Yaletown Archives - Page 4 of 5

In Four Beakers

DD Mau: ‘Give Me Mau’ Dining Package Review

November 11, 2012

DD Mau is a modern Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich shop. It’s located close to the Yaletown Skytrain. They sell drinks, salads, vermicelli bowls, and sandwiches.

Vaneats is offering a dining package right now that gives you a full sandwich and a drink for $9.50. The items included are:

1/2 Grilled Lemongrass Chicken sandwich
1/2 Crispy Roasted Pork sandwich
1 Smoothie (Choice of avocado or honeydew)

If you are planning to come check out DD Mau for lunch anyways, might as well grab one of the passes and save a few bucks!

You get to choose between 2 smoothies. I bought one more addition to the package so I could try both.

Avocado Smoothie is my all time favorite drink here. You can’t go wrong with this! It’s made of almond milk and avocados. Seriously, you need to get this smoothie!

Honey Dew Smoothie does not have the same consistency as the avocado smoothie. It was very icy and hard to slurp up from the straw. The flavours were definitely there, but way too icy.

Grilled Lemongrass Chicken has grilled chicken thigh, pickled veggies, cilantro, sweet-chili aioli and jalapenos.

Crispy Roasted Pork has crispy roasted pork, sauteed scallions, pickled veggie, cilantro, garlic aioli and jalapenos. I am in love with this half of the sandwich! It has crispy pork skin and the juicy tender meat! It’s like a Vietnamese Meat & Bread.

Overall, KoreanGirl and I enjoyed the items that we were part of this package. One whole sandwich was too large for us to handle, so we each ate one flavour.

Words of Wisdom:

Limited Seating
All of the sandwiches are good, you can’t go wrong

We Rate DD Mau:

Address:
1239 Pacific Blvd
Vancouver, BC

Website:
ddmau.ca

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1239+Pacific+Blvd+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1239+Pacific+Blvd,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V6Z+2V2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cafe

DD Mau: Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwiches in Yaletown

October 28, 2012

DD Mau is a modern Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich shop. It’s located close to the Yaletown Skytrain. They sell drinks, salads, vermicelli bowls, and sandwiches.

Avocado Smoothie ($4.50) is made with fresh avocados and almond milk. It’s my all time favorite smoothie! The texture is great and the taste of avocado goes so well with the almond milk.

Thai Tea Latte is a new item they just introduced. I’ve never had anything like it, but it had an array of different spices and flavours. It was refreshing and delicious.

DD Mau Iced Coffee ($3.50) has espresso, sweet condensed milk, and Ice. M said it was the best iced coffee he has had so far. The owner said there is a secret ingredient inside! She wouldn’t tell us, but it was yummy!

Braised Sate Short Rib with Caramelized Onions and Watercress ($12) . This was their special feature when we were there. It’s more expensive than their regular Banh Mi Sandwiches, but M really enjoyed the flavours inside.

The sandwich is cut in half, so its easier to eat. The short ribs were very tender and went well with the pickled vegetables . M liked how the bread was a bit softer than most of the other Vietnamese sandwich places, so it doesn’t hurt the top of your mouth.

Crispy Roasted Pork ($8.80) has loads of duck and the addictive crackling! Kind like Meat & Bread, but with a Vietnamese twist.

Overall, M and I enjoyed the items that we had there. Some items can be expensive like their special sandwiches, but their regular sandwiches are still yummy.

Words of Wisdom:

Limited Seating
All of the sandwiches are good, you can’t go wrong

We Rate DD Mau:

Address:
1239 Pacific Blvd
Vancouver, BC

Website:
ddmau.ca

In Izakaya

Minami: Yummy Aburi Beef in Yaletown

October 22, 2012

When I came back from vacation, I headed out to Minami with @Lensflaaare and @Floyvr to see what all the hype was about Minami. Minami is the sister restaurant of Miku. They are popular for their aburi sushi.

It’s located really close to the Yaletown Skytrain on the Canada Line.

Unlike Miku, the atmosphere here was more dark and intimate.

Jasmine tea comes in tea pots. It tastes good and goes really well with their food.

Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi is pressed rice with local salmon, jalapeño, and miku sauce. This is their most popular item from both Miku and Minami. It’s so good!

Slow Roasted Beets & Watercress Salad has yuzu creme fraiche, fig, candied sesame cashew, fig chutney, and a yuzu chardonnay vinaigrette.

Kaisen Soba Pepperoncino has shrimp, squid, scallop, sweet pepper, shiitake, and jalapeno. This dish was ok, not too spicy, but I felt it was a weird combination of seafood and spice.

Aburi Carpaccio has a organic 64 degree egg, asian pear, market greens, lotus root chips, and jalapeno-garlic ponzu. It was fun popping the egg and letting it go all over the raw meat. I enjoyed the nice clean flavours.

Overall, the food was good, but our server was always in a rush and not very attentive. If I had a choice of going to either Miku or Minami, I would go back to Miku. I didn’t enjoy the ambiance or the service as much.

We Rate Minami:

Address:
1118 Mainland St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.minamirestaurant.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1118+Mainland+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1118+Mainland+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Sandwich

Sunset Burger: Closes and Becomes Ace Burger Bar

September 14, 2012

Earlier in the month, I decided to use up my Groupon at Sunset Burgers on Nelson St. before it expires. The Groupon was $10 for $20 worth of food. It was set to expire at the end of the month…so good thing I used it since it closed and has become Ace Burger Bar.

If you haven’t used up your Groupon yet, I would suggest getting in contact with Groupon to get your money back.

As for Ace Burger Bar, it has completely new ownership but does serve similar items. I haven’t been there yet, so I am not sure if Ace Burger Bar is good or not.

Below are some pictures of what I had at Sunset Burgers before it closed.

Canned Limonata

Poutine

Cheese Burger

Bacon Cheeseburger

In Japanese

Kibo Restaurant and Lounge: New Restaurant in Yaletown

August 13, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: We were approached by the owner of Kibo Restaurant & Lounge to preview a few dishes. Although the meal was complimentary, the views and opinions expressed are entirely our own.

On July 26th, Foodology.ca was invited out to Yaletown along with Raymond, Sherman, Rick, Kevin, Janice, Romina and Grace to have dinner at Kibo Restaurant and Lounge. As a new addition to the Yaletown area, we were eager to see how Kibo intended to approach Japanese fusion cuisine and at what level of quality.

To start the meal off, we were served negitoro on thinly toasted pieces of bread. The fatty tuna with chopped green onion was fresh and went well with the toasted bread. A nice start to the meal.

The first main dish of the evening was the Kibo Sashimi Platter. Served on a bed of crushed ice with distinct sauces for each fish type, I found the cuts of sashimi quite fresh and inherently flavorful. As a bit of a sashimi purist however, I would have liked to see the actual sauces served separately but overall a pretty good offering.

The next two dishes that came together were the Kibo Salad and Beef Carpaccio. The salad was very fresh and quite sweet with a generous allotment of mango. Salad lovers will love the fresh greens which are complimented well by fresh cuts of tuna, salmon and creamy avocado. I felt the sauce was applied a little too liberally but wasn’t that bad in small portions.

The beef carpaccio was served with a cheese based, wasabi dressing that received mixed feelings from me. I enjoyed the subtle hit of the wasabi with each bite but the cheese component kind of threw me. The beef itself was sliced nicely and tasted wonderful but the sauce may have been better if it had been kept slightly more simple.

The chikuwa cheese dish looked amazing but ended up just tasting alright. The fish cake was quite tender but the actual batter was not as crispy as I would have liked. Again, the addition of cheese to this dish was slightly puzzling to me as it did not really strengthen the overall dish.

One of the most visually stunning dishes of the evening had to be the plate of Assorted Nigiri Sushi. Unfortunately, due to the large group I was in, I only got to taste 1/2 of one piece of nigiri so I cannot competently review this dish in its entirety. The 1/2 piece of tuna sushi I tried was nice but I will have to return to Kibo in the future to properly review this entire dish.

The next two hot kitchen items that followed the sushi plate were both very good. To be quite honest, you can rarely go wrong with short ribs and bacon wrapped ebi. The ribs were tender and very tasty and same for the shrimp skewers. The bacon itself was not that crispy but quite fatty which really infused the ebi with that smoky, bacon flavor. Overall, two very good kitchen items to order along with sushi.

To follow the above two meat dishes came 4 or 5 different specialty sushi rolls. These were intentionally ordered to showcase Kibo’s creativity with the traditional sushi format. First up was the Hamilton Roll which is basically a standard dynamite roll with slices of sashimi on top. I really like dynamite rolls and prawn tempura/sashimi in general so this roll was an easy favorite for me.

The next roll was the Volcano Roll which was probably the most visually/texturally unique roll of the evening. The fairly traditional roll was deep-fried and then sliced which cased the entire outer surface in a crispy, tempura type shell. The actual layer was not as crispy as I thought it would be but still a very interesting take on a sushi roll.

The third roll we tried was the Caterpillar Roll which again was basically a dynamite roll but with avocado and unagi on top. This roll definitely felt very luxurious with the creamy avocado and super tender unagi. I actually really liked this roll regardless of its bizarre name.

The fourth roll we tried was the Philadelphia Roll. As you may have guessed, this roll is named as such because it has cream cheese inside. For the sushi purists out there, this is definitely one of the more progressive fusion rolls out there. Similar to the salmon cream cheese roll at Kamei Royale, you will either love or hate this roll. I thought it was ok but generally I am not a fan of cheese in sushi.

The fifth and final roll of the night was the aptly named Mango Roll. Essentially a dynamite roll with mango, this roll was pleasantly sweet but the mango unfortunately made the rice a little bit soggy. An interesting roll but one I would not order again. Many of Kibo’s specialty rolls seem to simply be standard rolls with something on top which was a little disappointing to me. For a professed Japanese Fusion restaurant, I would have liked to see significantly more innovation in the menu.

At this point in the meal, there was a small lull in service so I actually thought the dinner was over. Amazingly enough, not only was the meal not over but there were 4 more dishes to be had! I was quite full at this point in the evening so this may have impacted my desire to eat further. That said, I really enjoyed the Grilled Sablefish and Kibo Beef dishes. The Sablefish was very tender and flaky and prepared very simply on a bed of vegetables. The beef was very moist and flavorful, infused with a great sauce. Unfortunately I found the Australian Rack of Lamb to be dry and generally unappetizing. We were all a little baffled why this was being served at Kibo as it didn’t seem very good or Asian in any way.

The last dish of the evening turned out to be one of the best dishes of the evening! Served in a traditional Japanese tea pot, the Kibo Seafood Dobin was a beautiful pure, clean broth infused with a variety of fish, mussels, clams etc. Somebody remarked that the broth would make for an amazing hot pot and I have to agree. Although I was only able to sample a small cup, the broth was simply amazing and refreshing. A fantastic end to a very long and generously endowed meal.

To wrap up with a few final thoughts, I was quite tough on Kibo in the above review but I genuinely did enjoy the experience. As the establishment is so new, I felt obligated to be brutally honest so that they can continue to refine their menu and get better as they find their identity in the Yaletown area. So close to the much heralded Aburi giant Minami, Kibo definitely has their work cut out for them even though their prices are markedly more affordable. I enjoyed many of the dishes I tried and can definitely see potential and room to improve in many others.

Words of Wisdom:

For hot dishes, you can not go wrong with the short ribs and bacon wrapped ebi
A large assortment of sushi rolls but many are hit and miss
Seafood dobin is amazing and a must try!

We Rate Kibo Restaurant & Lounge:

Address:
1261 Hamilton St.
Vancouver, BC, Canada
V6B 5P6

Website:
http://kibolounge.com/

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In Sandwich

Between Two Buns: Poutine and Sandwiches

May 8, 2012

Between Two Buns is another sandwich shop that has opened up in Yaletown. All their sandwiches have very provocative names. Just think very pervertedly and you’ll know what I mean. The interior of the restaurant is very open, but doesn’t have too many seats, but it’s good if you do takeout.

LazySusan, KevKev, LiLi and I went before a school event to check out the place and grab some lunch. It was around noon and most of the tables were taken up.

All their items are around the $10 range. Their menu is small but you should be able to find something that suits your taste buds.

Poutine Special ($9) has cajun fries topped with seared tuna, avocado sauce, whole runny egg, and green onions.

This is a pretty awesome poutine since it’s quite hearty and it adds a bit of kick due to the sauces and hot spices. It’s not too hot, but is bearable.

Half Maniac Sandwich with side of fries and gravy ($9 +$1)

The Maniac sandwich has double smoked bacon, baby arugula, spicy marinara, asiago cheese, roasted garlic parmesan aoli, and an oven roasted tomato. I thought the sandwich tasted ok, but I felt like flavours could have stood out a bit more.

The fries and gravy were ok as well. The gravy is made from scratch so it is not very salty, but it didn’t have very much flavour to it.

This is the maniac sandwich in it’s full size.

Overall, the sandwiches are ok, but definitely not the best. As there are more and more sandwich shops opening up in Downtown, there is definitely some competition. I am sure they will perfect their menu and try new flavour combinations.

Words of Wisdom:

Delicious Poutine Specials
Around $10 for lunch
Close to Yaletown Skytrain on the Canada Line

We Rate Between Two Buns:

Address:
1271 Homer St
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.betweentwobuns.ca/

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In Four Beakers

Alpha Sushi & Japanese Tapas: A Good Alternative

May 5, 2012

Alpha Sushi and Japanese Tapas is located in Yaletown and is quite popular even on weekday nights. It was empty at 5pm, but by 6pm it started to get quite packed. As you can gather by their name….they do have Japanese tapas and sushi.

CandiedZen and I decided to meet up after my last day of work to just catch up over food and drinks. My last visit was probably 5 years ago and I remember it being a delicious place.

South Pole ($5.75) has tequila, cassis, pineapple, and lychee.

Pint of Sapporo ($5) is something I must get when I have Japanese food. I find it the perfect pairing. It’s light and not too strong.

Tako Wasa ($4) is seasoned baby octopus with japanese horseradish. It is served with shrimp chips on the side. You would scoop the octopus onto the cracker and eat it. The shrimp cracker gives it a nice crunchy texture to go with the octopus. CandiedZen liked it with the shrimp cracker but I thought it was a bit strange since it’s usually paired with seaweed.

Mini Potato Croquette ($6) is a deep-fried potato with bits of beef. It has a side of fruity vegetable sauce. I liked the small size and its simple taste.

Tuna Garlic Pepper Sashimi ($9.50) is one of their popular items that they sell. It has black pepper and garlic flavoured seared fresh albacore tuna with ponzu sauce. It was good, but I felt there was a bit too much going on with the plate and drowns out the natural taste of the sashimi. If you love garlic, you’ll love this dish.

Dill Salmon Carpaccio ($8.75) has sliced dill salmon with capers, dressing and a side salad. There really wasn’t much dill to it except for the sprinkles of dry dill. It’s best enjoyed by taking a bit of everything and eating it.

Grilled Hokke-Mackerel ($8.75) is grilled salted hokke mackerel with ponzu sauce. They already remove the bones so it’s quite easy to eat. I enjoyed it with the ponzu sauce since the acidity from the sauce blended well.

Ebi Mayo Japon ($6.50) are deep-fried nobashi prawns in breaded panko crumb batter with tartar sauce. It was delicious!

Overall, it’s a great alternative to the other izakaya restaurants in town. Some items can be a hit or miss, but a majority of the items are pretty good. They have lots of specials and special drinks. To help make ordering a bit easier, they have a list of the most ordered items of the previous week. The service was quite attentive and the servers were helpful.

Words of Wisdom:

Most dishes under $10
Large variety in food and drink menu
Gets busy at peak hours even on weekdays
Ebi Mayo is highly recommended

We Rate Alpha Sushi & Japanese Tapas:

Address:
1099 Richards St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.plusalfa.com/

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In Two Beakers

Subeez Cafe: Brunch Time

April 19, 2012

Subeez Cafe is located in Yaletown and they serve up brunch on the weekends. CanuckGirl and I went a few years ago and loved their brunch, so we decided to go back to have some more.

They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner too. They are best known for a light night place to chill and drink.

The interior is quite large and can hold up to 225 people! Its really great for really really large groups. When we went, it seemed like they were understaffed as the service was quite horrible. It took us a while to get water and it also took us a while to place our orders.

Eggs Benny ($12) has soft poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, back bacon, english muffin, hash browns, west coast greens. They have changed their hash browns since the ones on the plate are more like fries.

Croque Madame ($14) has grilled brioche, gruyere and shinkenspeck and baked with mornay, topped with a fried egg, tomato jam and crispy onions. It is also served with west coast greens and hash browns. The hash browns were way too salty!

They definitely have a different version of Croque Madame at Subeez. The small sandwich and eggs were basically swimming in the cheese sauce. I would not order this again. It felt like cheese fondue rather than a sandwich.

Overall, we were both disappointed by the food and service compared to our last visit.

Words of Wisdom:

Items can be hit and miss
Horrible service
Can’t go wrong with any of the eggs benny’s

We rate Subeez:

Address:
891 Homer St
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.subeez.com/

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In Seafood

Rodney’s Oyster House: Low Tide Oyster Specials

April 14, 2012

Rodney’s Oyster House is always a hit with locals for delicious seafood. Monday to Saturday from 3pm to 6pm, they have their low tide specials, which is equivalent to happy hour. They have oysters specials at $1.50 per piece and some other seafood items as well. Such as their mussels, clams, prawns, etc.

I had an extra hour of parking, so FoodPunk, KoreanGirl and Mandu headed to Rodneys to catch their low tide menu. It is always busy around the low tide specials, so it’s good to make reservations or go early.

The restaurant has 2 levels, so if you are at the top, you can watch everyone below. The best experience is at the bar where you can watch the oysters shuckers at work, it’s fun to watch, plus sometimes they give you some free oysters to sample.

Unfortunately, this time we were seated upstairs, so the experience was a lot different that being on the first floor.

Bread (complementary) is quite huge. If you do order the garlic prawns or mussels, save this bread to dip into the sauce.

Fanny Bay Oysters ($1.50) were the special for that day. The other oysters like kushi oysters aren’t part of the low tide price, so you do need to pay more for the other oysters. The oysters varied in size, some were quite large, some were a bit smaller. The shuckers shucking ability is really good since there was no sand or shell debris in the oyster!

The oysters some with a bunch of sauce that vary from sour to spicy. My personal favorite sauce to use is the Shallot Vinaigrette and tabasco sauce.

Overall, Rodney’s is great for seafood during their low tide special. Service is a bit slow, but if you have the patience, you will be alright.

Words of Wisdom:

Meter Parking on Street
Low Tide Oysters between 3pm and 6pm
Pan fried oysters + mussels are popular
Always check your bill because waiters may make mistakes
Go early and sit at the counter

We rate Rodney’s Oyster House:

Visit their website: http://www.rodneysoysterhouse.com/

Address:

1228 Hamilton St
Vancouver, BC

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In Four Beakers

The Flying Pig: Brussel Sprouts are AMAZING

January 28, 2012

Following a long day at a conference, a bunch of us decided to have a super early dinner at the Flying Pig in Yaletown. We heard about their long lines and delicious food, so we decided to give it a try.

Since it was still quite early, we opted to order almost all their sides and have a few drinks.

You would think their menu has a lot of pork items, but they don’t! They have a wide variety of appetizers, entrees and sides. They offer a simple menu inspired by fresh local seasonal ingredients.

The dining room is quite nice and it has an open kitchen in the back to see the chefs hard at work!

The menu.

Granville Island Lager ($5) has a clear golden brown color and it tasted light and smooth.

Complementary Bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Lobster and Prawn Risotto ($9) has a bit of thyme and mascarpone as well. Most of us at the table ordered this! I really enjoyed it because there was a good amount of lobster and prawns. The thyme and mascarpone didn’t shine through but the risotto was still nice and rich with a creamy texture. Its a good size for sharing or even just all to yourself!

Whole Roasted Mushrooms ($5) is topped off with parmesan and fresh herbs. Since I am a mushroom lover, I really liked this dish. Probably best for mushroom lovers. When you bite into them, all the flavourful juices flow out. Yum!

Bone Marrow Cheezy Bread ($5) was quite mediocre. We couldn’t see any bone marrow, nor could we taste it. Maybe it was masked by all the cheese?

Short rib Jumbo Macaroni ($9) has cabernet cream sauce. It was very delicious and was kinda like a meal on its own too. Nothing says yum like short rib meat and cream sauce!

Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($5) has a touch of lemon, parmesan and capers. The brussel sprout haters at the table loved it! It was hard to keep your hand off of them because they are that good!

Overall, we loved the sides and wide variety of choices. We weren’t trying to be cheap by ordering the sides, but the descriptions just really caught all our eyes. I got a feeling that the waitress did not like us ordering just sides and you could tell by the small gestures such as telling us to hurry up with the bill since there was already a line forming for dinner. Just for the food, I would return again since they do have pretty delicious innovative dishes.

Words of Wisdom:

Amazing sides! Must have Brussel sprouts!
Sides are best to share
Long lineups later in the evening
Closest Skytrain: Yaletown

We Rate The Flying Pig:

Address:
1168 Hamilton Street
Vancouver, BC V6B
Website:
http://www.theflyingpigvan.com/

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In Bar and Grill

Hurricane Grill: Hurricane Fiesta Dining Package

December 11, 2011

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Hurricane Fiesta” dining package and write a review about it. I got a complementary dining package and brought 3 friends to keep the review as unbiased as I could. This review does not guarantee 100% similar service you might normally get from this restaurant.

Hurricane Grill is located near False Creek Marina. It’s a popular place to watch the game while munching on their delicious creations.

This month, VANEATS.ca is offering a Hurricane Fiesta Dining Package where you can choose 2 of their signature salads and their Bruschetta. To try out this package, I brought 3 of friends to see how this package adds up. The package is meant for 2 people, but there seemed to be a lot to eat.

There are a lot of comfortable seats and lots of TVs to watch the game. They also have a large selection of alcohol too.

Hurricane lager ($4.99) tasted very light and did not have much taste to it. If you do like light beers, I would say it might be the beer for you.

Bruschetta ($10.99), classic made with tomatoes, parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, basil, balsamic reduction, mozzarella and goat cheese

Their bruschetta blew us all away! This is not the usual hard crunchy bruschetta you would find. It was toasted on the outside and was soft on the inside with the delicious savory ingredients on top. It’s a must have!

The Grill Salad ($16.99), six oz N.Y. steak on grilled vegetables, spring mix and tossed together with a balsamic reduction

You have a choice of how you would like your steak done and we chose medium-rare. It was cooked perfectly. What I liked about this salad is that it’s not your typical salad with leafy greens, it has large chunks of other vegetables. The balsamic vinegar added a nice acidity to the dish, which I enjoyed.

Fiesta Salad ($14.99), romaine lettuce, corn, black beans, avocado, blackened chicken, salsa, nacho cheese, sour cream and a cilantro mint dressing

This salad may look simple, but hands down, this is the best salad ever! The blackened chicken and avocado adds a punch into this dish. The chicken has a lot of flavour!! One bite of the chicken and everyone at the table instantly loved this.

The Classic Nachos ($14.99 + $2.99 for Guacamole) were taller than a pint of beer. We were really scared this would topple over, but they have mastered the art of nacho making! There is a good amount of cheese and toppings that everything holds nice and firmly. It’s not included in the Hurricane Fiesta Package, but highly recommended to try it out sometime.

Even though the food was great, the service confused us a lot. It took them a long time to figure out what ‘Hurricane Fiesta’ was. As they were confused, it made us more confused. They didn’t explain how the package was going to work, so my friends were very confused…until I had to fill them in on what we were ordering. After this little mishap, all was understood and the service improved.

Overall, the prices are reasonable for what you get and I was impressed with the overall quality.

The Hurricane Fiesta package is available starting December 15th for $25 from VANEATS.ca and you get your choice of 2 salads and the bruschetta. You save about $18 and get some killer food.

Words of Wisdom:

Nachos!! Most popular item!
Lots of seats and great for sports games
Closest Skytrain: Yaletown Skytrain
Fiesta Salad is good!

We Rate Hurricane Grill:
Address:
1137 Marinaside Cres
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.hurricanegrill.ca/
Twitter:
@hurricanegrill

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In Japanese

Ramen Jinya: A Bowl of Comfort From the Rain

November 20, 2011

Ramen Jinya is a chain ramen joint from Los Angeles. It was pretty packed during lunch and it’s not a surprise since people want to escape the mucky weather outside to enjoy a nice big bowl of ramen. With the amount of ramen shops downtown, I really wanted to see how this shop compared.

This location only has ramen and a few sides – Gyoza and Karrage. All items are under $10.

Their website is very misleading, so don’t come in expecting the full menu from their website.

Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen ($8.95) comes with their pork broth and pork chashu, spinach, bamboo, and onions.

Vegetable Soup Ramen ($8.95) is all vegetables! When they bring the bowl to you, it looks like a salad, but it isnt! Underneath is a veggie broth and noodles. You should stir it around before eating.

Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen ($8.95) comes with their spicy pork broth, but it was not overwhelmingly spicy. Just a little tingle to the tongue. It also has pork chashu, spinach, Bbamboo, spicy bean sprout, and green onion. Their broth is flavourful, but I think the bowl of ramen could be larger for the price you pay.

The best part of eating ramen are is their large spoons!

Overall, I think this place is alright to eat at if you are in the area. I still prefer Sanpatchi since they have a larger menu and has more noodles.

Words of Wisdom:

Nice broth taste
Expensive for amount you get
Limited menu options
Closest Skytrain: Stadium

We Rate Ramen Jinya:

Address:
270 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6B

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In Japanese

Yamato Sushi: 24 pieces of sushi for $5.95 is a steal!

November 7, 2011

Back to Yamato Sushi on Davies since it’s cheap and you get your moneys worth. $5.95 for a combo is definitely worth it! CanuckGirl and I love going here after yoga since it’s close and open late.

I had the Sushi Special E ($5.95), which has Kappa Maki, tuna maki, salmon maki, and avocado maki with salad and miso soup.

The salad was good as usual. Lettuce with the citrus sauce like most places. If you do take out, it won’t be included in the meal.

Miso soup accompanies the combos as well. There is nothing special about it since it’s similar to most other Japanese Restaurants.

This combo comes with 24 pieces of sushi, which isn’t bad at all. The maki rolls were well made and had good variety. You will get full from this.

Overall, the prices are great and the food is decent. You get what you pay for, so don’t expect this to be the best sushi you have ever had.

Words of Wisdom:

$5.95 sushi special combos are worth the price!
Decent food, nothing super amazing
Not authentic Japanese Food
Best to get sushi rolls

We Rate Yamato Sushi:
Address:
616 Davie St
Vancouver

In Japanese

Yamato Sushi: $5.95 Sushi Special Combos

September 24, 2011

After a night of 2 back to back yoga sessions, CanuckGirl and I went to Yamato Sushi for some cheap eats. They are known for their cheap affordable sushi combos and bento boxes.

They have very limited seating, so take-out is quite popular. You could easily just take out and eat at a nearby park as well. The seats are in 2’s and 4’s so it’s not meant for large groups.

Just looking at their menu, there is nothing over $8, unless it’s a party tray. Great for students and people on a tight budget!

The other items that are ala carte are still cheap!

Tuna and Salmon Combo ($7.45) comes with tuna maki roll, salmon maki roll, 2 salmon nigiri and 2 tuna nigiri. You also get miso soup on the side. The sashimi was fresh and it satisfied my cravings of raw fish.

It’s not the best put together rolls as you can see the non uniformity of the maki rolls.

The miso soup that comes with all combos is pretty average, nothing spectacular. Nothing to complain about either.

Sushi Special A ($5.95) has tuna maki, california roll, yam tempura roll, salad and miso soup. This is an even better deal than the salmon and tuna combo. You get way more food and for much cheaper!

All the rolls are well made really good for the price. CanuckGirl likes this place because it’s cheap and you can’t beat their prices.

The salad that comes with this combo is your usual salad with the citrus sauce on top. If you do take out, you won’t get the salad.

Overall, the prices are great and the food is decent. You get what you pay for, so don’t expect this to be the best sushi you have ever had.

Words of Wisdom:

$5.95 sushi special combos are worth the price!
Decent food, nothing super amazing
Not authentic Japanese Food
Best to get sushi rolls

We Rate Yamato Sushi:
Address:
616 Davie St
Vancouver

In Bar and Grill

The New Oxford Public House: Shots, Shots, Shots and Of Course Food

August 18, 2011

I went to ConsultingGirl’s going away party and she had it at The New Oxford Public House, it is owned and operated by the Donnelly Group. They are located in Yaletown and has very vintage looking decor. They even have a shuffle board in the back room to play. It’s easy to make reservations for your large party.

I think in all celebratory occasions, you must order a drink, so I got a bottle of Stella Artois ($6.47). They didn’t have any Japanese beer, so Stella is my go to beer.

Prosciutto Brie Sandwich ($12) has prosciutto, brie, arugula, tomatoes, basil aioli and balsamic vinegar on toasted panini bread. It also comes with a pickle on top. It is a very simple sandwich and it’s one of the more healthier items on their menu. The outside of the sandwich is nicely toasted and the filling was simple and delicious. The sandwich isn’t very large, so you may get hungry if you plan on staying a bit longer.

Instead of getting the regular fries, I ordered the Truffle Fries for an additional $1.50. They were really good and had a subtle mushroom taste. Definitely recommended for the upgrade.

Overall the food was alright, but a bit expensive. The service was very slow and it took a while to get our order and bill.

Since the night was still young, I needed to get ConsultingGirl slammed, so I ordered her a JagerBomb ($7.59) and a Prairie Fire ($8.04), which has tobacco and vodka. Prairie Fire is pretty nasty. If you want to disgust your friends, I would recommend the Cement Mixer (Baileys + lime juice) and the Dirty Panty (Baileys Irish Cream, Sambuca, Tabasco Sauce, Tequila).

You have any nasty drink choices?

Words of Wisdom:

Good for drinks and hanging out
Expensive food
Truffle Fries
Closest Skytrain: Yaletown
Reservations are probably wise on busy nights

We Rate The New Oxford Public House:

Address:

1144 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC V6B

Website:
donnellygroup.ca/oxford/

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/newoxfordpub

Twitter:

@DonnellyPubs

In Three Beakers

Glowbal Grill Steaks and Satay: Steak Tartare is so good!

June 5, 2011

ConsultingGirl, Fabo, CanuckGirl and I took a trip to Glowbal for the Telus Taste of Tuesday. I don’t normally go to such high priced restaurants because as a student…well…I don’t have that much money to splurge. Plus, who could resist getting a free dessert and appetizer with a purchase of an entrée. There are always tons of great deals for the higher priced restaurants, so you just got to look out for them.

I got off of class and didn’t get the chance to change before coming here, so I was in t-shirt, jeans and a huge backpack. I felt so embarrassing going here, but the waitresses were really nice and didn’t look at me too funny.

The menus that they have are HUGE! So huge that you could play hide and seek at the dinner table.

After we ordered, some rosemary bread arrived. The bread was very soft and had hints of the rosemary herb.

The next thing that arrived at the table was the amuse-bouche, which featured their wild mushroom soup. This was so flavorful and had a very distinct mushroom flavour. It was really really good!!!

ConsultingGirl started with the Caprese (13.95). It has 2 types of vine ripened tomatoes, mozzarella and greens. She thought the dish was all right, but she did not like the mush texture of the tomatoes. She refers more of the firm tomatoes.

CanuckGirl and Fabo both ordered the Waygu carpaccio (18.95). Waygu beef has a large amount of marbling … its basically like kobe beef. The dish has 8 thin slices of the waygu beef with truffled aioli and frisee salad on top. They really liked the flavour of the beef with the greens on top.

I ordered the Steak Tartare ($18.50). This has grounded 5oz prime beef tenderloin mixed with a bunch of aromatic ingredients with a yolk on top. It is served with focaccia chips on the side. What I loved about the presentation is how there was dry ice under the dish, so when the dish arrives, it has a cool smoking presentation. I really loved the flavours of it and I would order this again and again!! Even though price is a bit steep, its pretty damn tasty.

Fabo had the Mushroom Risotto entree ($18.95). The dish has wild mushrooms, and an intense amount of truffle oil in the dish. It also has shaved parmagiano-reggiano on top. The smell is so fragrant and strong.

Consultinggirl ordered the Spaghetti & kobe meatballs (25.95). The dish has truffle cream, tomato garlic confit, tete de moine (Swiss Chese), and 4 huge kobe beef meat balls. She did not take a liking to the dish. She found it was quite mediocre for the price and it was not spectacularly intriguing.

CanuckGirl and I both ordered the Lamb shank (24.95). The roasted lamb shank sits on top of mushroom risotto, beans and pinot noir jus. The lamb shank was very nice and tender. The same mushroom risotto was underneath and it did also have a very strong mushroom taste and smell due to the truffle oil.

The Crème Brulee Trio ($8.95) has 3 different flavours- hazelnut, white chocolate and vanilla. I was not particularly impressed by the crème brulee. Once you break into the hard sugary surface, it was a tad on the watery side. I was really not a fan.

The Frosted beignets and apple fritters ($8.95) comes with 3 apple fritters in a steel martini cup. This reminded ConsultingGirl of the mini donuts at PNE. You also have 3 frosted beignets. There is some vanilla custard and strawberries on the side as well for the beignets and apple fritters. This desserts is pretty sugary.

This is the Warm Brazilian chocolate cake ($8.95). This is similar to a lava cake with espresso gelato and fresh berries on top. If you are a chocolate lover, this is the dessert for you.

Overall, the food was pretty good, but if there wasn’t the special, this dinner price would have been pretty steep. One thing we also didn’t expect was that the water would cost $3 per person. We probably should have just asked for tap water.

Words of Wisdom:

Steak Tartare, lamb shank and Brazilian chocolate cake were pretty good
A bit pricey, so best to come here on special occasions
Some items can be a hit or a miss

We Rate Glowbal:

Address:

1079 Mainland St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.glowbalgrill.com

In Three Beakers

Hamilton Street Grill: Dinner in Yaletown

May 8, 2011

I have recently began volunteering for the 48^th Annual National Chefs Conference and we had a little get together meeting at Hamilton Street Grill with the Social Media Team and the Chair; we talked about so many amazing things such as the dynamics of a restaurant business, amazing local chefs, and of course our plans for the social media push. Don’t worry; I am not pushing the viewers of Foodology to get tickets to the event. Nor am I looking to get into the restaurant business, its just a fun pass time.

I just decided to volunteer because I wanted to appreciate where my food comes from and to see food as an art and rather just…you know… food.

The chef made this on the house for all of us. This is the Radicchio, brie and Strawberries. This was very simple, but surprisingly, the flavors went well together. This brought together bitter, salty and sweet together and it was good!

LondonGuy had the Lamb Shank ($26). The lamb shank is braised with Red wine , caramelized onions, and sits on a bed of herb mashed potatoes and vegetables. The lamb was very very tender, falling off the bone!

A few other had the Grilled Wild Sockeye Salmon ($24). It has whipped goat cheese, peperone sausage and vegetable risotto, and a balsamic reduction. They all seemed to have enjoyed the dish.

I had the Vancouver Island Scallops ($26) It has pan-seared scallops, vegetable risotto with a lemon butter sauce. Very good dish, but small portion. I didn’t get too full from this. The scallops were well prepared, but I prefer my scallops to be more seared and charred on the outside.

HrGirl ordered the Pork Belly with a side of greens (~$20). The pork belly sits on a bed of vegetables. Small portion as you can tell

Overall, we had a great time and it was a good place to have a meeting. We probably spent 3 hours just chatting away. It was a Monday night so it was not too busy inside.

The food way pretty good, but it is quite expensive for small portions. I didn’t feel the food was very mind blowing or super unique. I probably wouldn’t come here unless it was for a special occasion.

As I was washing my hands in the washroom (Yes, washing hands are good), I saw this! Telus is having a promotion with a few restaurants in Downtown for Taste of Tuesday where the appetizer and dessert is free with purchase on an entrée. It only applies on all Tuesday in the month of May. 3 courses for about $20 – $25 are not bad. I treat it as another version of Dineout Vancouver but a bit cheaper.

Words of Wisdom:

Expensive with small portions
Lamb shank very good!
Pay Parking on street

We Rate Hamilton Street Grill:

Address:

1009 Hamilton St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.hamiltonstreetgrill.com

In Four Beakers

Rodney’s Oysters House (Visit #2)

January 5, 2011

MedicalGiraffe just LOVES Rodney’s Oyster House and just needed to go there before going back to Yale. As per our first visit, we had a blast, so here we are again.

It was a busy day during the holidays, so going for the Low Tide Oysters meant a bit of waiting. By 3:30pm, the place was packed!

We got our bread, but we did notice something interesting this time. I think they ran out of bread, so one of the workers went out to grab some more bread from the grocery store.

We ordered the Pan Fried Oysters ($10), which are freshly shucked oysters, breaded and fried. They also some with tartar sauce and lemons for taste. Delicious as always and the oysters are a good size.

We next had the Garlic Prawns (about $10). They are sauteed in lemon, butter, garlic and chilli peppers. The sauce was really good, we even ate all the sauce with our bread. One thing I wish they had were bigger and plumped pieces of shrimp.

We ordered 6 low tide oysters ($1.50 each). It was a very busy day, so it took us a long long time to get our oysters. It took probably 40 minutes to get these…and we devoured them in about 3 mins.

Overall, the food experience was great. The service was quite poor this time around. Our food took way too long to come, and our server added a few extra things that we did not order onto our bill. Good thing MedicalGiraffe looks at the bill because I would usually not notice.

Words of Wisdom: