WestCoast Archives - Page 4 of 6

In Brunch

Hawksworth: #BrunchClub 2 for 1 Deal

October 27, 2014

Hawksworth has won multiple awards since it first opened in 2011. As one of Vancouver’s Best Restaurants, it can be a bit pricey. Luckily, they offer a special #BrunchClub deal every long weekend on Saturday and Sunday for brunch where if you bring a guest, their brunch entree is comped. So, basically thats like buy 1 get 1 free. If you and your friend split the bill, it’s definitely more affordable.

I do love brunch, so I didn’t pass up this deal up.

Cappuccino ($5) is the same price as juice, which I find kinda funny. Regardless, I do need my coffee in the morning.

Hawksworth Beef Burger ($20) is served with a side of crispy fries and a mayo and ketchup. Inside the burger is applewood smoked bacon, aged cheddar, tomato, an onion ring and lettuce. This is not necessarily a typical brunch item, but it’s pretty good. The burger is juicy and goes well with the crunchy onion ring and smoked bacon.

Steak and Eggs ($24) is quite elegant for brunch. I got the steak medium rare and it was really good! On the plate, there are 2 sunny side eggs, rosti, avocado, and a jalapeno salsa verde. I was surprised by this dish! Good flavours!

Brioche French Toast ($18) was a pistachio mousse, oranges, brown butter sauce and crumble sprinkled on top. There are 3 pieces of the brioche toast. Taking an initial bite of this, it was dry and no matter how much sauce you put on it, it’s couldn’t save this dish. No one at the table liked this dish.

You can read my previous review with more brunch dishes here.

Overall, I would say Hawksworth isn’t very consistent with their dishes for brunch. The cut of ham for their eggs benny can vary a lot. I would just go here when they have the deal on the long weekends.To get the #brunchclub deal, just whisper to the server with the words “brunch club” and they will understand. Just double check their Facebook and Twitter just in case they decide to discontinue the deal.

We Rate Hawksworth:

Address:
801 West Georgia Street Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.hawksworthrestaurant.com/

In Coquitlam

Stake: Flagship Restaurant at Hard Rock Casino in Coquitlam

September 28, 2014

Hard Rock Casino Vancouver has revamped their flagship restaurant – Stake with a new menu created by Executive Chef Matthew Richmond. They are committed to putting local produce in all their dishes where possible.

Even though I live in the subburbs, I’ve actually never come here until now.

Stake doesn’t only serve steak as their name suggests. There’s a good variety of WestCoast dishes that will appeal to your tastebuds. Executive Chef Matthew Richmond’s goal is to bring the flavours of what you would find in Downtown Vancouver, back to Port Coquitlam, where he grew up. He has worked in numerous restaurant from the bottom up and really has a passion for creating delicious dishes as well as being a mentor to the young chefs in the community.

Of course, Chef Matthew has an amazing team that works behind the kitchen that beautifully puts together all the dishes.

There is lots of seating inside and has a lot of cool portraits and things up on their walls.

Their knives are pretty awesome too.

We started off with complimentary bread and butter.

Beet Trio ($9) has a blueberry goat cheese mousse, pea greens, walnut wafer, with a golden beet dressing. The different beets have their own unique tastes, some have an earthier taste and other are more sweet. It’s just incredible tasting these fresh beets. It also goes really well with the blueberry goat cheese mousse.

Stake’s Signature Smoked Crispy Pork Belly ($12) has a green pea puree, butter braised white asparagus, tomato confit, and apple bourbon jus. The pork belly is yummy and has the crispy crackling on top. You can’t say no to pork belly…unless you’re a vegetarian.

Pacific Halibut ($24) has king oyster mushrooms braised in abalone sauce, preserved olive, green beans & eggplant with wilted pea greens. This dish has a very asian flavour profile. The vegetables were very good, but a tad salty if you eat it alone. It’s much better when you eat a bit of everything together.

Pan-seared Truffle Polenta ($16) has a leek fondue, ratatouille, thyme glazed portabella, garlic cream, and micro chard. This polenta was really good. It was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. This is probably the best polenta I’ve had so far in Vancouver.

6oz Seared Beef Tenderloin ($28) comes with Golden Ears Emmental fondant potato, glazed beets, crisp leek, truffle foam, and jus. The tenderloin was a perfect medium rare. Very good, tender and full of flavour.

Chocolate Marquise ($8) has a Irish cream anglaise, chocolate pearls, and a raspberry coulis. The chocolate cake was dense and smooth like a ganache.

Overall, their revamp of the menu works really well for Stake and the quality is definitely there. Executive Chef Matthew Richmond really put his mark on this menu. I’ll definitely be back with my friends or family.

We Rate Stake:

Address:
2080 United Boulevard
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
http://www.hardrockcasinovancouver.com/venue/stake/

In Canadian

Ulla Restaurant: Best Restaurant in Victoria

July 29, 2014

Ulla Restaurant in Victoria has some pretty amazing food. Mags and I came here after visiting the Victoria Chinatown Night Market. The market wasn’t impressive as it was their first week opening, but at the end of the night market, we decided to go to Ulla since it looked like a pretty good place and the menu sounded yummy.

They have won several awards – 2011 enroute Canada’s Best New Restaurants, Van Mags Best of Victoria 2013, and several more.

The interior is beautiful and has a night bright and simple decor.

Plus, the light fixtures are pretty cute.

They have fresh local ingredients, with delicious classic flavours and has great techniques in preparing their food. They have a strong commitment to use local organic products whenever possible and aim to serve only ethically raised proteins.

It’s even on the back of their menus. You can see where their produce comes from on their map.

Each dish is balanced, well thought out and will leave you feeling perfectly satisfied. The menu truly offers something for everyone; from lighter seafood dishes to hearty and flavourful meats to exciting vegetarian dishes. Everything is stunningly presented and offers great value.

Complimentary Bread arrives with some olive oil. The bread was fresh and was quite delicious.

They have a good selection of virgin drinks here along with alcoholic drinks.

Kombucha is a fermented drink of tea. Some people claim there are health benefits by drinking it, but who knows if it does. Kombucha tastes like vinegar basically.

Whipped tuna belly, sriracha, squid ink crisp, charred onion relish ($6) was an interesting dish and we didn’t really know how it would be presented on the dish. These bite size treats were very delicious!!!!

Qualicum scallop mousse sausage, carrots, confit potato, pumpkin seeds, nasturtium ($15) was pretty awesome. The scallops had a texture similar to tofu. The flavours were really great. Magz and I really enjoyed it.

The dish I don’t remember what it was called or what was in it. But it was a pork filled dish with crackling, puffed pork rind and a croquette-like item with pork belly inside.

Island Beef, potato roesti & puree, mushrooms, cipollini, creamed chard, cubeb pepper sauce ($27) was delicious as well! The beef was tender and cooked right till medium rare. So good!

Chocolate Cake, cherry, chocolate soil, aerated chocolate, vanilla ice cream ($9) was a nice end to the meal. It’s best to share this dessert as it is quite rich and sweet.

Overall, all the dishes were pretty good and we were quite happy and glad we dined here for our last dinner in Victoria. I would definitely come here again!

We Rate Ulla Restaurant:

Address:
509 Fisgard St
Victoria BC

Website:
http://ulla.ca/

In Four Beakers

Red Fish, Blue Fish: Amazing Fish and Chips

July 27, 2014

Red Fish, Blue Fish is an outdoor waterfront eatery in an up-cycled cargo container on a wooden pier in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. It’s a unique, fresh, and sustainable approach to a fish ‘n’ chip shop. It’s probably the most popular eatery in Victoria.

Before it opened on a Saturday, there was already about 20 people waiting in line. You definitely want to get here before 11:20am. We got here at 11:10am and we were the 5th people in line.

Once they opened at 11:30am, people were excited!

Once you put in your order, you can wait at the other window for the order to come out. They will call your name if you want to grab a seat first. It does take a bit of time for the order to come out.

San Pellegrino Aranciata was what we ordered to drink to go with our fish & chips and tacones.

1 piece salmon and 1 piece halibut fish and chips has a crispy tempura-batter and its served with tartar sauce, slaw and Kennebec chips. When it arrives, you know you are getting a quality product. All the fish is locally sourced and OceanWise certified.

When I cut through the fish and chips, there is a lot of meat in here. This is hands down my favourite fish and chips! Highly recommended. Halibut was M’s favourite.

Tacones are hand-rolled tacos. It has grilled flour tortilla with slaw, pea shoots, and lemon-pickled onions.

There are 7 flavours of tacones, but I just got 2 or else I would be crazy full.

Grill-Seared Albacore Tuna ($6) has a spicy Spot Prawn mayo with the grilled medium-rare tuna.

Grilled Fanny Bay Oyster ($6) has a Million Island Dressing.

I really loved the grilled fanny bay oysters, lots of great flavour from the oyster and the grill. The Grilled-Seared Tuna was ok, but the cooked parts were a bit dry.

Overall, we really enjoyed our meal, but the only downside is the price. You definitely get quality and their food does taste amazing. I would definitely come back again!

We Rate Red Fish, Blue Fish:

Address:
1006 Wharf St Victoria BC

Website:
http://www.redfish-bluefish.com/

In Downtown

Mosaic: New Summer Menu

May 22, 2014

Mosaic Bar & Grille is located in the Hyatt Vancouver on Burrard and Georgia Street. They specialize in locally sourced produce, sustainable seafood and choice ingredients with careful and creative preparation.

As Summer is coming near, Mosaic has launched their new Summer Menu. Chef Heinrich and Chef Jo worked hard to put the menu together to showcase unique dishes with fresh in-season ingredients.

I was invited by Chef Heinrich to try the menu and I couldn’t help but drag Mandu along with me as she does love trying out new and fascinating dishes.

As usual, the meal starts off with complimentary biscuits that arrive as you wait for your meal. It’s fluffy and comes with butter.

Pemberton Beef Tartar ($16) has pickled fire roasted spring onion, water cress and a sesame tuile surrounding the soft sous vide egg yolk and beef tartar.

I found the mustard to really overpower the tender beef. I could only taste the intense mustard as it was hitting me in the face.

Avocado Terrine ($12) has watermelon radish, fava beans, fiddlehead ferns, and a lemon vinegar oil. It was great to see all the lovely vibrant colours from the fresh vegetables. Beautiful salad, but I felt the avocado terrine was lacking. It needed something salty and acidic to go with the bland taste of the terrine.

BC Gooseneck Barnacles ($14) comes with sherry, cream, green garlic, ramps and served with grilled crostini.

I have never had a gooseneck barnacle, but I am sure I did try this dish. It tasted really good with the broth. If you like seafood, you’ll like this dish.

Papayas ($16) has the white spot shrimp, cucumber, papaya puree, and cilantro lime fluid gel. This dish was beautiful and delicious. The shrimp was pretty darn delicious!

BC Ling Cod ($18) has artichoke confit, stinging nettles, and a lobster sauce. The ling cod was tender and had a nice crispy crust on the outside. The artichoke complimented nicely with the dish.

Squid Ink Casarecce ($20) has manilla clams, two river smoked chorizo, and english peas. Don’t be afraid of the black pasta, it tastes just like regular pasta. The sauce was delicious and so were all the clams.

Peace Country Lamb ($26) has buckwheat groats, fava beans, with a coffee jus. The lamb was medium rare and super tender! You know this is a good slab of lamb.

Baja Ocean Wise Scallops ($22) has grilled foraged ramps, sweet runner corona beans, and a fennel puree.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Pavlova is a meringue based dessert and it was very crispy and hard. I’ve never had pavlova before, but if I had to compare it to something it would be like a hard styrofoam.

Mosaic Chocolate Cake is always a must! The slice is huge and tastes really good.

Overall, some of the dishes are either a hit or a miss. What I liked about the menu is there are some pretty cool items you wouldn’t find easily on other menus around town like gooseneck barnacles.

We Rate Mosaic:

Address:
655 Burrard St
Vancouver, BC

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

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=655+Burrard+St&sll=49.2852009,-123.1200369&sspn=0.0053748,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=655+Burrard+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6C+2R7&z=16″]

In Brunch

Hawksworth: Brunch Time

March 31, 2014

In the past few months, I’ve come here several times for brunch. Usually on long weekends, they have a promotion where if you follow their social media accounts and mention #BrunchClub, your dining companion gets their brunch for free. It’s a pretty sweet deal.

Unfortunately, I always ending up coming here when it’s not a long weekend. Their brunch is pricey compared to some places in town, but it’s definitely worth it. I’ve never had to make reservations as it’s not as busy as some other places in town.

Classic Eggs Benedict ($18) has caramelized ham and hollandaise sauce. On the side, there are potatoes and a tomato.

What captivated me was the delicious ham! It was so flavourful and was a thick slab of meat on the english muffins.

Another time I went here, the ham wasn’t as thick. It didn’t even fill most of the english muffin. Some inconsistencies with the cut, but the flavour is still very good. The friends that I came with on this visit, also liked it but was disappointed by the amount of ham.

Pacific Sablefish Brandade ($19) has poached eggs, tomato, chorizo, watercress, and grilled bread. Really good and the crunch of the chickpeas complimented the dish.

Smoked Chicken Hash ($19) has sunny side eggs, wild mushroom, and peppercorn sauce. Really good! I was surprised by the mix of flavours.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes ($17) has pear, walnut, caramelized honey yogurt, and maple syrup. Also a very good dish! The yogurt and pear really goes so well with the dish.

Overall, the experience was great. The food is definitely pricey, but it is fair if you look at some of the higher end brunches in town. The service is very friendly and attentive.

We Rate Hawksworth:

Address:
801 West Georgia Street Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.hawksworthrestaurant.com/

In Brunch

Market by Jean Georges: Breakfast with Eggs Benny

March 12, 2014

The Market by Jean Georges is open for breakfast daily from 6:30am to 11:00am. The girls and I decided to give it a try as we are eager to eat all the egg bennys in town.

We made reservations for breakfast on a Saturday and it was surprisingly quite empty. Only a few tables were occupied. Even by 11:30am, we did see a few people either. I came here a few years ago for their brunch prix fixe and it was pretty damn good.

The interior is quite nice and really sets the mood for a beautiful brunch.

Freshly squeezed orange juice ($6) it comes in a tall glass and was perfect for the early morning meal. They also have grapefruit, carrot, apple, tomato, and pineapple juice as other options.

Before our dishes arrived, we received some complimentary fruit in a bowl for each person. It was definitely a nice touch. The fruits were fresh and there was a nice variety of fruits.

Black Forest Ham Classic Eggs Benny ($18) comes in 3 flavours – black forest ham, smoked salmon, and Spinach & Mushroom. We thought the eggs benny here was just OK. Nothing really special or anything. We did find that the hard egg was a turn off. We weren’t given the option to have it soft and runny like other places.

Mushroom and Spinach Classic Eggs Benny ($18) had the same issue. Everything revolving around the egg was fine…but that hard egg ruined the experience.

Smoked Salmon Classic Eggs Benny ($18) had a good amount of salmon but yet again, the same issue with the egg.

You have a variety of jams and tiny tabasco sauce if you want to flavour your dish. TaiwaneseGirl really liked her spice, so she used a few bottles of tabasco.

Brown Butter Waffles ($18) has macerated berries, mint, maple syrup and powdered sugar. It was alright, but it is quite expensive for a single waffle.

The eggs benny price is the same as Hawksworth and I would rather go to Hawksworth for eggs benny. We weren’t impressed for breakfast. If you do come here for breaskfast to order the benny, make sure to request a soft egg. Our server neglected as ask us how we liked our eggs and it kinda ruined our experience.

We Rate Market by Jean Georges:

Address:
1115 Alberni St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.marketbyjgvancouver.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1115+Alberni+St&sll=49.285407,-123.1238676&sspn=0.0053747,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1115+Alberni+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6E+4T9&z=16 “]

In Downtown

Mosaic Grille & Bar: Taiwanese Tasting Menu

February 10, 2014

Chef Thomas Heinrich is back at it again with more Chef Tasting Menus. This time, he focuses around Taiwanese cuisine after his recent adventures in Taiwan for Taste Taiwan Culinary Contest.

His menu isn’t trying to imitate Taiwanese cuisine, but take the flavour characteristics and put a West Coast twist to his dishes. I was a bit nervous and curious in trying the menu because I had no idea what to expect.

From January 17th till February 13th, you can indulge in the 4 course Taiwanese Tasting Menu for $45.

Fish ball with scallion and pork dust
Hakka tea crusted line caught ling cod
5 spiced braised pork belly
Pineapple cake

For an extra $20, you can have the wine pairing that go with each course.

The wines included are:

Gray Monk Riesling
Cedar Creek Chardonnay
Rosemount Estate Shiraz
Hester Creek Pinot Blank

When I think about Taiwanese cuisine and alcohol, the first thing that comes to my mind is beer. Taiwanese beer is pretty damn awesome. Having wine is a nice twist and definitely sets the mood especially with their amazing view of Burrard street. Makes it more romantic.

Complimentary bread arrived at the table and there were rolls and multigrain bread.

Fish Ball Soup with Scallion and pork dust was quite a surprise. The broth is made of ground pork and ginger. Very aromatic and full of flavour. Pretty good broth.

The fish balls were made of ling cod and scallop. Once you taste these, it will blow your mind. Normal fish balls from the grocery store don’t compare to these fish balls. The texture was light and fluffy and absorbed the broth well.

Hakka tea crusted line caught ling cod is beautifully presented. This dish also has ginger, green onion, lemon vinegar fluid gel and the peanut mochi balls. The cod was cooked perfectly and the tea was not overpowering. It added a nice subtle flavour to the fish.

My favourite part of the dish was actually the peanut mochi balls. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

5 Spiced Braised Pork Belly was the ultimate test of mastering the Taiwanese flavour. It has licorice root, garlic, nutmeg, cinnamon, fennel seed and baby leeks. The pork belly was a very large portion! Once you slice some and put it in your mouth, it just melts in your mouth. The pork belly they used a good cut! The marbled layers are just beautiful.

Pineapple Cake has a kiwi sauce, black sesame ice cream and a starfruit chip.

Once you cut into the pineapple cake, the beautiful filling inside is revealed. My favourite part of this dish was the sesame ice cream, oh man, thats good stuff.

Overall, I was very impressed by the tasting menu. The way he fuses the use of fresh and local ingredients with the Taiwanese flavour profile really was a winner. M and I left really full and happy.

We Rate Mosaic:

Address:
655 Burrard St
Vancouver, BC

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

In Dineout

Dine Out Vancouver: Oru at Fairmont Pacific Rim

February 8, 2014

The last Dine Out I did this year was at Oru at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Downtown Vancouver. They were offering a $38 3-course meal. It seemed reasonable and their menu had lobster. When I was looking for a place for my family, I had my eye on a place with great ambiance and West Coast food. Oru seemed perfect and the menu sounded yummy.

I would not normally come here unless it was a special occasion as it is quite pricey on a regular night.

The interior was beautiful and if you get seated in a nice spot, you might even get a good view of the Convention Centre or the Olympic Cauldron.

We were seated near the kitchen, so we could watch their every move.

I would stare and see when our dishes would be coming. They put a lot of effort into those dishes and its fun to see them be prepared and plated.

Complimentary bread arrives at the table with butter. We had olive bread and I think whole wheat. Both were very light and airy, so it was enjoyable.

While we waited for our food, we saw that the drink menus were on an iPad. Pretty cool because you can see what drinks they have and what they look like.

Strawberry Rhubarb Soda (right) has elderflower, strawberry purée, yuzu, and rhubarb bitters. My little sister loved it. It was bubbly and refreshing. This drink was the best out of all of them.

Raspberry Iced Tea (left) hasvearl grey tea, homemade raspberry syrup, and lemon juice.

Shirley Temple (centre) is made with ginger ale and grenadine syrup.

All mocktails were $8.50. Quite pricey and more expensive than beer.

Oru Winter Salad has kale, roasted squash, lime, pumpkin seeds with a chipotle caesar dressing. It tasted great and not overpowered by the dressing. A filling item for the first course.

Pork Belly dish has lotus root poi, baby bok choy, crispy sage, pineapple-maple and mustard glaze. The pork belly was crispy on the outside which made it extra enjoyable. It’s a small appetizer, but bacon lovers will enjoy this dish.

Roasted Sunchoke “Mocha” has a sunchoke veloute, truffled milk foam and a morel cocoa powder. It was a good portion side and filled my sister up. The texture was very smooth and great for the cold weather.

Cape Breton Lobster has a paprika lime butter sauce with a bed of warm brussel sprouts and chorizo salad. This dish was amazing! Every last bite of this dish was enjoyed. The brussel sprouts were highly addictive and everyone at the table just had to have a bite. The lobster wasn’t very large, but it was cooked perfectly and the flavour of the sauce really enhanced it.

Angus Reserve Short Rib is topped with a mole sauce and has a bed of guajilo spiced mashed potato, black bean, corn, and zucchini succotash. The meat is tender and fell apart nicely.

Malted Peanut Butter and Beer Nut Bar consists of chocolate ganache, peanut butter mousse, salted caramel peanuts, and a malted milk ice cream. The bar was very rich and sweet. We couldn’t finish the whole thing.

Local cheeses is what my little sister ordered. It has natural Pastures aged farmhouse cheddar, black pepper verdelait, Golden Ears Cheeseworks brie. You also get crisps and quince mostarda on the plate. It’s great for cheese lovers and a nice way to taste unique cheeses.

Strawberry Shortcake ‘Millefeuille’ has strawberry compote, sweet puff pastry, diplomat cream and lemon curd. Good contrast of flavours that blend together nicely.

When you leave, take a stop by the Lobby Lounge if there is a live Orchestra. The music is really amazing!

The dineout was well worth $38 per person for the 3 courses. My family enjoyed the food, ambiance and service. In the future, definitely check out the menu to see whats on it. If you spot a protein that you will enjoy, you won’t be disappointed. We were eyeing the lobster and it was so worth it.

We Rate Oru:

Address:
1038 Canada Pl
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.orucuisine.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1038+Canada+Pl&sll=49.2884512,-123.1167542&sspn=0.0053744,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1038+Canada+Pl,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6C&z=16″]

In Canadian

Tap and Barrel Coal Harbour: Burger and Beer

January 30, 2014

Tap and Barrel has a new location in Coal Harbour. After an event, Foodobyte, Eating with Kirby, Gastrofork, FoodQueen and I headed over to grab some dinner. It was close by and there is always room food some beer and burgers.

They have lots of local craft beer on tap and comfort food.

It was a very busy night for them, so we got seated in their cafe rather than their main dining room. It’s not connected to the restaurant, so all the food is made in their other area and brought over. You even have to go outside to their main area to find the washroom.

Beer Sampler you can choose from any 3 beers from the menu. I asked the waitress for 3 of the lightest beers of the menu because I don’t trust myself in picking my own beer unless its asian beer.

PB&J Burger ($15) is their signature burger with chipotle peanut butter and bacon jam. It is topped with a deep fried pickle and side of fries.

Chicken Clubhouse ($15) has blackened breast of chicken, pulled pork belly, and fresh avocado. It has the fried pickle on top with the fries on the side.

Tap Greens with added albacore tuna ($9 + $6) is topped with hazelnuts, dried blueberries, crumbled goat cheese, and red wine maple vinaigrette. It was an ok salad. I added the tuna since I needed some more protein in the dish. It’s a good alternative to burgers on the menu.

The Original Cobb ($17) has blackened Fraser Valley chicken breast, bacon, fresh sliced avocado, tomato, egg, blue claire cheese, creamy draught craft beer dressing.

The food was decent and the price was fair for this area. It is still pricey but at least you have a great view of the Olympic Cauldron and the Burrard inlet. The downside is that when we were dining here, the service took a very long time. Even getting beer took a while. We were all hungry and antsy to eat, but it’s not quick here.

We Rate Tap and Barrel:

Address:
1055 Canada Place
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.tapandbarrel.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1055+Canada+Pl,+Vancouver,+BC&sll=49.290199,-123.1172135&sspn=0.0053742,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1055+Canada+Pl,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&z=16″]

In Canadian

Dine Out Vancouver: Bistro 101

January 26, 2014

My second dine out of the year was at Bistro 101 at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. I tried making reservations last year, but I lucked out as the reservations fill up very quickly! I woke up and put in my reservation on Open Table before going to work on the day they started accepting reservations . It’s one of the best $18 3 course menu option and you won’t be disappointed.

Their 3 course meals are usually $24, which is still a great deal. At $18 for Dine Out Vancouver, its pretty good.

Bistro 101 was created to provide a real-world training experience for the school’s professional Culinary and Baking & Pastry Arts students. I think it’s a great idea to give student a well-rounded experience with dealing with the back of the house and front of the house.

From inside the dining room, you can see them hard at work. It’s really cool to see all the work that goes into your meal.

Complimentary bread arrives at the table. It’s unlimited, so you can always ask for more. I find that they give you a lot initially, so you don’t really need a refill unless you really load up on the bread early. There’s a lot of varieties.

Peroni beer ($6) comes from Italy and is a popular beer there. I liked its light and sweet flavour profile.

An amuse bouche arrived before the appetizers. A nice little treat to start off the meal. I think it was cheese, bell peppers, pesto on little crispy bread.

White Onion Velouté topped with crisp cauliflower and lime yoghurt. It is a soup and M said it was really good. The crispy vegetables on the side added great texture.

Winter Squash Tortellini comes with 3 pieces in a smoked tomato broth. A different concept of a pasta dish.

Dungeness Crab Salad has shaved fennel & lemon foam. The lemon foam compliments the creamy crab.

Organic Ocean Wise Roasted Halibut sits on top of spinach risotto and lemongrass emulsion. The halibut was cooked perfectly. It was moist and really full of flavour.

Lamb Navarin has grilled polenta, braised Shallots and dates. There is also grilled peppers and asparagus.

Fraser Pork is like a pork sampler. It has roast loin, crisp belly, shoulder sausage and chive pomme puree. M really liked it and was music to his palate. Men love their meat.

Cheesecake Mousse has a raspberry sauce and pineapple sorbet. Cheesecake was simple and not overly complicated. Good as well.

Hazelnut Tart has blood orange, chocolate and sorbet on the plate. This was my favourite because I am very fond of hazelnuts.

Overall, I was very impressed by their menu and their affordable price. There is a trade off and the students are still learning how to serve, so the service may be less smooth than what you would normally receive. It was a fun experience for us and we will definitely be back. I love the concept of Bistro 101 and they did a great job when we dined here.

We Rate Bistro 101:

Address:
1505 W 2nd Ave
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.bistro101.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1505+W+2nd+Ave,+Vancouver,+BC+V6J+1H2&sll=49.2697268,-123.1384388&sspn=0.0053764,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1505+W+2nd+Ave,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6J+1H2&z=16 “]

In Downtown

Tableau Bar Bistro: French Inspired Cuisine

December 18, 2013

Tableau Bar Bistro has been on my to-eat list for a long time. This year, the girls and I decided to have our Christmas dinner here. It was close to TaiwaneseGirl’s place and the menu looked great. They serve up French-inspired cuisine to pair with our beautiful West Coast seafood and ingredients.

We made reservations online just in case the place was packed for the holiday season. Sure enough, all the tables were filled up.

The bistro is quite cute and even our waiter had a French accent. For tables are a bit cramped together and seating is tight. For our party of 7, it was a bit hard to wriggle around.

Complimentary Bread and butter arrives at the table. We didn’t get enough for everyone at the table, so we asked our server for more bread.

Steak Tartare ($14) is topped with a quail egg and has a side of pomme gaufrette. Wow, this appetizer was full of flavour and just awesome. Highly recommended. This makes me want to never be a vegetarian.

Mushrooms on Toast ($12) has creamy mushrooms on top of brioche. Another amazing appetizer! The crispiness of the brioche bread paired with the mushrooms.

Roasted Duck Breast ($25) has orrechiette pasta & duck confit ragout on top.

Moules Frites ($20) was ok. The Tomato creamy sauce with tomatoes and onions was a tad salty but it didn’t have a good depth of flavour to it. The fries were not very crispy and was more soft that I would have liked it.

I would still prefer going to Chambar for mussels and fries.

Braised short ribs ($22) is their Saturday special and it comes with seasonal vegetables. It was really good. The meat was tender, flavourful and definitely enjoyable.

Scallops ($22) has leek and herb risotto. It was good but a bit small in size. It seemed like more of an appetizer portion.

Steelhead trout ($18) comes with a bed of quinoa & almond and a lemon brown butter sauce. The skin is very crispy and the quinoa was a nice touch.

Overall, the appetizers we chose blew our minds! The prices are fair for the type of food and its located Downtown. It’s a cute place and has pretty good seafood.

We Rate Tableau Bistro Bar:

Address:
1181 Melville St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://tableaubarbistro.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1181+Melville+St+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=1181+Melville+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6E&z=11 “]

In Downtown

Mosaic: Fall Menu and Vaneats Package

November 10, 2013

I’m no stranger to Mosaic, I think I’ve been here more times than I have fingers. What I like most about Mosaic is that their menu is always changing from season to season to adapt to the produce in season. Mosaic is hidden away in the Hyatt Hotel near Burrard Station.

Chef Thomas Heinrich and his team put together new menus every season and also have special Chef Tasting Menu’s once in a while.

They currently have a Vaneats.ca package called Mosaic Harvest for $27, which offers diners 3 courses. It’s a nice sneak peek into their fall menu without breaking the bank.

Choice of appetizer:
- Fall Salad
- A la Minute Smoked Skuna Bay Salmon
- Apple Lane Orchards Apples Bisque
Your choice of entree:
- Seared Baja Ocean Wise Scallops
- Sous Vide Lamb
- Grilled Curried Cauliflower Steak
Your choice of dessert:
- Pumpkin and Nutmeg Creme Brulee
- Mosaic Chocolate Cake

It’s a pretty good deal since you do save a lot of money by getting the package. Like the average person, I know you like a good deal.

They also have a create your own dish option. Great if you have something in particular you want to eat.

Complimentary biscuits are cute and has a delicious smokey flavour.

Fall Salad ($10) has baby carrots, beets, tokyo turnips, fennel, pumpkin, and a tangerine dressing. The salad was pretty good and you can really taste how fresh the ingredients. It’s like an ode to fall.

Ala Minute Smoked Skuna Bay Salmon ($13) has kale nori, microgreens and a wasabi cauliflower puree. When it arrives at the table, this dish is enveloped in yummy smoke. The piece of salmon was a tad tough and hard to cut through. The kale nori was pretty good an addictive.

Roasted Chestnut Bisque ($9) has roasted chestnut, spiced brandy cream, and apple lane farm apples. The dish is a bit rich, but you have the taste of tart apples to balance it out.

Seared Baja Ocean Wise Scallops ($20) a sweet potato puree, figs, and prosciutto. It has 4 pieces of plump scallops. I’ve never had fresh figs before and it worked well with the prosciutto and sweet potato.

Sous Vide Peace Country Lamb ($24) comes with broccoli rabe, butternut squash, and spiced walnuts. The lamb was incredibly moist and easy to cut through. Very good!

Grilled Curried Cauliflower Steak ($17) is an all gluten-free dish. It has baby carrots, dates, and toasted pine nuts. There is definitely no steak in this dish, but you get a large cross-section of cauliflower enrobed in the curry sauce. I found the curry sauce to be a tad on the salty side, but I loved those baby carrots.

Pumpkin and Nutmeg Creme Brulee was like eating a pumpkin pie. It is beautifully spiced and its a big portion for dessert. You can definitely share this.

Mosaic Chocolate Cake is their signature triple layer cake. It’s been around for a very long time.

You definitely have a great selection from the Vaneats Package. It’s available till February 28, 2014, so grab it before it’s all sold out.

Below are additional items off their regular menu.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($12) has sloping hill farms heritage pork belly and a scotched 64° egg. Man, I gotta tell you, this dish blew my mind. It’s so crispy and addictive. Sinfully delicious and highly recommended.

Earth Apple Farms Roasted Beets ($13) has toasted pumpernickel, pine nuts, salt spring island garlic goat cheese. In the past year, I’ve grown to really like beets. This dish was particularly unique. The dark purple thing on the dish was like an iced beet foam. It’s very unexpected from this dish to have an icy component.

Butter Poached Alaskan Crab ($14) has Hui’s farm mushrooms and leeks with an aromatic butter sauce. The flesh is nice and sweet

Long Line Caught BC Ling Cod ($18) has a butter poached lobster pomme puree and baby beets. The puree was very smooth and matched well with the delicate flesh of the cod. If you like fish, this might be a dish for you.

Hand Cut Pasta ($15) has sake steamed mussels, tomatoes and a miso beurre blanc sauce. Man, this dish was good! The mussels were very plump and juicy. The pasta was cooked al dente and the sauce was so good. Highly Recommended!

Skuna Bay Craft Raised Salmon ($19) has a vialone nano truffle risotto on the bottom. This would have been an easy favourite dish, but I felt it was way too overly salted.

Pemberton Meadows beef tenderloin ($22) has onion jam, roasted celery root, and a shallot jus.

Pear and White Salted Chocolate Mousse comes with some salted chocolates sticks and a mini pear. Its one of the lighter desserts and it wasn’t too bad.

What I find with some of their dishes that it can be a bit salty. When you pick the right dishes that fits well with your palate, you’ll definitely enjoy your time here. For myself, I enjoyed the pasta, the brussel sprouts, the beets, scallops, and lamb.

We Rate Mosaic:

Address:
655 Burrard St
Vancouver, BC

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

In Canadian

MoMA Contemporary Bistro: New Restaurant in Richmond

October 13, 2013

My mom scouted out a restaurant before my radar was on it. Where does my mother get this information? Apparently the Chinese radio station.

We decided to dine at MoMa Contemporary Bistro with the family. It’s on Cambie road close to Garden City Road. When I first heard the name of this restaurant, I immediately thought about the Moma in New York. It’s really just a combination of the Chef’s names – Chef Henry Mok and Chef Xin Mao.

The interior is very clean and modern compared to all the other restaurants in Richmond.

It has a bit of a hipster-feel with the mason jar candles.

Complimentary Bread arrives at the table with a curried chickpea dip.

Steamed Clams ($14) comes in a sake-miso broth with wakame. The clams were plump and juicy, plus the broth was pretty delicious. We used the bread and dipped it in the remaining sauce.

Prawn Fritter ($13) is enrobed in a sake butter with togorashi aioli sauce. The seaweed bits on top made it extra yummy.

Albacore Tuna Flatbread ($14) has nori, radish, and a house-made scallion flatbread. This dish was ok, but I felt the first 2 appetizer dishes were better.

10oz Grilled Angus Rib Eye ($33) has potato fondant, chimichurri sauce, and a black pepper jelly. My sister loved the tender medium rare of the rib eye, but felt the black pepper sauce to be a bit overpowering and salty.

Crispy Pork Belly ($22) has a base of the taro root puree, mostarda, soy beans and a natural jus. This dish was a bit heavy, but the pork belly just melts in your mouth.

24 hours braised lamb pappardelle ($21) has peas, ricotta cheese, and shredded mint.

Rainbow Trout

Maple and Mascapone Cheesecake ($8) has a kumquat coulis and compressed fruit. SO good! Highly recommended!

Overall, it’s nice to see a contemporary bistro in Richmond. It’s unique in the area and offer some tasty eats. Some of the dishes need a bit of tweaking, but overall a pretty good place to go to if you’re tired of all the restaurants in Richmond.

We Rate MoMa Contemporary Bistro:

Address:
8580 Cambie Rd
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.momabistro.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=8580+Cambie+Rd+Richmond,+BC&t=m&hnear=8580+Cambie+Rd,+Richmond,+British+Columbia+V6X+4J8&z=16″]

In Canadian

Crave on Main: Goodbye My Favourite Burger

September 29, 2013

Crave on Main is coming to a close today – September 29th, 2013 after 7.5 years in operation. When M and I found out, we were quite sad because we were convinced they had the best burger in town.

We came here 2 years ago and fell in love with this restaurant. With all the great items on the menu, we always end up getting the same burger. Something about it was so magical.

Organic Beef Crave Burger with back bacon, truffle mayo and blue cheese ($12 + $1 +$1 +$1 = $15)

It comes with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, an organic beef patty on the soft focaccia bread. The additional toppings of the blue cheese, truffle mayo and back bacon.

Everyone at the table ordered this and it was just like music in our mouths. The patty was very moist and flavourful, the blue cheese just oozed everywhere and the back bacon was so good. We haven’t been able to find anything else in town that compares.

Mushroom soup (+$1.50) was needed as an upgrade since we didn’t want fries. I have a weird addiction to mushrooms, so I just had to have it.

Overall, after all these years, they have kept up the consistency of their food. I hope the owners decide to open another restaurant, but no word on it yet. I’ll be crossing my fingers to see this burger be back someday.

Instead of a restaurant, it will be replaced by housing. Boo.

We Rate Crave on Main:

Address:
3941 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.craveonmain.com

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=3941+Main+St+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=3941+Main+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5V+3P5&z=16″]

In Downtown

Ten Ten Tapas: West Coast Tapas

August 27, 2013

Ten Ten Tapas is a new restaurant in Downtown on Beach Avenue right below the Burrard street bridge. They specialize in West Coast Tapas made by Executive Chef Nourdine Majdoubi.

If you are sitting on the patio, you can view false creek, the Granville Street bridge, Granville Island, and lots of boats.

They also have indoor seating, which looks much nicer than the furniture on the patio. But, with the nice Summer and heat, we opted to sit on the patio to enjoy the nice weather while it lasts.

While having a variety of tapas, alcohol is needed to really relax after work. For Cruzpresso, he enjoys relaxing with a nice glass of white wine.

M and Scarface settled for Hoegaarden as it is light and has a nice citrus aftertaste.

I am a fanatic for Japanese beer, so I got Sapporo. It’s light and crispy, which goes will with some tapas. With all our drink set, it’s time to dig in.

As I was invited by the restaurant to dine here, portion-sizes may not be exactly the same as depicted in the images.

Duo of Hummus and Guacamole served with baked pita bread. The hummus was amazing with the right amount of garlic. As for the guacamole, we really wanted to like it, but it fell a bit flat. It was hard to figure out what it was but perhaps it was some salt or more acidity.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls is packed with onions, cabbage, tofu, bean sprouts and mushrooms and served with a sweet chilli and plum sauce. It was good and very enjoyable as little bites to go with drinks.

Wasabi Sui Mai was a very interesting item on the menu and I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Who would be daring enough to make that pairing. As we are all adventurers, we were not afraid to chow down on these little bombs of pain.

We popped it into our mouths, chewed a bit, and BAM…the sensation of wasabi travels up your nose and makes your eyes water a bit. These are definitely something to order if you want to make your friends squirm.

Pan Seared Crab Cakes is served with a harissa mayo and a pineapple tomato salsa. There is also balsamic reduction on the bottom. I found the crab inside to be nice and sweet but the coating of the crab cake was a bit thick.

Stuffed Organic Beef Meatballs is stuffed with emmental cheese, fennel, cinnamon onion chutney and red pepper coulis. It had a nice soft texture and the pepper coulis wasn’t hot either.

Pipita Shrimp are pan-seared with a pumpkin seed crust, citrus vinaigrette and a balsamic reduction. The shrimp was cooked till it had a nice firm texture.

Pipita Scallops are pan-seared with a pumpkin seed crust, citrus vinaigrette and a balsamic reduction. Same treatment as the shrimp. The scallops were cooked to the right texture. But, I started noticing this trend where most dishes did have that balsamic reduction sauce, which leaves a dark color to the food.

Poached Saffron Salmon is made with wild west coast salmon, grilled fennel and a saffron sauce. The saffron taste was very subtle. It took us a while to pick up on that taste until the manager told us. The salmon was cook nicely and it was still yummy and moist on the inside.

Stuffed Portabellini Mushroom is stuffed with spinach, jalapeno, red onions, blue cheese and finished with a basil vinaigrette. I felt like there was a lot of conflicting flavoures on the mushroom that it drowned out the taste. You can really taste the dominate flavour of the blue cheese.

Duck Breast is pan-seared with bok choy, jicama, and the sweet balsamic vinaigrette. The duck was delicious and tender. Quite enjoyable.

Broccolini Almondine is sauteed almonds and broccolini. It was really good.

Grilled Fluffy Polenta was delicious as well.

Chocolate Mousse Cake is topped with gooseberry, strawberries and has a blueberry sauce on the side.

Overall, the restaurant is a great place to chill in the Summer over some drinks and bites. Certain dishes were lacking and definitely needed to showcase more of west coast’s delicate seafood.

We Rate Ten Ten Tapas:

Address:
1010 Beach Ave
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.tententapas.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1010+Beach+Ave,+Vancouver,+BC+V6E+1T7&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=1010+Beach+Ave,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6E+1T7&z=16″]

In Downtown

Gallery Cafe at the Vancouver Art Gallery

August 16, 2013

One of my favorite areas to eat Downtown is in the Art Gallery area during the summer. There is so much going on in the area with food carts, art installations, and shopping nearby.

My coworkers – HH, Button, and Magz decided to have lunch at the Art Gallery Café. I see it all the time but I have never dined here. They have a large outdoor patio with classical music playing.

You go indoors to order your meal. Kinda like a cafeteria style.

They have lots of drinks, even alcoholic ones.

All the item are in the display case to order. Everything is premade and reheated up, so it won’t be as fresh as you think.

Spinach, mushroom and brie Quiche ($8.25) comes with a house salad. It was pretty good and a nice size for someone who isn’t too hungry.

Rare Ahi Tuna ($10.25) on crunchy raw slaw with hemp hearts & sesame seeds, and oriental dressing. It’s pretty basic and isn’t anything amazing.

Chicken, broccoli & smoked applewood cheddar Quiche ($8.25) comes with a house salad as well. Decent quiche as well.

Another dish which I don’t remember what it was, but here’s a picture.

Overall, the food is pretty average, but its just nice to sit outdoors in the summer on the patio with the music playing. Depending where you are sitting, you can have a nice view of Howe and Robson street.

We Rate Gallery Cafe:

Address:
750 Hornby St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.thegallerycafe.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=750+Hornby+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V6Z+2H7&sll=49.891235,-97.15369000000001&sspn=45.72347923378347,88.1395350118194&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=750+Hornby+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6Z+2H7&z=16″]

In Chinese

Mosaic: Chinese Tasting Menu

August 15, 2013

Mosaic always has a special Chef Tasting Menu by Chef Thomas Heinrich with a specific theme. This time it was a Chinese inspired menu. I thought it was pretty interesting for him to pull off a Chinese menu. I had to put my taste buds to the test and see how it would be possible.

The restaurant is located in the Hyatt Vancouver (2nd floor) on Burrard and Georgia Street. They specialize in locally sourced produce, sustainable seafood and choice ingredients with careful and creative preparation.

Related Links:

Looking at the menu, it’s not all Chinese, it’s a mix of different asian cuisines. From Shanghai to Taiwanese.

Birds Nest Soup was on the menu. As some of you know, birds nest isn’t cheap. He gives you a nice portioned sampler and it’s sweet, light and has a dash of coconut milk.

Chinese Salad was one of my favourite dishes of the night. Even though there is no salad types of dishes in Chinese Cuisine, he made it happen with some classic Chinese ingredients. There were snow fungus, chestnuts, bamboo shoots, Sichuan peppers, crispy lotus root chips with a nice vinaigrette.

The vinaigrette really pulls everything together.

Matsutake mushrooms or Pine Mushrooms just arrived in the kitchen, so the Chef had to give us a taste. It’s a mushroom that is highly sought after in asia. The mushroom is quite meaty and absorbs the flavours that its cooked in.

I love mushrooms!

Xiao Long Bao came on a great presentation with 3 spot prawn and pork dumplings in the bamboo basket. Unfortunately, the skin was thick and fell apart easily. It’s not an easy item to master, but next time you have dumplings around town, its a labour of love.

Maopo Doufu has spiced Szechuan pork sauce and topped with fried noodles. I’ve had Mapo Tofu a bunch of times in restaurants but this was my absolutely my favourite. Usually the tofu is cut up in little squares but I liked it as a big piece. Really yummy stuff.

House-made Brom Lake Peking Duck is made with a gluten-free pancake with flattened crispy duck skin on top and a brush of Hoisin sauce. The duck tasted delicious but I wasn’t a fan of the soft and fluffy pancake.

Mango Tapioca Gelee basically exploded on to the mirrored plate with coconut bits, lychee, crisp mung beans and mango coulis. It was a unique twist on the usual mango pudding found during dim sum. You can mix some of the ingredients together to enjoy the variety of textures.

Overall, really cool concept and I loved his twist on traditional asian cuisine. His next chefs menu is Italian with 5 courses from August 15th till September 5th. It’s a menu you don’t want to miss. The prices are very fair around $40 and $60 for wine pairings. Highly recommended!

Words of Wisdom:

Follow @CheftHeinrich on twitter, You can be up to date on new menus that he launches at Mosaic
Steps away from Burrard Skytrain
Free Mosaic Chocolate Cake on your birthday
Beef Carpaccio is a must!
Great service

We Rate Mosaic:

Address:
655 Burrard St
Vancouver, BC

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