Seafood Archives - Page 7 of 14

In Chinese

Imperial Court Beijing Cuisine: Dinner in Richmond

February 22, 2014

Imperial Court ( 王府井京川粵名菜) is located in Richmond and they serve up Beijing and Szechuan cuisine. My mom found this place in the newspaper and heard it was a good place for peking duck. M really wanted some good peking duck. We made reservations and headed down here for dinner.

This place has lots of large round tables perfect for large groups. It’s a popular place for King Crab but it wasn’t the peak King Crab season yet, so we opted for a 10 person set menu for the 8 of us.

The first item that arrived are the cold appetizers. It has bean curd, jelly fish, cucumbers, tomato, and pork.

The next dish that arrived is the fish maw and egg soup. The big bowl of soup is poured into individual bowls.

I thought the soup was good. M didn’t know what the soup was until we told him that fish maw was actually fish stomach. He was quite afraid to eat it. Mind over matter right? I thought the fish maw was quite tasteless and it’s the broth of the soup that brings out the flavour.

Peking duck arrived with and the slices were quite think with not a lot of meat. The wrappers that came with it was tasteless and thick. The duck is supposed to feed 10 people, but we felt it was very small. My parents tried requesting to take the duck bones home but they said we were not allowed to. Some people actually request it to bring it back home to make soup. We thought it was a bit weird how they said no.

There are shrimp chips underneath.

Duck lettuce wrap is what they made with the remainder of the duck. The duck and vegetable stir fry sits on top of the fried noodles.

Hainanese chicken was the next dish. The skin has its classic yellow shade. It tasted ok, but the meat was a bit dry and the skin was gummy. It was alright, but not very impressed.

Steamed flat fish was the next dish and it was very moist and delicious. The bones came off easily and wasn’t too hard to pick out.

2 Lobsters arrived on the plate but they were also quite small. It was cut up into bite size pieces and cooked in a white sauce. The meat was quite tough and surprisingly hard to get out of the shells.

Fried rice came in a huge plate and was not bad. Not too oily.

Vegetables and mushrooms was a good compliment to the set meal. Very delicious.

Red Bean Soup was the last item to arrive. It’s quite common for Chinese restaurants to have this at the end. It wasn’t as thick as other restaurants, it was very watery.

Hello Kitty Mango Pudding was a very cute item to order, but it lacked in the mango flavour. It was more like jello.

Overall, this place was below average and there are so many other Chinese restaurants in the area that are better. None of use were really impressed by any of their dishes. Felt very climactic as the dinner went on.

We Rate Imperial Court Beijing Cuisine:

Address:
6360 #3 Rd
Richmond, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=6360+No+3+Rd&sll=49.1671258,-123.1363797&sspn=0.0053876,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=6360+No+3+Rd,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6Y+2B3&z=16 “]

In Dineout

Dine Out Vancouver: Oru at Fairmont Pacific Rim

February 8, 2014

The last Dine Out I did this year was at Oru at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Downtown Vancouver. They were offering a $38 3-course meal. It seemed reasonable and their menu had lobster. When I was looking for a place for my family, I had my eye on a place with great ambiance and West Coast food. Oru seemed perfect and the menu sounded yummy.

I would not normally come here unless it was a special occasion as it is quite pricey on a regular night.

The interior was beautiful and if you get seated in a nice spot, you might even get a good view of the Convention Centre or the Olympic Cauldron.

We were seated near the kitchen, so we could watch their every move.

I would stare and see when our dishes would be coming. They put a lot of effort into those dishes and its fun to see them be prepared and plated.

Complimentary bread arrives at the table with butter. We had olive bread and I think whole wheat. Both were very light and airy, so it was enjoyable.

While we waited for our food, we saw that the drink menus were on an iPad. Pretty cool because you can see what drinks they have and what they look like.

Strawberry Rhubarb Soda (right) has elderflower, strawberry purée, yuzu, and rhubarb bitters. My little sister loved it. It was bubbly and refreshing. This drink was the best out of all of them.

Raspberry Iced Tea (left) hasvearl grey tea, homemade raspberry syrup, and lemon juice.

Shirley Temple (centre) is made with ginger ale and grenadine syrup.

All mocktails were $8.50. Quite pricey and more expensive than beer.

Oru Winter Salad has kale, roasted squash, lime, pumpkin seeds with a chipotle caesar dressing. It tasted great and not overpowered by the dressing. A filling item for the first course.

Pork Belly dish has lotus root poi, baby bok choy, crispy sage, pineapple-maple and mustard glaze. The pork belly was crispy on the outside which made it extra enjoyable. It’s a small appetizer, but bacon lovers will enjoy this dish.

Roasted Sunchoke “Mocha” has a sunchoke veloute, truffled milk foam and a morel cocoa powder. It was a good portion side and filled my sister up. The texture was very smooth and great for the cold weather.

Cape Breton Lobster has a paprika lime butter sauce with a bed of warm brussel sprouts and chorizo salad. This dish was amazing! Every last bite of this dish was enjoyed. The brussel sprouts were highly addictive and everyone at the table just had to have a bite. The lobster wasn’t very large, but it was cooked perfectly and the flavour of the sauce really enhanced it.

Angus Reserve Short Rib is topped with a mole sauce and has a bed of guajilo spiced mashed potato, black bean, corn, and zucchini succotash. The meat is tender and fell apart nicely.

Malted Peanut Butter and Beer Nut Bar consists of chocolate ganache, peanut butter mousse, salted caramel peanuts, and a malted milk ice cream. The bar was very rich and sweet. We couldn’t finish the whole thing.

Local cheeses is what my little sister ordered. It has natural Pastures aged farmhouse cheddar, black pepper verdelait, Golden Ears Cheeseworks brie. You also get crisps and quince mostarda on the plate. It’s great for cheese lovers and a nice way to taste unique cheeses.

Strawberry Shortcake ‘Millefeuille’ has strawberry compote, sweet puff pastry, diplomat cream and lemon curd. Good contrast of flavours that blend together nicely.

When you leave, take a stop by the Lobby Lounge if there is a live Orchestra. The music is really amazing!

The dineout was well worth $38 per person for the 3 courses. My family enjoyed the food, ambiance and service. In the future, definitely check out the menu to see whats on it. If you spot a protein that you will enjoy, you won’t be disappointed. We were eyeing the lobster and it was so worth it.

We Rate Oru:

Address:
1038 Canada Pl
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.orucuisine.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1038+Canada+Pl&sll=49.2884512,-123.1167542&sspn=0.0053744,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1038+Canada+Pl,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6C&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 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 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 Japanese

Charcoal Sushi & BBQ Restaurant: Lunch Specials

December 28, 2013

Charcoal Sushi & BBQ Restaurant is on No. 3 Road and Westminster Hwy. My coworker and I stopped by for lunch on the way back to Vancouver. The place looked pretty good and there was a lot of people during noon.

The tables inside have built-in grills, but no one was using it. Perhaps it’s more popular at night.

Their lunch combo is $9.75 and you choose one item from the A menu and another from the B menu.

If you look carefully, you can find some good items and not just rolls.

Miso soup comes with the combos. Nothing special, just the usual stuff.

Assorted Maki Combo ($7.50) has Salmon and Tuna Maki with California Rolls. Definitely filling and they didn’t skimp on the salmon and tuna in the maki rolls.

For my combo, I ordered the Mini Charashi Don. It wasn’t bad considering the original price of this dish is around the same price as the combo. Pretty decent size too.

Deep Fried Gyoza was the second part of the combo. Comes with 4 pieces.

Overall, the price during lunch is pretty good and the quality was good. I would definitely come back again. Service was quick and the servers seemed nice.

We Rate Charcoal Sushi & BBQ Restaurant :

Address:
250-7997 Westminster Highway
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.charcoalrestaurant.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=250-7997+Westminster+Highway+Richmond,+BC&t=m&hnear=7997+Westminster+Hwy,+Richmond,+British+Columbia+V6X+2E3&z=16 “]

In Downtown

Tableau Bar Bistro: French Inspired Cuisine

December 18, 2013

Tableau Bar Bistro has been on my to-eat list for a long time. This year, the girls and I decided to have our Christmas dinner here. It was close to TaiwaneseGirl’s place and the menu looked great. They serve up French-inspired cuisine to pair with our beautiful West Coast seafood and ingredients.

We made reservations online just in case the place was packed for the holiday season. Sure enough, all the tables were filled up.

The bistro is quite cute and even our waiter had a French accent. For tables are a bit cramped together and seating is tight. For our party of 7, it was a bit hard to wriggle around.

Complimentary Bread and butter arrives at the table. We didn’t get enough for everyone at the table, so we asked our server for more bread.

Steak Tartare ($14) is topped with a quail egg and has a side of pomme gaufrette. Wow, this appetizer was full of flavour and just awesome. Highly recommended. This makes me want to never be a vegetarian.

Mushrooms on Toast ($12) has creamy mushrooms on top of brioche. Another amazing appetizer! The crispiness of the brioche bread paired with the mushrooms.

Roasted Duck Breast ($25) has orrechiette pasta & duck confit ragout on top.

Moules Frites ($20) was ok. The Tomato creamy sauce with tomatoes and onions was a tad salty but it didn’t have a good depth of flavour to it. The fries were not very crispy and was more soft that I would have liked it.

I would still prefer going to Chambar for mussels and fries.

Braised short ribs ($22) is their Saturday special and it comes with seasonal vegetables. It was really good. The meat was tender, flavourful and definitely enjoyable.

Scallops ($22) has leek and herb risotto. It was good but a bit small in size. It seemed like more of an appetizer portion.

Steelhead trout ($18) comes with a bed of quinoa & almond and a lemon brown butter sauce. The skin is very crispy and the quinoa was a nice touch.

Overall, the appetizers we chose blew our minds! The prices are fair for the type of food and its located Downtown. It’s a cute place and has pretty good seafood.

We Rate Tableau Bistro Bar:

Address:
1181 Melville St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://tableaubarbistro.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1181+Melville+St+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=1181+Melville+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6E&z=11 “]

In BBQ

Chengdu Szechuan Bistro 成都美食: Drool For Peking Duck

November 26, 2013

Chengdu Szechuan Bistro is located close to the corner of Robson and Denman street and have been around for a little bit over a year now. They specialize in fusion Chinese Szechuan cuisine. It’s a family run restaurant and Executive Chef Henry has over 20 years of cooking experience from Hong Kong and Canada.

I came here with a few friends to check it out and we heard they have peking duck, so it peaked our attention.

The interior isn’t too large but it has a row of booths, some bar seats, and some tables near the front. It has a lounge feel to this place as there is a large bar.

Peking Duck with 12 crepes is served with green onions, cucumber, and hoisin sauce. On top of the duck are prawn chips. The duck and the crepes are all made in-house. This is their signature dish.

The skin is nice and crispy with a good layer of meat underneath. Probably one of the best quality peking ducks around town. It wasn’t too fatty either. Super moist and yummy.

You take a little bit of everything and wrap it in the crepe. It’s really good. Highly recommended!!

The second part of the peking duck meal is the lettuce wraps. The rest of the duck meat and stir fries it. On the side, there are 6 lettuce wraps for you to put to ingredients into.

Just roll it up and begin munching away. Delicious! We definitely needed more lettuce wraps since 6 were not enough.

The perfect things to pair with the peking duck is with beer! I ordered a bottle of Tsingtao beer. Asian beer with asian food is a good mix.

Chengdu Special Fried Rice ($12) has house special fried rice with shrimp, chinese sausage, onions, jalapeño, broccoli stem in a spicy Szechuan style. This fried rice was definitely spicy with the jalapeño and Szechuan sauce. It’s finally good to see a fried rice that can pack some heat. If you like spicy food, you’ll like the rice.

Ginger Beef ($11) has crunchy beef in spicy ginger kung pao sauce with onions, carrots and fresh ginger. It’s one of their signature dishes and quite popular amongst guests. The dish was decent.

Mapo Tofu ($9) has soft tofu, spicy ground pork, shrimp, onions, chinese mushrooms and water chestnut.

Szechuan Pan Fried Prawns ($12) has pan-fried prawns in spicy garlic pepper oil. We table had mixed review on this item. Some said it was too salty, but some loved how it had a strong garlic flavour.

Szechuan Green Beans ($8) has long green bean tossed in a spicy Szechuan sauce with ground pork and preserved vegetables. This was really good. A bit oily, but good flavours.

Pumpkin & Red Bean Sticky Rice Cake Ice Cream ($6) nice sweet end to the meal. Its sticky, chewy and a bit sweet. It goes well with the ice cream.

Deep Fried Banana With Ice Cream ($6) has a honey glaze around the battered bananas. A fun dish to share.

Of course there is a fortune cookie. Did you know it’s actually an American invention?

The peking duck dishes are pretty awesome here and would recommend it to anyone. I found the other dishes to be quite average and is a bit more expansive compared to other restaurants.

If you are tired of ramen in the area, definitely come here and try their peking duck. You won’t regret it. Yum.

We Rate Chengdu Szechuan Bistro:

Address:
792 Denman St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.chengdubistro.ca

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

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=792+Denman+St+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=792+Denman+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6G+2L5&z=16 “]

In Japanese

Big Room Sushi House 대방횟집: Sashimi Feast in Seoul

November 22, 2013

When we arrived in Seoul for the last few days of our trip in South Korea, M’s relatives took us to Big Room Sushi House (대방횟집 dae bang hwe jip). I clearly had no idea where I was going, so having them lead me to food is just great.

We got a set meal that came with SO MANY dishes. It was about 20,000 won or 30,000 won per person. It’s a pretty good price since we did get so much food.

When we sat down, there were a few sauces, quail eggs, edamame, and veggies for us to nibble on before the rest of the meal came.

Assorted sashimi

You won’t find any of the normal stuff here. There was abalone and a bunch of other fish I could not identify. Everything was fresh and tasted great.

Roasted ginko beans are great to munch on.

Raw Oysters was all eaten up by me. I like ousters in all shapes and forms.

Sea Squirt Sashimi tasted like the ocean. Not my favourite seafood by a long shot, but it was alright.

Shrimp tempura was deliciously crunchy and light.

Grilled Prawn were a tad dry and there is a hidden skewer that goes through them, so you have to make sure you don’t eat that. Take it out before you eat it.

Grilled Mackerel has little bones inside, so its quite hard to eat if you aren’t good at picking the little bones out.

Vegetable pancake was good! Very simple but satisfying.

Hot spicy soup was really good and had lots of flavour. If you aren’t into spicy food, they can make it non-spicy too.

Cucumber roll with some fish eggs are poorly put together, but tasted fine.

Kyoho Grape also know as slip skin grapes are very unique and very different than the type of grapes we have in North America. You just put the opening of the grape against your lips and then use your fingers to push the flesh out. It’s a pretty weird process and no one eats the skins.

The flesh of the grape is like jelly, but there are some seeds inside. You just easily spit them out and start on the next grape.

Overall, a pretty good place for a feast. It’s close to the station and has some cool shops near by. I would definitely call ahead to make a reservation so they have everything prepared before you arrive.

We Rate Big Room Sushi House:

Address:
349-3
Sindaebang 2(i)-dong
Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=%EB%8C%80%EB%B0%A9%ED%9A%9F%EC%A7%91&ie=UTF8&ll=37.497776,126.928353&spn=0.020054,0.041885&t=m&hq=%EB%8C%80%EB%B0%A9%ED%9A%9F%EC%A7%91&radius=15000&z=15″]

In Busan

Jagalchi Market (자갈치시장): Korea’s Largest Seafood Market

November 11, 2013

One of the attractions in Busan is the Jagalchi Market, which is Korea’s largest seafood market. It attracts lots of locals and tourists everyday. If you’re coming here, its best to bring a friend who knows Korean if you’re buying something. It just makes it a bit easier.

You know you’re in the right area when the air smells a bit fishy.

Outside the market building, there are tons of restaurants, and seafood shops. The most common restaurant near the main road are BBQ eel restaurants. There are so many, you can’t go wrong.

Inside the big Jagalchi Market, the first floor is the fish market and the second floor are the restaurants.

We came here just to look at the different produce. We didn’t have an intention to buy anything as we just had lunch before coming here. It’s pretty cool seeing all the different kinds of seafood in the baskets squirming and flopping around.

To me, it was going to an aquarium and seeing the animals up close.

So many kinds of shrimp.

If you wander around the coast, you can get some nice views of Busan.

More views.

Outside the market, there are even more vendors selling all types of seafood.

Clams, mussels, geoduck and so many other things.

There is dried fish too.

The streets were very busy and crowded. It’s not a place for everyone. If you can’t stand the smell of fish and crowds, this place might not be for you.

We walked around for about 30 minutes looking at all the seafood, but the only fish that we bought was boonguhbbang (gold fish bread). It is a waffle stuffed with red bean and shaped like a fish. You can find it on the street corners and costs about 1,000 won. It’s especially good when it is freshly made and not sitting around.

If you have some spare time in Busan, definitely stroll through this area and perhaps stop by for lunch or dinner. Even if you plan on not buying anything here, its still a great experience seeing something different.

Address:
B37-1, Nampodong 4-ga, Jung-gu, Busan-si
부산광역시 중구 자갈치해안로 52 (남포동4가)

Website: http://www.bsjunggu.go.kr/eng/main.php

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?t=m&cid=0x47b390376ab3b06d&z=16&iwloc=A”]

In Canadian

MoMA Contemporary Bistro: New Restaurant in Richmond

October 13, 2013

My mom scouted out a restaurant before my radar was on it. Where does my mother get this information? Apparently the Chinese radio station.

We decided to dine at MoMa Contemporary Bistro with the family. It’s on Cambie road close to Garden City Road. When I first heard the name of this restaurant, I immediately thought about the Moma in New York. It’s really just a combination of the Chef’s names – Chef Henry Mok and Chef Xin Mao.

The interior is very clean and modern compared to all the other restaurants in Richmond.

It has a bit of a hipster-feel with the mason jar candles.

Complimentary Bread arrives at the table with a curried chickpea dip.

Steamed Clams ($14) comes in a sake-miso broth with wakame. The clams were plump and juicy, plus the broth was pretty delicious. We used the bread and dipped it in the remaining sauce.

Prawn Fritter ($13) is enrobed in a sake butter with togorashi aioli sauce. The seaweed bits on top made it extra yummy.

Albacore Tuna Flatbread ($14) has nori, radish, and a house-made scallion flatbread. This dish was ok, but I felt the first 2 appetizer dishes were better.

10oz Grilled Angus Rib Eye ($33) has potato fondant, chimichurri sauce, and a black pepper jelly. My sister loved the tender medium rare of the rib eye, but felt the black pepper sauce to be a bit overpowering and salty.

Crispy Pork Belly ($22) has a base of the taro root puree, mostarda, soy beans and a natural jus. This dish was a bit heavy, but the pork belly just melts in your mouth.

24 hours braised lamb pappardelle ($21) has peas, ricotta cheese, and shredded mint.

Rainbow Trout

Maple and Mascapone Cheesecake ($8) has a kumquat coulis and compressed fruit. SO good! Highly recommended!

Overall, it’s nice to see a contemporary bistro in Richmond. It’s unique in the area and offer some tasty eats. Some of the dishes need a bit of tweaking, but overall a pretty good place to go to if you’re tired of all the restaurants in Richmond.

We Rate MoMa Contemporary Bistro:

Address:
8580 Cambie Rd
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.momabistro.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=8580+Cambie+Rd+Richmond,+BC&t=m&hnear=8580+Cambie+Rd,+Richmond,+British+Columbia+V6X+4J8&z=16″]

In Canadian

Earls Kitchen + Bar: Lets Get Cracking

September 30, 2013

The Lobster Event is back at Earls on October 3, 4, and 5th, 2013. It’s a celebration of all things East Coast and apparently the birthday of Alexander Keith (Yes, that beer brand). They fly in 15,000 Nova Scotia lobsters for the 3 day event. It’s been going on for the past 11 years.

For $25, you get a whole steamed 1½ pound Atlantic lobster served up with prawns, grilled corn cob, fingerling potatoes, a brioche bun and chardonnay butter for dipping.

For an additional $5, you get a huge ice cold pint of Alexander Keith Hop Series Ale.

The best part about eating lobster is really the bib. Come on, every adult likes to reminisce about their childhood and get messy. Take all your rings off and get messy. Especially if you are certified in hand to claw combat, you can tackle this meal.

This is my favourite tool! You’ll need it to help you crack those big claws. The chef pre cracks the tail and the claws but there is still some work that needs to be done to get the flesh out. I wish I took more photos of the meal, but my hands were covered in butter and meat.

Throw all the shells away! This saying is quite true.

Sometimes you really need a wet nap at the end of the meal or run off to the washroom to wash your hands.

The meal was delicious and the amount was just right. You definitely want to make reservations ahead of time since they have limited quantities at all their locations. Happy cracking.

Address:
1095 Mainland St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.earls.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1095+Mainland+St+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=1095+Mainland+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+1A9&z=16 “]

In American

GT Fish & Oyster: Amazing Seafood in Chicago

September 28, 2013

GT Fish & Oyster is an awesome restaurant in Chicago. I was looking hard for a good seafood restaurant and I was recommended to this restaurant. It has received a Michelin Star and several other awards.

They are an American Seafood Restaurant a few blocks away from the Magnificent Mile. It’s not a long walk and easy to get to. They have indoor or patio seating. Lots of space.

We came in the early evening for some quick bites. It’s a nice cozy restaurant.

GT Oyster Shooter ($5) has tuna, cucumber, and tobiko caviar. It’s super cute and comes served in a martini glass. The ingredients really go together. I really wanted more!

Shrimp Bruschetta ($11) has avocado, toasted pistachio, grapefruit, and cilantro. It was really good! Seafood is fresh and quite flavourful. The ingredients really compliment the seafood.

Fish Tacos ($13) has a garlic marinade, chipotle aioli, and chicharron. It comes with 3 pieces and it mighty fresh and delicious.

Oyster Po’Boy Slider ($4 each) has the fried oyster withkimchi, peanuts inside a toasted buttered bun. I love kimchi, so having it in this way was really good too.

GT “Mac & Cheese” ($17) has bits of lobster and english peas. It’s a filling dish and one of the heavier dishes on the menu. It’s creamy and cheesy, but it fell a bit flat.

Overall, BaguetteGirl and I had a great experience here. The food was delicious and I would come back. Some items are a bit pricey, but it’s still a nice venue for drinks and small bites.

We Rate GT Fish & Oyster:

Address:
531 N. Wells St.
Chicago, IL

Website:
http://www.gtoyster.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=531+N.+Wells+St.+Chicago,+IL&t=m&hnear=531+N+Wells+St,+Chicago,+Illinois+60654,+United+States&z=16″]

In Downtown

Ten Ten Tapas: West Coast Tapas

August 27, 2013

Ten Ten Tapas is a new restaurant in Downtown on Beach Avenue right below the Burrard street bridge. They specialize in West Coast Tapas made by Executive Chef Nourdine Majdoubi.

If you are sitting on the patio, you can view false creek, the Granville Street bridge, Granville Island, and lots of boats.

They also have indoor seating, which looks much nicer than the furniture on the patio. But, with the nice Summer and heat, we opted to sit on the patio to enjoy the nice weather while it lasts.

While having a variety of tapas, alcohol is needed to really relax after work. For Cruzpresso, he enjoys relaxing with a nice glass of white wine.

M and Scarface settled for Hoegaarden as it is light and has a nice citrus aftertaste.

I am a fanatic for Japanese beer, so I got Sapporo. It’s light and crispy, which goes will with some tapas. With all our drink set, it’s time to dig in.

As I was invited by the restaurant to dine here, portion-sizes may not be exactly the same as depicted in the images.

Duo of Hummus and Guacamole served with baked pita bread. The hummus was amazing with the right amount of garlic. As for the guacamole, we really wanted to like it, but it fell a bit flat. It was hard to figure out what it was but perhaps it was some salt or more acidity.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls is packed with onions, cabbage, tofu, bean sprouts and mushrooms and served with a sweet chilli and plum sauce. It was good and very enjoyable as little bites to go with drinks.

Wasabi Sui Mai was a very interesting item on the menu and I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Who would be daring enough to make that pairing. As we are all adventurers, we were not afraid to chow down on these little bombs of pain.

We popped it into our mouths, chewed a bit, and BAM…the sensation of wasabi travels up your nose and makes your eyes water a bit. These are definitely something to order if you want to make your friends squirm.

Pan Seared Crab Cakes is served with a harissa mayo and a pineapple tomato salsa. There is also balsamic reduction on the bottom. I found the crab inside to be nice and sweet but the coating of the crab cake was a bit thick.

Stuffed Organic Beef Meatballs is stuffed with emmental cheese, fennel, cinnamon onion chutney and red pepper coulis. It had a nice soft texture and the pepper coulis wasn’t hot either.

Pipita Shrimp are pan-seared with a pumpkin seed crust, citrus vinaigrette and a balsamic reduction. The shrimp was cooked till it had a nice firm texture.

Pipita Scallops are pan-seared with a pumpkin seed crust, citrus vinaigrette and a balsamic reduction. Same treatment as the shrimp. The scallops were cooked to the right texture. But, I started noticing this trend where most dishes did have that balsamic reduction sauce, which leaves a dark color to the food.

Poached Saffron Salmon is made with wild west coast salmon, grilled fennel and a saffron sauce. The saffron taste was very subtle. It took us a while to pick up on that taste until the manager told us. The salmon was cook nicely and it was still yummy and moist on the inside.

Stuffed Portabellini Mushroom is stuffed with spinach, jalapeno, red onions, blue cheese and finished with a basil vinaigrette. I felt like there was a lot of conflicting flavoures on the mushroom that it drowned out the taste. You can really taste the dominate flavour of the blue cheese.

Duck Breast is pan-seared with bok choy, jicama, and the sweet balsamic vinaigrette. The duck was delicious and tender. Quite enjoyable.

Broccolini Almondine is sauteed almonds and broccolini. It was really good.

Grilled Fluffy Polenta was delicious as well.

Chocolate Mousse Cake is topped with gooseberry, strawberries and has a blueberry sauce on the side.

Overall, the restaurant is a great place to chill in the Summer over some drinks and bites. Certain dishes were lacking and definitely needed to showcase more of west coast’s delicate seafood.

We Rate Ten Ten Tapas:

Address:
1010 Beach Ave
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.tententapas.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1010+Beach+Ave,+Vancouver,+BC+V6E+1T7&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=1010+Beach+Ave,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6E+1T7&z=16″]

In Izakaya

Rajio: Rockin’ Rajio Dining Package

August 24, 2013

Rajio is owned by the same people who have brought us Suika Izakaya and Kingyo Izakaya. It is located close to the UBC campus. Rajio is Japanese for Radio, so you will notice their logo is a radio.

Vaneats.ca and Rajio teamed up to bring a $18 dining package that features 4 items:

Kushikatsu Set
Dynamic Balsamic Sweet & Sour Pork Rib
Mini Carpaccio
Choice of Cold Tapas

The packages is available from August 12th, 2013 till October 12th, 2013 in limited quantities.

I came with M after work and we really love the look of the interior.

Complimentary cabbage with a light sesame dressing. It’s really good and addictive. Plus, guilt free since it’s all veggies. I could eat this all day.

Bang Bang Chicken was my choice of cold tapa. It has steamed chicken with jelly fish and okra with a sesame dressing. It was a nice and light start to the meal.

Mini Carpaccio came with 3 types of fresh fish. When we came here, there was tuna, yellowtail and sockeye salmon. It is topped with crisp lotus roots. One delicious dish!

Kushikatsu Set is one of their specialties. It had 6 deep fried skewers with chicken, scallop and lotus roots. I actually found the coating on the skewers to be a bit thick, so it’s hard to appreciate the ingredients hidden inside.

The skewers are paired with some special sauces – Onion, teriyaki yuzu kosho, kushikatsu, tartar, and lemon salt. My pick was the kushikatsu since it paired well with the fried coating of the skewers.

Dynamic Balsamic Sweet & Sour Pork Rib are pan-fried stewed pork ribs marinated in Rajio’s original balsamic sweet sour sauce. You can definitely tell they were fried and then sauced. The outside has a nice crisp texture and then the tender meat on the inside. Yummy. It’s a good contrast between the earlier items in the package.

Items excluded from the package, but are great to add on.

Tuna Salt Tataki was beautifully presented! If you recognize what it is topped with, you know thats my favourite snack! It’s the dried noodles that are addictive. Really good!

Negitoro battera is pressed sushi with tuna belly, scallions, tobiko & sesame topped with home made soy dressing & seaweed sauce.

Overall, the package is well put together and you get a taste of a few items on the menu. You can definitely get the package and split it among 2 people and add an extra dish or two to round out the experience.

Visit Vaneats.ca to grab the $18 dining pass before October 12th, 2013.

We Rate Rajio:

Address:
3763 W. 10th Ave.
Vancouver, BC

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

In Downtown

Miku Restaurant: All About the Aburi Sushi

August 7, 2013

Miku finally relocated in the Waterfront area right by the Convention Centres. It has taken up the former location of Aqua Riva. Miku is known for their Aburi sushi. It’s really what draws people back over and over again. The prices are a bit high, but it’s sure to impress you.

We came here for Mandu’s surprise birthday and boy was she surprised when she came through the front door. We weren’t able to be seated by the time of our reservation since we needed to add one more seat. Luckily, they were kind enough to let us sit in their private dining area.

Rosemary Gimlet ($12) was highly recommended by the server. It contains gin and homemade rosemary syrup. Mandu and KoreanGirl both ordered this drink but they didn’t like it very much. So, they asked for beer instead.

The Katana ($12) was my cocktail of choice. It contains shochu, sweet vermouth, lemon, raspberry purée, egg white, and shiso. It was a decent cocktail, very sweet and didn’t state too strong.

They give us a little tasting of scallops and a cucumber puree. I don’t remember what else was in it, but it was a nice touch.

Kale Goma-ae ($6) has a sweet sesame soy sauce and crispy lotus root chips. It tasted pretty good.

Spicy Shrimp and Pork Gyoza ($13) has sweet miso-pork belly with a chili pepper coulis.

Sockeye Salmon Sashimi (6 pcs- $15) very fresh!

Snow Crab & Heirloom Tomato Matcha Soba ($18) has garlic-dashi, shrimp, shaved fennel, shiso, wild arugula, and green tea soba. It’s a cold dish. This dish wasn’t very good.

Aburi Beef Carpaccio ($18) has sterling silver AAA short rib, tamari horseradish crème fraîche, ponzu, celery, scallions, cucumber, wasabi pickles, fresh herb artichoke relish, and crumbled organic egg. It is delicious and worth the price! Mmmmm so good!

Sable Fish ($29) has sake dashi braised, mussels, clams, shrimp, scallop, yuzu-kosho, kaiso-seaweed, shiso-leaf, preserved meyer lemon, heirloom cherry tomatoes, fennel, kale, and baby potatoes. InsecureGirl though it was ok, but nothing amazing.

Premium Aburi ($26) has chef’s selection featured seafood, each paired with a unique house made sauce, lightly flame seared aburi style. Any aburi dish here is amazing.

More aburi!

Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi ($15) has pressed BC wild sockeye salmon, jalapeño, and their special miku sauce. This roll is crazy amazing and everyone who comes here orders this.

Overall, the experience was good, but some of the food is a hit or miss. You definitely want to grab reservations before dining here because it’s quite busy. My favorite items are the Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi, Aburi Saba Oshi Sushi and the Aburi Beef Carpaccio.

We Rate Miku:

Address:
70-200 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.mikurestaurant.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=200+Granville+Street,+Granville+Square&sll=49.2581893478533,-123.13866570472457&sspn=0.01812223641872372,0.05849726889674606&t=m&dg=opt&hq=Square&hnear=200+Granville+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+0A4&z=16 “]

In Gastown

Tsuki Sushi Bar: Sushi in Gastown

August 5, 2013

Tsuki Sushi Bar is a new restaurant located close to Gastown and Chinatown. It’s across the street from Tinseltown. I pass by this place often and was curious about how their sushi would compare with some other places in town.

I came here with Magz for lunch since it’s so hard to find good sushi near our work place.

The interior looks pretty awesome with its high ceilings.

Complimentary tea arrives. Sushi really isn’t complete without tea.

Complimentary Miso Soup came to the table before our item arrived. It was decent and had lot of tiny tofu at the bottom of the bowl.

Chawan Mushi is what Magz ordered. It is a Japanese steamed egg custard. It was packed full of seafood, mushrooms, and vegetables. Really delicious.

Can’t remember the name of this roll but it was a California roll with avocado and eel on top. It tasted ok, but wasn’t anything super amazing.

Aburi Combo ($11.50) came with 5 pieces – unagi, saba, scallop, salmon, and tuna. Each one had their own unique sauce to compliment the flavours. A lot of people of Fourquare recommended this dish, but I didn’t think it was a very well executed dish.

The aburi could be seared a bit more since you could barely taste the charcoal. The cuts were also quite lean, so it didn’t really melt in your mouth.

Overall, the dishes we had here were ok. I wasn’t too impressed with their sushi.

We rate Tsuki Sushi Bar:

Address:
509 Abbott St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://tsukisushibar.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=509+Abbott+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V6B+6C1&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=509+Abbott+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+6C1&z=16 “]

In Chinatown

Oyster Express: Buck A Shuck in Chinatown

July 30, 2013

After hearing Oyster Express has buck a shuck, my coworkers and I decided to come here after work. Its quite close to our office, so we just had to see how it compares to the other buck a shuck options in town.

Oyster Express is located on Keefer and Gore. It’s a little hidden. The restaurant is a bit small, so it’s a bit hard to fit several large groups.

The restaurant doesn’t have air conditioning, so the interior is very very hot. We came during one of the hottest weeks of the summer and it was a bit painful dining here, so we definitely needed to grab some cold drinks.

I got the Philips Lager ($5), it was pretty good lager. Light and crisp.

The buck a shuck oysters that were servered were fanny bay oysters. For $1, the size was great and the shucking was done superb. The oysters were mighty fresh as well.

Your first dozen is $1, but after that, it’s $1.50 per oyster. Thats the downside of the buck-a-shuck here.

You have a few sauces to dress up your oysters with – red wine mignonette, tabasco sauce, and a cocktail sauce.

Overall, the oysters were great, but the experience was dampened by the extreme heat inside the restaurant. The heat kinda makes you afraid to eat the oysters. I would be back if they are able to install air conditioning or some sort of air ventilation system.

We Rate Oyster Express:

Address:
296 Keefer Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.oysterexpress.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=296+Keefer+St,+Vancouver,+BC&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=296+Keefer+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&z=16 “]