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Three Beakers

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Storm Brewing is a bit different that other breweries in Vancouver. They don’t have a lounge or a tasting room.

When you walk through their sliding door, you are right in the middle of where the brewing magic takes place.

You are essentially in their workspace brewing away some amazing beers. There are no seats, no tables, and no food.

Anyone 19+ can sample up to 6 different brews one at a time by a cash donation. They do not have pints or flights.

They have lots of beers to choose from. They have their mainstays and a bunch of experiments brews.

Mainstays:

  • Precipitation Pilsner 5%
  • Highland Scottish Ale 5%
  • Hurricane IPA 7%
  • Black Plague Stout 8%
  • Imperial Flanders Sour Ale 8%
  • Chales Dickens 7.5%

Brainstorms:

  • Vanilla Whiskey Stout 9%
  • Rosemary IPA 7%
  • Turkey Dinner IPA 7%
  • Snake Eyes Ale 7.5%
  • Glacial Mammoth Extinction 25%
  • Mrs Claus Pilsner 5%
  • Lemon Ginger IPA 7%

We spent more time trying these ones as they are pretty unique compared to other breweries. Rosemary IPA and Turkey Dinner IPA have strong aroma of herbs. I was surprised this flavour combination would be possible.

My friends also paid $5 extra to try the Glacial Mammoth Extinction at 25% alcohol. I didn’t try it since I had to be a responsible driver to get everyone to our next spot.

Overall, this place is super unique, but you most likely won’t be spending too much time here. The space is definitely sketch, but they do have some pretty cool beers. I love how much they experiment with beers.

We Rate Storm Brewing

Address:
310 Commercial Drive, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.stormbrewing.org/

Storm Brewing Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Doan’s Craft Brewing Co is a family run brewery in the heart of the East Van. From home-brewing to Craft Brewing, the Doan’s family is inspired by great beer, the art and science of craft brewing and the community created by the craft beer movement.

I passed by this shop a few times and thought it looked pretty cute and not pretentious at all. A few friends and I visited their tasting room on a Sunday night and they are open pretty late, which is great.

They do flights, glasses of beer, growlers, and some food too.

Interior

Their space is small and doesn’t have too many seats for large groups, but there is one larger communal table and 3 smaller ones in another corner. They also have some cool local art on the walls too.

If you love arcade games, they have an arcade machine with a few games you can play by yourself or with a friend.

Beers

Looking at their drinks, I had to get a flight of 4 tasters to get a taste of how their line up of beer tastes.

I got them to pick 4 drinks for me that were on the light end of the spectrum and isn’t too hoppy.

I got the:

  • Kolsch
  • Scrooge’s Light Ale
  • Doan Bros Pale Ale
  • Rye Stout

All 4 beers were really good, but if I had to choose one, it would be the Kolsh. Very light and refreshing, which I enjoy the most.

Overall, it’s a cool space to hang with friends and enjoy a beer. Super casual atmosphere with good beer.

We Rate Doan’s Craft brewery

Address: 1830 Powell Street, Vancouver

Website: http://doanscraftbrewing.com/

Doan's Craft Brewery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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It was a beautiful day in San Francisco and we ended up at the Ferry Building to grab some lunch. The ferry terminal has so much to eat, but we were on a mission to find Gott’s Roadside since we were told by several friends they have some awesome burgers.

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We ordered our items at either the left or the right side of the restaurant. They have 2 counters to take orders.

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Once you have your order and get your drink, you get this electronic buzzer and it will let you know when your order is ready.

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Flashing lights. Time to get the food!

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Bacon Cheeseburger is a beast with American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles & secret sauce on a toasted egg bun. Really nice toasted bun with a good amount of ingredients inside the burger. It really hit the spot.

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Onion Rings were huge and I love the crunch when you bite into the onion rings.

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Don’t forget to grab some ketchup and mustard. They use Sir Kensington and they make amazing condiments. My favourite brand.

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Cheeseburger has American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and their secret sauce on a toasted egg bun.

My friend also got Sweet Potato Fries on the side with a chili spice-dusted and a side of house-made ranch sauce.

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Overall, it was a great lunch and we really enjoyed Gott’s. I would come back again. They even have outdoor seating if you want to enjoy the sun. We avoided eating outside since we didn’t want to get too tan.

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We rate Gott’s35rating

Address:
Ferry Building, Level 1, 1 Ferry Plaza, Suite 6, San Francisco, CA

Website:
https://gotts.com/

Gott's Roadside Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Wild Sweets is back with their holiday collection to make everyone’s Christmas a little more merry and delicious. This includes sculptures, logs, and chocolate sets.

I was invited back to check out the items that they are offering.

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Crispy Chocolate Cherry Orange ‘Tea Cake’

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This was one of my favourite items. This is their twist on the classic Christmas fruit cake. The cake is placed over a crunchy buttery ‘sablé’ cookie topped with a hazelnut chocolate praline cream with crispy crepe flakes. It is so good. I will take this over any fruit cake any day.

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Venezuela Ocumare Chocolate ‘Bûche de Noël’

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Each layer of this cake provides a different texture, including a delicately soft jelly coating, cloud-like mousse, unctuous cream, rich ganache and crispy/crunchy base. This one one of my top favourites too. It’ll be great to bring this to a holiday party and it’s unique compared to other cakes out there. I love the mousse and how rich that ganache is.

Holiday cocoArt Sculpture

They have 5 different holiday sculptures.

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Santa-Sphere

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Tree

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Snowman

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Sleigh

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Orna-Tree

Crispy Cherry Cake Ganache Collection

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Each collection features an assortment of 4 chocolate bouchées with the following flavours:

  • William Pear & Chestnut Cream Caramel Ganache
  • Lychee Rose & Raspberry Caramel Ganache
  • Cassis Blackberry & Elderberry Ganache
  • Mandarin & Orange Zest Caramel Ganache

These reminded me of little moon cakes. It was like a hybrid between a fruit cake, chocolate and a moon cake.

2016 Vintage Canadian Icewine Collection

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ThisCollection includes the following ganache flavours:

  • Cabernet Franc Icewine & Strawberry Apple Ganache
  • Riesling Icewine & Peach Orange Ganache
  • Vidal Icewine & Pineapple Passion fruit Ganache
  • Gewürztraminer Icewine & Lychee Rose Ganache

A good gift for those ice wine lovers out there and these taste pretty good.

2016 Vintage ‘Ganache Classique Nougatine’

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The 2016 Vintage ‘Ganache Classique’ Limited Edition Collection includes the following origins and percentages:

  • 70% Venezuela Ocumare
  • 70% Venezuela Canaobo
  • 70% Peru Oro Verde
  • 64% Mexico Chiapas

Each ganache filling is topped with a piece of salted butter cocoa nibs nougatine before being enrobed in dark chocolate. I love the differing textures.

Overall, my favourite part of the holiday collection are the cakes. A nice twist to the classic items.

We Rate Wild Sweets35rating

Address:
2145 – 12191 Hammersmith Way, Richmond, BC

Website:
http://dcduby.com/

Wild Sweets Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Pacific Poke has finally opened their doors in Chinatown on Main Street. I’ve been waiting for a long time to open as it’s the closest poke restaurant to my office.

What sets them apart from other poke restaurants in Vancouver is their clean, wholesome ingredients packed with bold flavours. When I saw they were finally open on Instagram, I went with a few of my coworkers to check it out as it was we needed some lunch.

Interior

You order on the left side and on the right side is their seating. They have a few tables and some seats by the window. The decor is simple, but the metal origami pieces are pretty cool.

Ordering

On the menu, you can build you own poke bowl or pick one of their many chef inspired creations.

I always end up building my own to cater to my own taste buds. They have 2 sizes – regular and large.

If you want something different, they have poke paninis. There are 3 kinds:

First, you choose your poke base. You can do a classic base of organic brown rice or traditional sushi rice, but I went with the kale salad base.

For the protein, you can choose from:

  • Sockeye salmon
  • Ahi tuna
  • Negitoro
  • Steelhead
  • Spicy tuna
  • Spicy Salmon
  • Albacore tuna
  • Crab
  • Shrimp

Some of their selection can change seasonally based on whats available. I went with the Sockeye Salmon and Ahi Tuna as those are very classic.

For the toppings, they have:

  • ginger jicama
  • tomato kimchi
  • pickled red onion
  • green onion sprouts
  • red beets basil
  • jalapeno
  • organic seaweed salad
  • fresh wasabi peas
  • seasonal offerings

I couldn’t decide what to get so I asked them for a bit of everything to add to my bowl. Why not get all the ingredients to try it all.

They also have some drinks, but their house-made iced teas and lemonade are amazing:

  • Strawberry Green Tea
  • Yuzu lemonade
  • Unsweetened Genmaicha

You can ask them to try them before deciding which one to get.

Poke Bowls

After the first few bites, you can tell the toppings are super fresh and not coming straight from a can. They seem to put a lot of work into preparing each topping that goes into the bowl.

Even though the portion size wasn’t as large as some other poke places in town, the flavours of the sauces really shine and doesn’t over power the fresh pieces of fish.

How my coworkers and I describe this place is like the Tractor of Poke.

Poke Panini

The Poke Panini’s can be order in full or half size. My coworkers got their Salmon Poke Panini and they enjoyed other ingredients that came inside the panini like the tomato kimchi.

Final Thoughts

Easily one of my top favourite poke places in town. With so many poke places opening up in town, each place has their own unique difference. I really appreciate how Pacific Poke put a lot of love and care into each ingredient, you know it’s not from a can. Plus their drinks is worth a try. Their portions are a bit smaller and prices are a bit higher than the other places but I would come here again.

We Rate Pacific Poke

Address:
625 Main Street, Vancouver

Websitehttps://www.thepacificpoke.com/

Pacific Poke Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Bourbon St Grill just open at Metropolis at Metrotown and it’s slowly become M’s favourite food court place to eat at. Their menu is pretty interesting as it’s Americanized food but with a cajun twist. It’s like Manchu Wok but more variety in flavours. The few times that we’ve been here, there was a line up but it moves really quickly.

You can also find them at other malls across Metro Vancouver.

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I got a plate with green beans, BBQ pork, battered chicken and cajun rice. A good portion for 3 item and rice. As for food court food, it was pretty average, but you get your moneys worth.

We Rate Bourbon St Grill3rated

Address:
4700 Kingsway
Burnaby

Website:
https://metropolisatmetrotown.com/stores/bourbon-st-grill/

Bourbon St. Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Ritual is a Farm to Table restaurant in Downtown Vancouver. They are inspired by an array of cultures that drives an eclectic and ever changing menu. Chef Nevada Cope put together a special menu that gave us a sneak peek into what they offer for their weekend dinner from Friday to Sunday. Ritual is both a full service restaurant and a multi-concept space.

Their menus are ever evolving and based on weekly availability of produce and ingredients through their suppliers.

Interior

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The space is pretty nice with a chalk wall in the back, a TV with a cute cat in front of a fireplace and these cool murals of animals on the walls.

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The seating is cute and simple.

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They have such a huge love for coffee that they have developed a coffee program that brings amazing locally roasted coffee to the West End. They use Pallet Coffee Roasters to craft all sorts of delicious concoctions like Espresso, Havana Style Iced Coffee, and Lavender Lattes.

During the day, you can can come here for delicious pastries and coffee.

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Drinks

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They have lots of lovely cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks. I went with a ginger green tea and it was ok, but the ginger syrup didn’t have a good kick to it. It was mostly just sweet.

Starters + Sides

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Bread Service includes a few pieces of the warmed herb focaccia bread with maldon salt butter.

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Charred Cauliflower and Tahini has baba ganoush, parsley and lemon gremolata, and a black sesame tahini. This was a really delicious dish and i would definitely order this again.

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Roasted Organic Carrots with seaweed butter makes a great side with some of their other main items. Everything tastes better with butter.

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Autumn Squash Gratin is layered and baked to order. It is topped with parmesan and parsley. It comes out bubbling hot and hits the spot the accompany the meal. Surprisingly really delicious too.

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Grilled Beet Salad is served with warm feta, oregano, sliced oranges, and a smoked bacon vinaigrette. I love a good beet salad and the goat cheese paired so well.

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Fully Loaded Vegan Baked Potato is topped with cashew cheese, broccoli, scallions, spicy sprouted organic tofu, mushrooms and tomatoes. One of the least liked items on the menu, not because it was Vegan, it lacked something to really bring this potato together. It felt a bit bland.

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Butter Seared Honey Cornbread Slice is a nice addition to the meal too if you aren’t into their herb focaccia bread.

Mains

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Hot Fried Chicken it is not too spicy and its lightly dipped in unpasteurized honey, and served with crimini mushroom country gravy, scallion mash, veggies, and butter seared honey cornbread.

It was a really good dish. I liked how moist the meat was and the skin was nice and crisp.

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Duck Leg Confit comes served with einkorn risotto, almonds, cranberries, and buttered dinosaur kale. The duck is delicious.

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The Yam of Your Dreams has a super cute name. It has a double baked yam stuffed with pulled pork, bbq sauce, salsa fresca, pineapple, habanero mango hot sauce. Surprisingly, the pulled pork worked well with the yam.

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Francesinha Sandwich is meant to be eaten with a knife and fork. It has milk bread, smoked ham, andouille sausage, roast pork loin, melted havarti cheese, and a rich tomato beer sauce.

Dessert

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Eggnog Tart has gingerbread pate brisee, baked eggnog custard, and a black cherry coulis. Really cute and has a neat deconstructed look to it.

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Pan Roasted Pineapple has a ginger and sage cookie crumble and topped with a house french vanilla ice cream. I enjoyed this dessert the most as there was the fresh fruit and the creamy ice cream.

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Almond Orange Poppyseed Cake has six layers of cake with cream cheese frosting and toasted almonds on the outer edge of the cake. I thought this was ok.

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Overall, a pretty good spread for the weekend dinner menu. I was impressed by their creative twist on classic dishes. I love the concept of this restaurant, but that can make their hours a bit confusing to customers.

We Rate Ritual35rating

Address:
774 Denman Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.ritualvancouver.com/

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

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Original Joe’s is a Restaurant and Bar located on Robson Street in Downtown Vancouver. We came here to try a few of the new menu items that have some out this fall.

I’ve seen Original Joe’s around but haven’t made a visit till now.

Interior

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The interior is just like a bar with screens all over to watch the game. It was dimly lit, but it set the mood. We did notice this place was super clean. The space is still pretty new as it hasn’t been at this location too long.

Drinks

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Guilt & Honey has buffalo trace boubon, amaro, honey syrup, lemon juice and lemon bitters.

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Original Joe’s Blonde Lager is a nice light beer that is well balanced. Not too hoppy.

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El Diabla is a mix of jalapeno, tequila and other ingredients.

Appetizers

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Dynamite Tempura Shrimp is topped with a spicy chili aioli, unagi sauce & togarashi. I really enjoyed this dish. It has a good amount of shrimp and the batter is just the right thickness, so it has a nice crunch.

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Bacon Jalapeno Mac & Cheese has chopped bacon, jalapenos & a blend of cheeses; topped with parmesan panko bread crumb. This was ok, but I wish it was more cheesey.

Burgers

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A.C.E Cheese Burger has two thinly pressed beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle & house made burger sauce. I liked how the patties are griddled and not grilled to retain more moisture. The sandwich also comes with 2 choice of sides, so we went with the mixed green salad and homecut fries with dill sauce.

I’m really surprised that it came with 2 sides as it adds variety to the meal.

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It was pretty good for a classic cheese burger.The 2 thin patties that sandwiched the cheese was so good.

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The Grilled Cheese Burger has garlic grilled french bread, cheddar, swiss & provolone cheese; with peppered bacon, shredded lettuce, tomato & a stack of crisp fried onions. You also get 2 sides too. We went with the poutine and caesar salad. Good, but we all still preferred the A.C.E Burger.

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Overall, you can’t go wrong with a beer or cocktail with their A.C.E Burger.

We Rate Original Joe’s3rated

Address:
294 Robson Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.originaljoes.ca/

Original Joe's Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Golden Szechuan Restaurant in Richmond is known for their spicy food. I came here with Sherman, Dee and Amy to try a few of their dishes as well as try some dumplings as part of the Dumpling Trail.

Interior

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The interior has tall ceilings and there are a lot of large round tables which is great for large groups.

Dumpling Trail

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Boiled Pork and Cabbage Dumplings were pretty good. The filling was moist and it had a good ration between the pork and cabbage.

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Spicy Wontons had a nice thin skin and had a good amount of sauce. It wasn’t too spicy at all.

Other Dishes

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Spicy Pork Slices on bamboo comes beautifully presented like as if it was drying laundry. The boiled pork and cucumber sits on top, so you grab a piece and dip it in the sauce below. Very good, but you need to have that sauce dunked to the pork or else it’s just boiled pork belly slices and cucumber.

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Dan Dan Noodles was decent.

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Braised Beef Noodles was ok, but I didn’t like how it was a tad sweet.

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Mouth-Watering Chicken was a good dosh as well. Good meaty pieces of chicken with a slightly spicy sauce. I was surprised it wasn’t more spicy. The peppercorns added a nice kick to the dish.

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Boiling Beef should have set my mouth on fire, which I was looking for, but the spiciness didn’t last very long. Not sure why this visit, the spice level was more tolerable.

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Twice-Cooked Pork was one of my favourite dishes. The pork was delicious and the garlic scapes were so addictive.

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Overall, it was a pretty good spread of food that we ordered for dinner. A few of the outstanding items were the twice-cooked pork, dumplings, and mouth-watering chicken.

We Rate Golden Sichuan Restaurant35rating

Address:
170-3631 Number 3 Road, Richmond, BC

Golden Sichuan Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Continuing my poké adventures in Vancouver, another poké shop is Poké Time on Robson Street. I came here during my lunch break to grab a bowl to go with my coworkers. You can have you poke on a bed of rice, salad, nachos or eat it as a burrito. What I like about them is that you can do pick up or delivery and put your order in advance.

Interior

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There are single seats by the walls of the shop, but you won’t find any tables here. Most people do take out.

I also love this pineapple wall. Very cute.

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Build your own bowl

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I find that getting the bowl is worth the price. I got the poké bowl and you can choose 2 scoops of protein, salad or rice or half, mixers, sauce, toppings, garnishes, and crunchies.

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It was hard to figure out what to add on, but I got a little bit of everything and the staff are very generous with how much they put in it.

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It’s so huge! I was surprised how they were able to close the lid on top.

Eating the Poke Bowl

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I got salmon and tuna as my protein and then seaweed salad, crab meat, mandarin oranges, edamame, corn, carrots, cabbage, greens, onion crisps, cucumber, masago, green onion, nori. I got the tarty ponzu sauce and it was nice that it lightly marinated the protein so it wasn’t overpowering the fresh fish.

We Rate Poké Time35rating

Address:
1258 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.poketime.ca/

Poké Time Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Los Cuervos is a Taqueria and Cantina near Kingsway and Fraser St in Vancouver. A few of us went after work to enjoy their Happy Hour special. 2 Tacos and a beer for $10. A pretty good deal.

We came at 5:30pm and just made it in time before 6pm.

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There are 2 dining areas, but we were seated in the area closer to the entrance with the bar. Dimly lit and cozy.

Happy Hour

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2 tacos and a draft beer cost $10, which is pretty good compared to our regular menu as tacos are around $4 each.

I got:

Lomo Cantinero Taco with Cantina-style slow-roasted pork shoulder, pineapple pico de dallo salsa.

Suadero Taco has beef brisket marinated in a beer achiote, with pickled poblano pico.

Both were delicious and the poblano pico added a lot of kick. It’s pretty spicy. The beer was good and refreshing. They have a few beers to choose from.

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Tostadas

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Ceviche tostada has local ling cod, shrimp, cucumber and poblanos. Delicious and the heat from the poblanos was good.

Churros

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Churros come with a bunch of them. It comes with a chocolate and cajeta sauce. Definitely an item that everyone at the table needs to share. Crisp on the outside and not overly sugary.

Happy Hour here is pretty good and I’ll be back.

We Rate Los Cuervos35rating

Address:
603 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

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

Los Cuervos Taqueria & Cantina Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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I came to the San Francisco Ferry Terminal on a weekend and Cowgirl Creamery’s Sidekick Cafe sells Raclettes on the weekends on Saturday and Sunday from 11am – 3pm. I’ve been dying to have a good raclette, so when I saw it, I just had to have it.

Rachlette is a Swiss dish of melted cheese. Typically it can be on top of potatoes or bread.

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The smell at the ferry terminal was intoxicating and it drew a large crowd. Its such a nice feeling watching them scrape the melted cheese onto the plate. I waited about 20 minutes for my order to be ready.

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All the gooey cheese on some pickled veggies and 2 slice of fresh bread. This Rachelette was delicious. Simple, but there is no denying melted gooey cheese.

We Rate Sidekick Cafe35rating

Address:
Ferry Building, Level 1, 1 Ferry Plaza, San Francisco, CA

Website:
https://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/sidekick-cafe-milk-bar

Sidekick Cafe & Milk Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Bao Down Snack Bar is the 3rd location to open up from the minds behind Bao Down. This particular location features Filipino Style Tapas. I’ve been to the other 2 locations and I’m always surprised how each location has a different menu and concept.

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The interior has the classic Gastown bricks and then the beautiful mural from a local artist.

Drinks

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They have a pretty good cocktail menu with a bit of Philipino inspiration.

Taka has Suntory Toki Japanese whiskey, Taylor Fladgae white port, Shoju, and angostura bitters

Bagyo has dark, white and overproof rum, passion fruit syrup, agave syrup, and fresh lemon juice.

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Calamasita has a mix of hornitos plata tequila, sweet and sour shrub, cointreau, egg white, calamansi limes, and agave syrup. A good amount of sweetness in this drink. It is even garnished with a small calamani lime.

Dinner

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Lumpia is a Filipino spring roll. You can choose from either:

  • Free range chicken and Water Chestnuts
  • Local pork and garlic

It is served with a sweet chili sauce and plum sauce. It is crisp on the outside with the savoury filling inside.

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Empanada Bao comes with 2 deep-fried bao buns with either:

  • Lechon Palsiw, chicharon, onions and garlic
  • Organic, local, Gluten-free BBQ Chicken, Inasal, and a basting sauce
  • Adobo eggplant, onions, garlic, and Tamari

We had the lechon version and it was really good. The bun is crisp and warm with the delectable pork filling.

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Charcuterie Plate isn’t like your typical plate, it has a Filipino twist. It has:

  • Tocino
  • Longanisa
  • Chorizo
  • Fried Quail Eggs
  • Garlic Mayo Sauce

Nice little bites to pick at while having drinks. When it comes to the taste, it was ok compared to other places I’ve been to.

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Pork Belly Lechon was a beast. It’s a slow roasted crispy pork belly with ultra crispy skin. It is served with a sarsa sauce. I wasn’t a fan of the sauce as it was a bit sweet, but I would have preferred another sauce to break up the fatty taste.

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House Blended Rice is purple in colour due to the wild rice. Great texture and it has a bit of garlic to it too.

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Adobo Fried Chicken uses Gluten-free flour, a buttermilk marinade, adobo glaze and a banana sauce. It’s great that they cater to those who are Celiac or are avoiding gluten.

It tasted great and has a nice crunchy skin.

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Eggplant Torta is a roasted eggplant omelette with tamarind, and a charred tomato. It was ok, but it wasn’t my favourite dish.

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Okoy Yam Fritter was really good. It has crispy fried yams, local greens and veggie with prawns. I would get this again. Super crispy and addictive.

Overall, the food was good and you can see the Filipino inspiration in the food. They have a good beer and cocktail menu and its great to pair it with the snacks on the menu. Good items to share.

We Rate Bao Down Snack Bar35rating

Address:
221 Carrall Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://baodown.net/menu/bao-down-snackbar/

Bao Down Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Salchicha on Granville Street serves up Northern African and Middle Eastern cuisine in Vancouver. Pretty unique since there isn’t many places that serve that type of food.

I was invited to try a few of their signature items on the menu.

They use good ingredients in their dishes like preservative-free, premium free range meats and BC produce where possible.

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You order at the counter and you can serve yourself. There is water by the wall. Alternatively, they can also serve you at your table.

Appetizers

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Salada Platter has Tabbouleh salad, Hummus, Arabic salad and Baba ganoush with a side of focaccia bread.

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There are a few dips you can add to the platter for a few dollars extra -Harrisa, Sahuog, and Tahini Dips.

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Grilled Marinated Chicken Breast Skewers is served with a chipotle mayo house sauce. The skewers were ok but a tad dry.

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Antipasti comes with roasted eggplant, bell peppers, yam, carrot,and zucchini topped a sprinkle of with EVOO and balsamic.

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Sweet Liver Pate was an interesting item on the menu. The presentation wasn’t pleasant either. It has stir fried liver and onion and sweetened with cherry tomatoes and cinnamon.

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Cherry Salad has 3 kinds of cherry tomatoes, lettuce, mint, red onion and a sprinkling of feta cheese. I really liked the salad as it was fresh and the mint paired very nicely. I would get this again.

Mains

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Beef Kababs are pierced with a cinnamon stick and there is also potato cream purée under each kebab. I found this a bit dry.

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Shakshouka with Maraguez Sausage is served on a hot skillet with tomato sauce, and poached eggs.

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Couscous with Maraguez Sausage has spicy lamb sausage with a reduced Harissa sauce. Pretty good hearty dish with a hint of spice.

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Spring Chicken with date molasses, and rice. The dish was ok, but not as interesting as the other dishes for the mains.

Dessert

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Malabi was the dessert to finish off the meal. It is a milk custard thickened with corn flour and topped with rose water and maple syrup, coconut shavings and crushed peanuts.

Really good dessert with a hint of floral from the rose water.

Final Thoughts

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Overall, the food was decent but it’s hard to figure out what will tickle your taste buds.

We Rate Salchicha3rated

Address:
1065 Granville St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.salchicha.ca/

Salchicha North African and Middle Eastern Cuisine Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Pepper Lunch launched a few items on their menu a few month ago. We went to their Cambie location to try a few of these items. I’ve been a big fan of their restaurant ever since I had it in Asia. The 2 Canadian locations are a lot better than the ones in Asia but to the sourcing of their ingredients.

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The space has high ceilings with natural night during the day. Narrow space, but has spaces for small to large groups. They have a second floor that accommodates larger groups.

Gyoza

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Gyoza is their new side dish and it comes in beef or chicken. There are 12 pieces per order. Both types were delicious but the chicken was very moist and addictive. Nice grill marks on the outside too.

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Maple Flavoured Sliced Pork Steak

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Maple Flavoured Sliced Pork Steak has sliced pork steak, bean sprouts, green beans, carrots and a bowl of rice on the side. This was surprisingly very good. The maple caramelized on the outside of the pork and added a touch of sweetness that isn’t over powering.

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Dinner Specials – Prawns and Sliced Angus

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Prawns and sliced angus comes with veggies, bowl of rice, miso soup, a drink and mochi ice cream.

I love hearing the meat sizzle on the hot plate from the cooking meat. Delicious and tender angus beef with lots of flavour.

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Dinner Specials – 300g Kobe Burger

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The 300g Kobe Burger comes with veggies, bowl of rice, miso soup, a drink and mochi ice cream. It’s a pretty big slab of burger. Super delicious and great for people who want a little extra food compared to the regular menu.

Veggie Mushroom Burger

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Veggie Mushroom Burger also has bean sprouts, green beans, carrots and a bowl of rice. I usually don’t like veggie burgers but they did a good job making these and the savoury mushrooms really made it taste great.

Yaki Udon

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They also introduced yaki udon and you have the choice between beef or pork. It also has green beans, carrots and topped with bonito flakes and green onions.

Stir it around and it cooks all the items in the skillet.

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Mochi Ice Cream

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They also have a variety of mochi ice cream. I enjoyed the vanilla and black sesame ice cream mochi. All of them were pretty decent and its a nice sweet touch to the end of the meal.

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Final Thoughts

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Overall, its great to have a few more additional items on the menu. I usually have my go to dishes at Pepper Lunch, but I really enjoyed the Veggie Mushroom Burger and the Maple Flavoured Sliced Pork Steak.

 

We Rate Pepper Lunch35rating

Address:
2323 Cambie St. Vancouver

Website:
http://www.pepperlunchcanada.com/

Pepper Lunch Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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It’s been a while since my last visit to Kibo. They are a modern Japanese restaurant which is popular among larger groups celebrating birthdays or other milestones.

We came here to grab a few bites and get some drinks in the evening.

Drinks

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A pitcher of Sapporo  comes with frosted and chilled mugs. Sapporo is my preferred beer to go with Japanese food as it balances the flavours very well.

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Sake is my friends drink of choice. Cold sake comes in a cute little dispenser.

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Kibo Ball has Whiskey, Melon liquer, and Peach Schnapps. An easy drink shooter and they have a good deal for 5 for $20.

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Aburi Block Sushi has pressed rice, salmon and their chef’s signature sauce. A very saucy item, but of course it’s not as good as Miku’s version.

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Ika sugatayaki is a grilled and marinated whole squid. Served with a lemon and a mayo sauce. THis was pretty good and an easy item to share.

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Assorted Tempura is decent here too. A few pieces of yams and prawns with a dipping sauce.

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Short Ribs are marinated and grilled. Tender and not chewy at all.

Overall, the food is decent, but a lot of people come here for drinks and a few bites in the evening.

We Rate Kibo3rated

Address:
1261 Hamilton Street, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/kibo.yaletown/

Kibo Restaurant and Lounge Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Nero has opened their second location in Yaletown. Unlike their Robson Street location, they have more seats, a patio, a different menu, and alcohol.

Everyone loves a good Brussels or Liege waffle.

Interior

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A lot of the seating is great for groups for 4 people. It has a cozy atmosphere too.

Beer

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Four Winds Saison was what I ordered. It’s one of their 2 BC Craft beers on the menu. They also have a few Belgian Beers on the menu too.

Waffles

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Fruity Waffle is one of Nero’s classic items on the menu. It has their chef’s selection of fruit and topped with whipped cream.

We had it on their brussels waffles. I love the ones with fruit as it’s just so nice to munch on or share with friends.

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Liege au fromages has a grilled 4 cheese savoury liege waffles with a spicy tomato chutney. An interesting changes as it is a savoury item. I never imagined waffles as a grilled cheese sandwich.

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Brussels Tapas Board has 2 pieces of brussels waffle with goat cheese brulee, East van jam, bresaola and arugula. Another savoury item. It was like a cheese board but with waffles instead of crackers.

Overall, it was interesting to see their new item with more savoury items and drinks. Definitely a change from their Robson location. It’s a good place for less line ups and seating.

We Rate Nero3rated

Address:
1002 Seymour Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.nerowafflebar.com/

Nero Belgian Waffle Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Every day was an early morning for us when we were in San Francisco and I needed coffee and toast to start off my day. After doing a quick search, I found a nice cafe a few blocks away from our hotel.

Red Door Cafe is located in an alley or on the main street depending on how Google Maps tells you to walk. It told me to walk down an alley till I found a red door.

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You know you’re there when you find the bright red door.

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Half of the space is a coffee shop where people line up for their delicious coffee in the mornings.

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The other half is seating and art from the gallery.

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Cappuccino was nice and strong made of Four Barrel coffee beans. They made a lovely heart to start the day right.

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Avocado Toast has avocado, salt, pepper, and cholula on top of your choice of bread. Very delicious but it was pricey. I got mine on sourdough.

Overall, a good start to the day.

We Rate Red Door Cafe3rated

Address:
111 Minna Street, San Francisco
Website:
http://reddoorcoffeesf.com/

Red Door Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato