Four Beakers Archives - Page 5 of 24

In Chef

Showcase Restaurant Bar: West Coast Cuisine in Downtown Vancouver

April 4, 2016

Showcase Restaurant and Bar is located inside the Marriott Hotel in Downtown Vancouver. It is on the main floor of the hotel to the left of the lobby. They are a casual dining restaurant serving delicious West Coast Cuisine.

They also have a huge bar, which is great for hanging out with coworkers if you work around this area.

I won a complimentary dinner for 8 at an event and decided to come here with a few friends and the whole family. I’ve never dined here before, so it was a good experience to be able to see what they can produce for their guests. When I think about dining out, I don’t go to a lot of hotel restaurants and I have this impression where its expensive.

They have a private room for large groups.

2011 Cipes Blanc de Franc, BC VQA

Produced by Summerhill Pyramid Winery, this incredibly unique traditional method sparkling is made from 100% Cabernet Franc. In 2011, their Cabernet Franc grapes were in peak condition to be made into a sparkling wine. Aged en tirage for 3 years, this wine provides notes of eccles cakes, currants, dried raspberries and blueberries, finishing dry and well balanced.

A good way to start the meal.

Shirley Temple was my sister’s drink as she is still underage. Instead of all that wine, she had this non-alcoholic drink with grenadine syrup, ginger ale, and orange juice. I would have so many of these when I was younger. A fun way to still be fun and fancy but without the alcohol. I like how the grenadine syrup is dizzled on the side of the glass, so it looks like blood.

Chef Kenny Kyle brought out his creation – “Canned Tuna on the Beach“.

The cans were places in a wooden box full of rocks and shells. Inside the can, there is seared albacore tuna, maple macerated berries, pear & peashoot salad with a smoked sea foam.

This really hit the spot! Very creative way of placing the tuna in the cans. The smoke sea foam was minimal, but has a loads of smoky flavour.

The next dish was the Roasted Beet Salad. Chef Kyle Kenny and Sous Chef Westley Feist came out and prepared the dish right in front of us. The beets were crusted in salt and put into the oven.

Roasted beet salad with goat cheese mousse, cocoa nibs, and herbs. It looks like a simple dish, but the taste of those roasted beets were so good. Some people at the table that didn’t take a liking to usual beets, love this dish. The bit of goat cheese paired well.

Next was the fun Potato soup with a parmesan puff and chili cream. I love creative dishes where the diners get to participate in putting together their meal. It’s interactive and entertaining.

We whacked the puff open and poured the soup all over it. At first, I didn’t think a potato soup could be so interesting.

2005 Meursault Chartron et Trebuchet, French White Burgundy

This wine was definitely an interesting choice to pair with the appetizers. It started off well, but the aftertaste was like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. It was very cheesy and pungent. It wasn’t to my liking so I went with something else.

Bread Service came with golden ears grass fed cultured butter with black garlic. The pieces of baguette were piping hot and so good. The butter containers reminded me of the Beauty and the Beast where they store the mystical rose…but in this case…delicious butter. We enjoyed it so much that we asked for it to-go so they don’t waste any of it.

Seared duck breast, panzanella salad, grilled sourdough, and basil puree. The duck was very flavourful and it was rendered well, so it wasn’t too fatty.

Short Ribs and wild mushroom fazzoletti, shaved parmesan, and arugula salad on top. The richness of the pasta and short ribs balanced with the arugula salad. That short rib was very tender.

Arctic Char with chorizo vinaigrette, and potato gnocchi. was the lighter entree of the evening.

2013 Burrowing Owl Syrah, BC VQA

All the entrees paired with this. It was very smooth, full bodied with a fruit finish.

Up next was dessert! They incorporated a bit of science into this dish was freezing the Vietnamese coffee mousse in liquid nitrogen.

Liquid nitrogen frozen Vietnamese coffee with warm milk sauce, and cake bits.

The dessert was splattered all over the platter. It’s not about the look, but it was the taste and texture that impressed us. You have the icy coldness of the Vietnamese coffee, then the crumble, but you can start hearing and feeling the pop rocks. Very multi sensory.

We shared each platter among 4 others. I wanted to eat it all, but sharing is caring.

2013 Stone boat, Verglas, BC VQA

We ended with this. Sweet with hints of honey, fruits and citrus. I liked it since its not as sweet as some other ice wines out there.

The dinner was great to see what the restaurant can offer guests as well as the innovative skills of the people who work at Showcase and the Marriott. Chef Kyle Kenny and Sous Chef Westley Feist really took took us through a well prepared meal with a lot of different techniques. Assistant Restaurant & Bar Manager – Kal put together some great wines.

Everyone at the table was impressed and left with a lasting impression. Since I won a contest and was invited, it’s definitely not a normal dining experience here. They do private dining for small to large groups with a custom menu, so if you want something similar, give them a shout.

I’ll definitely be back in the future for a normal dining experience.

We Rate Showcase:

Address:
1122 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.showcaserestaurant.com/

In Coquitlam

Hee Rae Deung: Chinese Korean Food

February 3, 2016

Hee Rae Deung is a Korean Chinese Restaurant on North Road in the same plaza as the Independent Grocer. Since we knew it was a busy day, we came here at 5:45pm on a weekend for dinner, to our surprise, there was already a long wait ahead of us. We waited for about 30 minutes until we got seated.

To start off the meal, they give us pickled radish, bean paste and onion. You take a piece of the raw onion and put a little bit of bean paste to it. It changes the flavour completely.

Deep fried dumplings are a must if you are in a group. There are about 10 dumplings to an order.

Packed full of delicious pork and veggies inside the deep-fried shell.

Sweet and Sour Fried Pork comes with a lot for one dish. Plenty to go around the table. They serve the sauce and pork separately to ensure the pork remains crisp until you devour it with the sauce.

The pieces are pretty big, so you may want to cut them up into smaller pieces.

You definitely need the sauce since it’s not the same without it.

Gan Ja Jang is noodles with a mixture of stir fried veggies, pork and black bean sauce. This is one of the specialty items here, plus some Koreans have said this is the best place to get Ja Jang Myun.

Look at that delicious bowl.

You have to mix vigorously with your chopsticks to combine the sauce and noodles together. It takes a bit of effort, but its so worth it.

Messy bowl, but it sure is delicious.

Stir Fried Rice is my absolute favourite! There is the fried rice with egg on top, with a salad and black bean sauce. It is also served with a spicy seafood soup.

Overall, we enjoyed all the dishes. We think all groups should order the above items. We came in a group of 4 and had a little bit of leftovers.

We Rate Hee Rae Deung:

Address:
435 North Road
Coquitlam, BC

In Cambodian

Phnom Penh: Lunch Time Essentials

January 28, 2016

Phnom Penh is a Vancouver staple and if you haven’t been here, you’re missing out on some amazing Vietnamese/Cambodian dishes. It’s crazy busy everyday for lunch and dinner. Try to get reservations or avoid peak times. They only take resos for groups of 5 or more. I’ve come here so many times in the past 5 years and I can’t get enough of a few of their signature dishes.

One of my coworkers haven’t been here, so we made it a mission to come here!

Essential Dishes

Butter Beef is a must! It is raw beef with a delicious soy vinegar mixture on top with garlic and cilantro. It’s so good and that sauce is just so addictive. We wish we ordered 2 of these, but decided to pace ourselves as other dishes would arrive at the tables.

Luc Lac with egg is another popular dish. This is a good dish if you want it all to yourself. Its a good portion for lunch, but in our case, we shared it amongst the 3 of us. The beef is very tender and the sauce is so good with the rice.

Deep Fried Chicken Wings is probably ordered by every single table in the restaurant. It is served with a lemon pepper dip. Super crunchy and full of salty garlicy flavour.

Vietnamese Rice Roll was an item that we randomly ordered from the menus we wanted to try something new. We found that it was a great dish to balance out the other ones as its not as salty or sour.

Overall, the food is pretty consistent at Phnom Penh. If you haven’t been here before, make a visit and order the above dishes.

We Rate Phnom Penh:

Address:
244 E Georgia St
Vancouver, BC

In Canadian

Village Bistro: Canadian Comfort Food

December 14, 2015

Village Bistro, formerly known as Lips Resto, has been reimagined by the original owners to serve as a casual West End staple in the community. They serve up bistro-style comfort food with Canadian flavours, and a menu entirely made-from-scratch. I was invited to come here for dinner to experience their new brand and menu.

I was a fan of Lips Resto, so I wanted to see how their menu has evolved too.

The interior is quite beautiful and can seat up to 100 people. I love the old-world bistro charm with modern industrial accents.

Their custom-made caramel leather chairs, rich wall coverings, and warm lighting installations really give it a nice atmosphere.

Closer to the bar, there are a few TVs so you can watch the game and have a drink.

Layer Cake Pinot Noir ($10) is from Central Coast, California. M has fallen in love with Pinot Noir during our trip to the Okanagan. This particular pinot noir has aromas of savory herbs, licorice, mint, plums and black cherries. Definitely has a different taste than the ones from the Okanagan.

Peroni ($6) is one of my favourite beers. It’s light, refreshing and not bitter at all. A good easy beer to drink.

Salt Spring Island Mussel ($12) has a smoked tomato broth, roasted garlic, basil, and a ton of mussels. There is also 2 pieces of focaccia. Very good mussels and plump in size.

Alberta Bison Carpaccio ($10) as pickled mushroom, egg duo, grana Padano, and fennel aioli. That carpaccio was addictive! I would highly recommend it.

The egg that sits on top is beautiful. So good!

Boneless Alberta Beef Short Rib ($19) has roasted cauliflower, broccoli, crushed potatoes, blue cheese, and natural jus. This is one of their most popular dishes.

Herb Roasted Fraser Valley Chicken ($18) has bacon wild rice pilaf, seasonal vegetables, arugula salad, and blueberry jus.

The chicken was juicy and had great flavours on its skin. The salad helped balance out the heaviness of the sauce.

Cheesecake is served up in a cute mason jar. The crumble on top added a nice texture to it.

Peach Cobbler with homemade vanilla bean ice cream was crisp on the outside. I don’t eat a lot of cobbler, but it was good.

Overall, the prices of each dish were very reasonable and tasted awesome. They really don’t cut corners preparing these dishes. I would come back again.

We Rate Village Bistro:

Address:
1143 Davie Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.villagebistrobc.com/

In Four Beakers

Sura: Korean Lunch Set Menu in Vancouver

November 16, 2015

Sura Korean Royal Cuisine on Robson Street draws a large crowd during lunch and dinner time. Their lunch specials are undeniably affordable for those who want to try an array of Korean cuisine. I came here with a few of my coworkers since I’ve never been here.

They have been around since 2008 serving traditional Korean cuisine. They have won multiple awards from Vancouver Magazine and WE Vancouver Best of the City Dining.

Set Course SU – $15 per person includes:

ong–chimi
Green Salad
Yam Mousse
Tang–pyungchae (Acorn Jelly Salad)
Bulgogi (Korean beef)
Potato Pancake
Tang–sooyuk (Sweet and Sour pork)
Grilled Atlantic Croaker
Bossam (Pork belly wraps)
Doenjang Jjigae (Korean Stew)
3 kinds of Side-dishes
Korean Rice Punch

The menu requires a minimum of 2 orders and the set is available to order until 3:00pm daily.

The items on it may change from day to day.

First, soup arrived for each person at the table. It reminded me of a egg drop soup but more gelatinous.

Green Salad has a mishmash of vegetables and fruit. I wasn’t a fan of the oranges and strawberries in it.

Tang–pyungchae (Acorn Jelly Salad) really is quite tasteless, but according for my Korean friend, it’s good for you. I really couldn’t tell you the science behind it.

House Special Spicy Seafood has stir–fried assorted seafood with spicy house special sauce.

Bossam (Pork Belly wraps) comes with the pink pickled radish as the wrap, kimchi, paste and the delicious pork belly. So good! My favourite dish.

Tang–sooyuk (Sweet and Sour pork) tasted ok. Not my favourite but its pretty average.

Rice comes in a little tin. Eat it with the other side dishes.

Marinated Seaweed and mashed pumpkin mousse are 2 of the 3 side dishes. I always can’t get enough of the seaweed.

Kimchi is the last side dish. Delicious and not too spicy.

Bulgogi comes in a large dish and went great with the rice.

Doenjang Jjigae (Korean Stew) has tofu, veggies, and kimchi. It’s not too spicy either. Very good.

Potato Pancake came with 4 pieces as there was 4 of us. It’s was surprisingly pretty good.

Grilled Atlantic Croaker was an interesting dish that arrived. It takes a bit of work to eat it as there are a lot of tiny bones.

Korean Rice Punch was a nice way to end the meal. It’s a sweet rice drink.

All this for for $15 per person is a great deal for lunch. So many dishes arrive and you get a taste of a lot of Korean dishes. At times, we would run out of room on the table to put the food. Some of the dishes are a hit and miss, but still a great price. I love this type of family style dining.

We Rate Sura:

Address:
1518 Robson Street, Vancouver

Website:
www.surakoreancuisine.com

In Calgary

Ox and Angela: Spanish Cuisine in Calgary

November 4, 2015

One restaurant I could not miss was Ox and Angela on our Calgary trip. It was a few block away from our hotel and we love Spanish food. I really wish we had more Spanish restaurants in Vancouver. M and I came on a weekday dinner around 6:30 pm to give their Spanish dishes a try.

The interior is nice and there are 2 dining areas. They serve a Spanish Table set menu with 10 dishes that are shared family style for $45 per person. M and I were tempted to get it but we heard so much about the Paella that we went to go without the set menu.

Mediterranean salad ($13) has local tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted onion and goat feta, crispy chorizo, and mojo verde. A good balance of the crispy chorizo and salad. It wasn’t too over powering at all.

ZFC! ($15) stands for za’atar fried chicken. It is served with harrisa dip and a local herb salad. It was crispy and super delicious.

Paella ($36) served here is a ‘valencian style’ Paella of chicken, spanish chorizo, manilla clams, summer peas, saffron & butter beans made to order using traditional bomba rice & served in an 11” pan. It takes about 35 minutes to cook, so you will need to be patient. So good!

Overall, enjoyable dinner and it was a great place to go to dinner in Calgary. The neighbourhood is pretty hip, so there’s a lot of other places to go have dessert or late night drinks afterwards.

We Rate Ox and Angela:

Address:
528 17th Ave SW, Calgary, AB

Website:
http://oxandangela.com/

In Dessert

720 Sweets: Steamy Ice Cream in Kitsilano

November 1, 2015

720 Sweets is an ice cream store that seeks to explore revolutionary flavours on their menu. If you are from Vancouver and have Instagram, I’m sure you have seen their steamy treats.

The shop is in the Kitsilano area on West Broadway.

The shop is quite small and doesn’t fit a lot of people, but most people just do take out and walk around the neighbourhood. There’s so many restaurants nearby, so it’s great to have dinner else where and then make a stop here for some late night treats. That’s what M and I did. We had dinner a block away at Mamalee Malaysian Delight and came here after.

They have 5 types of Ice cream:

The Classic – crushed graham crackers, sweetened condensed milk, and a freshly baked butter cookie
Honey720 – Rich honey drizzle and golden honeycomb
S’Mores Please – chocolate corn flakes, dark chocolate drizzle, crunchy almond stick and a toasted marshmallow
The Milky Way – crushed walnuts, light caramel drizzle, espresso grass jelly, and a crunchy almond cookie
Cloud Nine – crunchy almond stick, cotton candy popcorn, and a dreamy fluffy cotton candy.

All of the are $5.95, which is a pretty good price.

M and I got the S’mores Please and the The Milky Way. The steam coming up from the bottom of the cup is a mixture of dry ice and hot water that creates the beautiful steam. The ice cream sits on top of a separate cup, so they never touch each other.

Both ice creams were put together so beautifully. You really need to take some pictures before you dig in.

S’more Please has a good strong chocolate taste in the ice cream. Probably one of the best I’ve had. Lots of chocolatey good toppings.

The Milky Way was my favourite. The combination of the strong milk tea flavour and the texture of the grass jelly is every asian’s dream. I loved it! I am not a big sweets fan, but I couldn’t stop eating this. Highly recommended.

M and I both agreed that the Milky Way was our favourites.

Overall, the flavours were great and so much fun taking pictures of these beautiful ice cream creations. It’s not just the flavour but the experience of eating these. I’ll be back for sure.

We Rate 720 Sweets:

Address:
3278 West Broadway, Vancouver

Website:
http://720sweets.com/

In Cafe

Mamalee Malaysian Delight: Hainanese Chicken in Vancouver

October 30, 2015

Mamalee Malaysia Delight was Cafe D’Lite but underwent rebranding in 2013 as a tribute to the owner – Betty for her spirit and heritage. It represents Betty’s continuing commitment to an authentic Malaysian dining experience that is second to none.

I have been looking for the best Hainanese Chicken in Vancouver and a lot of people recommended Mamalee. Since I was in the area, M and I came here to have a quick dinner.

By 6pm, this place was packed! We were fortunate to get the last table so we didn’t have to wait in line. Looking at the other tables, it seems like almost everyone orders the same few items.

Can you guess their specialty? Of course! Hainanaese Chicken. It can come on rice, or in soup with noodles. So manu choices.

To order, you fill this out and return it back to the server.

Roti Canai ($5.95) comes with laksa sauce for dipping. The roti was flakey on the outside and was very delicious.

Regular Hainanese Chicken Rice ($9.95) you get yummy rice with a lot of Hainanese chicken. I gobbled this right up. All the chicken is boneless and so addictive.

It also comes with soup, which is a nice bonus.

Large Hainanese Chicken Rice ($12.50) is definitely larger! M had this and he just loved it too.

Overall, the food is delicious and the prices are pretty good as well. Hainanese Chicken all the way! A majority of the people who come here order their Hainanese Chicken. So far, this place is on the top of my list to get Hainanese Chicken. Great potion size too. I would definitely come back.

We Rate Mamalee Malaysian Delight:

Address:
3144 West Broadway, Vancouver

Website:
http://mamalee.ca/

In Four Beakers

The Ramenman: New Ramen Shop in Vancouver

October 27, 2015

The Ramenman is the newest Japanese ramen joint to open up on the West End of Downtown Vancouver. After seeing Sean’s beautiful pictures on instagram of The Ramenman, I had to check it out. Surprisingly, when I came here to have dinner with a CanuckGirl, guess who was there? Sean. Always good to bump into another foodie friend.

The restaurant is small, so there is one large communal table and 2 tables in the back. I think this place can fit about 20ish people comfortably.

They are still in their Soft Opening phase, so I’m not sure how much their menu is going to transform once they are done their soft opening. The menu has 3 type of ramen, a few appetizers, and drinks. Pretty cool to see beer on tap in a ramen restaurant.

The 3 ramen they offer are:

Chicken x Clam
chicken x Stew
Chicken x Regular

Appetizer Plate ($5.50) has your choice of charsui (chicken or pork), ramen egg, Japanese Leek, Bamboo Shoots, Spinach, green onion and chili pepper. There are more like items that you can dump into your ramen.

I got this with 2 slices of pork. The pork looks like ham, but it’s not. It’s tender and seemed more like sous vide pork. It’s a French cooking method that is cooked at a lower temperature for longer periods of time to get the inside is pork cooked without overcooking the outside, and retain more moisture.

Chicken x Clam ($11.50) has your choice of charsui (pork, chicken or both), clams, green onions, red onion, parsley, garlic, black pepper, green onion oil and truffle oil.

I got mine with both pork and chicken charsui to taste the difference. It was both very good. The chicken probably has the same cooking method ask the pork. The broth was nice and not too salty.

Chicken x Regular ($9.50) has your choice of charsui (pork, chicken or both), ramen egg, bamboo shoots, Japanese leek, green onion, garlic, black pepper, green onion oil and truffle oil.

The spoon is pretty big. Think of it as like a mini bowl with a handle.

Overall, it’s good to have another chicken ramen base alternative. Marutama also has chicken ramen, but what I like about the Ramenman is the good balance between all the ingredients in the bowl. Service is great and the interior is quite comfortable. I do enjoy chicken broths, but not everyone will agree.

We Rate Ramenman:

Address:
841 Bidwell Street, Vancouver

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Ramenman-172684076409030/

In Farm to Table

Krafty Kitchen + Bar: Casual Farm to Table in Kelowna

October 2, 2015

Krafty Kitchen + Bar is a casual farm to table eatery in Kelowna. They focus on using local Canadian ingredients in their dishes where possible. They also have Kelowna’s only Duck Fat Fryer, so you know their fries will be amazing.

The interior is beautiful and it has an industrial feel to it. They have tables that can seat large groups to small groups.

There is also bar seating if you want to engage with the staff a bit more and see them at work.

Their menu is pretty fun and puts a good spin on classic comfort dishes.

Seasonal Italian Soda is on their menu and the daily flavour that they had was raspberry vanilla. It sounded great, but when we drank it, it fell a bit flat. It could have been a tad sweeter with more bubbles.

The Worlds Most Interesting Fried Cheese comes with 2 pieces of Halloumi cheese, topped with corn, tomato jam and greens. The dish was ok, but we felt the cheese could have been more hot in temperature. It still had good flavours though.

Okanagan Salad comes with greens, stone fruit and chili vinaigrette, goat feta, and toasted seeds + nuts. It was delicious and the toasted seeds + nuts were so good.

Krafty Dinner with Pork Belly arrived at the table. We were surprised the pork belly was so thick and crispy.

I couldn’t stop eating this dish. It was sinfully delicious! It’s the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had. You have to order it with the pork belly.

Market Tart has the base of puff pastry, pesto, fresh tomatoes and creme fraiche.

It was a good twist on pizza with the puff pastry to give the flakey crisp crust.

Overall, the food was good. I wish I had the stomach to try more dishes. The atmosphere was good and it was indeed casual. I enjoyed the Krafty Dinner dish the most.

We Rate Krafty Kitchen + Bar:

Address:
281 Lawrence Ave,
Kelowna,BC

Website:
http://kraftykitchen.ca/

In Bubble Tea

Chatime: Best Bubble Tea in Richmond

September 20, 2015

Chatime is a bubble tea cafe located all over the world. I remember seeing it in Asia when I was travelling a few years ago. They differentiate themselves from competition by using fresh tea. They don’t use pre-made teas or powdered flavourings.

I came with a few friends to their Richmond location near Blundell Road.

The space is quite large compared to their downtown location. There are more tables and chairs.

Roasted Milk Tea with Grass Jelly is my favourite drink here. I get it with less ice and slight sugar. I’ve never had a bubble tea that I went this crazy for. It has a unique flavour that isn’t like your typical milk tea.

Brown Rice Green Milk Tea is my second favourite item. It has a very subtle flavour of rice. It reminds me of those Korean rice drinks. I also got less ice and slight sugar.

Thai Milk Tea is a new flavour they introduced at the beginning of September. It has a unique flavour and I also got it less sweet since it’s made with condensed milk, which is sweeter.

They also have a Thai Coffee Milk Tea, which is highly recommended with their coffee jelly.

Overall, if I had to have their roasted milk tea and brown rice green tea everyday of the week, I’ll be one happy lady. It’s been a long time since I’ve found a place that I just adore.

We Rate Chatime Richmond:

Address:
9100 Blundell Road, Richmond

Facebook:
http://www.ichatime.com/

In Delivery

Le Tigre: Delivered by Foodee

September 9, 2015

Since Vancouver rains for most of the year, it does get a bit depressing to go out and hunt for food. I love Le Tigre but sometimes their truck is too far away from the office, so when we saw that Foodee delivers for them, we definitely had to do an office order. The minimum order is $40 with a $15 delivery fee. It’s not too bad if you can get a lot of your coworkers to order it with you.

Le Tigre serves up culinary inspired Asian street food and they deliver their most popular items like Kickass Rice and Crack Salad.

“Crack” Salad ($8.15) has brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, cabbage, capers, cracked chilies, lemon juice and parmesan cheese. It is vegetarian and gluten-free.

It’s such a sinful salad! I love the balance of savoury, sour, salty and spicy.

Angry Kitty Squares ($5.80) has crispy fried rice, kimchi, chilies, basil, spicy mayo and nori. It comes with 4 pieces and its also pretty darn delicious. The texture of the crispy fried rice is amazing.

Another item you should definitely order is their Kick Ass Rice With Pork Belly ($11.55). I forgot to take a picture, but it’s a larger dish. It’s cooked in sake, butter, dashi and topped with a perfect poached egg, fresh herbs and thai chilies. Most of their dishes seem to have chilies, but when I tried my coworkers dish, those Thai chilies are painful.

We rate Le Tigre:

Website:
https://www.food.ee/restaurants/vancouver/le-tigre

In Four Beakers

reLiSH Gourmet Burgers: New on Davie Street

September 7, 2015

reLiSH Gourmet Burgers just opened up their newest location on Davie Street close to English Bay. The restaurant comes from the East Coast of Canada – New Brunswick. They also have another location on Commercial Drive and will soon open another in North Vancouver.

The space is a good size and lots of chairs. With the communal tables, you can fit large groups in here.

Jersey City Burger has fried field mushrooms , pickled peppers, pancetta bacon, provolone cheese and their ground turkey patty. The turkey patty went well with the burgers since it balances the pancetta quite nicely. The burger was not greasy at all. I felt pretty good and not too bloated afterwards.

L.A. is my Lady Burger has sliced avocado, roasted peppers, basil pesto, creamy goat’s cheese and their veggie patty. I loved the veggie patty since it has a very nice crunchy texture on the outside. The taste of the veggie patty reminded me of falafel.

The Odyssey is only served in this location to represent Davie Street and the community. Inside you will find pickled red cabbage, spicy miso Sriracha glaze with a pan-fried egg. M really enjoyed this burger. You can’t go wrong with a burger with a fried egg in it. Their egg is fried till the yolk is medium, so it still has a bit of moisture without it leaking all over your hands.

Their bun held all the ingredients together. They only use really produce in their burgers, so you won’t find any processed cheese in their burgers. You won’t find any cheese burgers here.

Overall, we did enjoy all the burgers that we tried. It wasn’t too greasy and each ingredient on the burger complimented each other. I would definitely come back.

We rate reLiSH Gourmet Burgers:

Address:
1708 Davie Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.relishlife.com/

In Brunch

L’Abattoir: Weekend Brunch

August 6, 2015

L’Abattoir offers up a delicious weekend brunch in the heart of Gastown. Of course their dinner menu is stellar as always, but with their brunch menu, the mix comforting staples with hearty, unique entrees.

Always try to make reservations in advance since L’Abattoir is one of the hottest restaurants in town. You can still walk in without one, but it’s always nice to not have to wait. When we were here, we didn’t see it pick up until around 12:30pm.

We were seated upstairs and there is plenty of room for hungry weekend brunchers and probably the severely hungover too.

Thirsty brunchers can sip on creative cocktails, as well as different daily features. They also have non-alcoholic options like their daily bottled house made iced teas.

Their menu isn’t too large but it is still difficult to figure out what to order.

French Press JJ Bean Coffee comes in a small pot, but it was plenty enough for the both of us. They also do free refills, so if you are a coffee guzzler, you’ll be overjoyed.

Delicious and you really can’t go wrong with JJ Bean as they are amazing local coffee roasters.

The waitresses come around offering up their freshly made pastries a la carte. Of course I couldn’t decide so I had to ask the waitress for her recommendation.

Blueberry Danish ($5) was a nice start to the brunch. Nice crisp exterior with delicious blueberries and the sweet custard in the centre. The waitress said this was one of their more popular pastries and tends to sell out.

When all 3 dishes arrived, we couldn’t help but salivate. Just beautiful.

Poached eggs with smoked pork belly ($17) has a cheddar sabayon and a homemade English muffin. It also comes with a salad and a slice of orange.

We asked for the eggs to be soft poached and it did not disappoint. Let it ooze!

Full breakfast ($22) has 2 eggs, duck sausage, mushrooms, pork & beans, boudin noir, rösti, and toast. If you are a big eater, you will love this! Lots of carbs and lots of protein. A very hearty meal!

Boudin noir is blood sausage, the darker item behind the pork belly. It was a nice surprise to the dish since it’s not normally served during a breakfast. Most people probably wouldn’t realize its blood sausage unless they asked. It has a unique taste but not bad.

I love the crispy rosti!

Breakfast burger ($15) has a quarter pound patty, hashbrown patty, and a fried egg. It comes of a smaller plate than the other dishes, but don’t feel like it’s not substantial because it is filling.

We cut the burger in half and shared it. It’s a bit easier to eat that way. Delicious flavours but I found the hashbrown to be over salted.

Overall, the brunch items were fantastic and a good twist on brunch classics. I would definitely come here again.

We Rate L’Abattoir:

Address:
217 Carrall Street,
Vancouver

Website:
http://www.labattoir.ca/

In Downtown

Lips Resto: Brunch on Davie Street

July 21, 2015

Lips Resto is a new restaurant that opened up on Davie Street. Besides lunch and dinner, they also serve brunch on the weekends.

The chef and owner Curtis “Lips” Demyon is 17 years into his culinary career, most recently as executive chef at The Fish House in Stanley Park. With each dish on the menu, you can see Chef Curtis Demyon’s innovative twist to each dish that creates the memorable dining experience.

With the million-dollar renovation, it is bringing a fine-dining addition into a neighbourhood famous for casual and ethnic fare. The interior is beautiful and their windows open up so it’s like dining out in a patio, but indoors.

Coffee is a must for brunch if it’s the first thing you do in the morning. I have this bad habit of not even drinking water when I leave the house for brunch.

Muffin ($4) is definitely not what you expect a muffin to look like. It was pretty delicious as it uses the fresh strawberries of the summer. A good start to the meal.

The breakfast ($14) has 2 eggs, house smoked bacon, country sausage, tomatoes, broken potato rosti and toast. This is a good item to order if you just need a greasy hearty breakfast with lots of protein. I got the eggs poached medium and it was spot on. Thats my one important test from a restaurant is if they can get the poached eggs right. It will surprise you that some places just don’t know how to time the eggs properly.

The sausages were flavourful and the smokiness of the bacon was great. I found the rosti to be a tad salty.

Confit Pork Belly, sauteed onion, smoked jalapeno corn bread ($14) is served with broken potato rosti. M loved the generous portion of the pork belly and that corn bread was nice and crunchy to give it extra texture.

M loved the broken potato rosti as it was very different that most restaurants.

Curry Pork Sausage ($5) was delicious and M was amazed by the depth of flavour. The handmade sausages you can tell had a lot of care when they were making it.

Caramelized banana and dulce de leche Smashed Croissants ($14) is their twist on french toast. It’s so good and the perfect ending to brunch. M and I shared this to end off the brunch experience.

The caramelized banana and dulce de leche is a great combination and they didn’t make it overly sweet.

Overall, it was a great surprise to see them making some stellar brunch here. It’s a beautiful space to dine in and make sure to sit by the open windows during the summer. M is already planning his next brunch trip here. He was very impressed.

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by Lips Resto to dine for brunch and my meal was comped, but I made sure to tip their amazing and kind staff. All thoughts are my own.

We Rate Lips Resto:

Address:
1143 Davie Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://lipsresto.com/

In British Columbia

JJs Trucketeria: Filipino Food Truck

July 11, 2015

JJs Trucketeria was outside one of our offices during the lunch hour, so we decided to devour their amazing Filipino BBQ meats. You can’t go wrong with anything from their menu. For healthier options, they do have a market bowl or salad.

JJ’s Signature Panwich ($7.50) has your choice of either Filipino BBQ pork or Lemongrass chicken. It is served on top of pandesa, which is a Filipino bun. Mags and Anne got theirs with BBQ pork.

It’s a sandwich with great value for lunch for so much delicious flavour.

Garlic Fried Rice Big Plate ‘The Halfer’ ($10.50) is huge. It has Filipino BBQ pork, lemongrass chicken, garlic fried rice, fried egg, and JJ’s dipping vinegar. It was massive and I could only finish about 60% of this. The garlic rice is subtle and not too pungent.

Overall, one of the best food trucks with good value plus delicious meats. You can find them at most food truck festivals around town. Just make sure to check the Vancouver Street Food App to see where they are located.

We Rate JJs Trucketeria:

Location:
Varies

Website:
http://jjstrucketeria.wix.com/jjs-trucketeria

In Bakery

Elysian Coffee: Coffee Shop in Mount Pleasant

July 9, 2015

Elysian Coffee has 3 cafes in Vancouver and I made a trip to their Mount Pleasant location with J for a morning coffee before work. Their space looks fantastic with lots of natural light coming into the cafe. No wonder there was already a few people on their laptops this early in the morning.

They opened this location near the end of 2014 taking over CocoaNymph. It’s a neighbourhood gem and it really caters to the hip offices in the area. They also have a roasting room and bakery in the back.

Cappuccino ($3.75) was very enjoyable. Great to kick off the morning with a strong coffee and fluffy foam.

Chive and Cheddar Scone ($3.25) was pretty awesome It has a crispy cheese exterior with so much chives inside. Very delicious!

Overall, I was impressed by Elysian Coffee and the beautiful space. It’s a hit hidden as it isn’t on a main road.

We Rate Elysian Coffee:

Address:
2301 Ontario Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://elysiancoffee.com/

In Chinese

Green Lettuce: Chinese and Indian Fusion

July 5, 2015

Green Lettuce is an amazing hole in the wall restaurant with Indian Style Chinese food. It’s busy every evening, so make sure to get a reservation or come here right at the beginning of dinner time. They also have another restaurant in Surrey.

Green lettuce brings the best flavours of Chinese and Indian cuisine and bring it together.

Vegetable Pakora with Chutney Sauce ($7.24) is a must order item. They are more dense because of all the chickpea flavour but it’s so good! I couldn’t stop eating this.

Pili Beef ($13.95) was ordered for medium spicy and it did pack a punch of heat! The beef was tender and the sauce was great. You will want to eat this with some rice to balance out the heat.

Spicy Chili Garlic Eggplant with Shredded Chicken ($12.95) was also medium spice, but it did pack a punch too. Lot of good flavours in this dish.

Manchurian style chicken chow mein ($11.95) was good as well but the noodles seemed to just have been plopped on the side.

Bombay Garlic Prawns ($15.95) has the deep-fried prawns smothered in the bombay garlic sauce. This is one of their popular items on the menu. It is served with fried shrimp crackers.

Masala Chicken Fried Rice ($9.95) was a good fried rice. Mix this with a bit of the pili beef and your taste buds will come alive.

At the end of the meal, they give everyone a fortune cookie. It was fun reading the fortunes inside. We probably had the most defective fortune cookies since ours had 2 -3 fortunes each. That means its extra luck right?

None of the dishes at Green Lettuce disappointed. I loved it all! I would come back here again.

We Rate Green Lettuce: