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pizza-fabrika-outer

Pizza Fabrika is located on Denman Street close to the West End. To go with their artisan pizza, they serve a variety of craft beers. I came here for a Zomato MeetUp event to enjoy some delicious food and meet some foodies.

pizza-fabrika-inner

The inside has 2 long tables, which are great for groups. They have smaller tables for 2 -4 people.

pizza-fabrika-meatballs

Beer Bison Meatballs ($8) is served with tomato sauce, gremolata & Grana Padano. There’s about 25% pork and 75% bison meat in the meatballs to give it the firm and unique taste.

pizza-fabrika-macncheese

Mac and Cheese was cheesy and full of flavour. It is topped with gremolata.

pizza-fabrika-bluecheese-beets

Beet Salad ($6) has herb ricotta and walnuts on top. It was a pretty good salad. Good for before the meal of pizza that we were about to devour.

pizza-fabrika-salad

Arugula Salad ($6) is topped with toasted pine nuts, yellow tomato dressing, and shaved Grana Padano. A simple and light salad.

pizza-fabrika-arugala

Lamb Sausage Pizza topped with arugula.

pizza-fabrika-margherita

Margherita Fabrika Pizza has tomatoes, fior di latte, and fresh basil. I had high hopes for this pizza, but the topping just fell off the pizza and didn’t hold together well.

pizza-fabrika-pesto

Pesto Pizza with yellow pepper, tomato, and goat cheese. It’s a vegetarian option, but I just loved the pesto! Who doesn’t love pesto.

pizza-fabrika-pizza

Dark Matter Pizza is their featured pizza and it has sausage made with Dark Matter Ale beer, braised short ribs, and sautéed mushrooms. Yummy flavour!

pizza-fabrika-poster

Overall, the topping had a great flavour, but some of the pizza’s were quite soft in the centre and didn’t hold well together. Sometimes we needed a knife and fork to eat it.

We Rate Pizza Fabrika:

Address:
1680 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.pizzafabrika.ca/

Pizza Fabrika on Urbanspoon

buca-dat

After touching down in Toronto, Flo and I went to Buca on King Street for dinner. It’s been a few years since I’ve been here but I will remember they had some pretty damn good Italian food. They have 2 more locations Buca Bar and Buca Yorkville.

Like always, remember to make reservations or else you will be out of luck. We managed to snag a reservation on Open Table at 6pm a day before due to cancellations.

buca-dining

We were seated in their wine room and it was really beautiful seeing all their varieties of wine.

buca-inner

There are lots of tables and seats in the area. It’s much more calm and relaxing here compared to their main dining area.

buca-beer

Peroni is served in a large wine glass. I never felt more sophisticated drinking beer out of this glass. I like Peroni because it’s light with a hint of citrus.

buca-plate

We chose two types of their Salumi Di Buca, which are their daily meat.

  • Prosciuttini, which is a cured leg of pork with colonata spice.
  • Coppa, cured pork shoulder with ciociare spice

Then we got 2 of their formaggi, which are their cheeses:

  • Ricotta Di Bufala, is their whipped water buffalo milk whey cheese
  • Pecorino Toscano, Tuscan DOP Sheeps milk cheese, aged 8 years

All the the choices were great and they came with their daily preserves. It’s a fun item to pick a few meats and cheeses and enjoy a good chat with friends while picking at the plate.

buca-dumpling

Gnocco Fritto ($7) are Tuscan spiced crisp dumpling. It is basically a big dumpling that is hollow. It is served with lardo, which is basically fat.

I thought it was an average dish. It looks beautiful, but I didn’t like the idea of eating fat and deep fried hollow dumplings.

buca-pig-ears

Orecchio Di Maiale ($8) is a great dish to share. It is crisp pig’s ears with wild fennel and sale di cervia. It is so crispy and is music to my ears. It was good for the first few pieces, but it did get quite salty after a while.

buca-funghi

Fungi Pizza ($24) has sauteed seasonal mushrooms, marscarpone, gorgonzola and marjoram. This pizza was quite rich and heavy. The mushrooms didn’t shine through as it was overpowered by the various cheeses.

buca-pasta

Bigoli ($18) has torchio-cranked duck egg pasta, duck offal ragu, venetian spices, mascarpone, and basil . The portion was small for the price, but it tasted good.

Their food is pretty good but you have to choose the dishes carefully. Here is my last visit from 2012. I do like the atmosphere of Buca and it is quite lively.

We Rate Buca:

Address:
602 King Street W.
Toronto, ON

Website:
http://buca.ca/

Buca on Urbanspoon


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rolling-dough-outer

The Rolling Dough is a new pizza place in North Burnaby, which opened on August 2014. I often go to Gaya Sushi next door, so I was quite curious to try this place out when it opened. M and I came here to grab takeout for lunch as we noticed they had a few promotional deals going on. We ordered 2 medium pizzas and it took about 20 minutes to be completed. We called ahead of time so we didn’t have to wait.

rolling-dough-oven

Inside the store is their large stone pizza oven that they use to make all their pizza.

rolling-dough-stove

Making lots of pizza all day everyday, except on Sundays.

rolling-dough-counter

They have 3 sizes of pizzas – 8″, 12″ and 14″. They roll our their dough everyday and try to use local produce where possible. Nothing is frozen or premade.

rolling-dough-seats

There are a few seats inside and outside, but most people do takeout.

rolling-dough-box

M and I did a pick up order since we wanted to eat it at home. Too bad they don’t deliver.

rolling-dough-chicken

The Rolling Dough Chicken (12″ – $18) has roasted chicken breast, monterey jack cheese, salsa verde, cilantro, and Feta Cheese on the thin crust.

rolling-dough-meat-lovers

Meat Lovers (12″ – $17.50) comes with ham, pepperoni and spicy Italian sausage on top of the thin crust.

rolling-dough-thin-c

Both pizzas were quite thin and did stay crispy after we took it home.

rolling-dough-thin

The toppings held together nicely and did not fall apart.

rolling-dough-slices

Taking a few bites of each pizza, it’s very different from Panago or Dominos.  It’s much thinner crust and not as oily. The pizzas were average, but didn’t feel like they were worth the price because of their thin crust and you won’t get as full. Do keep an eye out for promos on their website as they do have some good deals. When we got 2 medium pizzas, the second one was 30% off.

If you are looking for a late night pizza joint, their hours are short and only open till 9pm.

We Rate The Rolling Dough

Address:
2900 Bainbridge Ave
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://rollingdough.ca/

Rolling Dough on Urbanspoon

famosa-inner

I never take many trips to South Surrey, but while I was in the area, my coworker took us to Famoso Neopolitan Pizzeria in Morgan Crossing for lunch. I’ve been to the Commercial Drive location a few years ago and I remember the pizzas being pretty decent.

famosa-table

Once you are seated, there are menus at the table. You will find pencils and note pads on the table to write down your order. It helps you remember you are ordering when you go up to the counter.

famosa-order

I always thought this was a weird concept that you would have to go up to the counter to take your order and pay. Why can’t they just come and take your order? It’s part of their service-style across all their locations. I personally find that it just cheapens the experience.

famosa-lunch

Pizzetta is their lunch special and you can choose from a small pizza, which is half the size of their regular pizzas with an optional side.

I chose the Don Andreas pizza and the Napoli Salad ($12).

famosa-pizza

Don Andreas pizza is recently new on their spring and summer menu. It has creme fraiche, fior-di-latte, roasted chicken, corn and chipotle salsa, avocado, chopped cilantro, lime wedge, and served with a side of Valentina hot sauce.

famosa-salad

Napoli Salad has field greens, ripe cherry tomatoes, diced red onions, carrots, chickpeas, and a balsamic vinaigrette.

Having the salad and the pizzetta was a good size for lunch. The quality of the food was pretty average.

We Rate Famoso Neopolitan Pizzeria

Address:
15865 Croydon Dr Surrey BC

Website:
http://www.famoso.ca/

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria (Morgan Crossing) on Urbanspoon

panago-taco

Earlier in May, Panago was promoting the Nacho Pizza. This was an interesting pizza they were promoting since a few years ago, they launched the Beef Taco Pizza and it’s still on the menu.

It’s a nice pizza to spice up the Summer. Unfortunately, they seem to have discontinued the pizza and is no longer on their website. I am sure if you really wanted it, you can request it by putting the same ingredients together.

Panago-tacos

Nacho Pizza (Medium $13) has fresh salsa, ground beef, red onions, jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, black olives, mozzarella, cheddar cheese served with a side of sour cream.

M and I thought this was pretty good. The spiciness of the jalapeño, went well with everything else. It’s like a nacho but without the chips. Panago is always coming up with different pizza themes and should be interesting to see whats next.

Website: http://www.panago.com/

Panago Pizza on Urbanspoon

Scaddabush-menu

An Easter Long Weekend in Toronto means a lot of people leave town, but M and I came to visit some friends, but realized a lot of restaurants were closed or fully booked with reservations. Looking at Open Table to see what was available, we got curious about Scaddabush on Younge Street. They also have a another location in Mississauga.

The are an Italian restaurant serving up meatballs, pasta, fresh mozzarella, and pizza.

Scaddabush-inner

The interior looked pretty cool. It’s also great for large groups because we saw a huge group come here for a birthday party. Maybe about 25 people.

Scaddabush-window

They make all their Mozzarella in-house from 5pm – 11pm. They even tell you exactly who made it. It’s a nice personal touch. There is also a window where you can watch them make it.

Scaddabush-mozarella

Buratta ($11.98) is infused with honey and truffle cream, comes with focaccia crostini.

Scaddabush-meatball

Straight Up Meatball comes shareable on focaccia crostini, cheese sauce, garlic chips, and fresh basil.It is about half a pound.

You have two choices to choose from:

  • Straight-Up Meatball (Classic) $12.28
  • Straight-Up Meatball (Stuffed) $12.68

Scaddabush-meatball-inner

Straight-Up Stuffed Meatball ($12.68) it is stuffed with pepperoni and mozzarella. Theres a good amount of pepperoni inside. 

Scaddabush-burger

Italian Burger ($14.92) has certified Angus Beef, bruschetta, baby arugula, fried fresh mozzarella, balsamic reduction, pesto aïoli, and served on artisanal bread. You get your choice of side and Fabo chose fries.

Scaddabush-bolagnese

Bolognese (Small: $11.97)  has fresh fettuccine, classic Northern Italian meat sauce, and lemon herbed ricotta. There are two more additional sizes – Large ($14.97) and Social ($26.20).

The bolognese was ok, a decent amount of meat, but it’s not overflowing with sauce. The server warned me about this dish because a few people have complained saying there wasn’t enough sauce. I found there was a perfect amount of sauce.

Scaddabush-parm

Veal Parmesan ($18.92) is panko breadcrumb crusted, melted fresh mozzarella, special spices, served with spaghetti with tomato basil sauce. You can also get chicken parmesan for $18.24.

This dish was quite expensive for what you get and the quality was ok.

Scaddabush-pasta

Pesto Pollo (Small – $13.97)  has fresh fettuccine, sautéed chicken, baby spinach, semi sun-dried tomatoes, and basil pesto cream sauce. There are also two sizes available too – Large ($17.77) and Social ($31.10).

Overall, fun atmosphere with friends, but food and service was average.

 We Rate Scaddabush

Address:
382 Yonge St Unit #7
Toronto, ON 

Website:
http://www.scaddabush.com/

Scaddabush Italian Kitchen & Bar on Urbanspoon

WolfgangPuck-crystals-mall

Inside the The Shops at Crystals right beside Aria is Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina. My parents were raving about this place and how addictive their pasta was the day before. I was intrigued and I wanted to come here to see what they were talking about.

WolfgangPuck-inner

It has a warm and inviting atmosphere. Perfect for families. We came right when it opened and by 1pm, there was a good amount of people dining.

WolfgangPuck-inner2

The other side of the restaurant, you can get a view of all the shops. Plus its great for people watching.

WolfgangPuck-shirley-temple

Shirley Temple was what my mom was craving. It is made using a mix of Grenadine syrup and soda. We were sad they didn’t use the recipe with orange juice.

WolfgangPuck-bread

Complimentary bread arrived at the table before the rest of the meal came. It is delicious rustic bread with a  few pieces of butter on the side. The bread was really soft in the centre and crispy on the outside.

WolfgangPuck-carpaccio

Prime Beef Carpaccio has roasted garlic aioli, crispy artichokes, goat cheese, and arugula. Oh man, this was addictive. Highly recommended.

WolfgangPuck-pasta-mushroom

Veal Ravioli has porcini mushrooms in a brown butter sauce and crisp sage on top. My sister thought it was a bit salty for her liking but the first few bites were good.

WolfgangPuck-pasta

Rigatoncini is smothered in piemontese meat sauce, garlic, and parmesan reggiano. The sauce gets into the inside of the pasta so you get a good amount of sauce in each bite.

WolfgangPuck-spaghetti-meatballs

Spaghetti has tomatoes, basil, garlic with housemade meatballs. Very classic and simple dish. The meatballs were huge and it is very filling. My sister and my dad really liked this.

WolfgangPuck-Pizza

Wild Mushroom pizza has bechamel, fontina, thyme, and arugula on top. It has a thin crust and perfectly crisp all the way through.

WolfgangPuck-sign

Overall, the food was done pretty well and no complaints.

We Rate Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina

Address:
3720 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV

Website:
http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/53877

Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina on Urbanspoon

Deluxe Spicy Pepperoni pizza

Panago Pizza recently introduced their new Deluxe Spicy Pepperoni Pizza. As Panago pizza is very close to our place, M decided to order some for lunch. Best lazy meal ever. We both love spicy food, so we really wanted to see if it would really set our taste buds on fire. The basic pepperoni pizza is awesome and you can’t go wrong. When you add a bit of spice into the picture, it should taste good.

Deluxe Spicy Pepperoni pizza

We ordered a Large Deluxe Spicy Pepperoni Pizza for $15. It is made of Italian tomato sauce, spicy pepperoni, and mozzarella. There’s so much pepperoni that you can’t even see the pepperoni slices underneath.

It wasn’t very spicy and had a bit of a spicy tingle. If you want some extra spice to it, add some tabasco sauce or Franks Red Hots sauce.

CHICKEN GARDEN SALAD

To balance out the greasy pizza, I ordered the Chicken Garden Salad that comes with grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, green peppers, grape tomatoes, and red onions. It comes with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The salad was alright. The chicken pieces tasted ok, but it wasn’t great.

Overall, the Deluxe Spicy Pepperoni Pizza is a good item to order when people are over.

Website: http://panago.com/

Panago Pizza on Urbanspoon

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M and I were watching TV one day and we saw that Pizza Hut Canada just introduced the Crunchy Cheesy Bites Pizza. A large 2 topping pizza is $17.

Crunchy Cheesy Bites Pizza is different from a regular pizza. It has a crust made of cheesy bites topped with crunchy corn flakes. Even though type of pizza is new in North America, it has been around Asian for some time.

You can rip off the bites and eat the separately, or enjoy it in its original pizza style.

Pizza Hut Crunchy Cheesy Bites

When the pizza arrived, it has some resemblance to what you see in the commercials. As I opened the pizza box, I was so excited to dig in.

Pizza Hut Crunchy Cheesy Bites

The cheese does look like it’s oozing out, but wasn’t cheesy at all. The inside of the bite was hollow and the cheese was hard. When you bite into the entire bite, its squishy and doughy. There was not crunch in the crust at all. Maybe the pizza was overcooked.

It doesn’t live up to the hype. It was alright, but I wouldn’t order it again.  I still liked the hotdog stuffed crust they introduced a year ago.

Website: www.pizzahut.ca

 

Pizza Hut Korea

I thought I knew pizza …  but when I came to South Korea the pizza wasn’t the same. M and I made it a mission to have pizza at Pizza Hut. Their pizzas are quite different and you won’t be able to find it in North America. Imagine sweet potato and minimal tomato sauce on your pizza. To me that’s nuts.

pizzahut-door

Pohang has a new Pizza Hut and we found one in their Downtown core.

Pizza Hut Korea

They have 4 styles of pizza:

  • Rich Gold
  • Crown Pocket
  • Cheese Crunch
  • The Special

Pizza Hut Korea

The salad bar used to be good, but this particular location sucked a lot. Two people must share a plate for the price you pay. The salad isn’t fresh and a bit wilted. The fruit looked stale and old, but you can try rambutan and passion fruit that you can’t easily find in North America.

On the bright side, you can get pasta, rice cake and mussels at the bar too.

Pizza Hut Korea

This is what I grabbed. Everything tasted ok, but I wouldn’t get the salad bar again. Nothing tasted fresh.

Pizza Hut Korea

Pizza Hut’s Rich Gold Pizza (Medium – 27,900 won) has a sweet potato mousse circling the crust. It’s essentially two carbs in every bite.

We got the supreme toppings but minus the meat since we were eating with some vegetarians. It tasted pretty good surprisingly. It still doesn’t compare to normal pizza because they use little to no tomato sauce. It’s mostly just cheese and sweet potato.

Pizza Hut Korea

Bulgogi Crown Pocket (Medium – 28,900 won) has bits of beef on top with peppers, bbq sauce, ranch, and mushrooms.It’s pretty expensive since the pizza wasn’t that big. The bulgogi was a bit sparse and you could barely notice any meat.

Nestled in the crust is sweet potato purée and cream cheese. I thought it was a gross combination.

Pizza Hut Korea

Bacon Steak Crown Pocket (Medium – 28,900 won) has a sweet sauce drizzled over the peppers, cheese and green beans. It was ok, but I didn’t like the sweet and savoury combination.

I wasn’t a fan of these Korean-style pizzas. It’s a cool sounding combination but not nice on the palate. The price was very expensive! It was about $28 for a medium pizza. Also, the service was quite poor

Have you tried these before?

Website: www.pizzahut.co.kr

Chicago Food Tour

I had a week in Chicago and it’s quite hard to eat everything. There’s only so many restaurants I can go to in one day. I contemplated for a long time if I should take a food tour or not. 7 restaurants in 3 hours is always enticing for a foodie for $50.

Chicago Food Planet Food Tours offered a tour of Gold Coast and Old Town‘s best eats. It’s a cool neighbourhood, but the only reason I went on the tour was to try a slice of deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati’s. I really didn’t want to eat a whole pizza to myself or eat alone.

We explored:

    • Lou Malnati’s
    • Delightful Pastries
    • Kamehachi Old Town
    • The Fudge Pot
    • The Spice House
    • Old Town Oil
    • Tea Gschwendner

The group was only 16 people, so it was a nice decent size. What made me feel awkward was that everyone else came to the tour as a group or a couple. It made me feel like an awkward turtle.

Lou Malnati’s

Chicago Food Tour

Our first stop was Lou Malnati’s for their famous deep dish pizza. This was the starting point of the tour. They are an iconic Chicago-Style Deep Dish pizzeria. It’s been around since 1971.

Chicago Food Tour

All 16 of us sat down and started beginning chowing down on our meal.

Chicago Food Tour

We began with a salad.

Chicago Food Tour

Then the deep dish pizza! So satisfying and the crust is so crispy. Definitely the highlight of the tour.

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria on Urbanspoon


Tea Gschwendner

Chicago Food Tour

We then walked a short distance to Tea Gschwendner. They are Europe’s leading specialty loose Green, Black, Oolong and White teas merchant and have been around since 1987.

We were given a little lesson about different types of tea and how to make tea.

Chicago Food Tour

Iced tea was given to everyone as a refresher after the yummy pizza. As it was a hot summer we definitely needed.

Chicago Food Tour

We then headed into Old Town and was told about the history of some notable buildings and history.


Kamehachi Old Town

Chicago Food Tour

Kamehachi Old Town is Chicago’s first Japanese-style restaurant, sake cafe and sushi bar . It has been around since 1967.

Chicago Food Tour

We had 2 types of maki rolls, but only 2 pieces. It was ok, but not great. Coming from Vancouver, this doesn’t even compare to what good sushi is like.

Kamehachi on Urbanspoon


The Fudge Pot

Chicago Food Tour

The Fudge pot is Chicago’s oldest chocolate confectioner, butter toffee and home-made fudge shop. They have been around since 1963 making delicious sweets.

Chicago Food Tour

We were taken to their kitchen to hear the history of the Fudge Pot and their production.

Chicago Food Tour

The butter toffee samples we received were pretty awesome. So addictive.

Fudge Pot on Urbanspoon


Spice Merchants

Chicago Food Tour

We then stopped by the world-famous merchant of hand-prepared spices, blends and artisan seasonings. Once you step close to the door of this place, you’ll definitely smell the amazing flavours. It’s quite strong stuff.

Chicago Food Tour

They have hundreds of spices! They have even made their own special blends. You can probably find any spice you’re looking for.

Chicago Food Tour

We looked around the shop and then taken to the back to get a lesson on different spices, best ways to store spices and how to get the most flavourful spices. Interesting stop on this tour, but we only smelled spices.

Spice House on Urbanspoon


Old Town Oil

Chicago Food Tour

Old Town Oil is America’s premiere supplier of aged balsamic vinegars and 100% extra-virgin olive oils. I’ve never seen so many tins of olive oil and balsamic vinegar before.

Chicago Food Tour

We were able to try all the flavours we wanted. Interesting flavours.

Chicago Food Tour

We continued walking around the neighbourhood and heard more about the history.


Delightful Pastries

Chicago Food Tour

Our last stop of the tour was at Delightful Pastries. It’s an authentic Polish-European bakery serving pastries, pierogies and pies.

Chicago Food Tour

Two Macaroons

Chicago Food Tour

Two different types of perogies.

Delightful Pastries on Urbanspoon

The Chicago Food Planet Tour of Old Town and Gold Coast was fun and enjoyable, but if you are a hardcore foodie, a majority of the places aren’t super amazing. The shops are unique and have a long history, but it won’t keep you coming back. Especially if you are a local.

As a tourist, it was a good use of 3 hours to visit so many shops and restaurants, plus learn a little bit of history in these 2 areas. The 2 restaurants that stood out to me was Lou Malnati’s and The Fudge Pot. Mmmm pizza and chocolate.

Our tour guide was great! He was funny and was very personable to each person on the tour.

Website: http://www.chicagofoodplanet.com/tours/near-north-food-tour/

Trilussa Pizza & Pane

Trilussa Pizza and Pane is located on Main Street near 28th ave. They serve up authentic Roman pizza and uses fresh ingredients that make the pizza taste great.

Trilussa Pizza & Pane

Alessandro Fonseca is the owner and the creator of the pizzas. Very friendly staff here too.

Trilussa Pizza & Pane

Our department at work decided to do a mini food crawl during the afternoon at Trilussa. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this place because it’s so cozy…plus they have good pizza.

Trilussa Pizza & Pane

One thing you just have to get is the pizza. The prices are quite fair and all under $10.

Trilussa Pizza & Pane

Once you look at their counter full of the thin crust pizza, I am sure you mouth will start drooling.

Trilussa Pizza & Pane

They have a pretty cool way of cutting the pizza, so you won’t find triangle slices, but you will have squares.

Trilussa Pizza & Pane

Trastevere on the right has pancetta, mozzarella and pecorino cheese. Really good and goooey.

Garbatella has sausage, tomatoes and mozzarella.

Trilussa Pizza & Pane

Margherita has the tomato and mozzarella. It’s very simple, but is really good.

Attilio on the right side of the board has mushrooms and mozzarella. Simple, but really good!! This was my favourite because I love mushrooms.

Trilussa Pizza & Pane

Overall, the pizza was pretty good! I’ll definitely be back again. If you’re a fan of thin crust pizza and want to try something different, take a visit to Trilussa.

We Rate Trilussa Pizza and Pane

Address:
4363 Main Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://trilussa.ca/

Trilussa Pizza & Pane on Urbanspoon

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Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria is a new restaurant located in North Burnaby. Anducci’s used to be in the same location. They serve italian cuisine with authentic Neapolitan pizza and classic Italian dishes. It’s a nice change to have more restaurant like these in the area. There is available parking in front and around the adjacent streets.

I came with Lensflaaare and Flo to chill after a long day.

I ordered a beer as it was a nice day out on the patio. What better way to de-stress with some beer.

Limoncello was very tiny like a shot. We thought it would be more like a cocktail type of drink since it was a bit expensive. Lensflaaare really tried to savour this drink.

Calamari Fritto ($11) is crispy fried squid with roasted roma tomato and salsa verde. It was crispy on the outside with alight batter. The squid was tender and delicious.

Gnocchi Patata (Small -$12) has fried potato gnocchi, Sloping Hill pancetta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, arugula, and herb oil. I really liked this dish because it was a different way the gnocchi was prepared. I’ve never had fried gnocchi before.

Papardelle Carbonara (Small-$12) has Two Rivers guanciale, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, roast garlic, and a 63 degree egg in the center. The egg really pulled the dish together nicely. The crunchy guanciale is really yummy!

Pizza Carne ($16) has guanciale, pancetta, sopressata, coppa, Grana Padano, and San Marzano tomato. I love meat, especially cured meats. The dough had bits where it was burnt and the center could have been more crunchy.

It didn’t come with olive oil or chilli oil, so we had to ask them to bring some over.

Overall, the food was good, but a bit pricey. My favorite items were definitely the pasta. It’s a great new addition to the neighbourhood!

We Rate Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria:

Address:
6011 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.cotto.ca/

Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria on Urbanspoon

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=6011+Hastings+St+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=6011+Hastings+St,+Burnaby,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V5B+4A1&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

 

Mega Slice Pizza & Donair is located below The Network Hub and very close to SFU Harbour Centre. From 11am to 2pm on weekdays, they have slices of pizza for 99 cents. As we obviously didn’t come at that time, we had to pay regular price.

The pricing is a little bit strange, but for 2 slices of pizza and a complementary pop, it came out to be under $5.

The star of the restaurant isn’t the food, it is the man behind the food. Michael Angelo or so he calls himself has an awesome flamboyant personality. He is able to speak Korean, Cantonese and Mandarin. He’s not fluent, but he is able to get a few giggles from his customers. A lot of international students come here for lunch.

You can see the different pizza that they offer. We came here very late so, there wasn’t a lot of variety. He can create some special for you, if you are able to wait.

I settled with a can of coke, donair pizza, and a pepperoni mega slice. I threw some ranch sauce on top. The pizza was surprisingly very filling. I could only finish one and a half slices. It probably has something to do with the crust. I prefer my crusts a bit thinner.

Overall, the pizza is quite mediocre since it isn’t as fresh as it could be. My friend ordered the donair and it was huge! One thing is for sure, you won’t leave here hungry since the portions are big.

We Rate Michael Angelos Mega Slice Pizza & Donair:

Address:
420 Richards Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://megaslicepizza.ca/

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[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=420+Richards+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=420+Richards+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V6B+2Z3&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

I asked a friend where I should eat in Korea and she suggested Mad For Garlic. They have locations all over Korea as well as Singapore. They are an Italian restaurant that specializes in wine and garlic. It’s one of Korea’s most famous chain restaurants for the food and atmosphere.

The location I went to is located between Yeoksam and Gangnam station. The entrance is easy to miss as the whole restaurant is downstairs.

The inside has a very nice atmosphere with lots of wine bottles and wine glasses everywhere. I came here for lunch and the place filled up quickly. I am pretty sure they are quite busy during dinner times too.

Margarita Pizza has fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and basil. I had a craving for pizza when I saw it on the menu.

Theres a blob of cheese and a basil leaf on every slice. It was a simple pizza but it was really really good.

The pizza was thin and crunchy as well. Koreans sure know how to make good pizza.

They also give you some pickles on the side.

The pizza at Mad for Garlic was really good. Since it was just me, I didn’t get a chance to try any of the pasta or the garlic items on the menu. I’ll definitely be back in the future.

Words of Wisdom:

  • Delicious pizza and pasta
  • Good service
  • Can get busy during peak hours
  • Can be expensive compared to other food in Korea

We Rate Made For Garlic:

Address:
648-19, Yeoksam Dong, Gangnam Gu
Seoul, South Korea


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Grimaldi’s Pizzeria is located in Brooklyn and everyone basically raves about this place. It’s located under the Brooklyn bridge, so you can either walk there (amazing view) or subway it (not so amazing view since you’re underground). They also have other locations around the city too. We chose this one because we wanted to hit 2 birds with one stone and see the Brooklyn Bridge.

CanuckGirl and I love pizza and we basically had pizza at every city on our trip.

We went pretty early in the morning and there was a line outside. Apparently there is usually a line and it’s normal for it to go around the block.

The funny thing is…this place is very big inside and there were tons of table available upstairs. I’m not sure exactly why they made people wait. It just reminded me of a night club since they usually make people wait outside even though it’s not full.

Cappuccino is served in a clear cup so it’s super cool to see what it looks like. It tasted good, but it could have been a tad stronger.

Old Brooklyn Cream Soda was amazing according to CanuckGirl. If you love soda, you may want to get one of these to accompany your pizza.

Small Regular Pizza ($12) has 6 slices and can serve 1 – 2 people. It has homemade dough, mozzarella cheese, and crushed tomato. It is  cooked in a 1000° F coal brick-oven, is what makes the pizza crispy on the bottom.

The pizza was good, but I still believe the best pizza I’ve had is in Toronto…and for CanuckGirl she prefers pizza in Boston more. Nonetheless, it’s still a good but not super amazing.

Overall, it was a fun trip to Brooklyn. We had our huge pizza and got super full. This place is a tourist attraction, so expect the lines to be long during peak hours.

Words of Wisdom:

  • No reservations
  • No slices
  • No delivery
  • No Credit Cards

We Rate Grimaldi’s Pizzeria

Address:
1 Front St
Brooklyn, NY

Website:
http://www.grimaldisnyc.com/

Grimaldi's Pizzeria on Urbanspoon


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Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited to their media event to try out their food and hear more about the restaurant. I tried not to be biased and focused more on the taste of the food. All items are the same size as what you would normally receive.  


Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria is a fast casual restaurant serving Neopolitan pizza. The have several locations in Alberta. They just opened their first location in BC on Commercial drive. They try to use similar ingredients as they would in Naples….except the difference is that they use a gas oven instead of a wooden oven.

Ange (FoodPunk), Sean (SeansAdventuresInFlavourTown), Tess, and I sat together at a table and decided to share a variety of items. We ate too much for our own good.

The kitchen is very open, so you can see the staff at work. There are tons of seats, so good for groups.

At first it is a bit confusing to figure out how to order. At your table, you will have a note pad and a pencil. You just write down your order, go up to the counter and complete your transaction.

It’s a little bit strange, but I guess that’s what makes it a “fast casual” restaurant. You can easily order to go or take your time eating at the restaurant.

Italian Spritz ($6.50) has prosecco, aperol with a splash of soda water. I liked it because it had a bold citrus taste.

Sangria ($9.50) is a fruit-based Italian wine punch with Grand Marnier and orange Italian soda. It tasted ok.

Prosciutto Wrapped Mozarella Balls (6 for $18) has fresh mozzarella wrapped with prosciutto in tomato sauce, fresh basil, and pecorino romano. I naturally liked it because it has meat and cheese. What was odd about the dish was the sauce was a bit cold.

It also comes with flatbread. It’s great just dunking this into the tomato sauce.

Famoso Salad ($13.50) has romaine lettuce, prosciutto crisps, carrots, cherry tomatoes, spicy sopressata, fire-roasted chicken, feta, and dijon-balsamic vinaigrette. It was a large salad and I liked it because it had a little bit of everything.

Funghi Tartufo ($14.50) has roasted white mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, white truffle oil, reggiano parmesan. This was my favorite pizza because I just love mushrooms and truffle oil. The people at my table had varying opinions on this pizza. It all comes down to personal tastes and what makes you drool.

The thing I didn’t like about the pizza was how super thin the pizza was in the center. With the toppings, it made the center a bit soggy and floppy.

Margherita Pizza ($11) has fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, pecorino romano, and extra virgin olive oil. Very simple, but packs a lot of amazing flavour from the tomatoes.

Prosciutto Arugula ($14.50) has prosciutto, arugula, and pecorino romano. I wasn’t a big fan of this pizza since there could have been a bit more arugula and the toppings didn’t stick too well to the pizza. The prosciutto was good by itself, but I didn’t like the overall item.

San Andreas ($14.50) is a California style pizza. It has Bianca sauce, fresh mozzarella, and chili-lime marinated roasted chicken. Then its topped with fresh avocado slices, diced roma tomatoes, diced onion, cilantro, and drizzled with light cream. It was definitely a busy pizza with lots of different ingredients. It kinda reminded me of a taco.

Affogato ($5) has a shot of espresso on top of a scoop of gelato. You can choose any of their gelato flavours but i stuck with vanilla since it just seemed right to pair it with espresso. I would have preferred the two items separately until it arrives to the table because my gelato melted quite quickly.

Dolce and Banana ($7) has oven-roasted bananas coated in caramelized brown sugar, crushed pecans, caramel sauce, vanilla bean gelato. I am not a fan of caramel because it sticks to your teeth, but if you love caramel and bananas, then you should get this. It’s a good dessert to share with other since it’s easily splitable.

Nutella Pizza ($8) is smothered in Nutella, folded into a calzone, then cut into strips. It’s a great sharable item as well. Since the crust is quite thin, you should be able to finish this with no issues. In our case, we couldn’t finish it because we ate SO much.

Tiramisu ($6) is imported from Milan, Italy. It has mascarpone cream on a sponge cake base, drenched with espresso, topped with mascarpone and dusted with cocoa. It was pretty standard and nothing too special about it.

Pineapple Panna Cotta ($4.50) is a sweet Italian custard made with pineapple and served with crushed pineapple and coconut shavings. It is one of their lighter desserts and I enjoyed it because it was a refreshing end to the meal. The pineapple in the custard didn’t stand out, but when you scoop up some of the custard with pineapples, it makes a good combination.

Overall, they have a large selection of items on their menu, but some items are a hit and miss. If you choose items that have your favorite items in there, you should have no problems at all. With so many pizza restaurants popping up in Vancouver, the competition is heating up!

Words of Wisdom:

  • Recommended items – margarita pizza, nutella pizza
  • Items are a hit and miss
  • Some free parking in residential area
  • Must order items at the counter

We Rate Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria:

Address:
1380 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC
Website: http://www.famoso.ca/locations/bc_commercial_drive.php

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Before a meeting, M decided to order a pizza. I let him have free reign to order whatever pizza that he wanted. I am not sure why he chose Panago, but perhaps he likes it.

When the pizza arrived, it was covered in lettuce. A man ordering a pizza with lots of vegetables? Preposterous!

He decided to order the Beef Taco Pizza (large – 16.50). It has salsa, ground beef, red onions, mozzarella, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes and cheddar cheese. This is a taco but laid out as a pizza.

It did for sure taste like a taco but the hardest part was eating it. The lettuce really got in the way of enjoying the pizza. It would either fall off or get in the way when you are taking a bite. It’s like you are being punished by the lettuce, so they must hit you in the face. The tomatoes would also fall off the pizza too. Perhaps the vegetables were repelled by the unhealthy pizza. Now we know vegetables and pizza don’t mix.

You really might as well order a pizza with just ground beef, sour cream. and cheese if you really want the meaty experience from eating your taco pizza.

Overall, I would have to say, I hated the vegetables on the pizza. I know…I should be a girl and just like the vegetables. Normally I would, but on a pizza… no.

We rate Panago Pizza:

Address:

534 Clarke Rd
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
www.panago.com
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