Type Archives - Page 42 of 125

In Dessert

Cupcakes: Holiday Wreaths and Treats

December 20, 2016

With the holidays upon us, thinking of what to bring to a holiday gathering at a friends place or at the office is pretty tough. Cupcakes has a few holiday treats that will brighten up the party. It’s been a while since I’ve had a cupcake from here, so when they asked me to try a few of their holiday features, I couldn’t say no.

Cupcake Wreath

Their cupcake wreath comes in 4 different sizes – Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large. I got the Medium, which is comprised of 22 mini cupcakes. You can customize the taste with any of their cake and buttercream flavours. I got the chocolate cupcake with a green coloured butter cream. It is also decorated with beautiful fondant pieces and a big red bow.

We took it to the office and it disappeared really quickly. It was hard to be the first one to dig in, but the cupcake was moist and the frosting was light.

Holiday Flavoured Cupcakes

In addition to the cupcake wreaths, they have special holiday flavoured cupcakes like:

eggnog
gingerbread
ginger holiday
rudolph
chocolate rum
frosty
candy cane
peppermint patty

Lots to choose from, but I personally liked the rudolph as it has a chocolate marble cake with chocolate and vanilla buttercream and a red button. Another super festive one is candy cane with vanilla and pink peppermint marble cake with white peppermint buttercream and candy cane sprinkles.

With the full size cupcakes, I always have to split it with a friend. It’s a pretty big size.

Overall, if you are stuck on what to bring to the holiday potluck, their sweet treats will impress.

We Rate Cupcakes:

Address:
2887 West Broadway, Vancouver

Website:
http://cupcakesonline.com/

In Brewery

Luppolo Brewing Company: Brewery in East Vancouver

December 19, 2016

My friends take me to the coolest breweries. We made a stop at Luppolo Brewing Company in East Vancouver. Luppolo means hops in Italian, thus the name. They were inspired by the values associated with Italian culture – quality, craftsmanship, community and family. This really fit with what they’re trying to create at their brewery.

Interior

There are tons of tables inside the tasting room. For a Sunday evening, this place was almost full.

Beer Flight

I got a beer flight and as usual I ask them for their recommendation of beers that are light and not as hoppy.

One of my favourites was the New World Sour. You can taste the notes of grapefruit and other citrus fruits.

Another one that I enjoyed was the Dunkleweizen, which is a German style dark wheat beer has a silky mouth feel with hints of banana and clove that compliment the light roast malt character. Subtly sweet and surprisingly refreshing.

Saison was on my list too. Always a great light bodied, fresh and crisp beer. Super easy to drink with minimal hoppiness.

Snacks

Antipasto Platter comes with Grana Padano, marinated peppers, eggplant, olives, and artichokes served with bread.

We all nibbled on this as we all drank out flights and pints.

We Rate Luppolo Brewing Company:

Address:
1123 Venables Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://luppolobrewing.ca/

In Brewery

Storm Brewing: Craft Beer in East Vancouver

December 18, 2016

Storm Brewing is a bit different that other breweries in Vancouver. They don’t have a lounge or a tasting room.

When you walk through their sliding door, you are right in the middle of where the brewing magic takes place.

You are essentially in their workspace brewing away some amazing beers. There are no seats, no tables, and no food.

Anyone 19+ can sample up to 6 different brews one at a time by a cash donation. They do not have pints or flights.

They have lots of beers to choose from. They have their mainstays and a bunch of experiments brews.

Mainstays:

Precipitation Pilsner 5%
Highland Scottish Ale 5%
Hurricane IPA 7%
Black Plague Stout 8%
Imperial Flanders Sour Ale 8%
Chales Dickens 7.5%

Brainstorms:

Vanilla Whiskey Stout 9%
Rosemary IPA 7%
Turkey Dinner IPA 7%
Snake Eyes Ale 7.5%
Glacial Mammoth Extinction 25%
Mrs Claus Pilsner 5%
Lemon Ginger IPA 7%

We spent more time trying these ones as they are pretty unique compared to other breweries. Rosemary IPA and Turkey Dinner IPA have strong aroma of herbs. I was surprised this flavour combination would be possible.

My friends also paid $5 extra to try the Glacial Mammoth Extinction at 25% alcohol. I didn’t try it since I had to be a responsible driver to get everyone to our next spot.

Overall, this place is super unique, but you most likely won’t be spending too much time here. The space is definitely sketch, but they do have some pretty cool beers. I love how much they experiment with beers.

We Rate Storm Brewing:

Address:
310 Commercial Drive, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.stormbrewing.org/

In Brewery

Doan’s Craft Brewery: Beer in East Vancouver

December 16, 2016

Doan’s Craft Brewing Co is a family run brewery in the heart of the East Van. From home-brewing to Craft Brewing, the Doan’s family is inspired by great beer, the art and science of craft brewing and the community created by the craft beer movement.

I passed by this shop a few times and thought it looked pretty cute and not pretentious at all. A few friends and I visited their tasting room on a Sunday night and they are open pretty late, which is great.

They do flights, glasses of beer, growlers, and some food too.

Interior

Their space is small and doesn’t have too many seats for large groups, but there is one larger communal table and 3 smaller ones in another corner. They also have some cool local art on the walls too.

If you love arcade games, they have an arcade machine with a few games you can play by yourself or with a friend.

Beers

Looking at their drinks, I had to get a flight of 4 tasters to get a taste of how their line up of beer tastes.

I got them to pick 4 drinks for me that were on the light end of the spectrum and isn’t too hoppy.

I got the:

Kolsch
Scrooge’s Light Ale
Doan Bros Pale Ale
Rye Stout

All 4 beers were really good, but if I had to choose one, it would be the Kolsh. Very light and refreshing, which I enjoy the most.

Overall, it’s a cool space to hang with friends and enjoy a beer. Super casual atmosphere with good beer.

We Rate Doan’s Craft brewery:

Address: 1830 Powell Street, Vancouver

Website: http://doanscraftbrewing.com/

In Late Night

Starlight Room at Sir Francis Drake: Rooftop Bar in San Francisco

December 15, 2016

On the 21st floor of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel at Union Square in San Francisco is the Starlight Room, a rooftop Bar over looking the views of Union Square. When I was on here during vacation, we came up here at night for a drink after dinner.

I love the feeling of exclusivity of this place. Once you get out of the elevator, the huge red curtains reveal the Starlight Room.

We came early on in the evening, so it wasn’t packed yet. We did notice most tables had reservations for them, so if you intend to spend some time here, try to get reservations ahead of time especially weekends.

The decor is really nice and brings me back to the 1920’s. With an opulent interior marked by red-velvet curtains and high-backed booths, the Starlight Room gives you a reason to put on that party dress.

You will see 360-degree city views, along with a cocktail menu that pays homage to the past but is nonetheless distinctly mode.

Then menu has some awesome sounding drinks and they can make any special requests if they have the ingredients. On their menu, they also have smaller bites on the menu if you want food.

My friend got a surprise virgin drink and I went with the Fog’s Rolling In, which has plantation pineapple rum, spiced pear, and grapefruit.

Overall, we had a great time viewing the city from the top floor and sipping on some cocktails. A good way to end the night.

We Rate the Starlight Room:

Address:
450 Powell Street, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.starlightroomsf.com/

In American

Gotts’s Roadside: Burgers at the Ferry Building in San Francisco

December 13, 2016

It was a beautiful day in San Francisco and we ended up at the Ferry Building to grab some lunch. The ferry terminal has so much to eat, but we were on a mission to find Gott’s Roadside since we were told by several friends they have some awesome burgers.

We ordered our items at either the left or the right side of the restaurant. They have 2 counters to take orders.

Once you have your order and get your drink, you get this electronic buzzer and it will let you know when your order is ready.

Flashing lights. Time to get the food!

Bacon Cheeseburger is a beast with American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles & secret sauce on a toasted egg bun. Really nice toasted bun with a good amount of ingredients inside the burger. It really hit the spot.

Onion Rings were huge and I love the crunch when you bite into the onion rings.

Don’t forget to grab some ketchup and mustard. They use Sir Kensington and they make amazing condiments. My favourite brand.

Cheeseburger has American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and their secret sauce on a toasted egg bun.

My friend also got Sweet Potato Fries on the side with a chili spice-dusted and a side of house-made ranch sauce.

Overall, it was a great lunch and we really enjoyed Gott’s. I would come back again. They even have outdoor seating if you want to enjoy the sun. We avoided eating outside since we didn’t want to get too tan.

We rate Gott’s:

Address:
Ferry Building, Level 1, 1 Ferry Plaza, Suite 6, San Francisco, CA

Website:
https://gotts.com/

In Dessert

Wild Sweets: Holiday Collection

December 12, 2016

Wild Sweets is back with their holiday collection to make everyone’s Christmas a little more merry and delicious. This includes sculptures, logs, and chocolate sets.

I was invited back to check out the items that they are offering.

Crispy Chocolate Cherry Orange ‘Tea Cake’

This was one of my favourite items. This is their twist on the classic Christmas fruit cake. The cake is placed over a crunchy buttery ‘sablé’ cookie topped with a hazelnut chocolate praline cream with crispy crepe flakes. It is so good. I will take this over any fruit cake any day.

Venezuela Ocumare Chocolate ‘Bûche de Noël’

Each layer of this cake provides a different texture, including a delicately soft jelly coating, cloud-like mousse, unctuous cream, rich ganache and crispy/crunchy base. This one one of my top favourites too. It’ll be great to bring this to a holiday party and it’s unique compared to other cakes out there. I love the mousse and how rich that ganache is.

Holiday cocoArt Sculpture

They have 5 different holiday sculptures.

Santa-Sphere

Tree

Snowman

Sleigh

Orna-Tree

Crispy Cherry Cake Ganache Collection

Each collection features an assortment of 4 chocolate bouchées with the following flavours:

William Pear & Chestnut Cream Caramel Ganache
Lychee Rose & Raspberry Caramel Ganache
Cassis Blackberry & Elderberry Ganache
Mandarin & Orange Zest Caramel Ganache

These reminded me of little moon cakes. It was like a hybrid between a fruit cake, chocolate and a moon cake.

2016 Vintage Canadian Icewine Collection

ThisCollection includes the following ganache flavours:

Cabernet Franc Icewine & Strawberry Apple Ganache
Riesling Icewine & Peach Orange Ganache
Vidal Icewine & Pineapple Passion fruit Ganache
Gewürztraminer Icewine & Lychee Rose Ganache

A good gift for those ice wine lovers out there and these taste pretty good.

2016 Vintage ‘Ganache Classique Nougatine’

The 2016 Vintage ‘Ganache Classique’ Limited Edition Collection includes the following origins and percentages:

70% Venezuela Ocumare
70% Venezuela Canaobo
70% Peru Oro Verde
64% Mexico Chiapas

Each ganache filling is topped with a piece of salted butter cocoa nibs nougatine before being enrobed in dark chocolate. I love the differing textures.

Overall, my favourite part of the holiday collection are the cakes. A nice twist to the classic items.

We Rate Wild Sweets:

Address:
2145 – 12191 Hammersmith Way, Richmond, BC

Website:
http://dcduby.com/

In Delivery

foodora: Food Delivery in Vancouver

December 11, 2016

foodora is a new food delivery company in Vancouver. They expanded into Canada and so far only service Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. They have some pretty good restaurants on their list that isn’t the usual Chinese, Pizza, or Indian food. The restaurant chosen have heathy options. The company plans to expand to offer 100+ restaurants by January 2017.
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It was a stormy day outside, so we decided to order some lunch back to the office instead of going outside. You can order it the day of and it takes 30 minutes to deliver or you can pre-order your meal a day ahead of time.

foodora deliveries are available between 10 a.m. to 10 p.m, but also depends on the restaurants too. The delivery zone so far covers only Downtown Vancouver, but they are looking to expand.

From the list of restaurants, I went with Poke Shop located in Gastown. I inputted my order, paid, and then I can watch every step of my meal’s journey. There was a $3.50 delivery fee for orders $30 or more and $4.50 per order under $30.

They use bikes to deliver the meals, which is nice and environmentally friendly.

For our lunch, we ordered 2 poke bowls and 2 drinks from the Poke Shop. I placed my order a day before to be delivered at 11:45am, but it did arrive a bit early at 11:30am.

The meal arrived quickly, so all items were still nice and cold. The only thing we noticed was there was little bit of spillage with one of our drinks. It was really minor.

With the many delivery companies out there in Vancouver, what stands out the most for foodora is their selection of restaurants in the Downtown area.

Check it out if you want to see what food options are available to your doorstep.

Website: https://www.foodora.ca/

In Hawaiian

Pacific Poke: Poke and Panini in Chinatown

December 10, 2016

Pacific Poke has finally opened their doors in Chinatown on Main Street. I’ve been waiting for a long time to open as it’s the closest poke restaurant to my office.

What sets them apart from other poke restaurants in Vancouver is their clean, wholesome ingredients packed with bold flavours. When I saw they were finally open on Instagram, I went with a few of my coworkers to check it out as it was we needed some lunch.

Interior

You order on the left side and on the right side is their seating. They have a few tables and some seats by the window. The decor is simple, but the metal origami pieces are pretty cool.

Ordering

On the menu, you can build you own poke bowl or pick one of their many chef inspired creations.

I always end up building my own to cater to my own taste buds. They have 2 sizes – regular and large.

If you want something different, they have poke paninis. There are 3 kinds:

First, you choose your poke base. You can do a classic base of organic brown rice or traditional sushi rice, but I went with the kale salad base.

For the protein, you can choose from:

Sockeye salmon
Ahi tuna
Negitoro
Steelhead
Spicy tuna
Spicy Salmon
Albacore tuna
Crab
Shrimp

Some of their selection can change seasonally based on whats available. I went with the Sockeye Salmon and Ahi Tuna as those are very classic.

For the toppings, they have:

ginger jicama
tomato kimchi
pickled red onion
green onion sprouts
red beets basil
jalapeno
organic seaweed salad
fresh wasabi peas
seasonal offerings

I couldn’t decide what to get so I asked them for a bit of everything to add to my bowl. Why not get all the ingredients to try it all.

They also have some drinks, but their house-made iced teas and lemonade are amazing:

Strawberry Green Tea
Yuzu lemonade
Unsweetened Genmaicha

You can ask them to try them before deciding which one to get.

Poke Bowls

After the first few bites, you can tell the toppings are super fresh and not coming straight from a can. They seem to put a lot of work into preparing each topping that goes into the bowl.

Even though the portion size wasn’t as large as some other poke places in town, the flavours of the sauces really shine and doesn’t over power the fresh pieces of fish.

How my coworkers and I describe this place is like the Tractor of Poke.

Poke Panini

The Poke Panini’s can be order in full or half size. My coworkers got their Salmon Poke Panini and they enjoyed other ingredients that came inside the panini like the tomato kimchi.

Final Thoughts

Easily one of my top favourite poke places in town. With so many poke places opening up in town, each place has their own unique difference. I really appreciate how Pacific Poke put a lot of love and care into each ingredient, you know it’s not from a can. Plus their drinks is worth a try. Their portions are a bit smaller and prices are a bit higher than the other places but I would come here again.

We Rate Pacific Poke:

Address:
625 Main Street, Vancouver

Website: https://www.thepacificpoke.com/

In American

Bourbon St Grill: Metrotown Food Court

December 7, 2016

Bourbon St Grill just open at Metropolis at Metrotown and it’s slowly become M’s favourite food court place to eat at. Their menu is pretty interesting as it’s Americanized food but with a cajun twist. It’s like Manchu Wok but more variety in flavours. The few times that we’ve been here, there was a line up but it moves really quickly.

You can also find them at other malls across Metro Vancouver.

I got a plate with green beans, BBQ pork, battered chicken and cajun rice. A good portion for 3 item and rice. As for food court food, it was pretty average, but you get your moneys worth.

We Rate Bourbon St Grill:

Address:
4700 Kingsway
Burnaby

Website:
https://metropolisatmetrotown.com/stores/bourbon-st-grill/

In Farm to Table

Ritual: Farm to Table Restaurant in Vancouver

December 4, 2016

Ritual is a Farm to Table restaurant in Downtown Vancouver. They are inspired by an array of cultures that drives an eclectic and ever changing menu. Chef Nevada Cope put together a special menu that gave us a sneak peek into what they offer for their weekend dinner from Friday to Sunday. Ritual is both a full service restaurant and a multi-concept space.

Their menus are ever evolving and based on weekly availability of produce and ingredients through their suppliers.

Interior

The space is pretty nice with a chalk wall in the back, a TV with a cute cat in front of a fireplace and these cool murals of animals on the walls.

The seating is cute and simple.

They have such a huge love for coffee that they have developed a coffee program that brings amazing locally roasted coffee to the West End. They use Pallet Coffee Roasters to craft all sorts of delicious concoctions like Espresso, Havana Style Iced Coffee, and Lavender Lattes.

During the day, you can can come here for delicious pastries and coffee.

Drinks

They have lots of lovely cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks. I went with a ginger green tea and it was ok, but the ginger syrup didn’t have a good kick to it. It was mostly just sweet.

Starters + Sides

Bread Service includes a few pieces of the warmed herb focaccia bread with maldon salt butter.

Charred Cauliflower and Tahini has baba ganoush, parsley and lemon gremolata, and a black sesame tahini. This was a really delicious dish and i would definitely order this again.

Roasted Organic Carrots with seaweed butter makes a great side with some of their other main items. Everything tastes better with butter.

Autumn Squash Gratin is layered and baked to order. It is topped with parmesan and parsley. It comes out bubbling hot and hits the spot the accompany the meal. Surprisingly really delicious too.

Grilled Beet Salad is served with warm feta, oregano, sliced oranges, and a smoked bacon vinaigrette. I love a good beet salad and the goat cheese paired so well.

Fully Loaded Vegan Baked Potato is topped with cashew cheese, broccoli, scallions, spicy sprouted organic tofu, mushrooms and tomatoes. One of the least liked items on the menu, not because it was Vegan, it lacked something to really bring this potato together. It felt a bit bland.

Butter Seared Honey Cornbread Slice is a nice addition to the meal too if you aren’t into their herb focaccia bread.

Mains

Hot Fried Chicken it is not too spicy and its lightly dipped in unpasteurized honey, and served with crimini mushroom country gravy, scallion mash, veggies, and butter seared honey cornbread.

It was a really good dish. I liked how moist the meat was and the skin was nice and crisp.

Duck Leg Confit comes served with einkorn risotto, almonds, cranberries, and buttered dinosaur kale. The duck is delicious.

The Yam of Your Dreams has a super cute name. It has a double baked yam stuffed with pulled pork, bbq sauce, salsa fresca, pineapple, habanero mango hot sauce. Surprisingly, the pulled pork worked well with the yam.

Francesinha Sandwich is meant to be eaten with a knife and fork. It has milk bread, smoked ham, andouille sausage, roast pork loin, melted havarti cheese, and a rich tomato beer sauce.

Dessert

Eggnog Tart has gingerbread pate brisee, baked eggnog custard, and a black cherry coulis. Really cute and has a neat deconstructed look to it.

Pan Roasted Pineapple has a ginger and sage cookie crumble and topped with a house french vanilla ice cream. I enjoyed this dessert the most as there was the fresh fruit and the creamy ice cream.

Almond Orange Poppyseed Cake has six layers of cake with cream cheese frosting and toasted almonds on the outer edge of the cake. I thought this was ok.

Overall, a pretty good spread for the weekend dinner menu. I was impressed by their creative twist on classic dishes. I love the concept of this restaurant, but that can make their hours a bit confusing to customers.

We Rate Ritual:

Address:
774 Denman Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.ritualvancouver.com/

In American

Original Joe’s: Burgers and Drinks

December 3, 2016

Original Joe’s is a Restaurant and Bar located on Robson Street in Downtown Vancouver. We came here to try a few of the new menu items that have some out this fall.

I’ve seen Original Joe’s around but haven’t made a visit till now.

Interior

The interior is just like a bar with screens all over to watch the game. It was dimly lit, but it set the mood. We did notice this place was super clean. The space is still pretty new as it hasn’t been at this location too long.

Drinks

Guilt & Honey has buffalo trace boubon, amaro, honey syrup, lemon juice and lemon bitters.

Original Joe’s Blonde Lager is a nice light beer that is well balanced. Not too hoppy.

El Diabla is a mix of jalapeno, tequila and other ingredients.

Appetizers

Dynamite Tempura Shrimp is topped with a spicy chili aioli, unagi sauce & togarashi. I really enjoyed this dish. It has a good amount of shrimp and the batter is just the right thickness, so it has a nice crunch.

Bacon Jalapeno Mac & Cheese has chopped bacon, jalapenos & a blend of cheeses; topped with parmesan panko bread crumb. This was ok, but I wish it was more cheesey.

Burgers

A.C.E Cheese Burger has two thinly pressed beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle & house made burger sauce. I liked how the patties are griddled and not grilled to retain more moisture. The sandwich also comes with 2 choice of sides, so we went with the mixed green salad and homecut fries with dill sauce.

I’m really surprised that it came with 2 sides as it adds variety to the meal.

It was pretty good for a classic cheese burger.The 2 thin patties that sandwiched the cheese was so good.

The Grilled Cheese Burger has garlic grilled french bread, cheddar, swiss & provolone cheese; with peppered bacon, shredded lettuce, tomato & a stack of crisp fried onions. You also get 2 sides too. We went with the poutine and caesar salad. Good, but we all still preferred the A.C.E Burger.

Overall, you can’t go wrong with a beer or cocktail with their A.C.E Burger.

We Rate Original Joe’s:

Address:
294 Robson Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.originaljoes.ca/

In Happy Hour

Los Cuervos: Happy Hour of Tacos and Drinks

November 29, 2016

Los Cuervos is a Taqueria and Cantina near Kingsway and Fraser St in Vancouver. A few of us went after work to enjoy their Happy Hour special. 2 Tacos and a beer for $10. A pretty good deal.

We came at 5:30pm and just made it in time before 6pm.

There are 2 dining areas, but we were seated in the area closer to the entrance with the bar. Dimly lit and cozy.

Happy Hour

2 tacos and a draft beer cost $10, which is pretty good compared to our regular menu as tacos are around $4 each.

I got:

Lomo Cantinero Taco with Cantina-style slow-roasted pork shoulder, pineapple pico de dallo salsa.

Suadero Taco has beef brisket marinated in a beer achiote, with pickled poblano pico.

Both were delicious and the poblano pico added a lot of kick. It’s pretty spicy. The beer was good and refreshing. They have a few beers to choose from.

Tostadas

Ceviche tostada has local ling cod, shrimp, cucumber and poblanos. Delicious and the heat from the poblanos was good.

Churros

Churros come with a bunch of them. It comes with a chocolate and cajeta sauce. Definitely an item that everyone at the table needs to share. Crisp on the outside and not overly sugary.

Happy Hour here is pretty good and I’ll be back.

We Rate Los Cuervos:

Address:
603 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/LosCuervosTaqueria/

In European

Cow Girl Creamery’s Sidekick Cafe: Weekend Raclette in San Francisco

November 28, 2016

I came to the San Francisco Ferry Terminal on a weekend and Cowgirl Creamery’s Sidekick Cafe sells Raclettes on the weekends on Saturday and Sunday from 11am – 3pm. I’ve been dying to have a good raclette, so when I saw it, I just had to have it.

Rachlette is a Swiss dish of melted cheese. Typically it can be on top of potatoes or bread.

The smell at the ferry terminal was intoxicating and it drew a large crowd. Its such a nice feeling watching them scrape the melted cheese onto the plate. I waited about 20 minutes for my order to be ready.

All the gooey cheese on some pickled veggies and 2 slice of fresh bread. This Rachelette was delicious. Simple, but there is no denying melted gooey cheese.

We Rate Sidekick Cafe:

Address:
Ferry Building, Level 1, 1 Ferry Plaza, San Francisco, CA

Website:
https://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/sidekick-cafe-milk-bar

In Downtown

Salchicha: North African and Middle Eastern cuisine in Vancouver

November 23, 2016

Salchicha on Granville Street serves up Northern African and Middle Eastern cuisine in Vancouver. Pretty unique since there isn’t many places that serve that type of food.

I was invited to try a few of their signature items on the menu.

They use good ingredients in their dishes like preservative-free, premium free range meats and BC produce where possible.

You order at the counter and you can serve yourself. There is water by the wall. Alternatively, they can also serve you at your table.

Appetizers

Salada Platter has Tabbouleh salad, Hummus, Arabic salad and Baba ganoush with a side of focaccia bread.

There are a few dips you can add to the platter for a few dollars extra -Harrisa, Sahuog, and Tahini Dips.

Grilled Marinated Chicken Breast Skewers is served with a chipotle mayo house sauce. The skewers were ok but a tad dry.

Antipasti comes with roasted eggplant, bell peppers, yam, carrot,and zucchini topped a sprinkle of with EVOO and balsamic.

Sweet Liver Pate was an interesting item on the menu. The presentation wasn’t pleasant either. It has stir fried liver and onion and sweetened with cherry tomatoes and cinnamon.

Cherry Salad has 3 kinds of cherry tomatoes, lettuce, mint, red onion and a sprinkling of feta cheese. I really liked the salad as it was fresh and the mint paired very nicely. I would get this again.

Mains

Beef Kababs are pierced with a cinnamon stick and there is also potato cream purée under each kebab. I found this a bit dry.

Shakshouka with Maraguez Sausage is served on a hot skillet with tomato sauce, and poached eggs.

Couscous with Maraguez Sausage has spicy lamb sausage with a reduced Harissa sauce. Pretty good hearty dish with a hint of spice.

Spring Chicken with date molasses, and rice. The dish was ok, but not as interesting as the other dishes for the mains.

Dessert

Malabi was the dessert to finish off the meal. It is a milk custard thickened with corn flour and topped with rose water and maple syrup, coconut shavings and crushed peanuts.

Really good dessert with a hint of floral from the rose water.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food was decent but it’s hard to figure out what will tickle your taste buds.

We Rate Salchicha:

Address:
1065 Granville St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.salchicha.ca/

In Japanese

Pepper Lunch on Cambie: Gyozas, Yaki Udon and Grilled Meats

November 22, 2016

Pepper Lunch launched a few items on their menu a few month ago. We went to their Cambie location to try a few of these items. I’ve been a big fan of their restaurant ever since I had it in Asia. The 2 Canadian locations are a lot better than the ones in Asia but to the sourcing of their ingredients.

The space has high ceilings with natural night during the day. Narrow space, but has spaces for small to large groups. They have a second floor that accommodates larger groups.

Gyoza

Gyoza is their new side dish and it comes in beef or chicken. There are 12 pieces per order. Both types were delicious but the chicken was very moist and addictive. Nice grill marks on the outside too.

Maple Flavoured Sliced Pork Steak

Maple Flavoured Sliced Pork Steak has sliced pork steak, bean sprouts, green beans, carrots and a bowl of rice on the side. This was surprisingly very good. The maple caramelized on the outside of the pork and added a touch of sweetness that isn’t over powering.

Dinner Specials – Prawns and Sliced Angus

Prawns and sliced angus comes with veggies, bowl of rice, miso soup, a drink and mochi ice cream.

I love hearing the meat sizzle on the hot plate from the cooking meat. Delicious and tender angus beef with lots of flavour.

Dinner Specials – 300g Kobe Burger

The 300g Kobe Burger comes with veggies, bowl of rice, miso soup, a drink and mochi ice cream. It’s a pretty big slab of burger. Super delicious and great for people who want a little extra food compared to the regular menu.

Veggie Mushroom Burger

Veggie Mushroom Burger also has bean sprouts, green beans, carrots and a bowl of rice. I usually don’t like veggie burgers but they did a good job making these and the savoury mushrooms really made it taste great.

Yaki Udon

They also introduced yaki udon and you have the choice between beef or pork. It also has green beans, carrots and topped with bonito flakes and green onions.

Stir it around and it cooks all the items in the skillet.

Mochi Ice Cream

They also have a variety of mochi ice cream. I enjoyed the vanilla and black sesame ice cream mochi. All of them were pretty decent and its a nice sweet touch to the end of the meal.

Final Thoughts

Overall, its great to have a few more additional items on the menu. I usually have my go to dishes at Pepper Lunch, but I really enjoyed the Veggie Mushroom Burger and the Maple Flavoured Sliced Pork Steak.

We Rate Pepper Lunch:

Address:
2323 Cambie St. Vancouver

Website:
http://www.pepperlunchcanada.com/

In British Columbia

McDonald’s: Waffle Fries and Potato Roti & Bacon Burger

November 21, 2016

McDonalds Canada just introduced a few holiday items for a limited time only. I work across the street from McDonalds and their new Waffle Cut Fries lured me in.

They also have:

Potato Rosti & Bacon Burger
Waffle Cut Fries
Turtles Sundae with Pecans
Peppermint Mocha / Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Salted Caramel Latte

I came with Amy and Dee to get a late night snack to try the Potato Rosti & Bacon Burger and the Waffle Cut Fries.

Waffle Cut Fries

Who doesn’t love a childhood classic – the waffle cut fries? The fries seem awesome, but aren’t as crisp as I would have liked them to be.

A lot of the waffle fries stuck together, so it was one big chunk. We only found one really nice waffle cut fry.

Potato Rosti & Bacon Burger

The new Potato Rosti & Bacon Burger has a thick beef patty, hickory smoked bacon, cheese, creamy parmesan sauce and a crispy potato rosti. It reminded me of an Angus burger with a hash brown inside.

This is all sandwiched between a new bun topped with flakes of oatmeal that resembles snowflakes.

Surprisingly, the burger was really good and satisfying. The creamy parmesan sauce worked really well.

Overall, these items are pretty awesome for the McDonald lovers out there.

Website: http://www4.mcdonalds.ca/seasonscravings/

In Izakaya

Kibo Restaurant and Lounge: Drink in Yaletown

November 20, 2016

It’s been a while since my last visit to Kibo. They are a modern Japanese restaurant which is popular among larger groups celebrating birthdays or other milestones.

We came here to grab a few bites and get some drinks in the evening.

Drinks

A pitcher of Sapporo comes with frosted and chilled mugs. Sapporo is my preferred beer to go with Japanese food as it balances the flavours very well.

Sake is my friends drink of choice. Cold sake comes in a cute little dispenser.

Kibo Ball has Whiskey, Melon liquer, and Peach Schnapps. An easy drink shooter and they have a good deal for 5 for $20.

Aburi Block Sushi has pressed rice, salmon and their chef’s signature sauce. A very saucy item, but of course it’s not as good as Miku’s version.

Ika sugatayaki is a grilled and marinated whole squid. Served with a lemon and a mayo sauce. THis was pretty good and an easy item to share.

Assorted Tempura is decent here too. A few pieces of yams and prawns with a dipping sauce.

Short Ribs are marinated and grilled. Tender and not chewy at all.

Overall, the food is decent, but a lot of people come here for drinks and a few bites in the evening.

We Rate Kibo:

Address:
1261 Hamilton Street, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/kibo.yaletown/