Four Beakers Archives - Page 17 of 24

In Four Beakers

Motomachi Shokudo: Another Great Ramen Shop

February 12, 2012

Motomachi Shokudo is another ramen restaurant on Denman Street. It’s related to Kintaro, but they do offer a different style of ramen….plus the wait is much much shorter. I love how the restaurant sign has french “Nouilles du ramen japonaises”. I am sure you can tell what that means. Japanese Ramen Noodles! M and I came with PikachuGirl since it was one of her favorite ramen places.

Even with a bit of a wait, we got seated in about 10 minutes.

The interior is very rustic with lots of wood and concrete textures. It’s quite small, but the turnover rate of each table is quite fast. The food comes out quite fast too and the staff seemed very efficient! I was impressed.

Green Tea ($1). It was not free unlike most Japanese Restaurants and it was just a tea bag. I would have expected something nicer, but it didn’t bother me too much since I just wanted green tea to accompany the meal. You know me, I need tea!

Butchigiri Gyoza ($3.75) was longer than usual gyozas, but it was packed with pork and chives. Delicious!

Petit BBQ Pork Rice Bowl ($2.95) it was small, but it was very good. It was a good size before the ramen comes. It doesn’t get you full but if you are in a super hungry mood, it’ll keep you occupied before the ramen comes.

Shio Ramen ($8.95) comes with an egg, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, green onions, and large slice of pork. What is great about their ramen is that you get all those toppings without paying extra.

Extra BBQ Pork Ramen with Extra noodles ($10.95 + $1) has bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, egg, greens, seaweed and lots of pork! M really liked it because there really was a lot of meat and so much food. He was so full he couldn’t finish all the noodles. Perhaps the extra serving of noodles wasn’t necessary.

If you look at the pork, it was bit fatty, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Its up to personal preference.

Bamboo Charcoal Dark Miso Ramen ($9.75) is one of their specialties and it was an interesting experience since I’ve never had such dark broth before. The broth has a nice flavour to it, but was a tad salty and rich. The slice of pork was very tender and not super fatty, which I liked. I wish they had one more extra slice of pork. The noodles have a good texture too.

It was a good experience, but try not to eat too messy because the bamboo charcoal may ruin your clothes.

If you want to tweak the taste of your ramen, there are a few spices you can put in.

Overall, the prices are decent and you get lots to eat without paying extra. We all got super full and walked out happy.

Words of Wisdom:

Good broth and noodles
No much parking around
Under $10

We Rate Motomachi Shokudo:

Address:
740 Denman St
Vancouver, BC

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Vancouver

In Dineout

Edible Canada at The Market: Dine Out

February 10, 2012

The one place I really wanted to try out was Edible Canada on Granville Island for Dine Out Vancouver. It’s $28, so its quite affordable compared to the $38 restaurant options. They only use the best sustainable ingredients and take pride in that. They opened up in the Summer of 2011 and since then, they have changed their menu more than 6 times. They really do like to keep everything seasonal and fresh!

PLUS, they have extended their Dine Out menu so you can still have this deal till Febuary 11th, 2012!

The place was packed and the service was good except it did seem like they were trying to push more items onto us to make us order additional items. It’s totally understandable, but usually water and bread is complementary right? Tap water is free!

Bread ($5) we actually thought it was complementary part of the meal but apparently it wasn’t. We didn’t mind too much since all of us split the cost. The bread was good and comes in a few varieties with and oil and balsamic dip.

Canyon Rabbit Terrine has quince mustard, pickled pemberton vegetables, and warm potato bread.

I’ve never eaten a rabbit before and it tasted really good as a terrine! Kinda flakey in texture like tuna. Everything went really well together.Half of the table ordered this and the only comments were about how they didn’t like brussel sprouts…so I ate all their brussel sprouts

Hazelmere Farm potato & Leek Soup has agassiz hazelnut & horseradish foam, and purple potato chips.

The other half of the table had this and they really liked it. Some didn’t like the horseradish foam, but if you just stir it around to incorporate it into your soup, it tastes a bit better.

Wild Mushroom Crusted Wild Albacore Tuna Salad has warm finger ling potatoes, kale & autumn squash, and wild mushrooms.

This is just so delicious looking! The salt on top was a nice touch to bring out the flavour of the tuna and the vegetables were yummy too. They only thing we noticed was that some of us got 7 pieces, others got 8 and someone else got 9. I was clearly jealous of CanuckGirl because she had 9 pieces.

Slow Cooked Alberta Grangeland Elk Stew has fraser valley sunchokes, brussel sprouts, carrots, and rosemary. Notfauna and TaiwaneseGirl liked their dish! It would be good if they had something starchy to dip into that sauce.

Chefs Selection of Petit Fours has Okanagan pear gelée, vanilla salted thomas haas chocolate brownie, and maple bourbon toffee pudding.

Okanagan pear gelée was loved by half the table and the other half really didn’t like it. I personally liked it because it had a really good taste to it despite the coating of sugar.

Maple bourbon toffee pudding was alright but tasted a bit dry. The caramel sauce was delicious.

Vanilla salted thomas haas chocolate brownie was also a bit on the dry side, but the chocolate on top was so good.

At the end of the meal, we were all give Bacon Sea Salt! It was a really nice touch. They said it goes well in salads and eggs.

Doesn’t that just look so good? I haven’t tried it yet, but I think I will soon.

Overall, the dinner was really good and worth the $28. They use some very unique ingredients, which you wouldn’t find at other restaurants. All of my friends were happy with our dishes. The only thing bad about the night was some tomato soup spillage that got on a few of our jackets but the management took care of it. I would probably come back again.

Words of Wisdom:

Great dishes with unique type of protein
Some free and some paid parking in the area

We Rate Edible Canada:

Address:
1596 Johnston St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.ediblecanada.com/bistro.php

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Vancouver

In Cafe

Soirette Macarons & Tea: New Specialty Macaron Store

February 6, 2012

Soirette Macarons & Tea is a new little cafe that opened up near Pender and Broughton St. Flo bought me here since she really wanted to try out their macarons. She heard about them from an article in the Vancouver Sun and then bought a few Social Shopper deals.

We came too early to use the deal, but since we were there anyways, we decided to grab some macarons without the coupons. Since we heard good things from this place, we kinda knew we would be back in the near future.

The interior is very cute and cozy with mostly white and clear interior decor with a blue wall at the back. It’s definitely a place for the girls to just kick back and relax with the macarons.

There is very limited seating, so most people we saw just did take out. Definitely not a place for large groups.

They also have a large selection of specialty teas and drinks. I didn’t get a chance to get one, but tea does sounds like a good pairing with tea.

We came an hour before closing, so they were running out of macarons. We didn’t mind since there were still some great flavours.
Don’t let this picture discourage you from going since Flo and I just came late after work.

Macarons ($2 each, 6 for $11.50 or 12 for $22). Flo and I just got 6 macarons to snack on. We got the raspberry, cappuccino, matcha, Salted Caramel, Chocolate and pistachio.

All of them were equality as good as the next one. They are well made and had great texture and flavours.

Overall, one of the better macaron places in town! It seems to be the new fad, which everyone loves.

Words of Wisdom:

Great as gifts!
Priced similar to other places with macarons
Beautiful decor

We rate Soirette Macarons & Tea:

Address:
1433 West Pender Street
Vancouver, BC V6G
Website:
http://www.soirette.com/

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In Cafe

Mink Chocolates: A Chocolate Cafe

February 4, 2012

Mink Chocolates in Downtown specializes in all things chocolate. They are dubbed the chocolate cafe since everything they serve has chocolate. They have fondue, waffles, parfaits, drinks, and specialty chocolates!!

Since it was Friday, the girls in the office wanted to fill our hot chocolate cravings. We decided to go to Mink Chocolates for their special hot chocolate for the Hot Chocolate Festival.

It’s a very cute cafe with a lot of natural light and its quite comfortable.

The Sheba Hot Chocolate comes with your choice of milk or dark chocolate ganache hot chocolate with pistachio. It also comes with 72% chocolate wafer.

The hot chocolate was quite smooth and milky with the subtle pistachio flavour. Its wasn’t over powering and they went well together.

The Mermaids Choice Hot Chocolate comes with either milk or dark chocolate ganache hot chocolate, salted caramel and hint of rosemary. It is also served with the chocolate wafer.

Everyone else from the office got this. They really liked the subtle taste of rosemary! They also have a specialty chocolate called The Mermaids Choice with a similar taste. It’s in bar form rather than in the hot chocolate.

The wafer that comes with it is a perfect complement! More chocolatey goodness!

As we were here, we couldn’t resist their amazing looking chocolates. They have so many unique flavours! When do you ever see chocolates named – “Love Potion”, “Open In Case of Emergency”, “The Girls Favorite”, or “No Grumpy”.

It’s quite unique in my opinion and would make amazing gifts. I’ll probably be back grabbing a few packs of chocolates for friends.

Words of Wisdom:

Good Hot Chocolate
Lots of amazing chocolate bars
Closest Skytrain: Burrard or Waterfront

We Rate Minks Chocolate:

Address:
863 W Hastings St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.minkchocolates.com/

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In Four Beakers

Onyx Steakhouse and Lounge: All About 40 Day Aged Steaks

January 30, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by the owners to try out their restaurant. I brought along 3 friends to really keep this review as unbiased as possible! This review does not guarantee 100% similar service you might normally get from this restaurant.

ONYX Steakhouse and Lounge is located in the Suter Brook Village close to Ioco Road in Port Moody. They specialize in steaks and are known for their signature 40 day aged angus beef steaks. I don’t think I’ve heard of any other place that ages their meat for so long.

The inside is very cozy and has a little bit of a modern and hip ambiance about this place. It has 2 floors and is great for large parties.

The complementary bread is slightly crispy on the outside and the inside is very warm and pillowy. It also comes with herb butter. Mandu was quoted saying “I honestly think this is the best bread ever”! Hands down, this has to be one of the best breads we have had from a restaurants.

Sleeman Honey Brown came bottled, but the server poured into these super cool tall cups. So much classier than just serving it with the bottle. It’s a smooth full-bodied lager with a subtle taste of honey.

Earl Grey Tea comes with a package of mighty leaf tea. You also get a pot of hot water, sugar and milk.

Saganaki ($9.95) is deep-fried cheese. It is coated in panko crumbs, with grand marnier orange compote in a brandy flambée on top of the cheese. The cheese was nice and gooey with a nutty taste, which matched well with the compote on top.

Calamari ($11.95) is served with preserved lemon sriracha tzatziki. This dish was quite average and there wasn’t anything too special compared to other restaurants. It probably could have used a touch of more salt to it.

Top Sirloin 7oz & Lobster Tail ($36.90) is served with a dijon herb compound butter on top. There is also a large onion ring too. The lobster was cooked perfectly and the sirloin was medium rare. KoreanGirl couldn’t stop eating it since it was so good.

Fraser Valley trout stuffed with crab and shrimp, then pan seared with beurre blanc, which is a white wine butter sauce. This was their fish special of the day. There is also the large onion ring on top as well. The fish was cooked nicely, but I didn’t feel the crab and shrimp added much flavour to the dish. There were still a few bones inside too. It just tasted like a mash of seafood. I didn’t take a particular liking to the dish, but I guess that’s why this is a steakhouse.

Filet Mignon 10oz ($33.90) is served with a bacon mushroom demi glaze on top. The meat is very tender and you can really tell its a very good cut of meat. They ordered it medium rare and it came out perfectly as well. Mandu and CanuckGirl quite enjoyed it.

Bacon Almond Brussel Sprouts ($5.90) The brussel sprouts were a but on the small side for some reason. Nonetheless, the bacon added a nice taste to the brussel sprouts. The almond didn’t really shine through but i did add a nice texture.

House Made Gnocchi ($6.95) was delicious! It’s not your regular size of gnocchi that’s for sure. It is a bit larger, but the texture is very light and pillowy. I personally really liked it and was my favorite out of all the side dishes.

Organic Yam Gratin ($7.60) are very average and similar to other places I’ve tried. Mandu seemed to really like them since she really wanted yam fries.

Creme Brulee Trio ($7.70) comes with 3 flavours – dark chocolate, baileys, and tahitian vanilla bean. It’s a great dessert to share since it has a little bit of everything. When you break into the top of the creme brulee, it makes that amazing cracking sound. Underneath is the delicious creamy creme brulee. Everyone had their favorite flavour, which they loved…so it’s a dessert that can satisfy a bunch of different taste buds.

Chocolate Sticky Toffee Pudding ($7.70) has chocolate toffee sauce and french vanilla ice cream on top. KoreanGirl and CanuckGirl loved this dessert! It wasn’t like a pudding at all. It seemed more like a warm chocolate cake with caramel and ice cream. It was still really good!

Overall, great experience dining at ONYX. There are a few items that are very intriguing on the menu such as the Bacon Stuffed Filet Mignon Burger and Prime Rib Hash. I’ll probably head back to ONYX for some brunch in the near future!

Words of Wisdom:

Free Parking on street
Prices similar to The Keg, but steaks are of higher quality and taste!
Delicious desserts, best to share
Offers brunch

We Rate Onyx Steakhouse and Lounge:

Address:

#7 – 101 Morrisey Road
Port Moody, BC
Website:
http://www.onyxsteakhouse.ca/

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Vancouver

In Downtown

The Teahouse: Perfect For Dates

January 29, 2012

Hello Internet! Romanj and Abbytizer review another restaurant. Today we review the Teahouse Restaurant located in Stanely Park. Abbytizer and I were at the Tea House for a group Christmas Party for the Holidays.

To start off, The Tea House is a high-class restaurant with beautiful interior decor and a view overlooking North Vancouver. It’s a perfect place for romantic dates or special occasions.

Since Abbytizer and I were here for a Christmas Party, the restaurant provided us with a group menu with a selection of Appetizers, Entrees and Desserts.

To start of our meal we had complimentary bread, which was delicious.

For Appetizers:

I ordered the Prawn Cocktail ($14), which were served on ice. The Prawns were large and delicious. The sauce provides an added spicy kick.

Abbytizer ordered the Teahouse mushrooms ($12), which consists of crab meat and cream cheese. Abbytizer describes it as:
“A friend suggested the Teahouse Mushrooms and it was a great suggestion! It was a simple dish, but it was extremely delicious. The crabmeat and cream cheese blended together very well, and the meatiness of the mushroom cap balanced out the creamy texture of the dish. Lastly, the balsamic glaze that was drizzled on top of it added the right amount of sweet and savoury flavours. This appetizer alone is reason enough to come back to Tea House!”

For Our Main Course:

I ordered the Roasted Chicken ($21) with micoise olives, tomato, pearl onion, and garlic confit. The chicken is delicious; it’s perfectly moist and tender. The mini tomatoes, olives and potatoes compliment the meal perfectly.

Abbytizer ordered the Roasted Sable Fish ($33) with miso marinade. Abbytizer describes her meal: “The Sable Fish was perfectly cooked and melted in my mouth like butter. The miso marinade complemented the fish with the right amount of sweetness. It was the first time that I had sable fish and this dish was so succulent, that I’ll be more likely to try other sable fish dishes in the future.”

For Dessert each of us had a dish Crème Brulee and Chocolate Milano Cake.

Abbytizer had the Crème Brulee ($8). The Crème Brule was good, but nothing exceptional. Personally, I would prefer the Chocolate Milano Cake to the Crème Brulee for dessert. The Chocolate Milano cake was so good!

I ordered the Chocolate Milano cake ($8), which consists of chocolate mousse with chocolate ganache on top with raspberry sauce on the side. This was delicious.

Overall, The Teahouse is a very nice restaurant with a delicious menu. This restaurant is perfect dates. However, I would not recommend this place for group gatherings, space is very limited as Abbytizer and I thought our group was squished together.

Words of Wisdom:

Free Parking after 6pm
Set Menu for Large Groups
Perfect for a Date

We rate The Teahouse:

Address:
610 Pipeline Rd, Stanley Park,
Vancouver, BC V6G 2M5, Canada

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In Four Beakers

The Flying Pig: Brussel Sprouts are AMAZING

January 28, 2012

Following a long day at a conference, a bunch of us decided to have a super early dinner at the Flying Pig in Yaletown. We heard about their long lines and delicious food, so we decided to give it a try.

Since it was still quite early, we opted to order almost all their sides and have a few drinks.

You would think their menu has a lot of pork items, but they don’t! They have a wide variety of appetizers, entrees and sides. They offer a simple menu inspired by fresh local seasonal ingredients.

The dining room is quite nice and it has an open kitchen in the back to see the chefs hard at work!

The menu.

Granville Island Lager ($5) has a clear golden brown color and it tasted light and smooth.

Complementary Bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Lobster and Prawn Risotto ($9) has a bit of thyme and mascarpone as well. Most of us at the table ordered this! I really enjoyed it because there was a good amount of lobster and prawns. The thyme and mascarpone didn’t shine through but the risotto was still nice and rich with a creamy texture. Its a good size for sharing or even just all to yourself!

Whole Roasted Mushrooms ($5) is topped off with parmesan and fresh herbs. Since I am a mushroom lover, I really liked this dish. Probably best for mushroom lovers. When you bite into them, all the flavourful juices flow out. Yum!

Bone Marrow Cheezy Bread ($5) was quite mediocre. We couldn’t see any bone marrow, nor could we taste it. Maybe it was masked by all the cheese?

Short rib Jumbo Macaroni ($9) has cabernet cream sauce. It was very delicious and was kinda like a meal on its own too. Nothing says yum like short rib meat and cream sauce!

Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($5) has a touch of lemon, parmesan and capers. The brussel sprout haters at the table loved it! It was hard to keep your hand off of them because they are that good!

Overall, we loved the sides and wide variety of choices. We weren’t trying to be cheap by ordering the sides, but the descriptions just really caught all our eyes. I got a feeling that the waitress did not like us ordering just sides and you could tell by the small gestures such as telling us to hurry up with the bill since there was already a line forming for dinner. Just for the food, I would return again since they do have pretty delicious innovative dishes.

Words of Wisdom:

Amazing sides! Must have Brussel sprouts!
Sides are best to share
Long lineups later in the evening
Closest Skytrain: Yaletown

We Rate The Flying Pig:

Address:
1168 Hamilton Street
Vancouver, BC V6B
Website:
http://www.theflyingpigvan.com/

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In American

The American CheeseSteak Co: Nom Nom Nom Meat

January 27, 2012

The American CheeseSteak Co. opened up around Davies and Granville a few months ago. They serve up some delicious CheeseSteaks at decent prices. Anthony Sedlak, the chef of The American CheeseSteak Co. was also the host of the Food Network show – The Main. He’s also lost a lot of weight since then.

If you’re looking a good filling meal with lots of delicious meat in a bun, this place is the place to go.

Dee from Gastrofork and I decided to check it out, so do check out her thoughts on the meal as well.

Bottled Coke ($3) I love old school bottled coke in the glass bottle. It brings me back to the days before I was born. I also caught a picture of Dee in the background just for fun.

Le Bifteck (Small-$10) has shaved prime rib, caramelized onion jam, double-cream brie, arugula, and dijon.

The ooey gooey brie cheese with the meat just made a very good combination. It was very messy to eat, so I got sauce all over my hands and face. I felt like a kid not being able to control how clean or messy I ate. You probably need 2 napkins or so. Even for a small size, I was completely full!

For some reason, all the ingredients inside the bun made the bottom side of the bread soggy, so it contributed to the messy factor.

The Coppola (Small- $10) has shaved prime rib, sautéed mushrooms, onions and green peppers, hot banana peppers, house-made roasted tomato sauce and provolone.

If you take a close look, that looks kinda spicy. Check out what Dee (Gastrofork) had to say about her Coppola CheeseSteak.

ACC Fries (Small-$4) is tossed with garlic, parsley and parmesan. We shared the fries and they were quite good, but we still were unable to finish them since the sandwich really filled us up. There are a lot of fries in the small size, so best to share with a friend.

Overall, we had a good time eating their huge meaty sandwiches. If you are a lover of sandwiches with lots of meat, you’ll probably love this place.

Words of Wisdom:

Small is quite filling
Eating the CheeseSteak can get quite messy
Around $10
Some seating, but it’s not too busy during dinner time

We Rate American CheeseSteak Co:

Address:
781 Davie St
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.americancheesesteak.com/

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In Dineout

C Restaurant: Dine Out Vancouver

January 25, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by a PR firm to try out C Restaurant’s Dine Out menu. This review does not guarantee 100% similar service you might normally get from this restaurant.

I’ve been to C Restaurant about a year ago with my parents and I thought the meal was really well executed and service was great. I actually never got around to writing about it, so I’ll use some of that past experience as a reference point.

For Dine Out Vancouver, they are offering up a 4-course meal for $38 with options to upgrade if you want. Considering their regular entrees can be around $30, you are getting your moneys worth. It’s a great way to try their different dishes without breaking your wallet too much.

Since I came with a few others (Alvin Lee , Stephanie Yuen, Shermans Food Adventures, Van Foodies, and GourmetFury), do check out their amazing blogs and perhaps they will have some different perspectives about the Dine Out menu.

There are seats upstairs and downstairs. The view of the main dining room gives you a good look at Granville Island and False Creek. Its gorgeous during the Summer time and a bit romantic at night.

This is the type of view that you will see, but depending at where you sit, you’ll probably see fewer boats.

Amuse Bouche is some finger food that comes before the appetizer. Depending on how many people you have at the table, this will probably vary. On the table we had seared tuna, prawns, quail egg, beets and a smoked salmon cannelloni.

My favorite was actually the smoked salmon cannelloni since the flavours went so well together. Kinda like a Philadelphia roll, but with the salmon and cream cheese.

Here’s a closer shot of them! Who could resist taking a bite out of these little cute things?

There is also some bread and butter.

VQA Wine Parings (+$26) If you are a wine lover, you might want to indulge in this. If you’re not, you probably wouldn’t want this addition. You get 4 pairing to go with the 4 courses.

North Arm Farms Beet Panzanella Salad also has harissa dressing and shaved ricotta salata. I never eat beets, but it tasted good. I wasn’t a big fan of the 2 croutons on the plate since it tasted a bit stale to me.

Sauteed Spot Prawns (+$9) if you don’t feel like having the beet salad, you can get this option for $9 more. The prawns were delicious, but I felt that the romesco sauce and the kale were quite salty.

Seared Albacore Tuna with winter minestrone, parmesan and topped with a crisp basil.

I really loved the tuna since it was beautifully seared on the outside and really delicate on the inside. It was a tad small, but with C Restaurant, you do get 4 courses, so you will be full at the end.

Seared Lake Babine Salmon comes with a squash puree on the bottom with brussel sprouts and on top there is an almond tapenade. The salmon was jaw droppingly good! I usually hate cooked salmon, but since it was just seared, you do get the amazing natural flavours of the salmon. The squash puree has cinnamon spices in it, so at first it did taste a bit odd. Later on it kept bringing me memories of eating cinnamon pancakes.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin (+$12) has walnut polenta, tarragon butter, portobello mushrooms and the beef drippings. The beef was really tender and was a very good meat dish. You do have to add extra money, but if you do have more money to spend, you can go for this option.

Spiced Chocolate Pudding has vanilla chantilly (like whipped cream) with crisp caramel puffed rice. The chocolate pudding has such a variety of spices that blended nicely together. I really enjoyed it.

Petit Fours is a sweet little bite sized treat at the end of the meal. You get a Lemon poppy-seed Biscotti.

Overall, it was a pretty solid Dine Out menu with good execution. You definitely get your moneys worth. If you dine here on a usual night, you’ll end up spending way more. If you are looking for seafood-type dishes, its good here.

Words of Wisdom:

Dine Out worth the $38 especially when the menu is quite flexible to add additional dishes or upgrade
If you aren’t doing Dine Out, these items are also on their regular dinner menu
Sustainable and local ingredients
Well executed fish dishes
Good Service

We Rate C Restaurant:

Address:

2-1600 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z

Website:
http://www.crestaurant.com/

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In Cafe

Scoop!: Frozen Yogurt with Lots of Fun

January 23, 2012

Scoop! is a Frozen Yogurt place on West 4th. They have frozen yogurt with some amazing toppings.

After an event Downtown, a bunch of us headed here since Wongers insisted we go! It’s probably because its good and I’ve never been here. She raves about this place and now I know why.

The interior is quite homey with a few seats at the front and some more in the back.

Their most popular items are the frozen yogurts, but they also have smoothies and juices.

Their frozen yogurt machine pumps out their original flavour, so if you want green tea, mango, raspberry or chocolate hazelnut, they manually blend that together. You can choose 2 flavours and combine them together.

After choosing your size and flavour of the yogurt, you can then begin adding toppings. Its an additional $0.93 per 50g.

The best topping that they have are the Mochi! It’s made in-house and out of all the frozen yogurt places I have been to, it’s is really the best. I do also love all the fruits!

You can also add different syrups on top such as white chocolate, chocolate sauce, hot fudge, condensed milk, dulce de leche, and many more.

Small Original ($3.29+additional topping cost) goes best with fruit. It’s the best way to enjoy your froyo!

Small Original and green tea ($3.49 +additional topping cost). The green tea was mushed up at the bottom and the original was put on top. It was good and I liked the toppings!

If you do order the blended flavour, it looks more flat and melts faster than just the original.

The fun doesn’t end there! They have a lot of board games to play! They have a few classics such as Monopoly, Battleship, Jenga…etc. It’s really a great place to just hang out with a few friends. They also have this puzzle game called “Vortex”, I dare you to play it! I spent the whole time trying to solve it…but we couldn’t. If you figure out the secret, do let me know!!

They also have a Fooseball table! How cool is that? This little frozen yogurt place is cooler than some peoples houses.

Words of Wisdom:

Lots of games to play
Original flavour is best
Blended favours melt faster and not as pretty looking
Decent prices
Pay street parking

We Rate Scoop!:

Address:
2050 W 4th Ave
Vancouver, BC
Website:
scoopyogurt.com

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In Downtown

Finch’s Tea & Coffee House: Delicious Sandwiches and Salads

January 14, 2012

Finch’s Tea & Coffee House is an amazing place for baguettes. The place is a bit small and super crowded for lunch. Sometimes its hard to find a seat, so lots of people do take out. I’ve been fortunate to find a seat every time..since I stalk people for seats.

Nonetheless, I always go here when I know I want something that won’t disappoint me.

Latte was alright, but it didn’t look good. It was more like a cappuccino due to the foam.

Avocado Baguette ($8.75) has avocado, roasted walnuts, Edam cheese, cucumber, lettuce, Dijon, mayo, oil and vinegar. The avocado and walnuts went beautifully together. Its really hard to eat, but this sandwich tasted so good!

Prosciutto Salad ($8.75) has lettuce, vine tomatoes, black pepper, oil and vinegar with a side of buttered baguette. If you aren’t into getting so messy, they have salads too. They give you plenty of prosciutto and I also liked it.

Overall, I haven’t been disappointed by their food yet….maybe their latte, but not their food. I come here quite often since it’s close to the office and it’s not too expensive.

Also, did you know the 50/50 movie starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen was filmed here!

Words of Wisdom:

Pay Parking on streets
Amazing baguettes!
Under $10
Very busy during lunch, so hard to find seats
Best Baguettes: Pear Baguette and the Avocado Baguette

We Rate Finch’s Tea & Coffee House:

Address:

353 W Pender St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.finchteahouse.com

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In Brunch

Jethros Fine Grub: $10 Brunch That Will Leave You Smiling

January 12, 2012

After watching Jethro’s Fine Grub on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, FoodQueen and I just had to come here to try their amazing food. They are known for their breakfast and lunch. On the weekends, lines can be seen outside. We waited about 40 mins to get a seat, but we seemed to pass the time quite quickly.

The interior is quite small, so its not a place for large groups, unless you line up extra early to snag a few tables. It’s best to come in 2’s or 4’s.

Just like all places Guy Fieri visits, he leave his trademark somewhere in the restaurant. This can be found close to the door.

Coffee ($2) is a must in the morning.

Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread French Toast ($10) is topped with caramelized bananas and whipped butter. Read what FoodQueen said about the french toast here: http://thefoodqueen.com/2012/01/10/jethros-fine-grub/

The 426 Hemi ($11) has a 6oz burger topped with pulled pork, melted cheddar, mayo, tomatoes, and pickles. On the side I got a salad instead of fries for no extra charge. The pulled pork was not saucy at all and had a great smokey flavour that worked well with the burger patty. The price is really good and I was quite satisfied.

Overall, great comforting food, but the question is, are you willing to wait in line? I would totally wait again since the food is cheap and their dishes are a bit unique.

Words of Wisdom:

Lots of free parking on side streets
Long line ups
Limited seating
Good simple delicious food
Pancakes are huge and are quite popular
Pulled pork is popular too

We Rate Jethros Fine Grub:

Address:
3420 Dunbar Street
Vancouver, BC
Website:
jethrosfinegrub.com

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In Canadian

Dunn’s Famous: Montreal Smoked Meat Deliciousness

January 9, 2012

Dunn’s Famous has opened up their first location in Western Canada in Downtown Vancouver. I’ve heard their super sandwiches were really good, so the SFU Food Bloggers – FoodQueen, I’m Busy Eating, Good Eat, Eating with Kirby and Eat with Jenny decided to check out this restaurant.

Do check out their blogs for their version of their review since we all have different tastes and opinions.

The main dining area is quite large and can accommodate large groups.

They even have a smaller room in the back and I think it turns into a private area if you have a super super large group.

Salami Stacker ($12.99) has a stack of sliced all beef salami on light sourdough rye with mustard. Comes with a choice of side and coleslaw with a pickle. I chose fries for my side.

The salami in the sandwich was cold, but I guess that’s how the salami supposed to be. There is a generous amount of meat in the sandwich and it has mustard inside to complement the meat. I thought it was OK, but there are better items on the menu.

If you have this for lunch, you will be full for sure.

Hot Chicken ($11.99) has Two Rivers free run chicken breast on sliced white bread covered in gravy, topped with peas. Jenny chose the fries on the side.
The Famous Dunn’s Reuben ($13.99) has Montreal smoked meat, double stacked on dark rye with sauerkraut & melted Swiss cheese. The side is seafood chowder and it doesn’t cost extra! Kirby ordered this and Good Eat and I shared this too.

It tasted really good with the layers of smoked meat, sauerkraut and Swiss. One thing that sucked is how the bottom bread gets soggy.

You have your choice of choosing lean, medium or fatty for the Montreal smoked meat, but all of us chose medium since it was the best one.

The Combination ($12.99) gives you the choice of Montreal smoked meat & free run chicken or Montreal smoked meat & salami or salami & free run chicken on light sourdough rye. I’mBusyEating chose the Montreal smoked meat & free run chicken. She also had the seafood chowder on the side. She found the chicken to be pretty dry.

Super Montreal Smoked Meat ($10.99) has 6 oz hand sliced smoked beef brisket on light sourdough rye poutine. FoodQueen added the Québécois poutine of the side for $3.50 more.

Look at all that meat!

Super Giant Montreal Smoked Meat ($12.98) has 8 oz hand sliced smoked beef brisket on light sourdough rye. I ordered the salad on the side for no additional charge. GoodEat and I shared this too.

At first glance its hard to tell the difference between 6oz and 8oz, but you need to look carefully.

Medium was a good choice for the Montreal smoked meat and worked well for all the sandwiches.

If you need more flavour, they have ketchup and mustard for you. I really like mustard, but I would have much preferred Dijon Mustard with the seeds.

Overall, really great super sandwiches, they are so super you will definitely get full off of them.

Words of Wisdom:

Metered Parking in front, underground pay parking, ImPark Lot across the street
Decent Prices
Medium Smoked Meat is best
Chicken is very dry
Choose the featured soup for no extra charge
Lots of seats
Great for large groups

We Rate Dunn’s Famous:

Address:
827 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC
Website:
dunnsfamousbc.com
Twitter:
@dunnsfamousbc

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In Brunch

The Oakwood Canadian Bistro: Fantastic $10 Brunch

January 8, 2012

The Oakwood Canadian Bistro is a new restaurant that opened up in Kitsilano. Everything they use is fresh and local. Since Etodac told me they have really cheap $10 brunch, we thought it would be a great place to check out. We brought along M and VideoGameGirl to check it out too. Plus, no one can resist brunch.

Vancouverites go crazy over delicious cheap brunch.

The interior is very nice and loungey, lots of tables, but it can bet quite busy after a while. They don’t take reservations, but you should be able to get a spot right away if you are in 2’s or 4’s.

Their ceiling is also made of wood! Do you think it’s Oak wood?

Pineapple Juice

Green Tea

The Lumberjack ($10) has scrambled eggs, house made breakfast sausage, smoked bacon, hash browns, salted cucumber and toast. VideoGameGirl said the bacon was really good and was nice and thick. Pretty good dish!

Corned Beef Hash ($10) as soft poached eggs, house corned beef, sauerkraut, Dijon hollandaise, and hash browns. M and Etodac both ordered this. M said it was alright, but this might be because he wanted more meat.

Albacore tune nicoise Benedict ($10) has green bean salad, hash browns, corn muffin with poached egg, tuna and hollandaise sauce. I thought it was a really good breakfast dish! All the flavours worked well together and I loved it.

Overall, $10 brunch is not bad at all! You’ll get full off delicious dishes!

Words of Wisdom:

Brunch only available on Weekends 10 – 3
Only $10
Parking on street or in residential area
They don’t take reservations for Brunch
No large line ups

We Rate The Oakwood Canadian Bistro:
Address:
2741 West 4th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6K
Website:
http://www.theoakwood.ca/
Twitter:
@theoakwoodkits

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In Four Beakers

Sushiyama: Amazing Japanese Food!

January 6, 2012

Sushiyama is a very popular Japanese restaurant in Vancouver. It’s good for their cheap eats and quality food. No wonder during peak hours, there can be a lot of people lining up.

Luckily, it was after the lunch hour rush when I took MedicalGiraffe and BaguetteGirl here. They wanted something different and super delicious. They’ve passed by a dozen times, and thought this place was a bit sketchy, to their surprise, it would be some of the best Japanese food they would have.

They have a few killer items on their menu. If you come here, sushi is a must….or at least a few key rolls.

Negitoro Roll ($2.75) has chopped tuna belly and green onions. It comes with 6 pieces. Very good price, plus it tasted really really good.

Caterpillar Roll ($6.95) contains cucumber, avocado, mayo, crab meat, eel and BBQ sauce. It is probably the best thing to get! It is covered in a lot of thin slices of avocado. I can’t remember what was inside but it tasted really good! Highly recommended!

Crunch Roll ($4.25) has yam, sweet potatoes, shrimp tempura, and avocados. This was pretty horrible. After we ordered, it came like a minute after We were really confused why it came so fast and why it didn’t look as cool as the caterpillar roll.

Salmon Sashimi ($7.25) has come amazing thick pieces of salmon. Really delicious too!

Seaweed Salad was alright. If you love seaweed, you’d probably like it.

Grilled Black Cod was really good! One of my favorite items. Yummm.

Overall, really good food here for good prices. I would come her again and again!

Words of Wisdom:

Very cheap and affordable
Mediocre service
Long Lines
Best to go in 2′s if you hate to wait. the larger the group, the long it will take ..during peak hours
Caterpillar roll and sashimi!!!!
Bento boxes are of great value if you want to try a bit of everything

We Rate Sushiyama:

Address:
371 E Broadway
Vancouver, BC

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In Cafe

Miura Waffle Milk Bar: Waffle Sandwiches are Epic

January 5, 2012

Miura Waffle Milk Bar is located on Davie and Howe St. they are best known for the waffle sandwiches in sweet and savory flavours. This has been on my “To Eat” list for a long long time, but I seldom visit this area.

Since a few of us from my High School were meeting up again, I wanted to take them somewhere unique so I thought to myself, waffle sandwiches are unique!

The interior is not too large, but it fits a few parties of 2s and 4s. Sometimes more if you are able to put chairs together.

You can watch them create your waffles as you wait. They don’t have a ventilation machine, so, if they accidentally burn something, the whole place smells like burnt waffles.

Latte (12oz – $3.29) was not very good. It was very milky and could have had a stronger coffee taste.

Strawberry Flavoured Milk ($3.29)

Blueberry Yoggy Milk ($3.29) it’s a thin textured yogurt-like drink that’s slightly tangy.

HEC Savory Waffle Sandwich ($5.99) has ham, omelette and mozzarella cheese between 2 waffles. Sunny really liked it and it was quite cute.

BELT Savory Waffle Sandwich ($4.99 Tuesday Special) has bacon, egg, lettuce and tomatoes. What is awesome about this is that the bacon is cooked right into the waffles. You know no one is gonna steal your bacon cause it’s hidden in the waffle.

Wasabi Salmon Savory Waffle Sandwich ($7.99) has soy cured salmon, lettuce, wasabi ranch sauce and some herbs. Look at how flakey the salmon is inside the waffle. It complemented the wasabi sauce nicely and I would definitely eat it again!

Tiramisu Sweet Waffle Sandwich ($5.29) has cream cheese custard cream, coffee jelly and chocolate sauce. It clearly has no resemblance to a tiramisu, but it tastes good. It’s the same size as the sandwich, but they can split it into 2 so it’s easier to share. Tasted delicious!!

Overall, one sandwich was good enough for lunch! The prices are decent and you will leave with a smile on your face. Then, you can go on Facebook and brag to your friends you had a cool waffle sandwich. hahaha.

Words of Wisdom:

Weekday specials
Very unique and memorable sandwiches
Under $10

We Rate Miura Waffle Milk Bar:

Address:

829 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:

http://miurawafflemilkbar.webs.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miura-Waffle-Milk-Bar/115874321771418

Twitter: @MiuraWaffle

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In Downtown

Italian Kitchen To Go (IK2Go): Quick, Cheap and Easy

January 2, 2012

Italian Kitchen To Go (IK2GO) is a faster and cheaper alternative to dining inside Italian Kitchen. It’s very hard to find where it is, but all you need to do it find this sign and keep walking down the hall (don’t walk up the stairs).

I met up with Angela from Munchkie’s Munchies for some delicious lunch at IK2GO. You can find her detailed review here.

Just walk a few meters and you should see this. If you don’t see this, you are in the wrong place. Usually there is a long line up, but when we went it was quite short.

They have a large amount of panini sandwiches. It’s a perfect lunch if you are just walking around. Theres a ton of flavours to choose from, so you might have a bit of a headache. To be precise, theres 11 choices.

If you are feeling like something light and somewhat healthy, these can range from $3.95 to $5.50.

Squash and Bacon Pizza ($3.95) was a good size and had lots of delicious squash. It has cheese, bacon , squash, spice and chilli flakes. It had a good balance of flavour.

Timballo ($6.95) has baked pasta with lamb sausage, macaroni, egg, and caramelized onions. This was like a mac and cheese pie! The lamb sausage near the bottom was quite salty, but it matched well with the macaroni and cheese texture.

Macarons ($1.95 each) was poorly constructed. the inside of the shells were hollow and collapsed easily with little pressure. The filling was this weird jelly like disk, which didn’t seem right at all.

Chocolate Brownie ($2.35) was quite large and full of chocolatey richness. I would totally get this again!

Overall, the meal was good and theres tons to choose from. I would probably return for lunch.

Words of Wisdom:

All TakeOut, so you need to go elsewhere to sit down and eat.
Under $10
Can order online

We Rate Italian Kitchen To Go:

Address:
1030 W Georgia St
Vancouver, BC V6E

Website:
http://www.glowbalgroup.com/wp-content/themes/italiankitchen/ik2go/form.php

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In BBQ

The Red Wagon: Amazing BBQ, But Why The Asian Plates?

December 30, 2011

The Red Wagon on Hastings is a neighbourhood joint that serves up delicious diner food. The interior is very retro, but their food packs some amazing flavour.

Flo and I were on Trinity Street checking out some Christmas lights and got quite hungry. I chose to take her here because it’s a bit of a dive, but it does have some pretty interesting food.

Recently, Guy Fieri of Diners Drive-ins and Dives came to film a segment on his show for the Food Network. According to the show, he ate the Pulled Pork Pancakes.

If you missed it, it should air again on Dec 31st at 4pm! I check out this blog (http://dinersdrive-insanddives.blogspot.com/search/label/British%20Columbia) to check when shows are airing.

Pulled Pork Sandwich ($10.25) is served on a portuguese bun served with coleslaw and fries…but Flo just substituted it with their soup of the day.

Soup of the Day

Flo really enjoyed the taste of the Pulled pork and it’s taste can even rival Reup BBQ’s pulled pork. Since she didn’t like coleslaw, she ordered it on the side and made me eat it. hehehe. The coleslow was good and lightly dressed.

Crispy Pork Belly Sandwich ($10.50) has pickled vegetables, jalapeno, cilantro, mayo on a baguette with a side of chips.

This sandwich was good, but it was SO OILY. The pork belly contains quite a bit of fat, so when you are eating this, it drips all over your hands and plate. To counteract this, the pickled vegetables and cilantro try to balance it out. I used about 7 napkins to soak up the excess fat. The jalapeno was quite strong too, but it made me grab a glass of water to quell the burning.

This isn’t a sandwich for everyone, the overall taste is good, but depends if you can handle the fattiness and sting of jalapenos.

The chips on the side were pretty good, but I was all oiled out when eating the pork belly sandwich. Tastes super good with vinegar!

Did you notice something in each of the photos? ASIAN PLATES!

Overall, good place for a brunch or a late night meal. I still think the best item is the Pulled Pork Burger. It’s not on the menu, but sometimes it’s a special item. You can also ask the chef to make it.

Words of Wisdom: