Three Beakers Archives - Page 62 of 63

In North Burnaby

100 Days

October 21, 2010

After hearing much news about this unique restaurant called 100 Days, I had to try it out. When do you usually see food and art mixed together? When you reach the door, you know this is going to be a super cool funky place. Apparently, this place is ONLY open for 100 days and then it’s gone! Also, the artist – Vince Dumoulin comes in once in a while to add some more art pieces to the wall.

There are so many unique paintings on the walls and a really cool TV that plays popular internet clips! M and I were so zoned out because the clips were mesmerizing. This left poor InsecureGirl and FragileBoy trying to snap us out of our trance.

We started off with a few drinks because our table was not ready yet. I got the 100 Days ($7), which reminded me of a sangria. I don’t remember what was in it, but it was really good.

InsecureGirl had the Tequila Sunrise, I assume it has tequila and orange Juice

Looking at the menu, there were many choice to choose from. Their menu is also located on several of the chalk walls. Click on the image to enlarge.

We started off with the Whole Fried Mozzarella for Two ($19). It was really nice and gooey and the fried coating really gave it a lot of texture. The green sauce is basil and the red sauce is a tomato fondue. It was pricey!!

Prosciutto Brushetta ($8) had thinly slice prosciutto , cheese, basil puree and herb oil. I enjoyed it.

Calamari & Popcorn Shrimp ($14) came in a neat asian take out box. Comes with salt and pepper AIoli sauce and a grilled lime. I’m not exactly sure what the lime was for. The breading for the calamari felt like it fell apart easily. Also, the bottom of the container has shrimp crackers, so it is not really full at the botom.

Crispy Boar Bacon Grill Cheese Sandwich ($15) had emmental cheese, wild boar bacon, mornay cheese sauce and truffles. It also came with a salad on the side. This grilled cheese did not impress me at all. The bread could have been more sturdy and solid. The boar bacon was very tough to chew on. When I took a bite, it would drag the whole piece of bacon out.

The Lobster and Dungeness Crab Mac and Cheese ($22) was really nice. It was not just flavoured crab, it had real chunks of crab in it. The lobster bisque that gets poured on top of the mac and cheese was very flavourful. Overall, nice twist on the traditional Mac and Cheese.

Braised Lamb pappardelle pasta ($19) had the most amazing braised lamb! Kinda reminded me of asian stir fry noodles.

After eating all of that, our bill came to $189. We were totally broke after we came here. I wouldn’t say we regret it or anything like that. It was like eating in an art gallery. If you eat here, you are essentially paying for the atmosphere. I would come in again and probably just have a few drinks and appies.

Words of Wisdom:

Go! They won’t be here for very long
Someone at your table must have the Mac and Cheese!
Art in there is just amazing.

If you are an art lover…and food lover. Come check out 100 Days at Opus Hotel. With only 100 days to check them out, don’t forget to catch it before it’s gone. It’s quite expensive, so remember to choose wisely.

We rate 100 Days:

Check out their website: http://onehundreddays.ca/

In Bar and Grill

Milestones: Girls’ Night Out

October 20, 2010

Girls’ Night Out @ Milestones

4 bellinis and 4 appetizers went for $40(before taxes) at Milestones on Robson. A great night with four of my best-ests however, was priceless. After hearing about the Girls’ Night Out deal at Milestones, we’ve been dying to get together and try this out. That night, I went with CreepyGirl, SkullsAndStuds, and EndlessLegs.

The night started off with bellinis and who can complain about a good bellini? I have to admit that I don’t drink very much, and didn’t remember about brain freeze… so, remember folks, sipping too quickly on your frosty drink will leave you with a case of bad brain freeze!

While the Girls’ Night Out menu had 6 items (2 of them being salads), CreepyGirl decided for us that salad wasn’t food. She seemed really insistent on it and even exclaimed at one point, “No salad! SkullsAndStuds, you aren’t going to ruin this for the rest of us!” We ended up getting the Milestones’ Famous Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Yam Frites, Baked Goat Cheese & Slow Roasted Garlic Flatbread Plate, and the Crispy Honey Phyllo Shrimp.

The artichoke dip also came with sour cream and salsa on the side and I had no complaints about it. I find that sometimes at other places, the dip cools off too quickly and the cheese makes it too thick, but in this case, it was quite consistent and was good to the end.

The Yam Frites I thought were average. They came with Chipotle sauce, which is typically standard with yam frites.

I don’t know my cheeses very well yet, but the goat cheese that came with this dish was awesome! It came baked, so it was easily spreadable. Don’t leave the cheese untouched for too long though because it starts getting harder to work with and clumpy. It also came with spiced cranberry relish, and fig jam. I found that the fig jam was a bit on the sweet side but still good.

Yum! Hello deep-fried morsels! The shrimp were perfectly fried and as you bit through the crunchy outer parts, it was moist and had the perfect bounce on your teeth. Yes! I’m describing it as having a good bounce. It wasn’t over cooked and tasted really fresh. The honey chipotle glaze was a bit too sweet for our liking though. We sort of hoped that it would have a bit more kick to it.

Overall, I thought that the food was solid. It didn’t blow me away, but for $40, I thought that it was a good deal. More importantly, what mattered most to me was the time spent with the people around the table. =)

Here’s to a good night! Guess what we did after dinner? We went shoe shopping.

We rate Milestones:

In Cafe

Marulilu Cafe

October 19, 2010

Cafe Marulilu has been on my wish list of places to go after WorkingGirl kept pushing me to try it out. One day after work, DJSpock and I spotted the Cafe just across the street from the Town Hall Skytrain on Broadway and Cambie. It was this small tiny white restaurant beside these 2 large stores. If you can read japanese, you can tell a letter fell off the sign. It reads “maru__lu . Cafe”. Took me a while to figure out why there was a weird spacing until I actually read it. Overall, it is super cute and it is japanese owned as well!

Looking at their vast menu on cool chalk boards, there were so many things to choose from. They have sandwiches and wraps, ALL DAY BREAKFAST, dessert and different types of dons.

And then there were more menus. No pressure walking inside to see the menu when it’s right outside! I think I counted that hey had 9 chalk board menus. Click on the photos to see large images because I doubt your eyes will be able to see the items and prices.

Of course there has to be a drink menu too! COFFEE!!!!

After DJSpock and I spent a while looking at the various menus, we came to a decision on Corn Soup, Tuna Melt Sandwich, latte and Japanese style breakfast.

DJSpock had a side of soup ($2.25) and the Tuna Melt sandwich ($5.99), which was highly recommended by the cashier. DJSpock said the Tuna Melt was fantastic! It was not a “lazy” tuna melt, you could see there was nice fresh tuna inside mixed with a bunch of spices and ingredients. The daily soup was a type of corn soup, she liked it but felt it went cold fast.

I got the Japanese style breakfast ($6.99), it is apparently one of the best selling items at the cafe. It comes with a bowl of rice, miso soup, Japanese Natto beans, green onion, cheesy egg, and grilled salmon. It is very unique and I was glad I tried it. I never usually have rice for breakfast, so it was a new experience. The salmon was a bit dry and it went cold pretty quickly as well, maybe I was talking too much. This dish was simple but very healthy!

The Japanese Natto beans, is probably equivalent to Chinese people are their Durian. These natto beans can be loved or hated! It has a very slimy texture and it tastes like coffee. When you put a few in your mouth, it leaves like a spider web- like string from the bowl to your mouth. By the time I finished it, I felt like i had a beard. My japanese teacher once told me, this is very healthy for you.

To finish the meal off, I had the latte ($3.05)! It was a good latte and came on a very cute cup. The lovely owner was very very very cute and gave us 2 cookies! I had the double chocolate chip! Mmmm Yum yum!

Words of Wisdom:

Great atmosphere to get a cup of coffee or tea to chat
Japanese Breakfast and breakfast plate are the 2 most popular item on the menu
Breakfast served ALL DAY
Cheap
Japanese style sandwiches and don’s

If you are craving for breakfast and don’t want the traditional eggs, bacon, sausages, and hashbrowns…try Marulilu Cafe for a different kind of breakfast – Japanese breakfast! Their prices are fairly cheap and you get to sit in a very nice and intimate atmosphere.

We rate Marulilu Cafe:

Marulilu Cafe is located at:

Mount Pleasant/Main Street
451 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V5Y

In Commercial Drive / Grandview

Fujiya

October 11, 2010

Fujiya is a japanese grocery store located on Clark. This little store is basically in the middle of nowhere but they have different types of Japanese cooking ingredients, sushi, bento boxes, and snacks in the store.

When you walk in theres so many things to take a look at aisles and aisles of yummy food.

Looking at the back of the store, they have tons of sushi and bento boxes! They are ready to go and really cheap and delicious. For about $5 per box, thats not bad at all.

If you are a big fan of tataki, they have tuna tataki! For just $5,its a steal!

They also have fresh seafood for sale!

They also have really nice marbled beef.

They have everything from dashi, bonito, and loads of green tea!

You can’t get anymore Japanese than Natto beans….Chinese people have their Durian and Japanese have their Natto beans.

Noodles! I love noodles! They had TONS of noodles!!!

Fujiya also had a bunch of sauces and dressings.

They have a variety of foreign chips!

SO MANY MORE AWESOME ITEMS!

Words of Wisdom:

Sushi and bento boxes are cheap! ~$5
They have almost every Japanese items you many need
Some snacks are over priced

Looking for the Japanese Superstore filled with Japanese foods? Go to Fujiya and you will just die of excitement!

We rate Fujiya:

Check out their website: www.fujiya.ca

In Cafe

Cafe Artigiano

October 11, 2010

Cafe Artigiano is a great place in North Burnaby to just chill and have a coffee. You can even steal wireless from Safeway, which is across the street. With so many seats, you could even have a mini study session.

Besides having coffee and drinks, Cafe Artigiano offers a variety of backed goods and sandwiches.

Looking at the menu, we decided on a Happy Planet, san pellegrino and a Mocha Misto.

My little sister and I were not in the coffee and tea mood so we chose these instead.

As for the older sister, she got the Mocha Misto…it’s essentially a mocha but with more steamed milk.

You can also customize your drink after you get them by adding syrup and spices to your drink.

if you are in North Burnaby near Hastings and Willingdon, take a break and have a drink at Cafe Artigiano. They do latte art on al their drinks. I’ve been here several times and their coffees and tea are great!

We rate Cafe Artigiano:

Check out their website: www.caffeartigiano.com

In Chinese

Copa Cafe

October 8, 2010

Copa Café has several locations in Vancouver. I love Chinese café food, and I could probably eat it everyday if given the chance.

Wandering to the Best Buy on Cambie, M and I really wanted some good food. Using my trusty UrbanSpoon App on my Iphone, I searched up Copa Café on South Cambie.

What is great about this location is that there is parking at the back of the restaurant! No worries about parallel parking or paying for meters! Who doesn’t love FREE parking?

As we walked in from the back entrance, M was very creeped out because the back of the restaurant never looks good. AS we walked into the restaurant we were surprised about the interior it was really nice and modern!

Looking at the menu, there were so many choices for lunch! There were SO many…just look at the pictures… pretty decent price too.

After looking over the menu over …and over and over again…M decided to get the baked pork chop on rice ($7.95) and a jumbo coffee/tea mix (ying yeung)(+$1.50). M liked the baked pork chop because the pork cutlet had no bone and was already cut! Inside there were also mushrooms incorporated into this dish, which he thought it was unique because other places don’t include mushrooms. Clearly, he has had a lot of baked pork chops in his lifetime. The jumbo ying yeung was HUGE! If you look at the image, it towers over the little cup of tea.

I got the BBQ duck in noodle soup ($7.95). I was really craving meat and BBQ duck is to DIE FOR. They put in some good duck parts into the dish. I wish I asked for some hot sauce to go along with this because the noodles were a bit bland. The vegetables in the dish was really fresh and perfectly cooked. I also followed M and got the jumbo coffee/tea mix.

Head over to Copa Cafe if you are looking for Hong Kong style cafe food. Most items are under $10 for a lunch set meal.

We rate Copa Cafe:

Visit Copa Cafe at:

South Cambie Street
4030 Cambie St
Vancouver, BC V5Z

In Downtown

Bonchaz Bakery Cafe

October 4, 2010

Going to school right beside BonChaz, it was obvious I had to try it out! Going to school at 8:30am and then going to work right after makes DesignGirl a very grumpy girl. To kick off a long day, I went off to BonChaz to try a few treats.

They are open pretty early, so I was really happy!! Walking in, it was obviously empty, but there were a lot of people popping in to grab a bun and hopping on the bus. I sat there for a while going on the internet and just chilling because they have free wifi.

Their menu is pretty small.

To start my day, I had a London Fog ($2.95) (Early Grey Tea Latte) and an Original BonChaz ($1.25)(Sea Salt and Butter). At first I didn’t know there was a filling to the BonChaz until I was wondering why there was a salty butter taste to it. Then I looked up at the menu and figured it out.

The next day, I took M after his class to grab a Chocolate Truffle BonChaz. ($1.75) He said it was very good and not too sweet but satisfied his sweet tooth. It came fresh from the over so it looked very pretty.

If you need to take it to go, you can find instructions to reheat AND where the origins of Bonchaz came from.

I have tried 3/5 flavours, Original, Chocolate and Green Tea. I think my favorite is the Chocolate Truffle!

BonChaz is a nice little cafe to do a bit of work and have a snack. They have pastries, sandwiches, tarts, soups, coffee, and tea. I don’t think you can find such pastries anywhere else.

We rate BonChaz:

Check out their Facebook page: http://www.bonchaz.ca/

In Chinese

Fortune House Seafood

October 3, 2010

Fortune House Seafood restaurant always has long line-ups during the weekends during the afternoon. Even if you have a reservation, you have to wait a bit. I guess this is typical of popular dim sum locations.

The interior décor is really nice but it can get a bit noisy with all the people in the restaurant. Flagging down servers is a bit hard too, so most of the time we had to refill our own teapots since we sat right by the area where they keep the hot water.

The setting was ok, but just make sure all your items are clean. Sometimes they are not.

Steamed shrimp and pea tip dumplings were good since I really love shrimp.

Chilled mango pudding is the cutest dish! it comes in a shape of a fish. Even though it looks good, the taste was just alright.

Chilled sweetened black sesame flour rolls brings me back to the days when me and my sister would call them “film” because it resembled film rolls your put in the camera. The days before digital cameras. One thing we really didn’t like from this was that when you unravel the film, it was a bit thick.

Egg tarts were every flakey, you can tell they used a lot of butter.

Steamed Prawn Rice Rolls. Hey it’s shrimp again! Yummy! The beef rice roll is pretty good too.

Steamed BBQ pork Buns

Steamed pork, shrimp and mushroom dumping also known as Sui Mai. I didn’t like this one compared to other places because it seemed very oily.

Steamed Chinese doughnut rice rolls are always my favorite! it comes with peanut sauce and Sweet Soy Sauce.

BBQ Pork Pinapple Buns are always so cool to eat. It looks like a normal pineapple bun but hidden inside is pork.

Radish cake

Steamed cake (Ma lai go)

Sticky Rice

Pot Noodle of Yong Chow ( I think…at least thats what my mother tells me). This dish was unique, I like the texture of the noodles.

Stir Fry Beef Rice Noodle. It was good but i felt the slices of beef were very uneven. I got this HUGE piece and my sister got a small piece.

Overall, 12 of us were satisfied with the meal. I am not exactly sure how much each item is or what the total bill came out to be because as asians we like to fight over the bill. I know for sure it was more than $100. From past experience it was about 5 or 7 per dish depending if they count it as a small dim sum dish, or Medium or large. It usually says it on the menu.

Words of Wisdom:

Make reservations if going for Dim Sum
If you can’t read Chinese, there is an english menu
Lots of parking, closest parking is to park near Urban Behaviour/Zara area.

Fortune House Seafood is a very popular Dim Sum restaurant to go to but it can get really really busy. Make reservations ahead of time.

The price is a bit expensive compared to other chinese restaurants in Vancouver. I think it’s really popular due to the location since it is in Metrotown.

We rate Fortune Seafood House:

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

In Japanese

Applause

October 3, 2010

As a huge fan of Japanese food, I love to go to new places to try different dishes that are out of the ordinary…or has a good menu selection.

At Oak Street, there is a small restaurant called “Applause”. I assure you, your taste buds will be applauding after the meal. My taste buds were just excited!

If you go in large groups, reservation is key! Since it is maybe the only Japanese restaurant in Marpole, it tends to get busy.

They event have low sodium soy sauce for the people who are very health conscious.

The green tea comes in little ceramic cups, be careful because it’s hot!

To accompany any japanese meal, sake seems fit to have during a meal. The bigger bottle is a large and the smaller one is a small.

Nasu Dengasku (eggplant baked in Miso Sauce). We had to order 4 of these for a table of 11. This was probably one of my favorite dishes. Its mushy in the middle and chewy when you eat the skin.

Hamachi Kama ( BBQ Salmon Cheek) was delicate and made to perfection. It was not dry or over cooked.

Kakimotoyaki ( baked oyster with house dressing). Out of ALL the japanese places I have been to, Imma let you finish reading this post, but APPLAUSE HAD THE BEST MOTOYAKI OF ALL TIME. For about $3, these are really LARGE oysters and the sauce is on a thin layer on top of the oyster rather than the whole oyster meat drowning in the sauce.

Salmon (Wild Sockeye Salmon), Toro (Tuna Belly), and Tuna (Albacore). Unlike some places, these were perfectly thawed and not icy at all. Very amazed by the selection of fish they use! The salmon is so bright!

Uni (Sea urchin) nigiri, tobiko (little orange eggs) nigiri, and chopped scallop nigiri.

Catepiller roll (tobiko, avicado ontop of unagi roll), Chopped scallop roll, and Negitoro ( minced tuna wth green onion).

Spider roll (softshll crab, avocado and cucumber)

California roll (imitation crab avacado and cucumber) and Kappa (cucumber)

Yakisoba (pan fried noodles, checkn and baby shrimp

Shrimp tempura

Ramen

Applause have items on the menu other than sushi that will blow your mind. When making reservations or planning a large party, they are very accommodating. For my sister’s birthday, they even made her party a special $25 set menu. If you want to try something new, try out their appetizers because you will not be disappointed. For everything we ordered it all came out to be around $250 for 20 something dishes!

We rate applause:

Visit their website: www.applauserestaurant.ca

In Gastown

Chill Winston

September 28, 2010

Wandering down Gastown with CanuckGirl, TaiwaneseGirl, and BebeYeoville for some lunch, we were growing very hungry when we found out Guu was closed. We wondered until we saw this huge restaurant called Chill Winston. People have said this place was good, so we decided to go in for lunch.

The exterior of the building looks very inviting with its red flags and masculine exterior. It screamed modern, hip and classy. When walking inside, we were drawn by the abundance of comfortable lounge chairs, intimate ambiance, and a very stocked bar.

Looking at their vast menu, we decided upon the Shrimp salad, Pulled pork burger and daily pasta.

Canuckgirl and BebeYeoville had the pulled pork burger($15). The pulled pork burger had pulled pork, onions, pickled carrots, thai chili’s, in-house smoked cheddar, caramelized apple spread, and cucumber spears on a vietnamese bun. On the side of the dish were fries. CanuckGirl and BebeYeoville were not keen on the fries because they were really thick. It would have been better if they had skinny fries. All in all, the pulled pork burger was quite mediocre and not very special.

TaiwaneseGirl has the Daily Pasta ($14). This changes every day to ensure the freshest ingredients are used in the dish. I’m not sure what exactly was in this dish but there was green pasta with a nice piece of fish on top. She said it was good, so it must be.

I had the Shrimp Salad ($13). It contained pan-seared prawns with avocado salsa, red onion, toasted cashews, cherry tomatoes, and red wine vinaigrette. I really enjoyed this dish but I really hated how the pan-seared prawns left a lot of black pepper bits in-between my teeth. The avocado salsa was nice and refreshing and was like an intermission to the dish.

Words of wisdom:

Daily specials are a must!

Chill Winston is a hidden gem in Gastown for the young, hip and classy individuals. Great ambiance resonates from the decors around the restaurant. Chill Winston is a good place to go with your best gal pals or a nice romantic date. This place is a bit pricey for what you get, so do watch your wallet. You are really just paying for the ambiance.

We rate Chill Winston:

Check out their website: http://www.chillwinston.com/

In Bar and Grill

Stella’s Tap and Tapas

September 27, 2010

Having passed by Stella several time and talking about it, we finally went. It has always been in the corner of our sight when we go to Havana’s. it seems like a good place from the outside and sounds like beer.

IndecisiveGirl, Fragile Boy, M and I went for some late night food as usual. We walked in and the first thing we saw was the bar and wondered where we would sit. Then we looked over to the right side and saw a very nice little dining area. Not exactly what I expected from a bar type of place.

To start of any meal at a place like this, it called for Stella Artois ($5 special). All of us had one except for M…he had Pinapple Juice. Stella’s has a wide variety of drinks. LIKE A LOT! There was an entire menu dedicated to alcohol…this wasn’t a small menu either.

After looking at the menu, we settled on Tapas and mussels. We ordered the fish Tacos, Beef Carpaccio, Cheese Steak, poutine, and 2 pounds of mussels.

First we had the Fish Tacos ($10), it had Achiote baked white fish, corn tortillas, salsa fresca, white cabbage, crema and chimichurri. Overall I thought it was quite bland and boring. There was no flavour and the taco fell apart fairly easily.

Next was the Beef carpaccio ($11), parmesano reggiano, crispy capers, fleur de sel, spanish onion shavings, and garlic rouille. it was alright. I think I’m really use to Japanese Carpaccio. Could have use a but more acidity.

Then there was the “Filet”-delphia Cheese Steak ($12) – filet mignon medallions, snow goat cheese croute, and cranberry salsa. This was ok, the meat could have been a bit warmer. Not what we expected from this disk.

Belgian Poutine ($8) – Stella’s frites, fresh cheese curds, Blanche de Chambly & miso gravy, and topped with green onions. This dish was good and very gooey!

One pound of Bombay Mussels ($14) which had a sauce made up of Zucchini, red pepper and fresh cilantro in a Madras curry broth. This tasted good and with the left over soup, you can dunk bread into it.

One more pound of Mariner Mussels($14), which had a sauce made of Garlic, shallots, white wine, fresh herbs, and monte au beurre. In simpler words, this is garlic butter sauce. It was good. The mussel meat was very plump. On the bad side, it tasted a bit alcoholic.

We ordered 2 Baskets of bread ($2.5 x 2) to accompany the sauce from the Mussels. Expensive bread, and not worth it….6 pieces of bread for $2.50….not worth it.

Words of Wisdom:

Go get Mussels!
Try a beer
Stay away from Tacos
Bread costs money….

If you are ever on Commercial Drive looking for a place for tapas and a few drinks. Go to Stella’s for mussels and beer, you won’t be disappointed. WIth their large selection of drinks, you will get so confused!

We rate them:

Visit them at: http://stellasbeer.com/

In Mount Pleasant/Main Street

Splitz Grill

September 26, 2010

M here, is it just me or am I the one who’s reviewing all the really really junky foods? This time me and DesignGirl went to Splitz Grill on Main. The outside of the place is nothing to write home about. Inside however, it is very spacious compared to other burger places I’ve been in.

Ordering in Splitz Grill is like a school cafeteria. You order then move down the line and pick the toppings and sauce you want for your burger. It was really nice to get to choose your veggies for your burger like Subway. They even had Alfalfas! DesignGirl got their normal burger and I got the double stacked one. (I was hungry!)

We ordered it with onion rings and poutine for sides. They gave us plastic cups for the fountain drinks, and it was sort of lame that refills cost 25 cents extra. Vera’s has free refills, and so does any non-greedy food place with self serve fountain drinks. And even McDonalds now that I think of it! The onion rings were subpar. At least they were better than Burger King onion rings, (no onions in those). The fries in the poutine were very greasy and tasteless. Very disappointing.

The burgers themselves were great! They were about the same as Burger’s Etc. burgers but not as good as Vera’s. One thing better than Vera’s were the buns. The buns were very strong, so the meal wasn’t as messy as it could’ve been. I’m still curious why every burger place doesn’t use buns as strong as Splitz.

The bill came to be about $35. Very pricey considering the bill racked up more for the sides that were not worth it.

There are a lot of burger places out there that are better than this place. Why would you pay the same price or more for less quality? Would recommend going once, just to try alfalfas in a burger and marvel at the strong bun. If you are ever on Main Street, check it out!

Rate:

In North Burnaby

Burgers Etc. BBQ House

September 26, 2010

M here, and one fateful evening DesignGirl and I went to try what CTV calls the best burger in Burnaby at Burgers Etc. One great first impression of Burgers Etc. is that they have back parking which is awesome! The front of the restaurant looks quaint and the interior is well decorated with Jazz!

The menu in my opinion is pretty lacking in variety. I went for the Best Burger and DesignGirl ordered the pulled pork sandwich. One thing very impressive is all the stuff you can add to the burger including egg, jalapenos, and others. However, each addition is a dollar more, which could rack up the bill if you wanted the works.

I did want the works, but decided to add egg and cheese. I love eggs in burgers!! Both DesignGirl and I got sides that wasn’t the default fries. I got my burger with the side of potato salad and it was pretty bland. More like a store bought Ziggy’s one. DesignGirl’s coleslaw was also terrible.

I ordered a milkshake to spoil myself for this visit, and the chocolate milkshake was sweet and refreshing. Similar to all the milkshakes sold by Red Robins or Denny’s.

The burger however was delicious. The egg and the burger patty made the whole eating ordeal messy, but pleasurable. It definitely is the best burger I have eaten in Burnaby. Note there are no Vera’s in burger. The burger patty was well cooked and juicy, but it just doesn’t match Vera’s burgers…

Nonetheless, DesignGirls pulled pork sandwich was the best pulled pork sandwich I’ve ever tasted in my life. Now I thought sloppy joe’s and pulled pork sandwich are the same things, but you won’t find this pulled pork sandwich in the school cafeteria! The pulled pork just melts in your mouth with such a good sauce that is not overly sweet or salty.

In the end the 2 meals came to about 26 dollars, so an average price for a great pulled pork sandwich and burger.

Definitely go to Burger’s Etc. for their Pulled Pork Sandwich! If you have extra money around why not go there to add everything on top of Burnaby’s Best Burger? You won’t be disappointed. Just don’t expect too much from the sides!

Rate:

In Downtown

Re-Up BBQ Foodcart

September 25, 2010

Re-Up BBQ Foodcart is one of the new foodcart vendors in Vancouver. After hearing all the buzz about this foodcart on Twitter and Urbanspoon, it was time to see what the hype was all about.

One day after work, I headed over to visit the small place. Even though it was a rainy and cold afternoon, people were still lining up for their BBQ sandwiches.

At first I was skeptical about the size and taste of the sandwich but my view would soon be changed. As I was lining up, I realized I had no cash…apparently it is cash only, so I went across the street to HSBC to grab some cash.

I rushed back into the line before more people lined up. Looking at the small menu, they had pulled pork sandwich and 3 different drinks. Small necessarily does not mean bad, it just means they specialize in that one product.

I obviously ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($6). They first take a hoagie type of bread and cut it in half, add the pulled pork, add sauce, and put in a layer of flavored coleslaw. They make it in front of you, so you know it’s fresh and what are the items the put inside.

This sandwich was FAT! If you are hungry for lunch, this will fill you up! Look at the pictures! It’s huge. It was pretty messy eating it because of the sauce and coleslaw. Perhaps I was eating it incorrectly and trying to take pictures at the same time.

I also chose the Southern Sweet tea ($2) to go with the sandwich. It was hard to make that choice, so I asked the guy what he recommended. It tasted good! Better than Nestea or Brisk. I enjoyed it and I would get it again.

After HST, this drink and sandwich came to $9. I guess it’s an ok price since it fills you up.

Words of Wisdom:

Bring cash
Contents of this sandwich may fall on your clothes

If you are near the Vancouver Art Gallery, stop by this little place at the corner of Hornby and Georgia Street. For under $10, the Pulled Pork Sandwich will stuff you!

We rate Re-up BBQ Foodcart:

Find them at:

Downtown
700 Hornby street
Vancouver, BC V6Z

In Three Beakers

Subeez Cafe

September 21, 2010

Subeez is apparently the #1 brunch restaurant in Yaletown. MedicalGiraffe suggested we go here.

We walked into Subeez and I could not be drawn by the crazy candleholders. It was covered in wax.

Looking at the menu, there are a lot of choices. So, we asked the waitress.

The entire décor where we sat was kinda industrial looking… a lot of metal. On the plus side, the bar is stocked.

We started off with our drinks. I ordered a cappuccino and MedicalGiraffe ordered a juice.

I ordered the Mushroom and Goat Cheese Benny ($11), which had two soft poached eggs, hollandaise, mushrooms, goat cheese, and fresh basil on an English mushroom. In addition there was a salad and hash browns.

The eggs were perfectly poached and when you cut the egg, yummy ooooey goooey yolk pours out. That is when you have the perfect benny.

MedicalGiraffe had the Huevos Rancheros ($11) which was a mixture of scrambled eggs, black beans, cheddar & jack cheese in a spinach tortilla. It is then topped with salsa, sour cream and with a side of hash browns. I know MedicalGiraffe didn’t take a liking to it.

Words of Wisdom:

Go for breakfast
Can’t go wrong with any of the eggs benny’s

Subeez is a good place to go for breakfast/lunch but I’m not sure about dinner. For $15, you can get some yummy breakfast to start off the day.

We rate Subeez:

Visit Subeez at http://www.subeez.com/

In Dessert

Michi Waffle & Expresso Bar

September 19, 2010

Walking along Robson Street CanuckGirl, TaiwaneseGirl and I were looking to find something to satisfy our sweet tooth.

Michi Waffle & Expresso Bar caught my eye with their really pretty storefront display.

Walking into their store, the décor was very nice, simple and clean. Just the type of décor I like.

When I looked at their menu, I was confused and it took a while to see what waffle options we had. There was a small waffle menu near the fridge…and then there was the main menu on the wall that had the drinks and the waffle platters. Perhaps they could have had the menu in one booklet to give consumers all their options.

After thinking for a while we got the 2 waffle platter for $9. We chose the chocolate waffle and the original. It also comes with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, banana, and strawberry sauce.

Once the platter arrived, we dug in! The original waffle was quite boring and not too interesting, but when you added the ice cream on it, it tasted good. On the other hand, it might have been the ice cream that was really good. The chocolate waffle was the original waffle but covered in chocolate sauce. I particularly liked the chocolate waffle because of the extra texture it gave the waffle.

The banana did not taste like the banana’s you would buy at the store. It was a bit starchy and different but good.

Overall, it is one of the better waffle places I have been to because the waffles were crunchy rather than bland and boring. Plus, the plating of the waffles looked good and appealing to the eye.

After devouring that, I got thirsty, so I ordered a latte. Yes, I love latte’s; they are like cappuccinos, but with more milk and less foam. The coffee was good and their latte art is quite unique. Reminded me of Café Artigiano. You can tell they are skilled baristas by the machines they use and the foam art they produce.

They could really make more than just coffee and waffles. I think if they had more variety than just waffles, more people would go to this place.

The ambiance of Michi Waffle and Espresso Bar is the perfect place to have a conversation. If you go there on a date or a meeting, it will leave a lasting impression.

We rate Michi Waffle and Espresso Bar:

Visit their website: http://michicafe.com/

In Chinese

Roaming Dragon

September 19, 2010

I heard about Roaming Dragon through Twitter when they followed Foodology. They had some very nice branding, so I decided I should try it since it’s pretty close to where I work.

Roaming Dragon specializes in Pan Asian Cuisine and ARE ON WHEELS. If you stand on West Georgia and Thurlow intersection, look out for the red truck because that is the sign of the Roaming Dragon Truck!

When I saw it, I was so excited because there was a long line up and face it, the truck is really cool compared to the other street carts.

The menu had 5 different items – Fried Rice Ball, Chicken Karrage, Korean Tacos, Soba noodle Salad, Duck Salad and Pork Belly Sliders. These are $6 each, 2 for $10 or 3 for $15. They also have a drink menu to quench your thirst!

You order by going to the window and tell them your order, before you order; you can look at their display to see what the food looks like. They are small portions, so you probably want to order more than one to get full unless you just want a snack.

Once you order, you wait on the left and wait for your name to be called.

We ordered the Japanese Chicken Karrage, Korean Short Rib Tacos, and Roaming Dragon Fried Rice Balls.

TaiwaneseGirl had the Chicken Karrage, and they are quite different from what you would find at a Japanese restaurant. This chicken is basically marinated chicken, then fried and covered in passion fruit and plum sugar sauce. At first it looked really cool and nicely put together. The taste was very interesting because the chicken was sweet due to the sauce. TaiwaneseGirl didn’t like sweet flavour of it. I tried a bit of it and the texture was alright but the sauce made the chicken feel colder. TaiwaneseGirl commented that the dish tasted very non-asian.

CanuckGirl had the Korean Short Rib Tacos, which contained braised Korean short ribs, mushrooms, spinach, carrots and kimchi. We all agreed the tacos were pretty good and it did have the asian taste to them unlike the chicken karrage. The meat was tender and had flavour to it!

I had the Roaming Dragon Fried Rice Balls, it was better than I expected! It has Chinese sausage, dried shrimp, chicken, bamboo shoots, mustard greens, and rice. Then its breaded and fried. After, it’s topped with Curry and Teriyaki Sauce. The balls come on skewers so its easy to each with minimal mess. I did enjoy this a lot and if I passed by the street again, I would pick it up.

3 smalls dishes for $16.30 is quite steep especially for such small portions.

Try Roaming Dragon out if you pass by, but if you are looking for a large meal, this is probably not the place to go. The Fried Rice balls are worth trying!

We rate Roaming Dragon:

Check out their website: www.roamingdragon.com

In Chinese

Chinese Skewer King

September 19, 2010

I saw Chinese Skewer King on my way to work and I thought it was the funniest thing because they abbreviate is as CSK, which is my friends SFU e-mail name.

On our street food vendor adventure, we decided to stop by after going to Roaming Dragon. You can’t miss this place because it is super red and yellow.

They had a few types of skewers – pork, lamb, tofu and vegetable. I wish there was chicken or beef but I guess it’s a bit harder to cook. They were almost sold out by 12:30pm so we just hurried and got lamb. We could even choose the degree of spicy we wanted on our skewer. I love having options, make me feel involved with the food I get to eat. We order “a little bit spicy” for ours.

The 3 skewers came out to be around $5. I guess if you compare it to HK or any other asian country, this is obvious expensive. I am waiting for the day when Vancouver will have $1 or $2 skewers. But with inflation, I doubt that will happen.

They gave us the skewers in a brown bag and then an extra Styrofoam container…really a waste of resources…especially in Vancouver where it’s all sustainable and stuff…lies…

I found the skewers to be very tasty and I couldn’t figure out what spices were on the meat, but TaiwaneseGirl said it was some asian spice. Our choice of “ a little bit spicy” worked for me, but apparently not for CanuckGirl, she got a large granule of spice and basically felt like her tongue was all numb and ON FIRE.

Overall I think the taste of the skewers were nice an authentic and asian. I would go again if I pass by! For $2.50 per skewer, it’s a bit expensive but where else downtown can you find skewers for $2.50? If you are in the area, stop by!

We rate Chinese Skewer King: