Foodology
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Three Beakers

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In burger

Bells and Whistles: Brew Pub and Eatery on Fraser Street

Bells and Whistles on Fraser near Kingsway opens up today and we were given a quick preview of their space and menu. I’ve passed by a few times and I was eagerly awaiting their opening since I love beer and food. The neighbourhood is definitely changing and its great to see new options. They have 18 craft beers on tap – local and international, 5 types of soft serve ice cream, and 6 types of burgers in addition to other items.

Interior

I love the interior design and they got it spot on to really cater to their clientele. There are lots of tables, so they can easily seat small to large groups.

There are longer picnic style tables and with the large screen, you can watch different sports games.

They have 3 arcade games by the washroom – skee ball and basketball. 2 of the best retro games.

Menu

Beer and Cocktails
Four Winds x Bells and Whistles

Fours Winds collaborated with Bells and Whistles to create this hoppy ale which is dry-hopped with Denali & Galaxy. A good beer to try that is exclusive to this location.

Southern Belle

This cocktail ha Southern Comfort, iced tea, lemon and club soda. The drink is shaken and the strained over fresh ice. It was a very well balanced drink and since I could drink a ton of iced tea, it was a great alcoholic version.

Purple Haze

This cocktail is mad with Absolut vodka, blueberry juice, Averna, lime and served frozen with an umbrella.

Snacks and Starters

Pimento Cheese Dip

The pimento cheese dip is served with thin pretzel chips, grainy mustard and tiny pickles. Pimento cheese us very comforting but the pretzel chips were pretty fragile when I spread the dip on top. The consistency of the dip is smooth compared to how it is normally made at home, its chunky. A different twist that they put on it.

Fries

Fries are served with an herb aioli. We thought it was a bit unnecessary that they seasoned the fries in addition to having the aioli sauce as it provided enough added flavour.

KFC

This isn’t your normal Kentucky Fried Chicken, it is Korean Fried Cauliflower served with pickled cucumber, green onion and cilantro. If you aren’t a cauliflower fan, you can have it with chicken instead.

Onion Rings

These onion rings are pretty good and is served with tangy honey mustard. Crispy on the outside and the onion is cooked well.

Ahi Tuna Poke

Their ahi tuna poke has green onions, cilantro, cucumber, black and white sesame seeds, and avocado. You get a good portion of tortilla chip too. It’s decent and its a lighter option compared to the other items on the menu. I can never say no to ahi tuna.

Burgers

The Classic

The classic burger has aged cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and their secret sauce. It is served with fries or you can substitute with onion rings, garlic fries, or caesar salad for an extra charge. Their patty is hand-formed and made with a mixture of short rib, brisket, and chuck. They also have gluten-free buns too.

Fat Stevens Sandwich

You will find inside this bun beer-brined chicken, gravy, mayo and crispy fried onions. Really comforting and reminded me of Thanksgiving but with chicken.

The All Day Breakfast

This beast of a burger has maple sausage pork patty, American cheese hash browns, secret sauce and a fried egg. Super comforting and rich. You will really want a beer to go with this.

Soft Serve

Troy Tulo-Whiskey

This has original custard, whiskey caramel, roasted pecans, peach jam, and ice tea crystals. I found the soft serve very soft that it looked melted. Maybe they were having an off night with their machine.

Aaron Fudge

This has their twist soft serve, oreo chunks, strawberry sauce, fudge sauce, rainbow sparkles and marshmallows.

Coco Crisp

There is chocolate sauce, Skor bar crumble, white chocolate and pretzels sprinkled on top. Of the 3 soft serves, I liked this one compared to the other 2.

Twin Sails Stout Float

You have their original soft serve custard with a pour of their Twin Sails stout or porter depending on what that have on tap. If you are a beer lover, you’ll enjoy this combination.

Final Thoughts         

Overall, I’m happy that Bells and Whistles has joined the Fraserhood neighbourhood  and this type of venue was needed to have a great time with friends over beer, cocktails, and wine paired with comforting food. Plus, how can you say no to skee ball and basketball.

We Rate Bells and Whistles: 

Address:
3296 Fraser St, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.bellsandwhistlesyvr.ca/

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In Chinatown

The Union: Wings and Beer in Chinatown

The Union is an industrial-chic hub serving creative cocktails and Pan-Asian eats. They have happy hour and weekly features, so my coworkers and I like coming here for celebrations and farewells. Many good late nights have been had here. They have happy hour drink specials and their weekly features. On Wednesday, you get Wings and Beer for $15. Wings and normally $15, so it’s essentially getting a free beer.

Interior

There are long tables for large groups and smaller tables for a more intimate atmosphere.

Menu

  

Indian Masala Wings

These are dry wings using their house curry spices. The exterior is crunchy, but the amount of spices is a bit overwhelming. I tried some of there people’s wings like the Street Hawker Thai and it was delicious.

Beer

With the weekly Wednesday deal, you can choose to have the wings with any Main St Brewing beer. I went with the Main Street Saison No. 7. It has a blend of three Saison yeasts. Light in colour with a golden haze, this Saison shows through with fruity esters, pepper and citrus notes. One of my favourite beers.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a decent place to go to in Chinatown to have some eats and drinks with friends. It is a bit pricey for some items, but it’s a good atmosphere and the service is pretty good.

We Rate The Union:35rating

Address:
219 Union St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
 http://theunionvancouver.ca/

The Union Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Bubble Tea

ZenQ: Now Open in Vancouver

ZenQ is an international dessert chain originated from Taiwan within the same parent company as Chatime. They are quickly expanding in Canada, Vietnam and Hong Kong this year. They specialize in desserts that have grass jelly and Q balls (matcha, yam and taro flavoured).

Menu

Their menu has drinks and desserts.

Waffles

Orea Cocoa Waffle

There are 4 pieces of waffles with a sprinkling of Oreo cookies, bananas, chocolate sauce and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. Good for chocolate lovers.

Fresh Fruit Waffle

There are 4 pieces of waffles too with a drizzle of honey and as scoop of ice cream. The fruits that were on the plate are mangos, strawberry, honey dew, and banana. Of the two waffles, I liked this one because of all the fruits.

Creamy Frappe Series

Mango Creamy Frappe

They have a bunch of different snowy ice desserts, but this one has mango frappe, fresh mango, mango jelly, vanilla ice cream, condensed milk and fruit loops. The mango frappe was delicious and the textures of the mango and jelly went well together.

Tofu Pudding Series

Tofu Pudding No 3

In this dessert, there is Pearls, Q Balls, Peanuts, and Sweet Potato a top tofu pudding. The Q Balls were nice and chewy like mochi.

Hot Grass Jelly Series

Hot Grass Jelly No 2

This has grass jelly, taro, pearls, Q balls, and a ball of brown sugar.The grass jelly and the pearls were nice and chewy.

Royal Sweet Soup Series

Red Bean Soup No 3

Sweet potato in a red bean soup was ok, but we all personally didn’t like red bean soup.

Longan Black Glutinous Rice Series

Longan Black Glutinous Rice No 3

This version also has Sweet Potato right in the centre. The consistency is thicker and you get a lot of texture from the rice.

Oreo Cocoa Ice Diamond

If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll like the oreo chocolate drink.

Hot Hand Made Taro Milk Tea

There are pieces of taro in this and it’s pretty hard to find a taro milk tea with real taro. Make sure you mix this around as the taro sinks to the bottom.

Winter Melon Latte

The winter melon taste is faint as you can taste more of the milk and it has more of an almond taste to this.

ZenQ Milk Tea with Grass Jelly

Classic item to get at any bubble tea shop. Since they do specialize in grass jelly, it’s a must.

Strawberry Black Tea

The sweet strawberry paired with the black tea. Good for those who like a bit of caffeine and a fruity touch.

Mango Green Tea

The mango green tea I felt was a bit sweet for my taste preference.

Final Thoughts

Overall, some food and drinks were a hit and miss. If you want to impress your friends, go with the classic milk tea, waffles, grass jelly desserts or their tofu desserts. It’s good to have more options in town where there are desserts and bubble tea to hang out with friends.

We Rate ZenQ: 

Address:
495 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver

Website:
http://zenq.ca/

ZenQ Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Chinese

Deer Garden Signatures: Now Open in Burnaby

Deer Garden Signatures has been expanding in the last few months with 5 locations in total. Their Burnaby location is on Sperling and Kingsway. They took over the location of Pearl House Restaurant. I came on the weekend for lunch and it wasn’t as busy as their Vancouver location, so that was great for us.

Interior

There are a few booth-style seating for larger parties, but there is also smaller tables for those with 2 or 4 people. The space isn’t too large but they can still seat a good amount of people here.

Menu

You order your meal using the form provided to you. You can customize your noodles anyway you like. I’ve also noticed prices have gone up since my last visit back in 2014 by a few dollars.

Milk Tea

Whether you have cold or hot milk tea, you still gotta get it. M got the cold house special milk tea and I got the regular cold milk tea. Both were really good.

Laksa Noodles

This is the laksa soup base with beef brisket, beef balls and egg noodles. M loved it and he was able to eat this entire bowl, which is massive.

Coriander and Century Egg Soup Noodles

The coriander and century egg broth is one of my personal favourites. It has a very comforting taste and I had it with beef brisket, fish balls and thick rice noodles. So good! I wasn’t able to finish all the noodles but I tried my very best. Most people end up getting their remainder to go.

Pan Fried Boneless Chicken with Teriyaki Sauce

This chicken was delicious! The skin was crisp and the meat was very moist.

Desert Wings with Ginger

There are 3 pieces to an order and I also love this item too. Very crisp and the ginger is subtle. Pairs so well with soupy noodles.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a great additional to the neighbourhood. It’s the same ol’ delicious noodles, so they have kept the quality consistent. I’ll be back for more.

We Rate Deer Garden Signatures: 

Address:
7150 Sperling Avenue, Burnaby

Website:
http://deergarden.ca/

Deer Garden Signatures Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In American

Johnny Rockets: Open in Downtown Vancouver

Johnny Rockets has finally opened their first location in Downtown Vancouver. They are expanding fast and their next location is on Oak Street in Vancouver. Since 1986, Johnny Rockets has been a favourite place for all-American burgers, fries and shakes in the States. When we heard they had opened, my foodie friends and I made a visit for dinner.

Interior

The interior has an interesting look that is different from some other locations in the states. They call this ‘Diner 2.0’ for this modern contemporary diner look.

‘

The group of us didn’t know how we felt about the look as it seemed a bit cold compared to the cute retro diner at the older location in the states.

On the bright side, there are plugs and USB outlets at each table so you can charge your phones, laptops or whatever else. On the table, you’ll find difference sauces.

The Rocket

The classic cheese burger has cheddar cheese, leaf lettuce, tomato, white onion and special sauce. They source the meat from Canada for their patties, but I felt the burger was ok. Solid, but nothing special. I ordered the combo, but one thing I didn’t like was the lack of customization, so I couldn’t swap my fries for onion rings even if I wanted to pay more. The fries were mediocre. Nothing wrong with them, but I personally like my fries with a crisp exterior.

Smoke House

This has smoked bacon, crispy onion rings, cheddar cheese, and their Smoke House BBQ sauce.

Bacon Cheddar

It has thick-cut smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, leaf lettuce, tomato, sliced onion and special sauce. The bacon was on point, a very very crisp.

Onion Rings

When you order onion rings, it comes on a tray by itself. My friend ordered a burger with it but they didn’t put it together even though they both on one tray.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food was ok and didn’t stand out compared to the other options in Downtown Vancouver. If you are a fan of Johnny Rockets, you may like what they’re cooking up.

We Rate Johnny Rockets: 

Address:
755 Nelson St, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.johnnyrockets.ca/

Johnny Rockets Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Dessert

O! Taho: Filipino-Style Tofu Dessert on Fraser St

O! Taho has been on my list of places to go to for a while to try their Filipino-style Soya Pudding. There’s only a handful of places to get handmade soya pudding in Metro Vancouver, but I’ve never heard of the Filipino version. My friends were having lunch close by, so we decided to come here.

Interior

The interior isn’t very interesting. Simple, but they focus their efforts of their food. There are 2 small tables to eat here, but most people do takeout. They have on the menu Filipino congee, various longanisa, lumpia, empanada, BBQ, halo-halo and the soy pudding. When we were here, they didn’t have any more congee, so we stuck with the soy pudding.

Hot Soy Pudding

We decided to share the 1 serving size for $5. They also have cold soy pudding too. We went with the hot and it is served with the sweet brown sugar syrup and tapioca pearls on top. Mostly everyone takes it to go, but we had some time to kill, so we had it here.

The tofu was delicious and very smooth. I’ll definitely try it cold next time.

We Rate O! Taho:

Address:
4223 Fraser Street, Vancouver

O! Taho Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Cafe

Saemaul: Rice Dessert Cafe in Coquitlam

Saemaul is a rice dessert cafe in Coquitlam. It is hidden away in a strange looking plaza. They specialize in rice-based desserts and I was pretty excited to give this place a try since they have more than just rice cake. My foodie friends invited me to tag along to take a few things off their menu.

Interior

The interior is simple with lots of tables and chairs. Since they are pretty new, this place wasn’t very busy on a weekday. It’s still a well kept secret.

Menu

Jolly Pong Shake

This sweet milky drink is topped with Jolly Pong rice puffs. It reminded us of milk and ice cream because of it’s thick-ish texture.

Injeolmi Snow Ice Flake

Injeolmi is essentially rice cake with roasted soybean flour. They also paired it with red bean in this snow ice flake. They also have other flavours too, so if you aren’t into injeolmi, there is chocolate, mango, strawberry, coffee and classic red bean.

Dipping Chocolate Fondue with Rice Cakes and Fruit

This cute interactive dessert has 2 different kinds of rice cake. One has different layers of colour like a rainbow and the other has more tough like regular rice cakes. Then you also have strawberries, kiwi and bananas.

Homemade Rice Flour Waffles

My favourite item of the night were these homemade rice flour waffles. It took them a long time to perfect the recipe but it’s is nothing I’ve ever had before. It’s super crisp and crunchy. I would definitely order this again.

Rice Cake Churros

The rice cakes are dusted with sugar and cinnamon. It was decent but you didn’t need this many churros to satisfy your cravings.

Rice Roll Cakes

There was the matcha rice roll cake and strawberry rice roll cake. You can tell it’s made of rice flour as the texture was more dense.

Red Bean Mochi

This was good! It’s delicious when it’s made fresh. It has a pillowy soft texture with the red bean hiding inside.

Rice Cheese Cake

I enjoyed this dessert too. It has a rice flour crust and I didn’t notice it too much. I just kept eating it and would order this again.

Overall, some desserts were a hit and miss, but there are definitely a few gems like the waffles.

We Rate Saemaul Cafe:

Address:
B-901 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/saemaulcafe/

Saemaul Rice Dessert Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Abbotsford

Field House Brewing: Brewery in Abbotsford

Field House Brewing is in Abbotsford and they have quite a craft brewery scene here. There is a good selection of their beer on tap, so our friends wanted to give it a try as we were in the area.

Interior

The interior is very rustic with lots of wood accents like it’s a cabin.

Beer Flight

I got a flight of the lighter and less hoppy beers that they had.

Sour Wheat Gose is a 16th century German salted sour wheat ale. Soured with lactobacillus, the tartness of this Gose is balanced by the addition of coriander and elderflower and brewed with salt, hand-harvested by Vancouver Island Salt Company. It has a good balance that is salty, sweet and citrusy.

Dutch Pale Ale is the Dutch answer to the Belgian Pale Ale, mellow in malt and bitters, but finishes with a hint of new world hops.

Dutch Sour Wit is a witbier brewed with dried orange peel and coriander. The soured with their house lacto yeast culture and dry-hopped to compliment the flavour. This sour beer was pretty good.

Light Saison was one of my favourite here. It is a bit fruity, floral and a tad spicy.

Final Thoughts

It’s a pretty busy brewery and their sour beers are good. If you’re around Abbotsford, definitely check them out, drink some beers and have a few bites here.

We Rate Field House Brewing:

Address:
2281 W Railway St, Abbotsford

Website:
https://fieldhousebrewing.com

Field House Brewing Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Cafe

Say Hey Cafe in Chinatown

Say Hey Cafe is also another newer addition to Chinatown. Lots of eateries popping up in the evolving Chinatown neighbourhood. They specialize in sandwiches and they draw in a lunch crowd. I came with a few of my friends during lunch to check them out and see what they offer.

Interior

The cafe is very narrow and there are only a few tables. Not bad with how they set up the space.

Menu

They have a few staple items on their menu and 4 different daily specials.

Super Hero Special

This changes up daily, but where we were here, it had turkey sausage gumbo, sweet potato corn, turbo spread, corn chips, arugula and terragon aioli.

Meatball Hoagie

This is one of their most popular items on the menu. It has house made meatballs with provolone, pickled Serrano chilis, arugula, and chili aioli. There are 4 meatballs in this hoagie and they were super delicious and you can taste the difference. If it’s your first time here, you’ll probably want to order this too.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a good lunch and filling, but it is pretty pricey as it’s over $10.

We Rate Say Hey Cafe: 

Address:
156 E Pender St, Vancouver

Website:
http://sayheycafe.ca/

Say Hey Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Cafe

Half Fool: Juice, Smoothies and Coffee in Chinatown

Half Fool is a boutique and general store, which also serves smoothies, juices and coffee. A little bit of everything here. They are located in Chinatown and since I’ve passed by quite a few times, I thought I should come here for a visit with my friend.

Boutique

At the font of the store, you’ll find a bunch of their different nicknacks. Take you time browsing because you might miss some cool unique gifts like, card, artisan cosmetics, jewelry, and other things.

General Store

As you move deeper in the store, you’ll find some great products beautifully places on shelves.

Beverage Bar

At the back of the store, you’ll find them serving up, smoothies, juices and coffee. There are some baked goods to purchase here too.

Cappuccino

I ordered a Cappuccino as that’s my usual drink at any coffee shop. It was good and kept me awake for the rest of the afternoon.

No 1 Smoothie

My friend got smoothie No 1, which has mango, kale, spinach, celery, ginger, tumeric, cayenne, and orange juice. My friend enjoyed it and noted the tumeric is pretty prominent.

Final Thoughts

A good addition to the Chinatown neighbourhood. Stop by to grab a drink and browse their shop for some pretty cool gifts.

We Rate Half Fool: 

Address:
18 E Pender St, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/halffoolyvr/

Half Fool Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Happy Hour

Curve Lounge at River Rock Casino Resort: Happy Hour

Curve Lounge at River Rock Casino Resort has live music, drinks and tapas every Monday – Friday between 2pm and 5pm for their Happy Hour. All dishes are $6, which is pretty awesome. We were invited to give their happy hour menu a taste.

Patio

The patio is really nice to enjoy the rest of the Summer, have drinks, food and enjoy great times with friends. I didn’t realize they had such a great space behind the lounge. The open field and the view of the marina. Since it’s close to the path way of planes landing at the airport, you can spot all the different types of plan zooming by.

Happy Hour

Cheese fondue

The cheese fondue has bread sticks on one side and then root vegetables on the other. A rich dish to have in the Summer time, but if you have a craving for cheese, this will satisfy them.

Chicken wings

Crispy chicken wings with salt and pepper for taste. It’s no happy hour without wings. Of all the wing flavours, I really like salt and pepper as it keeps your fingers clean compared to saucy ones.

Avocado bruschetta

It’s a really good size for $6. It is topped with greens and tomatoes. You can squirt some lemon on top too to give it more acidity.

Inari pocket

A twist on a Japanese classic with lots of ingredients stuffed inside. I personally thought it was ok, but it didn’t really stand out compared to some of the other dishes.

Jalapeno popper

The Jalapeno popper sits on top of a slaw in a small cute jar. A good snack and the ooey gooey cheese is hiding inside ready for you to munch away.

Wild rice tobouli

To pair with this, there is shrimp, octopus and seared tuna. The quality is so-so as I can tell it was pre-frozen, but it’s only $6. This dish is one of the healthier dishes of the happy hour menu.

Baked artichoke dip

This is really satisfying to eat and who doesn’t love chips and an awesome dip. I really enjoyed this.

Flatbread

They have 3 different kinds of flatbread – Veronese flatbread, Frutti di mare flatbread and Pugliese flatbread. They were all decent, crispy edges and filling.

House Made Sweets

They also have desserts for $5 or 3 for $12.

Unicorn cake

This beautifully colourful dessert has almond genoise, raspberry yogurt mousse, lemon curd, and chantilly cream.

Dark Chocolate Bombe

Blood orange cardamom cremeux and a dark chocolate mousse. A fruity compliment to the chocolate based dessert.

Chilled mango cheesecake

This has vanilla shortbread on the bottom and topped with the dome shaped mango panna cotta. It’s really good, I was pretty surprised with the fragrant mango taste.

Pina colada Mousse

You will find coconut mousse, pineapple gelée, and rum coconut dacquoise.

Final Thoughts

The $6 Happy Hour menu is pretty good and if you’re in the area, definitely check it out. The patio is very relaxing and the live music is a plus. Since it is Monday to Friday from 2pm to 5pm, it’s pretty hard to make it if you’re not in the area.

We Rate Curve Lounge:

Address:
8811 River Rd, Richmond

Website: 
http://www.riverrock.com/dining/curve/

Curve - River Rock Casino Resort Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Lebanese

Paramount Fine Foods: Lebanese Restaurant in Vancouver

Paramount Fine Foods on Robson street is a chain restaurant that recently opened in Vancouver and specializes in Lebanese cuisine. I passed by several times and there always seems to be long line ups during peak hours. So, I came with a few foodie friends to check this place out after work.

Interior

The interior isn’t too large but there are tables great for groups of 2’s or 4’s. There are some large tables but you probably gotta wait.

Mezza Plate

This trio has their hummus, moutabbal, and tabbouleh. Getting this was a good way to try all three appetizers. The hummus has chickpea paste, tahini paste drizzles with olive oil. The moutabbal has grilled eggplant, blended with tahini sauce with some olive oil. Tabbouleh is made of finely chopped tomatoes, parsley, onion, and other stuff. A good way to start the meal and its good to have it with the complimentary bread.

Musakaa

This has eggplant, green and red peppers, onions, chickpeas mixed with homemade tomato sauce. It was ok, but nothing about it really stood out to me.

Labneh with Zaatar Manakeesh

This was recommended to us by our server and it has creamy yogurt and zaatar, which is a thyme and sesame mix. It was interesting, but none of us liked zaatar and yogurt for the topping.

Mini Mixed Grilled Plate

It is served with rice, hummus, spicy bread, garlic sauce, grilled vegetables and the chicken shish tawouk skewer, beef striploin skewer, and kafta skewers. It’s a good item to get if you want to try all the meats to taste which one is the best. We personally found the chicken was the best of the bunch.

Tabliyah Saj Chicken Shawarma

It is served on a wooden board with fries, pickles, turnips and garlic sauce. There are shredded pieces of chicken wrapped in their freshly baked thin Saj bread. It’s so good dipped in the garlic sauce. I would get this again.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was great to try Paramount Fine Food to see what all the hype is about, but some dishes that we got were hit and misses. They have unique items here that other Lebanese restaurants in Vancouver don’t have.

We Rate Paramount Fine Foods: 

Address:
560 Robson St, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.paramountfinefoodsbc.com/

Paramount Fine Foods Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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In Cajun/Creole

Captains Boil Cambie: Cajun Seafood Boil

The Captain’s Boil has just opened on Cambie Street serving up delicious cajun seafood boil. They have open a few locations in Vancouver in the last year. Definitely expanding quickly. We were invited to check out the space and a few of their popular items to order.

Crawfish

Crawfish are essentially like mini lobster. To eat this, you have to take off the head, peel off the shell and eat the meat inside. I personally don’t like crawfish compared to all the other types of seafood available because its a lot of work to get a little bit of meat.

Clams

Clams are delicious especially with the roasted garlic and melted butter. Naturally sweet and very delicious. Also, easy to eat as you pick the met from between the shells.

Mussels

The mussels were very plump and meaty size. I enjoyed them with the sauces. I would recommend this too.

Snow Crab Legs

They do say crabs are like the spiders of the sea, but don’t let their spikey legs scare you. Inside is succulent sweet crab flesh. It will take a bit of work to get into it, but it’s not too difficult.

Lobster

They get lobster shipped in daily for freshness and it’s good. It’s best paired with the secret Captain’s Boil sauce. The tail is the meatiest part and the best part. The claws are meaty too but the taste is slightly different.

Okra and Corn

You need some veggies to balance the seafood heavy meal. Okra is something I personally like but some people may not like it due to its slimey texture. The corn is amazing especially during the summer as it’s in season and so sweet.

Cajun Seafood Fried Rice

This was a hit and miss with the table. If you’re looking for something extra on the side to have with the meal, this might be good. I personally don’t like rice too much.

Fries

How can you go wrong with a basket of fries?

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s fun to have cajun seafood in a while especially with a table full of people. Getting your hands dirty with bibs and gloves on is super fun. Be sure to check to market price of some of the seafood before coming here so you know what to expect in terms of pricing.

We Rate The Captain’s Boil: 

Address:
3250 Cambie St, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.thecaptainsboil.com/

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In Filipino

Epic Grill Silogs: Philippine Cuisine in New Westminster

Epic Grill Silogs is located in New Westminster near Queensborough Landing by the outlet shops. Hidden away in the residential area is this Filipino restaurant specializing in silogs and sansrival.

Interior

The space is large and can fit small to large groups. It was definitely busy when we came here. There was a long line up to get a table and an even longer wait to get your order. We waited a very very long time…because we were determined to try the silogs.

Ube Milkshake

Ube is a purple yam that has a bright lavender colour. I don’t believe they use real ube as there is the dried ube sprinkled on top.

Sago At Gulaman

This is a sweet Filipino drink that is good for the Summer. It is made with brown sugar, tapioca and other types of jellies. Even when it was mixed around, it was still pretty sweet for our liking.

Calamansi

Calamansi are little limes from the Philippines. Imagine this as like Filipino lemonade.

Crispy Pata

Crispy Pata is a deep-fried pork hock with a delicious sauce that goes with it. It’s very very decadent but oh so good. The crisp skin with the succulent meat was addictive.

Silogs

We got a 3 meat silog with Pusit Silog (Dried squid), Lechon Silog (Crispy pork belly), and Tosi Silog (pork). It is served with garlic rice and 2 eggs.

We got another with Long Silog (Sweet sausage), Bang Silog (Boneless Milkfish), and Corned Silog (corned beef). Of all 3, I liked the corned beef the most.

Biya Silog (Dried Sole Fish), Lumpia Silog, and Tap Silog (Beef) was the next 3 meat silog that we ordered. It was interesting to try the sole fish, but it was pretty dry and crisp.

Final Thoughts

It’s a pretty unique place to have a lot of silog options all in one place. We tried 9 different meats, but next time, we would just get our silogs with just 1 type of protein as it’s a lot cheaper and we know our favourite meats. The wait time was a bit long for our order, which was annoying, so next time we will definitely come earlier.

We Rate Epic Grill Silogs: 

Address:
538 Ewen Ave, New Westminster

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/EpicSilogsGrill/

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In Mount Pleasant/Main Street

The Arbor: Vegetarian Restaurant on Main Street

The Arbor is a vegetarian restaurant located on Main street created by the minds behind The Acorn. My friend and I decided to come here for dinner to check it out as it was pretty busy, but they still had a few tables left. They don’t do reservations, so its first come, first serve.

Interior

The space is very small and cozy, but there is a patio outside which is great for the Summer. They’ve really tried to maximize the space.

Fried Oyster

BC oyster mushrooms is lightly battered and deep-fried. There is a creamy dill sauce on the side to dunk them into. The batter was very crisp, but after eating a lot of them,

Southern fried artichoke sandwich

There is fried artichoke, eggplant bacon, avocado mousse, spicy mayo, cheddar cheese, and jalapeño pepper in a ciabatta bun. Surprisingly, a pretty good sandwich was good flavour and texture.

Mac n’ Cheese

It has orecchiette pasta, broccoli and cheddar cheese. Then it is topped with arugula and served in a cast iron pan. It was cheesy and delicious. Highly recommended.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a good addition to Main Street with more vegetarian options that are tasty. You could have easily fooled me with this food. No meat, no problem.

We rate The Arbor: 

Address:
3941 Main Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.thearborrestaurant.ca/

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In Chinese

Neptune Chinese Kitchen at Hard Casino in Coquitlam

Neptune Chinese Kitchen recently opened at Hard Rock Casino in Coquitlam. There are currently 12 restaurants under the Neptune Restaurant Group. You’ll notice they have expanded quite quickly in the last few years. You’ll find an array of Chinese dishes here from dim sum, noodles, to their seafood specialties.

Interior

The interior is newly renovated and much brighter than the restaurant that was here previously. It’s a large space and can fit small to large groups here.

Dim Sum

Pork Sui Mai with Fish Roe

This comes with 4 pieces to a steamer. The sui mai is a mix of shrimp and pork. This was ok, but I felt it was missing something.

Shrimp Spring Roll

The shrimp spring roll has 5 pieces cut in half. It is deep-fried until golden brown. Pretty standard.

Shrimp Dumpling

Shrimp dumplings had a good bounce to them. You should ask them for some hot sauce to go with it. Our dumplings seemed like it was steamed a bit too long, so the skin separated from the dumpling.

Creamy Egg Yolk Custard Bun

So delicious! If you’re here for dim sum, you should order this. Sweet and creamy.

Lunch and Dinner

Minced Fish and Pumpkin Congee

Congee definitely hits the spot and it’s my sort of comfort food. They have 13 kinds of congee. I’ve never had minced fish and pumpkin in congee, but it was good.

Chilled Spicy Shrimp

The shrimp were delicious and was a good start to the meal as an appetizer. A good amount of spice that isn’t too spicy at all.

Wonton Noodle in Soup

A simple items to get for lunch if it’s just for 1. You get 5 wontons and some broccoli with the noodles. and broth.

Curry Seafood Chow Mein

The curry sauce and the seafood was good but the noodles oddly looked red under all of that. The sauce is a tad sweet.

Steam Lobster with Sticky Rice in a Bamboo Steamer

Always a good dish and it’s weird to see the lobster stares at you. The sticky rice sits on the bottom on the steamer wrapped in leaves. Then the delicious lobster is on top.

Yang Chow Fried Rice

A good classic fried rice dish that has a bit of everything. Can’t go wrong with this.

Crab with Salty Egg

I really enjoyed this dish. The salty egg on the outside of the shell was so addictive that I wanted to lick it all off. The crab was cooked well and the meat was naturally sweet.

Sticky Rice on Crispy Chicken

This was a well liked dished among the table. The skin was beautifully rendered so it was crispy and not fatty at all. A lot of prep went into this to really debone a chicken to create this. I would definitely order this again.

Neptune Signature Ribs

A good portion of the ribs that are saucy and sweet.

Final Thoughts

Overall, some items were average but it’s still a good addition to the neighbourhood as there needs to be more Chinese restaurants. Whether you come here for dim sum, lunch or dinner, you don’t have to travel too far.

We Rate Neptune Chinese Restaurant: 

Address:
2080 United Boulevard, Coquitlam

Website:
http://www.neptunechinesekitchen.com/

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In Abbotsford

Old Abbey Ales: Craft Beer in Abbotsford

Old Abbey Ales was on our list of craft breweries in Abbotsford. We made this one of our last stops before heading back home. When with my foodie friends, craft beer is always a must.

Tasting Room

The tasting room is a good size and able to fit small to large groups. Just order your drink up at the bar and find a seat. Similar to other craft breweries, it’s like a big warehouse.

Beer Flights

I ordered a flight of 4 and I got the Purple Drank, Sour Raspberry, Beets by Steve and Pineapple Express. They are very creative with their drinks and has a mainstays sections and experimental section. I love it because there are lots of items you won’t find anywhere else. All of these were sours, so if you are a fan of sours, you’ll love them. All of them had very unique flavours and its worth a try.

Final Thoughts

Overall, they have a large variety of beers on the menu, but all of us were really drawn towards their unique, seasonal, and experimental flavours. Might as well give them a try. Check out Old Abbey Ales when you’re in Abbotsford.

We Rate Old Abbey Ales: 

Address:
30321 Fraser Hwy #1a, Abbotsford

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/oldabbey/

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In Abbotsford

Raven’s Brewing Company: Craft Brewery in Abbotsford

We were in Abbotsford for the weekend doing a mini getaway from Vancouver. We were heading to Castle Fun Park but needed beer to finish off the day. Raven’s Brewing Company was on the list of suggested breweries, so we stopped by for a flight and some of their delicious radlers. Who doesn’t love craft beer?

I got a flight with 2 samples with the Dark Mild, Grapefruit Radler, Raspberry Hefeweizen, and Sumas Mountain Lager. Of the bunch, the Raspeberry Hefeweizen and Grapefruit Radler stood out. Sweet and refreshing for the hot summer weather.

M got a sleeve of Grapefruit Radler as he loves sweet radlers. After he finished this, we came back to buy a growler of this to share with friends.

Final Thoughts

It’s nice to check out other breweries outside of Vancouver. There are good options in Abbotsford. If you’re in the area, check it out.

We Rate Ravens Brewing Company: 

Address:
2485 Townline Rd, Abbotsford

Website:
http://www.ravens.beer/

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