Three Beakers Archives - Page 63 of 63

Burgoo ( Main)

September 18, 2010

I always pass by Burgoo on Main and seeing their bright blue sign, so on Tuesday, M, FragileBoy, InsecureGirl and I decided to go here after classes.

We heard good reviews of this place so we were excited! The interior décor was nice and mostly wooden, so it reminded me of a barn. But maybe that ties in with their theme of comfort food cause a lot of comfort food comes from the south.

On the table, there was nice candlelight and fresh flowers too!

We started off the meal with our drinks. Fragile boy ordered the Burgoo Pale Ale, he said the beer was not bad but it was a bit sweet compared to the types of beers he drinks. I tried a bit of it and I did not understand what he was saying cause I always think all beers taste the same.

I got the Caipirinha which is a Brazilian drink made out of sugar cane rum, sugar, ice and lime. I first heard about this drink when I was in Europe 2 years ago during an exchange to Vienna, Austria. The drink is pretty strong, so I turn into Rudolph.

M had the Homemade Strawberry Lemonade, which reminded me of freckled lemonade from Red Robins. There were the strawberries and syrup on the bottom and the lemonade on the top. When you looked at the glass, it has a gradient to it.

Before all our dishes came, they gave us bread!

M ordered the crab bisque, which contained a smooth crab and red pepper cream bisque with tarragon, and chopped parsley. M liked the soup but too bad it did not have bits of crab in it.

We all shared the Gooey Cheese Grillers. It was golden brown and extra crispy on the outside. On the inside the gooey gooey deliciousness was composed of melted Mozzarella, Gruyere, Emmenthal and white Cheddar! I have never had a sandwich with so many different cheeses. Emmenthal is used in cheese fondue…fyi. So it tastes like a cheese fondue in a sandwich. We didn’t order the salad with it, so instead of $12, it was $8!!

FragileBoy got the Beef Bourguignon! One of Julia Child’s dishes from her cookbook! If you saw the movie “Julia and Julia”, you would know the dish is made of red wine braised beef with caramelized pearl onions, carrots and mushrooms. This was served over mashed potatoes. FragileBoy liked it.

M’s main dish came which was the Kentucky Burgoo, which is basically like a stew. It contained slow cooked meats with lima beans, corn, tomatoes, cabbage and okra served over Burgoo biscuits. Burgoo Biscuits were essentially scones. He chose the Burgoo biscuits and he regretted it because he felt the mashed potatoes would complement this better. FragileBoy and I commented the stew was slightly sweet.

IndecisiveGirl ordered the tasty chicken sandwich with the pacific chowder. The Pacific Chowder had smoked salmon, seafood and potato, finished with green peas and fresh herbs. Her tasty chicken sandwich came in a multigrain bun with roasted chicken, apple, cucumber and greens with house Dijonnaise. She seemed satisfied with her meal, but for some reason she had a lot of trouble holding on to her sandwich.

I had the Ratatouille Provençale. For some reason, I thought of the ratatouille movie. I expected something completely different that what arrived at the table. The ratatouille had oven-roasted vegetables in savory tomato and garlic baked with parsley, breadcrumbs and Chevre, finished with extra virgin olive oil. It came in a bowl type of thing and was predominantly tomato sauce…so it felt like eating pasta with red sauce without the spaghetti. The pieces of vegetable were small and not like the images I see on Google. I was fairly disappointed with the dish. I could only eat about 1/4^th of it because it was fairly bland. This could have used some hot sauce if they had any.

I would not come again for dinner or eat from the comfort section of the menu. It was a bit too heavy for me and way too “comfortable” for my pallet. I would consider coming for lunch and having more gooey cheese grillers!

When the bill came, it was in a very cute dim sum container. It was bit a bit random, but I assume it complemented the international aspect of the menu.

Dinner came out to be about $20ish per person.

If you love grilled cheese sandwiches and comfort food, go to Burgoo! Their menu showcases comfort food from various places of the world. For about $15 – $20, you can enjoy a delicious dinner. Just watch out for what you choose on the menu because comfort food does not mean it’s healthy for you.

We rate Burgoo:

Check out their website: http://www.burgoo.ca/

In Chinese

East No. 1 Seafood Restaurant

September 12, 2010

Since I apparently like late night snacking, East No. 1 Seafood Restaurant seemed like a good place to get our Chinese food cravings fulfilled.

M liked their sweet and sour pork, so he insisted we go. Even though this place is usually for dim sum…we just took a gamble and went for evening dinner.

Unlike the weekend afternoons, this place was pretty empty compared to the super packed weekends where asian people are fighting over the last egg tart.

We started off the meal accidently ordering the house soup, which had corn and meat in it. It was really nice and refreshing and came out to be ~$10 and served about 4 people. Not bad, but I’m sure if you know how to make soup, it would be a fraction of the price. I should get my mother to make more soup.

Next we had the best sweet and sour pork in Vancouver… M and FragileBoy are the advocates of this claim. I clearly did not believe them until I tried for myself, the meat was really well fried but I wish there was more meat and less vegetables. Overall really nice!

Next we had the Yan Su Fried Rice, nothing too special about it since it tasted liked typical fried rice with shrimp. I love shrimp, so it easy for me to like it right away.

Also, we had a chicken fried noodle, which was amazing since I love crispy noodle. I actually eat it for the texture of the crunch noodle rather than what’s on top. The noodles were so crunchy so when you put it in your mouth you can hear the noodles go crunch.

Lastly, we had the spicy green beans, which was nice and spicy. What I didn’t like about the dish was that the beans were a bit soggy and it was not very crunch when you bit it. Compared to some other Chinese places, this dish didn’t make me like it.

At the end of our meal they gave us sesame balls, and red bean/wild rice soup. It was a nice end to the meal and I did enjoy the sesame balls and the soup. Made the meal a bit more enjoyable.

If you love Chinese food and want some place cheap to eat at in Vancouver. Try out East no. 1 Seafood Restaurant! They also do dim sum!

We rate East no. 1 Seafood Restaurant:

They are located at:

2800 E 1st Ave
Vancouver, BC

In Seafood

The Oyster at Pescatores Seafood

September 8, 2010

No trip to Victoria is ever complete without having some seafood! On our way back to Vancouver, InsecureGirl, FragileBoy and I really wanted some oysters and The Oyster was really calling out to us! Even the “Buck-a-Shuck” sign in the front tempted us to have oysters for $1 a piece.

We took so long contemplating the decision that the “buck-a-shuck” deal ended at 5:30pm. But nonetheless we went anyways because we are whores for oysters.

We walked in and the place seemed very lively with a majority of the seats full and the vibrant red walls screaming excitement. Soon enough, we found out this place was not so exciting after all.

We looked at the menu and it seemed really limited so we stuck to the steamed mussels and clams in garlic butter, as well as 3 types of oysters. It took the waitress awhile to get our order…even though she was a few steps away from us at the bar. All the food came fairly slowly and made us super hungry. ( you can click on the photos to see larger versions).

First up was the bread. Like all restaurants they bring bread. Nothing super special but free bread is always nice…since asians love free stuff!

Next the pound of steamed mussels and clams arrive in its delicious garlic butter. It was very good and even M said so himself….and he doesn’t really like seafood. I thought the garlic butter was just fantastic…I even dipped the bread into the sauce.

The 3 types of oysters that we chose were – kusshi, satori, and Fanny Bay. All oysters were served with 4 sauces: classic mignonette, cucumber mignonette, hot pepper sauce, house cocktail sauce and freshly grated horseradish.

My favorite was the Kusshi oyster. It has a very buttery texture, rich and salty with a sweet mildly fruity finish to it. Even The Oyster’s website said it is one of the oysters that beginners should eat. It’s small and not too intimidating for people starting out to eat raw oysters.

Satori was a bit salty but no distinguishing taste that I could get out of it.

Fanny Bay was very salty and sweet with a cucumber or melon finish.

One thing we didn’t like about the oysters is how there were still bits of shell near the meat of the oyster, so when you ate it, you would need to spit out pieces of the shell.

Also at the end, the service was still pretty bad….

If you are looking for a wide selection of oysters and other types of seafood, check out The Oyster! Just watch out for the service cause it’s bad!
We rate The Oyster:
Visit them at their website: http://theoysterbar.ca/

In Japanese

JagaSilk

September 6, 2010

When going to the Bug Zoo in Victoria, InsecureGirl suggested we go to JagaSilk for some amazing authentic green tea!

We were still uber full from The Empress Afternoon Tea, but InsecureGirl and I dragged the boys to go in. Good thing we did because it turned out to be a memorable experience! First of all I love green tea, I must have a cup everyday…it’s probably just the asian side of me.

JagaSilk is located in Nootka Court and owned by a lovely couple. The little shop looked very unique when we walked in, the store was filled with Japanese pottery – Chawan and had a nice bar to sit down.

Since I’m not an expert in green tea, I did not know what to get on the menu since there were so many options and different grades of green tea you could use in your tea. We asked the owner what he would suggest and we chose the Organic Green Tea Frappe and lemon matcha ice tea.

The matcha ice tea was made first where Jared – the owner shows us how he prepares the matcha for the drink. He carefully measures the amount of matcha and then adds in hot water and purified water then mixes with a chasen (matcha whisks). Then he goes to the back to mix the matcha mix with sugar water, lemon and ice. Thus the lemon match ice tea was made. It was really refreshing and the color of the matcha really resonated through this whole drink. It was very nice!

The Organic Green Tea Frappe was made next with the same mixing process and was blended with a blender. They take their drinks very seriously; they even went to the trouble of making the drink again because it was not perfect! After it was all made, I took a sip out of it and WOW such amazing green tea flavour in the drink. It was probably better than Starbucks and 100% more healthy!

FragileBoy decided to try out the Orange Duck Organic LondonFog Ice Cream. The Orange Duck is the brand of the ice cream; no ducks were hurt in the making of the ice cream. The ice cream was served in a nice cup and plate. It was served with frozen blueberries. The first bite of ice cream was unbelievable! It had so much flavour that it tasted like a real London fog. The blueberry was a nice addition since it is kinda like a pallet cleanser when you had too much of the same taste. If you go here you must eat this!!! There is nothing else like it!

They even have a green tea version too to go! This will soon be out in stores soon!

While we were drinking the drinks, we chatted with him for a bit asking about the business and green tea products. It turns out there’s different grades of green tea and how there is a myth were if the green tea comes from Japan, it’s automatically labeled organic. In reality, this is obviously not true. So, JagaSilk works directly with a Green tea farmer in Japan to ensure the products they are using are organic and live up to the grade that is specified. They even go far as using all purified water for their ice cubes.

They even sell their green tea and pottery in the store and online!

If you are looking for authentic green tea drinks go to JagaSilk. You will not be disappointed. They also support organic products, vegetarianism, and sustainable business practices! So, you know they are really dedicated to their work.

We rate Jagasilk:

Check out their website: http://www.jagasilk.com

In Robson Street/West End

Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House

September 2, 2010

After hearing so much about Joe Fortes, I thought it was time to go! A group of us went during lunchtime because they have $10 Blue plate specials and Prix Fixe set meals for either 14.95 (2 dishes)or 17.95 (3 dishes).

Since Joe Fortes is a seafood restaurant, Insecuregirl, Fragileboy and I decided to order some oysters! We love oysters, we would probably drink oyster if we wanted to. We started off with 3 types of oysters – Kumamoto, Joe’s Gold and Local Beach. If you do not know anything about oysters, just ask the waitress/waiter for suggestions because you don’t want to end up with oysters that taste nasty.

The Kumamoto Oyster had a firm texture and a rich creamy flavour. The after taste was quite interesting since it ended with a buttery-sweet and mildly fruity, with just a hint of briny flavour. Apparently it’s very popular. I really loved this one a lot. As you can tell, this oyster came from Japan.

Joe’s gold was a bigger than the Kumamoto Oyster. Joe’s gold oyster had a mild, fresh flavour with a sweet finish. These oysters are specially ordered from Saw Mill Bay for Joe Fortes…thus the name – Joe’s gold.

The last oyster – Local beach was about the same size as Joe’s gold. It also had a mild fresh flavour but it also tasted salty and briny.

For more info on local BC oysters check out:
http://www.pacifickiss.ca/about-bc-oysters/bc-oyster-buyers-guide

Enough about oysters, let’s get back to the meal! InsecureGirl, CanuckGirl and I had the Cup of New England Clam chowder as an appetizer, part of our prix fixe meal set. It came with oyster crackers on the side to add into the Clam chowder. Inside the clam chowder there were cream, potatoes, bacon, thyme and of course clams. It was an ok chowder but I really wished there were more clams in the chowder because I didn’t find much of it expect for maybe half a clam. The crackers were a nice touch when you wanted more texture in your chowder.

M and FragileBoy had the Halibut and Chips. M’s Halibut came on his dish looking like a fish. It was super amazing because FragileBoy’s Halibut looked nothing like a fish. The batter was really nice and crispy. The halibut inside was perfectly done on the inside. There was also tartar sauce to dip the halibut into. The tartar sauce tasted like normal tartar sauce but with more of a dill taste. The fries on th bottom were really good as well. One thing the whole table agreed on was that the fries had a “Mc Donald’s” aftertaste, which was interesting, but it made us all want to eat it more.

InsecureGirl, TaiwaneseGirl and CanuckGirl all got the Wild Salmon with mashed potatoes. The Salmon was just ok by itself but if you ate it with the corn and peppers on the bottom, it just adds to the dish so much more! The sweetness from the corn really balances out the taste.

I ordered the blue cheese meatloaf. It was really good since I’ve actually never had meatloaf before. Tasted really good with the corn on the bottom. I found that it was quite a large dish for myself and was quite meaty…since it is a meatloaf. I wanted more vegetables to really break the meaty taste from my mouth.

To finish everything off, there was dessert! I ordered the Vanilla crème brulee.

The crème brulee was nice and crunchy at the top and creamy at the bottom. I didn’t like the mound of whipped cream on the side. I didn’t think it added much to the dish.

TaiwaneseGirl ordered the Vanilla Gelato with Chocolate Ganache drizzled on top. The wafer and the chocolate ganache added a lot of texture to the gelato. It was very well done and great dessert to finish the meal.

For the price of the food, it could have been way better since there are so many other seafood restaurants in Vancouver. I might as well spend the same amount of money elsewhere to get better food with more amounts.

Joe Fortes is the king of seafood but the menu is quite pricy if you go for dinner. If you want to try this place out for lunch, it is way cheaper. A lot of the food we ordered was just ok and not super fantastical delicious.

We rate Joe Fortes:

Check out Joe Fortes website: http://www.joefortes.ca/

In Mexican

Cilantro & Jalapeño

August 29, 2010

My coworker suggested I go try out Cilantro & Jalapeño, which serves Mexican food. I am not a big fan of Mexican food since I hate beans. Nonetheless, I tried it out anyways.

The line up was pretty long so this indicated that this is a popular place to eat at Lonsdale Quay. So, I lined up and took a look at their menu. They had a large selection of Mexican food from enpanades to taquitos. It was pretty cheap since it was under $10 an entrée. The seating is not great, but what can you really expect from a food court.

I decided to have the small quesadilla with chicken. You can choose the type of meet that you want at no extra cost. You can choose from wither chicken of beef. So, if you are not a beef eater, then choose the chicken.
The quesadilla was very simple since it consisted of tortillas, Edam cheese and chicken. Even thought it was simple, it tasted very clean and fresh.

The quesadilla came with 3 sides – guacamole, salsa and beans. The guacamole and salsa were just amazing and fresh! I have never had such delicious guacamole and salsa in my life! You know its fresh because they make new batches everyday! So, you know you don’t get week old salsa sitting in a jar. Everything is made fresh right in their kitchen and you are able to see them make the dishes.

They also have a grocery section to their shop where people can purchase the guacamole, salsa, and different sauces they use for their dish. After eating this dish, I bought their signature tortilla chips and a large tub of guacamole.

If you love the taste of authentic Mexican food which tastes super fresh, try Cilantro & Jalapeno! You will not be disappointed. Remember to try their Guacamole and Salsa!

We rate Cilantro & Jalapeno:

Check out their website: http://www.cilantroandjalapeno.com/

In North Vancouver

Screaming Mimi

August 27, 2010

I was at work at a special event at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. At lunch I really wanted seafood and my friend had a craving for clam chowder!

After walking around loops at the market, we had decided to try out Screaming Mimi, which apparently has a good selection of seafood as well as dishes with seafood. Located right near the plaza, it is in a spot with lots of traffic. Since the place is inside Lonsdale Quay, their seating is limited and the ambiance is pretty ugly. When they are very busy, the service is slow, so you will need to flag someone down for an order.

TaiwanGirl decided to order first and got a large Cream Roma Clam Chowder. Unlike the traditional clam chowder, it was a mix of cream and tomato together to make a very nice soup. What amazed TaiwanGirl was how many clams they gave you in the soup. They scooped one huge ladle of clams into the cup and then filled it with the soup. She commented saying how it was totally worth the $4 since it had so many clams and also they were delicious!

Right after, I ordered a large tomato clam chowder because there was no more Cream Roma soup left. But nonetheless it was good trying something different. I too was amazed by the amount of clams they gave and how delicious they were! I am a huge seafood fan, if I had to drink seafood, I probably would. In addition to the chowder, I got the fried oysters. WOW! These were so delicious and I am going to get these again! It was not oily or strangely cooked. It tasted like what an oyster should taste like. You can even taste the butter that the oysters were fried in. It gives it a nice texture of crunchiness. You can order these as single, doubles or colossal! And they are around $2 each.

If you are on the quay and craving some seafood while looking at the river and the sight of downtown Vancouver, you must try Screaming Mimi! If you love seafood, you will end up screaming for more Screaming Mimi! But don’t expect too much from their decor.

We rate Screaming Mimi:

Screaming Mimi is located at:
123 Carrie Cates Crt
North Vancouver, BC

In Coquitlam

California Sushi

August 25, 2010

After M came back from Whistler, we decided to go out and eat at California Sushi. Sushi California is one of the better sushi places in Burnaby. It’s a block away from Lougheed Mall and has a wide selection of sushi. The restaurant is owned by Koreans which seems to be the trend in Japanese sushi restaurants which I can never figure out. Lunch times and dinner times can be quite busy, so i really suggest going a bit earlier so avoid the rush.

When I arrived at the restaurant, I couldn’t help but notice one of the soy sauce dishes was a bit dirty. So, you should watch out too if your plates look like it as bits of food on it.

We started with half order of spicy tuna sashimi which tasted not as spicy as I expected. It was a bit sweet. M said they used Korean hot sauce paste and mixed it with sugar to get that taste. As most sushi places, it usually comes with radish garnish, but we did not get any with this one. If you don’t want to eat too much of this dish, just do half an order because it’s cheaper and you know you can finish it without wasting it. You could take it home to eat but it will not taste as good.

We ordered Tempura scallop asparagus roll as well. At first I thought it was probably the weirdest thing to order a sushi roll fried in tempura batter. It had a nice crunch texture to it and it did not taste too oily.

Followed smoked salmon cream cheese roll II. I guess they have two versions of this roll, so they had to add a “II” to the end of it. I’m not exactly sure how it’s different but I did not find this roll too special. It reminded me of an Alaska roll but with different insides.

The next thing we ordered was toro nigiri. I always enjoy ordering a piece of toro at sushi restaurants. If you don’t know what toro is, it is the belly portion of the tuna which is more fatty. Compared to other sushi restaurants, I found this toro was a bit icy, so i assume they froze it and defrosted it for the day. I’ve had better.

Then finally we had tobiko with quail egg nigiri, these just remind me of boobies because it has the yellow dot in the middle. This is certainly very odd to eat and you must make sure you shove this into your mouth so no tobiko or the quail egg spill on the plate. Whenever i encounter a restaurant with red tobiko, i get kinda weirded out since I usually see orange tobiko. According to google, they come in various colors like green and black.

If you like sushi in the mid-range price, then sushi california will be for you. They have the basics as well as some specialty roles. Just watch out for the cleanliness of your dishes.

We rate Sushi California:

Sushi California is located at: 501A North Road in Coquitlam, BC.

In Commercial Drive / Grandview

Waazubee Cafe

August 18, 2010

IndecisiveGirl and I were leaving Simon Fraser University at 11pm after a meeting. We were craving for a late night snack in Vancouver. After countless failures to find a place open on Commercial Drive at midnight, we stumbled upon Waazubee Café.

We didn’t know much about the restaurant before hand, so we went in blind and asked the waitress for her recommendations. She suggested the Nachos, Mac & Cheese, Yam Fries and the BBQ Chuck Rib. After she told us about each of the items we had our heart set on the Mac & Cheese and BBQ Chuck Ribs.

As we sat waiting for our meals, I kept admiring the very strange wax candle holders and odd Jesus candle centerpieces, I couldn’t help but think about a past restaurant MedicalGiraffe and I went to the previous week – Subeez. After thinking and discussing the interior decor, Indecisivegirl told me to ask the waitress and sure enough, Wazzubees and Subeez are by the same owners!

As we devoured the Mac & Cheese, it was obvious that this dish has far surpassed the childhood Kraft Mac & Cheese! It was very savory and was made with some type of white cheese, it reminded me of the cheese you would use in cheese fondue but I can’t be certain. The Mac & Cheese was a great twist on the childhood classic. Even though this was made at 12am, you could still taste it was freshly made. The only thing we disliked from this dish was the green onion garnish on top. Perhaps the dish could have been better with finely chopped parsley.

The other dish we ordered was BBQ Chuck ribs, this came in nice thin slices upon a bed of some type of bean salsa. It was very nice and sour to balance the starchy taste of the beans. I personally do not like Potatoes or beans but it was a delight to try out.

Even though we did not try breakfast here, the breakfast menu did look very delicious! We will definitely hit this place up again to try their famous breakfasts!

Whether you are looking for a late night snack or a fantastic breakfast place, Waazubees is the spot to satisfy your cravings.

We rate Wazzubees:

Check Waazubees at: http://www.waazubee.com/

In Chinese

Sha Lin Noodle House

August 13, 2010

I started going to Sha Lin Noodles House after I saw it on an episode of “$40 a day” by Rachael Ray. I thought if Rachael Ray went there it should be amazing.

What I really enjoy about Sha Lin Noodles for their food since it tastes very clean unlike Pho places. They have a variety of different noodles, which you can choose from (Dragging, cutting, broad, etc). If you are lucky, you can even watch the chef make the noodles!

We both ordered the Dragging noodles with chicken and vegetables soup (Told you Indecisive Girl is indecisive). The noodles were cooked perfectly and had enough chicken and vegetables to go along with it. Adding a bit of chili sauce to the dish is pretty good too if you love an extra kick in your dish. I could finish the whole bowl and I was even tempted to drink the soup too. It was good to be at a restaurant where they do not put MSG into their food.

On the side we had Fried Bun, which came with condensed milk. It was really crispy on the outside and the inside was just so nice and fluffy. Definitely worth a try! But when you order it don’t eat it right away because it’s hot.

The interior of the restaurant is like a typical Chinese restaurant where it’s quite bland and feels slightly unsanitary. When Indecisive Girl and I were there, they took all the hot chili pepper sauce from all the tables and put it in a big giant bowl. They then cleaned all the containers and refilled it. If you plan to use the chili sauce, imagine kissing hundreds of people’s food.

If you are ever craving hand-crafted noodles with no MSG, check out Sha Lin Noodles. But beware of the Chili Sauce.

It’s a great place to go if you really want a cheap meal under $10.

We rate Sha Lin Noodle House:

Check out their location:

548 West Broadway

Vancouver, V5L 1E9

(604) 873-1816

In Kitsilano

The Naam

August 12, 2010

Vancouver sleeps early. It’s pretty difficult to find an eatery that serves food after 11pm. The Naam is one of the few; it’s open 24-hours, 7 days a week. After our night scuba lesson, Batman and I were famished, and met up with DesignGirl to indulge in some midnight snacking (more like, food-hoarding).

Even at midnight, the Naam is brimming with business, mostly from starving students. We pulled up a few seats near the back as courtyard dining was not available at such a late hour, but the dim lighting and deep foliage that lined the courtyard made it irresistibly romantic. You’ll find an eclectic group of diners here – everything from lululemon-wearing yogis to blockbuster celebrities such as The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Jessica Biel. The appeal of the Naam rests in its simplicity – the Naam serves up huge portions of simple, warm, comfort food. Hempwear and dreadlocks are common. Oh, and did I mention that it’s completely vegetarian? But even the most meaty meateaters go gaga for the Naam.

DesignGirl opted for the Buddha’s Feast – and it is what it sounds like – a heaping plate of stir fried vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, tofu, peppers, zucchini, beets, carrots) atop organic brown rice. The veggies are meant to be jumbled together and post-mixing, we arrive at a dish that’s undeniably delectable. The vegetables are crisp and well-cooked, the tofu is flavour-bountiful, and the brown rice is soft and savory.

Batman’s quite affectionate about avocados, and ordered the cashews and avocado enchilada, which came with a side salad. His dish arrived piping out, with guacamole gushing below a tortilla coated in melted cheese. Batman’s verdict “avocado, beans, and other hippy vegan veggie stuff (which is good for you) baked inside cheese. Need I say more? The salad was interesting too.” Personally, I found the enchilada to be too heavy on the avocado – a few spoons would have satisfied me, but eating a whole enchilada was just too rich. The side salad had your standard greens, tomatoes, and sprouts. The dressing was their homemade ‘miso-gravy’ dressing – light and different, without the usual acidic zing of a vinaigrette.

Batman also ordered a beer – the Deadfrog Brown Ale: “The deadfrog brown ale is not dead at all. It was hoppy and jumping all over the place! Settling down with this refreshing beer made me feel grateful to be alive and well. (I think he was just happy to have alcohol) For me, it’s not as consistently drinkable as a lager or pale ale, but I enjoyed the glass of this acquired taste. It made me feel like a froggin’ King.”

I finished everything off with a large carrot juice – which by the looks of it, did not come in a very large glass – and with this being The Naam, I knew it was freshly squeezed.

The service was horrible, I’ve could’ve friven home, planted and harvested my own carrots for juice, with the time it took them to take out order.

For huge portions of organic veggie eats that will fool even the most clever carnivore, The Naam is your best bet – especially for those late night cravings.

We rate The Naam:

Check out their website: http://www.thenaam.com/naam/

In Cafe

Yavis Cafe

August 11, 2010

My favorite place in Richmond for tea and dessert is Yavis Café. Since Medical Giraffe made a frozen cheesecake the other day, I wanted to show her a place that served Glacier Cheesecake.

When you first enter the café, you will enjoy the look of their interior design, which will connect to their menu. The menu starts off with a story about the concept of their café and how they came up with the famous glacier cheesecake.

I ordered their best selling cheesecake – White Romance; it is a normal cheesecake with fruit compote on the side. It was really nice and the fruit compote was a nice addition. I really wished there was more of the compote and not just used on the design of the plate. I also got a Japan Genmacha tea to go with it. It came in a really cool looking cup. It is overpriced tea but it does come with refills so keep on drinking until you get your money’s worth.

Medical Giraffe ordered the Lavender Cheesecake, which really tasted like lavender. If you do not like spices, this may not be the cake for you. The waiter said this was a very popular choice from customers. But, personally, the taste of lavender was not to my liking.

Medical Giraffe’s cousin ordered the Green Tea Glacier Cheesecake. It is like a normal cheesecake, but frozen. The texture is similar to ice cream. Don’t spend too much time ogling and look of the cake because it will melt.

This place stays open pretty late till 1am but make sure you don’t go on a Monday because its closed the whole day.

If you are ever in Richmond and are craving for a late night dessert, head over to Yavis Café and try out their unique cheesecakes.

We rate Yavis Cafe:

Check Yavis Cafe at: http://www.yavisclub.com/