Kid Friendly Archives - Page 3 of 14

In Cafe

Cup Full Dessert Cafe in Coquitlam

September 23, 2016

Cup Full Dessert is located in the food court at Henderson Mall in Coquitlam. They serve up a few different desserts, cakes and drinks. If you’re a fan of Soft Peaks, they serve up their delicious soft-serve ice cream. If you live in the suburbs, you can now get Soft Peaks without driving all the way downtown.

Drinks

Cappuccino is what I needed in the early afternoon. They even put a cute little bird on top. They use their own blend of espresso beans in all their drinks.

Coffee Float is super nice and strong. It even has Soft Peaks soft serve ice cream inside.

Grape Fresh Fruit drink is so good! You can tell they only use real grapes are their natural sweetness really shines through.

Grapefruit Fresh Fruit drink was great as well, but I still preferred the grape version.

Full Cup Shaved Ice

Green Tea has the shaved ice and green tea in different layers.

It is topped with red beans, almonds, and sponge cake and some more green tea.

Red Bean has the shaved ice, red bean, more shaved ice and then topped with more red beans, almonds and whipped cream.

Mango was my favourite of all of them. You really can’t go wrong with the fresh mango taste and the shaved ice.

Soft Serve

Mudslide has the Soft Peaks soft serve ice cream with chocolate syrup and crushed up Tim Tam Cookies. Great for chocolate lovers. One of my favourite items here.

Roll Cakes

Chocolate Banana Roll Cake is made by Cake Ya, a Japanese bakery about 10 minutes away. The cakes were decent, but I much prefer going to the store to get my roll cakes fresher.

Because these have been in the fridge a bit longer, its not as fresh.

Strawberry Roll Cake I had similar feelings too. This would be an item I get from Cake Ya all the time too.

Matcha and Red Bean Roll Cake was ok too, but I wished there was a bit more whipped cream inside.

Overall, the desserts are decent. I will definitely come back for the drinks and the Mudslide again.

We Rate Cup Full Dessert Cafe:

Address:
#2079-1163 Pinetree way Coquitlam, BC

In Downtown

Pokérrito: Burritos, Bowls and Salads in Vancouver

September 20, 2016

Pokérrito is one of the new poké shops opening in Vancouver this year. The poké hype is real and during lunch time, there was a 30 minute line up out the door. Vancouverites are going nuts over the poké.

Building your meal

When you get to the counter they first ask you what protein you want and if you want it as a burrito, bowl or salad.

The protein you can choose from are ahi tuna, spicy tuna, albacore tuna, salmon, sockeye salmon, scallop, shrimp and octopus. Some protein choices cost extra.

You can add in as much cucumber, kale, green onion, sweet onion and cilantro.

You can choose 5 from the following list – Sprouts, masago, jalapeño, pineapple, grape-tomatoes, ginger, wasabi, sweet corn, furikake, and chili flakes.

You can choose 2 of the below as your sides. Avocado, edamame, crabmeat, seaweed salad or spicy seaweed salad.

You then can top it off with some sauce – Umami, wasabi-basil, citrus ponzu, sweet chili or creamy mayo.

There’s a lot of items to put into your creation, but it can also be quite confusing to decide what you want.

Bowl

The most popular item to order is the bowl as you do get a bit more ingredients in it. There is a base or rice either white or brown rice.

It comes in a durable container, so its good to eat in or take out. A lot of people ended up getting take out.

Salad

The salad is similar size to the bowl, but with romaine lettuce instead of the rice.

Burrito

I ordered the burrito and I had added sockeye salmon, avocado, seaweed salad, corn, sprouts, masago, tamago and umami sauce. This is all wrapped up in white rice and seaweed.

Overall, the burrito was good, but next time I would get the bowl just to get a little bit more ingredients. All of us liked all 3 options and is quite healthy. Price is decent too.

We Rate Pokérrito:

Address:
558 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.pokerrito.ca/

In Four Beakers

Peaked Pies: Aussie Meat Pies in Whistler

September 18, 2016

Peaked Pies in Whistler Village is a popular place to have a good ol’ Aussie Meat Pie. What makes them so popular is their beautiful looking ‘peaked pies’ topped with mashed potato, peas and gravy. I came with a few friends to indulge on their massive peaked pies.

The interior is pretty small and there aren’t a lot of seating. Most people ended up eating outside or getting it to go.

They have different pies available – traditional, chunky pepper steak, butter chicken, veggie, etc. Lots of pies to choose from.

Look at all those pies. On the outside, they all look the same.

They have an electronic ordering machine if you don’t want to line up at the counter. It’s super fast and easy to use.

Traditional Aussie Meat Pie which has ground beef, onions, and gravy. I also got it peaked for an extra $3.25, which adds mashed potato, mushy green peas and gravy on top. It’s so worth it. You can’t come here without getting it peaked.

All of us got it peaked. The savoury meaty mixture inside the flakey crust is made even better with the peas and mash. This is the ultimate comfort food.

We Rate Peaked Pies:

Address:
105-4369 Main Street, Whistler, BC

Website:
http://www.peakedpies.com/

In Kid Friendly

The Captain’s Boil: Seafood in Richmond

August 25, 2016

The Captain’s Boil is a new seafood boil restaurant in Richmond. They have a few locations in Toronto, but now has opened their first location in Metro Vancouver.

They take the seafood boil and toss it with their blend of secret, Asian inspired spices and aromatics. They are open quite late and do take reservations.

I was invited to give their signature items a try.

Interior

The interior uses wood, stone, and ropes to really give you a sense of being on a boat. There are long tables and booth seating for those in small to large groups.

Bibs and Gloves

Everyone gets bibs and gloves to keep clean. I love the pirate themed bibs, super cute. The gloves can break quite easily if you are vigorously cracking away at those shells.

Drinks

They have a range of domestic and premium beers, as well as soju and sake. I went with a light Asahi beer, which goes with seafood very well.

Seafood Boil

We ordered a pound of each seafood item on the menu:

clams
mussels
crawfish
shrimp
chicken slices
lobster
king crab leg
Dungeness crab
snow crab legs

It comes in one bag for each kind and arrives a few bags at one time. We got all of ours with the Captain Boil’s Mix, which combines their 3 flavours – cajun cajun, lemon pepper and garlic sauce. We also got it at medium spice.

You can order sides to go into boil like corn, lotus roots, sausages, and potatoes.

The best way to enjoy everything is to pour it all on the table, so everyone can grab it easily.

Of all the types of crabs, I really enjoyed the King Crab Legs, but it is super costly at $36.95 per pound. It was so big and meaty.

The other legs were hard to open, but there are scissors and clamps to crack the shells open.

They sell the lobsters at a seasonal price but always good to double check the cost. The bulk of the meat is in the claws and tail.

Of all the seafood, I thought the crawfish wasn’t worth it since it’s mostly shell. The shells are hard to crack open and there is very little meat inside. But then again, where else are you going to crawfish in Vancouver?

After eating a bunch of the seafood, the Captain’s Boil sauce was too heavy. I would have liked to choose the lemon pepper or the garlic sauce.

Sizzling Plate

Chicken Teriyaki Sizzling Plate Combo with rice includes their seafood platter before 4pm. You get 2 crawfish, 2 shrimps, 2 mussels, and 2 clams. A pretty good deal if you can go there for lunch.

Sides

Fried shrimp basket comes with 10 pieces, which is great for sharing.

Fried Chicken Wings comes in large or small, but we chose the small size. It was fried with light seasoning, which I enjoyed.

Overall, its a great addition in Richmond. Since all the seafood is by weight, it can get pricey if you’re a big eater. The Captain’s Boil sauce is overpowering, so you might want to consider the lemon pepper or garlic sauce to be able to taste more of the seafood.

We rate The Captain’s Boil:

Address:
1226 – 8338 Capstan Way, Richmond,BC

Website:
http://www.thecaptainsboil.com/

In Bubble Tea

Bubble Queen: Bubble Tea and Bubble Waffles

August 18, 2016

Bubble Queen has their second location on Oak Street. The Richmond location is always packed, so my friends and I wanted to check out their Oak Street location and also they were having major bubble waffle cravings.

Bubble Queen is best know for their drinks and bubble waffles. A great combination.

This location has indoor seating as well as patio seating. It has a bit more seating than the Richmond location.

Oolong Milk Tea, Mango Slush, and Peach Green Tea was what we all ordered. The drinks were good and not too sweet.

Original Bubble Waffle was crisp on the outside, but there wasn’t too much of the chewy centre. It seems like its their style to cook it a bit over. Some people seem to like it but I prefer is less crispy.

Oreo Bubble Waffle has the bits of oreo integrated inside of it. Similar to the original, it is also quite crisp.

Overall, the drinks were great but the bubble waffle weren’t my thing. The waffles took a long time to come to the table. The drinks came a lot faster.

We rate Bubble Queen:

Address:
3208 Oak Street, Vancouver

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Bubble-Queen-1948623658697015/

In Kid Friendly

Tractor Foods: Healthy Options in Mount Pleasant

August 17, 2016

Tractor Foods is finally open in Mount Pleasant close on 2nd and Quebec. They serve up healthy food for everyday. I’ve been waiting for this location to open for a very long time.

I work close to this area and there aren’t too many healthy food options around. There a few other places, but fast food still dominate.

Interior

The interior isn’t too large. A decent amount of seats, but since it’s so popular, you will have a lard time finding a seat at noon.

I did see some people doing take out and going back to the office. I came here with a large group, so we got here at 11:30 and got a table for 8 people.

Ordering

The menu is the same as the other locations. You go up to the counter, put in your order, and pay for it at the other end.

It’s like a nicer cafeteria style line.

Food

Wild mushrooms, ditalini pasta, truffled ricotta cheese, and fresh herbs was a nice pasta salad. A good amount of mushrooms.

Grilled avocado is something you gotta add to your meal. Something about a grilled avocado with salt and pepper is so good.

Half Turkey Sandwich has turkey thigh, smoked gouda, alfalfa sprouts, arugula, pesto aioli, and house pickled cucumbers, on a sourdough bread. Nicely grilled on both sides and its a bit crunchy. A good sandwich.

Watermelon salad has cucumber, pumpkin seeds, and goat’s milk feta.

Arugula salad has grilled pears, candied walnuts, blue cheese, and a champagne vinaigrette.

Also, a Grilled Avocado!

Overall, the food is super healthy and has a good taste. I would come back for more salads and sandwiches during lunch.

We rate Tractor Foods:

Address:
1751 Quebec Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://tractorfoods.com

In Hot Pot

Nabebugyo Hot Pot: Individual Hot Pot in Vancouver

August 14, 2016

Nabebugyo is a Japanese-style hot pot restaurant where you will get your own individual hot pot instead of sharing a big hot pot. My friends and I decided to come here after work to just give it a try.

Interior

There is a large bar looking seating, but its hard sitting there as a group. They have a few tables on the side, so we opted to sit there. Each seat, there are the individual stoves for you to cook your meal.

Individual Hot Pot

All hot pot orders come with rice, seaweed salad and ice cream for dinner. If you are here for lunch, you just won’t get the ice cream.

The seaweed salad arrived first and it was a nice start to the meal. It is cold and has bits of sesame seeds in it.

I went with the Soy Milk broth. It comes with sliced pork, assorted veggies, shimeji mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, tofu, cup of soy milk and udon. The pot first comes with the kombu broth.

They have other flavours of hot pots, but I didn’t feel like anything too salty, so the soy milk was a good option.

I had the choice of beef or pork, but I went with pork. Look at all that delicious pork.

First, we waited for the pot to come to a boil before putting some of the veggies inside.

They told me to put in some veggies and meat in first or else the soy milk will boil over.

Once you pour in the soy milk, it becomes the delicious milky broth.

After it cooked, I left it on a simmer so I could enjoy it with my rice. The broth was very delicious.

You can add more ingredients on the side if it’s not enough. I found that what we received was a good portion. It hit the right spot, but I can see that some people may want more.

You can choose from vanilla, strawberry, banana fudge or green tea ice cream. Of course I gravitated towards green tea ice cream. How would I say no? It was a nice cold treat to end the hot pot meal.

Tipping isn’t required here as per Japanese customs, but since they were so nice, we decided to tip them.

Overall, the food was good and I liked their version of individual hot pot. The taste was clean the ingredients they use are pretty good. They also have a kids hot pot, so its good if you are with kids.

We rate Nabebugyo Hot Pot:

Address:
3190 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://nabebugyo.com/

In Japanese

Sushi UOmo: Sushi in North Burnaby

August 11, 2016

Sushi UOmo is located in North Burnaby in the Heights. M and I were looking for a new sushi place to eat dinner at. I’m trying to find more restaurants that I haven’t eaten at in the area and Sushi UOmo was a place I’ve never tried yet.

This place was busy on a Tuesday and they are open till 10am everyday. Normally a lot of restaurants close on Tuesday since it is one of the least busiest days of the week. It seems to be working that this place is open.

Miso soup came at the start of the meal. A pretty standard miso soup, but it was a nice touch.

Hamachi Sashimi is a yellowtail tuna. It has a buttery and rich flavour. It has a higher fat content than regular tuna.

Tonkatasu is served with salad and rice. A big piece of deep-fried pork. Great as an individual dish or to share.

Aburi Don was a very interesting dish. It had the rice underneath with the torched tuna on top with an creamy sauce. There is a bit of salad on the side. The sear on top could have been a bit better with more char.

Shrimp Tempura comes in either 4 pieces or 7. M and I chose the 4 pieces so we could have 2 pieces each. Crunchy exterior with lots of batter around the shrimp.

Overall, Sushi UOmo was ok. The price of their dishes are affordable and you get a good amount of value.

We Rate Sushi UOmo:

Address:
4280 Hastings Street, Burnaby, BC

In Japanese

Koyuki Sapporo Ramen: New Ramen Shop near Robson

July 29, 2016

Koyuki Sapporo Ramen is the newest ramen joint to appear near Robson Street. With so many other ramen shops in the area, I was curious how it would compare.

I came here with Dee from Gastrofork to see if it would tickle our tastebuds.

We came during dinner time and they provided us with their lunch time menu. Apparently, the only difference is that the portion is larger. They didn’t have a dinner menu printed out, which I thought was strange.

Interior

The interior hasn’t changed too much as it still had the same structure of the previous restaurant that was here. There are lots of seats but it was very dead when we were here.

Ramen

Tonkotsu Ramen has a rich and creamy broth made from pork bones. it is topped with bean sprouts, cha-shu, green onion, seaweed, black garlic, and an aitsuke egg.

The egg was over cooked and didn’t have that gooey consistency like the other places in town. There was a lot of noodles, but it was chewy and bland. The cha-shu was really good.

Miso Ramen is their Sapporo style with miso flavour, bamboo shoots, green onions, bean sprouts, seaweed and cha-shu.

Gyoza

Gyozas come in 5 pieces and were pretty bad too. Even though it was pan fried, it was limp.

Overall, there wasn’t anything about this place that stood out except their cha-shu, but then again you can’t really go wrong with cha-shu. I didn’t like the texture of the noodles as it was chewy and soggy. The egg wasn’t done right. The service was also pretty awful too.

I’ve never been to Sapporo to have authentic Sapporo style ramen, but all I know is that Koyuki’s ramen was pretty meh.

They have a lot to improve on.

We Rate Koyuki Ramen:

Address:
795 Jervis Street, Vancouver

In Four Beakers

Maruyama: Handmade Udon in Vancouver

July 28, 2016

My coworkers and I are obsessed with Maruyama and their delicious Japanese food. A week after coming to have the omakase, we decided to come back to try some cheaper items off them menu since we can’t have another omakase. We would be broke.

Homemade Udon has assorted mushroom, wakame seaweed, and their delicious dashi broth. There is also pea shoots, green onions and tempura bits. It was a good size and I loved the handmade udon. The quality is definitely there.

Jumbo Prawn Tempura was an extra item. Very large and plump. It also comes with a tiny green bean tempura, which was interesting. Perhaps it was there to add a bit of colour.

Salmon nigiri was added just so I can a be a little bit more full. He automatically adds wasabi to this, so if you don’t like wasabi, make sure to let the server know. I totally forgot about it and the wasabi really punched me in the face.

Overall, a good 2nd visit and trying more of their cooked items.

We Rate Maruyama:

Address:
3883 Rupert Street, Vancouver

In Canadian

Wild Sweets: Chocolate in Richmond

July 27, 2016

Wild Sweets by Dominique and Cindy Duby are world-acclaimed and award-winning chocolate makers. They are located in a secluded area in South Richmond. It took a little while to find this place because it’s mostly just warehouses.

I was invited to try a few of their signature items and their new line of dessert – Pret-a-Manger. I’ve had their chocolates a few years ago as a gift and finally made the connection when I was here. I knew the name sounded familiar.

Retail Store

The retail store has all their signature chocolates for sale. From chocolate bars, cakes, to gift boxes and spreads.

20% Sugar Fruit Confit

20% Sugar Fruit Confit has some pretty cool flavours, but one of my favourites is Pear and Vanilla beans. They go well with yogurt, little cakes or with a charcuterie plate.

Fruit Macarons Chocolate

Fruit Macarons take the classic French cookie and have them stacked on top of chocolate squares. For a second I thought there were Chinese characters written on top, but its just scribbles.

Sweet Salty Snacking Chocolate

Dark Chocolate Bark has dark chocolate, dried apricots & cherries, banana chips, puffed rice, spicy puffed peas, hickory smoked almonds.

I love how it was packed full of all the different ingredients and worked well together.

Butter Caramel Popcorn is tossed in vanilla bean and salted butter caramel, then several layers of their high % milk cocoa.

Bean to Bar Chocolates

All their chocolates start from bean to bar. They pride themselves of being Canada’s only artisan science-based cocoa bean to bar chocolate makers.

Vanilla bean caramel, coffee and walnut was a good tasting bar. Stronger notes of the vanilla bean and coffee. The walnut was more subtle.

Maple caramel, pecans and smoked salt is a unique flavour and my coworkers gravitated towards this flavour.

Prêt-á-Manger Desserts

Their Prêt-á-Manger Desserts are exclusively sold in their stores, so you won’t find it anywhere else. They retail for $4.99 each.

Tarte Chocolate has sweet butter sablé cookie crust, fruit caramel dark chocolate ganache cream, and dark chocolate Chantilly mousse.

Tarte Citron has sweet butter sablé cookie crust, lemon custard cream, and white chocolate Chantilly mousse.

Tarte Banane has sweet butter sablé cookie crust, banana custard cream, banana-coconut ‘sand’, and white chocolate Chantilly mousse.

Tarte Framboise has sweet butter sablé cookie crust, raspberry fruit custard cream, and white chocolate Chantilly mousse.

Mousse Chocolat – Dark has dark chocolate sabayon mousse, dark chocolate Crème Brûlée cream and puffed cereal chocolate pearls.

This was my favourite since I love chocolate.

Mousse Chocolat – Milk has milk chocolate sabayon mousse, passion fruit Crème Brûlée cream and puffed cereal chocolate pearls.

Mousse Chocolat – White has fresh lemon zest white chocolate sabayon mousse, raspberry fruit Crème Brûlée cream and puffed cereal chocolate pearls.

Hazelnut Passion has layers of hazelnut butter sabayon parfait, apricot passion fruit sorbet, chocolate ice cream, apricot passion fruit confit, candied hazelnuts & sweet butter sablé cookie chunks.

Peanut banana has layers of peanut butter sabayon parfait, banana ice cream, chocolate ice cream, red fruit confit, candied peanuts & sweet butter sablé cookie chunks.

Pistachio Strawberry has layers of pistachio butter sabayon parfait, strawberry sorbet, vanilla bean ice cream, red fruit confit, candied pistachios & sweet butter sablé cookie chunks.

I enjoyed this one as all the ingredients seemed to mesh well together, plus I love pistachios.

Overall, its a unique shop that they have in Richmond and there’s nothing else like it in the area. Delicious tasting chocolate, but the location of their store is hard to get to without a car.

We Rate Wild Sweets:

Address:
2145 – 12191 Hammersmith Way, Richmond, BC

Website:
http://dcduby.com/

In American

Be Our Guest: Beauty & The Beast Themed Restaurant

July 23, 2016

Be Our Guest is one of the most highly sought after restaurants in Magic Kingdom at Disney World. Getting dinner reservations is nearly impossible unless you book well in advance. We got our travel agent to book it for us so we were guaranteed a spot.

As a huge Beauty & the Beast fan, I had to dine here.

Stepping inside the Beast’s enchanted castle was definitely a dream come true.

How can you not swoon over being here and having a glimpse of Disney magic? I was super happy to have dinner here.

When it was out reservation time, we went up to the front booths to check in, but they were about 30 minutes behind, so we waited outside until they told us we could go past the main gates.

Once we got to the main gate, we waited a little bit more until they called out names to head on inside.

Through these large beast statues are the 3 different dining areas.

The Grand Ballroom

The Grand Ballroom is iconic with its high, domed ceiling, chandeliers and snow-laced Gothic arches brings us back to the moment when Belle and Beast have their dance.

I ended up dining in the ballroom and the entire time, I was just in awe.

The West Wing

The West Wing is Beast’s mysterious West Wing study—if you dare—and perhaps you’ll even spy his enchanted rose. Its a dark room and its’ pretty cool to be in.

The beast!

The Castle Gallery

The Castle Gallery has pictures of Belle and Beast as well as large statues of them dancing in the centre of the room.

Dinner Service

No matter which room you are dining in, all 3 have the same menu. With the Disney Dining Plan, we get 1 non-alcoholic drink, 1 entree, and 1 dessert.

I went with unsweetened iced tea as that seemed to be my favourite drink in the Disney Parks. It’s refillable too. M went with a Coke.

As we waited for our entrees to arrive, bread and butter arrives at the table. Pretty standard and nothing that exciting.

Entrees

Grilled Strip Steak with herb butter and pommes frites is what M ordered. The steak was very tough even though it was ordered as a medium rare. The gristle and fat was made this steak very unappetizing and hard to cut through.

It was so bad that they just took it off the bill since they saw we didn’t enjoy it at all.

Roasted Lamb Chop served with potato pave, artichokes, tomato salsa, and a lamb demi-glace. It came with 3 pieces of lamb and it all tasted ok. The potato pave was really good.

Dessert

When it is time for dessert, they roll out the carts and you can choose which dessert you want.

Chocolate Cream Puff is filled with chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream and chocolate. M felt like the dessert got a bit dry as it sat in the display case.

The “Grey Stuff” has a chocolate shell, cookie creme topped Lumiere’s special “grey stuff”. It just tastes like cookies n creme

Before you leave, don’t forget to take a picture of the Beast and also post in front of this glass window. We missed the beast since he was taking a break.

Overall, the restaurant looked amazing, but the food was pretty subpar. If you are a big Beauty & the Beast fan, Be Our Guest is a must since you’ll be able to see a lot of iconic items from the movie.

We rate Be Our Guest:

Address:
1365 North Monorail Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL

Website:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/magic-kingdom/be-our-guest-restaurant/

In Brunch

Cora: Breakfast and Lunch in Burnaby

July 15, 2016

Cora has finally opened up in South Burnaby, so now I can stop driving a long distance to have some delicious brunch here.

We came with a friend for a quick brunch and just indulge in all their fruit. I’ve been to various Cora locations through out Canada and it’s a place that people have to go at least once.

Interior

On the weekend it was packed but we only waiting about 10 minutes for a table of 3. The decorations in here is consistent with the other locations with the yellow walls.

Drinks

Kale-Mango Smoothie is what the server recommended. It is topped with a strawberry and has kale and grapes on the plate below. The grapes were a bit dirty, so we had to clean it more before we ate them.

We also got coffee, but I forgot to take a picture of it. Non stop refills too!

Breakfast items

Jo Construction has 3 eggs, 3 sausages and 3 strips of bacon served with roasted potatoes and your choice of toast. There’s a bit of fruit on the side too.

10 Star Omelette has bacon, ham, sausages, frankfurters, bologna, spinach, green onions, tomatoes, onions, red and green peppers, mushrooms and Cheddar cheese. Served with toast and your choice of fresh fruit or tomatoes. M got fruit for his side.

Buckwheat blessing is the one item I always get. It comes with 3 sausages and Cheddar cheese rolled in a blanket of buckwheat and sorghum crêpes and served with fresh fruit. I love the balance of the savoury sausages and the refreshing taste of the fruits.

For all the toast we got, there was also jam and peanut butter that came along with it.

Overall, Cora is a solid place to get brunch with friends or family. The food isn’t outstanding, but all that fruit is pretty fabulous.

We Rate Cora:

Address:
7155 Kingsway, Unit 142
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.chezcora.com/

In Canadian

Le Cellier: Canadian Cuisine in Epcot

July 11, 2016

Le Cellier Steakhouse is a top restaurant in Epcot and reservations are highly recommended as they are always packed. The restaurant has savour tender steaks, fresh seafood, cheesy poutine fries and other regional cuisine inspired by the provinces of Canada.

As a Canadian food blogger, I had to check out their interpretation of what Canadian Cuisine is all about.

Disney Meal Plan

If you are on the Disney Dining Plan, this requires 2 dining plan credits as it is a signature restaurant. You are then entitled to a non-alcoholic beverage, an entree, and a dessert.

Exterior

Head to the Fairmont hotel replica, where you will find Le Cellier Steakhouse underneath. It is a pretty nice area around this restaurant, so make sure to take a stroll through the different areas when waiting for your seat.

When we got there, they were about 15 minutes behind schedule, so we say around enjoying the view until one of the lovely staff told us our table is ready.

Interior

The interior was like an underground wine cellar, thus the name. I liked the dark warm atmosphere since it had a more cozy atmosphere.

Complimentary Bread

Pretzel Breadsticks, sourdough bread and multi-grain bread came to the table and there was a good portion of it. The butter had a but of maple sugar to it, so it reminded me of honey butter. So good.

Entrees

Le Cellier Filet Mignon has AAA Canadian tenderloin, mushroom risotto, heirloom Toy Box tomatoes, and a truffle-butter sauce.

The Filet mignon was melt in your mouth delicious, but that risotto was very salty. This dish was pretty small, compared to some of the dishes here, but the quality is there.

Black Angus Boneless Rib-Eye has a Fall spice butternut squash purée, roasted marble potatoes, pickled onions, and maple-sage butter. The rib eye is a lot larger than the Filet Mignon, so it’s a better option if you have a big stomach. The rib eye was tender and had a good amount of flavour.

Dessert

Chocolate Whisky Trifle has malted milk panna cotta, caramel popcorn, whisky-caramel sauce, and buttered popcorn gelato. Very cute to have the gelato sit on top of the chocolate lace, but it did break after it arrived on the table. It was a very sweet dessert with hints of saltiness and the slight aroma of whiskey.

Camembert Cheesecake has double-cream cheesecake, cherry gelée, and pistachio cream florentine. It was a unique dessert and not too sweet. I was surprised at how well the pistachio would pair with it.

Overall, the food was good but it is expensive, but good thing we had the Disney Dining Plan. If I wasn’t on the dining plan, I think we would have chosen cheaper options. They also have lunch options, but it isn’t any cheaper on or off the dining plan.

We Rate Le Cellier:

Address:
200 Epcot Center Dr, Lake Buena Vista

Website:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/epcot/le-cellier-steakhouse/

In Cafe

True Confections: Dessert Restaurant on Denman Street

July 9, 2016

If you’re craving for dessert on Denman Street, True Confections is always there to fill that craving. They opened in 1986 to start the first dessert only restaurant. They also have another location on Broadway near UBC.

After dinner, we were in the area and decided to stop by for a sweet treat before heading home.

The place was pretty busy as others were grabbing a dessert around the same time. There are indoor and patio seating too.

All their cakes can be seen in the display case. The cakes are huge and the portions aren’t small either.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is served with whipped cream on the side. A good potion and has a good balance of sweet and sourness. M enjoyed it but I prefer something else.

Chocolate Banana Cream Pie is my kind of pie. The classic banana cream pie smothered in delicious chocolate. I really enjoyed it. Super indulgent and not for those who are on a diet.

Overall, the desserts were ok, but people are more intrigued by their large size. You can’t go wrong with any of the moussy desserts, but some of the larger cakes I feel are a bit dry. It’s also good that its open late at night.

We Rate True Confections:

Address:
866 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://trueconfections.ca/

In Chinese

Kwong Chow: Chinese Food in Mount Pleasant

July 8, 2016

A few foodies were in the area and needed a good cheap place to eat with plenty of seats, so we decided to head to Kwong Chow Congee & Noodle House for some Chinese food. It’s a neighbourhood favourite in Mount Pleasant. A lot of people have talked about this place, but it was my first time dining here.

Preserved Egg and Lean Pork Congee is what we started off with. All scooped up into their individual bowls.

I love congee, it’s like my comfort food. If I had to only have one dish for the rest of my life, it would be congee.

House Special Wonton Soup with tons of wontons and they were able to customize the dish so each people would get at least one wonton.

Sliced Beef and Gai Lan is a solid dish but we did feel it was pretty oily. Even in the picture, it glisten in the lights.

Chicken with ginger and green onion oil on the side. We got half a chicken and it was pretty good as well.

Sweet and Sour Boneless Pork with Pineapples was ok, not my favourite type of dish at a Chinese restaurant. Just a personal preference since I don’t like mixing sweet and savoury items together. Kinda like how I don’t prefer Hawaiian pizza.

Sauteed Pea Shoots with garlic is one of my favourite vegetables. Cooked well.

Yang Chow Fried Rice is a pretty classic fried rice with shrimp, BBQ Pork, and other items.

Rice noodles with sliced beef and scrambled egg was an interesting dish. I think it needed a bit more salt and perhaps it would have been better with rice instead of rice noodle.

Deep Fried Silver Fish was super crisp and I loved the texture and crunch of them. The pepper flakes and garlic really accompany this dish well by giving it a little kick of spice.

Overall, the meal was pretty good, split among all of us, it was a pretty good price. The food isn’t anything fancy, but they have good tasting dishes.

We Rate Kwong Chow Congee & Noodle House:

Address:
3163 Main Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.kwongchowrestaurant.com/

In Italian

The Old Spaghetti Factory: Riverport Richmond Review

July 6, 2016

The Old Spaghetti Factory is right across from the SilverCity movie theatre. We decided to come here for a quick dinner. We thought we had ample time since it was 50 minutes before the movie. You definitely need at least an hour to dine here.

Complimentary Bread that arrives at the tables is a Italian Sourdough Bread with Whipped Garlic and Plain Butter. A nice way to fill up before waiting for the dishes to arrive.

Clam Chowder is New England style with bacon. Pretty basic and there’s really not much to it.

Crisp Green Salad is the side for the gluten-free menu option. Very simple spinach salad.

Minestrone Soup wasn’t very interesting either, but I got a side to go with my salad, which was interesting.

Cheesy Baked Tomato Chicken Pasta has sautéed chicken breast tossed with gluten free penne in al fresca marinara sauce and baked with mozzarella. My sister thought it was ok. Nothing too special about it, but it would be better if there was a bit more sauce.

Lasagna has layer upon layers of pasta, meat sauce and mozzarella, ricotta and parmesan cheeses. M enjoyed it as it was meaty and cheesy.

Caesar Salad was what I ordered. I just came back from vacation and really needed a big bowl of salad. It did the trick but I felt it was a bit heavy on the dressing. The dressing was very garlicky and potent.

Overall, the food was mediocre but when you see the food options near the theatre, there really isn’t much.

We rate The Old Spaghetti Factory:

Address:
110-14200 Entertainment Boulevard,
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.oldspaghettifactory.ca/

In Four Beakers

Maruyama: Omakase Nigiri Tasting

July 3, 2016

Maruyama has taken over the old Kimura location on Rupert Street. Chef Yoshiya Maruyama was the previous raw bar chef at Blue Water Cafe and has finally opened his own restaurant in East Vancouver.

When my friend told me about it, I got super excited because I love sushi. A few of us went to try their omakase nigiri tasting.

Interior

The space isn’t very large, there are 4 seats at the bar and a few tables on either side of the restaurant. Always best to make reservations.

Omakase Nigiri Tasting

We made reservations to sit at the bar so we could get a full experience and have a chat with the Chef.

They have 2 options for omakase nigiri tasting – $25 and $60 option. After consulting with the Chef, we decided to take the plunge and order the $60 tasting as it has more premium fish used in the set.

When the tasting begins, they ask you if you want wasabi on it or not. Half of the group went with wasabi and the other half went without. The omakase tasting isn’t for everyone as it only has a minimum of 7 pieces. Those with a large stomach might not get full.

Sanma is very soft and has lots of fat. It is brushed with a bit of sauce and covered in a shiso leaf.

This nigiri, I have no idea what it was. In my notes I wrote down “asa”, but I couldn’t find this type of fish online. Either way, it tasted really good.

Akaji was what I wrote down, but I think I miss heard so I have no idea what this is. It is encrusted in the chef’s secret kombu topping, which is kelp.

Isaki nigiri has a slightly chewy taste. Isaki is a grunt fish.

Tobiuo is a flying fish with a soft texture perfect for nigiri.

Tai also has a slight chewy texture but it is rich in flavour.

Scallop Nigiri has a few drop of yuzu and then sprinkled with a bit of sea salt.

Chutoro is a delicious tuna with higher fat content. Very delicious too.

Otoro is the most expensive cut of tuna taken from the lowest part of the belly next to the head. It’s high in fat and super flavourful.

Other Nigiri on the menu

Hokkaido Uni is an additional menu item and when the chef was telling us about it, we didn’t realize it was $19 each. He did warn us that it was expensive and no normal customer would order this and he makes little to no profit off this item.

He adds a speck of wasabi to the top and its ready to eat. The flavour of the uni was amazing, but it was really expensive. It’s an expensive ingredient, so it’s not for all.

Anago is sea eel and he torches it before it gets served. For $5.50, this nigiri was more easy on the wallet compared to the uni.

The flavour and look is unlike what you would find at most Japanese restaurants. It’s fresh and has an amazing taste. He uses his own secret sauce to add on top.

Matcha ice cream with red bean is how we ended out meal. This was part of the omakase, I think because we weren’t charged for it. or maybe it was because we spent so much.

Overall, it was a pretty expensive meal, but its nice to splurge once in a while. I find that the nigiri are his works of art and should really be enjoyed. You need a high level of appreciation for sushi to fully enjoy this experience.

We Rate Maruyama:

Address:
3883 Rupert Street, Vancouver

Kid Friendly

Drinks

Full Cup Shaved Ice

Soft Serve

Roll Cakes

Menu

Building your meal

Bowl

Salad

Burrito

Interior

Menu

Bibs and Gloves

Drinks

Seafood Boil

Sizzling Plate

Sides

Interior

Ordering

Food

Interior

Individual Hot Pot

Interior

Ramen

Gyoza

Retail Store

20% Sugar Fruit Confit

Fruit Macarons Chocolate

Sweet Salty Snacking Chocolate

Bean to Bar Chocolates

Prêt-á-Manger Desserts

The Grand Ballroom

The West Wing

The Castle Gallery

Dinner Service

Entrees

Dessert

Interior

Menu

Drinks

Breakfast items

Disney Meal Plan

Exterior

Interior

Complimentary Bread

Entrees

Dessert

Interior

Omakase Nigiri Tasting

Other Nigiri on the menu