Type Archives - Page 78 of 125

In Cafe

Deer Garden Signatures 鹿園魚湯米線: DIY Noodle Combos

March 16, 2014

KoreanGirl had major cravings for laksa so we all went to Deer Garden Signatures on Fraser street. It was a far drive for us, but it was worth it to give this place a try. Too bad there isn’t one near Burnaby.

Deer Garden Signatures is best known for their noodle combos for $8.50.

Looking at the noodle combos menu, it looked like a great deal since you also get a drink to go with it. You choose your soup base, type of noodles, toppings, drink and any additional side dishes you want to order.

As you wait you get tea.

Coffee Milk Tea Mix is what I ordered. Really good! Most people usually order the coffee milk tea mix or just the regular milk tea. Can’t go wrong with either.

The side dishes arrived first. Pan Seared Ox Tongue ($1.95) was so tender! So flavourful too. Best tongue I’ve had in a long time. The sprinkle of salt and pepper on top was perfect to accentuate its flavour.

Pan Fried boneless chicken in teriyaki sauce ($1.75) pretty good!

Deep fried pork chop ($1.75) was another side dish and it was not bad. Pretty decent.

Desert wings with ginger ($1.75) came piping hot. It was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It has a distinct taste of ginger and white pepper.

Laksa with sliced beef brisket, specialty pork sausage and fish puffs. The bowl was huge! It comes with a bunch of other toppings as well, so you aren’t just getting what you ordered.

Overall, the food here was good and satisfying for a rainy cold day. Service is alright. You have a bell at your table to call for the servers to come. I do find that they do mix up orders and that some items are missed, so you need to check what you ordered properly. The pricing is decent and noodles are highly customizable, but it can add up. It’s also cash only.

We Rate Deer Garden Signatures:

Address:
6270 Fraser St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.deergarden.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=6270+Fraser+St&sll=49.2276641,-123.0906887&sspn=0.005381,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=6270+Fraser+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5W&z=16″]

In Four Beakers

Ask for Luigi: Yummy Pasta in Gastown

March 15, 2014

Ask for Luigi is a casual Italian-inspired restaurant serving up fresh handmade pasta. It is located in Railtown where the old 2 Chefs a Table until they closed the location. There is some free parking in the area.

The way you order is family-style, so all dishes are meant to be shared among the table. The appetizers arrive first and then the pasta dishes quickly follow. They have some gluten-free option available each day. They also do take-out too.

FoodQueen and I tried making a reservation on a Wednesday for a Sunday dinner and all their reservations were all gone. But, they said to come at 5:30pm and we would have a high chance at getting a spot.

It was 5:29pm and there were already people inside with 70% of the tables occupied. By 5:45pm, this place was packed! Not a single seat was left. People are crazy about their pasta. Some people have indicated that they had to wait over an hour for a table. Best to come early or attempt to make a reservation.

Fried Cauliflower & Aioli ($10) is their most popular appetizer. It reminded me of Nuba’s Najib’s Special. Really good!

Bocconcini Fritti ($9) is a vegetarian dish and its is essentially deep-fried cheese balls.

Oh boy, was it ooey and gooey with the cheese super stringy and dripping out.

Beef Carpaccio ($14) is topped was many different ingredients and sauces. It was our favourite appetizer. It’s a bit hard to taste the real flavour of the beef with all the fragrant toppings, but it was still very enjoyable.

Pappardelle & Duck Ragu ($19) was the pasta that we ordered. The thick pasta they used was perfect and it latched onto the sauce. The shreds of duck was yummy and tender.

Overall, FoodQueen and I enjoyed our dinner. The service was good and the food came quite quickly. We were all done within an hour. We were glad we came early so we didn’t have to wait in line.

We Rate Ask for Luigi:

Address:
305 Alexander Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.askforluigi.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=305+Alexander+St&sll=49.2844485,-123.0976786&sspn=0.0053748,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=305+Alexander+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+1C4&z=16 “]

In British Columbia

McDonalds Canada: Steak Steak Steak

March 13, 2014

Currently, McDonalds Canada is having their Steak on Demand promotion from February 18 – March 31, 2014. The Steak n’ Egg Bagel and their Steak n’ Caesar Signature Wraps are two items they are featuring throughout the campaign.

I came for breakfast with a coworker for a coffee, but I saw the steak promos and I caved and got the Steak n’ Egg Bagel.

Steak n’ Egg Bagel is made with seasoned steak, folded eggs, processed cheddar cheese, sautéed onions, HP steak sauce, on either regular or multigrain bagel.

Once you take the bagel apart, it really doesn’t look that impressive. The first few bites were really good, but as I kept eating it, it got saltier and saltier. The steak patty was packed with pepper and salt, so you really couldn’t taste the true steak flavour. It tasted like their regular beef patty but with more spices.

Overall, it’s an interesting concept to offer steak 24/7, but for a good steak, you won’t find it here.

Website: mcdonalds.ca

In Brunch

Market by Jean Georges: Breakfast with Eggs Benny

March 12, 2014

The Market by Jean Georges is open for breakfast daily from 6:30am to 11:00am. The girls and I decided to give it a try as we are eager to eat all the egg bennys in town.

We made reservations for breakfast on a Saturday and it was surprisingly quite empty. Only a few tables were occupied. Even by 11:30am, we did see a few people either. I came here a few years ago for their brunch prix fixe and it was pretty damn good.

The interior is quite nice and really sets the mood for a beautiful brunch.

Freshly squeezed orange juice ($6) it comes in a tall glass and was perfect for the early morning meal. They also have grapefruit, carrot, apple, tomato, and pineapple juice as other options.

Before our dishes arrived, we received some complimentary fruit in a bowl for each person. It was definitely a nice touch. The fruits were fresh and there was a nice variety of fruits.

Black Forest Ham Classic Eggs Benny ($18) comes in 3 flavours – black forest ham, smoked salmon, and Spinach & Mushroom. We thought the eggs benny here was just OK. Nothing really special or anything. We did find that the hard egg was a turn off. We weren’t given the option to have it soft and runny like other places.

Mushroom and Spinach Classic Eggs Benny ($18) had the same issue. Everything revolving around the egg was fine…but that hard egg ruined the experience.

Smoked Salmon Classic Eggs Benny ($18) had a good amount of salmon but yet again, the same issue with the egg.

You have a variety of jams and tiny tabasco sauce if you want to flavour your dish. TaiwaneseGirl really liked her spice, so she used a few bottles of tabasco.

Brown Butter Waffles ($18) has macerated berries, mint, maple syrup and powdered sugar. It was alright, but it is quite expensive for a single waffle.

The eggs benny price is the same as Hawksworth and I would rather go to Hawksworth for eggs benny. We weren’t impressed for breakfast. If you do come here for breaskfast to order the benny, make sure to request a soft egg. Our server neglected as ask us how we liked our eggs and it kinda ruined our experience.

We Rate Market by Jean Georges:

Address:
1115 Alberni St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.marketbyjgvancouver.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1115+Alberni+St&sll=49.285407,-123.1238676&sspn=0.0053747,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1115+Alberni+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6E+4T9&z=16 “]

In Bakery

Basho Cafe: Matcha Lattes and Treats

March 10, 2014

Basho Cafe recently opened on Hastings Street close to Victoria Drive. It is a family run Japanese Cafe and they have yummy drinks, lunch sets and sweet treats.

FoodQueen and I decided to have an afternoon snack at Basho.

A lot of items in the interior are handmade by the family – the dishes, decor, furniture, and etc. Once you step inside, you know you want to fall in love with this cozy cafe. It really sets the mood, rain or shine.

It only seats about 16 people, so as word gets out about this place, it will definitely get super busy. We got there at 2pm and there were no spots left, so we had to wait a little bit till people started leaving.

Afternoon Set ($5 after 2pm) includes a matcha latte and 3 assorted treats. We found this was definitely a great deal as you get a tasting of what they have to offer.

The matcha latte isn’t sweetened, so if you like it a little sweeter, add some sugar.

Mochi Mochi Matcha looks like a cute little cupcake, but on the inside is squishy with the mochi. Really good and highly recommended. It’s also gluten-free and vegan.

Sesame brownie was very moist and had was very addictive.

Goma-miso cookie has lot of black sesame in it. Delicious as well.

Matcha Sandwich Cookie has the matcha cookies on the outside and it sandwiches some sort of icing.

Matcha Brownie was good too. Tough choice between the sesame brownie and the matcha brownie.

Matcha coconut chocolate chip cookie was a delightful surprise. I usually don’t like coconut, but this cookie was gooood.

Overall, all the baked treats were good and none of the disappointed. It’s a cute cafe to just chill and catch up with friends over drinks and nibbles. Highly recommend this cafe!

We Rate Basho Cafe:

Address:
2007 E Hastings St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://bashocafe.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=2007+E+Hastings+St&sll=49.281216,-123.0634631&sspn=0.0053752,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=2007+E+Hastings+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5L+1T9&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Cafe Mai-Mai: Pho and Waffles

March 9, 2014

Cafe Mai-Mai is located in Marpole and is a family run Vietnamese cafe. They serve up Pho, Bahn Mi sandwiches, rice dishes, coffee and waffles. Their food also doesn’t contain any MSG.

M, Scarface, Mandy and I headed here after work to chow down on some pho. Pho is really just amazing winter comfort food with it’s warm broth heating you up from the inside.

Cafe de l’Orangerie previously occupied this place but has since moved to another location. Similar look but refreshed walls.

Vietnamese Coffee ($3.50) has the layer of condensed milk and then the coffee dripping from the top container.

Once it’s done dripping, you give it a good mix and then you can add your ice. What I like about this place is that they put a good amount of water so it make a cup of coffee. You definitely have enough to last you through the meal. It was good.

Shrimp salad rolls ($5.50) comes with 2 huge pieces cut in half, so you get 4 pieces. You have the noodles, shrimp, lettuce wrapped up in the rice paper. It also comes with sauce to dip it into.

The salad rolls are made to order, so they are fresh and slightly warm.

Spring rolls ($5.50) comes with 3 rolls and cut up in half to create 6 pieces. It’s crispy on the outside and savoury on the inside. There is also fish sauce to dip it into.

Vietnamese special ham and sausage sub (9″ – $4.49) is filled with vietnamese mayo, pate, pickled carrot, daikon, cucumber, cilantro and the ham and sausage. I wasn’t that hungry, so the 9″ was a good size.

Lemon grass chicken rice ($7.49) is served with vegetables, pickled carrot, daikon, cucumber and dish sauce. You also have the salad on the side.

#2 Phở đặc biệt (tái) House special pho ($7.80) has medium rare beef slices, flank, tendon, tripe, beef ball, and rice noodle in soup. It has no MSG and used some thin tender beef. The pho comes in only one size but it is comparable to a large size.

#11 Phở tái nạm, gân, sách ($7.50) has medium rare beef slices, beef flank, beef tendon, beef tripe, and rice noodle in soup. It was a large bowl, so

Single waffle($5) comes with butter and maple sauce. It’s the best way to try the waffle since it is crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Scarface and Mandu really loved the waffle and would stop eating them until it was all gone from the plate.

Waffle, apple, top with vanilla ice cream and strawberry sauce ($7.50) was ok, but the toppings was a let down. I’ve never seen wedges of apples on top of a waffle. They could definitely improve their toppings in the future.

The food at Cafe Mai-Mai was pretty average, there’s still a few kinks they need to work out on their menu. The prices are quite fair and you’ll be full.

We Rate Cafe Mai-Mai:

Address:
8636 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.cafemaimai.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=8636+Granville+St&sll=49.2080257,-123.1403123&sspn=0.0053832,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=8636+Granville+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6P+5A1&z=16 “]

In Chinese

Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant 부천성: Lunch in Pohang, Korea

March 8, 2014

Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant 부천성 is located in Pohang. We came here for lunch and what I always find interesting is that no matter where you find Chinese food in Korea, it’s never authentic. They always have their own version of Chinese food.

I actually don’t mind it. In my mind, I will always think its Korean food. Just wait till the Koreans discover dim sum, they will be mind blown.

The inner decor was simple. Nothing fancy. There was a good amount of people here for lunch.

Complimentary side dishes arrived – kimchi, pickled radish, onions and bean paste. You dip the onion into the bean paste and it magically counteracts the intensity of the onion. It’s weird, but it works.

Honey Almond Shrimp has deep-fried prawns smothered in a mayo mixture and topped with almond slices.

Noodles with Black bean Sauce (Jajangmyeon) was ordered by everyone. There is the noodle underneath and the black bean sauce on top.

Fried Rice with Seafood comes with a bit of black bean sauce on the side and a light soup. This is an item I always order. Black bean sauce is really good and when you add it to the fried rice, it’s pretty damn good. Too bad I didn’t really like how they made the fried rice.

At the end of the meal, we got these sticky sweet potatoes as a complimentary dessert. We all thought this was pretty meh.

We also got coffee at the end of the meal. Wasn’t very good either.

Overall, the restaurant was decent, but we all agreed Taesan Chinese Restaurant is still better for Korean Chinese food.

We rate Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant:

Website:
http://xn--or3bo1es8m.kr/skin15/index.php

Address:
656-13 I-dong, Nam-Gu, Pohang-si,
Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=%EB%B6%80%EC%B2%9C%EC%84%B1&ie=UTF8&ll=36.028486,129.337449&spn=0.010221,0.021136&sll=36.0282921,129.3374541&sspn=0.0066637,0.0109864&t=m&cid=0xa41eb0cf2b3d3dd3&hq=%EB%B6%80%EC%B2%9C%EC%84%B1&z=16&iwloc=A “]

In Bubble Tea

Gong Cha: Refreshing Beverage in Korea

March 7, 2014

In all the Lotte Department stores is Gong Cha or at least I keep seeing it in the Busan locations. I remember having Gong Cha in Hong Kong a few Summers ago and it has always stuck in my mind.

Gong Cha opened their first location in Taiwan during 2006 and soon after opened locations in Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, China, Malaysia, and Philippines. There are a lot of locations all over Asia and attracts locals and tourists. They are best known for their signature milk tea with a dollop of cream on top.

House Special Green Tea (large – 3,900 won) is one of the most popular flavours. It has the base of the brewed green tea and it is topped with their signature creamy foam. The foam tasted like salty cream.

Overall, it was a nice refreshing drink. I’ve never really been a fan of the cream, but I do the link the tea underneath it.

We rate Gong Cha:

Location:
Bujeondong, Busanjingu
(Seomyon subway station)

Website:
http://www.gong-cha.co.kr/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=Bujeon-dong&sll=35.1578439,129.0570025&sspn=0.0269466,0.0439464&t=m&hnear=Bujeon-dong,+Busanjin-gu,+Busan,+South+Korea&z=15 “]

In British Columbia

Starbucks Canada: Maple Macchiato

March 6, 2014

Another new drink from Starbucks and it’s the Maple Macchiato. It looked very tempting and I just had to try it. How good is maple in a coffee? It reminded me of something super super Canadian.

Asking the staff about their opinions on the drink, they suggested we have it half sweet. It is served either hot or cold.

Maple Macchiato is a multi-layered beverage that consists of steamed milk, espresso and the sweet maple syrup. The maple syrup comes from Quebec too. The maple was more dense than the foam, so it sank into the drink faster than caramel drizzle.

If you’re not into maple, they also have the caramel macchiato or hazelnut macchiato. It’s always best to get half sweet just in case.

The drink is only available in Canada, but alternately in the states, they have released the vanilla macchiato instead.

Website: http://www.starbucks.ca/coffee/espresso/macchiato-beverages

In Cafe

CGV: Finding Movies in Pohang, South Korea

March 5, 2014

Finding a movie theatre that showed ‘Frozen’ in English was quite tough in Korea. Some places had it dubbed over, but since I don’t understand Korean, we had to find a place that had the movie in English with some Korean subtitles.

CGV is Korea’s largest cinema chain and they also have some locations in China and North America. I’ve never been to a Korean movie theatre, so this was an adventure. You can pick your seats before you purchase! Kinda similar to Canada’s Cineplex VIP Theatre, but without the added cost.

You buy your ticket at the counter and then you can grab some snacks at the food counter.

As we were here about an hour before the movie started, we thought we would head into the CGV cafe to get some refreshments and have a seat. Korean’s love their coffees and cafe’s, so naturally, there is one inside the movie theatre.

You line up at the counter and they will take your order. The menu is in Korea, so if you can’t read, you can be like me and get someone else to order for you.

There’s lots of seats to sit down and just chill before the movie doors open up.

I ordered a latte and it comes from the machine. Nothing really special about it. There wasn’t a lot of strong coffee taste to it as they added in a lot of milk. M’s mom ordered a iced coffee but told them to take it back because it didn’t taste like coffee at all. It was mostly milk.

Korean’s have a passion for coffee, so I’m not sure why they are serving sub par coffee. Quality is probably lost cause it’s a chain.

Popcorn could have been a bit fresher. A little tad stale.

Noah and Captain America posters look quite similar.

I didn’t take a picture of inside the cinema because I had this weird feeling that someone would think I would be pirating the movie. The quality of the theatre was fine, but not as large as I would have imagined, but that’s probably because Pohang is a smaller city compared to Seoul (obviously).

The CGV Cafe sucked, but that’s what we get for going to a Cafe inside a movie theatre.

Nonetheless, we still enjoyed ourselves and was quite impressed with ‘Frozen’. Highly encourage you check it out.

Address:
235-4 Deoksan-dong (93 )
Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
South Korea

Website: http://cgv.co.kr/theater/theater/Default.aspx

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=CGV+%EB%B6%81%ED%8F%AC%ED%95%AD%EC%A0%90&ie=UTF8&sll=36.0407079,129.3682009&sspn=0.0066627,0.0109864&t=m&cid=0x9bc75d773f5ea55a&hq=CGV+%EB%B6%81%ED%8F%AC%ED%95%AD%EC%A0%90&z=16&iwloc=A “]

In Japanese

Kamamarui Ramen: Korean-Style Ramen

March 4, 2014

My sister and another friend highly recommended Kamamarui in South Burnaby for some delicious eats. They opened up near the end of last year and is know for their ramen and their “bomb”. The pictures looked great online, so I went with M for dinner.

I’ve always be wary coming here after the tragic incident 2 years ago.

The interior is simplistic and modern. You will see grey concrete walls, with wooden furniture. We assumed this place was Japanese-run, but once we walked into the door, we realized it was Korean-run. M knew obviously cause he’s Korean. We don’t see many Korean-run ramen joints in town. A lot of Korean-run Sushi places, but not ramen.

I’m not sure what the connection is but there is also a Kamamarui Ramen in Seoul, Korea too. Similar items but not exactly the same.

They even have the rear end of dogs as cute coat hangers.

Their menu is quite simple, they offer ramen, dons and a few side dishes.

Bomb ($3) is a rice ball seasoned with seaweed and teriyaki sauce. It is also topped with some sesame seeds. It’s a very popular item to be ordered, but I thought it lacked much flavour. There’s no filling inside, so its just the rice and seaweed.

Miso Ramen ($9) has a miso and pork soup base seasoned with miso flavour, green onions, bean sprout, and 2 slabs of chashu. The flavour of the broth really lacked depth and was very light. The pork was lean cut, so you don’t get the fatty delicious bits. Still…those are huge pieces of meat.

If you get the ramen and bomb combo, it’s $10.50, so you save $1.50.

Chicken Mini Don had the rice on the bottom, with flavourful chicken on top with some teriyaki sauce and a bit of peas.

Tonkotsu Ramen ($9) has a pork soup base with soy flavour, green onions, bean sprouts, and chashu. It’s similar to the Miso ramen but just with a different broth. I found a similar problem with the broth, it also lacked depth and was light in flavour.

You can get the mini don and the ramen for $14.50 as a combo.

The service was atrocious! Thats what pissed M off more than the food. They seemed like they are understaffed or inexperienced. We waited by the door to be seated, but no one acknowledged us there. The empty tables all had dishes still piled on top and seemed neglected. It took them a long time to take our order since all the staff seemed to have disappeared to the kitchen for some time. We also asked for more tea and water but none came back. They seemed quite frazzled and the whole experience just declined from there. They also mixed up our orders too.

Overall, the food is decent for Burnaby. It still doesn’t compare to the ones Downtown, but at least you don’t have to drive all the way downtown to get some ramen. M still prefers to go to Hakkaku Ramen in North Burnaby.

We Rate Kamamarui Ramen:

Address:
6514 Royal Oak Avenue
Burnaby, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=6514+Royal+Oak+Ave&sll=49.2243728,-122.98879&sspn=0.0053814,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=6514+Royal+Oak+Ave,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5H+3P4&z=16″]

In Cafe

Chez Faye Cafe: Soup, Sandwiches and Korean Food

March 3, 2014

Chez Faye Cafe is located right beside the Yaletown Skytrain. KoreanGirl and I were hunting for some lunch and thought Chez Faye Cafe would be a great place for a soup and sandwich. She’s been here a few times, but I’ve never been. I pass by it a lot of times, but haven’t been here till now.

They serve sandwiches, soups and Korean food. Just simple food that is not complicated.

They are open on weekdays from the morning till late lunch, but aren’t open for dinner.

The interior is cozy and has about 15 tables or so. It’s quiet and peaceful during lunch, so you can relax before going back to the office. A lot of people did take out items to go.

I got the clubhouse sandwich with their daily soup feature – chicken soup with wild rice.

Clubhouse Sandwich has 3 layers of bread and between those layers are – tomatoes lettuce, mayo, bacon, and turkey. I chose my bread to be multigrain. The ingredients are pretty solid and I liked how the bacon was crispy and there were lots of tomatoes to keep the sandwich moist.

Chicken soup with wild rice paired nicely with the sandwich. It’s always nice to have soup on a cold rainy day.

Overall, the food isn’t special or anything, but it’s a good quick lunch that satisfies the hungry belly. I’d come here again for their sandwiches and soup!

We Rate Chez Faye Cafe:

Address:
1168 Hamilton St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1168+Hamilton+St&sll=49.2751929,-123.122024&sspn=0.0053758,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1168+Hamilton+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+2S2&z=16″]

In British Columbia

McCafe: Toasted Marshmallow Mocha

March 2, 2014

I was at McDonalds going for the free Small Coffee from February 24 til March 2nd, but something caught my eye… the toasted marshmallow mocha. I’m always a sucker for trying new things. They also have toasted marshmallow deluxe hot chocolate.

Their menu was weird too, they don’t have green tea lattes or Chai Tea lattes anymore. I missed my chance at getting it even though they were clearly still advertising it.

Toasted marshmallow mocha (Small – $2.69) it didn’t look very impressive at all. I should have just kept the lid on. It just tasted like their usual mocha but with the added toppings. The whipped cream melted into the mocha by the time I got back to the office. But, I still didn’t see a lot of marshmallows either…unless they melted too.

It’s the same price as a usual mocha, so you’re not paying extra for the marshmallows.

On the bright side, I collected enough stamps for a free coffee next time. This probably took me a long time to collect all the stamps.

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

In Cafe

Kafka’s Coffee and Tea: Yummy Coffee on Main St.

March 1, 2014

While getting a morning breakfast with my coworkers, we stopped by Kafka’s for some coffee. They are serious about coffee and use various brewing methods. I don’t know the different brewing methods, but I know a good cup of coffee when I taste it.

He’s making a pour over. Coffee is really an art and is essential for mornings of an office worker. I’ve heard much about their syphon coffee but I needed something quick to-go.

Latte ($4.25) in my to go cup. I wish they filled it up to the top, but it fell an inch short. The latte tasted good.

I put on the lid and off I went to work with some good coffee.

We rate Kafka’s:

Address:
2525 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.kafkascoffee.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=2525+Main+St&sll=49.2624274,-123.101198&sspn=0.0053772,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=2525+Main+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+3E5&z=16″]

In Cafe

On The Grind Cafe: Pedalling Epic Coffee in Vancouver

February 28, 2014

Close to my office is a mobile coffee cafe called On The Grind Cafe. It moves around town on a customized bike. I’ve seen it near Science World and Strathcona. It moves around day to day, so it’s never at a consistent location each day.

It’s an eco-friendly cafe as it is powered by solar and pedal power. Plus all their cups are compostable too.

They get their beans from Matchstick Coffee Roasters, which is a local company with an emphasis on hand-crafted preparation and delivery of single-origin coffees.

Their prices are quite fair and in my opinion worth the price. It’s so much better than Starbucks! He can also make customized drinks too, so its not limited to just this list.

Best of all, they take credit cards!!

Brett is the man behind On The Grind Cafe. He has a huge passion for coffee and great guy to chat with while waiting for coffee.

Cappuccino ($3.50) tasted great! Plus, I got great view of Science World and False Creek.

They are near Science World Tuesdays and Thursdays for now. And the other days, they are all around town, so it s good to follow them on Facebook or Twitter to see where they are at before you make a trip to get coffee.

We Rate On The Grind Cafe:

Location:
varies

Website:
http://onthegrindcafe.com/

In Gastown

Something Healthy: Near Stadium Skytrain

February 27, 2014

Finding something healthy near the office is quite tough. Near our office, we have McDonalds, Tim Hortons, and Starbucks. That’s not a very good selection of restaurants to go for lunch. Traveling a skytrain station away, we found Something Healthy.

Magz and I had a large morning snack, so when it came to be lunch time, we just wanted something small and healthy. When we saw Something Healthy, we knew it would be a great place to have a light lunch.

We didn’t see a lot of people in here later in the lunch hour. The places has a good amount of seats and has green every where.

If you are really in a hurry, they have pre-packed wraps, fruits, veggies and salads.

Raw Green (16oz – $5.25) has spinach, apple, pineapple & fresh orange juice. The juice was sweet due to the amount of fruits. It was good if you enjoy sweeter juices similar to Jugo Juice.

Tropic Delight (16oz – $6.25) has orange, mango & pineapple. Magz was so funny and asked them for their sweetest juice. They helped her choose a good drink.

Fresh Salad ($6.35) has romaine lettuce, bell peppers, corn, cucumber, red onions, & craisins. You can choose your protein either chicken breast, salmon, or tofu. Then you can also choose your dressing – sesame pear, teriyaki, terragon, or sesame vinaigrette.

Overall, there are a good amount of choices, but their salad options are quite limited. Before I walked in, I thought they would have a salad bar, but they didn’t. The prices are quite fair but they definitely need more variety for salads.

We Rate Something Healthy:

Address:
660 Abbott Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.somethinghealthy.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=660+Abbott+St&sll=49.2790873,-123.1076036&sspn=0.0053754,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=660+Abbott+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B&z=16 “]

In Japanese

Aki Japanese Restaurant: Relocated to Pender Street

February 26, 2014

Aki Japanese Restaurant is located on Pender Street near Coal Harbour. They have relocated from their previous location on Thurlow. They are one of the oldest and authentic Japanese restaurant in Vancouver.

I came here with M and CoffeeLover for dinner after work. We haven’t been here in a while and thought it was good to take another revisit.

The interior is very modern and sleek compared to their previous location. New and shiny. Their sushi bar looks pretty awesome.

The restaurant has very high ceiling to give it a very open feel. They take reservation for small to large groups too.

Orion Beer ($10) is Japan’s 5th largest brewery and originated from Okinawa prefecture. Similar to Asahi and Sapporo as it is light and crisp. Pairs well with Japanese cuisine.

Kinpira ($3.50) is sauteed julienned burdock root. It’ s a small appetizer.

Yakitori ($4.50) comes with 2 skewers and you can choose to have it topped with teriyaki sauce or seasalt. We went with teriyaki and it was pretty good. Simple and straight forward.

Chicken Skin ($3.50) comes with 2 skewers as well. We had it topped with seasalt. The skin is crispy but it wasn’t amazing or anything. I thought it would be more flavourful, but it just tasted like burnt food. I wouldn’t order this again.

Salmon and tuna sashimi ($15) was quite expensive for 10 pieces. It tasted good, but the quality seemed standard among Japanese restaurants in Vancouver.

Toro nigiri ($3 each) wasn’t very fatty and it didn’t melt in our mouths. Unagi nigiri ($3.75 each) was flavourful and delicious. Tamago nigiri ($1.80 each) was ok.

Spicy Chopped Scallop Roll ($5.50), Negitoro roll ($4.95), and Unakyu Maki ($4.95) was nothing fancy. Pretty average.

Assorted Sushi ($15.95) is quite pricey but you do try a variety of nigiri and tuna rolls.

Overall, the food is pricey compared to other places in town. I feel like I’ve been spoiled by so many other Japanese restaurants in town that this place just seems average. Our entire meal was over $100 and it sure hurt our wallet.

We Rate Aki Japanese restaurant:

Address:
1368 W Pender St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://akirestaurant.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1368+W+Pender+St&sll=49.2893783,-123.1267792&sspn=0.0053743,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1368+W+Pender+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6G+3E3&z=16 “]

In Chinese

Grand Palace Restaurant: Dim Sum in Coquitlam

February 25, 2014

Grand Palace Restaurant (富豪酒家) is located in Henderson Mall across from Coquitlam Centre. The mall has been here for a very long time and it gives me a vibe of like the asian mall similar to Tinsel Town. They are owned by the same development company, so that’s why the vibe is similar.

The restaurant and food court are probably the most busiest parts of the mall.

We came around 11 and there was already a line up outside with people eagerly awaiting a table.

My sister and I stared at the tanks looking at the lobsters barnacles.

After about 15 minutes of waiting, we got our table! The dining room was packed!

Tea arrives at the table when you begin ordering. You get one pot of the tea and another pot of hot water.

Fried Taro Dumpling (wu gok) is my sister’s favourite. It is deep-fried to create the extra crispy exterior. On the inside is a savoury taro mixture.

Pork Dumpling (Sui Mai) is always an item ordered in dim sum. The ones here are pretty large and does not contain too much fat.

Minced Beef Meatballs were very bland. The added water chestnuts did not add any extra crunchy texture that its supposed to.

Steamed Beef Rice Rolls was ok as well. The beef mixture reminded me of the minced beef meatballs.

Steamed Pork Buns comes with 3 buns and was quite decent.

Shrimp and vegetable dumping has 3 pieces in an order. The dumpling mixture inside wasn’t mixed together well, so you get the veggies on the bottom and the shrimp on the top.

Seafood Congee was alright. It had lots of seafood hidden at the bottom.

Stuffed Eggplant has 3 oddly shaped pieces. It has the shrimp mixture on top with the eggplant on the bottom. I usually like this dish but this was a bit bland.

Pork Spareribs were yummy. The meat was tender and the sauce paired well nicely.

Shrimp Dumplings (har gow) is a dim sum classic. It has shrimp inside the rice skin. It’s a two-bite dumpling and it was not bad here.

Deep Fried Tofu was horrible. The skin was thick and tasteless and the crumbly topping was very salty. We all agreed that this was a horrible dish and we would not order it again.

Overall, it is a decent dim sum restaurant. There are good dishes here, but if you venture into one of the horrible dishes, it’s gonna taste bad. As long as you stick to the classic dim sum items, you can’t go wrong.

We Rate Grand Palace Restaurant:

Address:
2001 – 1163 Pinetree Way
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
http://www.grandpalacerestaurant.ca/

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