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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 Dineout

Dine Out Vancouver: Chicha

January 24, 2014

Chicha is a fun and casual restaurant serving up Peruvian inspired cuisine. They opened up in May 2013 and located on Broadway near Main.

My coworkers have said amazing things about this eatery and I was very excited to come here for Dine Out Vancouver, Their menu is $28 and you get to choose, 1 entree, 2 mains, and a desserts. I love the tapa style dishes and great for sharing. It gives you an opportunity to try more dishes.

Their menu had lots of options and to be honest, I was very overwhelmed because I didn’t know what to order. Plus, a lot of the names of the dishes sounded very unfamiliar. These are times I wish I had one of those menus with pictures.

Chicha Morada ($3.50) is a traditional Peruvian beverage made of purple corn, spices, pineapple, and citrus. It’s a non-alcoholic drink and its very delicious. It comes with a cute paper straw and beautifully decorated with lime and pineapple.

Fresh Local Seafood Chowder has aji amarillo chili pepper, red nugget, sweet potatoes, corn and cilantro oil. Magz and FierceFeathers both got this as their appetizer and adored the unique combination of flavours.

Palitas de Yuca has cassava root and a huancaina sauce. The yuca was very crunchy and quite different from your usual fries. It’s a good dish but it really doesn’t compare to the seafood chowder.

Rocoto Braised Lamb and Wine Cured Chorizo Fettuccini has black olives, tomato and parmesan cheese, and cilantro oil.

Pollo anticuchos has aji chili marinated chicken breast skewers with brown butter fingerling potato, choclo corn, and trio of aji chili sauces. The chicken was moist and have great flavours that balanced out the aji trio sauces.

Yarrow Meadows Duck Spring Rolls has wild mushroom, five spice duck confit spring rolls served with a peashoot and pickled daikon salad and ginger and Japanese plum wine sauce. There’s a good amount of duck in the spring roll.

Lomo Saltado has flat iron steak, kennebec fries, red onion, peppers, tomato wok fried with soy sauce, garlic, and aji amarillo chili. Image it as like a Peruvian poutine. I actually imagined this dish quite differently. It tasted like an asian stir-fry with fries. We didn’t like this dish.

Spiced Aji Chili Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding with Peruvian dulce de leche, and pisco raspberry sauce.

Lucuma, white chocolate, and lime frozen torte with passion fruit and raspberry sauce. This was a very unique dessert and it really cleanses your palate.

We definitely felt there were dishes that were a hit and some a miss. You really have to read all the ingredients carefully or ask how the dish is presented. The food was ok, but I wasn’t very impressed by the choices of the dishes I chose.

We Rate Chicha:

Address:
136 East Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.chicharestaurant.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=136+East+Broadway+Vancouver,+BC&sll=49.2628222,-123.1020456&sspn=0.0053772,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=136+Broadway+E,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+1A1&z=16″]

In British Columbia

Dine Out Vancouver: Street Food City III

January 23, 2014

Street Food City is back for the third time brings together a plethora of Vancouver Food truck in one convenient location. It’s been very successful in the past years and keep coming back. I remember my first time here in 2012 when I got some Hot Chocolate from the Juice Truck.

The event is completely free and they feature a bunch of food trucks from January 22 to 26, 2014 outside the Art Gallery.

11:00am – 3:00pm Wednesday through Friday
11:00am – 5:00pm Saturday and Sunday

The food trucks participating include:

JJ’s Trucketeria
Roaming Dragon
Feastro
Holy Perogy
Dougie Dog
REEL Mac
Aussie Pie
Reef Runner
Vij’s Railway Express
Roaming Dragon
Guanaco
Le Tigre
Tacofino
Mom’s Grilled Cheese
Soho Road
Mangal Kiss
Yolks
Eli Serious
Mogu
Chili Tank
Taser
Kaboom Box
The Juice Truck.

It’s a great selection of food trucks and you will definitely find something you like. I came around 1pm, so the lines were manageable. The popular food trucks definitely have longer lines.

Lots of the tables were occupied, so you definitely need to stalk your way to find a seat. It sucks if you are with a bunch of people because you may not get a seat. Perhaps bring it back to the office to eat or eat somewhere else close by.

My pick was JJ’s Trucketeria because of their menu. The prices range from $5 to $8 and will be guaranteed full. Plus, Filipino food is pretty damn good.

Garlic Fried Rice Big Plate ($8) has a bed of garlic fried rice, a fried egg, Filipino BBQ Pork and a vinegar sauce. It smell so good and it made everyone want to line up just to get it. It’s a filling meal and worth the $8.

I only had one stomach, so I could only make one stop while I was here. My other coworker went to Le Tigre to get a soup and sandwich.

I did enjoying stopping by Street Food City for lunch. You have lots of options and can’t disappoint. Its a little bit chilly outside, but it’s much better than sitting inside a food court. Expect long lines during peak lunch hour.

Website: http://www.dineoutvancouver.com/events/street-food-city/

In Dineout

Fraiche: Dine Out Vancouver 2013

February 1, 2013

Fraiche is a restaurant located in West Vancouver and is popular for their views of the Lions Gate Bridge and surrounding areas. Their Dine Out this year is $38 and contains 3 courses.

The space isn’t very large. You get the best view when you sit near the window. Perhaps its best to request sitting by the window.

We ordered a few cocktails in the beginning since we got to the restaurant very early. Who knew there would be very little traffic on the Lions Gate Bridge after work.

Even the men had some cocktails too.

All the cocktails were pretty good! A great way to start off the meal, but definitely hurts your wallet afterwards.

Amuse Bouche

Complementary bread comes in 2 varieties – white and an olive bread. We all agreed the olive bread was the best.

Poached Lobster Salad also has melon, jalapeno, and basil. Good amount of lobster, but it was a small salad. I think there were more lobster pieces than greens.

Smoked Onion Veloute has a 63-degree egg in the centre, parmesan, and shimiji.

House-Cured Duck also contains foie gras mousse, blood orange, and brioche. The duck reminded me of prosciutto.

Butter Poached Sole with Truffle also has oyster root, asparagus, and potato.

Roasted Sablefish is on top of brandade dumplings, sunchoke, and topped with a horseradish foam.

White and Dark Chocolate was ok, but didn’t taste super amazing.

Orange Mascarpone was the better dessert, but it wasn’t crazy amazing.

Overall, the view is breathtaking up at Fraiche. The Dine Out menu wasn’t very impressive for the $38 price, but I am sure they bring their A-game on a regular night. The service was very attentive and the staff was helpful in figuring out the menu.

We Rate Fraiche:

Address:
2240 Chippendale Rd
West Vancouver

Website: http://www.fraicherestaurant.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2240+Chippendale+Rd+West+Vancouver,&hnear=2240+Chippendale+Rd,+West+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V7S+3J2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In American

Sip Resto Lounge: Dine Out Vancouver

January 31, 2013

Sip Resto Lounge on Granville Street is participating in Dine Out Vancouver again! What is unique about Sip is that every dish is made of alcohol or at least used to be. Even though most of the alcohol is burned off in the cooking process, its a cool concept. For $18, you get a 3 course meal. I came here about 7 years ago for Dine Out and remembered it was good. CandiedZen and I came here since the menu looked OK and the price seemed right.

Beef Carpaccio is topped with Arugula, Garlic Aioli, and Aged Parmigianno. Delicious and the aioli worked nicely.

Tuna Tower has Sherry Marinated Albacore Tuna, Cool Coleslaw, and Tropical Pineapple. It tasted more like spicy tuna sashimi. You have the tuna on the first layer, and then layer 2 and 3 is the cracker.

Guinness Grilled Chicken has Free Range Organic Chicken, Roasted Garlic Mashed potatoes, Seasonal Veggies, and Guinness Gravy. The chicken was plenty moist, but the Guinness Gravy didn’t mad must taste to the chicken.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin is Bacon Wrapped with an Apple and Caramelized Onion Filling. It also has Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Season Veggies, and a Mushroom Strongbow Cider Pan Sauce. The pork was tender and plenty flavourful.

Frangelico Chocolate Cake was very thick with the chocolate ganache. It wasn’t that good.

New York Style Cheesecake was probably the best of the 2 desserts. It has a nice smooth texture and the fruity sauce worked well.

Overall, the food was just average, but paying $18 for 3 courses was acceptable. The staff was nice and attentive, but the tables were not as clean. It wasn’t as pretty as I remember from all those years ago.

We Rate Sip Resto Lounge:

Address:
1117 Granville St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.siplounge.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1117+Granville+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1117+Granville+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+2G6&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Dineout

EBO Restaurant: Dine Out 2013

January 19, 2013

EBO or otherwise known as ‘East of Boundary’ is located inside Grandvilla Casino in Burnaby. I’m not a gambler, but I come here for some good food. I decided to come here for Dine Out with M since I’ve heard their menu is amazing and only $28.

The interior is very beautiful and can seat lots of people. Our server Michael was very nice and helped us make some decisions.

Complementary Bread arrived at the table and there were 3 different varieties, which was great.

Wild Mushroom Soup has Mushroom Terrine, Truffled Brioche Coal, and Feta. I know the picture isn’t appetizing, but this soup is SO AMAZING. It was a good portion and if I could die in a pool full of this soup, I would be so happy. Definitely recommended!!!

Tuna is encrusted in a crisp rice crust, with Dungeness Crab, Avocado Puree, Compressed Watermelon on the plate. The portion was definitely way smaller than the soup. M thought this dish was ok, but preferred the wild mushroom soup instead.

Roasted Duck Confit is has curried butternut squash puree, white bean stew, and maple gel. It was very tender and had a crisp skin, but the duck was salty. If you want something less salty, maybe stick with the steelhead option.

Grilled Lamb Chops Barley (Additional $7) has braised neck, Sunchokes, and Salsa Verde. We were so excited to see the lamb chops on the menu that we didn’t see the addition $7 charge for this dish. It makes sense since this dish is originally $33 on the menu. M got the lamb medium and was cooked perfectly.

Chocolate Pot de Crème, Momon, Crispy Chocolate Bits

Looking at the menu, you probably have no idea what will arrive at your table. M imagined a chocolate cake, but it was more like a small chocolate mousse, cake and bits. It still tasted good.

Poached Pineapple, Spiced Filo, Almond Cake

This dessert was pretty good and I enjoyed it. A good end to the meal.

At the end we even got white chocolates with a passionfruit filling.

Overall, the $28 menu at EBO was pretty good. You just need to choose which item appeals to your palate . I totally wish I chose the steelhead instead of the duck. Just looking at their regular menu, you are definitely saving when getting the Dine Out menu.

We Rate EBO Restaurant :

Address:
4331 Dominion St
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.eborestaurant.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4331+Dominion+St+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=4331+Dominion+St,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5G+1B2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Dineout

Edible Canada at The Market: Dine Out

February 10, 2012

The one place I really wanted to try out was Edible Canada on Granville Island for Dine Out Vancouver. It’s $28, so its quite affordable compared to the $38 restaurant options. They only use the best sustainable ingredients and take pride in that. They opened up in the Summer of 2011 and since then, they have changed their menu more than 6 times. They really do like to keep everything seasonal and fresh!

PLUS, they have extended their Dine Out menu so you can still have this deal till Febuary 11th, 2012!

The place was packed and the service was good except it did seem like they were trying to push more items onto us to make us order additional items. It’s totally understandable, but usually water and bread is complementary right? Tap water is free!

Bread ($5) we actually thought it was complementary part of the meal but apparently it wasn’t. We didn’t mind too much since all of us split the cost. The bread was good and comes in a few varieties with and oil and balsamic dip.

Canyon Rabbit Terrine has quince mustard, pickled pemberton vegetables, and warm potato bread.

I’ve never eaten a rabbit before and it tasted really good as a terrine! Kinda flakey in texture like tuna. Everything went really well together.Half of the table ordered this and the only comments were about how they didn’t like brussel sprouts…so I ate all their brussel sprouts

Hazelmere Farm potato & Leek Soup has agassiz hazelnut & horseradish foam, and purple potato chips.

The other half of the table had this and they really liked it. Some didn’t like the horseradish foam, but if you just stir it around to incorporate it into your soup, it tastes a bit better.

Wild Mushroom Crusted Wild Albacore Tuna Salad has warm finger ling potatoes, kale & autumn squash, and wild mushrooms.

This is just so delicious looking! The salt on top was a nice touch to bring out the flavour of the tuna and the vegetables were yummy too. They only thing we noticed was that some of us got 7 pieces, others got 8 and someone else got 9. I was clearly jealous of CanuckGirl because she had 9 pieces.

Slow Cooked Alberta Grangeland Elk Stew has fraser valley sunchokes, brussel sprouts, carrots, and rosemary. Notfauna and TaiwaneseGirl liked their dish! It would be good if they had something starchy to dip into that sauce.

Chefs Selection of Petit Fours has Okanagan pear gelée, vanilla salted thomas haas chocolate brownie, and maple bourbon toffee pudding.

Okanagan pear gelée was loved by half the table and the other half really didn’t like it. I personally liked it because it had a really good taste to it despite the coating of sugar.

Maple bourbon toffee pudding was alright but tasted a bit dry. The caramel sauce was delicious.

Vanilla salted thomas haas chocolate brownie was also a bit on the dry side, but the chocolate on top was so good.

At the end of the meal, we were all give Bacon Sea Salt! It was a really nice touch. They said it goes well in salads and eggs.

Doesn’t that just look so good? I haven’t tried it yet, but I think I will soon.

Overall, the dinner was really good and worth the $28. They use some very unique ingredients, which you wouldn’t find at other restaurants. All of my friends were happy with our dishes. The only thing bad about the night was some tomato soup spillage that got on a few of our jackets but the management took care of it. I would probably come back again.

Words of Wisdom:

Great dishes with unique type of protein
Some free and some paid parking in the area

We Rate Edible Canada:

Address:
1596 Johnston St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.ediblecanada.com/bistro.php

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Vancouver

In Dineout

C Restaurant: Dine Out Vancouver

January 25, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by a PR firm to try out C Restaurant’s Dine Out menu. This review does not guarantee 100% similar service you might normally get from this restaurant.

I’ve been to C Restaurant about a year ago with my parents and I thought the meal was really well executed and service was great. I actually never got around to writing about it, so I’ll use some of that past experience as a reference point.

For Dine Out Vancouver, they are offering up a 4-course meal for $38 with options to upgrade if you want. Considering their regular entrees can be around $30, you are getting your moneys worth. It’s a great way to try their different dishes without breaking your wallet too much.

Since I came with a few others (Alvin Lee , Stephanie Yuen, Shermans Food Adventures, Van Foodies, and GourmetFury), do check out their amazing blogs and perhaps they will have some different perspectives about the Dine Out menu.

There are seats upstairs and downstairs. The view of the main dining room gives you a good look at Granville Island and False Creek. Its gorgeous during the Summer time and a bit romantic at night.

This is the type of view that you will see, but depending at where you sit, you’ll probably see fewer boats.

Amuse Bouche is some finger food that comes before the appetizer. Depending on how many people you have at the table, this will probably vary. On the table we had seared tuna, prawns, quail egg, beets and a smoked salmon cannelloni.

My favorite was actually the smoked salmon cannelloni since the flavours went so well together. Kinda like a Philadelphia roll, but with the salmon and cream cheese.

Here’s a closer shot of them! Who could resist taking a bite out of these little cute things?

There is also some bread and butter.

VQA Wine Parings (+$26) If you are a wine lover, you might want to indulge in this. If you’re not, you probably wouldn’t want this addition. You get 4 pairing to go with the 4 courses.

North Arm Farms Beet Panzanella Salad also has harissa dressing and shaved ricotta salata. I never eat beets, but it tasted good. I wasn’t a big fan of the 2 croutons on the plate since it tasted a bit stale to me.

Sauteed Spot Prawns (+$9) if you don’t feel like having the beet salad, you can get this option for $9 more. The prawns were delicious, but I felt that the romesco sauce and the kale were quite salty.

Seared Albacore Tuna with winter minestrone, parmesan and topped with a crisp basil.

I really loved the tuna since it was beautifully seared on the outside and really delicate on the inside. It was a tad small, but with C Restaurant, you do get 4 courses, so you will be full at the end.

Seared Lake Babine Salmon comes with a squash puree on the bottom with brussel sprouts and on top there is an almond tapenade. The salmon was jaw droppingly good! I usually hate cooked salmon, but since it was just seared, you do get the amazing natural flavours of the salmon. The squash puree has cinnamon spices in it, so at first it did taste a bit odd. Later on it kept bringing me memories of eating cinnamon pancakes.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin (+$12) has walnut polenta, tarragon butter, portobello mushrooms and the beef drippings. The beef was really tender and was a very good meat dish. You do have to add extra money, but if you do have more money to spend, you can go for this option.

Spiced Chocolate Pudding has vanilla chantilly (like whipped cream) with crisp caramel puffed rice. The chocolate pudding has such a variety of spices that blended nicely together. I really enjoyed it.

Petit Fours is a sweet little bite sized treat at the end of the meal. You get a Lemon poppy-seed Biscotti.

Overall, it was a pretty solid Dine Out menu with good execution. You definitely get your moneys worth. If you dine here on a usual night, you’ll end up spending way more. If you are looking for seafood-type dishes, its good here.

Words of Wisdom:

Dine Out worth the $38 especially when the menu is quite flexible to add additional dishes or upgrade
If you aren’t doing Dine Out, these items are also on their regular dinner menu
Sustainable and local ingredients
Well executed fish dishes
Good Service

We Rate C Restaurant:

Address:

2-1600 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z

Website:
http://www.crestaurant.com/

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In Dineout

DineOut: Ciao Bella Italian Restaurant & Piano Bar

February 12, 2011

My last Dineout of 2011 was at Ciao Bella was with FinananceGirl, SFUPretender, EnvyGirl and LGirl.

Ciao Bella is an Italian restaurant on Denman Street which has a lot of traditional italian dishes.

When we walked inside, the interior was very homely and they even had a piano player. This is seriously a perfect location for an intimate romantic dinner. Someone even get engaged while we were there. So crazy!

They have the DineOut menu and their regular menu. We stick to the DineOut since thats the purpose why we are going. It was $28 for 3 courses.

Before we got our appetizer, we got bread. You can drizzle oil and balsamic vinegar all over it! It’s so delicious. I even accidentally poured too much balsamic….so my bread looked all black. BUT it was still delicious because I love balsamic!

For my appetizer I got the Grameroni Della Casa, which is cold poached prawn cocktail with horseradish dip. This was a small appetizer since it only had 4 prawn. Since I love prawns I gobbled them down like they were potato chips. The prawns and the horseradish dip was just quite average and nothing too special.

Everyone else had the Zuppa Al Aragosta , which is the chef’s lobster bisque. They all liked the soup and loved how there were bits of lobster in it!

LGirl, SFU Pretender and I got the Pollo Pavorotti, which is a breast of free rangec chicken stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach. It is topped off with a Porcini mushroom demi glaze. You can choose either vegetables or pasta. But I chose vegetables because of my diet of no pasta or rice.

One thing that was a pain was cutting into the breast and the filling would just pour out. The chicken was a little on the dry side, but it you smother it in the sauce, it’s tastes just fine.

FinanceGirl and EnvyGirl ordered the Agnello E Gamberoni , which is grilled Lamb Chops and tiger prawns. Both of them got it with the pasta option.

LGirl ordered the Tiramisu. It has layers of lady fingers, marscarpone cream cheese, and chocolate.

SFUPretender and FinanceGirl ordered the Creme Carramelo, which isa custard dessert with a layer of caramel on top.

EnvyGirl and I had the Torta Chocolate, which is their house special chocolate italian cake. I think this was by far the best dessert, you have some rich chocolate cake and very nice chocolate mousse in the middle. Yum!

Words of Advice:

Parking in rear
Amazing live piano music
Amazing weekly deal and evening dinner specials (50% off pasta on weekday lunches)

We Rate Ciao Bella:

Website: www.ciaobellavancouver.ca

Address:

703 Denman St
Vancouver, BC

In Dineout

DineOut: L’Abattoir

February 8, 2011

DineOut #2 was at L’Abattoir! I have actually never heard of this place until PhotographyGirl took me here with a bunch of people. This was all on the $38 menu category. Expensive, but we still saved a lot.

The name ‘L’Abattoir’ mean Slaughterhouse in english. It’s kinda funny because it’s nothing you would expect from such a nice sounding name. When we figured this out, we were enjoying out meatly entrees. hahaha.

L’Abattoir is located in the building which use to be Vancouver’s first jail. Even thought it use to be a jail, they really made this place look super amazing. I wish I took pictures but I didn’t for some reason. You can even feel a bit of eeriness when you see the bricked walls.

I LOVE THE BREAD. It came with 3 types – Anchovy cheese twists, bread buns with bacon bits, and this flat cracker type thing.

One of their appetizers were the Dungeness crab and chickpea toast ($13), it has toasted brioche, light crab custard, and carrot pickles. Everyone who had it loved it.

I had the Raw pacific oysters ($15). It has Mushroom and marrow croquettes. It was SO GOOD! Very light and delicate and has so much flavour! The bone marrow croquettes were also very flavourful.

For the entree a few of us had the Pan fried filet of steelhead ($24) It has Squash puree, olive gnocchi, and anchovy butter. The people that had it loved it and the foam was a really cool touch.

I had the Slow cooked loin of pork. It has Cassoulet, brussels sprouts, and mushroom. The pork was cooked perfectly and was not tough at all. Unlike some people, loved the brussel sprouts! Everything blended nicely.

Another entree was the Lamb loin and sausage ($26). It is served with grilled endive lettuce and cleriac (root-like vegetable).

Everyone had the Dark chocolate and coffee layer cake ($10). It is served with cherry apricot compote, whipped vanilla crème fraiche. It is nut free and rich! Everyone loved it and i envied them because i got something else.

I was different and got the Fizzy lemonade ($9) It has Blood orange sorbet, tapioca pearls, and earl grey granita. This I found was very sour. It was still a really cool dessert.

Words of Wisdom:

Dineout menu items are also on regular menu
Amazing food
On the expensive side…
Cool looking interior
Pay Parking on adjacent streets
Great place to just get drink…good for intimate date

We Rate L’Abattoir:

Address:

217 Carrall Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.labattoir.ca

In Dineout

DineOut: Aqua Riva

February 3, 2011

Since the old gang was back together in Vancouver, going out to Dineout seemed right. We left all the planning to ConsultingGirl and she brought everyone together.

We chose to go check out Aqua Riva. Aqua Riva is located beside the Waterfront convention centre. The dine out was $28 for 3 courses.

We just had water since we got reservations for 5 people at 8:30pm. Since we all had to work or go to school the next morning, we just didn’t get any additional drinks.

2 types of bread came to our table, Focaccia bread and french bread? It also came with salsa and butter. Salsa was my choice of topping on bread…..yum!

LabRat and I started off with the Baby green salad with Smoked Wild Salmon. On top of the greens, there is white and green asparagus. THe sauce used was a sherry Dijon Vinaigrette. I liked it and the salmon was really really good!

PharmacyBoy got the Manhattan Seafood Chowder. In addition to the seafood was chorizo and saffron. He was quite disappointed by the chowder because it was a tomato sauce rather than the traditional white cream sauce in chowders.

ConsultantGirl and SpongeBobGirl ordered the Sesame Crusted Scallops. The scallops are served with spinach and couscous salad. Around it is a orange and sesame vinaigrette.

SpongebobGirl and I both ordered the Wood Grilled Rib Eye. The steak was done medium rare. It comes with Cajun jumbo fries, Salsa verde and a peppercorn sauce.

PharmacyBoy and LabRat ordered the Orachiette pasta with grilled prawns. Shittake Mushrooms, spinach, chilies, and pesto cream sauce.

ConsultingGirl ordered the GInger potato crusted wild salmon. There is a grilled asparagus risotto, corn + blackbean salsa and basil butter sauce.

For dessert there was Apple and cranberry crisp.

There was also the Banana Chocolate Mousse Cake.

No one could really decide which one was the better dessert since we all had different tastes. Since it was only limited to 2 choices of dessert, we didn’t feel that Aqua Riva had any extraordinary desserts.

Words of Wisdom: