad was very refreshing with a great combination of flavours. The beef jerky and red peppers were a nice addition as it added a kick of spice.

4 Season Platter

The season platter of rolls comes with 5 different rolls – 1 Spring, 1 Summer, 1 Autumn, and 2 Winter. It’s a good way to try all the rolls if you’re curious.

Spring roll is a deep fried roll packed with lean ground pork, shredded carrot, taro, black fungus, and thread rice noodles in wheat wrapper.

Summer roll has sliced prawns, lettuce, basil, pickled carrot & daikon, and rice vermicelli in rice paper.

Autumn roll has strips of tender chicken thigh slow grilled in sweet lemongrass sauce, lettuce, basil, pickled carrot & daikon, and rice vermicelli in rice paper.

Winter roll has a Spring Roll “wrapped” in Summer Rolls. 2 halves of a Spring Roll, each with pickled carrot & daikon, basil, and lettuce wrapped in rice papers.

These are served with a fish sauce and peanut sauce. Spring roll was packed with filling and was delicious. It didn’t feel too greasy either.

All of them were really delicious and we enjoyed the variety of rolls they had to offer customers. If you want to try them all, definitely get this platter.

Small House Special Pho

The House special pho has beef broth, slices of rare steak, well-done flank, fatty brisket, beef balls, tendon, tripe and rice noodles. This is definitely the most popular pho on the menu.

We found that the soup was delicious, meats were plentiful, but the noddles were a bit soft for our liking. The broth was very clean and not too fatty at all. Very tasty.

Short Ribs with Rice

This has 6oz of short ribs slow grilled with their in-house sauce, caramelized prawns and quail eggs, lettuce, pickled carrot & daikon, cucumber, and tomato slices.

This comes with 4 large meaty pieces of short rub and lots of rice. The caramelized prawns and quail eggs were delicious. The meat is so flavourful so you don’t really need too much of the fish sauce. The fish sauce was good to add acidity to the dish.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a great location close to Renfrew Skytrain with a few free parking spot out front and some street parking available. They have great happy hour deals as well as Six o Pho Deal on Tuesday with drink purchase.

The menu has great variety and does cater to people with dietary restrictions as well. Very accommodating to those who are Vegan. The food is good and satisfying but doesn’t have anything out of the ordinary. A solid place to visit.

Address:
2915 Hebb Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://phokitchen.ca/

Gong Cha is a world renowned Bubble tea shop from Kaohsiung, Taiwan. They have been in Vancouver for a few years now and they’ve recently opened up their location across from Renfrew Skytrain Station.

We were invited to give their drinks and bubble waffles a try.

It’s a pretty good location and there aren’t too many bubble tea shops in the area. Some of the popular drinks include – Royal Milk Tea with Pearl, Milk Foam Earl Grey Tea, and Earl Grey Milk Tea with 3J.

You can also customize your drinks sugar and ice levels. They also offer 2 sizes of drinks, regular and large. During our visit, we got it 30% sweetness and regular ice. We like out bubble teas less sweet so we can taste the tea more, but thats just our personal preference.

Menu and Daily Specials

Bubble Waffle

They serve up bubble waffles at this location in various flavours like original, pearl, matcha, red bean, and chocolate. These flavours can change, so you can ask them which ones are available. When we were here, we tried the original and the one with pearls inside.

Regular Bubble Waffle

This is the classic version with a crisp exterior and a chewy interior. It tasted pretty good when you eat it fresh. Highly recommended if you want something to share among friends.

Pearl Bubble Waffle

Why not add some pearls to your bubble waffle. It’s actually very interesting as it adds a nice chew to your bubble waffle. There aren’t too many inside, which is good as it compliments it very nicely.

Rose Tin Guan Yin Tea Series

The Rose Tin Guan Yin Tea Series is new and started in early December of this year. Not sure how long it will be on the menu for, but if you do see it, there are 3 drinks offered – Honey Rose Tie Guan Yin Tea Latte⁣, Milk Foam Rose Tie Guan Yin, and Rose Tie Guan Yin with White Pearl⁣.

Honey Rose Tie Guan Yin Tea Latte

This is beautiful and the drink is separated into 3 different layers. The honey and syrup is on the bottom, then the milk, and then the tea on top. You’ll want to mix this up before you drink it.

The drink is milky and not too sweet at 30%. You get the taste of the tie guan yin tea with the hint of subtle rose.

Milk Foam Rose Tie Guan Yin

I wasn’t a fan of the cup used as it is typically a wide lipped lid rather than the typical bubble tea cup. When mixed up, it did taste similar to the Honey Rose Tie Guan Yin Tea Latte.

Rose Tie Guan Yin with White Pearl

You get a stronger tea taste in this drink compared to the other two. The white pearls are a nice touch to add texture to the drink.

Matcha Milk Tea

We got the matcha milk tea and it was decent. Next time, I think we would prefer to have pearls to give it more texture in the drink.

Oreo Milk Foam Black Forest

This drink has layers of milk foam, pearls, grass jelly, and oreo crumble. It’s another interesting drink that looks pretty cool with all the items inside. You get a lot of different textures from the pearls to the grass jelly. It’s not your traditional bubble tea by any means. Some love it and some hate it. It has a stronger grass jelly taste, so its not for everyone.

Royal Milk Tea with Grass Jelly

This is a classic drink which you can’t go wrong with. We even brought a reusable bubble tea cup and straw as they will make the drink to save on plastic going to the landfill. One of our favourites.

Wintermelon Oolong Tea

This is another popular drink, which is great hot or cold. Having it less sweet is our way to have it. You get the sweet hint of the wintermelon complimenting the oolong tea.

Passionfruit green tea QQ

This was a surprising drink that was pretty good. We did love the pearls and coconut jelly that were part of it. Great option if you like fruity bubble teas.

Purple Sweet Potato Milk Tea and Pearls

It has a nice deep purple colour to the drink, but the texture of the purple sweet potato was very gritty. It felt too artificial for our liking.

Brown Sugar Milk Tea with Pearls

Brown sugar milk tea has been quite the rage this year in Vancouver. You’ll want to mix this up really well before drinking or else you’ll be sipping up the brown sugar pearls at the bottom. We did like this better than the regular milk tea, but the time that we were here, the pearls were a bit hard.

Strawberry Milk Foam Smoothie with Pearls

This has the pearls on the bottom, then the smoothie and topped with milk foam. If you like strawberry beverages, you’ll enjoy this. Definitely better to get this drink less sweet so the strawberry shines through.

Peach Yogurt Smoothie with White Pearl

You’ll want to get this at 0% sweetness or 30% sweetness because at regular sweetness, it was way too sweet. It has potential to be a good drink

Strawberry Yogurt Drink with Coconut Jelly

Another drink where we would recommend 0% – 30% sweetness. I would have been very refreshing if it wasn’t so sweet.

Milk Tea with Pearls

A classic bubble tea beverage. Milk tea with pearls is decent and I wouldn’t expect less as it’s the go to beverage.

Final Thoughts

Our team tried 16 drinks and 2 bubble waffles during 2 visits to get a feel for Gong Cha’s menu at the Renfrew location. We generally prefer less sweet bubble teas, so 0% – 30% sweetness is good at Gong Cha. We wouldn’t recommend getting 100% as it is way too sweet especially for the yogurt and smoothie series.

Gong Cha has a large menu, so when you go in a group, there’s something for everyone. The Renfrew location is great as there are lots of tables to sit and hang out with friends.

A few of our favourite drinks from our team – Passionfruit green tea QQ, Peach yogurt smoothie, Strawberry milk foam smoothie, Wintermelon oolong tea, Honey Rose Tie Guan Yin Tea Latte, and Royal milk tea with grass jelly.

Address:
2887 E 12th Ave, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.gongchacanada.ca/

Riz Sushi & Catering just launched a few new items for the Spring of 2019 with more hot items offered on the menu. They used to only sell sushi and poke bowls, but now they have expanded their menu with hot dishes made with quality ingredients. If you’re in a rush, they still have their quick takeout sushi and Asomi Mochi.

We were invited to have a taste of their new menu items.

Interior

There are a few picnic tables inside for larger groups and some seats at the side of the restaurant. It’s not big but it does accommodate those eating in or taking out.

Menu

Chicken Karaage

This comes with 5 pieces and it’s nicely fried and presented in the bowl. The chicken is very moist and tender on the inside. It paired nicely with the sauce and the greens too.

Chicken Udon

This was very surprising to see as it looks pretty darn good and not what we were expecting. With the addition of the greens and use of lean shredded chicken, it is a healthy twist on the dish without compromising taste. Works very well together.

Kimchi Beef Yakisoba

If you love a little kick in your yakisoba, the kimchi beef yakisoba might be for you. The flavour combination works very well together and of course it has to be topped with a sunny side up egg.

Shiso Skirt Steak Salad

The skirt steak has been sous vide for several hours and then seared to perfection, thus giving it a taste and tender texture. On top of the salad are also some noodles.

Pork Belly Chashu Don

There is a good amount of veggie like the pickled mushrooms, beansprout and cabbage that go into this pork belly chashu don. The egg in the centre is soft, yolky and pairs nicely with the chashu. A very well balanced bowl and it’s not too heavy.

Creamy Seafood Uni Udon Pasta

Our favourite dish of the tasting was the creamy seafood uni udon pasta. Very rich and creamy sauce the covers each strand of udon noodle. You can add 3 pieces of Uni for $4, which is a pretty good price.

Final Thoughts

The dishes were well balanced and we really like how they added in more green and pickled veggies too. Sometimes classic Japanese dishes can be a bit rich and heavy, so Riz was able to create dishes that really fit with the taste buds of the West Coast.

Address:
2887 E Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.rizsushi.com/

Ding Tea is a new bubble tea shop near Renfrew and 2nd in Vancouver, It is a Taiwanese bubble tea franchise with over 600 stores worldwide. There are 2 other locations in Toronto and Victoria, but now a third in Vancouver.

I made a quick stop to grab some bubble tea for my husband and my sister since we love trying new places to see how they compare. With the recent boom of new bubble tea places, it’s so hard to catch up and as they are opening up so frequently.

Interior

The space is quite nice with a modern aesthetic if you are dining in, but most people grab to go. There is also free parking out front.

Menu

Monster BoBo Latte

This is a popular drink since the brown sugar milk tea craze is so hot in Vancouver right now. Ding Tea makes the Monster BoBo Latte daily from 1-2pm until they sell out. On weekends they have it at an additional 8pm time slot as well. I came here at 5pm on a Wednesday and they still had this available.

The brown sugar and pearls with the milk is delicious. Mix it all up together so you aren’t just having all the sugar at the bottom. One of the better brown sugar drinks we have had so far.

There is not option to customize sugar levels for this drink, similar to other places too.

Kiwi Aloe Vera Juice

I’ve never heard of this combination before, so I got this with 30% sugar since I usually like my fruity drinks less sweet. There are large chunky bits of aloe vera pieces at the bottom and it was so good with the kiwi. I was so happy I got it less sweet and 30% was perfect. We really enjoyed this and would order it again.

Signature Milk Tea

We had this 100% sugar and 100% ice and it wasn’t too sweet at all. It had a good tea flavour and was very enjoyable. Solid milk tea.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we enjoyed the drinks that we ordered. The biggest surprise for us was the Kiwi Aloe Vera Juice. So delicious and the kiwi and aloe pairing works so well. Highly recommended. The other drinks are pretty good too.

Address:
1808 Renfrew St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.dingtea.com/

Banh Mi Saigon is a quaint family owned banh mi shop on Victoria Drive. A lot of people rave about this being one of the best banh mi shops in Vancouver, so I had to come here to give it a try since I’ve never been.

I dragged my friend along so we can go on a weekday for lunch. They had a steady amount of traffic and a lot of people were grabbing to go. Some really large orders too because when you buy 10 sandwiches, you get 1 free.

Interior

The interior is quite small but most people end up doing take out. There is a small eating area but fits parties of 2. There are 4 or 5 tables I think.

Iced Condensed Milk Coffee

I love a good Vietnamese Iced Coffee! For sleep deprived people like me, I really needed it and it had the right balance of sweetness with the bold taste of coffee.

Pâté Chaud

This is a Vietnamese savoury puff pastry filled with meat inside. The puff pastry was flakey and the filling was meaty and delicious. Good flavours too. Good price too as it was 2 for $3.

Special Banh Mi

The special banh mi has a bit of everything. This has ham, headcheese, meatball, Vietnamese meatloaf, cucumber, carrot, pickled radish, cilantro, a smear of spiced pate and a drizzle of soy all inside a delicious baguette. The baguette is crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

The special banh mi has everything so if you’re indecisive, get this.

Che Dessert – 6 Colours

I just had to try the che dessert with 3 different flavours. It has coconut milk, pandan jelly, red bean, white bean, green bean, and water chestnut jelly. It’s a very fun and colourful drink but I thought it was a touch too sweet for my personal taste.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the banh mi at Banh Mi Saigon were really good. Lots of great filling and delicious bread. Do remember that it is cash only, so you’re out of luck if you only have debit and credit. The items on their menu are affordable, so you don’t have to carry too much cash.

Address:
5397 Victoria Dr, Vancouver, BC

Joojak Restaurant specializes in Northern Chinese Cuisine, specifically Xian. I love this type of food known for their use of chili oil in their dishes. A lot of fragrant spices and its drool worthy.

I’ve been trying to go to a lot of restaurants specializing in Xian cuisine and this has been recommended a lot, so I had to come here and take my parents for lunch. Then I went an additional time with some friends to order more.

Interior

The space is quite small, so only 4 tables. 3 of the tables seat 4 and 1 table seats 6. As we came around 12:30pm on a weekday, it wasn’t hard to get a table for 3 people. On weekends, it will be much harder, so best to show up at 12 when they open.

Menu

Steamed Chicken with Chili Sauce (Saliva Chicken)

Don’t worry, there is no saliva in this chicken dish, it’s just a direct translation. This is one of their most popular dishes that you have to get. It has cold steamed chicken covered in their delicious chili sauce and under it are some pickled veggies. Highly recommended. It has a kick of heat but its so fragrant. The sauce is amazing!!

Spicy Fried Chicken Wings Griddle Cooked in Pot

This is essentially fried chicken wings and fries in a delicious chili and black bean mixture. Another item the staff highly recommended. It was good! Definitely not healthy at all but we couldn’t stop eating it.

Dumplings in Spicy Sour Soup

We got this with pork and chives dumpling and there were 12 pieces in total. It has a good hint of spice and not too overpowering and is balanced by the sourness.

Lamb and Green pepper Burger

This is a Xian specialty item. One of the better burgers I’ve had as the meat wasn’t too moist that is soaked the bun. The bun was crisp and everything held together very nicely. The cumin, garlic and Jalapenos went well with the lamb.

Spinach Biang Biang Noodles with Chili Oil and Pork

This dish was ok. The noodles were a bit overcooked so it wasn’t as firm. All the other dishes were excellent but this one was a let down. It could have use more chili oil too.

Biang Biang Noodle with Pork Meat and Hot Chili Oil

Similar to the dish above but with the regular biang biang noodles. It was a tad overdone as well, so the noodles didn’t hold together as well.

Xian Cold Noodle with Gluten and Sesame Paste

Mix this dish very well. It wasn’t too spicy and needed more sauce, so what we ended up doing was taking the extra Saliva Chicken chili oil and added it to these noodles and it really elevated this dish.

Fried Green Beans

We needed some veggies to go with our carb filled meal. It was a good balance of a mild spice and went well with the meal.

Final Thoughts

The best part of the meal was really the saliva chicken and most people order this at their table. The burger and dumplings are also very good too. It’s just too bad the biang biang noodles were a bit subpar. Nonetheless, still very good Xian cuisine in Vancouver.

Address:
3337 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

Crack Coffee Roasters is a new addition to the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood near Joyce and Kingsway. They recently just opened in January 2019 and they are a micro roastery producing some top notch espresso for their coffees. My friends and I were having lunch a few shops away and I made sure to make a stop here for a coffee.

Interior

The space is quite nice and the owner’s dog – Celine will be there ready to greet you at the door. Very friendly dog and she really wants you to shake her paw and give her cuddles.

It’s very cozy, so whether you are studying or chilling with friends, you’ll feel comfortable in this space. Or even just people watching.

Coffee Options

There are a variety of brewing options for your coffee if you want to get fancy – siphon, pour over, drip, espresso, Americano, or a latte. You can also do iced versions too.

There are quite a few bean options too with different flavour profiles. I am not a bean expert but I just let them do the choosing for me. They do have a few diagrams on how the different beans taste like. Very helpful to know those tasting notes.

They also have cakes on the menu too.

Latte

My friends ordered lattes as it was a cold day outside and they loved the latte. Good execution of the drinks and great taste of the espresso used. Nice latte art too.

Iced Latte with Coffee Jelly

I went with an Iced Latte with Coffee Jelly as it was one of the beautiful drinks I saw on their Instagram account. I like how they separate the layers so its coffee jelly, milk and then espresso.

I mixed it together to incorporate all the items. It was really good and the coffee jelly gives it a nice texture too. One of my favourite iced lattes in town.

Final Thoughts

We spent a few hours here drinking coffee and enjoying each others company while playing with Celine. If you love coffee, dogs and a cute cafe setting, definitely check out Crack Coffee Roasters.

Address:
3377 Kingsway #1, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://crackspecialtycoffee.com

Riz Sushi Bar on Broadway and Renfrew has created the first customizable Chirashi Don in Vancouver where you can build your own bowl. They have fresh fish delivered from Japan and boasts a good selection of seafood. Whats great about this is that you can create your perfect Chirashi Don without having the items you don’t like.

Types of fish

Their selection of fresh fish can contain salmon, tuna, hokkigai, ebi, tai, sockeye, scallop, negitoro, ikura, uni, hotate, hamachi, shima aji, kampachi, madai, or delicious o-toro.

The availability and prices can vary depending on market price, but they keep it as affordable as possible for their customers. You can go all out and get the expensive cuts like o-toro or you can go with cheaper types like salmon and tuna.

Prices

At the time of this article, these are the current prices and fish varieties available. Prices and varieties can change without notice.

[one_fourth last=”no”]

$1.50 per piece

  • salmon
  • tuna
  • hokkigai
  • ebi
  • tai

[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth last=”no”]

$2.00 per piece

  • sockeye
  • scallop
  • negitoro
  • ikura

[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth last=”no”]

$3.00 per piece

  • uni
  • hotate
  • hamachi
  • shima aji

[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth last=”yes”]

$4.00 per piece

  • kampachi
  • madai

$6.00 per piece

  • o-toro

[/one_fourth]

What’s in our bowl?

In our bowl, we had Wild Salmon, Albacore Tuna, 2 kinda of Hamachi, Tai, Tako, and Ikura. With all this, it will run you close to $30. The cuts were good and its a nice way to try a variety of fish too.

Final Thoughts

It’s a good option if you know what type of fish you want. For those who are indecisive, you can always ask the staff for some recommendations to craft your Chirashi Don. The downside of Riz Sushi Bar is that they are currently open on weekdays only. They may consider opening on Saturday but no solid plans yet.

Address:
2887 E Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.rizsushi.com/

Gong Cha opened the newest location in the Joyce area on Tyne Street across from Safeway. The other locations are in Downtown Vancouver by the Vancouver Public Library and in Richmond. It’s good that it’s finally a little bit closer to Burnaby.

During their grand opening weekend, we went to get $2 bubble tea with milk foam as that was their promotion. Since we live close by, we knew we should come here early before they open at 12pm.

Interior

The interior is a decent size with a few tables to sit and enjoy the drinks. Most people did take out as it was really busy on opening day with line ups out the door. If you come here at non-peak times, you should be able to get a spot.

Green Tea with Milk Foam

I went with the green tea with milk foam for my drink with 50% sweetness and 30% ice. I want to be able to taste the tea without it being masked by the sweetness of too much sugar. The milk foam is a bit salty which is a nice balance surprisingly.

It was good and I enjoyed it.

Black Tea with Milk Foam

The black tea with milk foam was the most popular of the series from what I saw other people ordering. The above has pearls and is 30% sweet.

This one is regular sweetness and ice levels for the black tea with milk foam. When it comes to the combination of sugar and ice levels, its all based off personal preference.

Final Thoughts

It’s good to have more bubble tea options in the area especially Gong Cha, which is well known for their drinks all around the world. We only had the milk foam series, but they have more to offer that just that. There is classic milk tea to fruity drinks.

Address:
5712 Tyne St, Vancouver BC

Website:
http://gongchacanada.com/

Whiskey Six BBQ is an organic, local, sustainable barbecue joint nestled in the heart of East Vancouver. I came with a few foodies to eat mass amounts of meat to kick off the long weekend. A few of us have been eyeing this place to see how their BBQ would compare.

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The space is small and they don’t take reservations. First come first serve. On a Thursday, it didn’t start getting busy until around 7pm.

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I got the Strange Fellow’s Talisman West Coast Pale Ale as I thought it would be great to pair with BBQ.

 Windsor Meats Sausage

We got 2 links, and chose braised greens and wings as our sides. It also comes with a slice of Fife Bakery bread, mustard and pickle. The sausage was good and it had a kick of heat to it. We added $2 extra for the wing option and it was worth it. As they are whole wings, so its meaty. The braised kale needed a bit more seasoning to it.

Johnston’s Back Ribs

We got the full rack of ribs and we got the fries and smokey beans. The ribs were more like smoked ribs so it’s not a wet rib.

Johnston’s Prohibition Pulled Pork

The pulled pork was really good and we got it with the coleslaw, and southern biscuits. The 2 biscuits that came with it tasted more like baking soda and was missing something.  I liked the coleslaw as it had a delicious tang to it.

Free Range Farmcrest Smoked Chicken

The chicken was tender and had a good flavour, but it reminded us of rotisserie chicken. We got the coleslaw and potato salad.

Blue Goose Cattle Co. Organic Beef Brisket

Of all the BBQ meats that we had, the beef brisket was our favourite.

Final Thoughts

Overall, their BBQ is different that what we were used to. The flavours are more tame and it’s not saucy. They put their own twist on West Coast BBQ and to us it didn’t stand out.

We Rate Whiskey Six BBQ

Address:
826 Renfrew Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.whiskeysixbbq.com/

Whisky Six BBQ Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

icepik-shavery

IcePik Shavery serves snow cream which is a hybrid between traditional Hawaiian shaved ice and ice cream, creating a new dessert which is lighter, with a fluffy snow-like texture. 

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I’ve been here a few times already and it’s a great place to cool off from the Summer heat. Even in the winter, its a nice treat for those with a sweet tooth.

I was invited back to give more of their items a try.

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Interior

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You order up at the counter and then choose a seat. There’s not a lot of seating inside for large groups, so I’ve seen lots of people go do take out. Usually in the early afternoon it’s not too busy, but later in the evening, it can get quite busy.

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Drinks

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Sea Cream Coffee is made with full-bodies medium roast coffee with caramel undertones, topped with their sea cream. The drink was pretty good and was good and it a tad salty, which reminded me of this other drink from Hong Kong.

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House Special Milk Tea can be made hot or cold. I got the hot version and it tasted ok. Nothing interesting about it.

Snow Cream

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There are lots of varieties of toppings and snow cream flavours that you can combine together. You can choose ones with predetermined toppings and flavours or create your own.

Their snow cream comes in various flavours:

  • Black Sesame
  • Green Tea
  • Mango
  • Taro
  • Lychee
  • Original

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There are a few more flavours that are seasonal:

  • Almond
  • Coconut
  • Honeydew
  • Mint
  • Strawberry

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All of the flavours were pretty good, but one that I really didn’t like was the mint. It just seemed like I was eating toothpaste or gum.

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My 3 favourite flavours are original, green tea and mango. My usual toppings are basically all fruits – mango, strawberry, and also those hand made rice cakes.

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There’s so many other topping options, but I like to keep it fresh and simple.

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Don’t forget the drizzle

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The offer free drizzles that are self-serve:

  • Caramel
  • Chocolate
  • Condensed Milk
  • Strawberry

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The best part is really drizzling all the condensed milk on top. I’ve never used the other drizzles since it’s all about the condensed milk. Pairs well with a majority of the shaved ice.

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We Rate Icepik Shavery3rated

Address:
3377 Kingsway, Vancouver

Website: 
http://www.icepikshavery.com/

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king-chicken-happy-hour-4

King Chicken is located on Broadway and Rupert in Vancouver and they have been attracting people to grab their insanely cheap chicken during happy hour. They are a small family run restaurant.

From 11am – 3pm daily, they have $1 drumsticks and $0.50 drumettes and wings (they call this chicken karaage). A few of us came here for this deal. How can you go wrong with a special that’s so cheap.

Menu

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The menu reminds me of Church’s Chicken’s menu with really bad photoshop of stock images.

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On the reverse side of the menu, they have breakfast, fried rice and stir fried noodles. A very interesting and diverse menu thats not just fried chicken.

Interior

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The interior isn’t too large but it has a few tables inside. It’s definitely a hole in the wall but people come here for the cheap chicken.

Deep Fried Goodness

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Everything we ordered was deep fried – Drumsticks, wings/drumettes, and deep fried coconut milk. Everything was made to order, so it did take a bit of time for all our orders to come out.

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You can choose from regular and spicy. It seems like they just sprinkle on a spicy spice mixture on top. I actually preferred the original as the spicy seemed like it was overly seasoned.

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Between the drumstick and wings/drumettes, I didn’t have any particular preference. I knew I just ended up ordering way too much.

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Fried Coconut Milk was pretty large and it comes with 2 long pieces for just $3. I think if it was half the size, it would be more palatable.

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It was very rich and creamy inside. Definitely something unique to try out, but you will have to share with others as 2 pieces is way too much for 1 person.

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To top that off, you can get a side of fries. Pretty standard french fries. We ate a lot of fried foods when we were here.

Overall, not bad for the price and it’s made to order. The best bang for your buck is really the happy hour menu. I still have my fav fried chicken places elsewhere, but for the price, you can’t go wrong.

We Rate King Chicken3rated

Address:
3307 East Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.kingchickens.ca/

King Chicken Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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My coworkers and I are obsessed with Maruyama and their delicious Japanese food. A week after coming to have the omakase, we decided to come back to try some cheaper items off them menu since we can’t have another omakase. We would be broke.

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Homemade Udon has assorted mushroom, wakame seaweed, and their delicious dashi broth. There is also pea shoots, green onions and tempura bits. It was a good size and I loved the handmade udon. The quality is definitely there.

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Jumbo Prawn Tempura was an extra item. Very large and plump. It also comes with a tiny green bean tempura, which was interesting. Perhaps it was there to add a bit of colour.

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Salmon nigiri was added just so I can a be a little bit more full. He automatically adds wasabi to this, so if you don’t like wasabi, make sure to let the server know. I totally forgot about it and the wasabi really punched me in the face.

Overall, a good 2nd visit and trying more of their cooked items.

We Rate Maruyama4rated

Address:
3883 Rupert Street, Vancouver

Maruyama Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Maruyama has taken over the old Kimura location on Rupert Street. Chef Yoshiya Maruyama was the previous raw bar chef at Blue Water Cafe and has finally opened his own restaurant in East Vancouver.

When my friend told me about it, I got super excited because I love sushi. A few of us went to try their omakase nigiri tasting.

Interior

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The space isn’t very large, there are 4 seats at the bar and a few tables on either side of the restaurant. Always best to make reservations.

Omakase Nigiri Tasting

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We made reservations to sit at the bar so we could get a full experience and have a chat with the Chef.

They have 2 options for omakase nigiri tasting – $25 and $60 option. After consulting with the Chef, we decided to take the plunge and order the $60 tasting as it has more premium fish used in the set.

When the tasting begins, they ask you if you want wasabi on it or not. Half of the group went with wasabi and the other half went without. The omakase tasting isn’t for everyone as it only has a minimum of 7 pieces. Those with a large stomach might not get full.

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Sanma is very soft and has lots of fat. It is brushed with a bit of sauce and covered in a shiso leaf.

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This nigiri, I have no idea what it was. In my notes I wrote down “asa”, but I couldn’t find this type of fish online. Either way, it tasted really good.

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Akaji was what I wrote down, but I think I miss heard so I have no idea what this is. It is encrusted in the chef’s secret kombu topping, which is kelp.

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Isaki nigiri has a slightly chewy taste. Isaki is a grunt fish.

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Tobiuo is a flying fish with a soft texture perfect for nigiri.

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Tai also has a slight chewy texture but it is rich in flavour.

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Scallop Nigiri has a few drop of yuzu and then sprinkled with a bit of sea salt.

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Chutoro is a delicious tuna with higher fat content. Very delicious too.

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Otoro is the most expensive cut of tuna taken from the lowest part of the belly next to the head. It’s high in fat and super flavourful.

Other Nigiri on the menu

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Hokkaido Uni is an additional menu item and when the chef was telling us about it, we didn’t realize it was $19 each. He did warn us that it was expensive and no normal customer would order this and he makes little to no profit off this item.

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He adds a speck of wasabi to the top and its ready to eat. The flavour of the uni was amazing, but it was really expensive. It’s an expensive ingredient, so it’s not for all.

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Anago is sea eel and he torches it before it gets served. For $5.50, this nigiri was more easy on the wallet compared to the uni.

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The flavour and look is unlike what you would find at most Japanese restaurants. It’s fresh and has an amazing taste. He uses his own secret sauce to add on top.

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Matcha ice cream with red bean is how we ended out meal. This was part of the omakase, I think because we weren’t charged for it. or maybe it was because we spent so much.

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Overall, it was a pretty expensive meal, but its nice to splurge once in a while. I find that the nigiri are his works of art and should really be enjoyed. You need a high level of appreciation for sushi to fully enjoy this experience.

We Rate Maruyama4rated

Address:
3883 Rupert Street, Vancouver

Maruyama Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

It’s been a while since my last visit to Golden Oscar Cafe and Restaurant on Rupert St in Vancouver – 5 years to be exact.

It’s an old school Hong Kong style café where you can find classic meals and set meals. The booth seating and the aging decor has never changed since I first came here year and years ago. There are movie posters all over this restaurant, but because it’s so outdated, you won’t find anything with Leonardo DiCaprio on it or anything from the last few years.

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M got the Curry Beef Brisket mini set. It first comes with a Creamed Tuna soup. Pretty average and nothing special to it.

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Cold Hong Kong Style coffee tea mix was his accompanying drink, but he had to add $0.50 for getting it cold. They give you a small cup of sugar water to sweeten the drink to your choosing.

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Curry beef brisket arrived with a mound of rice. Piping hot and ready to be devoured.

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The beef brisket chunks were nice and big. Tender and it really hit the spot.

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I went with the Baked Spaghetti Bolognese. It took a little while for it to be ready, but I was ready. The picture of it look terrible as its brown and has burnt spots, but trust me, its good.

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Once you mix it around a little bit, it’s not that ugly to look at. Pop it in your mouth.

Overall, the taste and quality are pretty average, but its this type of HK style café that brings comfort to me since it’s what I would eat often as a kid.

We Rate Golden Oscars3rated

Address:
3868 Rupert Street, Vancouver

Golden Oscar Cafe & Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

freshii-broadway-tech-centre

Freshii has opened their newest location at the Broadway Tech Centre near Renfrew Station. It’s a convenient spot for those who go to school at the Art Institue or work in the office building surrounding the area.

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It’s a great spot for lunch as they have salads, wraps, burritos, soups, smoothies, juices and even frozen yogurt. They are open for breakfast and dinner times too. There are Freshii locations in over 60 cities and 12 countries worldwide.

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They have lots of tables inside for larger groups or single diners.

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Mighty Detox Juice ($5.99) has pineapple, ginger, apple, celery, and cucumber. I wanted a drink that was refreshing an not too sweet, so the mighty detox was a good option. The pineapple and apple help sweeten the juice so it’s not a chore drinking it.

Banana Nut Crunch Smoothie ($5.99) has banana, walnuts, almonds, and low-fat frozen yogurt. M quite liked this drink as it had a nice thick texture and it wasn’t too sweet. A great cool drink for the hot summer.

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You can eat in or take the items to-go. It’s very convenient to bring back to work.

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Kimchii Bowl is a special item only in the summer. It has brown rice, kimchi, edamame, carrots, purple cabbage, mushrooms, hard-boiled egg, sesame seeds, nori, teriyaki sauce, and sriracha. It was a big filling bowl. A good mix of protein and vegetables. The kimchi was surprisingly good, so they really know how to source their kimchi.

M had chicken with the bowl and thought it was a bit dry.

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Ninja salad with tofu ($7.79 + $1.49)has spinach and romaine, cabbage, edamame, carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, crispy wontons, and asian sesame dressing. We added tofu to it for extra protein. I thought it was ok, quite healthy but I would have preferred dressing on the side, but thats just a personal preference.

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Sushiito is their sushi burrito, but not to confuse you with Sushiritto because those are two different type of sushi wraps.

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They have two kinds of Sushiito – Kimchi Tofu and Chicken Teriyaki. No very sushi-like flavours.

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Kimchi Tofu Sushiito ($8.99) is wrapped in nori and stuffed with brown rice, kimchi, tofu, avocado, carrot, cucumber, purple cabbage, and lemongrass sauce.

Chicken Teriyaki Sushiito ($8.99) has the nori, brown rice, chicken, edamame, mushrooms, carrot, cucumber, purple cabbage, and teriyaki sauce.

I found that the Sushitto needed a bit of work as the nori became quite tough and limp that it would actually be very difficult to bite into. Also, its a bit more expensive than the other items on the menu. The salads, wraps and bowls are better deals.

freshii-foryo

Low Fat Froyo ($4.99) comes in a huge cup for one flat price. It has a low fat probiotic frozen yogurt with your choice of two toppings.

You can choose from almonds, blueberries, chocolate chips, cinnamon, dried cranberries, green apples, honey, mango, oreo, or strawberries.

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M and I love fruit so we naturally loaded it up with whatever fruits we can get them to pile on top. He had the mango and strawberries. Of course I like to be somewhat different, I got blueberries and pineapple. The frozen yogurt is more creamy like ice cream.

Overall, it’s a good place for a good quick and cheap lunch. The prices are fair too. It’s a better alternative than some other fast food places close by.

We Rate Freshii:

Address:
2 – 2920 Virtual Way, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.freshii.com

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