Late Night Archives - Page 2 of 6

In Canadian

Cactus Club: Frozen Blood Orange Margaritas and Appetizers

February 20, 2017

Cactus Club Cafe has one of their most stunning locations at Jack Poole Plaza by the Olympic Cauldron. After work, a few of us stopped by to try their new Frozen Blood Orange Margaritas as well as try a few of their appetizers. It’s always best to spend time with friends over good drinks and food. Cactus Club has always been a solid spot for me to some after work for drink and nibbles.

Frozen Blood Orange Margarita

The frozen blood orange margarita has the cool, citrus flavours of blood orange and lime, blended with tequila and Triple Sec. It is topped with a candied orange.

It was a really good drink and I can see it bing a popular drink once the weather in Vancouver starts warming up. It’s only here for a limited time.

Szechuan Chicken Lettuce Wraps

The chicken is cooked in sweet and spicy Szechuan glaze, peanuts, and wontons. On the side, there is Korean chili sauce and spicy yogurt. The lettuce wraps are on the side and you scoop them in and eat up.

Ceviche

The ceviche has lois lake steelhead, sustainably harvested prawns, red onions, thai basil, mint, cilantro, and nuoc cham. The ceviche is delicious and I could eat this all day.

Beef Carpaccio

The beef carpaccio is peppercorn-crusted, and topped with dijon aioli, capers, grana padano and served with crostini. A good appetizer to share and i like the contrast between the grana padano and capers with the beef.

Truffle Fries

The fries are fried and covered with truffle, herbs, grana padano, and garlic aioli. Another great item to add to the table as people can munch on it.

Tuna Stack

The tuna stack is made of Ocean Wise albacore, citrus tamari vinaigrette, nori, sesame, avocado, micro cilantro, and served with wonton chips.

Final Thoughts

Overall, when the table is full of delicious food, drinks and friends, it’s hard to have a bad time. The food was well executed and had fresh flavours and ingredients.

We Rate Cactus Club:

Address:
1085 Canada Place, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.cactusclubcafe.com

In Four Beakers

La Mezcaleria: Mexican Cuisine in Gastown

January 31, 2017

La Mezcaleria has their second location in Gastown and I was quite excited to come here with a few friends to have some cocktails and a few bites. It was busy here on a Saturday evening. Most of the tables were reserved, but there was enough seats at the bar to slot us in.

They are best known for their a wide variety of the finest mezcals, as well as, high quality tequilas and cocktails inspired by the different regions of Mexico.

Their menu had lots of items to choose from, but it did take us a while to get familiar with the choices.

Ceviche Callejero

Ceviche Callejero has their seasonal fish cured in lime with tomato, onion, jalapeno and cilantro. It is also served with chips. A good item to start and share with friends. Very fresh and flavourful.

Queso Fundido

This is Mezcaleria’s signature molten cheese fondue served in a volcanic stone bowl called molcajete. We got the Con Chorizo, which has ground Mexican chorizo. It also came with some soft tortillas to eat all the cheese. Very delicious and cheesy.

Ancho Old Fashioned

Ancho Old Fashion is smoky. boozy and spicy. It has Reposado Tequila, mezcal, ancho reyes, agave, and angostura bitters.

Pablito’s Way

Pablito’s Way is on the rocks, spiced, rich and creamy. It has cream sherry, cold brew coffee, horchata and cardamom bitters. Surprisingly, it was really good. It originally wanted a horchata, but this arrived and I was pleasantly surprised.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed the drinks and the food that we had. Great atmosphere, hug out with awesome friends, and of course had lots of laughs. Since it was busy, service was alright, but it could have been a bit better and friendlier.

We Rate La Mezcaleria:

Address:
68 E Cordova Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.lamezcaleria.ca/

In Downtown

Goldies Pizza: New Location in International Village Mall in Vancouver

January 29, 2017

Goldies Pizza has opened their latest location in International Village Mall near Chinatown and Gastown. They are best known for their cheap and delicious thin crust pizza. Anyone that has been out late at night in Vancouver has probably been here after a few drinks.

Interior

The interior is small and gets busy later in the evening. There are a few tables and some large booths to sit in. You can eat in or do take out.

Pizza

They sell pizza by the slice and larger sizes of pizza. When we were here, they had a $2 price for all slices as they are newly opened. This was available for pepperoni, cheese and Hawaiian. Since we ate at 2 restaurants before coming here, we opted for a few slices.

We all had one slice each, but it was so good and only $2. The thin crust was very nice and crisp.

After getting the first slice, we ended up getting more. The second slice was bigger and the crust was a bit more charred, but that was ok because it was equally as tasty. If I’m looking for some good pizza that is cheap, I’ll stop at Goldies Pizza in the future.

We Rate Goldies Pizza:

Address:
508 Abbott Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://goldiespizza.com/

In Late Night

Starlight Room at Sir Francis Drake: Rooftop Bar in San Francisco

December 15, 2016

On the 21st floor of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel at Union Square in San Francisco is the Starlight Room, a rooftop Bar over looking the views of Union Square. When I was on here during vacation, we came up here at night for a drink after dinner.

I love the feeling of exclusivity of this place. Once you get out of the elevator, the huge red curtains reveal the Starlight Room.

We came early on in the evening, so it wasn’t packed yet. We did notice most tables had reservations for them, so if you intend to spend some time here, try to get reservations ahead of time especially weekends.

The decor is really nice and brings me back to the 1920’s. With an opulent interior marked by red-velvet curtains and high-backed booths, the Starlight Room gives you a reason to put on that party dress.

You will see 360-degree city views, along with a cocktail menu that pays homage to the past but is nonetheless distinctly mode.

Then menu has some awesome sounding drinks and they can make any special requests if they have the ingredients. On their menu, they also have smaller bites on the menu if you want food.

My friend got a surprise virgin drink and I went with the Fog’s Rolling In, which has plantation pineapple rum, spiced pear, and grapefruit.

Overall, we had a great time viewing the city from the top floor and sipping on some cocktails. A good way to end the night.

We Rate the Starlight Room:

Address:
450 Powell Street, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.starlightroomsf.com/

In American

Original Joe’s: Burgers and Drinks

December 3, 2016

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

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

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

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

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

Appetizers

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

We Rate Original Joe’s:

Address:
294 Robson Street, Vancouver

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

In Izakaya

Kibo Restaurant and Lounge: Drink in Yaletown

November 20, 2016

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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 Kibo:

Address:
1261 Hamilton Street, Vancouver

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

In Gastown

Kozakura: Japanese Cuisine in Gastown

September 24, 2016

Kozakura is a new Japanese Izakaya located near Gastown. They specialize in Kappo-style Japanese food and the menu is seasonal, fresh and local.

Foodgressing, Food Wench, Maggi, Nosh & Nibble, Picky Diner and I came here for dinner as we were so curious about what they served.

Interior

The interior is pretty small and narrow. Best to make reservations to make sure you have a seat. The restaurant is also dim and has a cozy atmosphere. We came here early in the evening, so it wasn’t very busy. They seat about 25 people in total.

Drinks

Sapporo was my drink of choice at Japanese restaurants. Gotta have Japanese beer to go with Japanese food. It’s a light and fruity beer that pairs well with the flavours.

A few of the others ordered Sake and it comes in such a cute rounded bottom decanter. They have a wide selection of sake, which goes well with the dishes they create.

Food

Osentamago Ohitashi has a poached onsen egg, snap peas, and dashi soy. Definitely not a dish to share. The flavours are very delicate and the egg is just so delicious.

Aigamo Sumiso has sweet soy cooked duck breast, sumiso, and flowering chives. It comes with 4 pieces to an order. The duck was tender and went well with the sauce.

Honjitsu no Osashimi is their daily selection of sashimi. Since we were in a group of six, we payed a bit more to make sure there were 6 pieces each so everyone could get a bit. They used some good cuts of sashimi.

Tako no Yawarakani has sous vide octopus, smoked ponzu, and mizuna. The octopus was tender but still had a bite to it.

Sake Kasu Salmon was moist and flaky inside. You can definitely tell they spent their time marinating the salmon.

Madai Sakamushi has steamed seabream with seared skin, bok choy, and a thick soy dashi. Better presentation compared with the other dishes. Light and delicate taste.

Sanshou Steak is made with ribeye, sanshou peppercorns, and shungiku. The peppercorns were an interesting touch and is tongue numbing. I like the way the cooked it so it is at a medium rare.

Sunomono was served with crab, mozuku, sliced cucumber, and tosazu vinegar. It was pretty good, served cold, and had a clean taste.

Yuzu Miso Buta Niku is sous vide pork loin, yuzu miso paste, and a apricot glaze. That paste was so spicy, but I loved how it cleared your sinuses.

Anago Dashi Chazuke has slow cooked eel, steamed rice, dashi, and mitsuba. Of all the dishes, this was more filling than the others. I could of definitely had the whole thing to myself.

Overall, the food tasted good and has a good clean feeling at the end of the meal. For a large group to come here, it was hard to figure out the best way to order, so we got 2 of every dish on the menu. It seemed like it would be enough but the size of the dishes were pretty small. There is also auto gratuity of 18% when dining with 6 or more people.

We finished our meal and decided to go to another place to fill up a little bit more.

We Rate Kozakura:

Address:
280 Carrall Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.kozakuragastown.ca/

In Chinese

Moral’s Village: Hot Pot in Richmond

September 21, 2016

Moral’s Village is a new a la carte hot pot restaurant in Richmond. They are a chain restaurant in China and has now expanded to Toronto and Richmond.

The main difference in the Toronto location is that they have all you can eat, which isn’t the same as Richmond.

I was invited to try out their signature dishes on their dinner menu by the crew at Chopstick Fest.

Interior

They have private rooms for larger parties or private functions. You should call ahead of time to reserve these rooms. The private room that we were in also came with our own washroom.

Starters

Before the hotpot began, they shared with us 4 starters. All cold dishes to get our appetites going.

Creating your sauce

There is a cart in the hallway with a bunch of sauces and ingredients to create your own sauce.

Hot Pot

Our table got 2 soup broths – preserved egg and pork bone soup. They have a bunch of different broths that range from mild to spicy.

They even have a soup base called Beauty in the Golden House. It’s quite elaborate and at $68, its not any regular broth. It needs to be ordered in advanced and will really impress guests.

As the different ingredients arrived at the table, we put them into the hot pot one by one. The quality of their ingredients are pretty good and it’s reflected in the price they charge.

Meat

Deluxe Lamb Roll came with quite a lot of slices for an order. Fresh and not frozen when it arrives at the table.

Ox Tongue was sliced nice and thin, so it more tender than usual.

Angus AAA Short Rub was very nice quality too. Very fresh and a good amount of marbling.

Standard Joshu Wagyu Kobe Beef is mouth watering. Very expensive cut of meat for $58 for only 5 large pieces.

Look at all those delicious ratio of meat to fat. So good. Since it is such a nice cut of meat, we made sure not to overcook it.

That marbling is awesome.

Beef Balls with cheese, fish balls, pork balls and prawn balls were all fresh and went well with the hot pot. My favourite was the prawn balls.

Seafood

Deluxe Seafood Platter is decadent and costs over $100. It has fresh crab, abalone, prawns, oyster, and grouper. It was so fresh that the prawns were still moving. The presentation is very nice and comes with a cup of smoking dried ice. Fancy Fancy.

Other items

Pea sprouts are one of my favourite veggies to have with hot pot.

They have fresh handmade noodles and its a nice option to have here.

Bean Curd Roll has 7 pieces and it is deep fried. You dip this into the hot pot until it becomes a bit soggy.

They have a lot of different mushrooms that are great too.

Corn is a great item to add to hot pot to add a bit of sweetness.

Deep Fried Chinese Donut with fish paste and tokibo was an interesting item to have as I’ve never seen anything like it.

Overall

The quality of the hot pot was superb, but it can cost quite a bit. They have pretty premium options when it comes to selecting broth, meats, seafood and other ingredients. Definitely not your everyday hot pot place.

We Rate Moral’s Village:

Address:
4540 Number 3 Road, Richmond

In Chinese

0755 Restaurant & Lounge: Dinner in Richmond

September 16, 2016

0755 Restaurant & Lounge looks like a club on the outside, but surprisingly, they have really good dishes. They showcase dishes from different regions and provinces in China. They are named after an area code of Shenzhen.

I was invited to try out their signature dishes on their dinner menu by the crew at Chopstick Fest.

Interior

The 2 sides are split up between the restaurant and lounge. It has a dark atmosphere and doesn’t look too much like a regular restaurant setting.

Drinks

Their drink menu is pretty large but I found that most of the drinks are very sweet.

Appetizer

Sweet Olive Chin-Yam was an interesting dish on the menu. I really didn’t like it as it was strange to be slightly sweet. It might of been better if this dish was colder.

Sour Jellyfish Head was really good, I liked the amount of vinegar in the dish, plus the jellyfish pieces were large.

Chongqing Spicy Chicken was another delicious dish. It wasn’t too spicy and it added a lot of flavour to the chicken.

Spicy and Sour Lotus Roots was delicious, but I didn’t like the chopped up into smaller pieces.

Mains

Braised Spot Prawns was bathing in the spicy sauce with corn pieces. They give you plastic gloves so you can peel off the shells with your hands. They try to tone down the messiness, but I still found some seeped into the gloves.

Lobster Noodles had a good amount of lobster and the noodles soaked up all the precious lobster juices.

Garlic Steam Scallop had a lot of garlic on the noodles with the piece of scallop on top.

Pepper Steam Mandarin Fish was a surprising dish. I thought I wouldn’t like it, but the fish was so juicy and well executed. It wasn’t spicy at all. From the looks of it, I thought it would be, but just good flavours.

Spicy Sour Beef in Soup looked unappealing, but the flavours of the beef and enoki mushroom were good. A subtle amount of spice but not too strong.

Roast Duck Slices with Spring Pancakes was ok, but the taste of the duck is masked by all the sauce that its covered with.

Steamed Garlic Loofah was another surprising dish. Even though it was stuffed with garlic, it wasn’t too pungent.

Sauteed Pea Sprouts in Broth is a good refreshing veggie dish. I love pea sprouts.

0755 Stir-fried rice with preserved ham came in a tall bucket with the rice packed in it. Lots of ingredients inside the rice.

Soup

Stewed Chicken Soup came in a jar for everyone that orders it. It was a nice clear soup with pieces of vegetables and chicken. There was a good amount in the jar.

Dessert

Ice Cream Toast was large and a good item to share with a group. They make all the ice cream in-house and the green tea ice cream was delicious.

Coconut Pudding was electrifying when it arrived at the table. It had a sparkler inserted up top and lit when it comes to you. When you pop off the top, you will see the milky pudding up top, but when you did deeper, you’ll find the clear coconut water is gelatin form underneath. It tastes so good and refreshing after the heavy meal.

After you eat the pudding, you can then eat the flesh off the inside of the coconut. I would highly recommend this.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the food here. As a restaurant and lounge, I wouldn’t expect them to have a killer dinner menu. I came here once before for some nibbles and alcohol. I was impressed.

Some dishes were a miss, especially the drinks, but there were a few items that I really enjoyed.

We Rate 0755 Restaurant:

Address:
3779 Sexsmith Rd, Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.0755lounge.com/

In Late Night

Zog’s Dogs: Late Night Eats in Whistler

September 14, 2016

Zog’s Dogs is open till 2am in Whistler and it’s the perfect drunken snack. After drinking so much wine at dinner, we wandered towards Zog’s Dogs for hot dogs since we were needing some late night comfort food. The aroma of grilled onions will really take notice of Zog’s Dogs.

Besides hot dogs, they do have other items like poutine and burgers.

Chili Cheese Dog was what I ordered. The chili on top stayed intact and wasn’t too messy. I wish the cheese on top melted a bit more since pieces of it kept falling off onto the ground. The taste was alright.

My other friends ordered the hot dog and the Zog’s Dog. The hot dog didn’t really cut it, but the spaghetti sauce on the Zog’s Dog was pretty good.

Overall, it was a nice late night spot to quell our drunken food cravings. It’s super popular, so you will always see a group of people eating or lining up.

We rate Zog’s Dogs:

Address:
4340 Sundial Cres, Whistler, BC

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

In Late Night

Maji: Taiwanese Cuisine in Richmond

August 19, 2016

Maji is a Taiwanese Stir Fry restaurant in Richmond. I’ve been here before and I remember liking it for their dishes and beer. We came her for dinner and it was pretty packed with people waiting outside.

I was invited by Chopstick Fest to try their signature dishes in anticipation for Vancouver’s first Chinese Cuisine Festival in October.

Interior

There are lots of tables inside for small to large groups. It’s best to call ahead to make reservations so you don’t have to wait in line during peak hours.

Taiwanese Beer

They have Taiwanese Beer available in delicious fruit flavours. Alcohol content is pretty low compared to the usual beer. It’s a super light beer that goes well with Taiwanese food.

Food

Spicy Deep Fried Chicken uses boneless chicken leg served on shredded cabbage, chili sauce and cilantro. I liked the use of the dark meat from the chicken leg.

Crispy Chicken Skin is super crisp and served with salt, pepper, green onions, and chili. One of our favourite dishes of the night.

Braised Food platter comes with your choice of braised items. For our platter, we had:

braised egg
braised pork intestines
braised beef tripe
braised chicken gizzard

A nice dish for all to share assuming they like the taste of innards. I grew up with similar food, so I never flinch at eating this. The sauce that the items were braised in was delicious.

Dongpo Pork has delicious pork belly marinated with soy sauce and their secret brown sauce. The layers of fat and meat were so delicious.

Deep Fried Shrimps with Pineapples has the shrimp tossed in pineapples, house-special dressing, and garnished with parsley.

Taiwanese-style stir-fried noodles use oil noodles with shredded cabbage, carrots, shredded pork and basil.

Basil Clams has the clams sauteed in garlic, ginger and basil. The basil didn’t stand out too much but the clams were yummy.

Hakka Style Pork and Squid has shredded pork belly stir-fried withy squid, bean curd, dried shrimp, celery and chili.

Sesame Oil Pork Fried Rice has shredded pork, egg, rice, veggies and tossed in sesame oil. A good solid fried rice, but could have use a pinch more salt.

Pan-Fried Egg Tofu with Soy Bean Paste has egg tofu, vegetables, and soybean paste served in a hot skillet. The tofu was really good and silky smooth.

Overall, I really like Maji. The small plates are great for sharing and it reminds me of eating a dinner at home where you have the many dishes to pick from.

We Rate Maji:

Address:
1180-8391 Alexandra Road, Richmond

Website:
http://www.majirestaurant.ca/

In Bubble Tea

Bubble Queen: Bubble Tea and Bubble Waffles

August 18, 2016

Bubble Queen has their second location on Oak Street. The Richmond location is always packed, so my friends and I wanted to check out their Oak Street location and also they were having major bubble waffle cravings.

Bubble Queen is best know for their drinks and bubble waffles. A great combination.

This location has indoor seating as well as patio seating. It has a bit more seating than the Richmond location.

Oolong Milk Tea, Mango Slush, and Peach Green Tea was what we all ordered. The drinks were good and not too sweet.

Original Bubble Waffle was crisp on the outside, but there wasn’t too much of the chewy centre. It seems like its their style to cook it a bit over. Some people seem to like it but I prefer is less crispy.

Oreo Bubble Waffle has the bits of oreo integrated inside of it. Similar to the original, it is also quite crisp.

Overall, the drinks were great but the bubble waffle weren’t my thing. The waffles took a long time to come to the table. The drinks came a lot faster.

We rate Bubble Queen:

Address:
3208 Oak Street, Vancouver

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Bubble-Queen-1948623658697015/

In Izakaya

Kuma Izakaya: Drinks and Asian Fusion in Yaletown

August 15, 2016

Kuma Izakaya is located in Yaletown close to the Skytrain. They serve up Japanese and Korean dishes with a hint of French influence. At first it can seem confusing how all 3 types of cuisines would come together.

We were invited to try out their signature dishes and learn more about the restaurant and their chef/owner – Hyun Woo Kim.

Chef Kim has worked at various restaurants around the world like The French Laundry in Napa Valley, the prestigious 3 Michelin star restaurant. You can see this influence penetrate the menu with French, Japanese and Korean.

The interior is pretty nice and cozy with a dark feel. They also have a patio so you can eat outside during the nice Summers. I can see this place bring very popular during that late evenings as they have a good range of Korean liquors.

Drinks

They have soju imported from South Korea, which is awesome since it’s hard to find the flavoured soju bottles.

Their flavours include:

Original
Citron
Apple
Peach
Grapefruit

My friends and I love finding restaurants in downtown with flavoured soju, its pretty hard to find because it gets sold out quite easily. I know I’ll definitely be back for these flavoured sojus.

They also have peach makgeolli, which is a flavoured rice wine. Also really good. It makes it super easy to drink.

Food

Kuma Salad with Tomatoes was piled up high and presented nicely. A good use of different textures in this salad.

Kuma Signature Salad has fresh greens topped with sliced avocado, sliced tomato, pickles, house-made ricotta cheese, and crispy yam. It is drizzled with balsamic and house dressing.

Mango Ebimayo comes with 5 pieces of the deep-fried prawns with mango sauce. The mango added a bit of sweetness to it. You should eat it right away as it loses its crunch quite quickly due to the sauce.

Crispy Chicken has crispy deep-fried boneless chicken with pan-fried veggies and a Korean-style sauce. A good dish for sharing among friends. With all the sauce in this dish, the skin wasn’t as crisp when it arrived on the table.

Osso Buco uses premium AAA beef ribs simmered in house made soy sauce. It is also served with rice.

They also have it as in a spicy version. The beef was super flavourful and tender.

Kuma Chirashi Tartare has balsamic spicy aburi tuna, assorted sashimi served on sushi rice, avocado dressing and garnished with tenkatsu and yam flakes. Taking the first few bites, I didn’t wow me like how Miku’s chirashi tart. The heaviness from the spicy tuna sauce over powered the rest of the layers underneath.

Assorted sashimi was served in an ice cold bowl. Chef Kim chose an assortment from like ika, tuna, hamachi, and sockeye salmon. Very cool presentation and the sashimi tasted great.

Kuma Seafood Champon has noodles in hearty tomato seafood soup. Simmered with assorted pan-fried vegetables, chilli oils, and chilli powder. A good amount of seafood inside and the broth was very good and flavourful. Not too spicy. It’s a pretty big portion, so it can be sharable.

Assorted Aburi Nigiri has Hamachi and Amaebi. The assortment was all presented on one plate.

The aburi amaebi is seared with some sauce on the top. A good sear

The deep fried shrimp heads were ok

The aburi hamachi was pretty good, but could have used a but more char to it.

Overall, a very diverse menu, but still their aburi doesn’t hit the mark as Miku does. Kuma does make it their own style and doesn’t compare. The dishes I thought were pretty outstanding are the dishes with more of a Korean flavour profile like the Kuma Seafood Champon and the Osso Buco.

We Rate Kuma Izakaya:

Address:
233 Hamilton Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.izakayakuma.com/

In Chinese

21 Nautical Miles: Seafood Boil and Beer

August 9, 2016

21 Nautical Miles is a new seafood restaurant in Yaletown. They are best know for their Chinese-style seafood boil, drinks and different types of appetizers.

They are right across from other popular seafood restaurant – Rodney’s. Their menu is quite different.

I was invited by Chinesebites to try a few of their signature items. I was pretty excited since I was going to come visit soon. I love a good seafood boil and the Chinese-style of it really intrigued me.

Interior

The interior is pretty neat. Mostly white with access of colours. I kinda liked it and there are a lot of seats inside for small to large groups.

They also have a second floor

Drinks

They have large beer dispensers and we were surprised they had Innis & Gunn on tap. A good drink to have with their seafood boil.

Seafood Party

To get ready for the Seafood Party, you are give a bib, gloves, chopping board, mallet, utensils and gloves. A good way to stay clean when devouring all the seafood in front of you.

There are 3 sauces to choose from:

black pepper
spicy
garlic butter

These 3 sauces put a twist to the traditional seafood boil most commonly found in the states.

It costs $38.95 per person, but you need a minimum order of 2 people.

The seafood is thrown on the tables, so it is a free for all for those sitting at the table.

Inside the seafood party is crab, prawns,clams, mussels, corn, and potatoes.

The garlic butter was my favourite sauce as it wasn’t too messy to hold the seafood and didn’t overpower the natural sweet taste of the food.

The black pepper was more saucy that the other ones so, you’ll definitely get this all over your hands. Half way through, I had to ditch my gloves so I could get a better handle of the seafood.

The spicy sauce wasn’t bad but it did have spicy Szechuan notes to it.

You really get down and dirty with the meal, good thing there are bigs to shield you from the debris.

You definitely don’t want to be eating this and wearing something expensive.

Appetizers

Golden Fried Calamari with pepper and salt. It has a nice crunch and a good portion to share among friends. I liked it.

House Spicy Spot Prawns had a nice look to it and presentation. When I peeled off the shell, the prawns were overcooked and bland inside. A shame since spot prawns are super delicious and sweet when just boiled.

Chinese Pork Burgers was filled with flavourful pork inside the crisp bun. It was toasted well and tasted good.

Grilled Oysters with cheese is half cooked, so it was a very odd experience eating this. I think I would have preferred raw or cooked, but not half way.

Herbal Coconut Mussels was ok, but I prefer the mussels from the seafood party.The herbal coconut sauce can be soaked up with the bread to enjoy it more.

Garlic Steamed Lobster Tails was very pungent with the strong garlic taste that overpowers the lobster tail.

Abalone is cooked with a house special sauce, which reminds me of sweet prunes. I would have liked the sauce to be lighter so we could taste of the abalone.

Skewers

Lamb skewers were smother in cumin and had a fragrant flavour. It is served on metal skewers, so don’t poke your eye out.

Beef skewers were spiced with cumin too, so it was a bit hard to differentiate from the lamb.

Chicken Satay was moist and not dry at all compared to other places in town.

Pork Skewers are braised for 48 hours. Look at the delicious fatty layers, its basically pork belly.

Dessert

Mango Thousand Layer Cake is flown in from Taiwan and has the layers of crepe, whipped cream and then the mangoes in the centre. It is served with ice cream and topped with more whipped cream. It was good and a good ending to the meal.

Overall, the seafood party is a very popular and fun item to order. The other dishes were a hit and miss. They have a few kinks to work out but can’t go wrong with the seafood party.

We Rate 21 Nautical Miles:

Address:
1257 Hamilton Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://21nauticalmiles.com/

In Coquitlam

Ajuker: Korean Fried Chicken

July 16, 2016

Ajuker Fried Chicken has been a hidden gem in Coquitlam for quite some time now. Its pretty hidden and only those who dare to walk in.

They stay open till 2am on most nights and is very popular among students in the area. I came here a lot when I was in University and I still come here once in a while for some beer and chicken.

Drinks

The drink of choice here is beer. We usually get whatever is on special.

Complimentary Items

When you order beer, peanuts and a spicy tofu broth arrives at the table. Usually when dining in Korean restaurants or bars, they give you a few complimentary items as “service”.

Chicken

Fried Chicken has the bone in and covered in their secret batter and its fried till its super crispy. It’s so good and flavourful! I consider it better than Church’s Chicken.

Fried Chicken with Sweet Soy Sauce is the crispy pieces of fried chicken covered in a sweet soy-based sauce. If you thought the original was good, this is even better.

Fried Chicken in sweet and spicy sauce was the original chicken tossed in their house-made sauce. This was good too but I usually don’t like chicken drenched in sauce.

Grilled boneless chicken with cheese comes sizzling hot when it arrives at the table. It was ok, but not as good as the deep fried chicken.

Other dishes

Buttered corn and cheese is pretty awesome as an additional item. You can’t go wrong with this dish.

Seafood pancake is pretty meh here. I wouldn’t get it again.

Overall, the chicken is awesome here and the prices are very good. I would highly recommend this place.

We Rate Ajuker Fried Chicken:

Address:
101-508 Clarke Road, Coquitlam

In Chinese

Kwong Chow: Chinese Food in Mount Pleasant

July 8, 2016

A few foodies were in the area and needed a good cheap place to eat with plenty of seats, so we decided to head to Kwong Chow Congee & Noodle House for some Chinese food. It’s a neighbourhood favourite in Mount Pleasant. A lot of people have talked about this place, but it was my first time dining here.

Preserved Egg and Lean Pork Congee is what we started off with. All scooped up into their individual bowls.

I love congee, it’s like my comfort food. If I had to only have one dish for the rest of my life, it would be congee.

House Special Wonton Soup with tons of wontons and they were able to customize the dish so each people would get at least one wonton.

Sliced Beef and Gai Lan is a solid dish but we did feel it was pretty oily. Even in the picture, it glisten in the lights.

Chicken with ginger and green onion oil on the side. We got half a chicken and it was pretty good as well.

Sweet and Sour Boneless Pork with Pineapples was ok, not my favourite type of dish at a Chinese restaurant. Just a personal preference since I don’t like mixing sweet and savoury items together. Kinda like how I don’t prefer Hawaiian pizza.

Sauteed Pea Shoots with garlic is one of my favourite vegetables. Cooked well.

Yang Chow Fried Rice is a pretty classic fried rice with shrimp, BBQ Pork, and other items.

Rice noodles with sliced beef and scrambled egg was an interesting dish. I think it needed a bit more salt and perhaps it would have been better with rice instead of rice noodle.

Deep Fried Silver Fish was super crisp and I loved the texture and crunch of them. The pepper flakes and garlic really accompany this dish well by giving it a little kick of spice.

Overall, the meal was pretty good, split among all of us, it was a pretty good price. The food isn’t anything fancy, but they have good tasting dishes.

We Rate Kwong Chow Congee & Noodle House:

Address:
3163 Main Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.kwongchowrestaurant.com/

In Dessert

Snowy Village: Open on Robson Street

June 27, 2016

Snowy Village has their second location on Robson Street right beside Ramen Santouka. When they first opened in Richmond, people were lining up like mad trying to get a taste of their milky shaved ice and the croissant taiyaki.

You will see a line up outside the store, but it’s for Ramen Santouka. After being here twice, it’s not too busy compared to the Richmond location.

Ordering

We put in our order and started to wait for a table to open up. We noticed there were a lot of people getting bingsoo or the taiyaki for takeout. It’s pretty easy to get it to go and eat it at English Bay or Coal Harbour.

They also do cash, credit or debt.

Sizes

One major difference in what they serve is the size of the bingsoo. Even if you are eating the dessert in the store, they don’t use their nice metal bowls. It looks smaller, but because of the shape difference, I can’t be certain if the volume of shaved ice is different.

Bingsoo

Mango Bingoo is the most popular item that customers order, There is layers of mango chunks, mango puree and the milky shaved ice.

I like the fruity bingsoo as it is more refreshing.

Oreo Bingoo has the layer of oreo then the milky shaved ice. I like it but I always fear of smiling after since the oreo bits would hide between my teeth.

Injeolmi Bingsoo has red bean with it too. Injeolmi is a Korean rice cake snack. This smaller size also has the layers, but I found that as we kept digging into it, we wanted more of the injeolmi.

Green Tea Bingsoo has a sprinkling of green tea, red bean and some spongey cake. There definitely need to have more green tea in it.

Croissant Taiyaki

Each Croissant Taiyaki is made to order. You can watch the guy make it at the front of the store and smell the delicious aroma of the taiyaki.

They come in 5 flavours:

red bean
injeolmi red bean
custard cream
sweet potato
nutella

It did take a little while for them to be cook it, so the bingsoo came out before these.

We bought 3 for $10 and of all the flavours, I still prefer the nutella taiyaki.

Each order, we also got a wet nap to clean our hands. A nice touch, but we weren’t that messy.

Overall, it’s still good bingsoo and there’s no other shop to get it in the area of Robson. It would be nice if they had more fruit options on their menu. During peak hours it can be hard to get a table, but I find the turnover to be quite quick.

We Rate Snowy Village:

Address:
1696 Robson Street, Vancouver

In Japanese

Jean Talon: Japanese Style Poutine in Vancouver

May 19, 2016

Jean Talon Poutinerie is a Japanese-style Poutine Bar located in Vancouver. They are the sister restaurant of Cafe de L’Orangerie near Marine Drive, which serves awesome Japanese-style pasta.

Since I love Cafe de L’Orangerie, I wanted to go to Jean Talon for the longest time. It wasn’t until Sherman and I were looking for a restaurant that we both haven’t been to so I suggested going to Jean Talon. We’ve been to several thousand restaurants since we started blogging, but there are still so many restaurants to check out in the city.

The decor is simple and they have a bunch of draft beers and wines to go with their food. Great for a late night snack since they close at 10/11pm depending on the day of the week. They are closed on Tuesday.

Poutine with beef stew sauce had some super crispy fries topped with their beef stew. The fries were so crispy that it didn’t go limp until the next day. Even with the hot beef stew on top, the fries stayed crisp. This is great since I hate when fries go limp and mushy.

I loved the texture of the fries since it added a nice crunch to it.

Katsu Sandwich with a side of poutine. A good item to order if you want to try more than just poutine.

The pork inside was a bit dry as you can see. The taste of it was fine, but the bun was a bit too bready.

We got the classic poutine sauce and it has onions, mushrooms and curds. I did enjoy it. The curds were squeaky when it rubs against your molars.

Japanese Curry with Hamburger had a good amount of curry that coats every grain of rice on that plate. The sauce was nice, but I didn’t enjoy the hamburger, which was a beef/pork combo as it had a lot of onions in it. Seemed a bit overpowering.

Overall, the style is different than other poutineries, but if you love Japanese food, you might like this place. I would come back for a poutine and beer late at night.

We Rate Jean Talon:

Address:
670 East Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://jeantalon.cafedelorangerie.ca/