Gastown Archives - Page 4 of 7

In Brunch

Calabash Bistro: Brunch Bash with Booze

June 13, 2014

Did you know Calabash Caribbean Bistro serves brunch? Every Saturday and Sunday, you can get a taste of their brunch menu from 10am – 3pm.

I was invited to a preview of their new brunch menu to see what they were offering up. Since I am still on the hunt for the best brunches in town, I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

Calabash Bistro is well know in the community for their deep roots in the local music and art scene. They always have events in their downstairs area.

The main dining room is upstairs but all the events happen downstairs in their basement. It’s a pretty cool space.

Pistachio Lassi ($7) is a traditional Indian drink made with yogurt, fresh fruit & spices. I’ve never had pistachio lassi before since I usually get a mango lassi. It also contains mint, rosewater, honey, cardamom, and pistachio. It was really good and I would definitely get this again.

You can really taste the depth of flavours and it works really well together.

Coconut dumplings can be found in their menu and it’s really good. They remind me of donuts but not too sweet.

The exterior is crunchy and the inside is warm and soft.

Your choice of mango or guava butter is served with it. Both the butters were really good and tastes so much better than regular butter. hahaha.

Escovitch Fish ($14) is a traditional Caribbean breakfast with pan-seared fish, tangy Escovitch sauce, fried plantain, fresh cucumber and rice & peas. The fish was nicely cooked and the tangy sauce complimented nicely, unfortunately, the rice wasn’t very good.

Passion Fruit & Guava Mimosa ($7) has Pares Balta organic sparkling wine, passion fruit juice, and guava. It was paired with the Escovitch Fish dish. It was nice to have a different type of mimosa than the regular.

Oxtail Stew Brunch Bowl ($13) has two poached free-range eggs, rice and peas, fried plantains, and a coconut rundown hollandaise. The oxtail stew is full of flavour and it is a bit spicy. It doesn’t look spicy, but it is. The combination of the runny egg with the stew is yummy but I still didn’t like the rice in this dish.

Calabash Dark & Stormy ($10) is their most popular drink and a lot of people say this is their favourite drink. It has ginger-infused Goslings rum, house-made ginger beer, Angostura bitters, and ginger syrup.

Salara French Toast ($12) has fresh-baked salara, fresh-cut fruit, house-made banana cream & spiced mango maple syrup. It’s a sweet brunch item and is very different than the traditional french toast.

Coconut Jumby ($11) contains El Dorado 3 year old rum shaken with coconut water, agave syrup, muddled lemongrass, mint, and lime zest.

All their drinks were pretty strong and definitely worth the price. It was definitely a boozy brunch. Overall, the food was ok, but wasn’t for my tastebuds. It’s all a personal preference since I do find it weird having rice for breakfast.

We Rate Calabash Bistro:

Address:
428 Carrall Street
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://calabashbistro.com/

In Four Beakers

Ask For Luigi: Dining on Mothers Day

June 6, 2014

Ask For Luigi is located in Gastown and has pretty awesome fresh pasta. My sisters and I came here for Mothers Day and we were fortunate enough to get a reservation. We made the reservation a few weeks prior just to avoid disappointment. This is my second visit as I really enjoyed my first visit.

When we got there at 5:30pm, there was a large line up. A handful of people didn’t have reservations, so some of them were lucky to get a seat and other had to come back later in the evening.

I would try to get a reservation, if not, put your name down and just head to a close lounge/bar for a drink. A good option is the Alibi Room.

Beef Carpaccio ($14) was the special for the night and it had garlic chips, capers, and a few other ingredients. Sprinkle some lemon on top and its quite delicious.

Anchovies & Eggs ($9) comes with 4 slices of bread, and the eggs with anchovies.

It’s a pretty neat dish and strangely visually appealing. The egg with the soft creamy yolk, anchovies, and roe. Eggs on Egg!

Luigi’s Meatballs ($14) comes with 3 pieces and toasted bread. These were a good size and perfect for sharing around the table.

Risotto ($17) has asparagus and topped with a piece of smoked sablefish. I think this is the most beautiful risotto I have ever eaten. This was really good!

Pappardelle and Duck Ragu ($19) is always a hit. It’s not too salty and is also quite addictive. You must order this.

Gluten-Free Pasta with pancetta, chilies & tomato sauce was what my little sister ordered. She’s celiac, so we were glad they had the option on the menu. It was ok, but not as exciting as the other pasta dishes.

Tagliatelle, fennel sausage & rapin ($18) was another pasta we had and it was good too!

Olive Oil Cake ($8) has slices of candied oranges on the bottom and topped with ricotta cheese, basil and a drizzle of olive oil. It was delicious!

Overall, the whole family was very happy with all the dishes and they could not stop eating. For the best experience, I would suggest making reservations at 5:30pm for their first seating as the service is fast and won’t disappoint.

We Rate Ask for Luigi:

Address:
305 Alexander Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.askforluigi.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=305+Alexander+St&sll=49.2844485,-123.0976786&sspn=0.0053748,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=305+Alexander+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+1C4&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Blenz: Hot Chocolate on a Rainy Day

March 20, 2014

What do I do on rainy days? I have hot chocolate! I was really bored after work, so I had myself a hot chocolate treat. Besides the coffee, they are known for their hot chocolate too.

Belgian Hot Chocolate is one of their signature beverages at Blenz. It is made with 100% Belgian Chocolate. No powders or syrups are used. It’s simple but very good! The rich taste from the chocolate melds nicely with the foamy milk.

I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed by Blenz. It’s a nice alternative for drinks and a place to study. Free Wifi woot!

We rate Blenz:

Address:
603 Abbott St
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://blenz.com/

In Four Beakers

Ask for Luigi: Yummy Pasta in Gastown

March 15, 2014

Ask for Luigi is a casual Italian-inspired restaurant serving up fresh handmade pasta. It is located in Railtown where the old 2 Chefs a Table until they closed the location. There is some free parking in the area.

The way you order is family-style, so all dishes are meant to be shared among the table. The appetizers arrive first and then the pasta dishes quickly follow. They have some gluten-free option available each day. They also do take-out too.

FoodQueen and I tried making a reservation on a Wednesday for a Sunday dinner and all their reservations were all gone. But, they said to come at 5:30pm and we would have a high chance at getting a spot.

It was 5:29pm and there were already people inside with 70% of the tables occupied. By 5:45pm, this place was packed! Not a single seat was left. People are crazy about their pasta. Some people have indicated that they had to wait over an hour for a table. Best to come early or attempt to make a reservation.

Fried Cauliflower & Aioli ($10) is their most popular appetizer. It reminded me of Nuba’s Najib’s Special. Really good!

Bocconcini Fritti ($9) is a vegetarian dish and its is essentially deep-fried cheese balls.

Oh boy, was it ooey and gooey with the cheese super stringy and dripping out.

Beef Carpaccio ($14) is topped was many different ingredients and sauces. It was our favourite appetizer. It’s a bit hard to taste the real flavour of the beef with all the fragrant toppings, but it was still very enjoyable.

Pappardelle & Duck Ragu ($19) was the pasta that we ordered. The thick pasta they used was perfect and it latched onto the sauce. The shreds of duck was yummy and tender.

Overall, FoodQueen and I enjoyed our dinner. The service was good and the food came quite quickly. We were all done within an hour. We were glad we came early so we didn’t have to wait in line.

We Rate Ask for Luigi:

Address:
305 Alexander Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.askforluigi.com/

In Gastown

Something Healthy: Near Stadium Skytrain

February 27, 2014

Finding something healthy near the office is quite tough. Near our office, we have McDonalds, Tim Hortons, and Starbucks. That’s not a very good selection of restaurants to go for lunch. Traveling a skytrain station away, we found Something Healthy.

Magz and I had a large morning snack, so when it came to be lunch time, we just wanted something small and healthy. When we saw Something Healthy, we knew it would be a great place to have a light lunch.

We didn’t see a lot of people in here later in the lunch hour. The places has a good amount of seats and has green every where.

If you are really in a hurry, they have pre-packed wraps, fruits, veggies and salads.

Raw Green (16oz – $5.25) has spinach, apple, pineapple & fresh orange juice. The juice was sweet due to the amount of fruits. It was good if you enjoy sweeter juices similar to Jugo Juice.

Tropic Delight (16oz – $6.25) has orange, mango & pineapple. Magz was so funny and asked them for their sweetest juice. They helped her choose a good drink.

Fresh Salad ($6.35) has romaine lettuce, bell peppers, corn, cucumber, red onions, & craisins. You can choose your protein either chicken breast, salmon, or tofu. Then you can also choose your dressing – sesame pear, teriyaki, terragon, or sesame vinaigrette.

Overall, there are a good amount of choices, but their salad options are quite limited. Before I walked in, I thought they would have a salad bar, but they didn’t. The prices are quite fair but they definitely need more variety for salads.

We Rate Something Healthy:

Address:
660 Abbott Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.somethinghealthy.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=660+Abbott+St&sll=49.2790873,-123.1076036&sspn=0.0053754,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=660+Abbott+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B&z=16 “]

In Brunch

Lily Mae’s Comfort Cafe: Brunch in Gastown

January 15, 2014

Lily Mae’s Comfort Cafe is located in the heart of Gastown. I came here with coworkers on the weekend to have some brunch. If you are looking for some comfort food, its a nice place to go to. They serve brunch on weekends from 10am till 3pm.

The cafe is very small but has a very cozy place to chat and chow down on food. Very adorable! The brick walls, the little windows and of course the hipster centrepieces on the tables.

They also have an small upper area for larger groups.

Coffee was needed or else I would have fallen asleep.

Maple Black Peppercorn Bacon ($4.50) is an expensive price to pay for 2 strips of bacon. Nonetheless, DeeBee enjoyed it and loved the flavour.

Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes ($10) is served with real maple syrup and strawberries on top. You get 3 big fluffy pancakes and it will definitely fill you up.

The Sunny Day Benny ($14) is a favourite on their menu. It has crab, avocado, and tomato smothered in hollandaise sauce. You get to choose your side of fried potatoes or mixed greens. There are a few pieces of fruit on the side too.

Magz really enjoyed the benny and would highly recommend it. She said there was a lot of crab in these bennies.

Chorizo Breakfast Wrap ($11) has scrambled eggs, basil pesto, chorizo and cheddar. I chose to have mixed greens as my side. The salad was pretty good and it had blueberries and cherry tomatoes. The wrap isn’t anything fancy, but the ingredients just go well together. Definitely comfort food that won’t destroy your waistline.

Overall, the food was good, but the wait time did take a while. They definitely need to work on their executing and timing a bit more. Granted, they did warn us it might take a while and a large group put in their order ahead of us. Once the food did arrive, we ate pretty quickly.

We Rate Lily Mae’s:

Address:
12 Powell Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.lilymaes.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=12+Powell+Street+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=12+Powell+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+1E7&z=15 “]

In Gastown

Sushi Den: Bento Boxes in Chinatown/Gastown

January 6, 2014

Sushi Den is a newer Japanese Restaurant on the border of Gastown and Chinatown. It’s located close to Stadium Skytrain and Tinseltown. I came here during lunch with my coworker for something fast. I can see them being popular for take out.

I have come here a few times and I usually get the same bento box.

Nigiri Bento Box ($12) comes with agedashi tofu, salad, assorted tempura, miso soup and 5 pieces of nigiri. The bento box is very large and easily fills me up for lunch.

Miso soup came fairly quickly and tasted good. It had bits of tofu and green onions inside.

There were 5 pieces of nigiri – 1 ebi, 2 tuna and 2 salmon. It tasted fresh good and no problems.

The agedashi tofu is very hot, so you need to wait a bit before eating. When you leave it in the sauce for a while, the skin around the tofu gets very gummy and slimy. Weird texture, but I still liked the tofu inside.

Assorted Tempura was heavily battered and was very crunchy. It stays crunch for a long time and doesn’t get soggy.

Overall, the food is average and in a very good location. The service is not very good. You won’t find anything amazing here, but the prices are fair.

We Rate Sushi Den:

Address:
609 Abbott St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=609+Abbott+St+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=609+Abbott+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B&z=16 “]

In Canadian

EXP Restaurant + Bar: Video Game Inspired

October 14, 2013

Exp Restaurant and Bar is located in Gastown and serves up food and drinks with a video game twist. I came here with my food blogging buddies – Dee and Amy since we are all video game nerds.

You will find video memorabilia on the walls and will definitely bring you back to your childhood days.

Mana + Health ($7.50) is a mixture of Red Sour Puss, Bols Melon, Blue Curacao, and Soda. It is meant to be drank like a drop shot. If you play games like Diablo, you’ll find these two colors familiar. The drink itself is quite sweet.

Thunder ($5.50) is made of Absolut Mandarin, Blue Curacao, Lime. Rimmed with Pop Rocks.

Arrow to the Knee ($5.50) has cake vodka, and baileys cream liqueur. If you play Skyrim, you’ll understand this reference.

Ultra Deep Fried Pickles ($7) has fresh pickles and fries with blackened jalapeño dip. It was a good bar dish. Something to nibble on. It’s not for everyone, but I have a secret love of pickles.

Raging Demon Spicy Chicken Sandwich ($13) has grilled cajun chicken breast, jalapeño jack cheese, fried jalapeño and garlic with fresh avocado. The chicken breast was quite dry and there wasn’t anything too special about this burger. It was a bit spicy, but it could have used more of a kick.

Chocobo Chicken Burger ($12) has crunchy garlic chicken breast, honey mustard, mayo, & lettuce. Dee ordered it and just fell in love with the title of this burger because of the reference to Final Fantasy.

Master Chief Burger ($13) has an 6 oz beef patty topped with baby greens, house red onion relish, roasted garlic aioli, finished with crunchy ‘Halo’ onion rings.

Doughnut-Shielded Cheesecake ($4) has a Piece of Rich Cheesecake Encased in Doughnut Batter and Deep-Fried to Perfection. You can choose from chocolate, oreo icing or cinnamon sugar. We went with the cinnamon sugar.

Smore-Tal Kombat ($5) has a huge house-made marshmallow, dark chocolate and caramel sauce, brutally squeezed between two honey graham Crackers. FINISH IT!

I love their description on their menu. It can get a bit distracting trying to figure what the dish really is. We spent way more time oggling at the name of the items rather than finding something we really liked.
We Rate Exp Bar:

Address:
309 W Pender St
Vancouver, BC

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

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=309+W+Pender+St+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=309+W+Pender+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+1T3&z=16 “]

In Gastown

Pizzeria Ludica: Pizza and Board Games

September 15, 2013

On the outside, it still looks like the late Verace Pizzeria. It recently changed ownership and is now Pizzeria Ludica. They opened last week but did not publicly announce it to test the waters. M and I work close by and pass by all the time. When I saw Verace Pizzeria was closed, I was a bit sad, but on the door it said Pizzeria Ludica is opening in its place.

Don’t let the exterior fool you, they just haven’t gotten their new signs yet.

The interior looks similar too.

What makes them different than the other pizzerias is that they have over 500 board games. It’s all on the back wall. They have the usual board games to more unique games that places like Walmart or Target won’t have. Their collection is quite impressive.

M regularly plays board games so he found it cool that there were so many he hasn’t heard of. There’s no extra change to play games.

They are also happy to teach people new games to play. Very insightful staff!

They even have simple games for kids too. Definitely a great place to take your family.

M and I played Smash Up while we waited for our order. Lets just say, I kick ass in board games and I beat M. It’s quite a fun game.

While we were playing the game, the food all arrived. I must say, it was a challenge eating pizza, drinking, and playing games.

The menu items are similar to Verace.

Limonata Al Mosmario has freshly squeezed lemons, rosemary and soda.

Menabrea Beer ($5.50) was pretty good and had a bit of citrus notes in the beer.

Proscuitto Cotto e Funghi ($12.99) comes with mozzarella, ham and mushrooms. It was good, but need some more of a mushroom punch.

Margherita ($10.99) was one of the specials of the day. It is served with plum tomato sauce, fior di latte mozzarella, finished with grana padano, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil.

The pizza was a good size, good for individual or sharing at about 12 inches. The quality was alright, but there could be more improvements. The basil was sparse and didn’t seem very fresh as it could be.

There are 3 types of oils you can dip with your pizza – chili oil, rosemary oil and garlic oil. My favourite was the garlic.

Overall, great concept with good quality board games. The pizza could use a bit of improvement since the pizza was a bit soggy in the centre and would flop over when eating. It’s quite hard eating it by hand, perhaps a knife and fork would be better. But, I’ve heard thats the style of Neapolitan pizza. I just prefer my pizza to be a bit more crunchy.

We Rate Pizzeria Ludica:

Address:
189 Keefer Pl
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.ludica.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=189+Keefer+Pl,+Vancouver,+BC+V6B+0J1&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=189+Keefer+Pl,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+0J1&z=16 “]

In European

Chambar: Awesome Mussels and Meat

September 10, 2013

Chambar is located in Gastown near Stadium Skytrain and are known for their amazing mussels and European-inspired dishes.

We came here for CanuckGirl’s surprise birthday party as we heard they have great food. Plus, I haven’t been here yet, which I found surprising. I was pretty excited to come try their famous mussels.

We started off the night with a Rosé wine. I don’t remember what type it was, but the waiter was kind enough to help us pick the wine. Good choice.

Boeuf et morilles ($16) has Chicago style beef striploin, candied chanterelles, cippolini onion rings, pine nuts,and grated parmesan. This dish was so good! Many “mmmm” and “omg” were heard when we put this in our mouth. Highly recommended!

Thon rouge et petit pois ($31) has seared yellowfin tuna, sweet pea & mint puree, eggplant chutney, spiced quinoa & pickled kohlrabi. My friends really enjoyed this as well. It was a bit expensive, but it is yummy.

Coquotte Mussels ($24) has white wine cream, smoked bacon lardons, and spring onions. It was also very yummy and everyone at the table had to have some. For a group of 7, we ordered 4 buckets. Everyone was very happy with it and it comes with fries.

Frites come with the mussels and they are crazy crunchy. So good! So addictive.

Overall, all the food was fantastic! It was expensive, but its definitely worth it. I would definitely come again. Be sure to make reservations online to make sure you have a spot since it can get busy during peak hours.

We Rate Chambar:

Address:
562 Beatty St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.chambar.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=562+Beatty+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V6B+2N7&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=562+Beatty+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+2N7&z=16 “]

In Gastown

Tsuki Sushi Bar: Sushi in Gastown

August 5, 2013

Tsuki Sushi Bar is a new restaurant located close to Gastown and Chinatown. It’s across the street from Tinseltown. I pass by this place often and was curious about how their sushi would compare with some other places in town.

I came here with Magz for lunch since it’s so hard to find good sushi near our work place.

The interior looks pretty awesome with its high ceilings.

Complimentary tea arrives. Sushi really isn’t complete without tea.

Complimentary Miso Soup came to the table before our item arrived. It was decent and had lot of tiny tofu at the bottom of the bowl.

Chawan Mushi is what Magz ordered. It is a Japanese steamed egg custard. It was packed full of seafood, mushrooms, and vegetables. Really delicious.

Can’t remember the name of this roll but it was a California roll with avocado and eel on top. It tasted ok, but wasn’t anything super amazing.

Aburi Combo ($11.50) came with 5 pieces – unagi, saba, scallop, salmon, and tuna. Each one had their own unique sauce to compliment the flavours. A lot of people of Fourquare recommended this dish, but I didn’t think it was a very well executed dish.

The aburi could be seared a bit more since you could barely taste the charcoal. The cuts were also quite lean, so it didn’t really melt in your mouth.

Overall, the dishes we had here were ok. I wasn’t too impressed with their sushi.

We rate Tsuki Sushi Bar:

Address:
509 Abbott St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://tsukisushibar.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=509+Abbott+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V6B+6C1&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=509+Abbott+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+6C1&z=16 “]

In Bakery

Smart Mouth Coffee: Croissants and Lattes

August 1, 2013

Smart Mouth Coffee is located in the heart of Gastown. I came in the morning with kamsicle to get our daily coffee. I’ve never been here before and for some reason I always thought it was a bar for some reason.

They always have cheeky signs outside the store. They change everyday and are quite funny.

The interior has the “Gastown” look with its brick walls. Strangely, they also sell beer here too.

There are lots of sandwich choices too. I was tempted to grab a sandwich, but it’s only breakfast time. I probably need to come back to try one.

Good thing there were a few pastries there.

Almond Croissant was actually massive. Tons of almonds on top! The croissant itself was a bit dense and took me a long time to finish. Not the best almond croissant out there.

Soy Latte had a nice strong taste. Good stuff.

Overall, pretty good place to do some work or to grab a snack. The service was definitely lacking here, but it doesn’t really impact your experience since its more of a grab and go place in the morning.

We Rate Smart Mouth Coffee:

Address:
117-131 Water St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=131+Water+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V6B+4M3&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=131+Water+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+4M3&z=16″]

In Gastown

Rodney’s Oyster House: Gastown

April 29, 2013

Rodney’s Oyster House has opened a new location in Gastown. The have taken up the space of Cobre that used to be there. They have the same items like their Yaletown location. My coworkers and I came here for their happy hour from 4pm till 6pm. Oysters are $1.50 and their other items are on special too.

The interior is decorated similarly to their other location and has 2 floors too. They servers are really nice and know how to make their guests at home.

Complementary bread comes to the table with a lump of butter.

Zydeco Stew aka Caesar ($10.25) it contains the usual stuff with fresh grated horseradish and topped with a lemon and a huge shrimp. It was a really good caesar and the shrimp was fantastic.

Low Tide Oysters ($1.50) can vary in variety when ever you go. These were from Denman Island and are somewhat similar to a Fanny Bay Oyster. I found that this time around, they shucking wasn’t done as cleanly, so there were bits of shell when I ate some of them.

When the oysters arrived, it came with a whole platter of sauces – Worchester sauce, 2 types of Tabasco sauce, vodka pepper sauce, and 4 of their house sauces. If you want to burn in pain, try using the ‘back from hell’ sauce.

Pan Fried Oysters ($16.95), which are freshly shucked oysters, breaded and fried. They also some with tartar sauce and lemons for taste. Delicious as always and the oysters are a good size. The oysters are different kinds than the low tide ones as you can tell these are super long in size. This dish was ordered after the happy hour, so it was quite expensive.

Overall, the quality of good is great, but it will be quite expensive when it’s not happy hour. The only problem we had were the bit of sediments or shell that was left in the shell when we ate it. They usually shuck really well, but I guess I came on an off day.

We Rate Rodney’s Oyster House Gastown:

Address:
52 Powell St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.rohvan.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=52+Powell+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=52+Powell+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+2J1&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Brunch

Yolks Breakfast Food Cart: OMG SO GOOD

February 27, 2013

Yolks Breakfast Food Cart is located outside of Stadium Skytrain Station on Thursday and Fridays at 8:30am. Even though it was pouring rain, I really really wanted to try this! M and I went before work to grab a quick bite before going to our offices.

If you work Downtown, it’s hard to find good breakfast in the morning. Plus, this place takes debit and credit!

Their menu! Limited choices, but there’s a reason why…….it’s all delicious.

2 Eggs and Double Everything ($8.95) with a side of Truffle-Lemon Hashbrown Skewer ($2.75).

M chose the Double smoked bacon with arugula, and real hollandaise on their daily bread. The way they poach their eggs are very soft so the yolk will squirt out if you take a bite. It’ll be messy but it’s SO GOOD!

The Truffle-Lemon hashbrown was heavenly!! The truffle and the lemon paired perfectly and the hashbrows were crunchy too!

Roasted Portobello Mushroom English Muffin ($6.95) with arugula, pepper aioli, and aged white cheddar. The creaminess of the cheese and egg went really well with the mushroom. It was messy eating it, but it tasted so good. The way I avoid all messy yolk is biting a small hole in the egg and sucking out the yolk.

M and I loved this place! One of the better breakfasts we had in a long time. If you are Downtown early enough or happen to catch them at a special event, do try their amazing food! Just watch out for those pesky yolks and grab yourselves a lot of napkins.

We Rate Yolk’s Breakfast Food Cart:

Location:
Dunsmiur x Beatty (Stadium Skytrain)
Thursday and Friday 8:30am till 1pm

Website:
http://www.yolks.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=beatty+and+dunsmuir+vancouver&hl=en&hnear=Dunsmuir+St+%26+Beatty+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Gastown

Brioche: Unofficial Dine Out Menu 2013

January 30, 2013

Brioche has an unofficial Dine Out Menu featuring 4 courses for $19.90. There’s no way you would find out that they are offering this deal unless you step into their shop. They don’t even post it on their website.

The 4 courses include your choice of daily soups, salad, an entree, and a dessert. Not bad considering lunch itself if quite expensive. I decided to come dine here with ScienceMan because it was a great deal for the price we paid.

8 Bean Soup was definitely very hearty and filling.

Their other soup was a cream based soup. I wish I was paying attention to all the items that was in this soup, but sadly my memory fails me. Nonetheless, the 2 daily soups that they were offering tasted great.

Greek Salad had a lot of flavour and was a good portion too. Each item had a lot of dressing on it, so you can definitely taste the herb and spices.

Mixed Salad is another option of salad.

Lamb Shank was beautifully cooked! The meat was very tender and falling off the bone. Sitting in its delicious juices is a pile of spaghetti.

Mocha Creme Brulee was topped with strawberry and grapes.

Mixed Berry Cheesecake was good as well.

Overall the items were decent and the price was great for the 4 course meal. I would have never thought about coming here for dinner since it seemed more of a lunch place.

Words of Wisdom:

Food is a pricey and no visible pricing on dishes
Best in small groups
Panini’s are really good
Parking garage across the street. Discounted parking for SFU students after 6pm.

We rate Broioche:

Website:
http://www.brioche.ca/

Address:
401 West Cordova Street
Vancouver BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=401+West+Cordova+Street+Vancouver+BC&hnear=401+W+Cordova+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V6B+1E5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Gastown

Dish Crawl Vancouver: 4 Restaurants in 1 Night

January 21, 2013

Dish Crawl Vancouver launched near the end of last year to give locals and tourist a food adventure through 4 restaurants in a particular area of town for $60 per person. Imagine a pub crawl, but with restaurants. We are lead to 4 mysterious restaurants and we only know the first restaurant a day beforehand.

The DishCrawl I was on was showcasing the historical district of Gastown. There were 39 other people on this tour, so it was quite large. Each restaurant is within walking distance of each other, so all you need are your legs!

Catch 122

Our first stop was at Catch 122, lots of people arrived prior to the 7pm start. We got our name tags and sat down. I was joined by my foodie friends Sherman and Janice.

We literally filled the entire restaurant. The owner came around to each table and welcomed everyone. He told us a little about what we were having at Catch 122. If you needed drinks, you would have to prepay for it at the bar. We didn’t even get water, which was quite strange.

Chicken Cordon Bleu, Portobello Wild Mushroom Risotto & Beef Bourguignon

We had a sampling of their 3 popular dishes and it didn’t disappoint. I’ve had both the Chicken Cordon Bleu and the portobello wild mushroom risotto and they are awesome choices.

Terracotta Modern Chinese

Our second stop was at Terracotta Modern Chinese, which is located on the edge of Gastown. They opened in 2010 and have been serving their modern twist on Chinese food and tea cocktails.

We were seated downstairs and their staff told us about their restaurant. They also had aloe vodka cocktail on specials too.

Veggie spring roll, crispy fried beans & prawn wonton soup

The execution of the dishes was quite poor in my opinion. The crispy fried beans needed a dip of some sort to balance the flavours. The veggie spring roll was very oily and the wonton soup was very salty. The most delicious thing on the plate was the prawn wonton.

Brioche

Our third stop was Brioche. It’s quite a popular spot for lunch, but I was surprised they were open for dinner. They have some very delicious pasta and sandwiches.

Chef Eduardo Bilardello gathered us all in their main dining space and told us about the restaurant and his passion for cooking.

Tortellini with Italian sausage, pesto fusilli with seafood and penne with wild porcini mushroom sauce.

The dish at Brioche was the most filling of all the restaurants. Pretty good pasta dishes and the penne with wild porcini mushroom was my favorite.

Nuba

Nuba was our last stop for dessert. I know what you are thinking…Nuba for dessert? We were all surprised! We would never have guessed.

Nuba is best known for their amazing Lebanese cuisine.

Rosemary Mascarpone Mousse, Chocolate Quinoa Cake & Pistachio Mamoul, perfect way to finish the night! The 3 items had very different textures and tastes, but the best one on the plate was the Chocolate Quinoa Cake.

Overall, the DishCrawl is not for everyone. If you are a hardcore foodie like me, you might as well take your $60 and go have a nice meal at fancier restaurants. Since the restaurants are a mystery until you get there, you don’t really get a glimpse of what you will be having. It’s not necessarily a bad thing since some people like the mystery behind it all. If you are new to the city, you get a taste of 4 restaurants in 1 night! Perhaps somewhere along the way, you may find your favorite restaurant.

Even though I’ve been to all these restaurants before, I did learn a thing or two. Brioche has an unofficial dine out menu for $20 and its a great steal since lunch can be about $18. Nuba is a great place for dessert!

To check out DishCrawl Vancouver: www.dishcrawl.com/vancouver/

In Cafe

Take Five Cafe: Coffee, Appies, and Pasta

January 4, 2013

Take Five Cafe opened their 10th location in Gastown and this location serves meals and wine in addition to coffee, sandwiches and baked goods. A bunch of us decided to come here for a meeting and a dinner. They have this huge roundtable that is great for a large group of people.

The interior is spacious and has lots of tables on the left side.

On the right side is their bar.

Medium Latte is what I ordered to give me a jolt of energy.

Ethiopian Pour Over is very strong and has 3 times as much caffeine as a regular black coffee. Everyone that gets it here gets very wired and shaky after drinking it.

Tomato Bruschetta comes with 4 pieces and is topped with lots of diced tomatoes, balsamic and herbs. It’s yummy, but can easily fall apart if you’re not careful.

Rotini Pesto has rotini with pesto cream sauce and topped with parmesan cheese. It comes with 2 pieces of toast on the side. It was a strange sight to see pasta at a coffee place. The pasta tasted ok, but was a tad bland and not very fragrant.

Penne with Meatballs has penne tossed with rich tomato basil sauce and topped with meatballs and parmesan cheese.

Chorizo Farfalle has farfalle pasta, dried chorizo sausage, mushrooms, tomato, basil, and parmesan cheese.

Overall, the food here is alright, nothing too spectacular. It’s just a good space to hang out and it’s not too crowded compared to the other cafes in the area. Plus, they serve beer and wine.

We Rate Take Five Cafe:

Address:
62 West Cordova Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.takefivecafe.ca

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=62+West+Cordova+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=62+W+Cordova+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+1C9&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Four Beakers

La Casita: $5 Burritos and $3 Margaritas in Vancouver

December 17, 2012

La Casita is a Mexican Restaurant in Gastown. One day, M, cruzpresso and I were looking for a place to eat and stumbled upon La Casita and was curious how the food would be. If you come for the specials, you’re definitely getting a great deal!

Here are some of their weekday specials:

Monday: $3 Margaritas, $5 Burritos
Tuesday: $4.50 Beer, $2.50 Tacos
Complementary Chips+ Salsa, free refills and $8 – $10 lunch specials

Pretty good deals especially if you don’t want to spend too much on lunch. Sometimes eating in the Gastown area is expensive, but this is a good option for cheap yummy food. We usually come on Mondays since $5 burritos and $3 margaritas are a steal!

There is ample seating upstairs and a private space downstairs for events.

The bar has on display different kinda of liquor and there are cool masks at the top.

Mango Margarita ($3) they mix some mango purée and el Jimador tequila together with some ice. It’s strong, but a great deal for just $3.

Complementary Chips, green salsa and a medium salsa. It’s great to munch on while waiting for your meal.

Beef Burrito with melted cheese on top ($5 +$2.50) looks delectable and the addition of the cheese really makes a difference. The best flavour out of all the burrito options is definitely the beef!

Pepperoni + Egg Burrito ($5) looks so much smaller than the first burrito. Not sure what happened, but it seems like the baked cheese definitely make a big difference, or they have consistency issues.

Combo 5 ($17) comes with 1 Chorizo Quesadilla & 1 Beef Chimichanga with Rice, Beans, & Salad. M loved this! He would eat this type of food when he lived in Arizona, so it was like home to him. He enjoyed the variety of items in the combo. This combo is quite expensive for what you get.

1 quesadilla, 2 flautas, rice and salad ($15) this was one of their dinner specials on night. I liked this item because you can try a variety of items if you are new to Mexican cuisine.

Combo 2 ($11) comes with Tortilla Soup & 2 Flautas.

Flautas are crispy flute-shaped tacos, stuffed with potato and onion, topped with green salsa, cream & feta. They were surprisingly filling! I thought I would still be hungry after this, but I was so stuffed.

The tortilla soup is out of this world! It has chips, cheese, chile ancho, avocado, & lime. Such a great balance of flavour and the avocados were really fresh. I would definitely get this soup every time.

Overall, yummy food and the specials are definitely a great deal. Some items on the menu are quite expensive, but go on days where there are specials to save some money!

Words of Wisdom:

Free WiFi
Weekly Specials
Tortilla soup is a must!

We Rate La Casita:

Address:
101 West Cordova St.
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.lacasita.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=101+West+Cordova+St.+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=101+W+Cordova+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V6B+5A7&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]