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coffee-bun-sing

The Coffee Bun is located in Coquitlam in Henderson Mall. This is their second location as their original one is in North Vancouver. KoreanGirl and I drove past it and were curious about this place, so after we had lunch somewhere else, we came here for a coffee and some snacks.

coffee-bun-inner

The space is quite spacious with lots of tables. Perfect for studying or a good place to hang out with friends. The tables are spaced out far apart, so you aren’t up close to others.

coffee-bun-iced-coffee

Iced Coffee was what KoreanGirl ordered. It was a hot day, so that made sense. The coffee is made with Kicking Horse coffee beans.

coffee-bun-kicking-horse-coffee

Hot Cappuccino is also made with Kicking Horse coffee beans. It was really hot, but after it cooled down it tasted good. It was made by a machine, so it doesn’t have that strong taste of espresso.

coffee-bun-coffee-bun

The coffee bun is baked with a coffee cream on top to create the aromatic coffee crust on top of the bun. There are 10 flavours of filling for the buns.

  • Original Plain (filled with butter)
  • Cream Cheese (filled with cream cheese)
  • Custard Chouz (filled with soft vanilla cream)
  • chocolate (filled with chocolate chips)
  • red bean (filled with red bean)
  • garlic (topped with coffee and herbs)
  • cinnamon (topped with cinnamon)
  • pumpkin (filled with sweet pumpkin)
  • ice cream (sandwiched with ice cream)
  • coffee bun sandwich (sandwiched with ham and cheese)

Depending on the location, the fillings and options can vary.

The original plain coffee bun came right out of the oven and was SO GOOD. The are fresh every 30 minutes, so I would definitely wait till the new batch comes out. The crust is really good and the little bit of butter inside pairs nicely.

coffee-bun-cream-cheese

Cream Cheese Coffee bun was ok. This one was got wasn’t heated up, so it was a little big unsatisfactory. We thought they would heat this up a little bit.

coffee-bun-custard

Custard Coffee bun is filled with the custard cream inside. If you have a slight sweet tooth, then this is what you might enjoy. It’s like a cream puff but inside a coffee bun.

coffee-bun-toast

Strawberry and ice cream toast was another item they had for their more dessert-like options. They also have Korean shaved ice and belgian waffles too. The strawberries were frozen and sliced. We weren’t impressed with this.

Overall, a cup of coffee and a fresh coffee bun is best to be ordered.

We Rate Coffee Bun

Address:
1011-1163 Pinetree Way
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
http://www.thecoffeebun.com/

The Coffee Bun Bakery & Cafe on Urbanspoon

pink-sugar-cafe-outer

Pink Sugar Cafe is located in Coquitlam close to the mall. KoreanGirl and I came here for their signature lunch sets. There’s a few parking spots and if you come early enough, there will be plenty of parking spots and seats.

pink-sugar-cafe-inner

We came here around 11:30am and it wasn’t packed at all. When it got closer to 12:30pm, thats when it gets quite busy.

pink-sugar-cafe-drink-menu

If you come early enough to catch their early bird special, you get a free upgrade to any item on their drink menu. Usually you would get house coffee or tea with your lunch set. This is only applicable till 11am. If you are looking for an early lunch, it’s a good deal. But, if you don’t want to wake up early on the weekend, you won’t miss out too much.

People usually come here for their lunch sets anyways.

pink-sugar-cafe-lunch-set

Japanese Lunch Special changes every day. You never know what they are going to feature. Some people call in ahead of time to see what they are serving as their feature.

We came when they had ginger pork. It also comes with miso soup, chawan mushi, salad, rice and a custard dessert. What I liked about this is that you get a little taste of everything and not overwhelmed by one dish for lunch.

pink-sugar-cafe-ginger-beef

Ginger Pork that was part of the set was delicious and very aromatic and full of flavour. The slices were quite large.

pink-sugar-cafe-salad

The salad has lettuce. onion, tomato, orange and a delicious dressing.

pink-sugar-cafe-chawanmushi

Chawan Mushi is an egg custard and it was silky smooth. Very light and enjoyable. It has a distinct dashi broth taste in this dish and it goes well with the mushrooms and shrimp.

pink-sugar-cafe-miso

Miso Soup was also good!

pink-sugar-cafe-rice

Rice has some sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

pink-sugar-cafe-dessert

Dessert was a smooth silky custard dessert topped with whipped cream and fruit.

pink-sugar-cafe-tea

After you are done your lunch set, you have the option of having tea or coffee. They have a lot of different teas to choose from. I just got green tea.

Overall, the food was great. KoreanGirl liked the little tastings of each dish. It was a great portion for lunch and you won’t be bursting at the seams.

We Rate Pink Sugar Cafe:

Address:
#115-3030 Lincoln Ave
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
http://www.pinksugarcafe.com/

Pink Sugar Cafe on Urbanspoon

Taqueria-Playa-Tropical-sign

Taqueria Playa Tropical has been a staple in the New Westminster neighbourhood. I hear people raving about the Mexican food all the time. While I was in the neighbourhood, M and I stopped here for lunch. I really like Mexican food, so I wanted to see what the hubbub was all about.

Taqueria-Playa-Tropical-inner

The place was cute and wasn’t anything fancy. When we walked in, we had a very awkward experience. We stood by the door for a while not knowing if we should seat ourselves or wait for someone to seat us since the empty tables all had dirty plates on top of it.

We got a hunch the service wouldn’t be as attentive as we would like, but thats ok since we wanted to see the quality of the food.

Taqueria-Playa-Tropical-inner2

They recently took over the shop next door and expanded their seating area. They try to keep all their customers in one area if it’s not a crazy amount of people here.

Taqueria-Playa-Tropical-chips

Complimentary chips arrived. I love complimentary chips, but sadly these were a bit on the stale side.

Taqueria-Playa-Tropical-sauce

There’s also some sauce on the side you can put on your chips or on your food.

Taqueria-Playa-Tropical-jaritos

To quell our thirsty souls, we got horchata and Pineapple flavoured Jarritos.

Taqueria-Playa-Tropical-horchata

Horchata came in a tall glass and it tasted good.

Taqueria-Playa-Tropical-d

Chicken Flautas comes with 4 deep fried fautas with chicken in the centre. It is then topped with veggies and sour cream.

Taqueria-Playa-Tropical-monster

Monster Burrito with carne asada and topped with spicy sauce. It was huge! It has the grilled steak, melted cheese, guacamole, cilantro, and onion inside. M really liked it and he just barely finished this.

Overall, the food we had a was decent. Nothing too mind blowing. We will probably be back to try other things on their menu. The service was poor, so we waited a while to order, a while to get our food and a while to pay the bill. Apparently, it’s normal, so it’s not a quick place to eat and go.

We Rate Taqueria Playa Tropical: 

Address:
334- 6th Street
New Westminster, BC

Taqueria Playa Tropical on Urbanspoon

zen-cafe-sign

If you’ve been following my blog, you will know I’m on the hunt for some good eggs benny in town. A fellow reader – Joey sent in a recommendation and told me to check out Cafe Zen on Yew. Cafe Zen has been around for over 25 years and is best know for their breakfast. Especially eggs benny.

zen-cafe-coffee

Coffee ($2.59) is required in the morning and I can’t function without it.

zen-cafe-bacon-benny

Whats great about Cafe Zen is that you can mix and match bennies. They just take the higher one of the price.

Peameal Benny ($10.49) on the left and Flo – Benedict on the right. It comes with hashbrowns on the side. It was pretty good.

Bennies can also be ordered singularly so if you only want one, you can get one rather than two.

zen-cafe-yolk

Their poached eggs are uniformly shaped and I ordered mine soft and it came out perfectly soft.

zen-cafe-bacon

Bacon ($3.29) I added a side order of bacon since I really craved it with my eggs benny. The strips are quite big and there are many strips. It’s definitely worth it.

zen-cafe-benny

Here’s another picture of eggs benny.

zen-cafe-lumber

Lumberjack Breakfast ($12.99) comes with your choice of pancakes, french toast, or waffles. Then your pick of  bacon, ham or sausage. You get two eggs, and hashbrowns. The one depicted here is the french toast with sausage.

zen-cafe-waffle

This one is the Lumberjack Breakfast but with Waffles, sausage and soft poached eggs. It’s definitely lots to eat for breakfast. Overall, the food is good and the service is great. This place is busy on the weekends but if you go around 10:30am, you won’t be waiting long. It’s nothing fancy, but it hits the spot. The best part is the mix and match bennies where you can choose two different types. Great for people who can’t decide which benny they want.

We Rate Cafe Zen on Yew

Address:
1631 Yew St
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.cafezenonyew.com/

Cafe Zen on Yew on Urbanspoon

tokyo-thyme-sign

Tokyo Thyme has been on my “to-eat” list for a very long time, but it’s always out of the way for me as I live and work far away from Kerrisdale. M was very skeptical like he usually is. We both wanted to see if this restaurant has some good sushi.

tokyo-thyme-inner

The restaurant is decently sized. We came on a Friday evening for dinner and it wasn’t packed at all. There was a larger party there, but it cleared out quickly. It has a homey feel to the restaurant.

tokyo-thyme-tower-set

Red and White Tuna Stack with Quail Egg ($15.50 +$0.50) has a tower of red and white tuna, and avocado. Topped with Seaweed, green onions and the quail egg. It is served with sushi rice and seaweed.

tokyo-thyme-tower

Its really beautiful and its a pitty you have to mix it together and ruin the pretty layers.

tokyo-thyme-tower-mixed

Once you mix it together, you take the seaweed, put on some rice and the mixture. Fold and enjoy. It did taste great but its pricey.

tokyo-thyme-tuna

Tuna Tataki ($12.50) is seared tuna served with spicy ponzu sauce. It’s another beautifully presented dish and come with 6 pieces. It tasted great.

tokyo-thyme-dumpling

Homemade Dumpling was the special on the menu when we dined here. I thought they were ok.

tokyo-thyme-sesame-tuna

Sesame crusted tuna steak ($13.50) has seared tuna covered in black and white sesame, served with spicy sauce and mixed greens. Yet again, its beautifully presented and it’s very original compared to other restaurants.

tokyo-thyme-tuna-sesame

Mmm yummy. Even the salad was good.

tokyo-thyme-nigiri

Tamago Nigiri ($1.75) was delicious. The eel was warm and had a delicious sweet and smokey taste.

Unagi Nigiri ($3.95) was good as well. M really loved it.

tokyo-thyme-toro

Toro Nigiri ($3.25) was melt in your mouth delicious. It’s very fatty and is just so good.

The food quality at Tokyo Thyme is fantastic and original. The downside is the portions are smaller and the prices are higher than most. In my opinion, it was worth it because they use fresh ingredients that are higher quality.

We Rate Tokyo Thyme

Address:
5405 West Blvd
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.tokyothyme.com/

Tokyo Thyme on Urbanspoon

Itadakimasu Izakaya is a Japanese restaurant on Main street. They are only open for dinner and they have some good drink specials at night. We came here for a triple birthday party as they had great drink specials and good price on food.

itadakimasu-beer-sake

Sapporo Pitcher ($9.99) and Large Geikkaikan Sake ($5.99) are an amazing deal.

itadakimasu-sushi-balls

Daily Cute Temari Sushi Box ($12) has 10 assorted ball shaped sushi. They are essentially nigiri’s in a different form. They definitely look amazing, but once you taste it, its quite standard. Nothing different tasting.

itadakimasu-beef-tataki

Beef Tataki ($10) has seared rare AAA beef tenderloin marinated in ginger soy and mirin. It also has ponzu sauce in gelatin form.

itadakimasu-chicken-kaarage

Chicken Karaage ($6) is marinated chicken thats been deep-fried. It comes with 6 pieces and its delicious as always.

itadakimasu-squid

Geso Karaage ($6.50) is deep fried squid legs. Squeeze some lemon to it to add some more flavour. I thought it was a bit bland.

itadakimasu-tempura-shrimp

Pari Pari Ebi Mayo ($7) has crispy prawns with a spicy chilli mayo sauce. It was good! We all enjoyed it. The sauce has a nice level of spiciness.

itadakimasu-mentaiko-udon

Butter Mentaiko Udon ($8) has udon noodles tossed in a butter and cod roe sauce. It is garnished with shreds of seaweed. Simple and delicious. You just mix it all together before eating.

itadakimasu-seaweed

Tsukemono ($5) has assorted pickled vegetables.  It was alright.

itadakimasu-takoyaki

Tako-yaki octopus dumplings (10 pcs – $7.50) is topped with tonkatsu sauce, kewpie mayo and bonito flakes. It tasted pretty average.

itadakimasu-toro

Toro sashimi was delicious and always enjoyable.

itadakimasu-tuna-taco

Tuna Tacos ($7) comes with 3 pieces and it contains seared tuna, coleslaw, yuzu, pepper, mayo, and some garnishes.

itadakimasu-tuna-tataki

Tuna Tataki ($8)  has Shichimi crusted tuna, ponzu jelly and scallions. It comes with 8 pieces.

itadakimasu-udon

Fried Udon Noodles ($7.50) has pork, kimchi, and fried udon noodles with garnishes. It was a tasty dish.

Overall, the food was good and a plus are the cheap drinks! I’d definitely come back.

We rate Itadakimasu Izakaya:

Address:
4148 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.itadakimasubar.com/

Itadakimasu Izakaya on Urbanspoon

Bacchanal-Buffet-line

Bacchanal Buffet in Caesars Palace is The Strip’s newest buffet. It was named Best Buffet in Las Vegas by USA Today, Las Vegas Review Journal and Las Vegas Weekly. They are heavily advertising all over The Strip and it’s very hard to miss. 

They have over 500 items available and once you step inside, you will actually believe it. There’s a long line up, so when we arrived at 5:30pm, we were the last people they let line up. After that, everyone else makes electronic reservations and come back a few hours later. We waited about 45 minutes until we got seated. Even if you have a reservation, you will still be waiting.

If you are a fan of buffets, it’s definitely worth the wait. It costs $50 for the dinner buffet.

Bacchanal-Buffet-dining-area

The dining is very nice. There’s tons of table inside.

Bacchanal-Buffet-queue

When we got our table, the staff was nice enough to give us a quick tour of where everything was located. We were very amazed by the size of the buffet.

Bacchanal-Buffet-juice

They have a mini juice bar. There’s horchata, grapefruit juice, and some other weird flavours. It was a cool concept but most of the drinks tasted bad.

Included in the buffet price are the usual tea, pop and juice. Orange juice..apple juice…the usual.

Bacchanal-Buffet-legs

The seafood section was the first place where we gravitated towards. It’s where you get your moneys worth! Seafood! These ones are chilled crab legs.

Bacchanal-Buffet-steamed-legs

You can alternatively get hot steamed crab legs in the back section of the buffet. They give you a plate full of them.

Bacchanal-Buffet-mussels

There are mussels! They were beautifully presented.

Bacchanal-Buffet-shrimp

Piles of shrimp!

Bacchanal-Buffet-shrimp-shooter

I couldn’t say not to shrimp, so i got some. There are also oyster shooters in a red sauce.

Bacchanal-Buffet-mussel-oyster

Oyster and mussels. They were ok, but not very fresh, which is expected because they don’t have an ocean nearby.

Bacchanal-Buffet-ceviche

Ceviche comes in small shot glasses. It didn’t taste very good. Crab gaspacho was the orange item in the shot glass.

Bacchanal-Buffet-crawfish

Crawfish were there too. It looked spicy, but thats just the colour of their shells. The size of them were a tad small.

Bacchanal-Buffet-bread

All that bread! All those carbs.

Bacchanal-Buffet-cheese

A good amount of cheese selection.

Bacchanal-Buffet-meat-plate

Of course, there is also a lot of cured meats. So good.

Bacchanal-Buffet-dimsum

Feeling like asian food? They have dim sum and a few noodles, rice and soup items.

Bacchanal-Buffet-congee

Even congee with chinese donut. It was pretty decent.

Bacchanal-Buffet-meat-cutter

The meat section was beautiful, you can ask for ribs, beef brisket, sausages, ribs, etc. They have a wide variety to order.

Bacchanal-Buffet-trays

There’s also a bunch of sides too. A lot more than this image.

Bacchanal-Buffet-basket

Fried chicken comes in cute little baskets and there are hot dogs and sliders.

Bacchanal-Buffet-main

There’s scallops, fish, and some veggies.

Bacchanal-Buffet-meat-mac

Beef Brisket, ribs, prime rib and some mac and cheese.

Bacchanal-Buffet-meat

It was so good my other sister got the same thing.

Bacchanal-Buffet-inner-dessert

The mains are pretty good, but the dessert has its own selection and boy….there are a lot of choices.

Bacchanal-Buffet-cake-pop

Cake pops look cute.

Bacchanal-Buffet-cheesecake

Panna Cotta and cheese cake.

Bacchanal-Buffet-cookies

Macarons, cookies, and some other things.

Bacchanal-Buffet-cupcake

Lots of cupcakes to choose from too.

Bacchanal-Buffet-flan

Rows of panna cotta and custard. The caramel custard was pretty damn good.

Bacchanal-Buffet-gelato

Gelato and ice cream.

Bacchanal-Buffet-pastries

There’s so much dessert.

Bacchanal-Buffet-stawberry

Chocolate covered Long steamed strawberries are a must!!!

Bacchanal-Buffet-shaved-ice-station

There’s a shaved ice station too.

Bacchanal-Buffet-crepe

Crepe station and you can top it with whatever you want. Your sweet tooth will love you.

Bacchanal-Buffet-dessert-plate

Strawberries, chocolate lava cake and the mochi ice cream.

Bacchanal-Buffet-dessert-plate2

Macarons, tarts, ice cream and more strawberries.

Bacchanal-Buffet-shaved

Shaved ice, strawberry, chocolate, cake and mango pudding.

Bacchanal-Buffet-tables

Overall, it’s a pretty good buffet with LOTS of selection. Pretty decent quality.

bellagio-water

Afterwards, we walked to Bellagio to look at the fountain.

We Rate Bacchanal Buffet

Address:
3570 Las Vegas Boulevard S
Las Vegas, NV

Website:
http://www.caesarspalace.com/restaurants/bacchanal-buffet.html

Bacchanal Buffet on Urbanspoon

mimibuloveme-outer

Mimibuloveme is a Japanese cafe specializing in parfait. It’s packed during peak hour…it’s really busy at night. One time I went at 1opm and we had no luck with a table because there were so many groups waiting.

The next time, we came at 6pm and just managed to get a table.

mimibuloveme-inner

The space is really tiny, so there are only a handful of seats. It’s probably best to come in groups of 2 or 4. Anymore and you will be waiting for a while.

mimibuloveme-menu

Besides parfait, they have pasta, waffles, gelato and various drinks.

mimibuloveme-trio

Everyone basically orders the parfaits. They really look great.

mimibuloveme-chocolate

Hedgehog Parfait ($7) has hedgehog gelato, chocolate cake, marshmallows, chocolate and whipped cream.

mimibuloveme-layers

 Matcha Parfait ($7) has matcha gelato, mochi balls, red bean, cereal, and whipped cream with a raspberry on top.

mimibuloveme-strawberry

Strawberry Cream Parfait ($7) has strawberry gelato, strawberry, strawberry puree, cereal, and whipped cream.

mimibuloveme-parfait

The most popular flavours are matcha parfait and strawberry parfait. Another popular flavour is black sesame too. The parfait was a good size and for some people, it might be good to share because it is big.

Overall, Mimibuloveme is the perfect hangout for women or a cute date. Come early if you want to get a seat. It’s terribly busy during peak hours.

We Rate Mimibuloveme

Address:
5556 Cambie St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.mimibuloveme.com/

earls-brunch

Everyone loves brunch! I love brunch and I am still looking for some good eggs benny in town. I was very surprised Earls had brunch on the weekends. Apparently its something new they are offering. I was invited by Earls North Vancouver for a Brunch Chef’s Table to check out some of their signature brunch items.

Brunch starts from 11:30am till 2pm on weekends and holidays.

earls-inner

This particular location is quite large and has a cool view of the kitchen. You can see some of the cooking done in the kitchen.

earls-mimosa

Mimosa is a boozy breakfast drink with orange juice and champaign. It’s quite refreshing for the morning.

Earls-caesar

Classic Caesar has smirnoff vodka, clamato, signature spices and garnished with jerky, a pickle and a lime. This is probably not the best drink in the morning but some people like it.

earls-parfait

Granola + Yogurt Parfait ($9) has flax, rolled oats, dried cranberries, sultanas, toasted almonds and pecans,and  fresh berries. It comes with a container of agave syrup to adjust the sweetness of the yogurt. 

I really liked this item. It’s quite filling and not a usual item you would order for brunch. It is a nice alternative.

Earls-benny

Eggs Benny ($13) has virginia ham, hollandaise, grilled sourdough with a soft poached egg. Crispy fried potatoes and ketchup come on the side. Oh man, those potatoes were so good!!  The grilled sourdough bread was a nice alternative to the usual english muffin.

We did find that the sourdough bread over powered the ham, so it subdued it’s taste.

Earls-mushroom

Eggs Florentine ($13) has parmesan cream sauce, spinach and mushrooms, soft poached egg, and polenta with grilled sourdough bread. It is presented in a skillet. The dish is different from the classic eggs benny. It has a strong mushroom taste, so its great for mushroom lovers like myself.

earls-egg

The egg was just perfect. It’s always a good sign when the eggs ooze beautifully like this.

earls-french-toast

Sourdough French Toast ($12) has chantilly cream, apples, and maple syrup. Sourdough bread really makes an appearance on their menu. It’s definitely not an item if you are into savoury items. The portion is quite large

Overall, a good place to have brunch and they have some cool brunch items on their menu.

We Rate Earls

Address:
303 SW Marine Dr
North Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.earls.ca/

Earls Tin Palace on Urbanspoon

annys-outer

The weather is getting better in Vancouver and what better way to celebrate than going to get some ice cream. We were in New Westminster and we came across Anny’s.

There were lots of people sitting inside and we saw a huge sign saying they were serving maple twist cones.

annys-inner

Of course we had to get some! I’ve never seen such a thing and M wanted some too.

annys-maple-twist-cone

Maple Twist Cone has the maple streak on the side. It wasn’t too sweet and deliciously creamy. M really liked it.

If you’re in the New Westminster area, definitely check this place out.

We Rate Anny’s Dairy Bar

Address:
722 Sixth Street
New Westminster, BC

Anny's Dairy Bar on Urbanspoon

Jean-philippe-patisserie-sign

Jean Philippe is the Executive Pastry Chef at ARIA Resort & Casino, has brought his expertise and passion for French gourmet to Jean-Philippe Pattisserie. The pattisserie is located next to the elevators to the hotel rooms. There is also another location inside Bellagio.

Jean-philippe-patisserie-gifts

There is a huge retail area where you can purchase chocolate as gift to bring home.

Jean-philippe-patisserie-packaged

Some items can be quite pricey, but its really good.

Jean-philippe-patisserie-lineup

A lot of people love to come here for the crepes. During peak hours, you can see a long line up.

Jean-philippe-patisserie-crepes

We were told the crepes were really good, so we decided to get a few of them. The crepes range from $7 to $12 depending on what you are ordering. We got the chicken crepe ($11.95), Salmon crepe ($11.95) and Berry crepe ($10.50).

Jean-philippe-patisserie-chicken-crepe

Chicken crepe ($11.95) comes with grilled chicken breast, spinach, chipotle sauce, piquillos peppers, swiss cheese and a lot of mayo. The chicken is all hiding inside. It’s not bad at all.

Jean-philippe-patisserie-salmon-crepe

Salmon crepe ($11.95) has caper/dill sauce, smoked salmon, swiss cheese, asparagus, spinach, and pico de gallo. They really don’t skimp out on the salmon. Theres a lot on top. There’s none inside the crepe, but its good enough.

Jean-philippe-patisserie-berry-crepe

Berry Crepe ($10.50) has marinated berries, whipped cream and powdered sugar on top of the crepe. It uses a different crepe batter than the savoury crepes. The marinated berries was quite sour for some reason, but it was still enjoyable. I think I would have been happier with the nutella version but the berries looked good.

Jean-philippe-patisserie-gelato-choice

Besides crepes, they also have gelato. There’s a good amount of flavours.

Jean-philippe-patisserie-gelato

Strawberry gelato scoop came in a cute cup. My little sister sure enjoyed it.

Jean-philippe-patisserie-snacks

Another section of the cafe has cake, snack items and stuff like that. The next day, we had an early start to the grand canyon, so we just decided to grab a few things quickly.

Jean-philippe-patisserie-baked

Croissants, blueberry muffin and a bran muffin. It was decent, but it wasn’t amazing.

Jean-philippe-patisserie-fruit-juice

I got a fruit cup and orange juice. Pretty simple stuff but I didn’t want anything too heavy for breakfast.

Jean-philippe-patisserie-parfait

My little sister got a yogurt parfait, it has granola and fresh berries. It was pretty good since it has both the fruit and granola. A good mix of items.

Overall, good selection of items for the sweet tooth or the savoury tooth..if thats such a thing. The items aren’t overly amazing, but its still decently good.

We rate Jean-Philippe Patisserie

Address:
3730 Las Vegas Boulevard S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Website:
http://www.aria.com/dining/restaurants/jean-philippe-patisserie

Jean-Philippe Pâtisserie on Urbanspoon

Wynn-TheBuffet

We went to the Wynn Buffet on a Sunday evening and we were hungry for some food. It is one of the popular buffets in town an costs $38.99 for dinner. It is moderately priced compared to some others out there.

I was excited since I’ve never been to a buffet in the states and I heard they were better than what we have in Vancouver.

Wynn-TheBuffet-location

We came right at 5:30 on a weekend and there was barely a line. There were people outside checking out prices and what was included.

Wynn-TheBuffet-line

No one in the queue, which was fantastic!

Wynn-TheBuffet-dining

The seating area that we were put into was very festive with lots of colour and plants. There’s even a glass ceiling so there’s lots of natural light that comes in. Try to get seated in this area if possible.

Wynn-TheBuffet-drinks

Drinks come with the price of the buffet and some of us got coke and some of us got green tea.

'Wynn-TheBuffet-area

There were lots of people inside lining up at the different food stations.

Wynn-TheBuffet-seafood

The first station that we gravitated towards was the seafood section. We got a few plates of crab legs and shrimp.

Wynn-TheBuffet-starter

After all the seafood, we went into the starters area, where they had lots of cute little dishes.

Wynn-TheBuffet-appetizer

Of course I had to start with fruits, veggies and mussels. I just wanted a taste of something light.

Wynn-TheBuffet-presentation

Beet salad is put in this little cute container. Tasted good but the beet stains easily. Don’t drop it on yourself.

Wynn-TheBuffet-meat-cutter

Then we had to get our moneys worth and eat all the meat! Beef, turkey, and chicken!

Wynn-TheBuffet-meat

Prime rib is a must! Try to see if you can get a medium rare piece.

Wynn-TheBuffet-bbq

The ribs looked very alluring and smelled great.

Wynn-TheBuffet-plates

Unfortunately, the ribs were SUPER dry. I would try to avoid the ribs if possible. But, perhaps its just our visit.

Wynn-TheBuffet-meatplatter

I love getting the sliced meats. Pretty damn good.

Wynn-TheBuffet-sausage

Lots of sausages too. They had 3 different kinds to choose from, but there’s nothing stoping you from trying them all. Thats what all you can eat is all about.

Wynn-TheBuffet-pizza

Their pizza’s were ok, but I didn’t get any of this since I didn’t want to fill up on carbs.

Wynn-TheBuffet-plate

A mismatched plate of desserts and savoury food.

Wynn-TheBuffet-cream-puff

Cream puffs looked beautiful but the filling tasted like whipped butter. It would have been so much better with custard.

Wynn-TheBuffet-desserts            Wynn-TheBuffet-raspberry

The Wynn buffet has a good amount of selection, but the quality was just average. There are more items that I took pictures of. The service was good but after a while, we lost our server so it was hard trying to get a refill of our drinks.

I’m still on the hunt for the best buffet.

We Rate Wynn Buffet: 

Address:
3131 S Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Website:
http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/Restaurants/CasualDining/TheBuffet

The Wynn Buffet on Urbanspoon

todinefor-inner

To Dine For Eatery is located on Terminal Avenue a few blocks away from Main Street Skytrain. I came here with a few coworkers as we were in a meeting close by. Surprisingly, its Korean-owned and they have a few unique items on their menu besides burgers like BiBimbap and some rice dishes.

ToDineForEatery-menu

ToDineForEatery-menu2

As you can tell from the menu, it’s mostly sandwich, soup, burgers, curry, and rice bowls. The prices for lunch are around $10 – $15.

ToDineForEatery-burger-salad

Korean Kimchi Burger ($13.95) has an 6oz homemade patty with kimchi, mozzarella cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and a special sauce inside the brioche bun. Instead of fries, I got salad on the side.

ToDineForEatery-kimchi-korean-burger

It’s a pretty good burger. The ingredients were fresh and full of flavour.

Overall, we like what we had for lunch and was not disappointed. I would come here again.

We Rate To Dine For Eatery

Address:
333 Terminal Ave
Vancouver, BC

To Dine For Eatery on Urbanspoon

Donair-Dude-inner

Donair Dude on Granville Street is cranking out some amazing donairs. I can’t believe it took me so long to come here. KoreanGirl and I were looking for some cheap lunch to fill our bellies and stumbled upon Donair Dude.

We are so glad we did because it might just be one of the better donair places in town.

Donair-Dude-menu

Donair-Dude-lunch-specials

What caught my eye was the lunch special. A pita donair with a can of pop for $5.99. It’s only available from 11am to 3pm. Good deal if you want a filling lunch for under $10.

Donair-Dude-veg

You pay for your item first, and you choose the ingredients you want in your donair. Everything looked fresh.

Donair-Dude-huge

Chicken Pita Donair Lunch Combo ($5.99) is huge. Its also quite heavy too! I was very impressed. It is also carefully grilled so the donair does not fall apart. Good execution.

Donair-Dude-donair-inside

Inside, it is overflowing with vegetables and meat. It tasted really good too.

Donair-Dude-platter

Chicken Rice Plate ($9.99) has 2 falafels, tabouleh salad, a grilled pita, tzatziki, rice and a bunch of chicken.

Donair-Dude-chicken\

They give you a lot and they don’t skimp out on ingredients. KoreanGirl really enjoyed it and left very happy. She also had to save some for a snack later in the day.

We Rate Donair Dude

Address:
1145 Granville St
Vancouver, BC

Donair Dude (Granville) on Urbanspoon

Hash-House-A-Go-Go-entrance

Hash House A Go Go is a 24 hour restaurant in The Quad. They are known for their breakfast in amazing large portions. It’s been featured a lot on Food Network and it was recently featured on Man vs Food for their Andy’s Sage Fried Chicken Benedict.

Hash-House-A-Go-Go-awards

We got there at 10am and there was already a line up. We waited about 45 minutes for a seat. If you hate lines, it always best to come at non-peak hours.

Hash-House-A-Go-Go-inner

There’s a lot of seats inside but not all of them were occupied.

Hash-House-A-Go-Go-scramble

Ground turkey, mushroom & broccoli Farm Scramble is served with mashed potato, fresh fruit and biscuit.

Hash-House-A-Go-Go-egg-benny

House smoked salmon benedict with asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, chili cream and two basted eggs.

Hash-House-A-Go-Go-benny

It’s huge and tastes decent. This isn’t any normal eggs benny. My mom commented that the salmon was dry.

Hash-House-A-Go-Go-chicken

HH Famous Meatloaf House Hash has roasted red peppers, spinach and smoked mozzarella. It is tossed with crispy potatoes & topped with 2 eggs, served with fruit and biscuit.

Its served in a huge pan too.

Hash-House-A-Go-Go-pan

Roasted Chicken House Hash has garlic, onions, asparagus and rosemary. Then tossed with crispy potatoes and topped with 2 eggs, served with fruit and biscuit. My dad enjoyed it.

Hash-House-A-Go-Go-knife

Andy’s sage fried chicken benedict with fresh spinach, hardwood smoked bacon, market tomato, griddled mozzarella, chipotle cream and scrambled eggs.

They threw a knife in there to hold it all together.

Hash-House-A-Go-Go-fried-chicken

The knife was huge and this was just oozing with calories. I didn’t mind, so  i just dug in to enjoy all its flavours.

Hash-House-A-Go-Go-fried

It has everything but my favourite part was the bacon and scrambled eggs on top. The chicken was dry.

Overall, the only thing it has going for them are the huge portions. Tastewise, it was ok.  It’s not a place for everyone.

We Rate Hash House A Go Go

Address:
3535 Las Vegas Boulevard S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Website:
http://www.hashhouseagogo.com/vegas/menu/

Hash House A Go Go on Urbanspoon

Tacos-el-Gordo-outer

Tacos el Gordo is located at the North end of the Strip. We took a taxi here as we didn’t want to walk from our Hotel. It’s kinda close to Encore and Wynn. They are known for some good tacos.

The taxi dropped us off at the parking lot next door and it was a few seconds of a walk.

Tacos-el-Gordo-menu

The tacos are authentic  and the prices are pretty good.

Tacos-el-Gordo-inner

You go inside and grab the tacos that you would like. Then you pay at the cashier. The staff are pretty quick at putting together orders and the smell is incredible.

When it is busy, there can be quite a long line up.

Tacos-el-Gordo-meal

We grabbed a little bit of everything. You can also get unlimited amount of limes and radishes for free.

Tacos-el-Gordo-horchata

Horchata ($1.40) was really sweet and hard to drink. It just seemed like nothing I’ve ever had in Vancouver. It’s probably best to stay away from this.

Tacos-el-Gordo-meat   Tacos-el-Gordo-p Tacos-el-Gordo-taco Tacos-el-Gordo-yum

We ordered at bit of everything. I can’t remember which taco was which, but they were all really good. Taco DeLengua (Beef Tongue) $2.25, Taco De Asada (Steak) $2, Taco De Suadero (Beef Shoulder) $2 and Taco De Adobada (Spicy Pork) $2 were among some of the variations we got.

I would definitely come here again. They have really late hours, so its perfect for night owls or after drinking.

We Rate Tacos el Gordo

Address:
3049 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV

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

Tacos el Gordo on Urbanspoon

WolfgangPuck-crystals-mall

Inside the The Shops at Crystals right beside Aria is Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina. My parents were raving about this place and how addictive their pasta was the day before. I was intrigued and I wanted to come here to see what they were talking about.

WolfgangPuck-inner

It has a warm and inviting atmosphere. Perfect for families. We came right when it opened and by 1pm, there was a good amount of people dining.

WolfgangPuck-inner2

The other side of the restaurant, you can get a view of all the shops. Plus its great for people watching.

WolfgangPuck-shirley-temple

Shirley Temple was what my mom was craving. It is made using a mix of Grenadine syrup and soda. We were sad they didn’t use the recipe with orange juice.

WolfgangPuck-bread

Complimentary bread arrived at the table before the rest of the meal came. It is delicious rustic bread with a  few pieces of butter on the side. The bread was really soft in the centre and crispy on the outside.

WolfgangPuck-carpaccio

Prime Beef Carpaccio has roasted garlic aioli, crispy artichokes, goat cheese, and arugula. Oh man, this was addictive. Highly recommended.

WolfgangPuck-pasta-mushroom

Veal Ravioli has porcini mushrooms in a brown butter sauce and crisp sage on top. My sister thought it was a bit salty for her liking but the first few bites were good.

WolfgangPuck-pasta

Rigatoncini is smothered in piemontese meat sauce, garlic, and parmesan reggiano. The sauce gets into the inside of the pasta so you get a good amount of sauce in each bite.

WolfgangPuck-spaghetti-meatballs

Spaghetti has tomatoes, basil, garlic with housemade meatballs. Very classic and simple dish. The meatballs were huge and it is very filling. My sister and my dad really liked this.

WolfgangPuck-Pizza

Wild Mushroom pizza has bechamel, fontina, thyme, and arugula on top. It has a thin crust and perfectly crisp all the way through.

WolfgangPuck-sign

Overall, the food was done pretty well and no complaints.

We Rate Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina

Address:
3720 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV

Website:
http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/53877

Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina on Urbanspoon

Bouchon-Bakery-outer

Bouchon Bakery is located in The Venetian and there are 3 locations inside. It is owned by world renowned chef – Thomas Keller. He is the man behind The French Laundry and Per Se. This was a major reason why my sister wanted to try out this bakery to see if it lived up to the hype.

We came in the early afternoon and sat outside on the patio for some snacks and sun.

Bouchon-Bakery-enter

The entrance to the Bouchon Bakery is through the inside of the hotel.

Bouchon-Bakery-inner

It isn’t large, so it more of a to go place, unless you sit outside on the patio.

Bouchon-Bakery-counter

There’s a bunch of pastries on the counter. From croissants to cookies.

Bouchon-Bakery-fridge

In their display case, they have macarons, eclairs and sandwiches.

Bouchon-Bakery-snack

We grabbed a latte and a mocha. Both of them tasted horrible. The mocha was very sweet and we could not adjust the sweetness because they didn’t know what half sweet meant. We soon realized this was the case because their coffee comes out of a machine with a press of a button rather than made by hand like how its supposed to be.

Same goes with the latte, it didn’t have that personal touch from the barista. Came straight from the machine.

I expected a bit more from them especially with the name behind the bakery.

Bouchon-Bakery-burnt

Ham and cheese croissant was baked in the oven for us after we ordered. It was burnt on the edges but was pretty good. Not as good as Beaucoup in Vancouver.

Bouchon-Bakery-sweet

Chocolate eclair was small but it was pretty good. The coffee macaron was a disappointment. It didn’t have the right texture and it was really chewy.

Bouchon-Bakery-croissant

Overall, I was a bit disappointed in Bouchon Bakery. I can name a few places in Vancouver that are ten times better. Sigh, I had such high hopes. Perhaps I just have higher standards since Vancouver has some pretty amazing bakeries.

We rate Bouchon Bakery

Address:
3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109

Website:
http://bouchonbakery.com/

Bouchon Bakery on Urbanspoon