Type Archives - Page 80 of 125

In lunch

Tealicious Richmond: Taiwanese Cuisine

January 21, 2014

Tealicious Taiwanese Cuisine is located in Richmond in a plaza near Cambie Road and Sexsmith Road. M and I were with CoffeeLover and he took us here to have some good noodles. They were open since August 2013 and serves up authentic Taiwanese dishes.

I’ve never heard of this place but was excited to give it a try.

Beef Noodle Soup ($6.75) has the beef broth some thick noodles and bits of beef. M thought it was ok. Not as good as some of the other places in town.

Black Pepper Chicken With Rice ($8.50) was huge! There is also some cold side dishes to accompany the meal. It was worth the price as you get pretty full. The chicken was tender and had the coating similar to salt and peppery chicken.

Seafood Noodle Soup 海鮮麵 ($8.95) was CoffeeLovers favourite item to order. There’s lots of seafood like fish, squid, and shrimp in it.

Overall, the food was ok. Nothing very special about the items that they have here.

We Rate Tealicious Richmond:

Address:
2116-3779 Sexsmith Rd
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.tealiciousrichmond.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2116-3779+Sexsmith+Rd,+Richmond,+BC&t=m&hnear=3779+Sexsmith+Rd,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6X+3Z9&z=16 “]

In Cafe

How to kill time at Incheon Airport

January 18, 2014

When M and I arrived at Incheon Airport in South Korea to head back to Vancouver, we had a lot of time on our hands after we checked in and dropped out bags off. A few hours to be exact.

There’s lots to do actually…or to be more specific, lots to buy and eat. Duty free shops filled with gifts, souvenirs, alcohol and other junk. Then there are the cool little cafes inside. The two specific ones that intrigued us was the Charlie Brown Cafe and Hello Kitty Cafe.

We already went to the Hello Kitty Cafe in HongDae and Charlie Brown Cafe in Hong Kong, but it’s always nice to stroll through. All the other cafes were quite normal like Starbucks. Why not spend some time at a café you can’t find at hone.

The first Charlie Brown café that we found was on the 3rd floor near Gate 12. It is open from 7am till 9:15pm. They have beverages, cakes, sandwiches and some toys.

You will want to get their cakes or drinks because you can’t find it anywhere else that looks like this.

Website: http://www.charliebrowncafe.net/

Hello Kitty Cafe is a cute place for a snack or just go there to take pictures on their chairs. They are open from 6:30am till 9:30pm. It’s on the 3rd floor near gate 24.

Let again just like Charlie Brown Cafe, the drinks and cakes are good signature items to get.

Website: http://www.hellokittycafe.co.kr/

Their second location is 24 hours and is near Gate 113 and serves the same stuff as the other. This is on the other side of the airport after you take the little train to the other terminal.

With the left over time, you can just sit and wait for the boarding call. The airport is quite nice.

Once time is up, just hop on the flight back home. It’ll probably be a long flight, but as long as you have a book and headphones, you’re all set.

Website: http://www.airport.kr/

In Fast Food

KFC Korea: Tower Burger and Fried Chicken

January 17, 2014

Every time, I have a flight out of Incheon, I have to stop by KFC for a quick snack. 2 years ago when I was here, I discovered that KFC is pretty awesome in Korea. As I was here again, might as well turn it into a tradition. I have my love of fast food and I never give up a chance chowing down on global fast food chains in many countries.

There’s lots of seats and people tend to eat very quickly and move a long.

Tower Burger (4,800 won) comes at a whopping 800 calories. This tower is made of fried breast fillet, hashbrowns, lettuce, and cheese. It’s quite large and you will get your fill of carbs.

2 pieces of fried chicken (2,200 won) and you have the option to have it original or spicy. Of course I had it spicy since I was in Korea.

Just look at how crazy battered that is! It was very crispy on the outside and the meat was very moist. It had the right about of spiciness and oh man, finger lickin’ good!

I posed with Colonel Sanders because why not? We both have glasses and love fried chicken. It’s true what they say, KFC is better in Asia.

Address:
Various locations in South Korea, and all over the world

Website:
http://www.kfckorea.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?t=m&cid=0x8d4ba096cb5cbed4&z=12&iwloc=A “]

In Brunch

Kulinarya: Filipino Food in Coquitlam

January 16, 2014

KoreanGirl and I had a lazy Saturday filled with food and shopping. Thats how we girls roll. We came at 11am and it wasn’t busy at all. Kulinarya is a Filipino restaurant located near the Coquitlam Mall. It’s quite a drive from Vancouver, but if you’re in the area, definitely put this on your list of places to check out.

Breakfast was definitely on our minds and all of the breakfast items sounds like a delicious heart attack. There’s a lot of meat and carbs, but it’s really good food!

You get a small dish of complimentary Boy Bawang garlic corn nuts. These corn nuts were very good and lightly seasoned. It is light and airy so biting into it is no problem at all. It’s so good! You can buy larger bags at Kulinarya or at grocery stores like T&T.

Tapsilog ($10) has sauteed beef, garlic rice, and a fried egg. KoreanGirl liked it. Simple but very great flavours.

Bangsilong ($10) has fried milkfish, garlic rice and fried egg. There’s not too much meat on the fish because its a small fish. It’s a good portion for breakfast. That garlic rice is quite addictive!

Crispy Pata (Small – $10) is deep fried pork hock with a nice spicy vinegar sauce. We saw this on their menu and just had to have it! Worst thing to have it for breakfast but we didn’t care. The skin is very crunchy and was music to our ears. crunch crunch crunch!

Overall, the food was good and it’s great to see what Filipino Cuisine tastes like. The only issue is that a lot of the menu items are hard to choose from because if you aren’t familiar with the items, you have no idea what you are ordering. Plus, a few of the dishes are quite expensive and can rack up your bill.

We Rate Kulinarya:

Address:
114 – 2922 Glen Drive
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
www.kulinarya.ca

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=114+%E2%80%93+2922+Glen+Drive+Coquitlam,+BC&ie=UTF8&t=m&hnear=2922+Glen+Dr+%23114,+Coquitlam,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V3B+2P5&z=16 “]

In Brunch

Lily Mae’s Comfort Cafe: Brunch in Gastown

January 15, 2014

Lily Mae’s Comfort Cafe is located in the heart of Gastown. I came here with coworkers on the weekend to have some brunch. If you are looking for some comfort food, its a nice place to go to. They serve brunch on weekends from 10am till 3pm.

The cafe is very small but has a very cozy place to chat and chow down on food. Very adorable! The brick walls, the little windows and of course the hipster centrepieces on the tables.

They also have an small upper area for larger groups.

Coffee was needed or else I would have fallen asleep.

Maple Black Peppercorn Bacon ($4.50) is an expensive price to pay for 2 strips of bacon. Nonetheless, DeeBee enjoyed it and loved the flavour.

Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes ($10) is served with real maple syrup and strawberries on top. You get 3 big fluffy pancakes and it will definitely fill you up.

The Sunny Day Benny ($14) is a favourite on their menu. It has crab, avocado, and tomato smothered in hollandaise sauce. You get to choose your side of fried potatoes or mixed greens. There are a few pieces of fruit on the side too.

Magz really enjoyed the benny and would highly recommend it. She said there was a lot of crab in these bennies.

Chorizo Breakfast Wrap ($11) has scrambled eggs, basil pesto, chorizo and cheddar. I chose to have mixed greens as my side. The salad was pretty good and it had blueberries and cherry tomatoes. The wrap isn’t anything fancy, but the ingredients just go well together. Definitely comfort food that won’t destroy your waistline.

Overall, the food was good, but the wait time did take a while. They definitely need to work on their executing and timing a bit more. Granted, they did warn us it might take a while and a large group put in their order ahead of us. Once the food did arrive, we ate pretty quickly.

We Rate Lily Mae’s:

Address:
12 Powell Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.lilymaes.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=12+Powell+Street+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=12+Powell+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+1E7&z=15 “]

In Downtown

Zac Zac Japanese Curry House: Hidden Gem in Downtown Vancouver

January 14, 2014

Hidden at the back of the H-Mart food court is Zac Zac Japanese Curry. A lot of people don’t realize that there is a mini food court here. Quick and cheap lunch can be found here.

I came here before to order their chicken curry a few years ago, but I always felt like I ordered the wrong item. They have cool varieties of curry from chicken, to beef, to tempura…to even natto beans. Natto beans are equivalent to how some people feel about Durian. It’s fermented beans and they are either loved or hated.

This time around I came here with M for lunch and he ordered me the Katsu Curry.

Katsu Curry ($7.98) it has rice on the bottom topped with a crispy pork and their signature curry sauce. It was really good!

The week after, I came here again with my coworker for lunch to have the same thing. It’s definitely one of my lunch favourites. It’s nothing fancy, but the prices are good and taste great. It’s pretty hard to find good Japanese curry in town.

We Rate Zac Zac Japanese Curry:

Address:
590 Robson St Vancouver

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/zac.zac.japanese.curry.house

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=590+Robson+St+Vancouver&t=m&hnear=590+Robson+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+2B7&z=16″]

In Dessert

Hapa Izakaya: Japanese Tapas on Robson Street

January 13, 2014

Earlier last month a few of my friends and I were dining at the Hapa Izakaya in Coal Harbour. I’ve been to Hapa several times and had no issues, but that particular dining experience was horrible and I felt bad for my friends. I won’t delve into it, but you can read it all on thefoodqueen.ca. We were invited back to any Hapa Izakaya location to have a re-do of our meal.

Hapa Izakaya has a reputation for delicious Japanese food with pretty waitresses according to some of my Toronto friends. I spend more time staring at food than at people. Thats why I spend more time snapping pictures of food than of my friends. Horrible habit, but hopefully that will change one day.

The Robson location is quite large, so there is tons of room to accommodate large groups. We came on a snowy day, so that’s why this place wasn’t packed. No one wants to brave though the snow for some eats. Vancouverites fear snow, no matter how much there is.

Pint of Sapporo is my drink of choice at a Japanese restaurant. It’s light, crisp and refreshing.

Hello Kitty ($7.50) is a cocktail drink made of strawberry puree, calpis, absolut vodka, and soda. It was a fun drink and it did not taste too alcoholic.

Shigoku Oysters ($2.99) was recommended by our waitress and is OceanWise. It is from Washington and flavour profile is salty, mildly sweet with a water chestnut finish. It tasted pretty darn good.

Hapa has a large selection of fresh oysters with 17 different varieties. Very impressed.

Ahi Tuna ($11.99) is OceanWise and is beautifully cut. Yumm.

Sockeye Salmon ($10.99) is also OceanWise and are good cuts.

Beef Tataki ($9.99) is a very popular dish. It is made of lightly seared AAA beef with a sesame-chili sauce. I didn’t like it because of the sauce, I much prefer it with garlic chips and ponzu sauce. Just a personal preference.

Bintoro ($9.99) is made of OceanWise albacore tuna sashimi that is lightly seared. It also has Ponzu Sauce and fried garlic chips. Delicious!

Cho Wagyu ($12.49) is a fun dish. You get a super hot stone and you get to cool your own kobe beef. It comes with garlic ships, green onion and ponzu sauce.

Beef Short Ribs ($12.99) has grilled AAA beef short ribs with an apple-soy marinade. Its really good! The meat is quite tender and very flavourful.

Karaage ($8.99) has fried boneless chicken, and a soy ginger sauce.

Teriyaki Mochi Gnochi ($5.49) comes with 2 pieces on a stick. It’s a deep fried potato gnocchi with a teriyaki glaze.

Spicy Pork Ishi-Yaki ($9.99) has rice, minced pork, garlic sprouts, egg, tomato, lettuce, and spicy miso in a hot stone bowl.

Ebi Mayo ($8.99) has tempura prawns with a spicy mayo sauce. It was ok, but needs more mayo.

Kaki Fry ($9.99) comes with 6 pieces. It is pan-fried sawmill bay oyster, and panko breaded. It comes with tartar sauce.

Gindara ($11.49) has baked OceanWise sablefish in a sake-miso marinade with some veggies on the side. The skin of the sable fish was crispy.

Polenta Fries ($7.99) has polenta tempura, soy-balsamic reduction and arugula gel. All the fries are piles up in a stack like Jenga. It’s a fun dish to share.

Oyster Risotto ($13.99) is a new item on their menu and it is served in a hot stone bowl. It contains rice, oysters, mozzarella, onion, carrot, mushroom, green beans, and a cream miso broth. It was a filling dish and it really good. I love mushrooms and oysters.

Chocolate Parfait ($5.99) is a mishmash of different ingredients. Blueberries, corn flakes, brownies, cake, and chocolate ice cream.

Creme Brulee ($4.99) is topped with fruits and cookies.

Matcha Roll Cake ($5.49) has matcha cream with the match cake. Good for those green tea lovers out there.

The desserts were all pretty comparable.

Overall, if you are looking for some delicious Japanese tapas and some drinks for a girls night out or a date, this is the place to go. But it can get pricey compared to some of the other izakaya restaurants in town.

We rate Hapa Izakaya:

Address:
1479 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://hapaizakaya.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1479+Robson+St+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=1479+Robson+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6G+1C1&z=15 “]

In Fast Food

Starbucks New Caramel Flan Latte

January 12, 2014

Starbucks has turned the traditional custard dessert – Caramel flan into a new drink at all their locations. As the weather is still chilly sometimes we need to huddle inside with a coffee and enjoy the rainy Vancouver weather.

Thats just what KoreanGirl and I did this weekend. We both had a Starbucks reward available to redeem a free drink, so we both decided to try the new Caramel Flan Latte. If we hated it, it wouldn’t be a loss since we used our rewards on it.

The Caramel Flan Latte is composed of espresso, steamed milk and caramel flavours of creamy flan. Topped with caramel-infused whipped cream and caramel flan drizzle.

KoreanGirl ordered it with it’s normal sweetness and said it was way too sweet especially with the caramel flan drizzle. I got mine half sweet and it was much better. There’s definitely a lot of caramel going on here.

I’m still not sold on this drink, so I will still stick to my usual lattes.

If you tried it, what do you think about it?

Website:
http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/espresso/caramel-flan-latte

In Fast Food

McDonald’s Spicy Buffalo Chicken Snack Wrap

January 11, 2014

I needed a quick lunch and what better way to be lazy than go to McDonalds across the street. The weather was also terrible, so I didn’t want to go far for food. It’s been raining non-stop in Vancouver for the past few days and sometimes I just feel like a cat.

McDonalds has a new Spicy Buffalo Chicken Snack Wrap on their menu and probably only available for a limited time.

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Snack Wrap ($1.99) comes with shredded lettuce, chicken breast, monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, and spicy buffalo sauce.

The look of it isn’t impressive and seems carelessly put together. It obviously varies depending on who makes it. I chose the grilled chicken instead of crispy since I find that the chicken in more flavourful and tender.

The taste of the entire wrap isn’t bad. The spicy buffalo sauce reminds me of a milder version of Frank’s Red Hots.

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

In Cafe

Miura Waffle Milk Bar: Relocated to Main Street

January 9, 2014

It’s been a while since my last visit to Miura Waffle and Milk Bar. They were previously located on Davies and Howe, but have now moved to their new location on Main street close to Broadway. They serve made to order sweet and savoury waffle sandwiches.

During lunch, I came with my coworkers to indulge in some savoury sandwiches.

When you enter the restaurant, you have to go up to the counter to order first. The interior isn’t very large but it is still larger than its previous location. Most of the tables are in 2s and 4s, but if you have more people, just combine more tables.

Mango Passion Yoggy Milk was ordered by my coworker and it wasn’t very good. It did not have a substantial amount of texture to it and was runny and thin.

Strawberry Yoggy milk is like a strawberry milkshake but more tangy. This is probably the best out of all their flavours for yoggy milk. The texture was nice and thick like those YOP yogurt drinks.

Bulgogi Sando is their top flavour for savoury sandwiches apparently. It has beef, egg sauce, kimchi & bulgogi sauce in side the waffle. my coworker liked it but it was a tad messy to eat. You eat it like a normal sandwich with no forks or knives.

Hoisin Sando has hoisin pork sausage, cilantro, cucumber, pickled radish & carrot in the waffle. The pickled vegetables reminded Magz of a Bahn Mi sandwich. She liked it so much she came back a few days later.

Wasabi Salmon sando has salmon, lettuce, herbs & wasabi ranch. The wasabi was subtle and doesn’t really make you cry. It’s a nice balance between the salmon and wasabi mayo. It wasn’t too messy to eat and nothing fell out of the sandwich while eating.

One thing that I did notice is that the salmon was baked into the waffle. HOW COOL IS THAT? The reason why the salmon didn’t fall out was that it was there stuck in the waffle batter.

All of the sandwiches come with Deep-fried Nori chips on the side. They are crisp seaweed pieces. It tasted ok, but need a little something extra. I’m not exactly sure what, but it sure needs some improvement.

Overall, they have a really cute concept of waffle sandwiches. The food was alright, but there are a few kinks they need to work out.

We Rate Miura Waffle Milk Bar:

Address:
2521 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.miurawafflemilkbar.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2521+Main+St+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=2521+Main+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T&z=16″]

In Japanese

Aqua Sushi + Organic Juice Bar: New Restaurant in Olympic Village

January 8, 2014

Aqua Sushi + Juice Bar is a new addition to the Olympic Village. They serve up all their sushi with brown rice and all their fresh juice is made to order with the freshest ingredients possible. They also only use wild sockeye salmon instead of the usual salmon you find at other places.

Magz and I came here during lunch to find a nice light and quick lunch.

The place is small and doesn’t have too many seats.

All menu items are $10 or under. Still, the items are pricey since it’s just a roll.

Quench Fresh Pressed Juice ($6) has cucumber, pineapple, coconut water, pear and lime. It was strange how it came out pink with the ingredients, but the juice tasted pretty good. The pineapple really sweetens up the drink.

Spicy Salmon Roll ($5) has crunchy green beans, kale, wild sockeye salmon, spicy sauce, brown rice and sprinkled with sesame seeds. The crunchy texture of the beans and kale really complimented the salmon. I was really surprised! The quality of ingredients is fantastic. Yeah to eating healthy.

Rejuvenate ($6) has carrot, orange, grapefruit, ginger and cayenne.

Aqua Roll ($5.50) has salmon, avocado, mango, green bean, and brown rice. Another great roll that didn’t disappoint. THe mango was perfectly ripe and not sour.

Overall, we were impressed by the rolls and juices. We didn’t have high hopes in the beginning, but when we took the first bite and slip, we liked it. The prices are expensive for what you get compared to other sushi places around town. You’re paying a lot more for quality ingredients. Also, everything here is really healthy, which is good if you are on a diet.

We Rate Aqua Sushi + Juice Bar:

Address:
1764 Manitoba Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://aquajuicebar.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1764+Manitoba+Street+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=1764+Manitoba+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5Y+1H9&z=15 “]

In Gastown

Sushi Den: Bento Boxes in Chinatown/Gastown

January 6, 2014

Sushi Den is a newer Japanese Restaurant on the border of Gastown and Chinatown. It’s located close to Stadium Skytrain and Tinseltown. I came here during lunch with my coworker for something fast. I can see them being popular for take out.

I have come here a few times and I usually get the same bento box.

Nigiri Bento Box ($12) comes with agedashi tofu, salad, assorted tempura, miso soup and 5 pieces of nigiri. The bento box is very large and easily fills me up for lunch.

Miso soup came fairly quickly and tasted good. It had bits of tofu and green onions inside.

There were 5 pieces of nigiri – 1 ebi, 2 tuna and 2 salmon. It tasted fresh good and no problems.

The agedashi tofu is very hot, so you need to wait a bit before eating. When you leave it in the sauce for a while, the skin around the tofu gets very gummy and slimy. Weird texture, but I still liked the tofu inside.

Assorted Tempura was heavily battered and was very crunchy. It stays crunch for a long time and doesn’t get soggy.

Overall, the food is average and in a very good location. The service is not very good. You won’t find anything amazing here, but the prices are fair.

We Rate Sushi Den:

Address:
609 Abbott St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=609+Abbott+St+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=609+Abbott+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B&z=16 “]

In Afternoon Tea

Patisserie Für Elise: Afternoon Tea in Downtown Vancouver

January 5, 2014

Patisserie Für Elise is a pastry shop and tea salon in Downtown Vancouver. It’s quite a cute location since its located in a house instead of a larger building. You know once you lay your eyes on this place, you just are curious to take a peak inside.

I came here with some of my bridesmaids to catch up, since it’s hard to get us together since half of them are on the east coast.

I heard of Patisserie Fur Elise a few years ago at the Vancouver Bakers Market before they opened up their shop. It is great to see the owners dream become reality with their new store.

When you enter, the first floor is their retail space with a few pastries, teas and little trinkets to buy.

There’s macarons on the left and pastries on the left.

There’s tea sets too.

On the second floor, the tea salon is located there. There’s one main room and another room in the back.

They do all their baking on the first floor in the kitchen and they set up all the tea sets in this area.

It costs $30 per person for a 2 hour seating and you get the following:

Your selection of tea
a layer of savory items
scones
Chef’s choice starter
a layer of sweet items

The items do vary, so its hard to say what exactly you get since they like to switch it up. I found the items listed on their website to be less accurate. The menu that you get here is pretty accurate.

On the right page, you have all the teas to choose from.

Shortly after, our tea sets arrived.

A little while later, out pots arrived. You get a little timer and you can wait for the time to count down.

You have a bird to strain out the tea leaves. You pour your tea through this, but we found that some tea leaves did not get caught.

I ordered China Jasmine Premium tea and I found that it needed more than a minute to steep. My other friends got the Blue Earl Grey tea and they didn’t need to steep for very long, unless you want it strong.

Our settings didn’t come with milk and sugar, so we had to ask them for it. Usually it comes with it already on the table, but we found this strange.

After about 40 minutes since we got here, we got our tea set. It seemed a bit long for them to put it together especially when are can only have a 2 hour seating. Nonetheless, we dug in and chatted about life.

Chef’s Choice starter is a blueberry panna cotta it was really good! The panna cotta had a lot of yummy vanilla beans and the blueberry compote on top just paired perfectly. There is also a little gold leaf on top.

We began with the bottom layer of scones and savouries.

Prosciutto brie and fresh basil sandwich
Cucumber dill finger sandwich
Asparagus and mushroom quiche
Scone with cheddar and pancetta
Scone with almond streusel

Cucumber dill finger sandwich was simple but very good. The position on the cucumber threw us off, so we just moved it to the other side and began eating away. I really liked the creaminess of the center.

Asparagus and mushroom quiche was a tad small, so it was hard to really taste the depth of flavour.

Prosciutto, brie and fresh basil croissant sandwich was my weakness. I can’t resist prosciutto and brie. The croissant wasn’t crunchy, but it was a bit limp. It would be nice if it had more of a crunch to it.

Scone with Almond Strusel is best with their housemade jam. We asked them for some clotted cream and it makes the scone much enjoyable.

Scone with cheddar and pancetta was good. Every time I bite into some pancetta, I would be in heaven. I really like meat.

Next, we devoured into the sweet tier.

Maple Pecan Daisy Tartlet
Tiramisu
Mini Fur Elise
Honey madeleine
Macaron

Maple Pecan Daisy Tartlet was very cute and not too sweet. The texture of the pecan with the maple was nice.

Tiramisu was bit size and had some chocolate balls on top.

Mini Fur Elise was like a strawberry mousse. It was really good and hidden inside is a slice of strawberry. Good flavours and this was my favourite dessert.

Honey madeleine was topped with powdered sugar. My friends liked it, but I didn’t really enjoy it.

The macarons were were tough and chewy. They looked pretty, but no one liked them. Very disappointing since we were looking forward to devouring these.

Some of us couldn’t finish, so they gave us boxes to pack up our goodies. We wanted to pack our items ourselves since we knew the service would take a while to help us pack it. Even when we asked for the boxes, it took them a while to get them too.

Overall, the ambiance is very nice and perfect for high tea or any special occasion. The food items included in the afternoon tea was decent and will fill you up. Unfortunately, the service was slow was annoying. There is definitely room for improvement.

We Rate Patisserie Für Elise:

Address:
847 Hamilton street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.patisseriefurelise.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=847+Hamilton+street+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=847+Hamilton+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B&z=15″]

In Cafe

Les Faux Bourgeois: French Cuisine in Vancouver

January 3, 2014

Les Faux Bourgeois has been on my list of places to eat for a long time. I just never had the right group or occasion to come here. MedicalGiraffe brought together a few of my friends for an intimate engagement party. Just the right occasion right? We made a reservation for 9 and was just 1 person shy of trying their prix fixe menu for 10. This worked out fine since not everyone was very hungry. The only time available was 5pm, so that explains why we were not hankering for lots of food.

Les Faux Bourgeois is a French restaurant, I suppose you can guess that by their name. They have had rave reviews and have won many awards over the past few years.

We were not seated in the bistro area, but we were seated in their cafe area. It was definitely intimate and we took up most of the space except for the bar seating and a table for 2.

Complimentary Bread arrived at the table with some butter. It wasn’t heated up, so it was cold and boring.

I enjoyed my dinner with a beer. Their wine menu has a good selection, but their beers are quite limited.

Escargots de Bourgogne ($9) are snails. Thats right, SNAILS. They aren’t that scary, but they have a chewy texture and drowned in the garlic butter/parsley combo.

Ris de Veau ($12) has seared sweetbreads, rémoulade, watercress and pickles. Just so you know, sweetbreads are glands of a lamb. No carbs here.

Soupe a l’oignon grantinee ($9) has caramelized onions, smoked bacon, Gruyère, and Mozzarella. I think I was anticipating this dish way too much and it just tasted ok. M said it was ok too, but he still prefers the french onion soup at Chez Meme Baguette Bistro.

Pleurotes ($17) has grilled oyster mushrooms, parsnip purée, brussels sprouts, squash, kale, hazelnuts, and brown butter. MedicalGiraffe likes this dish and it was sure yummy.

It was a perfect mesh of winter vegetables. Squash was soft and sweet, brussel sprouts crispy, kale still had their crunch and mushrooms were delectable.

All the flavours blended together well while still maintaining their own texture and taste

Moules Marinieres ($17) or best known as mussels and fries. The mussels are cooked in a white wine, garlic and parsley sauce. The pommes frites are on the side and you can dip them into the aioli sauce or into the broth.

The mussels were quite large and absorbed the delicious sauce but Chambar still knocks the socks off mussels and fries.

Queue de Boeuf ($19) has braised oxtail ragout, king oyster mushrooms, kale, carrot, pommes purée, and crispy leeks.

Le Steak Frites ($19) has Hanger steak served with fries. M chose to have his rare and it came out perfect. He chose to have the green peppercorn cream sauce and he likes it. You get half a plate of meat and other other half of the plate is piled with fries. If you aren’t into fries, you can swap it out for salad.

Filet De Boeuf Grille ($23) has tenderloin with potato gratin and glazed vegetables. You can have your choice of sauce – red wine shallot jus, herb butter or green peppercorn cream sauce.

Overall, we had a good time at Les Faux Bourgeois some of the food was a hit or a miss, but most were average. French food isn’t my favourite cuisine, but it takes a certain type of person to appreciate French cuisine.

We Rate Les Faux Bourgeois:

Address:
663 E 15th Ave
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.lesfauxbourgeois.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=663+E+15th+Ave+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=663+E+15th+Ave,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+2R6&z=16″]

In Chinese

Taste Good Wonton Seafood Restaurant 豐澤樓: Holiday Dinner

January 1, 2014

It was the holidays and the family gathered for some yummy dinner. My sister chose to go to Taste Good Wonton Seafood Restaurant on Marine Drive. We made many jokes about their name since what if it doesn’t “taste good”.

There is ample parking right outside, but if all the spots are taken, there are some spots on the street. The interior has space for large groups and ideal for hosting. We went on a Saturday and there wasn’t too many people, but we still made reservations ahead of time.

Deep Fried Tofu is always a delight to devour. The smooth soft tofu inside is piping hot and the outside is very crisp and crunchy. A lovely combination of textures that match perfectly. Highly Recommended.

Sauteed Prawns with a satay sauce and green onions. Another ok dish. What I didn’t like about these types of dishes is how you had to peel off the shell before eating. Sometimes I get lazy and eat it with the shells. The shells are edible but some people don’t prefer it.

Fresh daily fish with seasonal vegetables. When we were ordering, they basically up sold us since we wanted some other fish dish, but they informed us the other dish is made from frozen fish.

The dish tasted fine and fresh. Nothing amazing or anything.

Deep Fried Crispy Chicken with Sticky Rice

It was a very interesting dish with layers of sticky rice and crispy chicken on top. I thought it was alright, but was a unique dish. Even the chicken wing is boneless and stuffed with the rice.

You need to order this dish ahead of time when you make a reservation. You won’t be able to get it if you don’t reserve.

The way my family described this dish was like chicken and rice nigiri. It does have the resemblance, but no Japanese influence at all.

Beef Brisket Hot Pot has lots of large chunks of the beef brisket. It wasn’t like the usual hot pot I was expecting, but it was a nice addition to the meal. I didn’t really drink the soup since it was a but salty.

This was some fish dish with tofu and vegetables. I can’t remember the name of this dish, but it tasted alright.

Red Bean Soup is always the classic item that ends off any Chinese meal. It had a thick consistency with hints of orange.

Overall, the place was alright and had a wide variety of dishes to chose from. My parents liked this place and the prices aren’t bad at all.

We Rate Taste Good Wonton Seafood Restaurant 豐澤樓:

Address:
620 SE Marine Drive
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=620+SE+Marine+Drive+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=620+SE+Marine+Dr,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5X+2T4&z=16 “]

In Brunch

Twisted Fork Bistro: Eggs, Eggs, Eggs

December 31, 2013

It’s been 3 years since I first visited Twisted Fork. Times have certainly changed and they now have an electronic system to handle people waiting in line. You put your name and number down and they will text you when you are 2nd on the list. Very handy if you don’t want to spend time waiting outside the door. If you want to cancel, you just text them a number and you’ll be removed for the list.

MedicalGiraffe and I waited for a table for over an hour. Saturdays are definitely busy and there were over 10 tables in front of us! We went to a nearby Starbucks to wait it out. An hour wait is quite crazy, but we were crazy enough to wait.

We got seated in a booth and it was definitely roomy. We think it was intended to seat 4 or 5 people.

We had a good view of their kitchen. Their staff are definitely working hard to pump out all those dishes for hungry customers. Our stomaches were growling too, so we promptly ordered. We avoided the eggs benny since I had that last time. Might as well explore their other options on their menu.

Well Done Gruyere Baked Eggs ($13.50) with sourdough bread, bacon, tomato, rosti and instead of baked beans we substituted for sauteed spinach. The eggs were definitely well-done and a bit tough. MedicalGiraffe thought the dish was ok, but wasn’t worth the 1 hour wait.

Honey Lager Sausage Frittata ($13.50) is filled with stewed tomatoes, roasted squash, caramelized onions, brie and fresh basil. It is also served with sweet corn relish and fresh greens.

This visit was definitely average. If you want a good brunch, definitely stick with the eggs benny. Also, come early to put your name down and then come back a bit later.

We rate Twisted Fork Bistro:

Address:
1147 Granville St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.twistedforkbistro.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1147+Granville+St+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=1147+Granville+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6Z+1L8&z=16 “]

In Japanese

Hi Genki: Pork Katsu Curry and Bento Boxes

December 30, 2013

M and I came here a few years ago and loved their food, so we are back and ready to chow down on more food here.

Hi Genki is inside the Nikkei Home near Middlegate Mall on Kingsway. It’s an assisted living home for seniors. Of all places, I would not have expected a Japanese restaurant would be inside here. Hi Genki is owned by Fujiya and operated within the Nikkei Home. They sell traditional Japanese food to the public as well as their senior residences.

We arrived at 6:15pm right when they open and there was already a line up forming.

Soon after, this place was packed and there was a line up. There were tons of families here with their kids.

Deluxe Genki Box ($12.50) has 5 pieces of salmon sashimi, assorted tempura, chicken teriyaki, rice and miso soup. It had a little bit of everything on the menu. Thats why I chose this item. I ordered this last time too and it’s still quite decent. It is a good dinner size, so you will get full.

Pork Katsu Curry ($9.50) has a bed of rice, deep fried pork katsu topped with the delicious curry sauce. There is also egg and salad on the side. The curry had a lot of potatoes, onions and carrots in it. The portion was quite large too.

Overall the price was fair and the food was good. They give you large portions, so you don’t be disappointed.

We Rate Hi Genki:

Address:
6680 Southoaks Cres
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.fujiya.ca/aboutFujiya/hiGenkiRestaurant.asp

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=6680+Southoaks+Cres+Burnaby,+BC&t=m&hnear=6680+Southoaks+Crescent,+Burnaby,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5E&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Tealips Bubble Tea & Coffee: Waffle and Shaved Ice

December 29, 2013

Finding good dessert in Burnaby is tough! A few months ago, I came here and I was hooked! Good waffles and dessert is in Burnaby. We drove from Coquitlam just to get some yummy waffles. They are open quite late, so it a perfect place to chat with friends or study.

Tealips Bubble Tea & Coffee is located in South Burnaby behind Highgate Mall. There is parking out front, but if it’s a busy time, it would be best to park at Highgate and then walk a short distance up.

Double Brussels Waffles Combo comes with two crispy brussels waffles, fresh strawberries, banana, kiwi, powdered sugar, syrup, and whipped cream. Scarface added a side of condensed milk, but they don’t give you very much.

Double Liege Combo comes with 2 liege waffle with different toppings. It looks good and tastes good too.

Matcha Shaved Ice has fresh fruit, red beans, ice cream, mochi, condensed milk, and nuts.

It’s really big, so you definitely want to share with a friend or two. Its good to ask for a hot beverage to do with this drink or else you will be very cold. I tried eating this all by myself and I failed. I only finished about 1/3 of it.

Tealips is now my go to place when I want dessert that is close to home.

We Rate Tealips:

Address:
7139 Arcola Way
Burnaby, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=7139+Arcola+Way+Burnaby,+BC&t=m&hnear=Arcola+Way,+Burnaby,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5E+2V1&z=17 “]