Type Archives - Page 101 of 125

In Culinary School

JJs Restaurant: Hidden Gem in Downtown For Lunch

May 6, 2012

JJ’s Restaurant is located in the Vancouver Community College’s Downtown Campus. They are open for both lunch and dinner. The restaurant gives their culinary students real experience with dealing with paying customers. The students do rotations so they get to experience how the back and the front of the house works.

On my very last day of work, I came here with a few coworkers to dine here. The menu is always great and affordable.

Complementary bread arrives at the table and you get a few varieties too.

Shrimp and Avocado Salad ($4) is always awesome to order if you love shrimps and avocados. Plus, it just looks so gorgeous. It’s highly recommended!

Charred Vancouver Island Octopus, chorizo and chick pea stew ($4) was quite enjoyable if you love an appetizer that is a bit hearty. It’s a good size for an appetizer too so you will still have room for your entrée.

Salmon, Prawn and Scallion cake ($4) comes with Thai lemongrass sauce.

Fragrant green Thai curry with chicken, basmati rice and mango chutney ($9) it also comes with a papadam cracker on the side too.

Lamb Cooked two ways ($10) has slow cooked leg of lamb and pan roasted loin with rosemary jus. It also has vegetables and a phyllo wrapped mashed potatoes. My coworker liked everything except for the orange looking thing.

Artichoke and Wild Mushroom Bolognaise ($8.50) has Tagliatelle Pasta that is a broader type of noodle. This is a vegetarian dish, but it’s so savory and delicious that you won’t realize it’s missing any meat.

Overall, this dining experience was good, I highly recommend it if you want something super delicious that won’t break your wallet. It’s a great place for office lunches.

Words of Wisdom:

Lunch is also super affordable!
Closest Skytrain – Stadium
Under $10
You’re missing out if you don’t visit this place!
Make reservations especially during the holidays!

We rate JJ’s Restaurant:

Address:
250 W Pender St
Vancouver, BC

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In Four Beakers

Alpha Sushi & Japanese Tapas: A Good Alternative

May 5, 2012

Alpha Sushi and Japanese Tapas is located in Yaletown and is quite popular even on weekday nights. It was empty at 5pm, but by 6pm it started to get quite packed. As you can gather by their name….they do have Japanese tapas and sushi.

CandiedZen and I decided to meet up after my last day of work to just catch up over food and drinks. My last visit was probably 5 years ago and I remember it being a delicious place.

South Pole ($5.75) has tequila, cassis, pineapple, and lychee.

Pint of Sapporo ($5) is something I must get when I have Japanese food. I find it the perfect pairing. It’s light and not too strong.

Tako Wasa ($4) is seasoned baby octopus with japanese horseradish. It is served with shrimp chips on the side. You would scoop the octopus onto the cracker and eat it. The shrimp cracker gives it a nice crunchy texture to go with the octopus. CandiedZen liked it with the shrimp cracker but I thought it was a bit strange since it’s usually paired with seaweed.

Mini Potato Croquette ($6) is a deep-fried potato with bits of beef. It has a side of fruity vegetable sauce. I liked the small size and its simple taste.

Tuna Garlic Pepper Sashimi ($9.50) is one of their popular items that they sell. It has black pepper and garlic flavoured seared fresh albacore tuna with ponzu sauce. It was good, but I felt there was a bit too much going on with the plate and drowns out the natural taste of the sashimi. If you love garlic, you’ll love this dish.

Dill Salmon Carpaccio ($8.75) has sliced dill salmon with capers, dressing and a side salad. There really wasn’t much dill to it except for the sprinkles of dry dill. It’s best enjoyed by taking a bit of everything and eating it.

Grilled Hokke-Mackerel ($8.75) is grilled salted hokke mackerel with ponzu sauce. They already remove the bones so it’s quite easy to eat. I enjoyed it with the ponzu sauce since the acidity from the sauce blended well.

Ebi Mayo Japon ($6.50) are deep-fried nobashi prawns in breaded panko crumb batter with tartar sauce. It was delicious!

Overall, it’s a great alternative to the other izakaya restaurants in town. Some items can be a hit or miss, but a majority of the items are pretty good. They have lots of specials and special drinks. To help make ordering a bit easier, they have a list of the most ordered items of the previous week. The service was quite attentive and the servers were helpful.

Words of Wisdom:

Most dishes under $10
Large variety in food and drink menu
Gets busy at peak hours even on weekdays
Ebi Mayo is highly recommended

We Rate Alpha Sushi & Japanese Tapas:

Address:
1099 Richards St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.plusalfa.com/

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In Bubble Tea

Flo Tea Room: Drinks and Toast Box

May 5, 2012

Flo Tea Room is located on Granville Street in the Marpole area. It’s been there for several year now and they would serve food similarly found at Hong Kong or Taiwanese Style Cafes.

FoodPunk, FoodQueen and I decided to grab some drinks and dessert here since we were in the area.

The interior is quite spacious with a few booth seats and standard tables.

Shakespeare’s Affair ($4.95)

Fire in Ice ($4.95)

Shrek ($4.95) has red bean on the bottom and matcha slush on top. It’s a very creative name since the drink is green and shrek is green. I did enjoy the drink, it wasn’t too sweet at all.

Honey Box Toast ($7.50) is a hallowed out chunk of bread and filled with toasted bread pieces topped with ice cream, fruit, Oreos and your choice of sauce. We got chocolate sauce on top.

I’ve seen so much hype over the Honey Box Toast and when I saw it on the menu, we just had to order it. It seemed quite popular at other restaurants too.

I wasn’t a big fan of this item since it was essentially toast but in a different form. I didn’t find the toppings to be very unique either. To make it a bit sweeter, I asked for a dish of condensed milk to add into it. Even though the honey box toast does look super cool, it’s not for everyone.

Overall, I may not have liked the box toast, but the service was pretty amazing. We probably spent 3 hours here and the servers were so nice and filled up our tea quite often. We never felt any pressure to leave. Great place to have some bubble tea and chat!

Words of Wisdom:

Parking in Rear
Large variety of drinks
Very attentive and friendly staff

We Rate Flo Tea Room:

Address:
7994 Granville St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.flotearoom.com/

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In Pub/Bar

Wings Tap and Grill: Cheap Wing Sundays

May 4, 2012

Wings Tap and Grill has a location in Newton Surrey and it was just packed on Sunday! Every Sunday they have wings and beer specials. It’s such a good deal that it’s hard to pass up! Wings are $0.47 each…. is use to be $0.39 but I guess they had to change their prices. Maybe it was a new thing a month ago because their Facebook page said it is $0.39. One thing that is mandatory is a drink purchase as well to get the cheaper wings.

The Social Media Network crew decided to hang out on Sundays for their wing special. We waited about an hour to get a table for 8.

Okanagan Spring Pale Ale is a good accompaniment with wings! It also has subtle hints of honey and citrus, so it’s not too bitter.

The Original Westcoaster has fresh lemon peels and cracked black pepper. I found the taste to be inconsistent with a few of my wings. Some had a nice subtle lemon taste, but then some other ones would be crazy sour and salty. It definitely confused me.

Chicago Salt & Pepper is just very simple, but you can’t go wrong with simple right? It’s always my favorite.

I chose all dry wings because I always hate getting sauce all over my hands when ordering other types of wings. I am able to eat the wings and still press the buttons on my cell phone. They also mixed both of the wings on a plate, so at times I would kinda forget what I would be eating until I bite into the wing.

Each person ordered about 20 wings each so we managed to fill up 2 of these metal bucket full of bones. Some people were better at cleaning the bones and some weren’t.

Overall, the wings were large than most of the other places in town. You will definitely get full from 20 wings and the beer is a good item to have and just chill with friends.

Words of Wisdom:

Long waits on Sunday due to Wings special
Wings special has a mandatory drink purchase and 10 wing per flavour minimum
They split the bill very easily and can split shared food too
A large variety of flavours for wings

We Rate Wings Tap and Grill:

Address:
7124 King George Highway
Surrey, BC

Website:
http://www.greatwings.ca/

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In Downtown

The Kaboom Box: Kaboom in a Box Dining Package Review

May 3, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Kaboom in a Box” dining package and write a review about it. I got a complementary dining package for myself and I brought along MeatLover to keep the review as unbiased as I could.

The Kaboom Box is a food cart near Granville and Robson street that sells amazing items with Oceanwise certified seafood. They try to be very sustainable and only use biodegradable and compostable packaging. I eat here once in a while and I always get the Oyster Po Boy. It steals my heart every single time.

The guys at VANEATS.ca is selling a dining package called ‘Kaboom in a Box’ where you get a sandwich, poutine and a drink for $8.50. You can choose one of two sandwiches – The World Famous Hot Smoked Salmon ‘Salmwich’ or The Gulf Island Fried Oyster Po’Boy.

Lines can be seen at lunch time, but food does come out quickly.

Since the cart is quite small, you can see everything they are doing. It’s kinda cool seeing them in action!

The Gulf Island Fried Oyster Po’Boy has fried panko breaded oysters with tartar sauce and coleslaw in a toasted bun. The oyster are delicious for all those seafood lovers out there. I find that with this sandwich, it can get quite messy as the coleslaw tends to fall out. Nonetheless, its fun to eat and the flavours of the oysters really shine through.

The World Famous Hot Smoked Salmon ‘Salmwich’ has locally sourced Oceanwise salmon that is smoked . It also has spicy mayo and a maple mustard slaw in a toasted whole wheat bun. My coworker ordered this and she said it was a bit dry on the edges, but it was moist and tender on the inside. She also said the toasted bun was a bit tough and dense. It definitely can make you full fast.

BC Poutine has crispy fries topped with a mushroom gravy and cheese curds. This was so delicious because I just love anything with mushrooms. It had a great savory taste and was a good addition to the meal.

For $8.50, the portions are quite good. you will definitely be full. It’s cheaper than some of the other options for lunch Downtown. You will definitely get full! If you haven’t tried Kaboom Box, I think it’s time you tried it. Grab your dining passes at VANEATS.ca before they run out.

Words of Wisdom:

BC Poutine is super good!
Sandwiches can be a bit messy to eat, so grab napkins
Great Lunch option to avoid sitting at restaurants
Close to Granville Skytrain Station

We Rate the Kaboom Box:

Located on:
Granville and Robson

Website:
http://www.thekaboombox.com/

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In Four Beakers

Catch 122: Lunch with Amazing Sandwiches

May 3, 2012

Catch 122 is a new restaurant that has opened up on Hastings Street in front of SFU Woodwards. They serve brunch on the weekends as well as breakfast and lunch on weekdays. As of May 2nd, they will be serving dinner! They are best known for their simple and delicious comfort food.

After a brunch experience, I came back with my coworkers on several occasions to have lunch at Catch 122. It was close to the office and they had enough space to accommodate us all.

Latte ($3.75) was good and needed especially when you need an extra boost of energy in the day.

Roasted Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese ($12) has a special Catch 122 BBQ sauce, caramelized red onion, coleslaw and Havarti cheese in a grilled panini. You get a side of fries, soup or salad. MeatLover chose their daily soup – creamy mushroom. She did enjoy it as well.

On another occasion, DesignGuru had the same item and it seemed quite consistent with the other visit. She enjoyed it and saw it as an awesome comfort food thats just perfect for lunch. It’s cheesy and meaty!

Duck Confit Sandwich ($11.95) has Yarrow Meadows duck leg confit, French dijon mustard, and arugula in a fresh-baked baguette. I chose the salad as my side. The baguette is nicely toasted, so when you bit into it, the sandwich makes a lovely “crunch” noise. The duck was tender and had lots of flavour.

My other coworker got the same sandwich, but with fries. She said the fries were pretty good.

British style Roasted Beef ($11.50) has slow roasted beef chuck roll, sauté mushroom, Swiss cheese, and horseradish cream in a grilled panini. I again got salad on the side. The horseradish cream was subtle, so it was not too overpowering. All the ingredients did go great together.

Salad Nicoise with Albacore tuna was one of their comfort food items for the day. It’s not on their regular menu as it was a featured item for that specific day. There are a bunch of ingredients on this salad with vibrant colors. DogLover said it tasted very good. The only turn off was the weird looking anchovy on top, it looked like a slug.

Spaghetti with spanish chorizo and tiger prawns in a tomato basil sauce ($14.50) was another comfort food of the day. MeatLover and DoubleL ordered this. They said it tasted good.

Chausson Pomme ($3.50) was an item we accidentally ordered, but it essentially tasted like an apple pie.

Overall, the lunch menu mostly has sandwiches, but they are some pretty delicious sandwiches. I’ve been here to lunch twice and it’s become one of my favorite places to eat! They have lots of seats inside and can accommodate big groups if you call ahead of time.

Words of Wisdom:

Brunch for Croque Madame and Crispy Duck Confit Salad
Lunch for Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Duck Confit Sandwich
Lots of seats
Great atmosphere to chill
Good service
Coffee is a must

We Rate Catch 122:

Address:
122 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.catch122.ca/

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In Downtown

ShuRaku Sake Bar and Bistro: Lunch Rush

May 2, 2012

ShuRaku Sake Bar and Bistro is on Granville street and Robson near the “clubbing district” in Downtown Vancouver. They serve Japanese Tapas and are open for lunch and dinner.

During lunch, they have a special lunch menu with a good array of items available. A few coworkers and I decided to head down and grab some lunch from here. It was the closest Izakaya-like place to our office, so we headed here.

It gets a bit busy during lunch, but you should be able to find a spot. They also have a small patio out in front as well.

Katsu Don ($8.25) has Pork cutlet and onions are cooked with egg and sweet soy sauce and placed on top of rice. Topped with green onions. HipsterGirl got quite full from this, but did enjoy it.

Lunch Box B ($10.95) has BBQ Beef Rib, Assorted Tempura, Green Salad, Rice & Miso Soup. The beef ribs were really tender and flavourful. Since there was so much rice, I took some of the beef rib sauce and put it onto the rice. It makes it more enjoyable. The tempura was crisp of the outside and the item inside was nicely cooked.

Lunch Box C ($9.95) has chicken Teriyaki, assorted Tempura, Green Salad, Rice & Miso Soup. MeatLover thought it was a well put together bento box.

Miso Soup comes with the 2 bento boxes. It is good and full of thinly slices green onions.

Overall, good lunch sets, but the wait took a long time! We spent a majority of our lunch hour waiting for the food to arrive. When it did arrive, we didn’t have much long to eat. If you do not have a long lunch break, don’t come here as you will be late.

Words of Wisdom:

Great atmosphere
Lunch sets
Lots of variety of alcohol
Closest Skytrain: Granville

We Rate ShuRaku Sake Bar and Bistro:

Address:
833 Granville St
Vancouver, BC
Website:
www.shuraku.net

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In Four Beakers

Guu Garlic: Garlic Chips are Addictive

April 29, 2012

Guu Garlic is one of my favorite Guu locations as they serve tapas with a theme of garlic. Since there are so many Guus in Vancouver now, there are only 2 that I adore going to … Guu Garden and Guu Garlic. The menus are slightly similar, but it’s about the atmosphere and company that makes dining at Guu great. It’s a very noisy place since the servers are always shouting out order across the room.

The new executives of the Social Media Network at SFU decided to head out here for night of eating! Getting enough space for about 10 people is quite hard especially during the weekend at dinnertime. We waited for about an hour and twenty minutes for seats. Since we were determined to have Guu, we waited patiently. Gmoney and I shared a few dishes.

Glass of Sapporo ($5) is needed especially on a weekend. It’s a light beer and one of my favorites.

Beef Carpaccio has ponzu sauce, mayo and pea shoots on top. The cuts of beef were thin and tender. Anything with ponzu sauce is delicious!

Tuna Tataki ($6.80) has several pieces of thin seared tuna with onions, green onions, garlic chips and a container on ponzu sauce. This was also delicious! Plus, the garlic chips are awesome! I’m a sucker for raw fish.

Chicken Karaage ($5.40) comes with a lemon and a side of mayo. The picture above is 2 orders rather than one. It was crispy on the outside and very juicy on the inside.

Yaki Udon ($7.80) has pan-fried udon with beef, mushroom, green onion, soy sauce and butter. Its delicious as usual.

Scallop and Cheese Pizza was ordered by M and he said it was good. It’s small in size, but there is at least a small scallop on each slice.

Overall, we all had a great time! The dishes are fairly consistent each time I come here and I’m usually not disappointed, but Japanese izakaya is my favorite type of food. I could eat it over and over and over again.

Words of Wisdom:

Hard to find parking
All tapas below $10 and well priced
Great place to casually eat and drink

We Rate Guu with Garlic:

Address:

1698 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.guu-izakaya.com

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In Cafe

Joyeaux Cafe & Restaurant: Avocado Smoothie & Banh Mi

April 29, 2012

Joyeaux Cafe is a very popular Vietnamese Restaurant in Downtown. They are always busy for lunch and most people make a reservation to ensure they get a spot to sit. Their portions are large and their prices are cheap, so it attracts a lot of people during the lunch hour rush.

My coworkers and I had a busy day, so we decided to have lunch at 10:30am and this place was empty. No surprise at all since no one has lunch that early. As we walked inside, the waitress greeted us and gave us menus. I was very surprised since this never happens during the lunch time rush. The waitress even spent time explaining a few dishes on the menu and made a few recommendations.

Avocado Shake ($3.99) was something I wanted to try for a long time at this place. It is a bit expensive, but it was really good. Very smooth with the subtle taste of the avocado. It seems like a strange combination, but I love it.

Vietnamese Sub with Grilled Pork ($4.99) had a lot of filling inside. The bun was hallowed out and filled in with the vegetables and meat. Everything stays nice and neat inside the bread, so no spillage occurs. You even get 2 pieces of fruit.

Overall, super impressed by the service before the lunch time rush. It starts to get busy at noon, so if you don’t have reservations, aim to arrive at 11:30am.

Words of Wisdom:

Large amount of menu items
Noodle soup is most popular ordered item
Good quality Viet Sub/Banh Mi
Under $10
Should make reservations if you want to get a seat right away

We Rate Joyeaux Cafe & Restaurant:
Address:
551 Howe St
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.joyeaux-cafe-restaurant.com/

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In Downtown

Mahony & Sons (Burrard Landing): A Pub By The Water

April 28, 2012

Mahony & Sons is a pub outside the Vancouver Convention Center. They have a wide variety of beers and cocktails, plus they sell some pretty delicious lunch! The interior is very large and can host small to large groups. Since its right by the Burrard Inlet, you get a good view of the water and mountains. It’s a great spot to dine especially in the Summer.

JojoCake and I came here during FanExpo to grab some lunch. It was a really nice day, so we decided to sit outside in the patio. There were lots of people sitting outside basking in the sun.

Truffled Mushroom and Fontina Burger ($14.95) has butcher-style beef burger with truffled crimini, portobello mushrooms and fontina cheese. It comes with a choice of salad or fries on the side. The burger was quite large and Jojocake had a hard time eating it, so she had to resort to using a knife and fork.

Fresh Roasted Mahi Mahi Tacos ($15.95) has chipotle mayo, guacamle, pico de gallo salsa, and cilantro. I got the salad on the side. These are more like cones and they were quite massive. You’ll definitely get full from this item as well! The fish seemed like it was a bit over cooked, so it made the texture a bit tough.

Overall, the menu was good. I went here for a lunch before with a coworker and haven’t been disappointed yet… except for the tacos. At first the price can seem a bit expensive for lunch, but the portions are large enough to be stuffed.

Words of Wisdom:

Great view
Large selection of drinks
Large venue, good for group gatherings
Close to Waterfront Skytrain

We Rate Mahony & Sons:
Address:
1055 Canada Place, Unit #36
Vancouver, BC
Address:
http://www.mahonyandsons.com/

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In Buffet

Pacific Buffet: A Buffet on a Boat

April 23, 2012

Pacific Buffet is on the BC Ferries during the sailings between Vancouver and Victoria. Instead of being bored on the ferry, you can stuff your face for 1.5 hrs and have a great view of the ocean. They have breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet at specified times.

My coworkers and I were getting quite hungry coming back from a work meeting in Victoria, so we all indulged in the dinner buffet for $22. For that price, you get access, to the salad bar, chocolate dessert bar, unlimited drinks, and lots of hot and cold dishes.

There are tons of seats around the restaurant. They are much more comfortable than the usual chairs in the seating area.

You can start off with some bread and move down the line to make a salad.

If you aren’t into the usual lettuce leaves, they have spinach and mixed greens. Theres also tons of items that you can add to your salad.

They usually have 2 types of soups available. They can vary, but when I went here, they had clam chowder and a creamed corn basil soup.

Jasmine Rice, vegetables, spring rolls and garlic mashed potatoes!

They have a good amount of main items. I didn’t capture it all on my camera, but here’s a list of what there was:

Chicken Parmesan with Tomato Caper Marinara Sauce
Demi Glaze 5 Spice BBQ Pork Ribs
Braised Beef Ravioli with Gorgonzola Fig Cream
Baron of Beef with Gravy
Prawns with Café de Paris Butter
Filet of Salmon with Shitake Dijon or Lemon Dill Sauce

Their chocolate dessert bar has lots of cakes. It’s hard to choose from them all, so what we did was ask some of the staff what was the best cake. They usually know whats best.

There’s also fruit and cheese.

I started off with some soup and salad. I used the larger butter prawns for my salad rather than the small salad shrimp. I’m probably using the wrong terminology to explain this, but I’m sure you know what I mean.

For the main, I just grabbed all of the items to try. I later went back to grab more beef!

At this point, I wasn’t so keen on trying a bunch of desserts and wasting them. I grabbed what my coworker suggested, got a few other little things and fruit.

Overall, the buffet was decent like most buffet food. As all the food is made in large batches, you can’t expect it to be amazing. There is a good variety and I wasn’t disappointed.

Words of Wisdom:

Arrive there at the start of boarding to have optimal eating time
Good selection of items
May get a good view of some whales swimming
Free wifi

We Rate Pacific Buffet:
Address:
19-1 Ferry Causeway
Delta, BC
Website:
http://www.bcferries.com/onboard-experiences/amenities/pacificbuffet.html

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In Brunch

Catch 122: Newest Brunch Spot Near Woodwards

April 22, 2012

Catch 122 is a new restaurant across from Woodwards and they are currently serving, breakfast, brunch, and lunch. They are known for their simple food that is not over the top. Basically comfort food done right with no surprises. You can also go in for a snack to enjoy their selection of pastries and coffee.

Ange (FoodPunk) , Alvin (FoodImagery), Anita (PetiteFoodie) and I decided to check out this place for some brunch.

The interior is quite narrow, but it has a nice atmosphere. It reminds me of a cross between Meat&Bread and Cafe Medina or basically the brick wall Gastown look.

They also have larger tables for larger groups.

The menu is presented on a cork board! Very cute!

Their menu is a bit hard to read since the alluring ingredients are highlighted instead of the menu item. It may take you a while to wrap your head around the varying fonts.

French Press Coffee Pot ($5.75) is a good size for two people. They don’t do refills on their coffee, but a pot should be enough for the thirsty coffee drinker.

I just threw in the usual milk and sugar into mine. Tasted great!

Belgian Hot Chocolate ($3.95) was good according to Alvin and Anita.

The Scrambled Eggs chorizo Crepe ($12) has scrambled eggs, chorizo, avocado, cheddar cheese, tomato sauce, and Yukon nugget potato hash.

The Gastown ($12) has over easy eggs, farmer pork sausage, arugula salad, Yukon nugget potato hash, tomato pear chutney,and toast.

Crispy Duck Confit Salad ($11) has mixed green, crispy bacon, Yukon nugget potato hash, and a shallot red wine vinaigrette. Look at that crispy bacon and the succulent duck!

Croque Madame – The Parisian Way ($12) has a poached egg, grilled black forest ham, Swiss cheese,
sliced tomato, béchamel sauce, arugula salad, and Yukon nugget potato hash.

I really enjoyed it because it wasn’t too heavy and the tastes just went together so well. Best croque madame I’ve had so far!

Once you break into the egg, the yolk just oozes out and envelops the sandwich with its delicious flavour! I’d totally get this again! Highly recommended!

Strawberry Goat Cheese Tart has a unique flavour combination that blended well together. It was not too sweet, which was good because I hate sweet things.

The Manager came around and showed us their amazing pastries and desserts and the Apple pecan almond cinnamon cream cake looked super amazing, so we just had to order this.

Apple pecan almond cinnamon cream cake was like a cake composed of cinnamon buns. It also has the swirls too. The middle was sweet since it had the most amount of filling and caramel. It was like cinnamon bun 2.0!

Overall, the brunch was great and we enjoyed ourselves. Catch 122 is a great addition to the neighbourhood and I’m sure their awesome brunch will surely attract many others.

Words of Wisdom:

Brunch for Croque Madame and Crispy Duck Confit Salad
Lots of seats
Great atmosphere to chill
Good service
Coffee is a must

We Rate Catch 122:

Address:
122 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.catch122.ca/

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In Bar and Grill

Fat Dragon BBQ: Dining on Pig head

April 22, 2012

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/

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In Dessert

Purdy’s Chocolate: Extreme Milk Bar

April 18, 2012

I took a break from work and decided to roam around for a fruit smoothie. Somewhere along this break, I ended up getting some ice cream from Purdy’s Chocolates. When it comes to their milk ice cream bars, I have no will power!

The Extreme Milk Bar (~$4) is first dipped in white chocolate, then a coating of milk chocolate and then finally coated with crushed almonds.

There is no better treat than this if you love sweet treats. I personally wasn’t a fan of the white chocolate since it was a bit sweet for me. Next time, I’d probably ask for 2 dips of the milk chocolate. Nonetheless, the 2 coats of chocolate create a nice crunchier exterior covering the milk bar.

Words of Wisdom:

Regular Milk bar with milk chocolate and almonds is good too (without the one extra dip)
Hedgehogs are the most delicious chocolates….and most popular too

We Rate Purdy’s Chocolates:

Address:
Suite 59D 701 Georgia St W (Pacific Center)
Website:
http://www.purdys.com/StoreLocations/2/152

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In Seafood

Rodney’s Oyster House: Low Tide Oyster Specials

April 14, 2012

Rodney’s Oyster House is always a hit with locals for delicious seafood. Monday to Saturday from 3pm to 6pm, they have their low tide specials, which is equivalent to happy hour. They have oysters specials at $1.50 per piece and some other seafood items as well. Such as their mussels, clams, prawns, etc.

I had an extra hour of parking, so FoodPunk, KoreanGirl and Mandu headed to Rodneys to catch their low tide menu. It is always busy around the low tide specials, so it’s good to make reservations or go early.

The restaurant has 2 levels, so if you are at the top, you can watch everyone below. The best experience is at the bar where you can watch the oysters shuckers at work, it’s fun to watch, plus sometimes they give you some free oysters to sample.

Unfortunately, this time we were seated upstairs, so the experience was a lot different that being on the first floor.

Bread (complementary) is quite huge. If you do order the garlic prawns or mussels, save this bread to dip into the sauce.

Fanny Bay Oysters ($1.50) were the special for that day. The other oysters like kushi oysters aren’t part of the low tide price, so you do need to pay more for the other oysters. The oysters varied in size, some were quite large, some were a bit smaller. The shuckers shucking ability is really good since there was no sand or shell debris in the oyster!

The oysters some with a bunch of sauce that vary from sour to spicy. My personal favorite sauce to use is the Shallot Vinaigrette and tabasco sauce.

Overall, Rodney’s is great for seafood during their low tide special. Service is a bit slow, but if you have the patience, you will be alright.

Words of Wisdom:

Meter Parking on Street
Low Tide Oysters between 3pm and 6pm
Pan fried oysters + mussels are popular
Always check your bill because waiters may make mistakes
Go early and sit at the counter

We rate Rodney’s Oyster House:

Visit their website: http://www.rodneysoysterhouse.com/

Address:

1228 Hamilton St
Vancouver, BC

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In Bakery

French Made Baking: Chocolate Almond Croissants!

April 13, 2012

Since I was in the area, I decided to stop off to grab some treats for myself at French Made Baking. It was a nice day, so I felt like I needed to spoil myself. I initially wanted to get a pack of macarons, but I found some other delicious goodies too!

French Made Baking is near Broadway and Kingsway and they sell some delicious pastries! They have caneles, macarons, croissants, tarts, and other items.

Box of 6 assorted macarons ($10) looked scrumptious and it came in all the different flavours like earl grey, pistachio, lemon, vanilla bean.

The macarons were not all uniform in size, some were a bit thinner, some had a bit more filling. The consistency differed slightly, some crumbled easily and some had a good texture. Each macaron still had its own distinct subtle flavour. My favorites are earl grey and pistachio.

Chocolate Almond Croissant was friggin delicious! It has a stick of chocolate in the center and biting into the croissant revealed a very crisp texture with the delicious taste of the almond. It wasn’t too sweet and the flavours of the chocolate, almonds, butter and powdered sugar just went so well together.

Just looking at it, you know it’ll be super delicious. I’d come back for this!

Overall, the croissant blew my mind.

Words of Wisdom:

Must get the croissants!
Consistency of macarons could be a bit better
Some items can be a hit and a miss
Under $10
Limited seats

We Rate French Made Baking:

Address:
81 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://frenchmadebaking.com/
Twitter:
@FrMadeBaking

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In Bubble Tea

Pearl Castle: Shaved Ice Dessert and Bubble Tea

April 12, 2012

Sometimes after a large dinner, you need more food! For the #604insomnia crew, they are always hungry! After consuming king crab, we headed over to Pearl Castle to eat some more. We’re young and adventurous! Pearl Castle is a great after- dinner spot as it sells bubble tea and a few snacks.

The interior is quite nice and modern! Unfortunately, the service is really bad here. We sat there for a while waiting for a server to take our orders. It took a long while and I’m not crazy at all. We had to wave our hands several times to get their attention and sometimes they glance at us and then walk away again.

Shaved Ice an awesome after dinner treat. you get a pile of shaved ice delivered to the table. There is condensed milk on top and underneath are pearls and pudding. You can choose any 3 types of toppings for shaved ice and additional toppings cost a bit extra too. It’s fun dessert to share with everyone at the table.

Avocado Yogurt Juice was surprisingly good. The combination of the two flavours made it a bit tangy and sweet. I’d probably get this again! I only ordered it because it sounded cool and they ran out of another drink.

Overall, drink and desserts are good, but you do have to put up with the bad service.

Words of Wisdom:

Bubble Tea + Shaved Ice… or any deep-fried item
Lots of parking in parking lot
Horrible service
nice interior

We Rate Pearl Castle:

Address:
3779 Sexsmith Rd
Richmond, BC

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In Bakery

Footo Delights: Did Someone Say Bacon?

April 11, 2012

Footo Delights specializes in croissants and everything is made in-store with no artificial ingredients. Since I was on my lunch break, I saw their Twitter saying they had the maple bacon croissant available. It’s not too far from my office, so I headed down in search of their croissant.

There is always a good selection of croissant. They also have a baking schedule, I made it just in time for a new batch of croissants. If you’re lucky, they may have some of their specialty croissants available too – garlic, maple bacon or apple cheddar. They also have their regular flavours too – almond, chocolate, spinach+feta, white chocolate pistachio and other ones.

Turkey Pesto Croissant Sandwich ($5.49) was freshly made and has lettuce, tomatoes, turkey, pesto and cheese in a regular butter croissant. It could have used a tad more pesto, but other than that, it was a good simple sandwich.

Maple Bacon Croissant ($2.75) is filled with maple cream with bits of bacon inside. On the outside, there is a maple syrup glaze and more bacon. I loved the large bacon chunks on top and went really well with the croissant. It wasn’t too sweet and I think it’s my 2nd favorite croissant. My favorite is still the white chocolate pistachio croissant.

Brenda was also kind enough give to a box of assorted goodies to my coworkers back at the office. There’s scottish scones, mini croissants and a few of the regular sized croissants. Let just say, at the end of the day…this box is empty.

Overall, pretty good croissants and it also makes for a quick snack.

Words of Wisdom:

Made with natural ingredients
Small, local and independently owned
Highly recommend the white chocolate pistachio croissant, maple bacon croissant and Turkey Pesto Croissant Sandwich
Closest Skytrain: Stadium or Granville

We Rate Footo Delights:

Address:
820 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC
Website:
www.footodelights.com

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

Twitter: @FootoDelights