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Yaletown

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Romers-Brewmaster-1

Romer’s Burger occasionally offers a special 3-course Brewmaster Dinner to showcase local breweries with food pairings for $25. It’s open to everyone until they sell out of tickets. For the past 3 years, Romer’s has created the Craft Bowl, which pits local breweries against each other to compete for the title of Vancouver’s Most Popular Craft Beer.

Romers-Brewmaster-2

I was invited to attend this event to try the food pairings with the different Red Truck Beers. Look at all the food being prepared.

Romers-Brewmaster-4

Red Truck IPA Organic Beet Salad is made with goat cheese, wild baby arugula, sweet onions, and a IPA mustard vinaigrette. A nice way to start the meal. There were nice big chunks of beets, which were great because I love beets. The salad was paired with the Red Truck Lager.

Romers-Brewmaster-3

Red Truck Lager is one of my favourite beers from them. It’s light and has a citrus finish. I usually tend to gravitate towards lighter beers.

Romers-Brewmaster-7

Red Truck Lager Braised Rib Duo has beef short ribs and Maui pork ribs on top of wild mushroom risotto and topped with some veggies and a Red Truck Lager jus. The short ribs were nice and tender but the pork ribs were a bit tougher.

It was paired with the Red Truck IPA.

Romers-Brewmaster-6

Red Truck IPA has floral, pine, and citrus aromas and flavours. It is a bit more hoppy especially with the aftertaste.

Romers-Brewmaster-9

Maple Bacon Doughnuts came with 4 pieces on a plate. It has maple frosting, fresh thyme, and a Red Truck Ale caramel Sauce. I found that there was too much of the maple frosting that it just overpowered the dish. Can’t go wrong with the bacon. Some of the donuts turned out to be quite oily inside for some reason. It was paired with Red Truck Ale.

Romers-Brewmaster-8

Red Truck Ale has a blend of Belgian malts, plus German and Pacific Northwest hop varieties giving a nice copper-hued ale with a nice aroma.

Romers-Brewmaster-5

Keep an eye open on their Facebook or Twitter to find out when the next one is being held. For $25, it’s a pretty good deal, but you have no idea what the menu will be until you get there. It’s still a great way to support local craft breweries as BC has so many stellar breweries. All the dishes aren’t on their regular menu. I thought they would at least have a burger on the menu to showcase their signature item at the restaurant. Especially when beer and burgers are the best combination. Nonetheless, it was interesting to see what the chefs could come up with to pair with the beers.

Address:
1039 Mainland Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.romersburgerbar.com/

Romer's Burger Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

bella-gelateria-inner

Bella Gelateria has opened their second location right in Yaletown by Marinaside. Bella Gelateria is best known for the award-winning gelato. Maestro James makes sure all the gelato is made to the finest quality.

bella-gelateria-tables

They have the usual gelato, plus they have a whole food menu and dining area. A huge difference from their first location in Coal Harbour.

bella-gelateria-cone-cup

I came here just for some quick gelato, so we paid first, then we could go up the counter area to start tasting a few flavours that intrigued us.

bella-gelateria-counter

On a quiet weekday, the staff are very attentive and have patience to go over some suggested flavours. Sometimes its hard deciding what you want. On a busy day, the experience will be quite different for sure.

bella-gelateria-waffle

Buko Pandan is a Filipino dessert that has the flavour combination of young coconut, green gulaman, nata de coco, sweet cream and pandan. It was a flavour that really intrigued me, so I usually end up getting it.

bella-gelateria-stractelli

Stracciatella is M’s favourite. It’s a milk based gelato with shreds of chocolate bits. Very clean taste and pretty addicting if you want something simple. M had to have it with chocolate drizzle and the wafer cookie.

bella-gelateria-buco-pandan

Overall, it’s a great treat for the hot Summer. Plus, since its right by the marina, you can’t help but eat this as you walk along the seawall.

We Rate Bella Gelateria Yaletown:

Address:
1089 Marinaside Crescent,
Vancouver

Website:
http://bellagelateria.com/yaletown/

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good-wolf-outer

Good Wolfe? Good Wolf? I’m not quite sure which name they are going for. Weird how they have dropped the ‘e’ in their name. It turns out Chef Josh Wolfe, the original owner has left the restaurant earlier this year. Good Wolf has been on my list for a while, but too bad I didn’t come here sooner before he left.

Good Wolf Kitchen and Bar specializes in European food and they try to get most of their ingredients sourced from the West Coast.

I came here for brunch with a few of my friends to catch up over some good food.

good-wolfe-inner

good-wolfe-back

good-wolfe-juice

Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice ($4) comes from across the street at Chaser’s Fresh Juice & Deli. Its yummy and has a good amount of pulp.

good-wolfe-hash

Kale & Potato Hash ($12) has 2 soft poached eggs, chorizo, mushroom, and hollandaise sauce. CanuckGirl and FloRida thought this dish was quite one dimensional and missed the mark. The hash really wasn’t as flavourful as they had imagined.

good-wolfe-BELT

Signature B.E.L.T ($14) has house cured bacon, fried egg, lettuce and tomato. It is served with home fries on the side. The bun was an interesting surprise because this made it seem more like a burger. With the amount of bun, the ingredients inside really didn’t shine through. Plus, those home fries needs some work.

good-wolfe-spaetzel

Breakfast Spaetzle ($12) has 2 soft poached eggs, bacon, chorizo, and maple syrup. The eggs were so soft that the yolk just popped right out. I do like a good soft poached egg. The bacon was really the best part of the dish as it added more flavour. It was quite a large portion and I could barely finish it.

good-wolfe-toast

Cinnamon Brioche French Toast ($13) has a blueberry compote, whipped cream, and maple syrup. This was really good! The french toast has a nice crunchy exterior and the blueberry compote was yummy.

Overall, the french toast was a winner, but every other dish we ordered wasn’t as delicious.

We Rate Good Wolf Kitchen and Bar

Address:
1043 Mainland St
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://www.goodwolfe.ca/home.html

Good Wolfe Kitchen & Bar on Urbanspoon

Taboo-Kitchen-window

Taboo Kitchen in Yaletown just opened in early November. My friends took me here on our usual Friday Happy Hour excursions. Rodney’s had a 45 minute wait and we wouldn’t be able to make it inside to order.

So, Taboo Kitchen was a good choice across the street for a few tapas and $4 on certain drinks like beer, cocktails and wine. Might as well since we were going to be drinking anyways.

Taboo-Kitchen-inner

The interior looked very nice. They have a long table to accommodate large groups. The bar looked pretty nice too.

Taboo-Kitchen-drink-menu

Taboo-Kitchen-food-menu

The entree’s were pretty pricey, but with just drinks and tapas, it was not too bad. The items definitely are Korean fusion.

Taboo-Kitchen-taste

Complimentary Sampler of kimchi, Sweet potato and pickled radish were provided to everyone at the table. In any Korean place, it is expected to have complimentary side dishes provided as an indication of good service. It was presented nicely and gave us a taste of their food.

Taboo-Kitchen-happy-hour-drinks

Apple Sojutini ($4) was quite strong and it was perfect! Just what my friends wanted. Yeah for happy hour prices.
Red Truck Lager ($4) was on special too.

Taboo-Kitchen-ebi-mayo

Prawn Mayo has wasabi, fried capers, and rice crackers with the deep-fried prawns. There was delicious textures of the rice cake and the salty capers. As for the prawns themselves, it was a bit bland and could have used more of that wasabi sauce.

Taboo-Kitchen-spicy-tuna-sunrise

Tuna Rising Sun has chojang, endive, sweet potato on the bottom. Each endive has spicy tuna and spicy sauce. It was really good and a nice twist for a fusion dish.

Taboo-Kitchen-tuna  Taboo-Kitchen-wings

Korean Spicy Chicken Wings is served with a pickled radish slaw and yuja cream. These were good wings.

Overall, it’s a nice place to go after work to chill have a drink and a few bites especially in the Yaletown area. I love traditional Korean food and the food they offer here is quite different, thus the fusion part of the restaurant.

We Rate Taboo Kitchen

Address:
1233 Hamilton St Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://tabookitchen.com/

Taboo Kitchen on Urbanspoon

ToyWordmark2014-10years

Taste of Yaletown is back for its 10th year full of bites, treats, sips and sights of Yaletown. Every year, Taste of Yaletown brings together the talents of chefs with culinary treasures in the best dining district in Vancouver.

From October 16th-30th, Yaletown kitchens will offer featured menus, special tastings and innovative pairings to tempt the most adventurous foodie. With a fresh approach to fixed price menus of $25, $35 and $45 restaurants will offer combinations of food and drink or even special in-house events.

Urban Thai Bistro is participating this year showcasing their Thai dishes. They have been around since 2000 in Yaletown and is owned by the Thai House group.

Urban-Thai-Bistro-inner

[toggle title=”$35 Taste of Yaletown Menu”]
APPETIZER
BBQ chicken
(Thai Style marinated BBQ Chicken served with sweet chili plum sauce)
+
Papaya Salad
(Green papaya strips, carrots mixed with tomatoes, green beans, fresh chilies, roasted peanuts, diced garlic, fish sauce and lime juice )
+
Shrimp Balls
(Marinated shrimp paste wrapped with spring roll wrap served with sweet chili plum sauce)

Or

Jalapeno Shrimp
(Fresh Jalapeno stuffed with shrimp paste served with house sauce)
+
Beef Salad
(Sliced New York beef w/ lime dressing, red onion, tomatoes & Thai chili)
+
Spring Roll
(Deep-fried with mixed vegetables and glass noodles served with homemade sweet chili plum sauce topped with ground peanuts)

SOUP
Tom Kah Prawns or Mussels – Coconut milk broth with galanga, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and mushrooms

ENTRÉE
Green curry prawns & scallop – eggplant, Peas, Bell Peppers & Fresh Basil

Or

Pra Lunm Long Shong Lamb – Thai Peanut sauce topped with Lamb

Or

Kra Pau Duck – Sautéed with Thai Chili, bell peppers, green beans & fresh hot basil

All entrée are served with stir-fried green vegetables

Choice of Rice or noodles

DESSERT
Lychee Jelly

[/toggle]

Urban-Thai-Bistro-appetizer-2

You can choose from 2 different sets of appetizers. The first one contains:

  1. BBQ chicken has a Thai-style marinated BBQ Chicken served with sweet chili plum sauce.
  2. Shrimp Balls has marinated shrimp paste wrapped with spring roll wrapping served with a sweet chili plum sauce.
  3. Papaya Salad has green papaya strips, carrots mixed with tomatoes, green beans, fresh chilies, roasted peanuts, diced garlic, fish sauce and lime juice.

The BBQ chicken was tender and had a nice flavour. The shrimp balls were crispy and it was great to have it to add a crunchy bite. Papaya Salad was surprisingly quite spicy.

Urban-Thai-Bistro-appetizer

The second appetizer option has the following:

  1. Jalapeno Shrimp has Jalapeno stuffed with shrimp paste served with house sauce.
  2. Spring Roll is deep-fried with mixed vegetables and glass noodles served with homemade sweet chili plum sauce topped with ground peanuts.
  3. Beef Salad has sliced New York beef with lime dressing, red onion, tomatoes & Thai chili.

The alternative dish is quite similar, but it depends on personal preferences.

Urban-Thai-Bistro-soup

Soup is the next item to come and you can choose Tom Kah with Prawns or Mussels. It has a coconut milk broth with galanga, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and mushrooms. It is quite spicy, so some people may need a big cup of ice water to quench the heat.

Urban-Thai-Bistro-Green-Curry

Green Curry Prawns and Scallops has eggplant, peas, bell peppers and basil. It is also served with vegetables and your choice or rice or noodles. I’ve never seen a Thai dish displayed like this. Quite fancy.

The sauce was good and well balanced. I did like the noodles over the rice.

Urban-Thai-Bistro-kungpao-duck

Kra Pau Duck is sautéed with Thai chili, bell peppers, green beans and fresh hot basil. There is also veggies and your choice or rice or noodles.

Urban-Thai-Bistro-lamb

Pra Lunm Long Shong Lamb has Thai Peanut sauce on top. You also get the same veggies and choice of rice or noodles.

Urban-Thai-Bistro-lychee-jello

Lychee Jelly has layered jello with different colours and embedded inside are two small lychees. It was quite a basic dessert and I didn’t feel like it represented Thai dessert very well.

Overall, you get quite a large appetizer and yummy entree. The dessert falls a bit short, but you get a well rounded taste of what Urban Thai Bistro has to offer.

We Rate Urban Thai Bistro:

Address:
1119 Hamilton St
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://thaihouse.com/urban-thai-bistro/

Urban Thai Bistro on Urbanspoon

 

ToyWordmark2014-10years

Taste of Yaletown is back for its 10th year full of bites, treats, sips and sights of Yaletown. Every year, Taste of Yaletown brings together the talents of chefs with culinary treasures in the best dining district in Vancouver.

From October 16th-30th, Yaletown kitchens will offer featured menus, special tastings and innovative pairings to tempt the most adventurous foodie. With a fresh approach to fixed price menus of $25, $35 and $45 restaurants will offer combinations of food and drink or even special in-house events.

Minami is participating again this year with 3 different menu options. I was invited for a sneak peak of their dinner menu and I was excited because they are one of my favourite restaurants in Vancouver.

minami-outer

[tabs tab1=”DINNER MENU $45″ tab2=”VEGETARIAN DINNER MENU $35″ tab3=”ZEN LUNCH $25″]
[tab id=1]

Optional sake pairing 15

FIRST – SUSHI
Sake pairing: Dassai 39

  • wild boar bacon salmon oshi bite, sunset roll, maguro and kani maki, tai and hotate temari

SECOND – MINAMI ZEN
Sake pairing: Yu Junmai

  • Stone fruit salad
    endive, goat feta, dried olives, maple sherry thyme vinaigrette, fig balsamic reduction
  • Jidori chicken and foie gras gyoza
    truffle dashi consommé
  • Saikyo miso baked sablefish
    coconut creamed kale, wasabi shoga relish, yuzu miso sauce
  • Braised fraser valley pork cheek
    roasted kabocha-onion puree, apple red cabbage kraut, sweet & sour soy ginger glaze

DESSERT
Sake pairing: Hakkaisan Sparkling Nigori

  • Matcha tiramisu
    matcha-genmai ladyfingers, azuki paste, matcha-white chocolate ganache, sesame crumble

[/tab]
[tab id=2]

Optional sake pairing 15

FIRST – FALL GARDEN PLATE
Sake pairing: Dassai 39

  • fresh market vegetables, soy paper roll, moromi miso sauce, sesame pesto, olive tapenade

SECOND – MINAMI ZEN
Sake pairing: Yu Junmai

  • Stone fruit
    endive, goat feta, dried olives, maple, sherry thyme vinaigrette, fig balsamic reduction
  • Kaiso salad
    baby frisee, umami soy vinaigrette, lotus root chip
  • Crispy tempeh
    spiced tomato chutney, sautéed kale
  • Shiitake mizuna ricotta ravioli
    truffled saikyo miso sauce, organic maple ginger granola

DESSERT
Sake pairing: Hakkaisan Sparkling Nigori

  • Matcha tiramisu
    matcha-genmai ladyfingers, azuki paste, matcha-white chocolate ganache, sesame crumble

[/tab]
[tab id=3]

FIRST – ABURI SUSHI
Sake pairing: Dassai 39

  • salmon oshi, ebi oshi, sunset roll, nigiri

SECOND – MINAMI ZEN
Sake pairing: Yu Junmai

  • Aburi bincho
    wasabi masatake sauce
  • Miso marinated tofu salad
    baby greens, avocado, crispy tempeh, pickled daikon & carrot, umami soy vinaigrette
  • Saikyo miso baked sablefish
    coconut creamed kale, wasabi shoga relish, yuzu-miso sauce
  • Braised fraser valley pork cheek
    apple red cabbage kraut, roasted kabocha onion puree, sweet & sour ginger soy glaze

DESSERT
Sake pairing: Hakkaisan Sparkling Nigori

  • Spiced pumpkin brownie ice cream
    cinnamon-nutmeg spice blend, walnut brownie pieces

[/tab]

[/tabs]

minami-sushi

The sushi assortment has 5 pieces of tai temari, hotate temari, sunset roll, wild boar bacon salmon oshi bite, and maguro + Kani Maki. You really need to savour these 5 pieces of sushi because they taste amazing. Every single bite is a work of art.

minami-tai-temari

Tai Temari was beautiful like a little sushi ball.

minami-hotate-temari

Hotate Temari is scallop cut in half and draped over sushi rice.

minami-sunset-roll

Sunset Roll has spicy tuna, cucumber, smoked salmon, and tobiko.

minami-boar-maguro

Wild Boar Bacon Salmon Oshi Bite and  Maguro + Kani Maki were my 2 favourite rolls because of that amazing Miku sauce. That sauce makes your mouth water.

minami-box

Next is the second course consisting of Braised Fraser Valley Pork Cheek, Saikyo Miso Baked Sablefish, Jidori Chicken and Fois Gras Gyoza, and their Stone Fruit Salad.

minami-pork-cheek

Braised Fraser Valley Pork Cheek has a roasted kabocha-onion puree, apple red cabbage kraut, with a sweet and sour soy ginger glaze. The cheek was tender and full of flavour.

minami-sablefish

Saikyo miso baked sablefish also has a coconut creamed kale, wasabi shoga relish, and yuzu miso sauce. The skin was crisp and the delicate flavours of the sablefish went well with the sauce.

minami-gyoza

Jidori Chicken and Foie Gras Gyoza also comes with a truffle dashi consommé. The gyoza was good!

minami-stone-salad

Stone Fruit Salad has endive, goat feta, dried olives, maple sherry thyme vinaigrette, and fig balsamic reduction. The fruit was really fresh and everything blended nicely together. It’s good to have one of the item a salad to break up the taste of meat.

minami-greentea-tiramisu

Last but not least is their Matcha tiramisu for dessert. It has matcha-genmai ladyfingers, azuki paste, matcha-white chocolate ganache, with a sesame crumble. Oh man, this was good. No more need for regular Tiramisu because this is amazing.

Overall, it’s always a good time at Minami. The $45 dinner menu is reasonable and you get a taste of everything Minami has to offer. If you aren’t keen to spending that much, the $25 lunch is a good option too.

We Rate Minami

Address:
1118 Mainland St
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://minamirestaurant.com/
Minami 炙 on Urbanspoon

Prohibition-Tasting-Room-outer

Prohibition Tasting Bar is owned by their parent company – Prohibition Brewing Company, which is located in an old distillery on the outskirts of Kelowna in British Columbia’s Okanagan Region. They are 100% B.C. owned and operated and strive to bring clean, crisp and refreshing traditional beers while supporting local suppliers and communities.

They feature five different Prohibition beers, cocktails and small pairing menu. It’s a fantastic spot for lunch or after work drinks.

Prohibition-Tasting-Room-inner

The interior is quite beautiful with their elegant black and red colour scheme. It’s a great place that can handle large groups.

Prohibition-Tasting-Room-menu

The 5 beer they feature are:

  • Bootlegger Amber Ale
  • Lawless IPA
  • Getaway Lager
  • Smuggler Scotch Ale
  • Hideout Honey Lager

They also have a cider that is off the menu.

Prohibition-Tasting-Room-flight

Flight of Four ($8) is a great way to sample most of their beers. I loved all the beers except for the Lawless IPA, but I never really liked IPAs anyways.

Prohibition-Tasting-Room-cocktail

Moonshine Sour ($9.50) is served as a double and has moonshine, walnut butters, citrus and whites. The drink was sweet and refreshing.

Prohibition-Tasting-Room-menu2

Prohibition-Tasting-Room-plate

Charcuterie Board ($16) has a selection of their market meat and cheese. It is served with some nuts, crostini, mustard, dipping sauce, and pickles. It’s a good dish to pick at while having drinks.

Prohibition-Tasting-Room-duck-wings

Duck Wings ($11) has a pound of the wings and you can get them hot, lemon pepper or BBQ. We got the lemon pepper and it was delicious! Highly recommended. TaiwaneseGirl and I couldn’t stop raving about these. It’s easy to eat and theres so much flavour.

Prohibition-Tasting-Room-sandwich-chips

Prosciutto Sandwich with Chips ($9 +$6) the chips are very addictive! It’s thick cut and super crunchy. Great flavour too.

Prohibition-Tasting-Room-sandwich

Look at that meat.

Prohibition-Tasting-Room-cross-section

The proscuitto sandwich contains tomato, balsamic, brie, lettuce, and proscuitto inside the bread. It tasted ok, but I wasn’t too impressed.

Prohibition-Tasting-Room-pretzel-dish

Pretzel Knots ($8) has ale cheese, dijon and pickles on the side.

Prohibition-Tasting-Room-pretzel

You must dip the pretzel into the cheese and make it taste really good. Can’t go wrong with cheese right?

Overall, the drink selection is great and the food that accompanies it is also yummy. I would definitely bring my coworkers here after work for a few drinks. The staff were also very knowledgeable on all their drinks, so I definitely learned a lot. Great service!

We Rate Prohibition Tasting Bar:

Address:
1269 Hamilton St
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://www.prohibitionbrewingco.com/

Prohibition Tasting Bar on Urbanspoon

minami-chef

Mags and I wandered to Yaletown to get a sandwich, but ended up going to Minami, which was the best idea ever. We just needed a taste of their delicious Salmon Oshi Sushi. If you’ve had it before, you know its pretty damn delicious. It’s always one of my favourite dishes in town.

Minami is the sister restaurant of Miku, which made famous the Aburi style or flame searing technique to Vancouver’s thriving sushi scene. I always find they use quality ingredients and have Ocean Wise seafood options.

minami-hot-items

Mags and I both had the Minami Zen ($28) which includes:

  • miso soup
  • Aburi Tuna
  • Tofu Salad
  • Chicken Nanban
  • Beef Tenderloin Skewer
  • 5 pieces of Signature Aburi sushi

It’s a perfect set to really try a bit of everything off the menu. The price is reasonable and you get the most value out of it.

The first 4 items are  served in a traditional Japanese hinoki box.

minami-aburituna

Aburi Tuna is lightly seared with a wasabi masatake sauce on top. It is also garnished with radishes and seaweed. There are 3 pieces of  tuna and it tastes really good.

minami-tofu-salad

Tofu Salad is topped off with wonton crisps and a umami soy vinaigrette. It was light and refreshing and the wonton crisps really give it a nice texture.

minami-chicken-nanban

Chicken Nanban has a sweet and sour soy sauce with an asian slaw. It was ok, but the chicken inside was quite bland and missing some flavour.

minami-beef-tenderloin-skewer

Beef Tenderloin Skewer has a sweet soy glaze and has tsukemono, which are pickled vegetables. The skewer was quite large, but it was hard to chew some parts.

minami-miso

Miso soup came in a large bowl and it has tofu, enoki mushrooms and seaweed. Yummy.

minami-aburi

The 5 pieces of signature aburi sushi did include the widely popular Salmon Oshi Sushi.

minami-oishi-salmon

Salmon Oshi Sushi is pressed BC wild salmon, jalapeno, and the secret miku sauce. The BEST!

minami-toro

I don’t know what this one was but I think it was Toro. It was melt in your mouth delicious! None of the aburi items disappointed. Mmmm Mmmmm Mmmmmmm!

Overall, the lunch was more than I would normally have spent, but it was so delicious. It’s always nice to have a treat at the end of the week especially when it’s pay day.

We Rate Minami

Address:
1118 Mainland St
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://minamirestaurant.com/
Minami 炙 on Urbanspoon

flying-pig-sign

From 4pm till 6pm everyday, the Flying Pig has an Appy Hour menu. The menu isn’t very large, but you have a good amount of choices to choose from. You also have the regular menu to order from.

Appy Hour Menu:

  • Beet and Bresaola Salad $5
  • Local Artisan Cured Meat Selection $6
  • Shortrib Croquettes $5
  • Seared Chili-Rubbed Skirt Steak $5
  • Steamed Clams $6
  • Truffled Mac and Cheese $5
  • House Salmon Sampler $5

I came here after work with Korean Girl and Mandu to celebrate the end of the week.

flying-pig-inner

The interior is a decent size and the two dining areas are separated by a bar. We sat on the left side of the restaurant on the high top tables.

flying-pig-balls

Shortrib Croquettes ($5) comes with 4 pieces and a side of sriracha parmesan basil dip. It was really good and creamy inside. 

flying-pig-brussels

Crispy Brussel Spouts ($6) were not on the appy hour menu, but you can order it as a regular side off the menu. It’s a good size for the price. The brussel sprouts is flavoured with lemon, parmesan and capers. Highly recommended.

flying-pig-clams

Steamed Clams ($6) comes with its delicious broth and frites. The broth is yummy and its perfects to dunk those fries into.

flying-pig-steak-frites

Seared Chili-Rubbed Skirt Steak ($5) comes with frites as well. The skirt steak was done at a perfect medium rare and sliced up. The frites were crunchy and delicious but a tad salty.

flying-pig-appy-hour

Overall, the girls and I had a great time after work eating at flying pig and having a few beers. The prices were great and the food was good for the price. I will definitely be back.

We Rate The Flying Pig

Address:
1168 Hamilton St
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://www.theflyingpigvan.com/

The Flying Pig on Urbanspoon

salsa-agave-outer

I headed to Salsa and Agave Mexican Grill to meet up with fellow blogger – Sharon M Fung. I always pass by this restaurant and never stopped by to try their food until now. Their menu looked good for lunch and you can’t go wrong with tacos or burritos.

They have patio and indoor seating, so it’s perfect for the hot Summer days.

salsa-agave-inner

The interior is a bit small, but there are a decent amount of tables for large and small groups.

salsa-agave-lunch

The lunch specials are quite affordable.

salsa-agave-combo

Azteca Soup and Tostada combo ($8) is made with fresh local ingredients.

salsa-agave-soup

The Azteca Soup is essentially a tortilla soup with chipotle pepper, diced avocado, cheese and sour cream. The soup tasted ok, but it wasn’t anything special. It also looked very oily.

salsa-agave-t

Tostadas are crispy open face corn tortilla stacked with beans, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese and  avocado sauce.

Sharon got the Azteca soup and small burrito combo for $9.50, but we disappointed by the shrimp burrito. She said it was dry.

Overall, we were not impressed by the experience. The food was ok and the service was non-existent. Our glasses of water were left empty and it was hard to get a servers attention. I really wanted to like this place, but it didn’t satisfy us.

We Rate Salsa & Agave

Address:
1223 Pacific Blvd
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://salsaandagave.com/

Salsa & Agave on Urbanspoon

chez-faye-outer

Chez Faye Cafe is located right beside the Yaletown Skytrain. KoreanGirl and I were hunting for some lunch and thought Chez Faye Cafe would be a great place for a soup and sandwich. She’s been here a few times, but I’ve never been. I pass by it a lot of times, but haven’t been here till now.

They serve sandwiches, soups and Korean food. Just simple food that is not complicated.

They are open on weekdays from the morning till late lunch, but aren’t open for dinner.

chez-faye-inner

The interior is cozy and has about 15 tables or so. It’s quiet and peaceful during lunch, so you can relax before going back to the office. A lot of people did take out items to go.

chez-faye-combo

I got the clubhouse sandwich with their daily soup feature – chicken soup with wild rice.

chez-faye-club

Clubhouse Sandwich has 3 layers of bread and between those layers are – tomatoes lettuce, mayo, bacon, and turkey. I chose my bread to be multigrain. The ingredients are pretty solid and I liked how the bacon was crispy and there were lots of tomatoes to keep the sandwich moist.

chez-faye-soup

Chicken soup with wild rice paired nicely with the sandwich. It’s always nice to have soup on a cold rainy day.

Overall, the food isn’t special or anything, but it’s a good quick lunch that satisfies the hungry belly. I’d come here again for their sandwiches and soup!

We Rate Chez Faye Cafe: 

Address:
1168 Hamilton St
Vancouver, BC

Chez Faye Cafe on Urbanspoon

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24 train express noodle house

There is a new Vietnamese/Cambodian restaurant in Yaletown. KoreanGirl, Mandu and I came here for lunch to devour bowls of pho. There’s no other Vietnamese restaurant in the area, so it’s nice to have something different around this area.

24 train express noodle house

24 Train Express Noodle House is located in the previous locations of Sunset Burgers and Ace Burger Bar.

There’s outdoor seating, but it was a cold day so no one was there.

24 train express noodle house

It’s packed during lunch, but the turnover of the table are quite quick.

GT-menu

Their menus have a different restaurant name on their menus. Perhaps they are part of the Gold Train Express chain of pho restaurants. They have one near UBC.

24 train express noodle house

Spring Rolls ($5.80) comes with 2 pieces. It’s not uniformly shaped like other places, but it was decent and crunchy.

24 train express noodle house

#14 Pho Tai Nam, Gan, Sach (Small – $6.50, Large – $7.50, XL – $8.75) has rare steak, tendon, tripe, brisket and noodle in soup.

24 train express noodle house

#10 Pho Tai, Sach (Small – $6.50, Large – $7.50, XL – $8.75) has Rare steak, tripe and noodles in soup.

The different types of pho was decent. Nothing really special about it but it’s a easy quick lunch. Mandu said the broth was not as flavourful as other places, but was quite light.

24 train express noodle house

The pho comes with lemons, bean sprouts, and basil. We asked for the bean sprouts to be cooked and they were nice enough to do so.

24 train express noodle house

Overall, the food is decent with large portions and the prices are pretty good for this area.

We Rate 24 Train Express Noodle House:

Address:
550 Nelson Street
Vancouver, BC

24 train express noodle house on Urbanspoon

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Earls Lobster Event

The Lobster Event is back at Earls on October 3, 4, and 5th, 2013. It’s a celebration of all things East Coast and apparently the birthday of Alexander Keith (Yes, that beer brand). They fly in 15,000 Nova Scotia lobsters for the 3 day event. It’s been going on for the past 11 years.

For $25, you get  a whole steamed 1½ pound Atlantic lobster served up with prawns, grilled corn cob, fingerling potatoes, a brioche bun and chardonnay butter for dipping.

For an additional $5, you get a huge ice cold pint of Alexander Keith Hop Series Ale.

Earls Lobster Event

The best part about eating lobster is really the bib. Come on, every adult likes to reminisce about their childhood and get messy. Take all your rings off and get messy. Especially if you are certified in hand to claw combat, you can tackle this meal.

Earls Lobster Event

This is my favourite tool! You’ll need it to help you crack those big claws. The chef pre cracks the tail and the claws but there is still some work that needs to be done to get the flesh out. I wish I took more photos of the meal, but my hands were covered in butter and meat.

Earls Lobster Event

Throw all the shells away! This saying is quite true.

Earls Lobster Event

Sometimes you really need a wet nap at the end of the meal or run off to the washroom to wash your hands.

The meal was delicious and the amount was just right. You definitely want to make reservations ahead of time since they have limited quantities at all their locations. Happy cracking.

Address:
1095 Mainland St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.earls.ca/

Earls Kitchen + Bar on Urbanspoon

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LeafyBox

Leafy Box serves up healthy salads and juices in Yaletown. If you’re into the cleansing thing, it’s a good option to go to if you don’t have lunch and you’re in the area.

I came here with KoreanGirl during lunch since we wanted to be a healthy. We had too much fried chicken and beer the past weekend for our own good.

Leafy Box

The inside was quite large and there are distinct areas to go grocery shopping, make a salad at the salad bar, and a hot food section. All the produce looks really fresh.

Leafy Box

The salad bar has its separate fruit and veggie section. For some weird reason, there was even jello as one of the options.

Leafy Box

Of course there is a juice and smoothie bar. With all the fresh produce, the juice is mighty enticing.

Leafy Box

For my lunch, I grabbed a salad and a bottle of their cold pressed raw juice.

Leafy Box

Salad from the salad bar (~$5) I threw in a lot of random ingredients, but you must get avocados because those are mighty yummy.

Leafy Box

Essential Greens Juice ($7) has kale, spinach, celery, apple, parsley, cucumber, lemon and ginger. Lots of good stuff bottled up inside. It’s made from 4 pounds of produce in each bottle. The juice was good, but the only ingredient that threw me off a bit was the cucumber, it’s probably because I don’t like cucumber.

Overall, I do like the concept of the store and I would come again for juice. It is a bit expensive, but if you’re lazy to make your own juice, definitely check this place out.

We Rate Leafy Box

Address:
1155 Pacific Boulevard
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.leafybox.ca/

Leafy Box on Urbanspoon

 

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Cache Bistro

Cache Bistro and Lounge is located in Yaletown and serves French inspired dishes with an asian touch. Chef Alex Mok uses local ingredients and creates beautiful dishes with them.

They have 3 course dinners for $35, also they serve brunch on the weekends.

Cache Bistro

It’s a nice place for the summer as they have a patio outdoors.

Cache Bistro

Bread arrives and you get lobster oil, raspberry butter, truffle butter and satay peanut butter. I loved the different butter you can use. Satay peanut and the truffle butters are really good! I couldn’t stop eating it.

Cache Bistro

Chef’s Charcuterie samples features three cured meats from Oyama Sausage Co., mixed olives, onion jam, crostini, and house pickled vegetables. Its a nice item to order if you want some nibbles and a glass of wine. Great for after work.

Cache Bistro

Lambrusco di Sorbara is paired with the charcuterie.

Cache Bistro

Pan Seared Scallops (appetizer size) has a jumbo scallop, warm quinoa, orange vinaigrette and a baby zucchini. It was yummy! That quinoa is really goos with the scallop. The entree version has more scallops and quinoa.

Cache Bistro

Lang Bravo White Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc ’11 VQA BC is paired with the scallops.

Cache Bistro

Deboned Quail has the Bacon wrapped Fraser Valley quail on top, marinated cranberries wrapped in the quail meat, Kennebec potato and yam pavé, bacon & maple syrup brussel sprouts on the side. It’s quite fatty, so if you don’t want anything too heavy, you might want to avoid this dish. 

Cache Bistro

Clos du Mont-Olivet La Sabonite is paired with the quail.

Cache Bistro

Chocolate mousse tree has the chocolate mousse base with a hidden mango sauce on the bottom, a pastry tree trunk, mint leaves, and a cotton candy bush. The dessert was creative and cute. It would definitely be fun for a kid to eat. They way you would eat this is taking the bush and truck off the mousse and eat that first.  Then, saving the mousse for last.

Overall the food was quite decent. They have some pretty cool items on their menu that I would want to try. I heard their ribs were to die for. Perhaps another visit is required.

We Rate Cache Bistro and Lounge:

Address:
1269 Hamilton St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://cachebistro.com/

Caché Bistro & Lounge on Urbanspoon

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PHAT

PHAT is a sports bar and restaurant that is located in Yaletown and specializes in Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwiches. PHAT stands for Pretty Hot and Tasty. It’s a very strange name for a restaurant, but we were very curious about this restaurant after seeing the ‘sandwich head’ around Yaletown skytrain station.

PHAT

Hot Montreal Smoked Meat on Marble Rye (PHAT Size $9.99) the meat is flown in from Montreal and the sandwich is served with Mustard & Kosher Dill Pickle. The slices of smoked meat were very thin. The sandwich was ok, but it still didn’t exactly compare to the ones in Montreal even though the smoked meat is sourced from there.  I still miss the smoked meat sandwiches from Schwartz.

PHAT

Hot Montreal Smoked Meat on Marble Rye (Skinny Size $7.99). The size between the Skinny and the PHAT size was about the same. Not really sure how much of a different there really was.

PHAT

My friend designed herself a tuna melt sandwich ($8.49). She thought it was ok.

Overall, the food was passable, but it wasn’t anything spectacular. It has a good location, a heated patio and lots of TV screens if you want to watch the game.

We rate PHAT

Address:
1055 Mainland St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.phatdeli.com/

PHAT on Urbanspoon

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Patron Tacos & Cantina

Patron Tacos & Cantina is located on Robson street at Cambie Street. The interior is like a Mexican restaurant with a sports bar. There are tons of TVs everywhere, so no matter which seat you have, you can be in the vicinity of a TV. It seems like it would be great to view games.

My coworkers and I came to have some lunch as we saw their lunch specials looked good.

Patron Tacos & Cantina

They have a pretty cool chandelier too.

Patron Tacos & Cantina

Complimentary Chips and Salsa arrived at the table. The chips were awesome and you could tell they were made in house. The salsa was a bit watery and lacked any spicy taste or heartiness. I like my salsa chunky.

Patron Tacos & Cantina

Tortilla Soup came with the lunch combos. It’s deliciously cheesey with chunks of avocado and crunchy tortilla bits inside. You should probably get this soup if you’re here for lunch!

Patron Tacos & Cantina

Tacos ($12) comes with 2 Tacos of your choice. My coworker chose the battered fish and the carnitas. It also comes with soup or salad. She felt a bit underwhelmed by this dish.

Patron Tacos & Cantina

Tostadas was also part of one of the lunch items. It came with a side of rice and refried beans. I also chose the side of tortilla soup. The tortilla on the bottom of the tostadas was nice and crispy and all the items that layed on top were just delicious. The rice and the refried beans were ok.

Patron Tacos & Cantina

Torta is like a sandwich made with a Mexican bun. It is served with a side of criss-cross fries. This will definitely bring you back to your childhood. On the inside, there is chipotle mayo, refried beans, cheese, tomato, lettuce, jalapeños, avocado, and onion. I’m not sure which torta he chose, but he said he enjoyed it and there was a lot of meat inside.

As we only have a hour lunch, the service here is quite slow and inefficient. A few simple things did take a long time like beer, soup and the bill.

We Rate Patron Tacos & Cantina

Address:
265 Robson St.
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.patrontc.com/

Patron Tacos & Cantina on Urbanspoon

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Nuba Yaletown

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

They sell amazing Lebanese cuisine and fresh juices.

Nuba Yaletown

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

Nuba Yaletown

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

Nuba Yaletown

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

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

We Rate Nuba Yaletown:

 Address:
1206 Seymour St
Vancouver, BC

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

Nuba on Urbanspoon

 

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