Bar and Grill Archives

In American

Colony Northwoods: Bar and Restaurant in North Vancouver

October 3, 2018

Colony Northwoods is a bar and restaurant in North Vancouver. This is a great location as it’s in a new plaza close to Seymour Mountain and Deep Cove.

They have a large selection of local craft beers and a variety of new fresh dishes created by Executive Chef Karen Lyons. A good spot after a hike or snowboarding on the slopes. There are other Colony locations in Kitsilano and Mount Pleasant as well.

Interior

The interior is quite large with 130 indoor seating and 130 more on their heated patio. The space looks very nice and spacious with the high ceilings. This location is a lot larger and modern that the other 2 locations.

Drinks

Beers, wines, cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages are on the menu. If you don’t see something you want on the menu, you can ask them if they have the ingredients to create something more for your taste.

Corn Dogs

Who doesn’t love a classic corn dog? There are 2 kinds available – regular and veggie. It is house-battered with a Nathan’s Famous Dog in the centre, then served with dijon mustard, and ketchup. A fun dish that comes with 4 pieces so you can share among the table.

Yam Fries

The crisp yam fries are served with a chipotle mayo sauce. Another great items to snack on while you have a drink.

Loaded Tater Tots

Tater tots, an all time favourite is loaded with banana peppers, jalapenos, sour cream, green onions, chipotle mayo, and pico de gallo. If you don’t love banana peppers and jalapenos, you can always ask them to omit them. This was one of our favourite dishes to snack on.

Rainbow Glory Bowl

If you want something a bit more healthy, they have different filling bowls with quinoa, spinach, fried tofu, cucumber, beets, Carrots, Pumpkin Seeds, Almonds, Tahini Dressing. Delicious!

Chicken Wings

Classic pub fare and this one is coated in Frank’s Red Hot, which is always a nice spicy flavour, There is also Lemon Pepper and Sriracha Salted. You can also request salt and pepper as well.

Crunchy Chicken Sandwich

On the bun you have a big piece of crispy chicken with house pickled red onion, arugula, and herb mayo. You can have it served with either fries or salad.

CB Burger

This burger has 100% Pure Beef Patty, aged Cheddar, butter lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, and burger sauce. A good burger and nothing complicated.

Baby Back Ribs

This dish has the whole rack of Danish baby back ribs slathered in their housemade BBQ sauce. Then it is served with some veggie skewers and fries. It was a so-so dish as some parts were drier than others.

Salmon Cobb Salad

This hearty salad has a piece of Wild Pacific salmon, grilled leeks, charred corn, gem tomatoes, and their Goddess dressing. It was a large portion and tasted good. The salmon was moist.

Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches

In each order, you get 3 macarons with vanilla bean ice cream. It was surprisingly really good. A bit pricey, but it was the perfect bite to the end of the evening.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food is good for the price you pay and there really aren’t too many options in this area. It’s a great place to have a drink with friends and some bites together. They have a variety of items if you want a fuller meal or just finger food.

Address:
2100 Dollarton Hwy, North Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://colonybars.com/north/

In Bar and Grill

Chinatown Cocktail Crawl: Sai Woo, The Keefer Bar and Black Lounge

July 5, 2018

The Vancouver Gourmet Club has held their third cocktail crawl in the Chinatown neighbourhood. This historic neighbourhood is home to some of the best restaurants and bars in the city. Within 2.5 hours, we hit 3 places – Sai Woo, The Keefer Bar and Black Lounge all within a few blocks away.

These cocktail crawls are a great way to see more of the neighbourhood and explore the cocktail scene in the area all in one night. You’ll be able to take old favourites and discover new ones too. it’s always best to attend these cocktail crawls with a few friends so you can try some of their drinks too.

By being part of the tour, you are part of the Vancouver Gourmet Club as a member where you get discounts at select featured restaurants around town and future cocktail crawls.

Sai Woo

Sai Woo is a casual Asian fusion eatery on Pender Street. It has a rich history and the culture kept alive with a modern twist.

At this location, we were treated to one of three cocktail options and appetizers too.

Chinatown Mule

This is their take on a Moscow Mule and it has Jack Daniels, Ginger Beer, Bitters, and Fresh lime.

3 Day Bender

This drink has Old Grand-Dad Bourbon, Aperol, Averna Amaro, and Fresh Lemon. The stronger of the three drinks, but still very good.

Carioca

This drink has Cachaca 51, Guava Juice, Orange Juice, Fresh Lime, and Sloe Gin. Fruitier of the 3 options and easy to drink. it has a very similar look to the Chinatown Mule.

Vietnamese Pork Spring Rolls

The spring rolls were crisp and deliciously savoury inside.

Mantou Buns with duck confit

These big buns have their duck confit filling. Imagine like a Chinese sandwich.

Black Lounge

Black Lounge is located outside of International Village and when you walk inside, everything is sleek black with hints of gold.

Gold Cocktail

This has Jameson, Lemon Ginger Honey, and topped with fabulous Gold Flakes.

White Cocktail

This has Vodka, Creme de Cacao, Frangelico, Cream, and extra Gold Flakes too. This drink was really good since it reminded us of a chocolate milk with the creme de cacao and cream.

Black Cocktail

This cocktail messes with my mind since it looks like coca cola. It has Hornitos Tequila, Cherry Brandy, Disaronno Amaretto, Cranberry, Charcoal, and Candied Ginger.

The charcoal really gives it the black look that represents Black Lounge. The candied ginger was a nice touch to add some contrast to the drink. The amaretto did give the drink a bit of a sweeter kick.

Fried Cauliflower

Of the two appetizers, this was my favourite. It has a nice crisp batter and paired with a spicy mayo.

Coconut Prawns

This was the second appetizer served family style. It has the coconut batter over the pieces of large shrimp. It is also served with the spicy mayo.

The Keefer Bar

Last but not least is The Keefer Bar, know for one of the best cocktail programs in Vancouver. The space is reminiscent of a Chinese underground apothecary. They also have great happy hours where you’ll find some of the drinks featured in the cocktail crawl on their regular menu.

Rosemary Gimlet

This is my absolute favourite. It has gin and their house made rosemary lime cordial with a sprig of rosemary. You must order this if you enjoy rosemary.

Pineapple Daiquiri

This delightful drink has grilled pineapple infused rum, fresh squeezed lime juice & maple/ yum zhi mushroom syrup.

Jack Soul

Daniels & Jack Daniels Fire, fresh squeeze lemon juice, house ginger syrup, bitters topped with soda.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was fun trying three cocktail bars in Chinatown and discovering new drinks. Definitely worth it being able to try all 3 places – Sai Woo, The Keefer Bar and Black Lounge all in one night.

Check out Vancouver Gourmet Tours for future cocktail crawls in other neighbourhoods in Vancouver.

Website: https://www.vangourmetclub.com/

In American

Yale Saloon: Family-style Backyard BBQ in Vancouver

December 13, 2017

Yale Saloon is a country bar and BBQ restaurant located right before the Granville Street bridge. I came with a few friends to check out their Family Style Backyard BBQ. Yale Saloon has been here for quite some time and transforms as the evening goes on.

Interior

There are long tables and lots of space for dancing. As we came around 6pm, it wasn’t busy just yet.

The space is good for large groups and parties. Very casual setting and good for those who are younger.

Drinks

Drinks are a must when here, I had the Southern Comfort Sweet Tea and my friend had the Pa’s Caesar. A good way to start off the night. Both drinks were delicious.

Deep Fried Pickles

How can you say no to deep-fried pickles? It has a good amount of crisp breading and was so delicious with the dip.

Backyard BBQ

Backyard BBQ is $35 per person and is served family style. You get a taste of everything – Brisket, Andouille Sausage, Turkey breast, Pork Ribs, Pulled Pork, and Rotisserie Chicken. It is also served with coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, & Jalapeño cornbread.

The sides were ok, I really didn’t like the coleslaw as it has some odd aftertaste. None of the coleslaw, potato salad, or baked beans stood out. It might of needed a pinch of more salt ti give it more flavour.

The Jalapeño cornbread was better and paired with the BBQ a lot more. The Jalapeño was subtle, but added a good taste to the cornbread.

Of the bunch, the ribs and the brisket were solid, good smokey flavour and tender as well. If you’re new here, I liked trying all the meats as it’s a good way to get a feel of all the variety of BBQ they serve. The sausage and the rotisserie chicken had great flavours too.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a feast, you will definitely get it here along with a great selection of drinks at Yale Saloon. Fun place to hang out with friends, have a drink and nosh on some BBQ. There is also a mechanical bull here too. It’s definitely a place to come here late into the evening.

We Rate Yale Saloon:

Address:
1300 Granville St, Vancouver

Website:
https://yalesaloon.com/

In Bar and Grill

Kellys Landing: A New Addition to the Financial District

October 6, 2017

Kellys Landing recently opened at Front and York, right across from Union Station. This is the newest location of the Landing group of restaurants and it’s biggest to date, with seating for 550. It’s more of an upscale bar and grill that caters to the Financial District crowd and those that are a fan of Cactus Club, King Taps or Milestones.

When we went on a Thursday night, it was packed with the after work crowd. It had a high energy atmosphere but the servers definitely know how to manage the crowds.

We sat were under the retractable roof which was open that night in the 25 degree weather.

Behind this fireplace is the outdoor patio which has several large patio seats as well as cozy fireplace couches.

At our server’s recommendation, we shared the Pan Seared Scallops to start. The three scallops were juicy and served on a lightly charred slice of pork belly and finished with a maple sherry glaze. The glaze was so addictive and made me proud to be Canadian…

God bless that maple glaze

The highlight of the meal was definitely Chef Marco’s famous Landing Carbonara. It was spaghetti alla chitarra with house-smoked chicken, local pork belly (one can never have enough pork belly), parmesan cheese and topped with a fried egg.

Check out that oozing food porn egg

We also ordered the 100Km Roast Half Chicken. The dish came with market vegetables, roasted herb potatoes and pan gravy. The maple cider chicken was satisfying but I didn’t taste the maple cider and I found that the gravy was too salty for my taste.

For dessert, we ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding and the Mascarpone Cheesecake. The Pudding was soft and gooey with a chili salted caramel glaze that was amazing with the slightly melted vanilla ice cream.

Mascarpone cheesecake had a light and fluffy texture but unfortunately it didn’t have much taste, especially contrasted with the pudding.

All in all, Kellys Landing is high energy, well-located restaurant for large groups, after work drinks or if you’re en route to the Air Canada Centre. In the summer, I can definitely see how the patio will be a tourist favourite as well.

Address:
123 Front Street West, Toronto

Website:
http://kellyslanding.ca/

In Bar and Grill

The Copper Coil Still & Grill in Squamish: Review

June 24, 2017

It was a long weekend and a group of my friends headed up to Squamish to enjoy the awesome craft brewery scene and also indulge in some food that we can’t get in Vancouver. Squamish is about an hour away from Downtown Vancouver and they have a thriving community. We asked a few locals where to eat and they suggested Copper Coil for some cajun cuisine. Since long weekends are busy, we waited a bit before getting a seat outside on their patio. It’s a great patio as it faces The Chief.

We tried ordering their signature Cajun items on the menu, but they were all sold out and it was only 4:30pm. We all started with beers except for me since I needed to drive. The drinks came out promptly, but the food that we ordered would take a very very long time to come out. It turns out the kitchen was severely backed up with orders and couldn’t get them out in a timely manner. Majority of the items left to order were deep-fried so maybe they didn’t have enough room or man power to fry them all. It was close to the one hour mark when some of the items started coming out.

Smoked Brisket

We got Smoked sliced brisket, kale slaw, and chipotle mayo on two buttermilk biscuits. It also comes with a side of curly fries. This was the first item that arrived and we were a bit underwhelmed. $17 and it wasn’t that impressive when you get it on 2 buttermilk biscuits. The slices of brisket was a bit dry.

Platter O Plenty

This platter has a little bit of everything – Smoked Wings, Cajun Pickles, Popcorn Shrimp, and supposedly poutine. Our order came out at different times and they ran out of poutine too. So, no poutine for us. They substituted it with another bucket of popcorn shrimp.

All the items were pretty standard and deep-fried. Nothing very special about it. We originally wanted to order it to munch on as we ordered beer, but since it took so long this had to save some of us from our hangry selves.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we heard such great things about Copper Coil but our experience was far from that.I really wish I had more positive things to say. The servers were very apologetic and were able to cover all our drinks and give us 50% off the food we ordered. It’s too bad we weren’t able to have a great experience, but so many things went wrong in the kitchen.

We Rate Copper Coil:

Address:
37996 Cleveland Ave, Squamish, BC

Website:
http://thecoppercoil.com/

In Bar and Grill

St. Regis Bar and Grill in Downtown Vancouver

January 10, 2017

Taking over the kitchen and updating the menu at St. Regis Bar & Grill is Executive Chef Daniel Ackland, who had a challenge of finding a fine balance of refreshing existing favourites and creating new dishes which seamlessly blend into its casual, comfort-focussed philosophy. Chef Daniel Ackland had a clear vision for reshaping the food program and he’s proudly launched a completely refreshed menu for the fall and winter. We were one of the first people to give this menu a try.

I came here 5 years ago when I worked at BCIT across the street, so it’s a nice way to revisit.

Quinoa Salad

The quinoa salad has mint, cranberry, cherry tomato, roasted roots, greens, feta cheese, and a citrus vinaigrette. A nice healthy option if you’re not into heavier food on the menu.

Regis Burger

The Regis Burger is a classic burger made fresh daily. The patty is made of house ground beef blend is a mix of 100% AAA Chuck and Brisket. It is topped with lettuce, tomato, and red onion on a brioche bun with smoked onion & garlic aioli. It is served with skinny fries or you can substitute it for soup, salad, yam fries or onion rings for a little extra.

Veggie Burger

The garden burger patty is made of chickpea, couscous & roasted hazelnut. It is topped with jack cheese, onion gastrique, salsa, and grainy dijon mayo on a onion bun. The patty was huge and made it hard to eat, but was definitely missing something.

Pizza

Italia Pizza comes with mozzarella, Napoli salami, salsiccia picante, prosciutto, and chiffonade basil.

Fungi Pizza has mozzarella, shallots, mushrooms, and truffle oil.

Margarita Pizza has bocconcini, mozzarella, basil, and tomato.

The pizzas were ok, but I didn’t enjoy the dough or the toppings.

Short Rib with Garlic Mash Potato

Short rib has garlic mashed potato, shallot confit, steamed spinach, red wine jus, and frizzled onion. Super tender short rib. I really enjoyed the dish.

Chicken and Mushroom Penne

Chicken and mushroom penne has broccolini, shallot, thyme butter, and lemon. The dish was ok, but I needed more sauce to it. A bit dry and needed some more butter and lemon to coat the penne a bit more.

Spicy Noodle Bowl

Spicy noodle bowl has sauteed teriyaki chicken, mixed vegetables, and green onion.

Quarter Chicken Plate

Quarter chicken dinner has BBQ chicken, coleslaw, skinny fries, and gravy. The chicken was tender and I loved the BBQ sauce on the outside.

Warm Cookie Skillet

Warm cookie skillet has white chocolate chip cookie, shaved dark chocolate, chocolate sauce, and vanilla bean ice cream from Mario’s Gelati. This was my favourite item of the night as it is soft and warm contrasting with the ice cream covered in chocolate. A real treat.

Overall, the dishes were a hit and miss. For a bar and grill, they have a diverse menu of bar classics mixed with the more decadent dishes on the menu.

We Rate St Regis Bar and Grill:

Address:
608 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.stregisbargrill.com

In American

Original Joe’s: Burgers and Drinks

December 3, 2016

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

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

Interior

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

Drinks

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

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

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

Appetizers

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

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

Burgers

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

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

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

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

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

We Rate Original Joe’s:

Address:
294 Robson Street, Vancouver

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

In American

Canyon Creek Chophouse: Lunch at Niagara Falls

August 23, 2014

The main reason for our trip to Toronto was to see the Niagara Falls with my in-laws. So funny how they thought it was close to Vancouver. After the 4.5 hour flight, they realized it’s quite a distance away. Plus, not even close to downtown Toronto. They sure are silly, but since I knew this ahead of time, I made sure we still got here to cross one more item off their bucket list.

We even rode on the Maid of the Mist, which has now been renamed to The Hornblower. It’s still the same great experience.

After looking around the Niagara Falls area, it was time to hunt for lunch before heading back to the bus for Toronto. Somehow we ended up at Canyon Creek Chophouse as it supposedly has a nice view of the falls. Unfortunately, the view was obstructed by trees. We didn’t mind since we already got a great view of the falls on the boat.

Canyon Creek Chophouse is inside the Fallsview Casino and they are a steakhouse, but they also has a variety of items like burgers, salads, pasta and seafood. We came in the late afternoon, so this place was empty.

We started with bread, which was nice and warm and came with a side of butter.

Grilled Chicken Caesar ($16.95) has chicken breast, applewood smoked bacon, chopped romaine, sourdough croutons, shaved Parmesan, with house made garlic dressing. The salad was pretty plain for the price you pay. The chicken was also quite dry.

BBQ Baby Back Ribs (Half: $21.95) has the slow braised ribs, grilled and brushed in a smoky glaze, with skinny fries and slaw on the side. The ribs were very tender and about to fall off the bones. Each portion was quite meaty. The fries were extra crispy, which made them really enjoyable.

Kimchi Quesadilla comes cut into 4 pieces and served with sour cream and a pico de gallo salsa, but the server dropped it on the floor. The kimchi quesadilla was very good and had the perfect combinations of flavours inside.

Overall, the food was alright, but you are definitely paying more since you are in a tourist destination. I would definitely prefer to go to The Keg instead. I also found the service quite poor and it was very hard to get anyone’s attention when we wanted to order and getting the bill. Perhaps it was because we were one of two people dining here that there were not a lot of servers around.

We Rate Canyon Creek Chophouse:

Address:
6380 Fallsview Boulevard
Niagara Falls, ON

Website:
http://canyoncreekrestaurant.ca/

In Bar and Grill

Falconetti’s East Side Grill: Dining Package Review

April 5, 2013

Falconetti’s is located on Commercial Drive near 1st Avenue. They are famous due to their sausage. Even Guy Fieri came here to film Diners Drive-ins and Dives. They make all their sausages in-house on the right side of the restaurant and the right side is a restaurant.

Right now they are doing a dining package with Vaneats.ca, where you pay $16 to get a mini poutine, 2 4oz glasses of beer, slow smoked pork ribs, and one of their famous sausages. I came here with my sister during the evening to try the package.

The interior is narrow and has a long bar on the right side. They have special performances at night too.

The 2 4oz glasses of Phillips Beer’s Blue Buck arrives first. As you wait for your meal, you can enjoy the taste of beer. The Phillips Blue Buck Beer is a deep amber coloured beer with a crisp finish featuring a delicate hop aroma. If you like your beer, you know just 4oz won’t do the trick. You’re just getting started.

The Mini Poutine is made of skinny fries with gravy cheese curds and a bit of pepper. This item was our favorite of the night. The skinny fries were crisp and it was the perfect type of fries to have in this poutine.

The slow smoked pork ribs comes with 4 pieces and is slathered in their special rub and tequila BBQ sauce. The meat was quite tough, so it made the eating a bit difficult. We thought this would be tender, but it wasn’t.

Honey Bratwurst was the sausage we chose for the package. it is an old world flavor, dressed with honey mustard, and caramelized onions on top. My sister and I were torn on the sausage, she thought it was very moist and I thought it was kinda dry. Clearly, we have different tastes.

Outside of the menu, we ordered the Polish ($12) that has beef sirloin sausage with sauteed sauerkraut, onions & grain mustard. We got the yam fries on the side. Their fries are pretty damn good. As for the sauasage, it was ok.

This is probably not a very healthy dining package, but it get us really fully. I’m not a huge fan of pub food, so this wasn’t my favorite package, but you do save some money by getting the Falconetti’s Fix package from Vaneats.

We Rate Falconetti’s:

Address:
1812 Commercial Dr
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://falconettis.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1812+Commercial+Dr+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1812+Commercial+Dr,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5N+4A5&gl=ca&t=m&z=14 “]

In Bar and Grill

House of Wings Restaurant & Lounge: 37 Cent Wings on Sundays

September 19, 2012

House of Wings Restaurant and Lounge is located in Highgate Mall in South Burnaby. They are quite popular on Sundays for $0.37 cent wings on Sundays. There are no lineups unlike Wings a few blocks away. People usually come here if they want to avoid the line up at Wings.

You need to order a beverage with your wings. Alternatively, your group can share a pitcher to avoid everyone getting a drink. It saves money and the people who want to drink can drink.

The interior was very narrow and the decor was very bare and boring. There are a few large tables, so they can accomodate large groups.

There is a long list of dry and wet wings. What is cool about the menu is that there are a few unusual flavours such as peanut butter & jelly, Fire & Ice, and zippen pepper. The minimum amount per flavour is 10.

Pint of Beer ($9.99) they didn’t have a large amount of beers on their tap, so we just ordered any beer that was light.

We all ordered 60 wings and shared it amongst 6 people. The sizes were a bit on the small size and not as juicy as they could be.

Buffalo Wings were very very saucy, so your fingers do get very dirty. The taste was a tad spicy, but not too bad. If they cut down the amount of sauce, that would be good.

Roasted Red pepper and Garlic Wings was everyone’s favorite. It had good overall flavour.

Cheesy Parmesan Wings was really bad. You could barely taste the cheesy flavour.

Greek Wings looked exactly like the Cheesy Parmesan Wings. We couldn’t tell the difference.

Honey Garlic Wings tasted ok, but it went really cold very fast. I guess that can be said about all of the other wings too.

Salt & Pepper Wings is always a good choice anywhere you go. I liked it.

Overall, the wings and service were satisfactory. We ordered one ranch and one blue cheese dip and she brought us 2 ranch dips and confused everyone at the table. I wouldn’t come in for any other day but Sunday because regular price for what you get is kinda a rip off especially when Wings is a few blocks away. We were all kinda hungry, but we didn’t want to order more.

Words of Wisdom:

Come only on Sundays for wings and beer specials
Make reservations for large group

We Rate House of Wings:

Address:
7155 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC V5E1E9

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=7155+Kingsway+Burnaby,+BC+V5E1E9&hl=en&hnear=7155+Kingsway,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5E+0A6&t=m&z=16 “]

In Bar and Grill

Fat Dragon BBQ: Dining on Pig head

April 22, 2012

A new restaurant has popped up on the Downtown East Side called Fat Dragon BBQ. The location is quite remote and nothing very pretty is around this place.Even though it is a Chinese restaurant, its more of Chinese x Southern US fusion. You won’t be able to find any fried rice here or anything traditional. You’re going to the wrong place if you want Chinese food.

Ange of FoodPunk and I headed to try out Fat Dragon BBQ since I heard from my sister they have an amazing pig head. Pig head on a menu isn’t regular and I’ve never heard of people eating pig head.

Once you walk inside, you’ll enter a pink tunnel and you will be transported into the restaurant where you will find a very rustic interior.

The interior is quite cool since there are lots of small dim light around. It kinda reminds me of lanterns and fireflies. Also, there are huge scales running across to the back of the restaurant like a dragon’s tail.

You get chopsticks for your meal and the best part is the bad grammar on the packaging! Clearly it is a product of China.

Yanjing Beer ($5) is a light beer and does not have a strong hop taste to it. Its refreshing especially with BBQ.

Junmai Sour ($8.50) has fruit tea sake, gin, lemon, orange blossom and egg white.

Crunchy Squid Bao Buns ($2.50) is a unique twist on the steamed buns. It has calamari, scallions, coriander, chili salt and hot sauce. The batter of the squid was light and well seasoned. I enjoyed it.

Slow-Smoked Beef Deckie Bao Buns ($2.50) has minced meat, cabbage and candied peanuts. The filling inside would easily fall out, so be a bit careful when eating. I thought the beef was a bit on the dry side, but there was hints of a smokey flavour. The texture of the cabbage and the meat contrasted nicely.

Smoked and Roasted Half Pigs Head ($45) it is served with lemon, bacon bits, herb sauce as well as bean sprout kimchi and lettuce. This is meant to serve 4 -6 people. It does take a while to prepare, so it is best to get a few drinks or appies to not get bored waiting.

The cheeks were quite fatty, but it was so delicious and tender. It was like pork belly but on its face. Ange and I both devoured this without trouble! While we were eating it, several people did have to come to our table to check out 2 small Asian girls eating a pig’s head. It’s really not that big, but we were able to survive through it.

Don’t spend too long eating this because when it gets cold, the fat does solidify. We didn’t run into any issues since it stayed warm for a long time.

We took a little bit of everything and put it into the lettuce. I found that the lettuce and the bean sprout kimchi is needed to enjoy the meat! It gives it a refreshing crunch, plus the taste of fat will not overwhelm your tastebuds.

Jasmine Hot Tea ($2.75 per pot) was definitely needed after the pig head to aid digestion. I always have a habit of drinking tea after fatty meals. Ange ordered the Vanilla Oolong tea ($2.75 per pot) and it did smell very fragrant and sweet, but it did not taste sweet.

Fat Dragon Chocolate Bars ($7.50 each) was a bit disappointing when it arrived at the table. We did not expect it would actually be just chocolate bars. It seemed ordinary, but the 2 kinds do have interesting flavours.

Milk chocolate with crispy rice, toasted coconut and ceylon cinnamon.

Dark Chocolate with smoked peanuts, candied ginger and sea salt.

Overall, nothing too Chinese here, but the BBQ is pretty good. I saw lots of people ordering ribs. We didn’t ordering too many variety of items, but the pig head was fun to devour.

Words of Wisdom:

Free parking on the street after 6pm
Some items can be expensive
Good for BBQ

We Rate Fat Dragon BBQ:

Address:
566 Powell Street
Vancouver, BC
Website: http://fatdragonbbq.com/

View Larger Map

In Bar and Grill

Hurricane Grill: Hurricane Fiesta Dining Package

December 11, 2011

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Hurricane Fiesta” dining package and write a review about it. I got a complementary dining package and brought 3 friends to keep the review as unbiased as I could. This review does not guarantee 100% similar service you might normally get from this restaurant.

Hurricane Grill is located near False Creek Marina. It’s a popular place to watch the game while munching on their delicious creations.

This month, VANEATS.ca is offering a Hurricane Fiesta Dining Package where you can choose 2 of their signature salads and their Bruschetta. To try out this package, I brought 3 of friends to see how this package adds up. The package is meant for 2 people, but there seemed to be a lot to eat.

There are a lot of comfortable seats and lots of TVs to watch the game. They also have a large selection of alcohol too.

Hurricane lager ($4.99) tasted very light and did not have much taste to it. If you do like light beers, I would say it might be the beer for you.

Bruschetta ($10.99), classic made with tomatoes, parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, basil, balsamic reduction, mozzarella and goat cheese

Their bruschetta blew us all away! This is not the usual hard crunchy bruschetta you would find. It was toasted on the outside and was soft on the inside with the delicious savory ingredients on top. It’s a must have!

The Grill Salad ($16.99), six oz N.Y. steak on grilled vegetables, spring mix and tossed together with a balsamic reduction

You have a choice of how you would like your steak done and we chose medium-rare. It was cooked perfectly. What I liked about this salad is that it’s not your typical salad with leafy greens, it has large chunks of other vegetables. The balsamic vinegar added a nice acidity to the dish, which I enjoyed.

Fiesta Salad ($14.99), romaine lettuce, corn, black beans, avocado, blackened chicken, salsa, nacho cheese, sour cream and a cilantro mint dressing

This salad may look simple, but hands down, this is the best salad ever! The blackened chicken and avocado adds a punch into this dish. The chicken has a lot of flavour!! One bite of the chicken and everyone at the table instantly loved this.

The Classic Nachos ($14.99 + $2.99 for Guacamole) were taller than a pint of beer. We were really scared this would topple over, but they have mastered the art of nacho making! There is a good amount of cheese and toppings that everything holds nice and firmly. It’s not included in the Hurricane Fiesta Package, but highly recommended to try it out sometime.

Even though the food was great, the service confused us a lot. It took them a long time to figure out what ‘Hurricane Fiesta’ was. As they were confused, it made us more confused. They didn’t explain how the package was going to work, so my friends were very confused…until I had to fill them in on what we were ordering. After this little mishap, all was understood and the service improved.

Overall, the prices are reasonable for what you get and I was impressed with the overall quality.

The Hurricane Fiesta package is available starting December 15th for $25 from VANEATS.ca and you get your choice of 2 salads and the bruschetta. You save about $18 and get some killer food.

Words of Wisdom:

Nachos!! Most popular item!
Lots of seats and great for sports games
Closest Skytrain: Yaletown Skytrain
Fiesta Salad is good!

We Rate Hurricane Grill:
Address:
1137 Marinaside Cres
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.hurricanegrill.ca/
Twitter:
@hurricanegrill

View Larger Map

In Bar and Grill

The New Oxford Public House: Shots, Shots, Shots and Of Course Food

August 18, 2011

I went to ConsultingGirl’s going away party and she had it at The New Oxford Public House, it is owned and operated by the Donnelly Group. They are located in Yaletown and has very vintage looking decor. They even have a shuffle board in the back room to play. It’s easy to make reservations for your large party.

I think in all celebratory occasions, you must order a drink, so I got a bottle of Stella Artois ($6.47). They didn’t have any Japanese beer, so Stella is my go to beer.

Prosciutto Brie Sandwich ($12) has prosciutto, brie, arugula, tomatoes, basil aioli and balsamic vinegar on toasted panini bread. It also comes with a pickle on top. It is a very simple sandwich and it’s one of the more healthier items on their menu. The outside of the sandwich is nicely toasted and the filling was simple and delicious. The sandwich isn’t very large, so you may get hungry if you plan on staying a bit longer.

Instead of getting the regular fries, I ordered the Truffle Fries for an additional $1.50. They were really good and had a subtle mushroom taste. Definitely recommended for the upgrade.

Overall the food was alright, but a bit expensive. The service was very slow and it took a while to get our order and bill.

Since the night was still young, I needed to get ConsultingGirl slammed, so I ordered her a JagerBomb ($7.59) and a Prairie Fire ($8.04), which has tobacco and vodka. Prairie Fire is pretty nasty. If you want to disgust your friends, I would recommend the Cement Mixer (Baileys + lime juice) and the Dirty Panty (Baileys Irish Cream, Sambuca, Tabasco Sauce, Tequila).

You have any nasty drink choices?

Words of Wisdom:

Good for drinks and hanging out
Expensive food
Truffle Fries
Closest Skytrain: Yaletown
Reservations are probably wise on busy nights

We Rate The New Oxford Public House:

Address:

1144 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC V6B

Website:
donnellygroup.ca/oxford/

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/newoxfordpub

Twitter:

@DonnellyPubs

In Bar and Grill

Milestones: Date Night

May 10, 2011

Milestones was having Date Night on April 27 where it is basically buy 1 get 1 free. Since I had no date, I would do what any normal asian would probably do…bring their army of women just to get the deal. InsecureGirl, KoreanGirl, CanuckGirl and I headed over after work to be there to get the deal.

We went to the Milestones on Robson since we didn’t want to walk too far to any other Milestones. It’s not a bad location, but we knew it would be more busy than the one near English Bay.

When we arrived, there was already a 15 minute line up. Clearly everyone wanted a piece of this deal. Since the wait was not too long, we stayed and just made fun of each other till a spot freed up.

When we got to our table, they had a suggested menu with their most popular items. You weren’t limited to this list, so you can choose anything off their usual menu.

I ordered a Honey Lager ($5.49) and some hot water.

InsecureGirl ordered the Milestones’ Original Bellini ($6.49). It has run, peach liqeur, sparkling wine and boone’s sangria. This is a very popular drink and you can’t go wrong with this.

We started off with Milestones’ famous hot spinach & artichoke dip ($10.99). The dip is made from creamy spinach dip with artichoke hearts and various Italian cheese. On the plate were also sour cream, salsa and red tortilla chips. I found that the sour cream and salsa didn’t add much to this dish since the main feature is the dip.

Another appetizer that we ordered was the Calamari Steak Strips with Andouille Sausage Ragu ($10.99). The calamari are cut up into strips rather than the usual calamari rings. It is lightly dressed and fried. You get 2 dips, one with the ragu sauce and the other was the preserved lemon aioli, this reminded me more like mayo. Most of the people at the table preferred the ragu sauce.

For the main, CanuckGirl and I both ordered the Certified Angus Beef Top Sirloin with Trio of Signature Steak sauces ($21.99). We both chose to have ours medium rare. The 3 sauces that come with the dish are – Worcestershire, spiced mustard and gaucho sauce. There is also asparagus and cherry tomatoes on the side. I thought this dish was quite average. Not the best.

InsecureGIrl and KoreanGirl both ordered the Regular Cut of the Slow Roasted AAA Prime Rib ($22.99). It was done medium rare and had very savory au jus sauce with asparagus, tomatoes and mashed potatoes. The cut of meat was particularly fatty for both of them. So, as they were being girls, they would cut out the chunks of fat and there was a large amount. The other parts were ok, but it was not the best quality.

Overall, if you are to getting steak, it is not the best place to get a good quality steak unless you pay a bit extra for the more expensive choices. For myself, if I were a guy, I would not take my date here. Maybe I’m wrong, but it screams ‘cheap’ if a guy takes me here for Date Night… or at least for a first date. You gotta impress the girl. I do like the concept and it does seem to be working since there were couples there.

Words of Wisdom:

Monday – Girls Night (4 Bellini, 4 Appies = $40)
Wednesday – Date Night (2 for $50)
Milestones’ famous hot spinach & artichoke dip + Calamari are both good!

We Rate Milestones:

Address:

1145 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.milestonesrestaurants.com

In Bar and Grill

St. Regis Bar & Grill: Good Meal in Good Company

May 9, 2011

As the semester came to an end, it was time to bid adieu to the other coop students that I was working with. The whole office headed down to St. Regis Bar and Grill for some delicious food. They usually head down to Steam Works but they wanted a change, so since they knew I blogged about food, they asked me to compose a list of good restaurants near the office. I really had no idea, I am not a food expert, I just eat…and eat.. and eat. I used trusty Urbanspoon and Yelp to compile a list.

Since St. Regis Bar and Grill was across the street, they felt it would be the best option. They had good appealing food at a decent price. They serve up the usual pub style food. Walking into the place, it was more like a bar. Don’t expect your fancy or anything. It is a legit bar with lots of TV screens, perfect for watching the Canucks games too!

With so many enticing choices on the menu, I had to go with the Sirloin Beef Dip ($12). In side the garlic baguette, there is a lot of thinly sliced sirloin beef. You also get a cup full of red wine au jus. For your side, you can choose between fries or salad. Of course, being a woman, I chose the salad.

If you eat the Beef dip with out the au jus. It really isn’t spectacular. When you do dip it into the sauce, the bread immediately soaks up all the amazing flavors. IT IS SO GOOD! Hands down, best beef dip I have had in a while.

Overall, we all had a good time. Great food, great company. What else could you ask for? You probably want the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup right?

Words of Wisdom:

Vegetarian friendly
Beside Granville Skytrain
Great for watching games
$10 – $15 for lunch
Fish & Chips and the Sirloin Beed Dip Recommended

We Rate St. Regis Bar & Grill:

Address:

608 Dunsmuir Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.stregisbargrill.com

In Bar and Grill

ShuRaku Sake Bar and Bistro

March 14, 2011

Another wonderful day for a lunch in Downtown Vancouver and I decided to check out ShuRaku. Apparently I’ve been here before..about a year ago for dinner, but I keep forgetting every time I pass by.

ShuRaku specializes in contemporary Japanese cuisine. Their lunch menu has several set meals between $9 to $15.

Their interior is very modern. They also have a wide selection of sake and other alcoholic beverage. They have a very large menu of different sake choices. (DUH, they are a sake bar). Since I was going to lunch, I really didn’t need to be suffering from the “asian glow”and going back to work would be awkward. Perhaps another time for dinner.

I started off by ordering a pot of tea of Sencha Green Tea (about $2/$3). Tea is not free, but there are about 5 or 6 teas to choose from. The pot that comes with the tea is quite heavy, you will be really getting an arm work out.

It’s like a double whammy of healthiness… arm workout + 0 calorie drink!

I ordered the Karaage Nanban Chicken Set ($9.95). It has deep fried chicken with sweet and sour Nanban sauce. The set also came with salad, rice and miso soup.

The karaage was boneless and under the fried exterior was juicy succulent meat inside. One of the better karrage’s I have had this whole week! The salad was mostly mixed greens with a nice citrus sauce. There is really not much to say about the miso soup and the rice since those taste pretty much the same as other restaurants.

Words of Wisdom:

Great atmosphere
Lunch sets
Lots of variety of alcohol

We Rate ShuRaku Sake Bar and Bistro:

Address:

833 Granville St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.shuraku.net

In Bar and Grill

Wings on Granville

March 6, 2011

It was TaiwaneseGirl’s Birthday, so she quickly put together a small party at Wings on Granville.

The only time we could make a reservation was 6pm or before. I guess it’s a policy. Good thing we did make reservations because it was quite full. There were other large groups as well.

They usually show Hockey games, but the day we went was not a Canucks game, so the place was not jam packed. If you are coming here for a Canucks game, there is a HUGE screen in the back of the restaurant.

No birthday party is complete without a pitcher of beer. Goes well with wings!

I was trying to be healthy and ordered the greek salad entree size ($8.99). In this salad were bell peppers, red onions, cucumbers,black olives, feta cheese and tomatoes. It is also served with garlic toast. It was an ok greek salad was not the best. I really like my greek salads to have a bit more balsamic vinegar in it.

KoreanGirl and TaiwaneseGirl both had 2 pounds of wings ($14.39). Thats what 2 pounds looks like. Kinda expensive!

M, InsecureGirl and FragileBoy shared a plate of 5lb wings ($33.95). You get 5 flavours of your choice and 3 dipping sauces with some vegetable sticks. When looking at the plate, it really did not look like 5 pounds. Since all the wings are piled onto the plate, you really have no idea if it is 5 pounds unless you happen to carry a scale in your purse.

You also have no idea what each flavour is since they mostly look the same. The waiter just brought it to the table without explaining what was what.

The only day where it is really worth having wings is Sundays where it is $0.25 each. You essentially save about $3 per pound.

We all decided to share the Wings Shared Platter ($20). It had Wings, dry ribs, crispy wontons, spring rolls, potato skins, chippers, pita bread, veggies, served with tzatziki sauce.

Even though there was a lot of variety in this platter, the quality was not that great, pretty average. It’s still a good dish to order if you are sharing with your friends.

Words of Wisdom:

Wings special on Sundays
Famous for their wings (duh)
Reservations before 6pm
Good place to watch the game

We Rate Wings onGranville:

Address:

1162 Granville St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.greatwings.ca

In Bar and Grill

Bon Chaz 1 Year Anniversary

February 13, 2011

———————————————————————————————–

Previous BonChaz Posts: Visit #1

———————————————————————————————–

BonChaz was celebrating their one year anniversary last week by giving away free BonChaz to all their customers. They decked out the restaurant by putting up lots of balloons.

Since I work pretty close by, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to stop by for lunch.

You can choose from any BonChaz for free. I ordered the Banana Walnut BonChaz. I know some people hate banana but I love them in desserts and pastries. The inner of the BonChaz has the banana fillings and its SO Good!

If you don’t know what a BonChaz is, it’s a coffee bun type of pastry. Crunchy on the top and filled in the center with a nice sweet filling.

Since I didn’t want to take the BonChaz and go back to work. I ordered their Avacado and Brie Sandwich with a Curry Chicken soup (About $8). It is served on very soft bread and stuffed with tomatoes, cucumber, mayo, brie and avocados.

At first glance, you would expect you would taste more bread than filling, but this was not the case! They were quite generous with the brie and avocados, so it was nicely distributed throughout the sandwich and not cut too thin.

It was just perfect!

They had 2 types of daily soups but I chose the curry chicken. Had good sizable pieces of chicken and very good consistency.

And that was my fantastic lunch! Happy 1 Year BonChaz and I expect many great things from your team in the upcoming years!

BonChaz is a nice little cafe to do a bit of work and have a snack. They have pastries, sandwiches, tarts, soups, coffee, and tea. I don’t think you can find such pastries anywhere else.

We rate BonChaz: