In Four Beakers

Sushi Bar Maumi: Reservation Only Omakase

November 2, 2017

Sushi Bar Maumi is located on Davie Street in Vancouver and specializes in nigiri sushi for his omakase menu. Reservations are required, so they will not take walk-ins. Omakase is $75 per person and if you want to order more, you can do so after the 10 pieces.

They try to give customers an authentic and memorable sushi bar experience. Since there are only 2 seatings per evening with 10 seats each. There are a few rules you need to follow in order to have a good time with other guests. Make sure you read their website in it’s entirety.

It’s definitely not cheap, but it’s an experience watching Chef Maumi Ozaki create each piece of nigiri and eating such delicious simple flavours. Just make sure you follow his rules.

Green Tea

As we sat down for our 6pm seating, we were given a pot of green tea to sip on through out our meal. Since I am a tea guzzler, they did refill everyone’s pots during the evening.

Suzuki – Japanese Sea Bass

The first piece was suzuki nigiri, which is a Japanese Sea Bass. It has a good mouthfeel and chef puts a brush of sauce on top for added flavour.

Surume Ika – Japanese Flying Squid

Ika is usually tough, but the chef cuts it slightly with a criss-cross to break apart the connective tissue. The sauce that is brushed on top collects in these slots and holds a good amount of flavour.

Aji – Japanese Horse Mackerel

The flesh is more pinkish compared to the others. It is topped with ginger and scallions. It has a delicate and sweet flavour.

Kuruma Ebi – Japanese Tiger Prawn

One of the more expensive nigiri at Maumi, if you want more, it will cost you $18 per piece. The head is removed to be used in the miso soup later in the evening. It is sweet and full of umami taste.

Shima Aji – Stripped Jack

The flesh is more white and milder in flavour. Still a good piece of nigiri.

Hokkaido Bafun Uni – Sea Urchin

The uni is harvested at peak season and it topped with a small bit of ginger. The uni is sweet, briny, and creamy.

Miso Soup

Up next was miso soup made with the prawn heads. It came pipping hot, but very delicious soup which was so warming.

Nama Hotate – Fresh Scallop

The scallop was sliced thinly and draped on top of the sushi rice. Fresh, subtly sweet and has a soft texture.

Medium Fatty Bluefin Tuna marinated in special soy sauce

This was a joy to eat. So damn good!

Saba – Mackerel

One of my favourites as it has firm flesh and its rich and fatty with yummy flavours.

Anago – BBQ Sea Eel

This was the last item of our omakase was the anago. It was nice an hot covered in this delicious sauce.

Hon Maguro O-Toro – Fatty Bluefin Tuna

Almost everyone ordered this at the end. It will cost you $12 per piece but you have to try it once. It’s really good and it melts in your mouth.

Sanma – Pike Mackerel

We ordered this because everyone else did as well. They seem to know what they were ordering, so we followed along. It was fatty and rich similar to saba. This is served with ginger and scallions on top.

Ikura – Salmon Roe

This is like little dragon balls. The roe are salty and it’s fun to pop them in your mouth.

Tamago

This is handmade egg omelette with fish, prawns, mountain potato and dashi. It had a sweet finish to the taste and served cold.

Final Thoughts

This was a fun experience to eat at a sushi bar served by Chef Maumi Ozaki. The food is great, but we did have to order a few more pieces after the omakase to get full. You have to be a fan of nigiri to fully enjoy the experience. One person dining just ate the fish on top and left all their rice. Our bill between us was over $200, so you need to be here for a special occasion.

We Rate Sushi Bar Maumi:

Address:
1226 Bute St, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.sushibarmaumi.ca/

In Lebanese

Paramount Fine Foods: Lebanese Restaurant in Vancouver

August 26, 2017

Paramount Fine Foods on Robson street is a chain restaurant that recently opened in Vancouver and specializes in Lebanese cuisine. I passed by several times and there always seems to be long line ups during peak hours. So, I came with a few foodie friends to check this place out after work.

Interior

The interior isn’t too large but there are tables great for groups of 2’s or 4’s. There are some large tables but you probably gotta wait.

Mezza Plate

This trio has their hummus, moutabbal, and tabbouleh. Getting this was a good way to try all three appetizers. The hummus has chickpea paste, tahini paste drizzles with olive oil. The moutabbal has grilled eggplant, blended with tahini sauce with some olive oil. Tabbouleh is made of finely chopped tomatoes, parsley, onion, and other stuff. A good way to start the meal and its good to have it with the complimentary bread.

Musakaa

This has eggplant, green and red peppers, onions, chickpeas mixed with homemade tomato sauce. It was ok, but nothing about it really stood out to me.

Labneh with Zaatar Manakeesh

This was recommended to us by our server and it has creamy yogurt and zaatar, which is a thyme and sesame mix. It was interesting, but none of us liked zaatar and yogurt for the topping.

Mini Mixed Grilled Plate

It is served with rice, hummus, spicy bread, garlic sauce, grilled vegetables and the chicken shish tawouk skewer, beef striploin skewer, and kafta skewers. It’s a good item to get if you want to try all the meats to taste which one is the best. We personally found the chicken was the best of the bunch.

Tabliyah Saj Chicken Shawarma

It is served on a wooden board with fries, pickles, turnips and garlic sauce. There are shredded pieces of chicken wrapped in their freshly baked thin Saj bread. It’s so good dipped in the garlic sauce. I would get this again.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was great to try Paramount Fine Food to see what all the hype is about, but some dishes that we got were hit and misses. They have unique items here that other Lebanese restaurants in Vancouver don’t have.

We Rate Paramount Fine Foods:

Address:
560 Robson St, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.paramountfinefoodsbc.com/

In Cafe

3 Quarters Full Cafe: Sweet Treats and Taiwanese Cuisine

August 2, 2017

I have a soft spot for Taiwanese comfort food, and 3 Quarters Full provides just that. Roman and I attended the Media Tasting for the cafe’s updated menu.

The spread of cakes, sandwiches and teas definitely ramped up our appetites and the first item that drew my attention was the pyramid of Pineapple Cakes. These rectangular-shaped pastries are filled with a pineapple filling that is thick and jam-like. The exterior is buttery like shortbread. The Pineapple Cake at 3 Quarters Full was so good, I couldn’t eat just one!

Roman particularly enjoyed the Crispy Pork Sandwich, which is a typical Taiwanese breakfast item according to owner, Kaiyu. This sandwich had shredded pork, sliced cucumbers, and a fried egg which were alternately in between not two, but 3 pieces of bread. The pork was tasty, and the sliced cucumbers added crunch. The fried egg tied the sandwich together by providing creaminess from its runny yolk.

Behind a glass window with the 3 Quarters Full logo, kitchen staff assembled Pork Baos for the attendees. Each bao, which is a steamed bun, was put together with care and had meaty and fatty portions of pork. The bao pillowy soft and the pork was tasty. I’m not a fan of thick pieces of pork fat, but the bao benefited from it because it made it deliciously moist. The pork fat enhanced the flavour of the meaty pork portion, and made the bao savoury.

A fave Taiwanese comfort food of mine is salt and pepper chicken, and the version at 3 Quarters Full is called Basil Popcorn Chicken. The deep fried basil added a delicious, subtle flavour.

To finish off the tasting, Roman and I tried two different types of cakes. One was a Naidong Roll, and the other was a Japanese-style Cheesecake. We tried the Naidong Roll in Taro and Strawberry. This cake consists of a spongey exterior, with a creamy and custard-like center. As for the cheesecake, it is less dense and not as creamy as regular cheesecake.

The cakes were delicious, and paired well with the Sea Salt Coffee. The coffee’s flavour reminded me of salted caramel, but not as sweet. I enjoyed its creaminess, and the touch of salt that finishes off a sip.

The next time you’re walking around the West End, be sure to pop into the cafe. If you’re craving a sweet treat or a savoury bite, 3 Quarters Full has something for you.

Address:
1789 Comox St, Vancouver

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/3quartersfullcafe/

In Cafe

Flying Rose: Asian Dessert on Robson Street

May 5, 2017

Flying Rose is an Asian dessert cafe on Robson Street. I was passing by and noticed it since they serve things like mango desserts. I came with a few friends to give it a try since all other cafes were super busy.

Interior

The interior is bright, colourful and has large tables for big groups. We came around 8pm, so it was still early in the evening. You order and pay up at the counter instead of at the table.

Sago, coconut milk, mango puree, fresh mango and pomelo

We were looking forward to this, but it was pricey for what we got. There was barely any mango and pomelo in this and it was super gritty tasting from the coconut milk. Very disappointing.

Fresh Mango Crepe

Each order has one piece and for some reason came out separately even when we ordered 2. It took a long time for them to put this together. There was about a ten minute gap between each crepe arriving at the table.

Once we got both, it was delicious. The crepe was thin and had the right texture. The fresh mango and the whipped cream were great, but still pricey.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the experience was pretty meh as the service and execution was pretty poor. Desserts from the kitchen came out really slowly and I’m sure one of our desserts were made incorrectly. They definitely have some kinks to work out.

We Rate Flying Rose:

Address:
1517 Robson Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.flyingrose.ca/

In Cafe

L’Éclair de Génie Canada is Now Open in Vancouver

April 29, 2017

L’Éclair de Génie has officially opened their first location in Canada. It is located on Robson Street in Vancouver. L’Éclair de Génie is a pastry concept started by renowned chef Christophe Adam. Christophe has dedicated the last 14 years to creating a chic snacking version of the French pastry landmark, the éclair, and the store now offers over 250 flavours. L’Éclair de Génie is adored worldwide with 25 boutiques throughout France, Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, and now here in Canada.

They specialize in eye-catching eclairs. There are also other treats and beverages here. I was invited for a sneak peek to try a few different items. Paris-trained, Vancouver-based local chef, Melanie Patricio is behind this magic to keep Christophe Adam’s concept to standard.

Vanille Framboise

This has vanilla cream, raspberry confit, fresh raspberries and white chocolate. Very refreshing with the raspberry on top.

Chocolat Grand Cru

This is filled with chocolate cream inside and topped with chocolate on top. Great for chocolate lovers.

Vanille Pecan

This is stuffed with vanilla cream and topped with caramelized pecans. I really like the vanilla cream in the centre and those crunchy pecans.

Framboise Passion

This is filled with passionfruit cream, raspberry confit and topped fresh raspberries and a passion fruit jelly.

Pistache Framboise

This eclair is stuffed with raspberry confit, then pistachio chantilly, fresh raspberries and roasted pistachios.

Caramel Beurre Salé

This has salted caramel and mascarpone cream. It’s really delicious and I love the shiny top to this eclair. One of my favourites.

Praline Noisette

This is stuffed with caramelized mascarpone cream, hazelnut praline and topped with caramelized hazelnuts. So good. I love the contrasting texture of the hazelnuts. I would recommend this too.

Matcha Bambou

This is stuffed with matcha cream and white chocolate. It has a sweet white chocolate that dominates the matcha.

Siroup D’erable

This is made just for their Canadian store and it is stuffed with maple cream and its surprisingly not that sweet at all. A good balance. On top, I <3 Vancouver is written on top.

Citron Yuzu

This has lemon yuzu cream inside and topped with crispy meringue dots.

Anastasia Tea

This is a blend of earl grey, lemon and orange blossom. You can also get this as a hot beverage too.

Detox

The detox is a blend of maté, green tea and lemon grass.

Cappuccino

If you want something a bit stronger, they have espresso-based beverages. I got a cappuccino with a strong espresso topped with light airy foam. Goes well with eclairs too.

Iced Caffé Latte

They also have iced cold espresso drinks too. With hotter days coming to Vancouver, a good iced beverage perfect for the Summer.

If you aren’t into eclairs, they also have pastries and chocolates.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the eclairs are delicious. They will costs you between$5.85 – $6.75 depending on which kind you get. The price point is good for a few bites of decadent eclairs. I’m really excited to see L’Éclair de Génie opening up in Vancouver and giving us a taste of Parisian eclairs by chef Christophe Adam.

We rate L’Éclair de Génie Canada:

Address:
1210 Robson St, Vancouver

Website:
http://leclairdegenie.ca/

In Four Beakers

Jinya Ramen in the Telus Garden on Robson Street

April 15, 2017

Jinya Ramen Bar is opening up on April 21st at the Telus Garden on Robson Street. They have all their classic ramen dishes with an expanded menu with more appetizers and drinks. Jinya has been one of my personal favourite ramen shops in Vancouver and it’s funny how they are moving a block to Telus Garden.

I came here for a preview of the space as well as to try a few items off the menu.

Interior

The interior is really nice and modern with some brick accents. There are large windows to let in a lot of natural light. The space is larger than their previous location, so should seat more people.

I love staring at their amazing chefs creating each bowl of ramen. Stacks and stacks of ramen bowls linking the kitchen.

Their staff were pumping out ramen non-stop.

I love this picture. “No Ramen, No Life” is absolutely correct.

Drinks

They have local craft beers on the menu, which is fantastic!

Moody Ales, Steel & Oak, Fuggles & Warlock, Parkside, and Four Winds. Love the local flair in this international ramen chain.

They also have spirits like sake on their menu. Of course they also have whiskey and other harder drinks too.

Appetizers

Brussel Sprouts Tempura

It is crisp on the outside because of the batter. It also have white truffle oil.

Salmon Poke Mini Tacos

The salmon poke is served in a crispy wonton taco shell. Very addictive!

Takoyaki

These are octopus balls. It has battered octopus over egg tartar topped with kewpie mayo, okonomiyaki sauce, green onion and bonito flakes. It came piping hot, so let it cool before popping it into your mouth.

Ramen

Cha Cha Cha Ramen

This is for garlic lovers. It has pork and fish broth, pork chashu, seasoned egg, bean sprouts, chopped onion, green onion, garlic, chili powder, and served with extra thick noodles.

Vegetable Soup Ramen

It has a vegetable broth, mushroom, greens, broccoli, cauliflower and pepper. It is served with thin noodles. This was ok, but not my favourite.

Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen

It has their vegetable broth, tofu, green onion, onion, spinach, crisp onions, garlic chips, garlic oil, chili oil, sesame seeds and served with thick noodles. This was so good! The additional of the garlic and chili oil are so amazing. I thought I loved the Tonkotsu black broth, but this broth is killer!

Spicy Chicken Ramen

It has chicken broth: chicken chashu, spinach, spicy bean sprouts, green onion, and served with thin noodles. You can choose it to be mild, spicy or hot.

Kaedama Noodle Refill

If you are done slurping up your noodles and have extra broth, you can order an additional portion of noodles to keep on enjoying the ramen.

They have different types of noodles too.

Final Thoughts

Their new location will bring more menu items that are pretty standard with their other North American locations. Plus, the decor and space is a lot nicer, but nothing was wrong with their previous location either. You still get the same great ramen, but this time I found my other favourite ramen – spicy creamy vegan ramen. Jinya Tonkotsu Black is awesome too.

We Rate Jinya Ramen Bar:

Address:
541 Robson Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://jinya-ramenbar.com/

In Robson Street/West End

Ukrainian Village: Perogies, Borsch, and Herring in Vancouver

April 11, 2017

Ukrainian Village is a restaurant I see every time I get off the bus on Denman Street. It caught our eyes and we couldn’t resist going inside. It was busy and it was like walking into someone’s living room.

I’ve never had Ukrainian food before, so we had to come here. Initially we wanted Xiao Long Bao at another nearby restaurant, but we couldn’t stop thinking about trying their food.

The menu looked good and prices were very reasonable. The two of us decided to share family style instead of individual meals.

Russian Borsch

This has beef, tomato, red pepper, carrot, dill, cabbage, potatoes, beet and topped with sour cream. It also has saltine crackers on the side.

It was a good simple soup. Never knew sour cream would go so well with soup.

Herring

The herring is pickled and served with onion, sour cream and a slice of bread. We really didn’t know how to eat this, so we made it up as we went. The pickled herring is rolled up with a pickle in the centre. It was interesting trying it, but I wouldn’t order it again. It’s probably and acquired taste.

Ukrainian Dinner

It has 2 cabbage rolls, six perogies, Ukrainian sausage, veggies and sour cream and their mustard. There are 3 types of perogies:

potato and fried onion
potato and cheddar cheese
sauerkraut

All of them were delicious when dunked into the sour cream. The cabbage rolls are filled with rice, ground beef, ground pork, and topped with all that sauce. Everything on this plate was delicious and I would come back.

We rate Ukrainian Village:

Address:
815 Denman Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://ukrainianvillage.wixsite.com/canada

In Chinese

Flower and Horse in Spring: Yunnan Cuisine

April 7, 2017

Flower and Horse in Spring is a new restaurant serving Yunnan Cuisine with their signature ‘crossing the bridge’ rice noodles. The legend of the noodles comes from the Yunnan Province where a scholar was studying for the imperial exams and his wife would make a long walk crossing a bridge to bring him his midday meal. The meal consisted of hot chicken soup with a layer of oil to keep the meal warm. She would carry the ingredients separately and combine them together when she gave him the noodles until he passed his exam.

This story was passed down from generation to generation inspiring the creation of the noodles that symbolizes the wifes love for the scholar.

Interior

We passed by this place as it looked quite different from the outside. Looking at the menu and seeing this place was packed, we decided to line up. It was a 15 minute wait but the food smelled good.

The bright decorations really reminded my friend of China. She definitely felt nostalgia.

Traditional Crossing the Bridge Noodles

I ordered A5, the first overall pick according to the menu. Not sure what that means, but I felt most of the menu was lost in translation. This set has crispy pork, prawn, kelp, squid, marinated pork, fish, spam, corn, chives, bean curd, quail egg, yunnan pickle, tomato, carrot, bean sprout, parsley, and green onion.

There are instructions at the table on how to put together the noodles, but I learned quickly that I was so hangry that I can’t follow instructions.

It says:

Beat the quail egg
Coat the sliced raw meat with egg and place into the boiling soup
Add cooked meat to soup
Put Veggies into the soup
Add rice noodle to the soup

We just dumped all the meat in first to cook it while the soup is hot. We then put in the rest of the veggies to cook. Then lastly, we throw in the noodles.

Once all the items were put together, it looked and tasted good. I wish it had more spice, but there was some chili oil that you can add a kick to the noodles.

Rice Noodle with sauteed pork sauce

The dish has a soup on the side too. The egg on top was delicious. The menu said the sauteed pork sauce was spicy, but it really wasn’t.

Noodles with with house special braised pork sauce in soup

It also has with shitake mushroom, bean curd sheet, bean spouts, chives, and other stuff. The menu had a big HOT warming on this item, but my friend said it wasn’t very spicy.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a great experience to try something a bit different in the city. The ‘crossing the bridge’ noodles were delicious and I’ll be back. It’s a small space and they don’t do reservations, so make sure to come earlier or have a bit of patience waiting.

We Rate Flower and Horse in Spring:

Address:
1741 Robson St, Vancouver

In Indian

India Bistro: Indian Cuisine in Vancouver

March 24, 2017

India Bistro is located on Davie Street and they have an all you can eat lunch buffet. I actually came here with a friend for dinner to try out a few different items from their menu. I love Indian food, but I don’t eat it as often as I do.

There is lots of paid parking outside on the street.

Interior

The restaurant has lots of tables and if you don’t have a reservation, you’ll be ok. It’s always best to have reservations just in case they get super busy. The interior has dark and has dim lighting.

The menu is pretty large and has a good amount of items on the menu. It’s easy to identify any vegetarian or gluten-free options here.

Mango Lassi

A classic drink made of yogurt and mangoes. They make it all fresh here and was delicious. Pairs well with the food here.

Fish Tikka

Fish Tikka was one of my favourite items of the meal. It has fish marinated in fresh ginger, garlic, Indian spices & char-broiled to perfection. It is also served with other veggies too.

The spices were aromatic and the inside of the fish was very moist. I would definitely order this again.

Indian Salad

This salad wasn’t what I expected. It has sliced onion, tomato, cucumber, lemon and green chilli. It was a bunch of chopped vegetables and I think I should of gotten the cucumber salad or buddha salad as it’s more of a traditional salad.

Papdi Chaat

It has thin crisp papdi topped with potatoes, yogurt, sweet and sour tamarind with mint chutney. This is a dish served cold, which was interesting and unique. When the papdi arrived at the table, it was n’t as crisp anymore due to the sauces.

Palak Paneer Naan

Instead of the usual naan, I wanted to try something a bit different. It has white leavened bread stuffed with spinach and cottage cheese. Delicious and it goes well on its own or dunked in curry.

Raita

It has homemade yogurt with cucumber, carrots and seasonings. It was delicious and paired really well with the naan.

Butter Chicken

A classic dish and it has pieces of boneless chicken breast. You can have different levels of spice in this and we got it medium. It had a nice kick and we could have definitely gotten it hot, but then again, I love my food really spicy.

Lamb Rogan Josh

This has lamb cooked with onions, garlic, ginger and traditional Indian herbs & spices. We got this at medium spice as well. Really good lamb dish and I enjoyed it.

Rice Pulao

To go with the curry, we had to order this. It has basmati rice cooked with cumin, onions & aromatic spices.

Gulabjamun

The dark brown round shaped cheese balls comes in a honey syrup. We got ours served warn and it was really delicious, but it is sweet because of the honey.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food was really good here, but there were a few items I would pass up. The curries were delicious as well as the fish tikka. The location is great as it is in Downtown Vancouver. Good friendly staff and yummy food.

We Rate India Bistro:

Address:
1157 Davie Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://indiabistro.ca/

In American

The Holy Crab: Louisiana-Inspired Seafood in Vancouver

February 1, 2017

The Holy Crab has opened their first location in Canada and it’s located on Vancouver’s Robson street. It’s very interesting to see something new open up in this neighbourhood that isn’t Japanese food. I was invited to try a few things off the menu, so I was ready to get my hands dirty.

The Holy Crab has partnered with suppliers to bring the best selection of local and premium sustainable seafood to its tables, with many of them Ocean Wise.

The menu includes a variety of seafood such as Dungeness crab, King Crab, Snow Crab, lobster, shrimp, clams, mussels, oysters, and crawfish. Seafood is boiled and served with a choice between garlic pepper or The Holy Crab’s signature Cajun sauce.

Interior

The 2,900 square foot, 92-seat restaurant aims to focus on sustainable seafood offerings in a casual and friendly southern-inspired setting.

Preparation

They give you gloves, a bib, utensils and lots of paper towels to make sure you’re ready to begin devouring all the food. They have many different kinds of scissors too for cutting up the various types of seafood. The staff are nice and they will give you through how to each each item.

Dungeness Crab

The dungeness crab comes from the Pacific Northwest, on the coast of Washington. It is best known for its sweet and succulent taste. It is about 2lbs and is OceanWise certified. It was hard to figure out how to crack this open, but my trusty friend Gastrofork did all the dirty work and I just reaped the rewards. It’s good to have skilled friends.

It is topped with their original cajun garlic pepper sauce and you can have it as mild, medium, spicy or HOLY MOLY!. Of the bunch, we liked the holy moly as it has more flavour but it can be spicy for some people.

Crawfish

The freshwater crawfish also known as crayfish is like a tiny lobster. I would say this isn’t my favourite seafood as it’s mostly shell. You have to work hard to get a small piece of flesh.

Shrimp

The shrimp was pretty good and you can’t go wrong by adding corn to it. One of the easier items to peel with your hands.

King Crab Legs

Hailing from the Northern Pacific, these gigantic King Crab legs are filled with tender, slightly salty white meat. As the legs were spikey, it was a bit hard handling them and cutting into them.

Maggi was super determined to de-shell this for the table. Props to all her effort.

Clams

Clams are OceanWise certified and I found the meat inside the shells to be a bit tiny.

Onion Rings

Onion Rings were lightly battered and had a nice crunchy texture to it but it was missing some seasoning.

Crispy Soft Shell Crab

These baskets are so cute. The soft shell crab is delicious, I have a secret soft spot of soft shell crab.

Crispy Fish Fingers and Cajun Fries

This was one of our favourite sides. The fries and fish dipped into the tartar sauce was so good. We gobbled this right up.

Sweet Potato Fries

Another delicious item. Super crisp and you can’t say no to sweet potato fries.

Steamed Vegetables

Nothing exciting here, but if you need a balance of veggie goodness, it’s an option.

Drinks

The have alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. My favourite thing to have with good Cajun seafood boil is beer. Besides beer, there are mocktails and cocktails.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was great to give The Holy Crab a try as there have been other seafood boil restaurants popping up in Metro Vancouver. It’s very unique in the West End on Robson Street. The flavours of the sauce aren’t overpowering and goes well with the items on the menu.

We Rate The Holy Crab:

Address:
1588 Robson St, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.theholycrab.ca/

In Brunch

Cacao 70: Chocolate Brunch in the West End

January 27, 2017

Cacao 70 is a new restaurant in the West End in Downtown Vancouver serving up decadent chocolate treats for brunch or even late into the evening. They have other locations across Canada in Ontario, Montreal and Quebec.

We were invited to come try their brunch items as well as other things on their menu.

Interior

There are a lot of tables that can accommodate small to large groups.

Beverages

Moka has espresso with semi-sweet Cacao 70 classic hot chocolate. You can also get it with milk or dark chocolate.

American-style Hot Chocolate is Cacao 70’s classic hot chocolate served with marshmallows and drizzled with melting chocolate You can have it drizzled with milk, semi-sweet or dark chocolate.

A great item to get for hot chocolate lovers or kids.

Drinking Chocolate

You can get varying degrees of drinking chocolate on their menu. The chocolate is pretty rich and you can add an alcohol shot for a few dollars extra.

Europa Pressed Crepe Sandwiches

Europa Pressed Crepe Sandwiches has ham, swiss cheese, and a Parisienne sauce. It is served with a green salad on the side. One of the better items on the savoury brunch menu.

Meat Lover Omelet

Meat Lover Omelet has 3 eggs cooked with bacon, ham, Italian sausage, folded over a layer of melted cheddar cheese. You get a side of potatoes, whole-wheat toast, and fresh fruits and melted chocolates. It was big and full of food, but it didn’t taste amazing.

Crepe Morning Crepe Special – Spinach and Egg

Spinach and Egg Crepe Morning Crepe Special comes with 2 fried eggs with a buckwheat base French style crêpe stuffed with baby spinach and feta cheese. It is also served with fruit and melted chocolate. The crêpe was very bland and needed more feta and some salt.

Illegal Chocolate Waffle

Illegal Chocolate Waffle has a classic waffle topped with pure melted milk Belgian chocolate, milk chocolate shavings, caramelized bananas, crunchy chocolate wafer balls, melted chocolate and whipped cream on the side.

Marshmallow Chocolate Pizza

Chocolate Marshmallow Pizza has a warm pizza crust topped with melted chocolate chunks and roasted marshmallows. It is then served with strawberries, bananas and melted chocolate on the side.

It is a fun item to share with friends and super decadent, but you can really only eat so much of this. The first few bites were good but then once I finished a slice, I didn’t want anymore.

Grilled Marshmallows

Grilled Marshmallows comes with graham crackers, bananas, peanut butter sauce, whipped cream and 5 marshmallows for roasting.

What a fun item to eat with friends. It’s easy to burn the marshmallows, so hold it further away from the flame as it’s pretty powerful. S’mores is super delicious and fun to make.

Final Thoughts

Overall, there are a few misses in their savoury brunch menu, but a lot of people come here for the chocolate. Where else can you indulge yourself in everything sweet and chocolaty.

We Rate Cacao 70:

Address:
1047 Denman Street, Vancouver

Website:
https://cacao70.ca/en/

In Four Beakers

La Catrina: Mexican Tacos in Vancouver

January 19, 2017

La Catrina is a restaurant on Denman Street that serves Mexican Tacos. When they say Voted by 100 Mexicans Vancouver’s Best Mexican Tacos, you know its legit. I came here with a few friends to share some tacos. I’ve heard about them on Instagram and I was curious about their tacos. We were in the area and I knew we had to make a stop here.

We got 4 tacos for $11 among us and shared it all.

Papas Mexicanas has Mexican potatoes with cream and parsley.

Fajitas Tacos has grilled beef, roasted green peppers and onions, with cheese on top.

Cachete taco has a pile of slow cooked beef cheeks.

Carnitas taco has confit pork with red pickled onion on top.

There is different salsa varying in spice level and pickled vegetables you can add to your taco.

Avocado
Chipotle
Arbol
Habanero

Of the 4, I really enjoyed the avocado as it was subtle but had a good amount of flavour. Their tacos are really good and have very deep flavours. The meat is moist and is so addictive.

We Rate La Catrina:

Address:
1187 Denman Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.tacoscatrina.ca/

In Bakery

Peaked Pies: Aussie Comfort Food in Vancouver

January 17, 2017

Peaked Pies has finally opened in Downtown Vancouver on the West End. They specialize in Aussie Meat Pies, coffee and dessert. What makes their pies extra special is having them ‘peaked’ with mashed potato, mushy green peas and gravy.

We wanted a taste of Peaked Pies without going to Whistler, so we were happy their second location was in Vancouver.

Interior

The space isn’t huge, but they have more seats compared to their Whistler locations. There is one large communal table, a few tables and window seats.

They also have a self-serve kiosk if there are long line ups. Very easy to use and you can beat the line.

The few times that we were here for lunch, it wasn’t too busy.

I also love their lights with the familiar colours sprayed on them.

Aussie Pies

All the Aussie Pies and Sausage Rolls are on display and there are lots of flavours to choose from. I had a hard time choosing which one to get.

If it’s your first time, getting the Traditional Aussie, which has ground beef, onions and gravy is a good start. Make sure to get it peaked too.

We’ve been here several times, but a few of our favourites are:

Traditional Aussie
Chunky Pepper Steak
Chunky Steak and Mushroom

The fillings are delicious and the crisp flaky crust makes it so enjoyable. the mashed potatoes are fluffy and the peas were so good draped in gravy.

Their Sausage Roll has ground beef, onion and garlic. It tasted alright, but the best things here are their pies.

They even have Aussis desserts like Lamingtons.

Final Thoughts

Overall, same great pies as their Whistler location. I love their pies and I will definitely be back.

We rate Peaked Pies:

Address:
975 Denman Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.peakedpies.com/

In Japanese

Men no Kura: Ramen in Vancouver

January 11, 2017

Men-no Kura is another new addition to the ramen community on Robson Street in Downtown Vancouver. There are several ramen shops in close proximity, so competition is high.

I came here at night with a few friends to have 2nd dinner.

Interior

There is a large communal table and then a few smaller tables for other groups. Tables are clean and there is a nice modern industrial look to the space. Staff are nice and helpful too.

Dashimaki

There are 2 types of dashimaki – Japanese rolled omelette at Men-no kura.

Dashimaki mentaiko
Dashimaki cheese

The omelette was soft, warm and the center was filled with either of those salty delicious filling. Delicious. Of the 2 types, I liked the cheese one a bit more.

Japanese deep fried chicken karaage

Japanese deep fried chicken karaage is their most popular item. It is very tender and super juicy with a nice crisp exterior. Very enjoyable and a great item to share.

Tonkotsu Black Garlic

Tonkotsu Black Garlic Ramen is one of their most popular ramen on the menu. It has a rich broth, chashu, garlic chips, and green onions.

Tsukemen

They have Tsukemen on their menu. You can have the noodles hot or cold. You have a choice of 3 different broths to choose from:

Original
Garlic Miso
Spicy

Deluxe Tsukemen

Deluxe Tsukemen comes with extra toppings of ramen egg, bamboo shoots and chashu. The broth is served in a mini hotpot so it stays warm. There was also some fried garlic chips on the side. The broth is quite rich, so without the hot flame underneath, it would congeal. The broth is very favourful and if it’s too rich for your liking, they can dilute it a bit more for you.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the ramen at Men-no-Kura was good. Their broth is much richer than other ramen shops, but I prefer it that way. It was good ramen, but with so many other ramen shops out there, it’s hard to choose. I still have another favourite, but if I was close by, I would come here again.

We Rate Men-no-Kura :

Address:
1773 Robson Street, Vancouver

In Farm to Table

Ritual: Farm to Table Restaurant in Vancouver

December 4, 2016

Ritual is a Farm to Table restaurant in Downtown Vancouver. They are inspired by an array of cultures that drives an eclectic and ever changing menu. Chef Nevada Cope put together a special menu that gave us a sneak peek into what they offer for their weekend dinner from Friday to Sunday. Ritual is both a full service restaurant and a multi-concept space.

Their menus are ever evolving and based on weekly availability of produce and ingredients through their suppliers.

Interior

The space is pretty nice with a chalk wall in the back, a TV with a cute cat in front of a fireplace and these cool murals of animals on the walls.

The seating is cute and simple.

They have such a huge love for coffee that they have developed a coffee program that brings amazing locally roasted coffee to the West End. They use Pallet Coffee Roasters to craft all sorts of delicious concoctions like Espresso, Havana Style Iced Coffee, and Lavender Lattes.

During the day, you can can come here for delicious pastries and coffee.

Drinks

They have lots of lovely cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks. I went with a ginger green tea and it was ok, but the ginger syrup didn’t have a good kick to it. It was mostly just sweet.

Starters + Sides

Bread Service includes a few pieces of the warmed herb focaccia bread with maldon salt butter.

Charred Cauliflower and Tahini has baba ganoush, parsley and lemon gremolata, and a black sesame tahini. This was a really delicious dish and i would definitely order this again.

Roasted Organic Carrots with seaweed butter makes a great side with some of their other main items. Everything tastes better with butter.

Autumn Squash Gratin is layered and baked to order. It is topped with parmesan and parsley. It comes out bubbling hot and hits the spot the accompany the meal. Surprisingly really delicious too.

Grilled Beet Salad is served with warm feta, oregano, sliced oranges, and a smoked bacon vinaigrette. I love a good beet salad and the goat cheese paired so well.

Fully Loaded Vegan Baked Potato is topped with cashew cheese, broccoli, scallions, spicy sprouted organic tofu, mushrooms and tomatoes. One of the least liked items on the menu, not because it was Vegan, it lacked something to really bring this potato together. It felt a bit bland.

Butter Seared Honey Cornbread Slice is a nice addition to the meal too if you aren’t into their herb focaccia bread.

Mains

Hot Fried Chicken it is not too spicy and its lightly dipped in unpasteurized honey, and served with crimini mushroom country gravy, scallion mash, veggies, and butter seared honey cornbread.

It was a really good dish. I liked how moist the meat was and the skin was nice and crisp.

Duck Leg Confit comes served with einkorn risotto, almonds, cranberries, and buttered dinosaur kale. The duck is delicious.

The Yam of Your Dreams has a super cute name. It has a double baked yam stuffed with pulled pork, bbq sauce, salsa fresca, pineapple, habanero mango hot sauce. Surprisingly, the pulled pork worked well with the yam.

Francesinha Sandwich is meant to be eaten with a knife and fork. It has milk bread, smoked ham, andouille sausage, roast pork loin, melted havarti cheese, and a rich tomato beer sauce.

Dessert

Eggnog Tart has gingerbread pate brisee, baked eggnog custard, and a black cherry coulis. Really cute and has a neat deconstructed look to it.

Pan Roasted Pineapple has a ginger and sage cookie crumble and topped with a house french vanilla ice cream. I enjoyed this dessert the most as there was the fresh fruit and the creamy ice cream.

Almond Orange Poppyseed Cake has six layers of cake with cream cheese frosting and toasted almonds on the outer edge of the cake. I thought this was ok.

Overall, a pretty good spread for the weekend dinner menu. I was impressed by their creative twist on classic dishes. I love the concept of this restaurant, but that can make their hours a bit confusing to customers.

We Rate Ritual:

Address:
774 Denman Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.ritualvancouver.com/

In Fusion

Poké Time on Robson: More Poké, No Problem

November 30, 2016

Continuing my poké adventures in Vancouver, another poké shop is Poké Time on Robson Street. I came here during my lunch break to grab a bowl to go with my coworkers. You can have you poke on a bed of rice, salad, nachos or eat it as a burrito. What I like about them is that you can do pick up or delivery and put your order in advance.

Interior

There are single seats by the walls of the shop, but you won’t find any tables here. Most people do take out.

I also love this pineapple wall. Very cute.

Build your own bowl

I find that getting the bowl is worth the price. I got the poké bowl and you can choose 2 scoops of protein, salad or rice or half, mixers, sauce, toppings, garnishes, and crunchies.

It was hard to figure out what to add on, but I got a little bit of everything and the staff are very generous with how much they put in it.

It’s so huge! I was surprised how they were able to close the lid on top.

Eating the Poke Bowl

I got salmon and tuna as my protein and then seaweed salad, crab meat, mandarin oranges, edamame, corn, carrots, cabbage, greens, onion crisps, cucumber, masago, green onion, nori. I got the tarty ponzu sauce and it was nice that it lightly marinated the protein so it wasn’t overpowering the fresh fish.

We Rate Poké Time:

Address:
1258 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.poketime.ca/

In Cafe

PappaRoti: Coffee Buns in Vancouver

August 27, 2016

PappaRoti in Vancouver and they are a popular spot to grab a bun and drink, the chill with friends here. I’ve been here are a few times coming here to grab a coffee and kill time before meeting up with friends. It’s a quiet café where you can just pop open your laptop and work away.

I was invited to give a few of their signature and new items a try.

Coffee Buns

Their original coffee buns is crisp on the outside with their coffee caramel crust. On the inside is a soft, buttery and rich centre. You must have these when its fresh from the oven.

Bun Combos

Bun combos take the original coffee bun and dress it up with some toppings.

Crazy for Kaya has their classic coffee bun paired with kaya and honey. Kaya is a Malaysian coconut jam.

Strawberry Fields has strawberry and whipped cream.

The Classic has nutella and banana, which is a great combination. Who doesn’t like bananas and nutella?

PB & J has the peanut butter drizzle on top of the bun and the jam on the side.

The works is one of my favourites you can choose up to 4 toppings of your choice. This particular one has strawberries, banana, ice cream and whipped cream.

Pappa Rollie

Choco Banana Pappa Rollie is one of their new items on the menu. It is like a croissant, but it is stuffed with a chocolate filling and then topped with the coffee caramel crisp top.

Sandwiches and Wraps

It surprised me how many different sandwiches and wraps they had to offer. The sandwiches aren’t displayed as nicely as you see in the photos, but you can grab them all wrapped up and ready to go in their fridge.

Turkey and Brie was my favourite sandwich as it had a good ratio of the ingredients. Pair it with a tea or coffee and it would make for a nice light lunch.

Apple Chicken blue cheese sandwich was a decent sandwich.

Roast Beef sandwich was good as well since it has a few layer of the tender roast beef.

Salads

If you want something a bit more healthy, they have salads – Island Salad and Tuscan Salad.

Drinks

They have a large selection of coffee and a few of their own tea blends.

Iced Blooming Tea has a blend of Fujian silver needles, Gomphrena Globosa, yellow chrysanthemum, jasmine lily, marigold and carnations. It has a mellow fragrance and a slightly sweet aftertaste.

They also sell Revel Juice, so people can have fresh organic cold pressed juice and nut milks.

Overall

I find that most people just come here for coffee buns and drinks. The wraps, sandwiches and salads are a nice addition, but they don’t specialize in that. I find that most office works in the area will grab the sandwiches to go.

We rate PappaRoti:

Address:
1505 Robson Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.papparoti.ca/

In Japanese

Koyuki Sapporo Ramen: New Ramen Shop near Robson

July 29, 2016

Koyuki Sapporo Ramen is the newest ramen joint to appear near Robson Street. With so many other ramen shops in the area, I was curious how it would compare.

I came here with Dee from Gastrofork to see if it would tickle our tastebuds.

We came during dinner time and they provided us with their lunch time menu. Apparently, the only difference is that the portion is larger. They didn’t have a dinner menu printed out, which I thought was strange.

Interior

The interior hasn’t changed too much as it still had the same structure of the previous restaurant that was here. There are lots of seats but it was very dead when we were here.

Ramen

Tonkotsu Ramen has a rich and creamy broth made from pork bones. it is topped with bean sprouts, cha-shu, green onion, seaweed, black garlic, and an aitsuke egg.

The egg was over cooked and didn’t have that gooey consistency like the other places in town. There was a lot of noodles, but it was chewy and bland. The cha-shu was really good.

Miso Ramen is their Sapporo style with miso flavour, bamboo shoots, green onions, bean sprouts, seaweed and cha-shu.

Gyoza

Gyozas come in 5 pieces and were pretty bad too. Even though it was pan fried, it was limp.

Overall, there wasn’t anything about this place that stood out except their cha-shu, but then again you can’t really go wrong with cha-shu. I didn’t like the texture of the noodles as it was chewy and soggy. The egg wasn’t done right. The service was also pretty awful too.

I’ve never been to Sapporo to have authentic Sapporo style ramen, but all I know is that Koyuki’s ramen was pretty meh.

They have a lot to improve on.

We Rate Koyuki Ramen:

Address:
795 Jervis Street, Vancouver