bar Archives - Foodology

In Bar and Grill

Dublin Calling: New Party Pub and Kitchen on Granville Strip

January 5, 2018

There’s a new Irish Pub in Downtown Vancouver and it has taken over the former Ceili’s location. It is Dublin Calling and it has opened its second location in Canada right on the Granville Strip. The first location opened in Toronto in 2015 and has been successful. Dublin Calling will be your new go-to spot to watch the big game and kick back with a few beers and Irish-inspired pub grub with a modern twist. Roman and I checked the place out and here’s a recap of what to expect.

Interior

Dublin Calling’s space is large enough to have a group event. There are plenty of TV screens so you can catch the game. In between appetizers, you can enjoy pool, ping pong or darts. We noticed some people lingering in the corner by an arcade game and quickly realized it was a Super Shot Basketball arcade. Roman and I enjoyed challenging each other on it, as we both tried to gain a high score. Too bad we didn’t make any bets since I scored more baskets between the two of us!

Food

We had no expectations for the food as we know that pub food is pretty much standard in terms of what is offered. However, Dublin Calling pleasantly surprised us with what they had. In addition to trying the Shepherd’s Pie Bites, we tried the Roast Beef Stuffed Yorkshire Pudding (with mashed potatoes), Mini Sliders, Fish & Chips and Forest Mushroom Pizza. The Irish-inspired pub grub was tasty. The modern twist was found in dishes like the Pulled-Pork & Mango Pizza. First of all, you don’t expect pizza at an Irish pub. Second of all, I would have never thought to combine pulled-pork and mango together. The savouriness of the pork was complimented well by the sweetness of the mango. It was unexpected, but it was good! We also really liked the Shepherd’s Pie Bites. Can’t go wrong with deep-fried mini Shepherd’s Pie with Guinness bacon cheese sauce! It was the perfect appetizer in a place like this.

Shepherd’s Pie Bites

Roast Beef Stuffed Yorkshire Pudding with Mashed Potatoes

Pulled-Pork & Mango Pizza

You’re sure to be entertained with all the games, TV screens and tasty bites that Dublin Calling has to offer. Just looking for a place to drink? They have a variety of beer on tap too. With the holidays around the corner, this spot is sure to be bustling with work parties and get-togethers. If your looking for a casual spot for a fun night with friends, Dublin Calling is the place.

Website:
https://dublincalling.com/vancouver/

Address:
900 Granville St, Vancouver, BC

In Brunch

Hemingway’s Restaurant and Bar: Brunch in a Bar

May 17, 2014

Finding good brunch places on the Friday on the long weekend was tough. The places we wanted to go to were closed, so we had to wander near Yorkville for some food. It was really tough, so we settled for Hemingway’s Restaurant and Bar.

Hemingway’s has been around for over 30 years with a New Zealand inspired menu. Their 3rd floor patio is huge. Much better than sitting on the first or 2nd floor where it is much more dark .

Eggs Benedict ($9.99) has two soft poached eggs served on a toasted English muffin, layered with grilled peameal bacon
and topped with hollandaise sauce.

The egg was soft and yummy. The english muffins were quite thin and it worked well with the eggs benny since you can really taste the egg and bacon.

The only downside of this dish were the potatoes. Tasteless and bland.

The Down Under Burger ($13.99) has ground beef patty, fried egg, crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato, relish and a slice of beetroot. Garnished with a slice of tomato, onion, pickle and lettuce, served on a lightly toasted Kaiser bun. We wanted to add a slice of pineapple for $0.50, but they didn’t have any available.

M substituted with yam fries and man, those are some awesome yam fries.

Classic Cumberland Burger ($9.99) has ground beef and garnished with a slice of tomato, onion, pickle and lettuce, served on a lightly toasted egg bun. Fabo also substituted her fries for yam fries.

The food was decent, but what was the best were those yam fries for some reason. It was crispy on the outside and so smooth on the inside.

We Rate Hemingway’s Restaurant and Bar:

Address:
142 Cumberland St
Toronto, ON

Website:
http://www.hemingways.to/

In American

The Rumpus Room: Monday $10 Burger + Beer Special

December 26, 2013

My coworkers wanted a place to grab a drink and enjoy some nibbles. We settled on the Rumpus Room as it was close by the office and seemed like a great after work place to chill. The space is a bit small, but it makes up for it if you were a 80s kid. The menu is in a duotang and theres some cool memorabilia on the walls. Plus, in the Summer their patio is open and there’s a bunch of plastic pink flamingos.

As it was a Monday, we were surprised to hear they had a special! I love specials! A burger and beer for $10. A pretty awesome deal considering the price of a burger is $7 to $15.

Red Racer IPA is a local beer brewed right in BC at Central CIty Brewing. It has a strong taste of hops that lingers till the after taste. It’s not my type of beer because I don’t really like the hops flavour.

Peanut Butter Burger is made with a hormone-free 6oz beef burger patty, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, apple cranberry chutney, tomato, and creamy peanut butter on a brioche bun. I found that the ingredients went well together, but the beef patty was a bit overcooked so it because quite dry.

You also get a side to choose from. The options are fries, yam fries, veggie chili, soup, coleslaw, salad, side wedge salad, mashed potatoes, a waffle or ants on a long. I went with the salad. It was pretty decent as it had beets and sunflower seeds.

Overall, the price of the food is great for large portions. The quality of the food is alright but not too impressive. The servers are nice, but with only 2 people serving, they can tend to forget things…like… our bill. We had to ask twice for our bill, but we weren’t in a rush so we didn’t really bug them.

We Rate Rumpus Room:

Address:
2689 Main Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.rumpusroom.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2689+Main+Street+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=2689+Main+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+3E7&z=16 “]

In Bar and Grill

Storm Crow Tavern: Board Games, Beer, and Burgers

November 16, 2013

M told me about Storm Crow Tavern and now it is the nerdiest bar in Vancouver. I totally had to tell my nerdy blogging buddies – Gastrofork, FoodQueen, and EatingWithKirby. We are secretly really big geeks inside.

The tavern is on Commercial Drive right beside Grandview Park.

There’s a giant cthulhu with a mini skull.

There are battle axes, swords and a bunch of memorabilia on all the walls. You definitely have a tavern feel when you get inside.

There are also lots of board games to use free of charge.

Guns!

Mead ($6.50) is an alcoholic beverage made of fermented honey and water. If you play video games, you know this drink pops up a lot.

The Wolverine ($9) has maple whiskey, butter schnapps, frothy cream in an adamantium mug and a stick of crunchy bacon. It sounded like a cool drink but it definitely wasn’t for me.

The Jack Burton ($5) Jack Daniels with Lager. Dee rolled the 20 sided dice and landed on number 3, which was this drink. We all wanted her to land on 20 to get the Critical Hit drink, but it wasn’t meant to be. I think she just wanted to roll the cool dice.

Chickpea Fries ($6) are huge fries made of chickpeas. It also came with vegan gravy. This was the best thing we had here. Definitely recommended

With our drinks in hand, we played a few rounds of Cards Against Humanity. I think it’s probably one of the most popular games here. It’s an easy game.

Crow Burger with gluten free bread ($9) has chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, dijon, mayo, and onion.

Thunder Burger ($8 + $3) is a storm burger with a few upgrades. It has a 6 oz beef patty with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, sun-dried tomato aioli, bbq honey sauce, smoked provolone cheese, and crispy bacon on a Portuguese bun. I chose to have salad on the side.

The burger was ok. Lots of bacon, but everything else was pretty mediocre.

Elvish Veggie Burger Supreme with Daiya vegan cheese ($8 + $2) has a patty made of chickpeas, lentils and rice. The burger also has roasted corn, black beans, tomatoes and a salsa verde and veganaise sauce.

Barbaric Beef Stew ($8) is a savage stew of roasted potatoes, yams, onions, carrots, butternut squash and beef covered in gravy. There is also garlic bread that comes with it. Looks pretty meh and from Dee’s expression, it didn’t seem very good.

After our meals, we thought a proper game of Jenga was in order. It’s quick and there really isn’t too much strategy that goes into it. I lost twice out of three rounds and I totally blame the uneven tables.

When the bill came, we also got a few magic cards. As I don’t play magic, I just took them home and gave them to M. He’s a big magic fan, so I’m sure he will make use out of these.

Overall, the food is very mediocre and the drinks can be a bit expensive depending on what you order. I wouldn’t come again for the food. I’d come here for a beer and play some board games.

We Rate Storm Crow Tavern:

Address:
1305 Commercial Dr
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.stormcrowtavern.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1305+Commercial+Dr+Vancouver,+Bc&t=m&hnear=1305+Commercial+Dr,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5L+3X5&z=16″]

In Bar and Grill

John Hancock Center: Signature Lounge at the 95th

September 26, 2013

The best advice I got during my trip to Chicago was from my aunt who told me to grab a drink at the restaurant on top of the John Hancock Center and enjoy the summer fireworks. It’s great because you get a good view without paying the outrageous prices to be at their observation deck (which is on a lower level).

The Signature Lounge is located on the 95th floor (vs Oberservation Deck – 94th floor). To get up there, you go in through the south entrance. If you see people lining up for the observation deck, you’re in the wrong place. As it was a busy night, we waited about 20 minutes to get up to the restaurant. Other people were smart to go early to grab a seat and wait for the fireworks.

The interior was the restaurant was nice and cozy. They have tons of seats, but as you can imagine, it is quite packed.

Isn’t that just a stunning view?

As we waited for the fireworks, we had to order something. So we got drinks and shared a cake.

White & Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake ($8) also comes with chocolate bark and pistachio gianduja.

Stella Artois ($8.25) is light, crisp and declicious.

We found that our seats didn’t have the best view of Navy Pier for the fireworks, so we went to the womens washroom to watch the fireworks. It sounds weird, but it has one of the best views! You get a clear view of the loop and Navy Pier.

It was quite a night. Great views with great company. The items on the lounge menu were quite expensive, so just grab a drink and sip it slowly.

We Rate Signature Lounge:

Address:
875 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL

Website:
http://www.signatureroom.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=875+N+Michigan+Ave+Chicago,+IL&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&hnear=875+N+Michigan+Ave,+Chicago,+Illinois+60611,+United+States&z=16 “]

In American

Shameful Tiki Room: Get Fired Up

August 23, 2013

During a group outing with my coworkers, we came to the Shameful Tiki Room . It’s on Main and 28th. What we found strange about this place is that you go through the door, then you have to go through the heavy curtains into pitch darkness.

It’s not actually that dark, but when you come from the bright sun outside, it takes your eyes some time to adjust.

The interior had the right mood for a tiki bar. From top to bottom, you can see everything decorated to fit the theme. There’s so much decoration, that there is always something to stare at.

Near the entrance, there is a stage and there are usually performances during the evening. We came here after work, so there wasn’t anything playing.

Complimentary chips and salsa were good to munch on before the meal, but the chips were a tad stale.

Their menu is pretty interesting, they have lots of descriptions but it doesn’t go into detail of what items contain. When I was just browsing the menu, one item caught my eye, the mystery bowl. With a description like that, who could resist? Especially if there is a gong involved.

Mystery Bowl is meant for 2 people or 1 heavy drinker. hahaha. The bowl is lit on fire via the limes floating on both ends of the bowl. As we aren’t allowed to know what is inside, we had a hunch there is a little rum inside. The mystery bowl came up to be about $18 I think.

Large Share Plate ($40) feeds up to 4 people, but with 5 of us, we were ok with this amount. There were ribs, sliders, pineapple rice, skewers, nuts, grilled vegetables, and spam balls. The food was alright, but wasn’t crazy amazing.

Overall, the atmosphere is great and they have a very unique menu with cool food and drinks. It’s a nice place for drinks and some nibbles, but the food didn’t really stand out.

We Rate Shameful Tiki Room:

Address:
4362 Main St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=4362+Main+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V5V+3P9&ll=49.246111,-123.101077&spn=0.01066,0.030642&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=4362+Main+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5V+3P9&z=16″]

In Korean

Two Two Fried Chicken: Beer and Chicken in Seoul, South Korea

August 8, 2012

Two Two Fried Chicken is a chain restaurant in Seoul. Their first location was in Myeong-dong in 1978 under the name Gela Chicken, but changed their name in 1990. They now have several locations around Seoul and is still expanding into other countries.

After you put down your order with your server, you get complementary side dishes depending on what you order.

Popcorn (Left) accompanies beer that you order. It’s not like the traditional popcorn in North America, but it’s so good!

Pickled Radishes (Right) accompanies the fried chicken that you order. I love this stuff! So good and addictive!

Cass Beer is a Korean manufactured beer. It’s light and very good to eat with chicken.

I ordered the fried chicken with a bit of spice. It was good, but the chicken was a tad dry. The spices rubbed on the chicken was very good and the amount of spiciness tasted great. I didn’t like the cabbage with the ketchup and mayo on the side.

Overall, the chicken was good, but could be more juicy. When you visit Korea, you must have fried chicken and beer!

Words of Wisdom:

They have an english menu
Smoking is allowed (they give you an ashtray at your table)
You pay the cashier at the front of the restaurant

We Rate Two Two Fried Chicken:

Locations: All around Seoul in popular areas
Website:
www.22chicken.co.kr/en/default.asp

In Bar and Grill

Relish Gastropub and Bar: Happy Hour Oysters of Disappointment

July 8, 2012

Relish Gastropub and Bar has buck-a-shuck oysters from 3 -6PM everyday, plus $3 beer specials. This really enticed KoreanGirl, Mandu and I to dine here.

I’ve been here several years ago and it has changed a lot! It use to be really large and was always packed for dinner. I also remembered they had some pretty awesome food back then too. I always wanted to make a return trip and now was the chance to do so over some oysters with the girls.

Their beer/wine specials are listed on a big chalkboard.

Bottle of Moosehead ($3) tasted good and it had a light and crisp taste.

Buck-a-Shuck Oysters ($1 each) were very tiny! Mandu had a look of terror on her face as it arrived.

They were also not shucked very well as there were bits of shell inside.

There are also a few vinaigrette sauces you can put on top.

Overall, the experience was quite poor. I would never return again for the oysters. I would go chill and relax with some beer, but I would never order oysters again. They were also very understaffed. Our host, server, and oyster shucker was the same person. We did have to wait for a long time for it to arrive too.

If you are looking for buck-a-shuck oysters in Vancouver, there are tons of other alternative places to go to.

Words of Wisdom:

$3 daily beer specials
Daily wine specials
Loungy atmosphere
Do not order the oysters

We Rate Relish Gastropub and Bar:

Address:
888 Nelson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.relishthepub.com/

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In Bar and Grill

Rogue Kitchen & Wet Bar: Salad Drenched in Dressing

May 14, 2012

Rogue Kitchen & Wet Bar is located inside the Waterfront Skytrain Station. They serve a lot of different types of craft beers and other drinks. It’s a beautiful place to dine with coworkers and have a few drinks. I came with a few people to have dinner and chill.

Chicken Cobb Salad ($14.99) has chicken, avocado, roma tomato, rough chopped bacon, soft yolk egg, blue cheese, and ranch
dressing. The soft egg yolk was pretty awesome and delicious, but I felt the salad was way too dressed with the ranch sauce. It made the leaves less crisp. The chicken was good and tender.

Overall, I still prefer the burgers or sandwiches to get the best deal and it tastes good. The decor is really nice, but the service was quite bad. Our server disappeared for long periods of time and it was really hard to get her attention.

Words of Wisdom:

Rogue burger and Fries x3 recommended
Pay parking in adjacent lot
Large selection of drinks
Some items can be expensive
Beautiful decor
Located in Waterfront Station

We Rate Rogue Kitchen & Wetbar:
Address:

601 West Cordova Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.roguewetbar.com

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In Downtown

Mahony & Sons (Burrard Landing): A Pub By The Water

April 28, 2012

Mahony & Sons is a pub outside the Vancouver Convention Center. They have a wide variety of beers and cocktails, plus they sell some pretty delicious lunch! The interior is very large and can host small to large groups. Since its right by the Burrard Inlet, you get a good view of the water and mountains. It’s a great spot to dine especially in the Summer.

JojoCake and I came here during FanExpo to grab some lunch. It was a really nice day, so we decided to sit outside in the patio. There were lots of people sitting outside basking in the sun.

Truffled Mushroom and Fontina Burger ($14.95) has butcher-style beef burger with truffled crimini, portobello mushrooms and fontina cheese. It comes with a choice of salad or fries on the side. The burger was quite large and Jojocake had a hard time eating it, so she had to resort to using a knife and fork.

Fresh Roasted Mahi Mahi Tacos ($15.95) has chipotle mayo, guacamle, pico de gallo salsa, and cilantro. I got the salad on the side. These are more like cones and they were quite massive. You’ll definitely get full from this item as well! The fish seemed like it was a bit over cooked, so it made the texture a bit tough.

Overall, the menu was good. I went here for a lunch before with a coworker and haven’t been disappointed yet… except for the tacos. At first the price can seem a bit expensive for lunch, but the portions are large enough to be stuffed.

Words of Wisdom:

Great view
Large selection of drinks
Large venue, good for group gatherings
Close to Waterfront Skytrain

We Rate Mahony & Sons:
Address:
1055 Canada Place, Unit #36
Vancouver, BC
Address:
http://www.mahonyandsons.com/

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In Downtown

Ensemble Tap: To Tap or Not To Tap

February 27, 2012

Ensemble Tap is opened by Top Chef Canada’s winner – Dale MacKay. They sell pub-style food with a large array of beer on tap, thus the name. It’s a spin off of his other restaurant – Ensemble, which is a higher end dining.

Since I helped Flo assemble some furniture, she treated me out for some food close to her place. Since Ensemble Tap was just downstairs, it seemed like a good place to go.

Steam Buns ($14) has seared albacore tuna, Mama Cho sauce, and fresh kimchi. The bun was cold and we felt it might have been better if it was warm like those Chinese-style steam buns. It was hard to taste the tuna since the kimchi and the Mama Cho sauce overpowered the tuna. It was a tad spicy and has a little sour taste to it. I really didn’t like the flavour combinations.

Thai Chicken Wings ($12 – 1 lb) The chicken was deep fried and came with the thai sauce on the side. I didn’t find it very amazing at all since it’s quite expensive for a pound of chicken wings.

Tap Burger + Bacon ($15) has mushrooms, caramelized onions, onion, lettuce, Swiss cheese, horse radish, and a side of fries. The beef patty was quite large and the added bacon was nice and crunchy. I really liked the burger since it was a good price and tasted delicious.

Key Lime Pie ($8.50) has whipped cream, toasted coconut, and lime zest. It was light and airy, so it was not a heavy dessert. It has a really nice lime flavour, but you know there was definitely some food coloring in this. I’ve never had a key lime pie, but this was good.

Overall, the appetizers are definitely expensive. The burgers are delicious and priced well. Service was ok.

Words of Wisdom:

Good burger
Around $15
Some appetizers not worth the price
Good array of beers
Closest Skytrain: Burrard

We Rate Ensemble Tap:

Address:
990 Smithe Street
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.ensembletap.com/

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In Downtown

Shark Club Bar & Grill: All You Need Is Beer and Good Company

November 23, 2011

Shark Club Bar & Grill is a large venue which is great to watch the game. Too bad I’m not into sports or going out to bars to watch sports games. I only go to these places for beer and good company!

The Social Media Network from SFU and UBC were hosting a Tweetup here and I decided to join in on all the fun. Of course there had to be food too .

Molson Canadian ($4) actually tasted good. It was nice and light.

Chicken Pesto Quesadilla ($13) has grilled chicken breast, pesto sauce, peppers, onions and melted cheese, in a flour tortilla. It also has sour cream and salsa and fries. There was a lot of filling in the quesadilla so you do get full.

Roast Beef Dip ($13) it has roast beef topped on a toasted baguette with a side of au jus. Also a side of fries too.

I liked it since it had so much meat! The best park was just dunking it into the au jus and having the bread to soak it all up. The fries were decent.

Overall, foodwise it was alright. It was a bit expensive for what you get. I probably wouldn’t go here on a normal day. The service was pretty slow and they probably could have used more servers on a Friday night.

Words of Wisdom:

Very large venue, good for really large groups
Good for the game
pretty dead when there are no games on
Daily drink specials
Decent food and ok service
Slightly overpriced for what you get

We Rate Shark Club:

Address:
180 W Georgia St
Vancouver, BC V6B

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In Downtown

Smiley’s Public House: Nachos + Non Existent Service

November 22, 2011

It was a long day, so a bunch of us decided to head to Smiley’s Public House to unwind. It’s a pub that is owned and operated by the Donnelly Group.

We went inside and just seated ourselves. It took the waitress a while to give us menus and to serve us. It seemed like they were quite understaffed since it looked like one waitress serving the whole place. If you can bear with mediocre service, you should be fine….it is a pub so don’t expect too much.

Nachos ($16) tortilla chops, cheddar cheese, monetery jack cheese, olives, tomatoes, jalapenos with guacamole, sour cream and salsa. It was pretty good, but if you aren’t a fan of heat, you should pick the jalapenos off. The nachos were quite large and can feed about 3 – 4 people. It goes well with beer!

Overall, food is decent, but service is bad. I asked for the bill and they wouldn’t deliver it to the table for some strange reason. I tried paying at the counter but the waitress just walked away and didn’t take the money, so we just left it on the table. It made a simple process quite confusing and complicated.

Words of Wisdom:

Daily specials of food and drinks
Lots of TVs for the game
Lots of seats
Service sucks
Closest Skytrain: Burrard

We rate Smileys Public House:

Address:
911 West Pender Street
Vancouver, BC V6C
Website:
donnellygroup.ca/smileys

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In Bar and Grill

Rogue Kitchen & Wet Bar: More Than Meets The Eye

August 21, 2011

Rogue Kitchen & Wetbar is located in Waterfront station in Downtown. They are a great addition to the downtown core serving up pasta, burgers,pizza, salad, soup and a bunch of other items. It’s a great place to bring your clients or even a girls night out since they have some elegant decor with high ceilings.

Lobster Mac n’ Cheese ($17.99) is one of their more popular items and it has a blend of 4 cheeses, macaroni, lobster and topeed with bread crumbs and cheese.

M and Cdiddy thought it was subpar and there was not a ample amount of cheese flavour. There was plenty of lobster bits however. The whole dish was bland tasting, but the crumbs on top created a nice contrast texture from the smoothness of the mac and cheese. The real disappointment here was the salad. It was unbearably sour, and the selection of the greens didn’t help either.

The 9.2 oz ROGUE burger ($12.99) has a large sirloin patty, sesame brioche bun, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickle, sweet relish, and mayo. It also comes with a side of fries. This is one massive burger and it is even skewered together by a knife.

Seafood Linguini ($16.99) it has prawns, scallops, salmon, halibut, lemon, herbs, red & yellow peppers.

Fries x 3 ($8.99) are hand cut kennebec fries that comes in 3 types – gorgonzola cream & bacon, poutine and truffle oil & parmesan. This appetizer is best shared.

The poutine fries is very typical – gravy and curds. It was alright, but not my favorite.

The truffle fries have been doused with truffle oil and has a strong taste of mushrooms. It was good.

The gorgonzola cream & bacon fries was my favorite since it was the most flavourful and most unique. The gorgonzola is a type of blue cheese, so it has a pungent flavour. Not everyone likes this kind of flavour. It is an acquired taste, but I highly recommend trying! The crunchy bacon goes well with the melty pungent cheese.

Overall, a few of the items on their menu are a hit and a miss.

Words of Wisdom:

Rogue burger and Fries x3 recommended
Pay parking in adjacent lot
Large selection of drinks
Some items can be expensive
Beautiful decor
Located in Waterfront Station

We Rate Rogue Kitchen & Wetbar:

Address:

601 West Cordova Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.roguewetbar.com

Twitter:

@roguewetbar

In Bar and Grill

Wings: What Else Is On The Menu Besides Wings?

August 13, 2011

I came to Wings with a bunch of SFU-ers to chill, hangout and of course eat! What was very ironic is that we did not order any wings. For a place called wings, you would think we would order wings. Since it was not a Sunday and they did not have any wing specials, we all ordered entrees. Don’t get me wrong, the wings are good, but it’s best to come here on Sunday for the specials.

ShumBum ordered the Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla. It comes with a side of sour cream. The dish is nice and colorful using 2 types of tortilla wraps – tomato and herb. The inside of the quesadilla had a good amount of chicken and cheese.

KoreanGirl had the Fiji Blond Beer-Battered Fish and Chips. It comes with fries, tartar sauce and coleslaw. It has a generous amount of fish. There was so much that she did not end up finishing it. Nicely battered on the outside with delicate meat on the inside.

I ordered the Beef Dip. I chose the salad on the side instead of the fries since I know I didn’t need the excess calories from the fries. The beef dip is served on a garlic herb ciabatta with a large amount of beef and a side of au jus for dipping.

The au jus is what really makes the beef dip amazing. Once you dip the sandwich in there, it just soaks up all those nice fatty flavours from the sauce. I fell in love with the beef dip and its a worthwhile dish to order.

Overall, not bad choices from Wings. It’s great for accommodating large groups.

Words of Wisdom:

Decent priced items
Sunday wings special
Good Beef Dip
Great for large groups
Beer specials and they can create some nasty shots for the Bday boys/girls

We Rate Wings:

Address:

345 North Road
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
www.greatwings.ca

In Bar and Grill

The Keg: Lobster Summer Menu

July 29, 2011

M and I spent an interesting day shopping and returning things at Costco in Burnaby. Seriously, sometimes you can spend forever in all the aisles. Since The Keg is super close to Costco, we were super tempted for some meat!!

I really enjoy The Keg for their prime ribs, atmosphere and more meat.

I walked in looking for prime rib, but when I saw that they had a lobster summer menu that features their fresh batch of lobsters from the east. It sounded really good, so I had to try something off the menu.

Something wrapped in a white cloth came to the tables. Can you guess what it is? TA DA! It’s the complementary sourdough bread! It was a bit crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. It’s cut up into 4 pieces for you to share between 2 people. I found that eating one piece was good enough for me since I didn’t want to fill up my stomach.

Sometimes I wonder… how much bread do they waste in a month if people don’t finish it all.

M ordered the Tender New York striploin with mashed potatoes. M was so happy! 12oz of yummy yummy meaty goodness. He ordered it medium rare and it came out perfect. It wasn’t tough and it was seasoned with peppercorn on the outside.

I had the Seafood Sirloin ($27.95) grilled sirloin steak, topped with lobster, shrimp and scallops in a chive velouté sauce. Instead of mashed potatoes I ordered the house salad for the side. The salad was alright, nothing very special. Should have gone with the mashed potatoes…

I was disappointed by the size of my sirloin and the minimal seafood. The seafood really didn’t shine in this dish and as always, I could have always used more meat. Beside the size, I really loved the sirloin! Perfectly cooked medium rare with great flavour.

Overall, we really like this place for their steaks, but some dishes can be overpriced.

Words of Wisdom:

No reservations, so go early or go late
Slightly hard to drive to, so make sure you are driving from the south
Can get a bit pricey
Amazing steak and prime ribs

We rate The Keg:

Check out their website: http://www.kegsteakhouse.com/en/locations/BC/burnaby/burnaby-keg/

In Gastown

Blarney Stone: Horrible Service but Decent Food

July 1, 2011

It was NotFauna’s welcome back/ Birthday celebration. She chose Blarney Stone for a good fun meal before heading out to Fortune Sound Club a few blocks away.

CanuckGirl and I arrived early since she wanted to see a few players being drafted into the Canucks…sadly none of the TVs were showing that and when we asked them to about changing the channel, but they couldn’t do it. As we waited for everyone to arrive, we watched a TV promoting the Blarney Stone.

The place was quite full around 6:30, so it was a good idea we got reservations for the large group. The service was pretty bad from the beginning; it was hard to find anyone to help us find NotFauna’s reserved section since there were several reservations for the night. They didn’t even reserve the right amount of seats that was requested. When CanuckGirl and I sat down, the waitress didn’t offer us a menu to start looking.

After more people arrived, the waitress finally gave us menus. The menu was not bad at all. Lots of choices between $8 – $15 ish dollars.

Before you get your food, you must pay for it ahead of time or keep a tab for the night. It was super super weird to all of us, but in a way it made sense since people can easily skip out on the bill.

CanuckGirl ordered the Blarney Burger ($9). It comes with a beef patty, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mayo and pickles. You can also choose between fries or salad.

It seems like it was a well made burger and she seemed to enjoy it.

A few others had the Fried Mac and Cheese loaf ($10). It has three types of cheese with macaroni, breaded and fried. It comes with a side salad too. It was not bad but it will probably get you full since it’s so rich in cheese.

CandiedZen ordered the Sheppard’s Pie ($11). It comes with side salad and focaccia bread. She enjoyed it and the addition of the cheese on top was pretty good.

I ordered the chicken focaccia Sandwich ($10). It has roasted chicken, cheddar cheese, bacon, onion, tomatoes, lettuce, and mayo. I chose to have the side salad with balsamic and oil dressing.

It was a pretty good sandwich, but the chicken was a bit on the dry side. I loved the bacon! It was very nice and crisp!

Overall, the food was not too bad. It’s your regular pub style food; so don’t have super high expectations or anything. Service is really bad and they don’t usually refill your water either unless they flag you down.

Words of Wisdom:

Quite loud inside
Patio seating
Best to reserve for large groups
Decent food under $15
Pay before your meal arrives or start a tab
HORRIBLE service

We Rate Blarney Stone:

Address:

216 Carrall St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.blarneystone.ca

In Pub/Bar

The Diamond: Drinks and Appetizers

May 27, 2011

Flo has always wanted to try out The Diamond, but they were always too full. We were having a little SFU get together and when she asked if they had space. Flo jumped at the chance to go.

The Diamond is located on Powell on Carrall, but it’s on the 2^nd floor, so be sure to look out for the sign and the stairs to enter. They are more of a drinking lounge rather than straight up eating. It’s the place to go after work to kick back with a few drinks and a little bit of food.

For the FourSquare users, do check-in because you will find some tips so hilarious. The first tip that popped up was from someone I knew at SFU and he basically said to never go to this place…we were already here so, it’s wasn’t like we were gonna get up and leave. Good thing I am not a good listener because I did enjoy the Diamond.

Their food menu is not very extensive and really will not fill you up. I find this place best to have your pre-dinner meal and then head off somewhere else if you are hungry. For example, after this, we headed to the night market to eat again.

Since HikingMan doesn’t drink beer and Flo wanted a virgin cocktail, someone had to drink right? I got the Asahi Super Dry Lager ($6). What can I say? I really love Japanese Beer. Some say local beer is good, but I have a secret love affair with Japanese, German and Austrian Beer. Perhaps one day I will go in-depth about this.

Flo started off with the Tuna Tartare ($13). There is a block of tuna and avocado cream drizzled with ginger sake dressing and a side of tomato chili Jam. You also get 4 wonton crisps to eat the tartare with. This is one of their more expensive dishes, but it has a lot of great flavours combining together.

Flo then got the gyoza ($7) since FourSquare kept telling her it was one of their best dishes. Inside the gyozas are pork, mushrooms and cabbage. The sauce that the gyozas come in smells so good! It is a mixture of soy, mirin and sesame oil. Even thought this dish is under the “Bigger” category, it really was not that big.

I ordered the Rock Cod Sub ($12). Inside the sub is rock cod with Morrocon spice rub, greens, cucumbers, hint of lemon, tomatoes and a nice Japanese Mayo sauce. The sub was pressed in a Panini presser, but the sub was still nice and chewable. Yet again, it did have nice flavours, which I was surprised. The sub does drip a bit when you eat it, so make sure you don’t eat it too close to you or else you might stain your new clothes.

HikingMan ordered the BBQ Short Rib Sandwich ($12) and he really thought the tender beef was spot on. Basically if you order, the sub, you can’t go wrong.

Overall, great drinking place, go small eats, but this is not the place to have a full dinner.

Words of Wisdom: