Type Archives - Page 46 of 125

In Naramata Bench

Ruby Blues Winery: Wine Tasting on the Naramata Bench

September 12, 2016

Ruby Blues Winery is one of the top wineries to try in the Naramata Bench near Penticton as its quite busy. I was pretty excited to come for a visit since I missed it on my previous trip to Penticton last year.

They are only open from May till October.

You know you’re in the right spot when you see their Volkswagen decked out in hippie love.

Like most of the wineries on the Naramata Bench, their view of the Okanagan Lake is also very nice.

When we were here, they had a few wines to try:

Pinot Gris
Gewurtztraminer
White Stiletto
Late Harvest Chardonnay
Peach & Love & Bubbles
Red Stiletto

Tasting are absolutely free, just give a smile in return.

Prudence administered our tasting and she was so engaging. You could see she was genuinely excited about all the wines being poured, that we all became super engaged.

All the wines were good, but the 2 that stood out to me was the Peace & Love & Bubbles as it makes a great bubbly to go with any meal or celebration. Also the Pinot Gris was a nice wine with fruity notes that I really enjoyed.

Once you’re done the tasting, head over to the wine shop/ gift shop and you’ll find things that will remind you of the winery like the VW cars and the red stilettos.

Overall, it was a very fun winery. If you can get a wine tasting with Prudence, I would highly recommend it.

Address:
917 Naramata Rd, Penticton, BC

Website:
http://www.rubyblueswinery.ca/

In Cafe

Camp Lifestyle + Coffee Co: Best Coffee in Whistler

September 11, 2016

Camp Lifestyle + Coffee Co is a cool hip coffee shop in Function Junction, the industrial area of Whistler. You will see other notable shops here like Purebread and Whistler Brewing.

They are half a retail store for the modern day camper and then the other half is a coffee shop for the caffeine deprived.

All their items are pretty cute! They’ve done a good job curating some products some local artisans. Amazing looking clothing, household items, and paintings.

There is a large table near the front of the shop to have pastries and drink coffee with friends.

They also have a cute sitting area in the back with comfortable chairs and a fountain. If you have some time, some here and grab a coffee and enjoy it here.

I got a cappuccino and they do nice latte art on top. They use 49th Parallel coffee beans and a high-end Marzocco espresso machine to crank out the delicious coffee.

After going to a few coffeeshops in Whistler, Camp Lifestyle + Coffee Co is the best. Other coffee places just don’t compare. You get a good relaxed atmosphere and some good coffee.

We rate Camp Lifestyle + Coffee Co:

Address:
1066 Millar Creek Rd. Whistler, BC

Website: http://www.camplifestyle.ca/

In Four Beakers

Christine’s: Lunch at Whister Blackcomb

September 10, 2016

Christine’s is located inside the Rendezvous Lodge on Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler. They are a full service restaurant with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.

At 1,860m/6,102ft above ground, it’s pretty interesting to see their challenges with getting the produce up on the mountain as well as adapting to the altitude changes to the taste of food. Head Chef Steve Ramey did a great job on the menu.

Interior

The interior is very modern with clean lines and cute light fixtures. In the summer time, you can hang out in their patio, or in the winter time, you can sit inside and enjoy the breathtaking views.

Photo Credit: Whistler Blackcomb

Drinks

Gin Royale Caesar has 2 oz of gin, Motts Clamato, horseradish, bean, spices, olive, pickled pepper, and a gin beef stick. A pretty awesome caesar and the beef stick is fun to gnaw on .

Elderflower Mimosa has Prosecco, St. Germain Elderflower liqueur, and freshly squeeze orange juice. A nice start to the afternoon and elderflower works really well in a mimosa.

Watermelon Mimosa has Ruffino Prosecco, watermelon puree and agave nectar. The drink is very refreshing.

Amuse bouche

We all started with a amuse bouche to really kick off the lunch. A nice little touch to showcase the freshness of their ingredients.

Appetizers

Crispy Chickpea Falafel is paired with spiced yogurt, raw milk feta, dill, cucumber, and nigella seed. At first I wasn’t sure what to this of this dish, but I did enjoy the crunchy texture of the falafel.

Burrata has heirloom tomatoes, white balsamic, summer herbs, prosciutto, and grilled flatbread. Burrata is an awesome cheese as its is so silky.

Scallop Ceviche has lime, watermelon, sunflower, avocado, puffed rice and pickled onion. This was probably our favourite dish and you could really taste the fresh summer produce. It’s not your typical ceviche, so it was a nice twist.

BBQ Duck Salad has green papaya, black pepper, hoisin, sesame, citrus, and crispy taro. It had a decent amount of duck and it had a good flavour from the hoisin and sesame.

Entrees

Seared Albacore has asparagus, soft cooked egg, lemon ranch, and butter fried scallions. It has 3 pieces of the albacore tuna in an order. The tuna was lightly seared, so you can still taste the delicate tuna in the centre.

Charred 48 hour Shortrib has maple BBQ, jalapeno cheddar cornbread, marinated kale, bred and butter pickle. The cornbread was so good!

Slow Cooked Wild Salmon has soba noodles, scallion vinaigrette, pickled ginger, green apple, wild rice, and sesame. The salmon was cooked very well and it was a light dish compared to the shortribs.

Vietnamese Pork Burger has grilled cabbage, black pepper aioli, carrot, cucumber, smoked peanut and cilantro. It comes with a side of crisps. This was very flavourful and surprisingly one of our favour dishes. I know it doesn’t look like much compared to the other dishes, but the pork burger rocked it.

Overall, a good selection of food for lunch or dinner. It is more expensive than the other options up on the mountain, but if you are here for a special occasion, its nice to indulge. The views are nice and the service is great too.

We rate Christine’s:

Address:
Whistler Blackcomb, Whistler, BC

Website:
https://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/the-village/dining/christines-restaurant

In Seafood

Cinnamon Bear Bar & Grille: Dinner at Hilton Whistler

September 9, 2016

Cinnamon Bear Bar & Grille is located inside the Hilton Whistler. They serve up Pacific Northwest dishes prepared fresh daily by their culinary team, led by Executive Chef Julian Owen-Mold. An engineer turned chef, Chef Owen – Mold is leaving his blueprints across the world creating original dishes and masterpieces using selections of the finest and freshest locally grown ingredients.

A few foodies and I were invited to come here for dinner while we were staying here over the weekend. The portion and items are slightly different that what is usually on the menu.

There is the bar side and the grille side to this place and they are quite different.

Cinnamon Bear Bar

We started off at the Cinnamon Bear Bar, a more casual and fun atmosphere après bar with TVs and pool tables. You can gather around the cozy fireplace in winter or gather in the sun soaked patio in the summer, taking in the mountain views. We came here first to have a cocktail before dinner. You can have beers, high balls, wine, or whatever your heart desires as long as they have it in stock.

Muddled strawberry with rosemary and gin was a fun cocktail with no name, but it was highly recommended to us by the staff.

Manhattan is made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. They also stick a cherry in the centre of it.

Summer Sangria was what I ordered. Great having in the Summer outside on their patio on a hot day.

Cinnamon Bear Grille

The interior has a good amount of seat and can accommodate small to large groups. Best to make reservations ahead of time to ensure no wait.

An assortment of bread and butter arrived at the table as we waited for our dishes.

Tomato gazpacho with ice shrimp and vanilla oil was the first appetizer. It was cold and refreshing. You can taste the freshness of the ingredients.

BC Dungeness Crab Cake with mango salsa and chipotle aioli. We noticed that the crab cake had a lot of crab and not stuffed with fillers like other restaurants.

Sumac Ridge Sauvignon Blanc from the Okanagan was paired with the first 2 appetizers.

Kale and Quinoa salad, organic wheat kernels, toasted pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and spiced almond dressing. I wanted to see more fresh ingredients with more flavours. It was weighed down by the dressing.

Grilled tenderloin of Alberta beef with Nova Scotia lobster, scallop, asparagus and a maltaise sauce. It was really good and tender. A good contrast between land and sea.

It was paired with Inniskillin Pinot Noir. A nice full-bodied wine with oak and spiced aromas.

Trio of desserts arrived at the table including smores, creme brulee and tiramisu. The desserts were fun, but the flavours were ok.

It was paired with the Taylor Fladgate LBV from Portugal. It is a port wine with flavours of ripe dark plums and cherry.

Overall, it was good to see what hotel restaurants are producing. With the great culinary scene in Whistler, hotel restaurants are easily overlooked.

We Rate Cinnamon Bear Bar & Grille:

Address:
4050 Whistler Way, Whistler, BC

Website:
http://www.hiltonwhistler.com/dining/cinnamon-bear-grille.php

In Distillery

Gillespie’s Fine Spirits: Small Batch Distillery in Squamish

September 7, 2016

Gillespie’s Fine Spirits is a small batch distillery in Squamish. We came for a tour and tasting to see what they were all about. John and Kelly started Gillespie’s to create a greener, more sustainable business model for distilling alcohol.

Since they are a small batch operation, their space isn’t that large but it was pretty interesting to see how it all comes together. We got a little sneak peek of their distilling process. They offer tours to the public every Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. If you’re visiting them but still want a tour, you can contact them ahead of time to arrange it. I highly recommend it.

Their tasting room is open Thursday-Sunday from 1pm- 6pm.

A few items we tasted were:

Sin Gin, a light, crisp, fruity style gin containing a perfect blend of botanicals and ideal for both martinis and cocktails.
Lemoncello, the first limoncello out of BC. Made with organic lemons and sweetened ever so slightly. Beautiful after dinner to aid digestion, great before mixed with Prosecco or mixed into your favourite cocktail.
Gastown Shine, wheat based vodka. Beautiful in cocktails or highballs, but smooth and elegant to have chilled all on its own.
V Twin Rye Vodka, the vodka for whiskey drinkers. Perfect sipping vodka or ideal stirred into a martini.
Aphro, a specialty premium vodka product infused with the well known aphrodisiacs cacao, chilli and vanilla.
Cafe Crema, BC’s first coffee cream liqueur. Produced with Avalon Cream and coffee from Counterpart Coffee.

All of these spirits were pretty unique and goes great in cocktails.

They have their Cocktail Lounge open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6pm – 11pm.

They also have a few non-alcoholic syrups for sale. I bought their Elderflower Elixir.

Overall, it was great to see locally made spirits made in Squamish.

Address:
38918 Progress, Unit 8,
Squamish, BC

Website:
http://www.gillespiesfinespirits.com

In Brewery

Howe Sound Brewing: Beer Tasting in Squamish

September 6, 2016

A trip to Squamish isn’t complete without a visit to Howe Sound Brewing. Since 1996, they have been brewing award-winning ales and lagers. I’ve had their beers before, so I was really curious about coming here.

They also offer tours once a day at 1pm. It’s free, but space is limited. We didn’t make it to the tour since we were at another place, so we missed it.

Taster Rack gives you your choice of 4 beers. They had a good list of beers to choose from, but they ran out of a few of them on tap, so I went with:

Whitecap Wheat Ale, a traditional Belgian-style wheat beer brewed with coriander and orange peel. Very light and refreshing.
You’re My Boy Blue, a crisp, refreshing blueberry wheat ale, brewed with malted barley, white what and all-natural blueberry puree.
Lager, a pale, golden lager, brewed in the Dortmunder style.
Bay Ale, smooth amber ale brewed in the traditional English style.

All 4 were really good and light. I even left with a big bottle of Whitecap Wheat Ale. Dee got the Kalamansi Citrus Blonde Ale since they didn’t have it on tap.

Overall, it was a nice visit to try a few of their year round beers and some summer seasonals. They make some great beers.

We Rate Howe Sound Brewery:

Address:
37801 Cleveland Ave, Squamish, BC

Website:
http://www.howesound.com/

In Naramata Bench

Lake Breeze Winery: Wine Tasting on the Naramata Bench

September 4, 2016

Lake Breeze Winery was awarded the prestigious distinction of Best Small Winery in Canada, along with Best Winery in British Columbia from the National Wine Awards of Canada.

We decided to come here on our second day in Penticton as a lot of the locals highly recommended coming here for a visit. They also have a patio restaurant on the winery.

We headed to the wine shop to do our wine tasting. It was really busy here when we went, so our group had to wait a little bit.

Tastings are $3 and is donated to local charities. If you make a purchase, the fee is waived.

When we were here, we tried the:

2014 Semillon
2014 Pinot Blanc
2015 Spice Jar
2013 Pinot Noir
2013 Meritage

The tasting options changes daily.

Our group liked the 2015 Spice jar, it is off-dry with a blend of Gewerztraminer, Ehrenfelser, Schonburger, and Viognier. It goes well with Thai cuisine, curries, and blue cheese.

It was a fun winery to try out some of their award winning wines.

Address:
930 Sammet Rd, Naramata, BC

Website:
http://lakebreeze.ca/

In British Columbia

McDonalds Canada: Spicy Sriracha Burgers

September 3, 2016

McDonalds Canada is really cranking out new burgers lately. I’ve been seeing new advertisements for their Spice It Up Sriracha inspired burgers.

Spicy Chicken Country Chicken

The Spicy Sriracha Country Chicken burger is made of Canadian chicken breast, lettuce, white processed cheddar cheese, sliced jalapeños, Sriracha sauce and an Applewood smoke seasoned sauce. It also has a sesame and poppy seed glazed bun. You have the option of having the chicken grilled or crispy. I went with crispy since I didn’t want to have a healthy week.

The sriracha and the jalapenos add a nice kick to the sandwich, but it wasn’t too spicy. The sauces and jalapenos really over power the delicate chicken taste.

Spicy Sriracha Mighty Angus

Spicy Sriracha Mighty Angus has Canadian Angus beef, hickory smoked bacon pieces, lettuce, processed cheddar cheese, sliced jalapeños, Sriracha sauce and an Applewood smoke seasoned sauce. It all sits inside a sesame and poppy seed bun.

I found that the jalapeños and the sriracha sauce worked a lot better than in the Mighty Angus burger. The nice thick juicy burger matched the spicy flavour very well.

Overall, the burgers were ok, but they’ve made better tasting burgers before.

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

In Naramata Bench

Moraine Winery: Wine Tasting on the Naramata bench

September 1, 2016

Moraine Winery is a family-owned winery overlooking Okanagan Lake in the Naramata Bench. This was recommended to us by our tour guide and this was our 5th stop of the day.

At group of us were still good and not overly drunk. We held it together very well. hahaha.

We headed into the tasting room and it was pretty busy, so we waited until a spot freed up for us.

Below are a few of the wines they had available for tasting. They had a lot to choose from.

White Wines:

Chardonnay 2014
Viognier 2015
Cliffhanger White 2015
Pinot Gris 2015
Gewurztraminer 2015
Riesling 2015
Pink Mountain Rose 2015

Red Wines:

Pinot Noir 2014
Malbec 2014
Syrah 2014
Cliffhanger Red 2014
Red Mountain 2013

Some wines that stood out to me were the Cliffhanger White 2015 as it is a mix of 80% pinot gris and 20% Gewurtztraminer. It has nice fruity notes with hints of a nutty tones.

Gewurtztraminer 2015 was a very nice one too. It has a unique aroma of pears and lychee.

You can purchase the wines that you fancy at their shop. You can also order online too.

They also sell some cheese, meats and crackers if you need a little snack when you’re visiting here. You can also bring your own food to eat on their patio. There are a few tables around.

A nice winery to stop at. I’ve actually never heard of Moraine Estate Winery until now. It’s mostly sold at private liquor stores as it’s hard for them to produce the mass volumes needed by places like the BC Liquor Stores.

Address:
1865 Naramata Rd, Penticton, BC

Website:
http://morainewinery.com/

In Naramata Bench

Deep Roots Winery: Wine Tasting on the Naramata Bench

August 31, 2016

Deep Roots Winery is located on the popular Naramata Bench. Their tasting room has amazing views on the vineyard over looking Okanagan Lake.

We made this our 4th stop on our winery tour. The tasting room was outdoors on the 2nd floor and view is awesome.

It was also a very beautiful day when we were visiting. A few clouds in the sky but it was very toasty.

You can also bring your own food to the winery and have your own lunch with this great view for free.

With all 6 of us, they were able to guide us through their whites, rose, and reds. There is a $5 fee per tasting, but can be redeemable upon purchasing.

Of the whites, I enjoyed the 2014 pinot gris as it has a lot of fruity floral notes. Delicious wine for the hot summer.

Their 2015 rose was quite nice with its deep pink colour with hints of rose petal, pear, strawberry, and other fruity notes.

Between tastings, we would wander a bit a start staring off into the Okanagan Lake. It’s so beautiful.

After the tasting, you can grab the bottles in the wine shop.

Address:
884 Tillar Rd, Naramata, BC

Website:
http://www.deeprootswinery.com/

In British Columbia

McTasters: Mexican Chipotle and Thai Sweet Chili

August 30, 2016

McDonald’s Canada has brought back their McTasters in Mexican Chipotle and Thai Chili. They previously had McTasters earlier in the year in two varieties – Greek and Italian. I completely missed it when they offered that, but at least this time I didn’t miss it.

You can find them at select stores for a limited time for $2.99.

Mexican Chipotle burger has a mini beef patty, chipotle sauce, cheese, crisp tortilla chips, shredded lettuce and a square bun. The chips were a tad stale. The bun completely eclipsed the small beef patty, but it did taste like a hamburger taco.

Thai Sweet Chili has a mini chicken patty, sweet chili sauce, lettuce, cucumber, carrots and mayo. You have the option to get it grilled or crispy. I decided to get it crispy. What I liked about this one is that the chicken patty was thicker than the Mexican Chipotle burger. Taste was meh but the sweet chili sauce was dominant.

Both of these I didn’t really take a liking to. For a good deal, I would still get the Jr Chicken or the McDouble from the value menu.

Website: http://www.mcdonalds.ca/ca/en.html

In Naramata Bench

Van Westen Winery: Wine Tasting on the Naramata bench

August 30, 2016

Van Westen Vineyard is located in the Naramata Bench. There has been 3 generations and 50 years of family tradition in this vineyard.

This was our 3rd stop on our winery tour and probably one of the best wineries we visited on our trip.

Their tasting room is pretty cool as all the bricks have been written on with chalk. You can’t leave without leaving your mark on their wall.

Duke, the winery dog was here to hang our with all the winery guests.

We started off with the white wines and they don’t have a fancy tasting room like some of the other wineries. We loved this experience as it was all about the wine.

We tried the:

Vino Grigio 2014
Vivacious 2014
Viognier 2014
Vixen 2014
Vicicle 2014

The white wines were fantastic! My favourite was Vivacious 2014 as it has a good amount of tree fruit and lemon aroma. There is also hints of honeysuckle and apple peel.

Next, we went into the barrel room to taste their reds. The ones they had to sample were:

Van Westen/Dibello Pinot Noir 2011
Voluptuous 2012
V 2011
V 2012

I loved this experience! Very unique and they show you how it is without any fancy set up. The ladies with me ended up buying quite a few bottles from Van Westen.

Address:
2800 Aikins Loop, Naramata, BC

Website:
http://www.vanwestenvineyards.com/

In Naramata Bench

Therapy Vineyard: Wine Tasting on the Naramata bench

August 29, 2016

Therapy Vineyard is located on the Naramata Bench near Penticton. This was our second winery top of the day and I was pretty excited to come here as I’ve always seen their cool Freud inspired wines at the liquor stores.

Their vineyard is quite nice and even has a guesthouse that accommodates up to 22 people. Great for large groups that really want to get away from the city.

Wine Tasting

Wine tastings are $3 for 5 selections but is waived if you are purchasing a bottle.

We started off with the Fizzio Therapy Blanc and it is light in colour, carbonated, and has hints of peaches and apples.

The other tastings options were:

Sauvignon Blanc
Bruised Ego
Artist Series Fume Blanc
Gewurtztraminer
Pinot Gris
Freudian Sip
Pink Freud
Pinot Noir
Merlot
Freud’s Ego
Super Ego

I went with the white wines since I prefer it over red.

Good wines, but I find that due to the branding, it’s more of a fun wine to bring to a friends house when they are in need of some “Therapy”, wine and a good chat.

These are the types of wines I see from them at the liquor store.

The ones with the faces are the ones that are harder to find and its their more serious brand.

In the end, we bought a few bottles to take home and it was a nice chance to see where it is all made.

Address:
940 Lower Debeck Rd, Naramata, BC

Website:
http://therapyvineyards.com/

In Naramata Bench

Lang Vineyards: Wine Tasting on the Naramata bench

August 28, 2016

Lang Vineyard was our first stop in Penticton. They opened their doors in the Naramata bench in 1990 and has grown to be one of the Okanagan’s most popular boutique wineries in the area.

There’s a little picnic area with tables and umbrellas if you brought your own lunch to enjoy the view. We came here really early, so it was very quiet.

Wine Tasting

Tastings have a small fee, but its waived with any purchase.

Some of the wines they had available were:

2015 Sparkling Pinot Noir
2013 Bravo Red
2015 Cabernet Franc
2013 Syrah
2014 Marechal Foch

For the whites, they did have their Pinot Gris, Viognier, Riesling, and Bravo White.

For their Ice Wines they were tasting:

Red Canadian Maple Wine
White Canadian Maple Wine
2011 Riesling Ice Wine

All the wines that you try in the tasting is available to purchase in the store.

2015 Sparkling Pinot Noir is a sparkling rose with a blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. You can taste cherries and berries. Of our group, this was one of the favourites of the tasting.

Overall, a nice stop to try a few of their signature wines. I enjoyed it and they were super nice and informative when doing our tasting.

Address:
2493 Gammon Rd, Naramata, BC

Website:
https://langvineyards.ca

In Cafe

PappaRoti: Coffee Buns in Vancouver

August 27, 2016

PappaRoti in Vancouver and they are a popular spot to grab a bun and drink, the chill with friends here. I’ve been here are a few times coming here to grab a coffee and kill time before meeting up with friends. It’s a quiet café where you can just pop open your laptop and work away.

I was invited to give a few of their signature and new items a try.

Coffee Buns

Their original coffee buns is crisp on the outside with their coffee caramel crust. On the inside is a soft, buttery and rich centre. You must have these when its fresh from the oven.

Bun Combos

Bun combos take the original coffee bun and dress it up with some toppings.

Crazy for Kaya has their classic coffee bun paired with kaya and honey. Kaya is a Malaysian coconut jam.

Strawberry Fields has strawberry and whipped cream.

The Classic has nutella and banana, which is a great combination. Who doesn’t like bananas and nutella?

PB & J has the peanut butter drizzle on top of the bun and the jam on the side.

The works is one of my favourites you can choose up to 4 toppings of your choice. This particular one has strawberries, banana, ice cream and whipped cream.

Pappa Rollie

Choco Banana Pappa Rollie is one of their new items on the menu. It is like a croissant, but it is stuffed with a chocolate filling and then topped with the coffee caramel crisp top.

Sandwiches and Wraps

It surprised me how many different sandwiches and wraps they had to offer. The sandwiches aren’t displayed as nicely as you see in the photos, but you can grab them all wrapped up and ready to go in their fridge.

Turkey and Brie was my favourite sandwich as it had a good ratio of the ingredients. Pair it with a tea or coffee and it would make for a nice light lunch.

Apple Chicken blue cheese sandwich was a decent sandwich.

Roast Beef sandwich was good as well since it has a few layer of the tender roast beef.

Salads

If you want something a bit more healthy, they have salads – Island Salad and Tuscan Salad.

Drinks

They have a large selection of coffee and a few of their own tea blends.

Iced Blooming Tea has a blend of Fujian silver needles, Gomphrena Globosa, yellow chrysanthemum, jasmine lily, marigold and carnations. It has a mellow fragrance and a slightly sweet aftertaste.

They also sell Revel Juice, so people can have fresh organic cold pressed juice and nut milks.

Overall

I find that most people just come here for coffee buns and drinks. The wraps, sandwiches and salads are a nice addition, but they don’t specialize in that. I find that most office works in the area will grab the sandwiches to go.

We rate PappaRoti:

Address:
1505 Robson Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.papparoti.ca/

In Chinese

Chuan Chu Ren Jia: Szechuan Cuisine in Burnaby

August 26, 2016

Chuan Chu Ren Jia is a Szechuan restaurant in South Burnaby on Kingsway. I’ve passed by this place so many times, but have never made a visit until now.

I was invited by the Chopstick Fest, a Chinese Cuisine Festival happening in October later this year to try out a few of their signature dishes.

Interior

The interior is pretty basic with Chinese decor and a few tables. It was pretty packed at dinner time and seems to be a local favourite.

They have large tables available for big groups, but just call ahead of time to make reservations.

Soup

Seaweed Spare rib soup was good and tasted pretty nutritious. This is the large size that 6 of us shared.

Appetizer

Sautéed Free Range Chicken with Chili was pretty good. Very flavourful and not too spicy. Try avoid eating the red chilis as those have a kick kick of spice to them.

Clear Noodles in Chili Sauce was pretty hard to pick up with chopsticks and forks. The noodles pick up most of the flavour from the sauce and the noodles themselves are tasteless.

Entree

Kung Pao Chicken is cooked with chilis, green/red pepper, peanuts and a delicious sauce. The chicken is tender and very flavourful. A good amount of spice to this dish, but it isn’t too intense.

Sauteed Pork with Chili pepper also has shaved jalapeños. It’s spicy, but I enjoyed the flavours.

Grilled Lamb with Cumin was very good. It reminded me of lamb skewers from other restaurants. I gobbled this plate right up.

Braised fish with hot sauce was the most spicy dish of the evening. The fish still had bones on it, so it was a bit difficult to pick out the bones. You definitely want to get a side of rice to go with this dish so it absorbs the hot sauce.

Overall, it was a pretty good dinner and the dishes were all delicious in their own way. If you love spicy food, you’ll enjoy this place. I would definitely come back again.

We rate Chuan Chu Ren Jia:

Address:
6408 Kingsway, Burnaby

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 Brewery

Faculty Brewing Co: Tasting Room in Mount Pleasant

August 24, 2016

Faculty Brewing Co is the newest brewery to pop up in the Mount Pleasant area. The craft beer scene is growing quickly in the area and I love seeing all the little hidden places where they pop up. They took over a former bike shop.

Tasting Room

The tasting room has 28-seats and can be quite busy during peak hour. Their rotation of beer changes weekly and you can have them as a growler, sampler, or in other sizes.