Chinatown Archives

In Chinatown

Torafuku@Home: Take Out and Delivery in Vancouver

April 23, 2020

Times are changing with the Covid-19 pandemic and restaurants like Torafuku have created new menu items that are ready to be enjoyed at home. The Torafuku@Home is a new collection of heat-and-serve offerings featuring long-loved favourites and Kuan family recipes. It’s a great way to get a taste of their dishes without dining in.

The new Torafuku@Home dishes come in convenient packaging for storing or freezing; all meals can be prepared within 10 minutes. Each item or meal package is accompanied with reheating instructions. Most items are vacuum-sealed and require only a quick drop into boiling water to reheat.

All menu items can be ordered on their website at www.torafuku.ca

As a family of 7 (8 if you count the little spud), I built our dinner around the Family Meal for 4, then had a few extra items to add to the meal. We also made rice to stretch out the meal. Our family loves a taste of everything.

They have recently launched their regular menu for takeout and delivery. Now, you can have their classics like the Kickass Rice Bowl and Crack Salad. If you really can’t wait to reheat up the meal kits, these ready-to-eat dishes hit the spot.

Pick Up

Orders are available for pickup daily between 3:00pm – 5:00pm from the restaurant.

Delivery Options

Delivery is available for pre-ordered items and is complimentary for orders over $50 within Vancouver. Delivery to Richmond and Burnaby is available with a $10 fee. Delivery service is available daily between 5:00pm – 7:00pm.

Family Meal for 4

I got the family meal for 4 because it was a good way to try an array of items off their Torafuku@Home menu. This serves 4-5 people.

You get:

2 x Yuzu Pomme Puree
1 x Le Tigre Style Pork Belly
1 x Sake Braised Beef Shank
2 x Miso Veggie Chowder
2 x Everyday I’m Brusselin’
1 x Gone Fishing

They have instructions on how to reheat everything and it was easy. Since I was running around with the kid, my sister decided to reheat this slowly using a sous vide machine. Of course you don’t have to be fancy like us, but we just needed an excuse to use it.

Yuzu Pomme Puree

Mashed potato isn’t boring anymore! This has creamy and buttery mashed potatoes with house made yuzu butter and Japanese yuzu peels. It was a bit hard to wrap my head around eating dinner and having an Asian fusion dish of mashed potatoes. It was different but the yuzu was very fragrant and complimented nicely.

Le Tigre Style Pork Belly

The pork belly is braised with orange, star anise, and sweet soy. Tender and melt in your mouth pork belly. Remember to save the sauce and put it on your rice.

Sake Braised Beef Shank

These are sake and soy braised beef shanks with Torafuku house-made chili oil, house-mixed five spices, ginger, and shaoxing wine. This is also the asme beef shanks in the Beef Noodle for 2 kit. The beef shank is thick but still flavourful and tender. Very meaty and was enjoyed.

Miso Veggie Chowder

Miso vegetable chowder has cabbage, carrots, fingerling potatoes, Japanese Kabocha squash and onion. It’s not a thick chowder at all. It’s more like a soup.

Everyday I’m Brusselin’

This salad has grilled brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, balsamic black bean vinaigrette, crunchy chick peas, roasted almonds and crispy quinoa. It is so good. It’s always been my favourite dish. Highly recommended.

Gone Fishing

They take a whole market fish and deep fry it. It is paired with a tamarind sweet and sour sauce, mixed herbs, and fried soybeans sprinkles. This dish is great when you dine in at Torafuku, but the texture of the fish does suffer a bit.

Beef Noodle Soup Kit for 2

There are 4-5 pieces of sake and soy braised beef shanks, 1L of Torafuku beef noodle soup with hand-pulled white noodles (uncooked), Asian sauerkraut, and marinated soft-boiled eggs for 2 people.

The says it serves 2, but you can stretch it to make 4 bowls if you wanted to. The broth has a depth of flavour and a kick of spice. The beef shank just melts in your mouth and is so meaty. The noodles have a nice bounce to them and so enjoyable. Highly recommend this kit!

Pork Napa Stew

This is a traditional Taiwanese stew with marinated pork shoulder, Japanese Napa, shiitake mushroom, enoki mushroom and eggs. Add some rice to this dish and it soaks up all the sauce. The pork shoulder was nice and tender too.

Fried Egg Floss Cabbage Stew

This is Traditional style Taiwanese cabbage stew with wood ear, shiitake mushroom and house made fried eggs floss. Love the crunch of the wood ear mushroom. Definitely reminds me of home cooking. You will want some rice with this too.

Old Grandma’s Tofu

This is Mapo Tofu style with house-blended chili bean paste, green onions, garlic, ginger, and ground pork. There is 16oz in each pouch and easily reheated. It has a depth of aroma to this dish and it wasn’t too spicy at all. Very fragant and is amazing on rice to soak up all the flavour.

Three Cup Chicken

This has Taiwanese-Style saucey pan-fried chicken thigh with ginger, garlic, shaoxing, soy, basil and a touch of Thai chili. Another delicious dish that does great on rice. There is 20oz in the pouch, so its good for 2-3 people. Just make sure to make a pot of rice.

We saved the leftover sauce and added more chicken into it the next day to make a new dish. Their sauces are very very fragrant and can’t be wasted.

Ugly Zongzi (Frozen 2pc)

This is their Southern Taiwanese Style Zongzi, a special nostalgic food with flavoured sticky rice, marinated pork, salted egg yolk and mushroom. It is also paired with Torafuku’s house-blend special condiment.

Each Zongzi is smaller but the quality is nice and very very flavourful. That marinated pork with salted egg yolk is heavenly. It was good to have this in the freezer and ready to heat up either by boiling it or steaming.

I Love Dumpling (Frozen)

There are 20 pieces of frozen classic pork and chive dumplings. This is served with Torafuku’s house-made chili oil vinaigrette. Very good pairing. A quick boil for a few minutes and it’s ready. Very delicious and hits the spot. Can’t go wrong with dumplings.

Lucky Dumpling- Vegetarian (Frozen)

There are 20 pieces of frozen vegetarian dumplings with eggplants, wood ear, konyaku, kale, shiitake mushrooms, and gem tomatoes. This is also paired with the Torafuku house-made chili oil vinaigrette.

Another solid option as we always have frozen dumplings in the freezer. It was delicious and I loved the combinations of veggies inside.

Final Thoughts

Clearly, we have tried a lot of items off the Torafuku@Home. It’s a nice variety of items to choose from for families that are big or small. There are more asian fusion flavours and then the more traditional flavours inspired from Mama Kuan’s recipes.

As they do delivery and takeout, it’s easy to gift these items to friends and family or even enjoy for yourself. Of all the takeout options I’ve had during this pandemic, Torafuku is by far our favourite.

Address:
958 Main St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.torafuku.ca/

In Chinatown

[Sneak Peek] Torafuku Dine Out Vancouver 2020 Menu

January 18, 2020

Dine Out Vancouver begins today and we got a sneak peak of the $45 Torafuku dinner menu. If you don’t have your reservations yet, book them now as its 80% all filled up. Unlike last year, they do not have a Dine Out lunch option this year, but their regular lunch menu is available and it’s quite fantastic.

5 courses shared plates with a minimum of 2 people is a great price. You get to pick and choose the courses you want from the menu and it’s a pretty solid menu to check out their classic dishes or some new ones.

Bread & Butter

The meals starts off with warm baguette with their daily spread.

Got Beef

This dish is wagyu beef tartar, galbi sauce, quails’ egg yolk, charred pineapple puree, crispy rice puff, and wasabi greens. It’s also a gluten-free dish on the menu too. The crispy rice puffs is a great texture to go with the beef tartar. Very good flavours.

Calamari + Caesar

There is calamari hiding inside the warm romaine salad, which is topped with shaved parmesan, radishes, tempura crisp, and their sake kasu miso Caesar dressing. The dressing and miso go so well together. I was so surprised. One of my favourite dishes.

Garden Party

Named after Torafuku’s dedicated florist – Garden Party Flowers. This dish is gorgeous and made of burrata, lollarosa, oakleaf lettuce, radicchio, Belgium endive, tofu pear butter, roasted kabocha squash, edible flowers, and a lemon shallot chardonnay vinaigrette.

It’s so vibrant and delicious. The burrata just melts in your mouth. It’s just that good.

Donald Duck Confit

This has pieces of duck, peking duck style salad, arugula, grapefruit, micro herbs, dumpling crisp, taro chips, hoisin plum vinaigrette. Another fun dish. Good textures from the crisps and well balanced.

Kingsman Eggsy

This is a Chawanmushi mushroom steamed egg royale with winter root vegetables, and seaweed. It is gluten-free and vegetarian. The savoury egg custard is so delicate and the flavours are light and the go with each other.

Everyday I’m Brusseling

This is a classic item on the menu and it’s so popular. It has fried brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, crispy quinoa, chickpeas, roasted almond, and a black bean balsamic vinaigrette. I’ve had this dish so many times and it rocks. Textures and flavours are all there. Highly recommend if this is your first time here.

Highest Steak

This has AAA Striploin Steak, saute kimchi, pickled cipolini onion, French beans, root veggies, fingerling potato, and a tamari brown butter beef jus. This dish is gluten-free and it was delicious as always. The steak is beautifully cooked and that brown butter beef jus hits the spot.

Why So Shellfish

This dish is a bit lighter and it has seared scallop, risotto, fermented radish, swirl egg, kalamansi watercress salad, and black bean brown butter sauce. The risotto is nice and creamy with the deliciously seared scallops.

Magic Mushroom

This has Bucatini pasta, mixed mushroom, lemon essence, kale, gem tomato, onion, yuzu brown butter, ricotta cheese, and gremolata. This was ok and a filling dish but it was a tad on the salty side.

Humble Pie

This is a dessert newer on the menu and it is a Japanese Kabocha squash pie topped with brown sugar bobba. The execution of this dish was a bit off when we dined here, so the pie and bobba were a bit dense.

Magic Stick

This is a staple dessert and it’s been on their menu for some time. It has chocolate ganache, hazelnut feuilletine, raspberry coulis, and coffee mascarpone mousse. Good for the chocolate lovers.

Milk & Cookie

This has a Thai milk tea panna cotta with coconut brown butter caramel, and a sesame cookie. The Thai tea was very nice and strong. Very fragrant and it was enjoyable. My favourite dessert of the evening.

Final Thoughts

Overall, if it’s your first time dining at Torafuku, it’s a good introduction to their menu with the limited Dine Out Vancouver menu. There are only limited reservation spots left, so if you luck out, they still have lunch service for their regular lunch menu. If you can’t make itout for dine out either, their Omakase is amazing too.

Address:
958 Main Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://torafuku.ca/

In Cafe

Buttermere Patisserie: Asian Inspired Cakes in Chinatown

January 16, 2020

Buttermere Patisserie has opened their cake shop right on Main Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown. They are best known for their custom cakes with Asian-inspired flavours. They had pop-ups at Torafuku a few blocks way before they opened up their storefront location.

If you’re looking for coffee and cakes, this is a great place. The flavour are more geared towards Asian tastebuds, so its less sweet and very flavourful.

Interior

The space is small, but good enough for a cafe. Cozy for just catching up with friends.

Assorted Roll Cakes

The assorted Roll cakes comes with 5 pieces and apparently it’s picked at random so you don’t get a choice on which roll cakes you want. When we heard that we were considering only buying 3 of the flavours we really wanted, but they were nice enough to make an exception and makes sure our top 3 flavours made it into the box.

We ended up with Cow, Strawberry and Cream, Thai Empire, London Fog and Assam. 5 pieces for $30, which comes to $6 per piece.

All of the roll cakes did not disappoint. I found Thai Empire, London Fog and Assam to be very fragrant with strong tea flavours and blended nicely with the cream. Not too sweet either.

Lychee Rose Pillow Cakes

They also have a bunch of different pillow cakes. It is sweet and light in texture. The flavour of the lychee rose was spot on and fragrant.

They have so many different flavours but we just picked one up.

Final Thoughts

Overall, very good cakes and we will be back for more. The flavours were perfect and loved how it’s not too sweet. They also do a few different custom cakes and they look gorgeous. I’ll have to check them out whenever I have a special occasion.

Address:
636 Main St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.buttermere.ca/

In Cafe

mello: Decadent Doughnut Shop in Vancouver

January 13, 2020

mello is a new doughnut shop and cafe in the heart of Chinatown in Vancouver. It quietly opened its doors a few weeks ago and has been attracting a lot of attention for their decadent brioche doughnuts.

They also have other items like coffee, ice cream, and other pastries.

Donut or doughnuts? Since we are Canadian, we will stick with doughnuts.

Interior

The interior is quite nice. It’s not too large inside but is a decent size for a cafe. The interior is like a work of art. There is a long communal table for larger groups.

I like this sitting area in the back as there was tons of room for us and a baby.

Fresh Strawberry and Cream

The brioche doughnut is cut partially in half and filled with bits of strawberry and cream. It felt like half the doughnut was filled and then the rest of it is the plain doughnut. This was my least favourite one.

Tiramisu

The tiramisu was really decadent with the rice cream inside. There is some cocoa powder on the outside too. The ratio of doughnut to cream was very nice and we really enjoyed it.

Dark Chocolate Pudding

This was my favourite as I love chocolate. I could eat a whole box of them. The dark chocolate pudding is also very rich and pairs so well with the texture of the brioche doughnut.

Peanut Butter and Jelly

Peanut Butter Jelly time! This was oozing with jelly and I wished there was more peanut butter to balance it out as it was pretty sweet.

Final Thoughts

It’s a great addition to the area and their doughnuts are different that others in the area. The brioche doughnuts has a decent chew to it but not too dense. Their selection isn’t that large, but has enough to satisfy different tastebuds. It’s definitely making Chinatown a little more vibrant and delicious.

Address:
223 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://mello-donut-shop.business.site/

In Chinatown

DD Mau: Modern Vietnamese Cuisine in Chinatown

March 14, 2019

DD Mau opened their second location in Chinatown with an expanded menu and bar. Their original location in Yaletown has a limited menu and mostly serve Banh Mi sandwiches. I’ve been here several times since their opening but finally had enough dishes to write a proper review of DD Mau in Chinatown.

Interior

The interior is pretty unique and seems like you’ve stepped back into time. When you walk in, there are antique bird cages above, the sight of metal tables, metal utensils and plates just like if you’re out in a market place.

DD Mau Wings

This is their deep-fried chicken wings with their housemade fish glaze sauce. It is crisp on the outside and you can taste the fish sauce glaze on the wings. A good item to share among the table.

Fried Crispy Pig Ears

The fried crispy pig ears were very crisp where it was tough to chew some pieces. It is seasoned with five spice and it’s not too strong. I can see this pair well with beer.

Liquid Tiramisu

This is a Ha Noi Style Coffee with sweet egg cream. The coffee below is strong and bold. The sweet egg cream really balances it out. Highly recommended.

Grandma’s Tea

Who knew you could combine oolong Tea and Johnnie Walker into a shot.

Lychee Soda

The sodas on the menu come in a variety of flavours – lychee, soursop, passion fruit and guava. We went with the lychee flavour but it was way too sweet for our liking.

Pho Beef Dip Banh Mi

Inside the French baguette is beef shank, eye round, onions, bean sprouts, and herbs. It has the pho broth on the side for dipping. It was an interesting concept to switch up the traditional beef dip. I found the beef shank and eye round to be a bit tough, so when biting into it, I would drag out more beef.

Grilled Betel Leaf Meatball Platter

A large dish where you can eat it for 1 person or share among the table. It has banh hoi rice noodle bundles, lettuce, herbs, pickled veggies and an anchovy-pineapple sauce. It was a pretty solid dish and I really liked the noodle bundles as they were really easy to grab and dip into the sauce. A good combination of flavours in this dish too.

Damn Good Chicken and Rice

This is a popular Northern Hoi An dish. It has free-range chicken salad on tumeric rice and served with a side of soup. A solid dish and I really enjoyed it. We asked the server for this recommendation and she wasn’t wrong at all.

Beef Pho

This has beef balls, flank, and rare eye around with their beef broth. It’s a pretty good clean bowl of pho that feels healthy. It also comes with herbs, bean sprouts and jalapeños on the side.

Final Thoughts

It’s a good place for lunch and dinner in the Chinatown area. It definitely add something that is much needed in the neighbourhood. The modern twist to some of the dishes aren’t for everyone, but they have a good amount of options on the menu that isn’t just pho and banh mi sandwiches.

Address:
145 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.ddmau.ca/chinatown

In Cafe

Ca Phe Vietnamese Coffee House: Vancouver Vietnamese Coffee Bar Review

March 10, 2019

Vancouver’s First Pop Up Vietnamese Coffee Bar – Ca Phe Vietnamese Coffee House just opened up inside Chinatown House. I love Vietnamese Coffee, so when I heard they were opening, I had to drag some friends to check it the coffee and pastries. This pop-up is set to be around until mid-May.

Ordering

They take orders via Instagram if you don’t want to wait in line. Sometimes the line does get long, so having it ready when you arrive is amazing! Just send them a direct message with what you want and when, they will get it ready for your arrival.

Interior

There are 16 seats inside but it’s nothing fancy. Most people get their coffee’s to go but some people just find a seat and chat. That’s what I did as I was meeting up with a friend. The tables are in configurations of 4 but usually the line up builds for getting the coffee is long and not too many people sitting down.

Really Strong Vietnamese Coffee

The classic Vietnamese Coffee with condensed milk. It’s like a Vietnamese Americano with the sweetened milk. Good if you like your coffee hot.

Really Strong Iced Coffee

This is similar to the one prior but with ice. I actually prefer it with ice as it brings the strong Vietnamese coffee and condensed milk together. Plus, it’s the way I have it at restaurants. Highly recommend this coffee.

Avocado Coffee

This is Vietnamese Coffee with Avocado. You really get a strong taste of avocado when you drink it. It’s an interesting combination that I have never had before. It’s a good way to get avocado into your diet for the day, but the combination wasn’t for me.

Brown Butter Matcha and Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies with Black Sesame Caramel

This was an interesting combination but there was a lot going on with this blondie and the matcha didn’t stand out as much. The more prominent flavours were the brown butter and black sesame.

Black Sesame Chocolate Chip Cookie

Watch out of the black sesame crumbs that may lurk on your clothing as your devour this cookie as a few pieces of the black sesame tends to fall off. The black sesame taste is strong in this cookie with the amount of it coating the cookie.

Spiced Chocolate Hoisin Swirl Brownies with Vietnamese Coffee Salted Caramel

This was our favourite out of the 3 options. It has a good depth of flavour of the spiced chocolate, hoisin swirl and the salted caramel. It worked well together.

Final Thoughts

It’s great to finally have a place dedicated to Vietnamese Coffee in Vancouver even if it’s temporary. The pop-up is meant for a quick to-go Vietnamese coffee, so you won’t have the full restaurant experience with the glass cups and Vietnamese coffee dripper. It helps bring customers unique options like the avocado coffee and egg coffee to show there is more to Vietnamese Coffee than just the standard hot and cold option.

Address:
188 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/caphevancouver/

In Cafe

Crackle Creme: Fall Inspired Crème Brûlée in Vancouver

September 9, 2018

Crackle Creme is a cozy cafe located in Chinatown specializing in crème brûlée, cute macarons, waffles and drinks. As the Fall is almost upon us, they are releasing 3 new crème brûlée flavours – Apple Pie, Pumpkin Spice and Malt Spice. 3 flavours that capture the Fall season.

Interior

The interior is small, so there aren’t too many seats inside. A lot of people come to get treats to- go or they sit a short little while enjoy their crème brûlée fresh.

Apple Pie Crème Brûlée

All their ingredients are made in-house and use fresh ingredients in their crème brûlée.

They torch the crème brûlée in front of you, so there is no mystery at all. Apple pie crème brûlée is topped with an apple mixture that accentuates the flavour just like an apple pie without the crust.

This was our favourite of the 3 flavours.

Pumpkin Spice Crème Brûlée

The Pumpkin Spice crème brûlée has spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves to make the classic Pumpkin Spice flavour. It has an interesting combination of flavours as a crème brûlée with these warm Fall flavours. If you’re a Pumpkin Spice fan, this might be for you.

Malt Spice Crème Brûlée

The malt spice is an interesting flavour with a stronger alcohol taste compared to the other 3 flavours. If you like a boozy kick to your crème brûlée, this might be for you.

Pandan Coconut Crème Brûlée

We tried a few more crème brûlée on their menu and the pandan coconut has a subtle flavour of the pandan leaf and a stronger coconut taste. It was pretty good in my opinion if you enjoy pandan.

Thai Iced Tea Crème Brûlée

Thai Iced Tea infused in their crème brûlée is a good combination, but don’t pair it with their Thai Iced Tea or else it’s too much of the same flavour.

Thai Iced Tea and Thai Jasmine Iced Tea

If you’re looking for some beverages to go with some desserts, they have some Thai Iced Tea and Thai Jasmine Iced Tea for a limited time.

Thai Iced Tea is a classic drink, but the Thai Jasmine Iced Tea is very interesting and floral in taste. We really enjoyed it a lot.

Macarons

They have the cutest macarons available at the café with different cartoon characters. It makes for a really great gift too.

Final Thoughts

If you’re wanting to find a place with an amazing amount of crème brûlée flavours, you’ll definitely find something unique at Crackle Creme. They have so many that it’s hard to choose what to order.

Website:
https://www.cracklecreme.com/

Address:
245 Union St, Vancouver, BC

In Brunch

Sai Woo: Now Serving Weekend Brunch

August 9, 2018

Sai Woo serves casual Asian fusion food in Vancouver Chinatown. Its architectural details and artwork honour the building and area’s history. The original Sai Woo Chop Suey opened in 1925 and was a local favourite for decades, until it closed in 1959. As before, a bright coloured rooster neon sign welcome today’s patrons.

They invited us to try their new brunch menu. Unlike its previous iteration, it veers away from any Western cuisine influences. Instead, it features breakfast flavours from Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and the Pacific Islands.

Interior

Sai Woo is a beautiful space and the food is always plated with intent. But to be candid, their brunch menu is savoury, filling, and is perfect after a great night partying. If you’re hungover and need something to tide you over, or if you want to keep the party going, they can make both happen.

Sai Woo Style Congee

Sai Woo Style Congee with vegetable medley, fried shallots, with asian herbs. This can be ordered with prawns or pork, as an add-on.

House Made Spam Musubi

First, let’s all pause to agree that everything breakfast tastes better with an egg on top. The House Made Spam Musubi includes toasted nori, pickled vegetables, and fried egg.

House Made Spam Musubi

Chinese Style Omelette has Chinese spiced vegetables, asian slaw, and shaved vegetables.

Steamed Korean Scallion Pancakes

Steamed Korean Scallion Pancakes with braised pork, salsa verde, and fried egg.

Final Thoughts

Sai Woo offers their brunch menu Saturday and Sundays from 11:00am to 3:00pm. Their menu dares to go beyond dim sum and offer flavours different than the typical brunch fare. It’s brunch that can appease both the hungry and the hungover who find themselves in Vancouver Chinatown.

Address:
158 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://saiwoo.ca/

In Bar and Grill

Chinatown Cocktail Crawl: Sai Woo, The Keefer Bar and Black Lounge

July 5, 2018

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

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

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

Sai Woo

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

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

Chinatown Mule

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

3 Day Bender

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

Carioca

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

Vietnamese Pork Spring Rolls

The spring rolls were crisp and deliciously savoury inside.

Mantou Buns with duck confit

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

Black Lounge

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

Gold Cocktail

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

White Cocktail

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

Black Cocktail

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

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

Fried Cauliflower

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

Coconut Prawns

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

The Keefer Bar

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

Rosemary Gimlet

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

Pineapple Daiquiri

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

Jack Soul

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

Final Thoughts

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

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

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

In Chinatown

Blazing Sushi: Food Court Aburi-style Sushi in Vancouver

May 22, 2018

Blazing Sushi recently opened up in the International Village Food Court by Stadium Skytrain in Vancouver. My friend told me about them serving up food court aburi-style sushi and that got me very curious how it can compare to the other places in town. Aburi-style is flame seared sushi, which was popularized by Miku and Minami.

Making the Sushi

They lay out the sushi and add special mayo-based sauces on top in a zig-zag pattern until it is fully covered.

Then they take the blow-torch and make it sizzle and pop. Then they finish it off with some chili flakes.

Blow-torched Sushi and Salad

8 pieces of the torched sushi and salad for $8.80 is not bad at all. There is a lot of romaine salad with potato and crab salad with 2 pieces of egg.

On the left is the shrimp and on the right is the salmon. It is made up of a block of sushi rice and a layer of shrimp or salmon with torched sauce.

Shrimp

The shrimp version is interesting as it seems to remind me of a pizza with oregano or basil seasoning.

Salmon

The salmon was better and I liked the addition of the chilli flakes for added spice. I preferred the sauce on this one.

Final Thoughts

It’s interesting to see this style of sushi in a food court, but will do. It’s a stripped down version of what you’re used to.

We Rate Blazing Sushi:

Address:
88 W Pender St, Vancouver

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/blazingsushi.canada/

In BBQ

Chinatown BBQ in Vancouver: Review

January 1, 2018

Chinatown BBQ is a new restaurant on East Pender in Vancouver’s Chinatown. They put their own spin on classic Cantonese-style meat shops by making it new and fresh to attract customers of all types.

With more and more restaurants and shops opening up in Chinatown, it’s good to see more of these BBQ shops.

When you first walk in, you see all their delicious meats hanging from the display case.

Interior

There are a lot of seats but during lunch, it can get pretty busy. Turnover is pretty quick, so you’re never waiting too long. The interior evokes a bit of new and old in this space and I really liked that.

Tea

When they seat you, you are given some hot tea.

Chef’s Plate

The Chef’s Plate comes with BBQ Pork, Soy Sauce Chicken, Roasted Pork and half a salty egg over rice. For $14.50, it’s not exactly cheap. The quality of their meats were delicious, but it did bother me a bit that the cuts were a bit thin for what I’m used to. My favourite was the roasted pork since the skin is so crisp.

Beef Brisket Curry on Rice

The portion size was good. Lots of curry to rice ratio. The taste of this was decent, but not the best I’ve had.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the quality of food is good and I like how the space is new and clean. The prices are a bit higher than most places, but understandably due to rising costs.

We Rate Chinatown BBQ:

Address:
130 E Pender St, Vancouver

Website:
http://chinatownbbq.com/

In Chinatown

The Union: Wings and Beer in Chinatown

September 28, 2017

The Union is an industrial-chic hub serving creative cocktails and Pan-Asian eats. They have happy hour and weekly features, so my coworkers and I like coming here for celebrations and farewells. Many good late nights have been had here. They have happy hour drink specials and their weekly features. On Wednesday, you get Wings and Beer for $15. Wings and normally $15, so it’s essentially getting a free beer.

Interior

There are long tables for large groups and smaller tables for a more intimate atmosphere.

Indian Masala Wings

These are dry wings using their house curry spices. The exterior is crunchy, but the amount of spices is a bit overwhelming. I tried some of there people’s wings like the Street Hawker Thai and it was delicious.

Beer

With the weekly Wednesday deal, you can choose to have the wings with any Main St Brewing beer. I went with the Main Street Saison No. 7. It has a blend of three Saison yeasts. Light in colour with a golden haze, this Saison shows through with fruity esters, pepper and citrus notes. One of my favourite beers.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a decent place to go to in Chinatown to have some eats and drinks with friends. It is a bit pricey for some items, but it’s a good atmosphere and the service is pretty good.

We Rate The Union:

Address:
219 Union St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://theunionvancouver.ca/

In Cafe

Say Hey Cafe in Chinatown

August 31, 2017

Say Hey Cafe is also another newer addition to Chinatown. Lots of eateries popping up in the evolving Chinatown neighbourhood. They specialize in sandwiches and they draw in a lunch crowd. I came with a few of my friends during lunch to check them out and see what they offer.

Interior

The cafe is very narrow and there are only a few tables. Not bad with how they set up the space.

Super Hero Special

This changes up daily, but where we were here, it had turkey sausage gumbo, sweet potato corn, turbo spread, corn chips, arugula and terragon aioli.

Meatball Hoagie

This is one of their most popular items on the menu. It has house made meatballs with provolone, pickled Serrano chilis, arugula, and chili aioli. There are 4 meatballs in this hoagie and they were super delicious and you can taste the difference. If it’s your first time here, you’ll probably want to order this too.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a good lunch and filling, but it is pretty pricey as it’s over $10.

We Rate Say Hey Cafe:

Address:
156 E Pender St, Vancouver

Website:
http://sayheycafe.ca/

In Cafe

Half Fool: Juice, Smoothies and Coffee in Chinatown

August 30, 2017

Half Fool is a boutique and general store, which also serves smoothies, juices and coffee. A little bit of everything here. They are located in Chinatown and since I’ve passed by quite a few times, I thought I should come here for a visit with my friend.

Boutique

At the font of the store, you’ll find a bunch of their different nicknacks. Take you time browsing because you might miss some cool unique gifts like, card, artisan cosmetics, jewelry, and other things.

General Store

As you move deeper in the store, you’ll find some great products beautifully places on shelves.

Beverage Bar

At the back of the store, you’ll find them serving up, smoothies, juices and coffee. There are some baked goods to purchase here too.

Cappuccino

I ordered a Cappuccino as that’s my usual drink at any coffee shop. It was good and kept me awake for the rest of the afternoon.

No 1 Smoothie

My friend got smoothie No 1, which has mango, kale, spinach, celery, ginger, tumeric, cayenne, and orange juice. My friend enjoyed it and noted the tumeric is pretty prominent.

Final Thoughts

A good addition to the Chinatown neighbourhood. Stop by to grab a drink and browse their shop for some pretty cool gifts.

We Rate Half Fool:

Address:
18 E Pender St, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/halffoolyvr/

In Chinatown

Rhinofish: Taiwanese Beef Noodles in Chinatown

July 18, 2017

Rhinofish is a Taiwanese Beef Noodle shop in Chinatown. It recently opened and I was excited because it’s hard to find good Taiwanese Beef Noodle in the area. Before they opened, they gave a few of us a sneak peek to see what to expect.

Niu Rou Mian

Taiwanese beef noodle with braised soup, tomato, baby bok choy, carrot, potato and asian sauerkraut. I had high hopes for this dish as it’s their specialty, but it fell short of expectations. The beef was very dry and did not melt in my mouth. The broth was deep in flavour but tasted more like Chinese medicine. The noodles themselves were good.

Hua Diao Ji Mian

Hua diao rice wine chicken broth, sous vide chicken breast, baby bok choy, cherry tomatoes, and tea infused egg. I preferred this a little bit more, but the broth flavour is very very subtle. It was a clean homey flavour to it. Some others commented saying it was bland. I added some mustard greens and some chili oil to transform the flavour.

Guo Bao

Taiwanese steamed bun with pork belly was ok but it needed something a bit more to bind the two things together. Maybe more sauce to moisten the bun slightly.

Xiao Huang Gua

Pickled Japanese cucumber with garlic and chili is a nice item to start with, but for $5, it’s a bit much for what you end up getting.

Mu Er

Wood ear mushroom with sesame soy dressing and plum salt in this dish. Another starter dish to share.

Yansuji with Nanjing sauce

A classic Taiwanese dish of crispy chicken nuggets topped with fried basil. the nanjing sauce is on the side. The chicken is good on it’s own, so the added sauce doesn’t add much difference. The chicken was moist on the inside and the outer fried are was crisp.

Yansuji with Parmesan and truffle oil

Very similar to the dish above with the different toppings and a bit of lemon.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food was ok but the menu prices are a bit high for what you get. We ended up giving the chef some feedback about the dishes but we’re not sure if he ever made changes before they opened. They tried to be innovative with their dishes but in the end it fell flat as they tried to reinvent the wheel as basic Taiwanese beef noodle is a classic dish. No one was impressed.

We Rate Rhinofish:

Address:
550 Main St, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.rhinofishnoodlebar.com/

In Bubble Tea

Shiny Tea: Bubble Tea Ice Cream in International Village

April 19, 2017

Shiny Tea inside International Village is serving up soft serve ice cream. They still have their classic milk teas and other drinks. After work, I came with a few friends to begin the long weekend and to enjoy some ice cream. It was close to the office, so we thought it would be great for a visit. It got busy later into the evening.

Interior

There are about 14 seat inside, so it’s not great for really large groups. But, the food court is a few steps away, so you can go there instead to sit and eat.

Soft Serve Ice Cream “Italian Gelato”

They have 2 flavours on rotation – Peach Mango Green Tea and their Sri Lankan Black Tea. You get 1 sauce and toppings are extra. The flavours change every week, but they usually have one tea-based flavour and a fruity one. They let you taste the flavours before you purchase, which is nice.

There is only one size, so it’s still good for individual consumption or sharing.

Yaaassss…condensed milk.

I got the Sri Lankan Black Tea with white pearls, black pearls and condensed milk.

They did have suggested toppings and sauces, but I wasn’t feeling it, so I crafted my own and it turned out delicious.

My friend got the Peach Mango Green Tea with brown sugar honey and it was a bit on the sweet side.

Milk tea

There are lots of drinks on the menu to choose from, but my favourites are the milk teas.

My friend got the 3Q milk tea. It has black pearls, white pearls and coconut jelly.

Overall,

We Rate Shiny Tea:

Address:
88 W Pender St,Unit 2113, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.shinytea.ca/

In Chinatown

Juniper: Happy Hour in Chinatown

December 31, 2016

I love the abundance of Happy Hour options near my office. My coworkers and I wanted to grab a quick drink after work to celebrate the holidays. We headed to Juniper as they had a earlier happy hour than some other places.

On their happy hour menu, they have:

Beer on tap
Cider on tap
Cocktail on tap
Wine on Tap
Aperitif

They also have some food options too.

I’m a beer drinker, so I got the Four Winds La Mason Saison on tap. The beer is part of Four Wind’s Notus Series, named after the Greek God of the South Winds, is a series of their low-ABV brews.

It has a light body with a pale golden hue. This dry table saison is brewed with spelt and rye and then fermented with wild yeast for notes of pepper and tropical fruit.

We rate Juniper:

Address:
185 Keefer Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.junipervancouver.com/

In Chinatown

Kissa Tanto: Japanese and Italian Fusion in Chinatown

December 28, 2016

Tucked into the upper story of a delightfully faded building in Chinatown, Kissa Tanto serves up a posh fusion of Italian and Japanese food. They take their inspiration from the delicate flavours of Japanese cuisine and the warmth of ltalian cooking.

Kissa Tanto won Canada’s best new restaurant by enRoute magazine. Their sister restaurant is Bao Bei, only a few blocks away. All of us haven’t heard about Kissa Tanto when they won the award, so we made it a mission to check it out for dinner. We had a large group of 6 and had to wait over a month for a seat as they only have one table for 6 people.

We had to provide a credit card in advance for the reservation. If we didn’t show up, they would charge us $150 cancellation fee.

Interior

Once we headed upstairs, we were transported into the 1960’s. It is styled like old Tokyo jazz cafés.

The dusty-pink leather banquettes, banker’s lamps and brass railings really make this place shine and give it the ambiance.

The space isn’t that large, so reservations are highly recommended to avoid waits and disappointment.

There are 12 seats at the bar that are first come first serve, which require no reservations.

Drinks

Four Winds Saison is what I ordered. One of my favourite light fruity tasting beers.

Four on six sour was what the others ordered. It has a mix of Bourbon, noilly prat amber, charred pineapple, lemongrass shrub, ardberg, and egg white.

To Begin With – Appetizers

Albacore tuna crudo with shiso vinaigrette, radishes, Tokyo leek, capers, pickled almonds, Castelvetrano olives, and mustard greens. Very delicious light and you can taste the freshness of the tuna paired with the other ingredients. One of my favourite appetizers.

Octopus Salad has crispy octopus, citrus mayonnaise, daikon, radish, basil, ikura, and parmesan. The octopus was a decent texture, but I thought it would be a bit softer.

Frittelle di Melanzane is a garlic eggplant fritter with yuzu gribiche, basil and bonito salt, and shaved katsuo. It comes with 3 pieces was delicious. Soft on the inside but crisp on the outside.

Terrina Frita has pink, pickled daikon and nori mustard on bruschetta. This was one of the specials for today. I love the vibrant colours, but it was a so-so dish.

Tender to the Tooth – Pasta

Lasagne del Giorno was the lasagne of the day and it featured winter chanterelles & pork with a miso bechamel and basil cream sauce. Very delicious and each layer melded well together.

Tajarin is made of butter, roasted mushrooms, and miso cured yolk. Three of my favourite ingredients. the simplicity of this pasta dish really spoke to my tastebuds.

Casarecce is pasta in a pork and sake kasu ragu. The type of pasta helps capture some of the sauce in it’s crevices. Also very delicious.

Sharing is Caring – Entrees for Sharing

Lamb Shoulder is served with tosaka seaweed, fregola, anchovy butter, puréed egg yolk, Sicilian olives, and pickled peppers. The lamb was tender and it was an interesting experience navigating how to eat this dish.

One of the other specials for the day was their Beef Cheeks with braised tomato and anchovies, and gnocchi. The delicious jus of the beef covered the fluffy gnocchi. Tender and flavourful beef.

Whole Fish of the Day was Sea Perch for $40. It is flash-fried and served with a daikon soy dipping sauce. It was super crisp and easy to eat as every bit of it was edible – even the bones. The bones were crunch like chips.

Dessert

Yuzu Cream has Sicilian pistachios, olive oil crumble and season fruit in it.

Tiramisu has a touch of plum wine. Very light and fluffy layers.

Flourless Chocolate Cake was rich and dense. It is served with miso-caramel ice cream.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a fun dinner with friends – Foodgressing, Vie a Maggi, Picky Diner, Sherman, and Drunken Noms – who all enjoy good food. With the 6 of us, we shared 13 dishes. 2 and a bit dishes for each person.

From what we tried, I could really see the fusion between Japanese and Italian cooking. It’s pretty interesting to see these 2 cuisines come together as it’s not common at all.

We Rate Kissa Tanto:

Address:
263 E Pender Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.kissatanto.com/