Category

Bar and Grill

Category

Colony Northwoods is a bar and restaurant in North Vancouver. This is a great location as it’s in a new plaza close to Seymour Mountain and Deep Cove.

They have a large selection of local craft beers and a variety of new fresh dishes created by Executive Chef Karen Lyons. A good spot after a hike or snowboarding on the slopes. There are other Colony locations in Kitsilano and Mount Pleasant as well.

Interior

The interior is quite large with 130 indoor seating and 130 more on their heated patio. The space looks very nice and spacious with the high ceilings. This location is a lot larger and modern that the other 2 locations.

Drinks

Beers, wines, cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages are on the menu. If you don’t see something you want on the menu, you can ask them if they have the ingredients to create something more for your taste.

Corn Dogs

Who doesn’t love a classic corn dog? There are 2 kinds available – regular and veggie. It is house-battered with a Nathan’s Famous Dog in the centre, then served with dijon mustard, and ketchup. A fun dish that comes with 4 pieces so you can share among the table.

Yam Fries

The crisp yam fries are served with a chipotle mayo sauce. Another great items to snack on while you have a drink.

Loaded Tater Tots

Tater tots, an all time favourite is loaded with banana peppers, jalapenos, sour cream, green onions, chipotle mayo, and pico de gallo. If you don’t love banana peppers and jalapenos, you can always ask them to omit them. This was one of our favourite dishes to snack on.

Rainbow Glory Bowl

If you want something a bit more healthy, they have different filling bowls with quinoa, spinach, fried tofu, cucumber, beets, Carrots, Pumpkin Seeds, Almonds, Tahini Dressing. Delicious!

Chicken Wings

Classic pub fare and this one is coated in Frank’s Red Hot, which is always a nice spicy flavour, There is also Lemon Pepper and Sriracha Salted. You can also request salt and pepper as well.

Crunchy Chicken Sandwich

On the bun you have a big piece of crispy chicken with house pickled red onion, arugula, and herb mayo. You can have it served with either fries or salad.

CB Burger

This burger has 100% Pure Beef Patty, aged Cheddar, butter lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, and burger sauce. A good burger and nothing complicated.

Baby Back Ribs

This dish has the whole rack of Danish baby back ribs slathered in their housemade BBQ sauce. Then it is served with some veggie skewers and fries. It was a so-so dish as some parts were drier than others.

Salmon Cobb Salad

This hearty salad has a piece of Wild Pacific salmon, grilled leeks, charred corn, gem tomatoes, and their Goddess dressing. It was a large portion and tasted good. The salmon was moist.

Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches

In each order, you get 3 macarons with vanilla bean ice cream. It was surprisingly really good. A bit pricey, but it was the perfect bite to the end of the evening.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food is good for the price you pay and there really aren’t too many options in this area. It’s a great place to have a drink with friends and some bites together. They have a variety of items if you want a fuller meal or just finger food.

Address:
2100 Dollarton Hwy, North Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://colonybars.com/north/

The Vancouver Gourmet Club has held their third cocktail crawl in the Chinatown neighbourhood. This historic neighbourhood is home to some of the best restaurants and bars in the city. Within 2.5 hours, we hit 3 places – Sai Woo, The Keefer Bar and Black Lounge all within a few blocks away.

These cocktail crawls are a great way to see more of the neighbourhood and explore the cocktail scene in the area all in one night. You’ll be able to take old favourites and discover new ones too. it’s always best to attend these cocktail crawls with a few friends so you can try some of their drinks too.

By being part of the tour, you are part of the Vancouver Gourmet Club as a member where you get discounts at select featured restaurants around town and future cocktail crawls.

Sai Woo

Sai Woo is a casual Asian fusion eatery on Pender Street. It has a rich history and the culture kept alive with a modern twist.

At this location, we were treated to one of three cocktail options and appetizers too.

Chinatown Mule

This is their take on a Moscow Mule and it has Jack Daniels, Ginger Beer, Bitters, and Fresh lime.

3 Day Bender

This drink has Old Grand-Dad Bourbon, Aperol, Averna Amaro, and Fresh Lemon. The stronger of the three drinks, but still very good.

Carioca

This drink has Cachaca 51, Guava Juice, Orange Juice, Fresh Lime, and Sloe Gin. Fruitier of the 3 options and easy to drink. it has a very similar look to the Chinatown Mule.

Vietnamese Pork Spring Rolls

The spring rolls were crisp and deliciously savoury inside.

Mantou Buns with duck confit

These big buns have their duck confit filling. Imagine like a Chinese sandwich.

Black Lounge

Black Lounge is located outside of International Village and when you walk inside, everything is sleek black with hints of gold.

Gold Cocktail

This has Jameson, Lemon Ginger Honey, and topped with fabulous Gold Flakes.

White Cocktail

This has Vodka, Creme de Cacao, Frangelico, Cream, and extra Gold Flakes too. This drink was really good since it reminded us of a chocolate milk with the creme de cacao and cream.

Black Cocktail

This cocktail messes with my mind since it looks like coca cola. It has Hornitos Tequila, Cherry Brandy, Disaronno Amaretto, Cranberry, Charcoal, and Candied Ginger.

The charcoal really gives it the black look that represents Black Lounge. The candied ginger was a nice touch to add some contrast to the drink. The amaretto did give the drink a bit of a sweeter kick.

Fried Cauliflower

Of the two appetizers, this was my favourite. It has a nice crisp batter and paired with a spicy mayo.

Coconut Prawns

This was the second appetizer served family style. It has the coconut batter over the pieces of large shrimp. It is also served with the spicy mayo.

The Keefer Bar

Last but not least is The Keefer Bar, know for one of the best cocktail programs in Vancouver. The space is reminiscent of a Chinese underground apothecary. They also have great happy hours where you’ll find some of the drinks featured in the cocktail crawl on their regular menu.

Rosemary Gimlet

This is my absolute favourite. It has gin and their house made rosemary lime cordial with a sprig of rosemary. You must order this if you enjoy rosemary.

Pineapple Daiquiri

This delightful drink has grilled pineapple infused rum, fresh squeezed lime juice & maple/ yum zhi mushroom syrup.

Jack Soul

Daniels & Jack Daniels Fire, fresh squeeze lemon juice, house ginger syrup, bitters topped with soda.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was fun trying three cocktail bars in Chinatown and discovering new drinks. Definitely worth it being able to try all 3 places – Sai Woo, The Keefer Bar and Black Lounge all in one night.

Check out Vancouver Gourmet Tours for future cocktail crawls in other neighbourhoods in Vancouver.

Website: https://www.vangourmetclub.com/

 

There’s a new Irish Pub in Downtown Vancouver and it has taken over the former Ceili’s location. It is Dublin Calling and it has opened its second location in Canada right on the Granville Strip. The first location opened in Toronto in 2015 and has been successful. Dublin Calling will be your new go-to spot to watch the big game and kick back with a few beers and Irish-inspired pub grub with a modern twist. Roman and I checked the place out and here’s a recap of what to expect.

Interior

 

Dublin Calling’s space is large enough to have a group event. There are plenty of TV screens so you can catch the game. In between appetizers, you can enjoy pool, ping pong or darts. We noticed some people lingering in the corner by an arcade game and quickly realized it was a Super Shot Basketball arcade. Roman and I enjoyed challenging each other on it, as we both tried to gain a high score. Too bad we didn’t make any bets since I scored more baskets between the two of us!

Food

We had no expectations for the food as we know that pub food is pretty much standard in terms of what is offered. However, Dublin Calling pleasantly surprised us with what they had. In addition to trying the Shepherd’s Pie Bites, we tried the Roast Beef Stuffed Yorkshire Pudding (with mashed potatoes), Mini Sliders, Fish & Chips and Forest Mushroom Pizza. The Irish-inspired pub grub was tasty. The modern twist was found in dishes like the Pulled-Pork & Mango Pizza. First of all, you don’t expect pizza at an Irish pub. Second of all, I would have never thought to combine pulled-pork and mango together. The savouriness of the pork was complimented well by the sweetness of the mango. It was unexpected, but it was good! We also really liked the Shepherd’s Pie Bites. Can’t go wrong with deep-fried mini Shepherd’s Pie with Guinness bacon cheese sauce! It was the perfect appetizer in a place like this.

Shepherd’s Pie Bites

Roast Beef Stuffed Yorkshire Pudding with Mashed Potatoes

Pulled-Pork & Mango Pizza

You’re sure to be entertained with all the games, TV screens and tasty bites that Dublin Calling has to offer. Just looking for a place to drink? They have a variety of beer on tap too. With the holidays around the corner, this spot is sure to be bustling with work parties and get-togethers. If your looking for a casual spot for a fun night with friends, Dublin Calling is the place.

   

Website:
https://dublincalling.com/vancouver/

Address:
900 Granville St, Vancouver, BC

Yale Saloon is a country bar and BBQ restaurant located right before the Granville Street bridge. I came with a few friends to check out their Family Style Backyard BBQ. Yale Saloon has been here for quite some time and transforms as the evening goes on.

Interior

There are long tables and lots of space for dancing. As we came around 6pm, it wasn’t busy just yet.

The space is good for large groups and parties. Very casual setting and good for those who are younger.

Menu

Drinks

Drinks are a must when here, I had the Southern Comfort Sweet Tea and my friend had the Pa’s Caesar. A good way to start off the night. Both drinks were delicious.

Deep Fried Pickles

How can you say no to deep-fried pickles? It has a good amount of crisp breading and was so delicious with the dip.

Backyard BBQ

Backyard BBQ is $35 per person and is served family style. You get a taste of everything – Brisket, Andouille Sausage, Turkey breast, Pork Ribs, Pulled Pork, and Rotisserie Chicken. It is also served with coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, & Jalapeño cornbread.

The sides were ok, I really didn’t like the coleslaw as it has some odd aftertaste. None of the coleslaw, potato salad, or baked beans stood out. It might of needed a pinch of more salt ti give it more flavour.

The Jalapeño cornbread was better and paired with the BBQ a lot more. The Jalapeño was subtle, but added a good taste to the cornbread.

Of the bunch, the ribs and the brisket were solid, good smokey flavour and tender as well. If you’re new here, I liked trying all the meats as it’s a good way to get a feel of all the variety of BBQ they serve. The sausage and the rotisserie chicken had great flavours too.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a feast, you will definitely get it here along with a great selection of drinks at Yale Saloon. Fun place to hang out with friends, have a drink and nosh on some BBQ. There is also a mechanical bull here too. It’s definitely a place to come here late into the evening.

We Rate Yale Saloon

Address:
1300 Granville St, Vancouver

Website:
https://yalesaloon.com/

Kellys Landing recently opened at Front and York, right across from Union Station. This is the newest location of the Landing group of restaurants and it’s biggest to date, with seating for 550. It’s more of an upscale bar and grill that caters to the Financial District crowd and those that are a fan of Cactus Club, King Taps or Milestones.

When we went on a Thursday night, it was packed with the after work crowd. It had a high energy atmosphere but the servers definitely know how to manage the crowds.

We sat were under the retractable roof which was open that night in the 25 degree weather.

Behind this fireplace is the outdoor patio which has several large patio seats as well as cozy fireplace couches.

At our server’s recommendation, we shared the Pan Seared Scallops to start. The three scallops were juicy and served on a lightly charred slice of pork belly and finished with a maple sherry glaze. The glaze was so addictive and made me proud to be Canadian…

 God bless that maple glaze

The highlight of the meal was definitely Chef Marco’s famous Landing Carbonara. It was spaghetti alla chitarra with house-smoked chicken, local pork belly (one can never have enough pork belly), parmesan cheese and topped with a fried egg.

Check out that oozing food porn egg

We also ordered the 100Km Roast Half Chicken.  The dish came with market vegetables, roasted herb potatoes and pan gravy. The maple cider chicken was satisfying but I didn’t taste the maple cider and I found that the gravy was too salty for my taste.

For dessert, we ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding and the Mascarpone Cheesecake. The Pudding was soft and gooey with a chili salted caramel glaze that was amazing with the slightly melted vanilla ice cream.

Mascarpone cheesecake had a light and fluffy texture but unfortunately it didn’t have much taste, especially contrasted with the pudding.

All in all, Kellys Landing is high energy, well-located restaurant for large groups, after work drinks or if you’re en route to the Air Canada Centre. In the summer, I can definitely see how the patio will be a tourist favourite as well.

Address:
123 Front Street West, Toronto

Website:
http://kellyslanding.ca/

It was a long weekend and a group of my friends headed up to Squamish to enjoy the awesome craft brewery scene and also indulge in some food that we can’t get in Vancouver. Squamish is about an hour away from Downtown Vancouver and they have a thriving community. We asked a few locals where to eat and they suggested Copper Coil for some cajun cuisine. Since long weekends are busy, we waited a bit before getting a seat outside on their patio. It’s a great patio as it faces The Chief.

We tried ordering their signature Cajun items on the menu, but they were all sold out and it was only 4:30pm. We all started with beers except for me since I needed to drive. The drinks came out promptly, but the food that we ordered would take a very very long time to come out. It turns out the kitchen was severely backed up with orders and couldn’t get them out in a timely manner. Majority of the items left to order were deep-fried so maybe they didn’t have enough room or man power to fry them all. It was close to the one hour mark when some of the items started coming out.

Smoked Brisket

We got Smoked sliced brisket, kale slaw, and chipotle mayo on two buttermilk biscuits. It also comes with a side of curly fries. This was the first item that arrived and we were a bit underwhelmed. $17 and it wasn’t that impressive when you get it on 2 buttermilk biscuits. The slices of brisket was a bit dry.

Platter O Plenty

This platter has a little bit of everything – Smoked Wings, Cajun Pickles, Popcorn Shrimp, and supposedly poutine. Our order came out at different times and they ran out of poutine too. So, no poutine for us. They substituted it with another bucket of popcorn shrimp.

All the items were pretty standard and deep-fried. Nothing very special about it. We originally wanted to order it to munch on as we ordered beer, but since it took so long this had to save some of us from our hangry selves.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we heard such great things about Copper Coil but our experience was far from that.I really wish I had more positive things to say. The servers were very apologetic and were able to cover all our drinks and give us 50% off the food we ordered. It’s too bad we weren’t able to have a great experience, but so many things went wrong in the kitchen.

We Rate Copper Coil

Address:
37996 Cleveland Ave, Squamish, BC

Website:
http://thecoppercoil.com/

The Copper Coil Still & Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Taking over the kitchen and updating the menu at St. Regis Bar & Grill is Executive Chef Daniel Ackland, who had a challenge of finding a fine balance of refreshing existing favourites and creating new dishes which seamlessly blend into its casual, comfort-focussed philosophy.  Chef Daniel Ackland had a clear vision for reshaping the food program and he’s proudly launched a completely refreshed menu for the fall and winter. We were one of the first people to give this menu a try.

I came here 5 years ago when I worked at BCIT across the street, so it’s a nice way to revisit.

Quinoa Salad

The quinoa salad has mint, cranberry, cherry tomato, roasted roots, greens, feta cheese, and a citrus vinaigrette. A nice healthy option if you’re not into  heavier food on the menu.

Regis Burger

The Regis Burger is a classic burger made fresh daily. The patty is made of house ground beef blend is a mix of 100% AAA Chuck and Brisket. It is topped with lettuce, tomato, and red onion on a brioche bun with smoked onion & garlic aioli. It is served with skinny fries or you can substitute it for soup, salad, yam fries or onion rings for a little extra.

Veggie Burger

The garden burger patty is made of chickpea, couscous & roasted hazelnut. It is topped with jack cheese, onion gastrique, salsa, and grainy dijon mayo on a onion bun. The patty was huge and made it hard to eat, but was definitely missing something.

Pizza

Italia Pizza comes with mozzarella, Napoli salami, salsiccia picante, prosciutto, and chiffonade basil.

Fungi Pizza has mozzarella, shallots, mushrooms, and truffle oil.

Margarita Pizza has bocconcini, mozzarella, basil, and tomato.

The pizzas were ok, but I didn’t enjoy the dough or the toppings.

Short Rib with Garlic Mash Potato

Short rib has garlic mashed potato, shallot confit, steamed spinach, red wine jus, and frizzled onion. Super tender short rib. I really enjoyed the dish.

Chicken and Mushroom Penne

Chicken and mushroom penne has broccolini, shallot, thyme butter, and lemon. The dish was ok, but I needed more sauce to it. A bit dry and needed some more butter and lemon to coat the penne a bit more.

Spicy Noodle Bowl

Spicy noodle bowl has sauteed teriyaki chicken, mixed vegetables, and green onion.

Quarter Chicken Plate

Quarter chicken dinner has BBQ chicken, coleslaw, skinny fries, and gravy. The chicken was tender and I loved the BBQ sauce on the outside.

Warm Cookie Skillet

Warm cookie skillet has white chocolate chip cookie, shaved dark chocolate, chocolate sauce, and vanilla bean ice cream from Mario’s Gelati. This was my favourite item of the night as it is soft and warm contrasting with the ice cream covered in chocolate. A real treat.

Overall, the dishes were a hit and miss. For a bar and grill, they have a diverse menu of bar classics mixed with the more decadent dishes on the menu.

We Rate St Regis Bar and Grill

Address:
608 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.stregisbargrill.com

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

original-joes-1

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

original-joes-2

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

original-joes-3

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

original-joes-5

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

original-joes-4

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

Appetizers

original-joes-6

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.

original-joes-8

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

original-joes-9

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.

original-joes-10

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

original-joes-7

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.

original-joes-11

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

canyon-creek-niagrafalls

The main reason for our trip to Toronto was to see the Niagara Falls with my in-laws. So funny how they thought it was close to Vancouver. After the 4.5 hour flight, they realized it’s quite a distance away. Plus, not even close to downtown Toronto. They sure are silly, but since I knew this ahead of time, I made sure we still got here to cross one more item off their bucket list.

We even rode on the Maid of the Mist, which has now been renamed to The Hornblower. It’s still the same great experience.

canyon-creek-outer

After looking around the Niagara Falls area, it was time to hunt for lunch before heading back to the bus for Toronto. Somehow we ended up at Canyon Creek Chophouse as it supposedly has a nice view of the falls. Unfortunately, the view was obstructed by trees. We didn’t mind since we already got a great view of the falls on the boat.

canyon-creek-inner

Canyon Creek Chophouse is inside the Fallsview Casino and they are a steakhouse, but they also has a variety of items like burgers, salads, pasta and seafood. We came in the late afternoon, so this place was empty.

canyon-creek-bread

We started with bread, which was nice and warm and came with a side of butter.

canyon-creek-salad

Grilled Chicken Caesar ($16.95) has chicken breast, applewood smoked bacon, chopped romaine, sourdough croutons, shaved Parmesan, with house made garlic dressing. The salad was pretty plain for the price you pay. The chicken was also quite dry.

canyon-creek-ribs

BBQ Baby Back Ribs (Half: $21.95) has the slow braised ribs, grilled and brushed in a smoky glaze, with skinny fries and slaw on the side. The ribs were very tender and about to fall off the bones. Each portion was quite meaty. The fries were extra crispy, which made them really enjoyable.

canyon-creek-quesadilla

Kimchi Quesadilla comes cut into 4 pieces and served with sour cream and a pico de gallo salsa, but the server dropped it on the floor. The kimchi quesadilla was very good and had the perfect combinations of flavours inside.

Overall, the food was alright, but you are definitely paying more since you are in a tourist destination. I would definitely prefer to go to The Keg instead. I also found the service quite poor and it was very hard to get anyone’s attention when we wanted to order and getting the bill. Perhaps it was because we were one of two people dining here that there were not a lot of servers around.

We Rate Canyon Creek Chophouse: 

Address:
6380 Fallsview Boulevard
Niagara Falls, ON

Website:
http://canyoncreekrestaurant.ca/

Canyon Creek Chophouse on Urbanspoon

keg-meal

When I’m not cooking steak at home, we head out to The Keg Steakhouse and Bar. There are multiple locations throughout Canada. We went to the Burnaby location as always as it is the closest one to our home.

They of course have a variety of meat and seafood to choose from, plus they do have salads for vegetarians. The prices are fair and they always have consistent service and food quality.

Since we had a large group, we decided to make a reservation a few days ahead of time so we don’t have to wait in line.

keg-filetmignon

Filet Mignon (7oz – $32) is the cut I recommended to my in-laws. Since it is their first time in Canada, they really need to try how tender and delicious our Canadian beef really is. This dish has the tenderloin wrapped in applewood smoked bacon and served with some veggies and a side of your choice.

They chose roasted garlic mashed potatoes.

keg-bluecheese

Blue Cheese Filet (7oz – $33) is their filet mignon wrapped in applewood smoked bacon, covered
with a blue cheese crust, and finished with roasted garlic cloves. I got roasted vegetables on the side.

It is best to choose it done medium rare and you can really taste the flavours of it.

keg-newyork-steak

New York striploin (12oz – $31) is what M ordered. It is tender and full of flavour too. He only gets his steaks done medium rare.

Overall, everything tasted great! No complaints at all.

We Rate the Keg Steakhouse

Address:
4510 Still Creek Ave
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.kegsteakhouse.com/en/locations/BC/burnaby/burnaby-keg/

The Keg Steakhouse + Bar on Urbanspoon

Storm Crow Tavern

M told me about Storm Crow Tavern and now it is the nerdiest bar in Vancouver. I totally had to tell my nerdy blogging buddies – Gastrofork, FoodQueen, and EatingWithKirby. We are secretly really big geeks inside.

The tavern is on Commercial Drive right beside Grandview Park.

Storm Crow Tavern

There’s a giant cthulhu with a mini skull.

Storm Crow Tavern

There are battle axes, swords and a bunch of memorabilia on all the walls. You definitely have a tavern feel when you get inside.

Storm Crow Tavern

There are also lots of board games to use free of charge.

Storm Crow Tavern

Guns!

Storm Crow Tavern

Mead ($6.50) is an alcoholic beverage made of fermented honey and water. If you play video games, you know this drink pops up a lot.

Storm Crow Tavern

The Wolverine ($9) has maple whiskey, butter schnapps, frothy cream in an adamantium mug and a stick of crunchy bacon. It sounded like a cool drink but it definitely wasn’t for me.

Storm Crow Tavern

The Jack Burton ($5) Jack Daniels with Lager. Dee rolled the 20 sided dice and landed on number 3, which was this drink. We all wanted her to land on 20 to get the Critical Hit drink, but it wasn’t meant to be. I think she just wanted to roll the cool dice.

Storm Crow Tavern

Chickpea Fries ($6) are huge fries made of chickpeas. It also came with vegan gravy. This was the best thing we had here. Definitely recommended

Storm Crow Tavern

With our drinks in hand, we played a few rounds of Cards Against Humanity. I think it’s probably one of the most popular games here. It’s an easy game.

Storm Crow Tavern

Crow Burger with gluten free bread ($9) has chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, dijon, mayo, and onion.

Storm Crow Tavern

Thunder Burger ($8 + $3) is a storm burger with a few upgrades. It has a 6 oz beef patty with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, sun-dried tomato aioli, bbq honey sauce, smoked provolone cheese, and crispy bacon on a Portuguese bun. I chose to have salad on the side.

The burger was ok. Lots of bacon, but everything else was pretty mediocre.

Storm Crow Tavern

Elvish Veggie Burger Supreme with Daiya vegan cheese ($8 + $2) has a patty made of chickpeas, lentils and rice. The burger also has roasted corn, black beans, tomatoes and a salsa verde and veganaise sauce.

Storm Crow Tavern

Barbaric Beef Stew ($8) is a savage stew of roasted potatoes, yams, onions, carrots, butternut squash and beef covered in gravy. There is also garlic bread that comes with it. Looks pretty meh and from Dee’s expression, it didn’t seem very good.

Storm Crow Tavern

After our meals, we thought a proper game of Jenga was in order. It’s quick and there really isn’t too much strategy that goes into it. I lost twice out of three rounds and I totally blame the uneven tables.

Storm Crow Tavern

When the bill came, we also got a few magic cards. As I don’t play magic, I just took them home and gave them to M. He’s a big magic fan, so I’m sure he will make use out of these.

Overall, the food is very mediocre and the drinks can be a bit expensive depending on what you order. I wouldn’t come again for the food. I’d come here for a beer and play some board games.

We Rate Storm Crow Tavern

Address:
1305 Commercial Dr
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.stormcrowtavern.com/

Storm Crow Tavern on Urbanspoon

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1305+Commercial+Dr+Vancouver,+Bc&t=m&hnear=1305+Commercial+Dr,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5L+3X5&z=16″]

John Hancock Center

The best advice I got during my trip to Chicago was from my aunt who told me to grab a drink at the restaurant on top of the John Hancock Center and enjoy the summer fireworks. It’s great because you get a good view without paying the outrageous prices to be at their observation deck (which is on a lower level).

The Signature Lounge is located on the 95th floor (vs Oberservation Deck – 94th floor). To get up there, you go in through the south entrance. If you see people lining up for the observation deck, you’re in the wrong place. As it was a busy night, we waited about 20 minutes to get up to the restaurant. Other people were smart to go early to grab a seat and wait for the fireworks.

The Signature Room

The interior was the restaurant was nice and cozy. They have tons of seats, but as you can imagine, it is quite packed.

The Signature Room

Isn’t that just a stunning view?

white & dArk ChoCoLAte Mousse CAke 8.00 chocolate bark, pistachio Gianduja

As we waited for the fireworks, we had to order something. So we got drinks and shared a cake.

White & Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake ($8) also comes with chocolate bark and pistachio gianduja.

Stella Artois ($8.25) is light, crisp and declicious.

The Signature Room

We found that our seats didn’t have the best view of Navy Pier for the fireworks, so we went to the womens washroom to watch the fireworks. It sounds weird, but it has one of the best views! You get a clear view of the loop and Navy Pier.

The Signature Room

It was quite a night. Great views with great company. The items on the lounge menu were quite expensive, so just grab a drink and sip it slowly.

We Rate Signature Lounge

Address:
875 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL

Website:
http://www.signatureroom.com/

Signature Room at the 95th on Urbanspoon

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Shameful Tiki Room

During a group outing with my coworkers, we came to the Shameful Tiki Room . It’s on Main and 28th. What we found strange about this place is that you go through the door, then you have to go through the heavy curtains into pitch darkness.

It’s not actually that dark, but when you come from the bright sun outside, it takes your eyes some time to adjust.

Shameful Tiki Room

The interior had the right mood for a tiki bar. From top to bottom, you can see everything decorated to fit the theme. There’s so much decoration, that there is always something to stare at.

Shameful Tiki Room

Near the entrance, there is a stage and there are usually performances during the evening. We came here after work, so there wasn’t anything playing.

Shameful Tiki Room

Complimentary chips and salsa were good to munch on before the meal, but the chips were a tad stale.

Shameful Tiki Room

Their menu is pretty interesting, they have lots of descriptions but it doesn’t go into detail of what items contain. When I was just browsing the menu, one item caught my eye, the mystery bowl. With a description like that, who could resist? Especially if there is a gong involved.

Shameful Tiki Room

Mystery Bowl is meant for 2 people or 1 heavy drinker. hahaha. The bowl is lit on fire via the limes floating on both ends of the bowl. As we aren’t allowed to know what is inside, we had a hunch there is a little rum inside. The mystery bowl came up to be about $18 I think.

Shameful Tiki Room

Large Share Plate ($40) feeds up to 4 people, but with 5 of us, we were ok with this amount. There were ribs, sliders, pineapple rice, skewers, nuts, grilled vegetables, and spam balls. The food was alright, but wasn’t crazy amazing.

Overall, the atmosphere is great and they have a very unique menu with cool food and drinks. It’s a nice place for drinks and some nibbles, but the food didn’t really stand out.

We Rate Shameful Tiki Room:

Address:
4362 Main St
Vancouver, BC

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Falconetti's

Falconetti’s is located on Commercial Drive near 1st Avenue. They are famous due to their sausage. Even Guy Fieri came here to film Diners Drive-ins and Dives. They make all their sausages in-house on the right side of the restaurant and the right side is a restaurant.

Right now they are doing a dining package with Vaneats.ca, where you pay $16 to get a mini poutine, 2 4oz glasses of beer, slow smoked pork ribs, and one of their famous sausages. I came here with my sister during the evening to try the package.

Falconetti's

The interior is narrow and has a long bar on the right side. They have special performances at night too.

Falconetti's

The 2 4oz glasses of Phillips Beer’s Blue Buck arrives first. As you wait for your meal, you can enjoy the taste of beer. The Phillips Blue Buck Beer is a  deep amber coloured beer with a crisp finish featuring a delicate hop aroma. If you like your beer, you know just 4oz won’t do the trick. You’re just getting started.

Falconetti's

The Mini Poutine is made of skinny fries with gravy cheese curds and a bit of pepper. This item was our favorite of the night. The skinny fries were crisp and it was the perfect type of fries to have in this poutine.

Falconetti's

The slow smoked pork ribs comes with 4 pieces and is slathered in their special rub and tequila BBQ sauce. The meat was quite tough, so it made the eating a bit difficult. We thought this would be tender, but it wasn’t.

Falconetti's

Honey Bratwurst was the sausage we chose for the package. it is an old world flavor, dressed with honey mustard, and caramelized onions on top. My sister and I were torn on the sausage, she thought it was very moist and I thought it was kinda dry. Clearly, we have different tastes.

Falconetti's

Outside of the menu, we ordered the Polish ($12) that has beef sirloin sausage with sauteed sauerkraut, onions & grain mustard. We got the yam fries on the side. Their fries are pretty damn good. As for the sauasage, it was ok.

This is probably not a very healthy dining package, but it get us really fully. I’m not a huge fan of pub food, so this wasn’t my favorite package, but you do save some money by getting the Falconetti’s Fix package from Vaneats.

We Rate Falconetti’s: 

Address:
1812 Commercial Dr
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://falconettis.com/

Falconetti's East Side Grill on Urbanspoon

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House of Wings Restaurant and Lounge is located in Highgate Mall in South Burnaby. They are quite popular on Sundays for $0.37 cent wings on Sundays. There are no lineups unlike Wings a few blocks away. People usually come here if they want to avoid the line up at Wings.

You need to order a beverage with your wings. Alternatively, your group can share a pitcher to avoid everyone getting a drink. It saves money and the people who want to drink can drink.

The interior was very narrow and the decor was very bare and boring. There are a few large tables, so they can accomodate large groups.

There is a long list of dry and wet wings. What is cool about the menu is that there are a few unusual flavours such as peanut butter & jelly, Fire & Ice, and zippen pepper. The minimum amount per flavour is 10.

Pint of Beer ($9.99) they didn’t have a large amount of beers on their tap, so we just ordered any beer that was light.

We all ordered 60 wings and shared it amongst 6 people. The sizes were a bit on the small size and not as juicy as they could be.

Buffalo Wings were very very saucy, so your fingers do get very dirty. The taste was a tad spicy, but not too bad. If they cut down the amount of sauce, that would be good.

Roasted Red pepper and Garlic Wings was everyone’s favorite. It had good overall flavour.

Cheesy Parmesan Wings was really bad. You could barely taste the cheesy flavour.

Greek Wings looked exactly like the Cheesy Parmesan Wings. We couldn’t tell the difference.

Honey Garlic Wings tasted ok, but it went really cold very fast. I guess that can be said about all of the other wings too.

Salt & Pepper Wings is always a good choice anywhere you go. I liked it.

Overall, the wings and service were satisfactory. We ordered one ranch and one blue cheese dip and she brought us 2 ranch dips and confused everyone at the table. I wouldn’t come in for any other day but Sunday because regular price for what you get is kinda a rip off especially when Wings is a few blocks away. We were all kinda hungry, but we didn’t want to order more.

Words of Wisdom:

  • Come only on Sundays for wings and beer specials
  • Make reservations for large group

We Rate House of Wings

Address:
7155 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC V5E1E9

House of Wings Restaurant And Lounge on Urbanspoon

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Relish Gastropub and Bar has buck-a-shuck oysters from 3 -6PM everyday, plus $3 beer specials. This really enticed KoreanGirl, Mandu and I to dine here.

I’ve been here several years ago and it has changed a lot! It use to be really large and was always packed for dinner. I also remembered they had some pretty awesome food back then too. I always wanted to make a return trip and now was the chance to do so over some oysters with the girls.

Their beer/wine specials are listed on a big chalkboard.

Bottle of Moosehead ($3) tasted good and it had a light and crisp taste.

Buck-a-Shuck Oysters ($1 each) were very tiny! Mandu had a look of terror on her face as it arrived.

They were also not shucked very well as there were bits of shell inside.

There are also a few vinaigrette sauces you can put on top.

Overall, the experience was quite poor. I would never return again for the oysters. I would go chill and relax with some beer, but I would never order oysters again. They were also very understaffed. Our host, server, and oyster shucker was the same person. We did have to wait for a long time for it to arrive too.

If you are looking for buck-a-shuck oysters in Vancouver, there are tons of other alternative places to go to.

Words of Wisdom:

  • $3 daily beer specials
  • Daily wine specials
  • Loungy atmosphere
  • Do not order the oysters

We Rate Relish Gastropub and Bar: 

Address:
888 Nelson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.relishthepub.com/

Relish Gastropub & Bar on Urbanspoon


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Rogue Kitchen & Wet Bar is located inside the Waterfront Skytrain Station. They serve a lot of different types of craft beers and other drinks. It’s a beautiful place to dine with coworkers and have a few drinks. I came with a few people to have dinner and chill.

Chicken Cobb Salad ($14.99) has chicken, avocado, roma tomato, rough chopped bacon, soft yolk egg, blue cheese, and ranch
dressing. The soft egg yolk was pretty awesome and delicious, but I felt the salad was way too dressed with the ranch sauce. It made the leaves less crisp. The chicken was good and tender.

Overall, I still prefer the burgers or sandwiches to get the best deal and it tastes good. The decor is really nice, but the service was quite bad. Our server disappeared for long periods of time and it was really hard to get her attention.

Words of Wisdom:

  • Rogue burger and Fries x3 recommended
  • Pay parking in adjacent lot
  • Large selection of drinks
  • Some items can be expensive
  • Beautiful decor
  • Located in Waterfront Station

We Rate Rogue Kitchen & Wetbar:
Address:

601 West Cordova Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.roguewetbar.com

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A new restaurant has popped up on the Downtown East Side called Fat Dragon BBQ. The location is quite remote and nothing very pretty is around this place.Even though it is a Chinese restaurant, its more of Chinese x Southern US fusion. You won’t be able to find any fried rice here or anything traditional. You’re going to the wrong place if you want Chinese food.

Ange of FoodPunk and I headed to try out Fat Dragon BBQ since I heard from my sister they have an amazing pig head. Pig head on a menu isn’t regular and I’ve never heard of people eating pig head.

Once you walk inside, you’ll enter a pink tunnel and you will be transported into the restaurant where you will find a very rustic interior.

The interior is quite cool since there are lots of small dim light around. It kinda reminds me of lanterns and fireflies. Also, there are huge scales running across to the back of the restaurant like a dragon’s tail.

You get chopsticks for your meal and the best part is the bad grammar on the packaging! Clearly it is a product of China.

Yanjing Beer ($5) is a light beer and does not have a strong hop taste to it. Its refreshing especially with BBQ.

Junmai Sour ($8.50) has fruit tea sake, gin, lemon, orange blossom and egg white.

Crunchy Squid Bao Buns ($2.50) is a unique twist on the steamed buns. It has calamari, scallions, coriander, chili salt and hot sauce. The batter of the squid was light and well seasoned. I enjoyed it.

Slow-Smoked Beef Deckie Bao Buns ($2.50) has minced meat, cabbage and candied peanuts. The filling inside would easily fall out, so be a bit careful when eating. I thought the beef was a bit on the dry side, but there was hints of a smokey flavour. The texture of the cabbage and the meat contrasted nicely.

Smoked and Roasted Half Pigs Head ($45) it is served with lemon, bacon bits, herb sauce as well as bean sprout kimchi and lettuce. This is meant to serve 4 -6 people. It does take a while to prepare, so it is best to get a few drinks or appies to not get bored waiting.

The cheeks were quite fatty, but it was so delicious and tender. It was like pork belly but on its face. Ange and I both devoured this without trouble! While we were eating it, several people did have to come to our table to check out 2 small Asian girls eating a pig’s head. It’s really not that big, but we were able to survive through it.

Don’t spend too long eating this because when it gets cold, the fat does solidify. We didn’t run into any issues since it stayed warm for a long time.

We took a little bit of everything and put it into the lettuce. I found that the lettuce and the bean sprout kimchi is needed to enjoy the meat! It gives it a refreshing crunch, plus the taste of fat will not overwhelm your tastebuds.

Jasmine Hot Tea ($2.75 per pot) was definitely needed after the pig head to aid digestion. I always have a habit of drinking tea after fatty meals. Ange ordered the Vanilla Oolong tea ($2.75 per pot) and it did smell very fragrant and sweet, but it did not taste sweet.

Fat Dragon Chocolate Bars ($7.50 each) was a bit disappointing when it arrived at the table. We did not expect it would actually be just chocolate bars. It seemed ordinary, but the 2 kinds do have interesting flavours.

Milk chocolate with crispy rice, toasted coconut and ceylon cinnamon.

Dark Chocolate with smoked peanuts, candied ginger and sea salt.

Overall, nothing too Chinese here, but the BBQ is pretty good. I saw lots of people ordering ribs. We didn’t ordering too many variety of items, but the pig head was fun to devour.

Words of Wisdom:

  • Free parking on the street after 6pm
  • Some items can be expensive
  • Good for BBQ

We Rate Fat Dragon BBQ:

Address:
566 Powell Street
Vancouver, BC
Website: http://fatdragonbbq.com/

Fat Dragon on Urbanspoon


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