Tapas Archives - Foodology

In Cocktails

Ampersand Bistro and Bar: Designer Dim Sum misses the Mark

April 27, 2019

Ampersand Bar & Bistro is the newest restaurant in Gastown taking over Mosquito dessert, which quietly closed their doors recently. They specialize in cocktails as well as designer dim sum. Clearly, they are going for more of a high end approach.

We were invited to try their drinks and designer dim sum, but with so many great dim sum restaurants in Metro Vancouver, it’s some tough competition. Given the area of Gastown, there aren’t any dim sum options around unless you head closer to Burrard where there is Kirin or Victoria Chinese Restaurant.

Interior

The interior of Ampersand has stayed unchanged. The space is still small and somewhat cramped due to the layout. It has a dark and intimate feel.

Ampersand Gin & Tonic

The gorgeous drink is made with butterfly pea flower infused Cascade dry gin, and St Germain Premium Indian Tonic Water. When you pour the 2 liquids together, the colour transforms into a beautiful light purple colour. The taste is of a standard Gin & Tonic, but with a beautiful look.

Rosso Negroni

The Rosso Negroni has Cascade Dry Gin, Sweet Vermouth, Campari, and Cynar. Love how there is one giant ice cube in the drink to keep it cold as you sip away at this drink.

Designer Dim Sum

The designer dim sum is the star of their menu, but it was a total let down. They boast 11 different kind of dim sum items, but a lot of them fell flat in taste and texture. The presentation is beautiful but all of the items are forgettable. After a short while, the skin of the dumplings, no matter which kind got dry and chewy. The crafted sauces and garnishes are mostly for looks and don’t add too much to the flavours of the dumplings.

Coconut Buns

This comes 2 per order and it is topped with Ampersand dulche de leche coconut sauce and coconut almond sesame sprinkle. The dulche de leche sauce was addictive and it kept me wanting more. Unfortunately, the coconut buns were very thick and dense to get into the coconut filling.

Final Thoughts

The designer dim sum was a let down for me as I know there are some stellar dim sum options in Vancouver that just can’t compare. THey do have other menu items that might be better but we didn’t try those. If you’re looking for drinks in Gastown, the space is nice to catch up with friends.

Address:
32 Water St, Vancouver, BC

Facebook:
h ttps://www.facebook.com/ampersandgastown

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 Cafe

Lot185 Cafe and Wine Bar in Downtown Vancouver

September 30, 2018

Lot185 is located inside the Vancouver Convention Centre West, closest to Jack Poole Plaza. They are a coffee bar by day and wine bar by night. They feature locally-roasted coffee by Moja Coffee, freshly baked pastries made in-house, and tapas with a full wine and beer menu.

The Vancouver Convention Centre has award-winning catering services and with similar staff, they operate out of the same kitchen using the freshest local and seasonal ingredients when possible. Whether you work in the area or are a convention attendee, you’ll have a good bite and sip here.

Cafe by Day

The cafe is great for a quick coffee and pastries in the morning. As most people are on the go, their lines go quickly. There are other cafés in the area, but sometimes it’s nice to try something different. Plus, their pastries are made in-house and are quite tasty.

Coffee and Pastries

Coffee, teas, and espresso based drinks are popular especially with the morning crowd. It’s best paired with their freshly baked daily pastries, paninis or breakfast sandwiches. You can get these items for lunch too.

Wine Bar by Night

The Wine Bar is open in the evenings from 4pm till 9pm. They have a selection of local and international wines and beers. On the menu are small tapa-style dishes to accompany the drinks. Always good to have nibbles and drinks.

Small Bites

The menu focuses on their Neapolitan-style pizza that have a thin crust with simple ingredients. They have 3 different varieties – funghi blanca, prosciutto e rucola, and margherita.

The other items are small bites that are meant for sharing like their charcuteries with different meats and cheeses.

Serrano ham and marinated olives

Manchego cheese and roasted red pepper bikinis

They even have a few homemade dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth. This is their Tart Au Citron with a vanilla crust, lemon curd, and toasted whipped marshmallow. They also have a few other desserts for those who are into chocolate and other fruity flavours.

Final Thoughts

As Lot185 is inside the convention centre, it is hard to spot from the outside despite the signs.

The wine bar is a great place for people finishing conferences and are looking for a comfortable and chill space to hang out.

Address:
78-1055 Canada Place
(next to Jack Poole Plaza)

Website:
http://lot185.com/

In Cocktails

Personas: Drinks and Bites at Grand Villa Casino

July 21, 2018

Personas at the Grand Villa Casino in Burnaby showcases a variety of over the top drinks and bites for your group of friends. We were invited to check out a few items off their menu just to see what they offer their customers. Since I live in Burnaby, I’m always excited to check out what’s new in the neighbourhood.

Interior

The space here is nice and it can get pretty busy on the weekends with large parties. Best to make reservations if you have a group.

Weekly Specials

Mexican Bulldog Para Dos

This impressive drink has 2 Coronas, Sauza Gold Tequila and lime slush in a huge martini glass. It will cost you $19, but its a drink that is meant to be shared among friends. This drink is very extra but fun to take pictures of too.

Personas L.I.I.T.

This is part of their Iceberg drinks as it is made with rum, vodka, gin, tequila, Triple Sec, Coca-Cola, and lime slush.

Cotton Candy Cosmo

Another fun drink is their Cotton Candy Cosmo with Smirnoff Raspberry, Vodka, Contreau, Cranberry, lime and the fluffy cotton candy on top.

California Sushi Taco

There are 3 pieces per order with crab, avocado, nori, cucumber, togarashi mayo, wasabi, sushi rice, and served up in a gyoza taco shell. Good texture with the crunchy shell. Very tasty and one of our favourites.

Ebi Prawns

Another Asian inspired dish made of tempura prawns, Japanese mayo, bonito flakes, and black sesame seeds.

Sticky Ribs

What makes these ribs stick is the galbi sauce. It is then garnished with sesame seeds and shreds of green onions. Definitely inspired by Korean-cuisine with that tasty sauce.

Chicken Wings

They have chicken wings on the menu they are first crispy and deep fried. You can choose it with Salt & Pepper, gochujang, chili sauce or galbi sauce. This particular one we had was gochujang sauce and it had a kick of spice to it.

General Hao’s Chicken

This cute dish is where sweet and spicy collide. There are bits of chicken lightly breaded and deep fried till a golden brown. Then it is tossed in the Generals secret lemon chili sauce. Their version of General Tso’s chicken.

Thai Shrimps Flatbread

The Thai Shrimps flatbread has onion, sweet pepper, lemongrass aioli, red Thai curry mozzarella, baby shrimps,, sweet basil and toasted coconut. It’ was very yummy and it was unique to taste the flavours of Thailand on flatbread.

Fig, Cheese and Honey Flatbread

There is caramelized onions, figs, mozzarella, parmesan, goat cheese and honey. Its’ cheesy and sweet at the same time.

Tropic Thunder Flatbread

This is one of the most popular menu items. It has grilled chicken, alfredo sauce, grilled pineapple salsa, bacon, cilantro, BBQ sauce drizzle and some chili threads.

Falafel Wedge Salad

For those who want something healthier, this dish has crispy garbanzo beans, sundried tomatoes, cucumber, pickled turnips, lemon-tahini dressing and sumac.

Poke Bowl

This isn’t your regular poke bowl. It has ahi tuna, cucumber, edamame, spicy mayo, gochujang chili dressing, kizami nori on regular rice. The ahi was well marinated and was super tasty. One of our favourites.

Persona’s Burger

This leans towards their pub fare and goes great with a pint of beer. This has 100% AAA ground beef chuck, lettuce, tomato, pickle, red onion, garlic aioli on their brioche bun. You can do some add-ons to it if you want like bacon, mushroom and cheddar.

The curly fries were really good and the garlic aioli dip is best with them.

Bourbon St. Blackened Chicken

It has a bed of brown rice, seasonal vegetables, and the blackened double breast of chicken with the bourbon maple jus. This dish was ok as more of the seasoning on the chicken took over.

Short Rib Pappardelle

This has toasted pine nuts, wild mushroom ragout, goat cheese, extra virgin olive oil and a grilled garlic crouton. This dish was good but the goat cheese was a bit overpowering to let the short rib shine.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of different menu items from pub fare to Asian Fusion. It’s good that Personas is in Burnaby to give residents in the area and travellers more options in this area because there really aren’t that many. Our favourite items of the evening were the California Sushi Tacos, Thai Shrimp Flatbread, Poke Bowl and the Personas Burger.

Address:
4331 Dominion St, Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://mypersonas.ca/

In Four Beakers

Restaurant Yugo: French and Japanese Fusion on Main Street

April 11, 2018

Restaurant Yugo just opened up on Main Street serving up a fusion of Japanese and French cuisine. If you’re a fan of their sister restaurant – Kitchen by Yugo on Denman Street, you’ll enjoy this too. I came after work with a few friends for dinner to chat over food and drinks.

Interior

The space is beautiful and seats small to large groups. They have a portion of the restaurant for reservations and some saved for walk-ins. We loved the atmosphere and the service from their staff.

Drinks

We had to start off the weekend with some drinks, so I got an Asahi Super Dry beer. I enjoy refreshing beer to go with this type of cuisine. My friends went with their Osamanthus cocktail which has tangerine peel infused gin, honey, osmanthus and lemon juice. They loved this cocktail and would highly recommend it.

Spicy Fish Tartar

This appetizer has crispy cheese sushi rice cake on the bottom, topped with avocado, spicy fish tartar, tobiko and green onions. On the plate is also quail egg and unagi sauce. You take the quail egg and drape the egg yolk all over the tartar. A fun appetizer to share and start off this dinner.

Gindara

This dish has a beautifully grilled black cod marinated in maple syrup and soy sauce. It is then served with fried soba noodles, kale and yuzu foam. The black cod has delicate and well balanced with the salty soy sauce and sweet maple.

Scallops Risotto

This dish has Hokkaido scallops, black truffle, mushrooms, ikura honey ricotta, bonito flakes and fried leeks. This is one of the most popular dishes to get here and it lives up to that reputation. So good and so comforting.

Sakura Cheese Cake

This 4 layer cake is perfect for the spring as the cherry blossoms are blooming around town. There is cherry blossom jam and green tea cookie crumbs. It is sweet and subtle sakura flavour.

Matcha Mille Crepes

Layers of paper-thin matcha crepes with red beans in the middle. It is then topped with more matcha powder on top. I really liked this dessert as crepes are awesome and when you turn that into a cake with whipped cream, its a good thing.

Homemade Ice Cream

Two scoops of ice cream all dressed up. If you’re looking for something simple, this is an option.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we were all pleasantly surprised with the combination of Japanese and French flavours. It’s a great addition to the area where there isn’t this style of food. Dinner is slightly more expensive, but they are also open for lunch too with cheaper options.

We Rate Restaurant Yugo:

Address:
4265 Main St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://restaurantyugo.com/

In Mexican

La Taqueria: New Location on Main Street

April 4, 2018

La Taqueria recently opened their 6th location on Main Street just off Broadway. I am ecstatic. Main Street is easily one of my favourite areas to go bar and food hopping. Quality gems all around, huge variation and just the perfect level of crowded. Add one of the best taco joints in Vancouver to the mix and Main Street pretty much has all the favourite “casual-frivolous” hang out options that could satisfy any crowd. Cocktail bars, breweries, local coffee, west coast, pho, all day breakfast, pizza, shawarma, dim sum, tiki and now authentic tacos.

Their new location has a different vibe from the Hastings and Cambie locations. The bright yellow, pink and cyan everything has been traded for high ceilings, steel plates and industrial lighting. As for the food, all the same classics prepared as it always has. Now with nachos. I’ll have one of everything please.

Their menu features 8 meat taco options, 4 veggie taco options, 3 seafood options on 6” flour tortillas, nachos, tortilla soup and churros. Every taco is delicious, you can’t go wrong.

My favourites are the cachete (braised beef cheeks, imagine pulled pork but beef), rajas con crema (sweet corn with a kick of poblano pepper), mole (chocolate mole stewed chicken) and the atun (seared tuna with wasabi mayo). Mole always confuses me by its description as a chocolate sauce. It’s made of unsweetened chocolate or dark chocolate so while just a tiniest bit sweet, the only way I can describe it is complex and savoury. In their taco it reminds me of the flavours of Taiwanese pork floss.

Pictured above is the beer battered prawn taco on 6” tortilla. It’s very satisfying.

We were lucky to be invited to their grand opening where the house was filled to the edges. With the live music and the excited bellies, I felt transported to a busy bar in San Francisco’s Mission District on a Saturday night.

La Taqueria’s bar featured 3 cocktails for the night. A classic margarita, a paloma and a mezcal negroni. If you’re looking for something strong, go for the negroni. It’s made with a kiss of fire and appropriately garnished with a lightning bolt shaped orange peel.

A night out only gets betters when you add tacos. Currently they open from 11 am to 9 pm every day except Sunday when they open at noon.

Address:
2521 Main St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.lataqueria.com/

In Cafe

Spade Vancouver: Italian Supper in Vancouver

December 27, 2017

Spade, a beautifully designed cafe-bistro bringing an eclectic blend of authentic Italian flavour to Vancouver’s vibrant Commercial Drive neighbourhood. Owned by Sammy Piccolo (Award-winning Barista, Prado Café owner), Spade features freshly baked in-house Italian pastries, classic egg sandwiches as well as plenty of authentic Italian tapas and family-style dishes to transition you from day to night.

Interior

Since we were invited, they had us at the long table that can accommodate a lot of guests.

Pickled Vegetables

The house-made pickled vegetables was a nibble before the meal started.

Insalata di Halloumi

This has berries, pesto, walnuts, and halloumi a top a piece of endive. The natural crunch of the endive and the halloumi cheese paired well together.

Nachos Italiano

A twist to this classic has eggplant conserva, roasted red pepper, pickled red onion, and served with a side of salsa verde.

Gnocchi

This was one of my favourite dishes. There is squid ink, black garlic, cream, and lemon. I would highly recommend this dish.

Cauliflower

This dish has roasted cauliflower, ricotta, salsa verde, and seeds. A nice healthy accompaniment to go with some of the other dishes.

Octopus Conserva

This dish has artichoke soubise, potato, dill, and pickled vegetables. The octopus was very tender and enjoyable, but it would have been better if it was warm.

Papardelle with Lamb Shoulder Ragu

This dish was another favourite. Simple but with so much flavour and great texture. I would order this again.

Burrata

The burrata is paired with fennel, citrus, serrano jamon, basil and breadcrumbs. Burrata is awesome and you can’t go wrong with it.

Meatballs

The meatballs are served with a rosemary garlic cream sauce, mushrooms, braised endive, gorgonzola and walnuts.

Chocolate Cake

To end the night, we tried the chocolate cake, which reminded me of black forest cake. It was ok.

Cafe Latte Panna Cotta

The Cafe Latte Panna Cotta was delicious! A small sweet taste to the end of the meal.

Latte

Ending the night off with a decaf latte is great. The warm milk is so comforting. Highly recommend decaf if you’re sensitive to caffeine int he evening.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed dinner here and I’ll definitely be back. The concept of an Italian Coffee bar really shows and I loved all their pasta dishes. Even if you’re not a coffee drinker, you’ll want to come here for their homey pasta.

We Rate Spade:

Address:
1858 Commercial Dr, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.spadecoffee.ca/

In Gastown

Orchard and the Sea: Cider House and Restaurant in Gastown

June 15, 2017

My friend and I love wandering town to find unique places to eat and drink. We wandered deep into Gastown and stumbled upon Orchard & the Sea, which is a Cider House and Restaurant every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night at Birds & the Beets.

They are committed to serving the best ciders from local and international producers, paired with expertly hand-crafted small plates.

Cider Flight

I got a flight since I love trying a variety of drinks to see what my tastebuds are in-tune for. Plus, I never have that much cider, so I wanted to try different types.

Shacksbury Cider Basque: a still, extra dry, and unfiltered cider. This was an interesting cider since it had a funky taste. You’ll find grapefruit rind, spice and apple cellar muskiness.
Twin Islands Cider Boat Days: An off-dry blend of apples harvested from trees on Pender, Mayne and Samuel Island, as well as Vancouver Island and Worrenberg Farms in Keremeos. A partial wild fermented cider aged 6 months in their cellar.
Scenic Road Cider Co Razz: This was my favourite of the bunch. It has a hint of sweetness as it is made exclusively with local dessert apples and raspberries. Their craft ciders from Kelowna are hand blended in small batches.

Final Thoughts

Orchard and the Sea is a cool place to hang out after work on the weekend to have a bite and some craft cider. There isn’t really anything like it in Vancouver, but it’s great to see the variety of local and international Ciders.

We rate Orchard and the Sea:

Address:
55 Powell St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.orchardandthesea.ca/

In Downtown

The Pawn Shop: Tacos on Granville Street

April 25, 2017

The Pawn Shop is a new restaurant on Granville Street specializing in Tacos, Tapas and Tequila. The took over SIP Resto Lounge and brings an awesome space for locals and tourists to enjoy.

We were curious about their name as well as their tacos.

Interior

There are tons of seat inside and it has a dark vibe with graffiti and neon signs on the walls. It definitely has a young hip vibe going on.

Drinks

You can find beer on tap, wine on tap, cocktails, spiked slushies, shooters and non-alcoholic drinks.

Cheese Tots

This has tots, cheddar, feta, green onions with side of queso and salsa. Definitely cheesy.

A fun dish to share among friends at the table.

Deuce Papoose

This has fried pastry dough stuffed with carnitas, tomato, and then topped with cheddar, salsa, lettuce, sour cream, rojo sauce chicharron, and cilantro. This dish was ok, we felt like there really wasn’t much stuffing in the pastry dough.

Tacos

On their menu, they have 8 different types of tacos. On our visit, we tried 4 of them. If you come from happy hour, these are $1 with drink purchase, which is really good. Originally, they are around $4.

Carnitas
Al Pastor
Bistec
Pescado

Carnitas

This has slow cooked pulled pork, house slaw, fried onions and Valentina Mayo. It tasted ok, but the flour tortilla, I prefer corn tortillas.

Al Pastor

This has fried pork belly, Guajillo pepper and pineapple glaze, house slaw, sour cream, pickled onion, and a grilled pineapple.

Pescado

It has beer battered basa fish, house slaw, Valentina mayo, cucumber salsa, and jalapeno.

Bistec

It has grilled skirt steak, pawn shop dry rub, house slaw, pickled carrot, rojo mayo, and chimichurri. All of the tacos were decent, but I feel like it was missing an umph of flavour compared to other taco shops around town.

There is also some hot sauce on the table if you need some heat added to your meal.

Churros

For dessert, we had churros with cinnamon sugar and a caramel and chocolate sauce.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the place is great for happy hour for cheap tacos and drinks. There are screens to watch the game as well. The food was alright but nothing super amazing.

We Rate The Pawn Shop YVR:

Address:
1117 Granville Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://thepawnshopyvr.com/

In Noodles

Pink Elephant Thai: 5 Year Annivesary

June 24, 2016

Pink Elephant Thai has been on Alberni Street for 5 years. To celebrate, they are having a 5 year anniversary special where you get 5 dishes for $55. You get 2 appetizers, 2 bowls of rice and 3 entrees to choose from. The 5 dishes are good enough for 3 -4 people.

We were invited to come here to try all of the items on their special menu.

The interior is pink and looks very modern.

Appetizers

There are 10 appetizers you can choose from:

Spring Rolls
Chicken Satay
Thai Fish Cakes
Thai Shrimp Cake
Thai Style Pork Cheek
Crispy Tofu
Som Yum Papaya Salad
Larb Gai
Yum Neau
Tom Yum Gai

Spring rolls were average. There’s only so much you can really do to transform a spring roll. Our portion size was a lot larger since we had 10 people. You can have this with minced pork or vegetarian.

Thai Fish Cakes was an enjoyable dish especially with the accompanying sauce.

Chicken Satay was dry and I didn’t like the texture of it. The flavour of it was good, but texture played a bit part in enjoying the dish.

Crispy Tofu was a delight. It was very crispy on the outside and inside, there was the soft silky tofu. It comes with a sweet chili sauce.

Thai Style Pork Cheek were tender and full of flavour. 5 pieces to the order and each bite was really good.

Larb Gai is a spicy thai ground chicken salad with fresh lime juice, roasted rice, nam-pla and Thai spices. Surprisingly it had a good amount of heat. I love the heat since I usually find most spicy dishes, weak in spice.

Thai Shrimp Cakes is another deep fried dish and had a good amount of filling inside. Definitely a good dish to get.

Yum Neau is a Thai beef salad and was quite spicy. It has sliced grilled New York beef mixed with fresh lime juice, nam-pla and Thai chili.

Tom Yum Gai is a hot and sour soup with mushrooms, tomato, lemongrass and Thai spices. You can choose it with chicken or tofu.

Entrees

There are 10 entrees and you can choose if you want chicken, beef or vegetarian

Yellow Curry
Red Curry
Green Curry
Thai Basil Stir-fried
Thai Black bean sauce
Cashew Nut Stir-fried
Pad Thai Noodles
Pad Kee Mao
Chilli Pepper Fried Rice
Mixed Seasonal Vegetables with oyster sauce

Pad Thai Noodles is a classic dish. It has tamarind sauce, tofu, ground peanuts, egg, green onions, and bean sprouts. Pretty good item.

Red curry has coconut milk, bamboo shoots, bell peppers and fresh basil. Grab the bowl of rice and slather this curry all over it.

Yellow curry has coconut milk, diced fresh pineapple and bell peppers.

Green Curry has coconut milk, eggplant, snap peas, bell peppers and fresh basil. One of my favourite curries of the evening.

Cashew Nut Stir-fried with onions, bell peppers and roasted chili. I liked the added texture from the cashews.

Thai Basil Stir-fried with beef, Thai chili, bell peppers, green beans and fresh basil.

Mixed Seasonal Vegetables with oyster sauce was a good dish. If you love veggies, this would be a good dish to get.

Pad Kee Mao has stir-fried rice noodles with Thai chili, bell peppers, onions, green beans and fresh basil.

Chili Pepper Fried Rice with vietnamese chili, egg and diced vegetables. A filling dish with good flavour, but can be very spicy for some.

Overall, I found some dishes at Pink Elephant Thai to be a hit or miss. Chicken is a popular protein to get, but we found that it was more on the dry side. A few items I enjoyed were the Green Curry, Pad Thai, Thai shrimp cakes, larb gai, crispy tofu and the Thai fish cakes.

One thing we like about this location is the balance of flavours in the dish and the use of spiciness in certain dishes.

We Rate Pink Elephant Thai:

Address:
1152 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://thaihouse.com/pink-elephant-thai/

In Gastown

Salt Tasting Room: Italian Gas Station Experiment

February 14, 2016

Salt Tasting Room introduced the Italian Gas Station Experiment, in partnership with Port Moody-based Urbani Foods. Those who order wine, by the glass, flight or bottle, will get complimentary Italian tapas for the month of February. The experiment is offered Mondays through Sundays from 4pm – 6pm.

If you order a glass of beer/wine, you get 1 complementary item off the list. If you get a flight, its 2 items and if its a bottle of wine, you can choose 4 items.

The tapas include items such as Venetian Tea sandwiches (Tramessini) with cheese, salami and olive tapenade or fresh sausages sous vide, and Urbani’s famous Arancini Risottoballs (Polpette di Riso) which are the most popular street food in Italy.

I came here after work with a friend to enjoy a flight of wine and some of those tapas after work.

I got a flight of white wine and since I’m so indecisive, I told them my taste preference and then made the decisions for me. They ended up choosing:

My favourite was the Synchromesh Riesling.

My friend got the red wine flight and they chose these:

With the Italian Gas Station experiment, we got to choose 2 tapas each with the purchase of the wine flights. With 9 tapas to choose from, it was a tough choice.

Sous Vide Fresh Sausage with croutes, olives and peppers. Was our favourite of the night. Large chunks of sausage with delicious flavours. I could definitely used more of this. Yum.

Tramezzio of Fig and Toscano Salami with Quebec Brie, green apple, olive oil and smoked sea salt. Nice 2 bite sandwiches and the olives that came with it were pretty good.

Mozzarella-filled with tomato sauce Polpette de Piso came with 2 balls. I thought it was ok, I left like it could have been more creamy and cheese inside.

Tomato Ragu risotto, with pesto mayo Polpette de Piso was similar to the other one. Just ok and needed more creaminess inside.

If you liked their food, you can take home your favourite food items from Urbani Foods for up to 50% off the retail price. Salt Tasting Room will have the various flavours of Arancini Risottoballs, Kale & Quinoa bites, and a selection of salami available for purchase on site during the month of February.

Overall, we thought it was a great offer to have a few treats with wine after work.

We Rate Salt Tasting Room:

Address:
45 Blood Alley, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.salttastingroom.com/

In Late Night

Bodega on Main: Spanish Tapas and Drinks

January 24, 2016

Bodega on Main opened in 2015 and is a fresh new take on Vancouver’s Spanish restaurants. La Bodega closed down a few years ago and the son of one of the original partners has opened this restaurant up to bring back a Spanish flair to the restaurant scene.

Bodega on Main is located on Main Street a few blocks from the Skytrain station. I came here after work with my coworkers to celebrate a great 2015.

The Interior

We came right at 5pm, so it wasn’t too busy yet. The restaurant is quite dim, so it really creates a lovely intimate mood inside.

The bar near the back has an old rustic charm, which I thought was pretty awesome.

The menu is nicely folded up, but when you open it, the huge menu will be revealed. If it’s your first time here, it can be quite overwhelming trying to figure out what to order.

Drinks

Sangria Pitcher was on special, so we got 2 pitchers for the table for the 7 of us. It’s essential to grab a few drink when you’re here. Since we came on a Sunday, it was their Sangria special for $20 a pitcher.

There are tons of fruits in the sangria, and it really helped make the sangria refreshing.

The Food

Filetes de Sardinas Ahumadas has soked sea salt cured sardine filets with fig jam on toast. It was a small size tapas but had delicious salty flavours.

Jambon Serrano is cured Spanish ham with olives. You can’t go wrong with cured meats.

Pisto Andaluz has stewed peppers, tomatoes, squash and onions. It was ok, but not that exciting.

Patatas Bravas are dad’s twice fried potatoes with a zesty dressing. Nice sauce on top but I wished it was more crisp and less soft.

Membrillo Y Queso is aged machego cheese and quince jelly.

Champinones are sauteed mixed mushrooms, garlic, sherry, and finely grated aged manchego. You need to order this.

These croquettes that I can’t remember their official name was really good. Delicious aioli to accompany it too.

Grilled Octopus was very delicious and tender. So good! I could have kept eating this.

Tortilla Espanola is a traditional potato omelette that you should order! It’s actually really good.

Pimientos De Padron has blisted peppers and topped with maldon salt. Eating this dish is like playing Russian roulette, you never know which pepper is spicy. Very fun to pay with the whole table and it tastes good too.

Chorizo a la parrilla is grilled spicy pork sausage with some mustard on the side.

Dessert

Churros are served with hot dipping chocolate and a vanilla mascarpone. SO addictive too.

Overall, Bodega on Main is a great place to drink and have small bites with friends. The main focus I felt was that its more of a drinking place and then secondary its the food. Since the menu is so large, its really hard to figure out what to order.

We rate Bodega on Main:

Address:
1014 Main Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.bodegaonmain.ca/

In Gastown

The Sardine Can: Spanish Tapas in Gastown

August 18, 2015

The Sardine Can in Gastown serves up Spanish Tapas. It’s a small restaurant, so they really can’t hold that many people here. We came here after work around 5:30 and it didn’t get busy till around 7pm on a weekday.

Their sister restaurants are La Buca, Pied-à-Terre, and The Abbey.

Kalimotxo (calimocho) is a drink mixed with red wine and cola. When the waitress suggested this, we had to give it a try. Apparently its a common drink in Spain. It was pretty good as there is a slight fizz to the drink.

Steamed Clams in White Wine with Chorizo ($7) were good. You should order some bread to go with it to soak up the delicious sauce.

Albondigas ($11) are Meatballs cooked in tomato and Rioja. There are about 5 meatballs and the dish is pretty hot when it arrives on the table.

Champiñones ($8.25) are mushrooms in sherry cream sauce. Very delicious! Make sure you order some bread to eat with this dish.

Pimientos de Padrón ($8.25) are Padron peppers with smoked salt and spiced oil. This is a fun dish to order since one of the peppers are spicy while the other ones are mild. Imagine like a Russian roulette. It’s slightly spicy, but not too much.

Crispy Pork Belly with sherry reduction ($11) the skin of the pork belly was crispy but the layers of meat were tough. If it was a bit more tender, that would be better.

Tostas de sardinas ($8.5) are smoked sardines on toast. These are the only items on the menu with sardines in it. It’s probably the most popular items since why would you come to The Sardine Can and not have sardines?

Overall, it was great to try a Spanish Tapas place in Vancouver. There aren’t too many places like these around. I enjoyed the food and it was a great place to hang out after work.

We Rate Sardine Can:

Address:
26 Powell Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.thesardinecan.ca/

In Happy Hour

Taboo Kitchen: New Fusion Korean Restaurant in Yaletown

November 22, 2014

Taboo Kitchen in Yaletown just opened in early November. My friends took me here on our usual Friday Happy Hour excursions. Rodney’s had a 45 minute wait and we wouldn’t be able to make it inside to order.

So, Taboo Kitchen was a good choice across the street for a few tapas and $4 on certain drinks like beer, cocktails and wine. Might as well since we were going to be drinking anyways.

The interior looked very nice. They have a long table to accommodate large groups. The bar looked pretty nice too.

The entree’s were pretty pricey, but with just drinks and tapas, it was not too bad. The items definitely are Korean fusion.

Complimentary Sampler of kimchi, Sweet potato and pickled radish were provided to everyone at the table. In any Korean place, it is expected to have complimentary side dishes provided as an indication of good service. It was presented nicely and gave us a taste of their food.

Apple Sojutini ($4) was quite strong and it was perfect! Just what my friends wanted. Yeah for happy hour prices.
Red Truck Lager ($4) was on special too.

Prawn Mayo has wasabi, fried capers, and rice crackers with the deep-fried prawns. There was delicious textures of the rice cake and the salty capers. As for the prawns themselves, it was a bit bland and could have used more of that wasabi sauce.

Tuna Rising Sun has chojang, endive, sweet potato on the bottom. Each endive has spicy tuna and spicy sauce. It was really good and a nice twist for a fusion dish.

Korean Spicy Chicken Wings is served with a pickled radish slaw and yuja cream. These were good wings.

Overall, it’s a nice place to go after work to chill have a drink and a few bites especially in the Yaletown area. I love traditional Korean food and the food they offer here is quite different, thus the fusion part of the restaurant.

We Rate Taboo Kitchen:

Address:
1233 Hamilton St Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://tabookitchen.com/

In Downtown

Guu Garden: Frozen Beer in Vancouver

August 27, 2014

Kanpai! Vancouverites are celebrating the Summer by cooling off with FROZEN BEER. Earlier in July, Guu Garden and Guu Richmond are the only 2 locations in Vancouver that serve Kirin Ichiban Frozen beer. Perfect for summer especially at Guu Garden’s roof top patio.

The foam is frozen at -5ºC which creates a unique texture and keeps beer cold for 30 minutes. Imagine a slushie that tastes like beer foam. It comes in mini size and pint size. As this was our first experience, we went with the mini size as it would be a safe choice just in case we didn’t like it.

The mini frozen beer was quite expensive and we would rather just get their Mega Sapporo for $9, which contains a litre of beer. It’s almost the same price as the frozen beer and you get a lot more beer.

Of course, you can’t just have beer at Guu, you gotta have some yummy fried food to accompany the meal.

Ebi Mayo (Large $16) are prawn tempura with a chili mayo sauce. If you have a big group of about 4 or 5, it’s best to order the large so there is enough to go around. It’s one of the popular dishes and you can’t go wrong.

Chicken Karaage (Large $12) is one of my favourite dishes. It’s deep fried to perfection and comes with a side of garlic mayo.

Green Bean Fries (Small $5) has the green bean tempura with a side of Japanese mayo. This is surprisingly really good!

Cheese Oden cames with a few pieces of deep fried cheese. This item was also surprisingly good. The stinginess of the cheese and the light and yummy broth worked well together.

Salmon Oshi Sushi ($9.80) is shaped into a block and has a cajun seared sockeye salmon sushi with sliced onion and ponzu on top.

When you compare this to Miku, this just falls flat.

Gyu Tongue Chazuke ($6.80) has beef tongue steak on rice topped with green onion, fried seaweed and wasabi. There is then kanto-dashi broth poured on top.

The tongue wasn’t very good and tasted bland and flavourless. I think if they grilled the tongue and anded some salt and pepper, it would taste a lot better.

Miso Calamari (Small $6) has their deep fried ume marinated squid with a black haccho miso sauce. It tasted ok, but it was pretty average calamari.

Unagi Nuku-Sushi ($7.80) is served in a bamboo steamer. It has sushi rice, bbq eel, sliced omelet and topped with dried seaweed and a side of sansho pepper. Cute presentation but it all tasted quite bland.

Tuna Tataki ($7.80) has the lightly seared sashimi with sliced garlic, scallions, garlic chips and yuzu ponzu sauce. Always a favourite amongst customers here.

Cauliflower Karaage (Small $6) has konbu marinated cauliflower with a side of Japanese Mayo. It tasted ok, but it still can’t compare to Nuba’s amazing cauliflower.

Overall, Guu Garden’s menu has changed over the years, but there are still staple items on the menu that are good – Tuna Tataki, green bean fries, oden, chicken karaage, ebi mayo and of course the beer.

We Rate Guu Garden:

Address:
M101-888 Nelson Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.guu-izakaya.com

In American

Mamie Taylors: Food and Taxidermy

June 29, 2014

Mamie Taylor’s is one of the newer restaurants to open up in Chinatown across from Phnom Penh. It’s usually busy in the evenings and there is pay parking in the streets. They serve up modern American food on their menu and have a wide selection of drinks and cocktail. A perfect place to go after work with coworkers.

The inside is very nice, but it’s creepy when you start looking at all the taxidermy on the walls. It definitely gives this restaurant character.

Sapporo ($6) was my choice as usual. I’ve always liked it’s light crisp taste.

Japanese Whiskey Flight ($20) has nikka super, nikka from the barrel and nikka black. My coworkers enjoyed trying the different types and how their taste differed from one another.

Corn Bread & Biscuit ($4) comes with a jalapeño bourbon butter. These two items were very delicious! Full of flavour and quite enjoyable.

Fried Olives ($4) has blue cheese, currants, and sherry. I do love olives surprisingly and it was a nice way to add some crunch to an olive. It is a small dish, so these olives can go quickly if you are a quick snacker.

Pimento Cheese ($5) comes with cannoli, espellete, and salad o’ celery. This was yummy! The delicious cheese paired with the crunchy cannoli was perfect. I could eat a few of these.

Tuna Melt ($6) the tuna is cured & smoked, has potato salad, and cheddar. There’s some small onion on the side too. This was a yummy tuna melt.

Turducken ($6) has scotch egg in the centre. It is accompanied with tomatillo sauce and a garlic mayo. It’s not exactly what I imagined for a turducken but it’s their fun twist to it. It tasted alright.

Overall, we ordered all their snacks but didn’t stick around for dinner since we all had alternate plans after drinks. I’ll definitely be back for dinner since their entrees looked pretty damn awesome.

We Rate Mamie Taylors:

Address:
251 East Georgia St.
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://mamietaylors.ca/

In Four Beakers

Bar Isabel: Canada’s Best New Restaurant

May 4, 2014

My most recent trip to Toronto to visit a few friends over the long weekend was a blast. I got to catch up with old friends and chill. Flo recommended we hit up Bar Isabel as it is one of the hottest restaurants in town. I am not familiar with any restaurants in Toronto, so she made reservations a few weeks in advanced and we got a spot. This experience in Toronto was created in partnership with momondo.

It is highly recommended you have reservations before you come dine here or else you might be out of luck. The open everyday from 6pm – 2am.

They serve up spanish tapas and are best known for their grilled octopus. They have been named Canada’s Best New Restaurant 2013 by Air Canada’s enRoute magazine. Also, they have been named one of Toronto’s top restaurants in 2014 by Huffington Post.

The interior is pretty cool. It’s a bit dark inside and really red. It was really hard to take photos in here. To have a good time, groups of 2 or 4 are best.

Hopeless Mermaid ($16) has Elyx vodka, St.Germain elderflower liquor, fresh lime and grapefruit juice, rich ginger syrup, Angostura bitters, and grapefruit zest.

We Choose Yer Own Adventure ($15 – $20) is great for indecisive people. The server will have a chat with you to see if you like refreshing/light or bold/sturdy drinks. Then, they will choose something for you.

Roundhouse ($16) has Auchentoshan 12yr scotch, Jameson Irish whiskey, Los Arcos amontillado sherry, bad azz orgeat, fresh lime juice, Angostura bitters, and lemon oils.

All the drinks were pretty good! Pricey…but the quality was really good.

Cured Meat Plate ($16) has some pickled vegetables and you can choose 3 types of cured meats from the menu. We chose chorizo, beef carpaccio and coppa.

Bread ($4) was soft in the centre and has the crunchy crust.

Spicy Fried Squid ($8) has crispy tongue and kale on top. The squid is very soft and tender. I found that the tongue and the kale didn’t add anything special to the squid to accentuate the flavours.

Smoked Sweetbreads ($18), has raw tuna, spicy pickled green tomato, and brown butter. If you don’t know what sweetbreads are, it’s not what you think. It’s really glands from an animal. This dish tasted pretty good and the sweetbreads had a chewy spongy texture to them.

Albacore Tuna Tiradito ($14) has asian pear, celery, jalapeño and fried rosemary. It had a good assortment of ingredients that pairs nicely with the tuna.

Whole Sea Bream Ceviche ($26) was pretty awesome! It even comes with the deep-fried fish carcass and on top of that is the ceviche. Very delicious!

1/2 Grilled Octopus ($34) was my favourite part of the meal. The half-size was plenty enough for the 4 of us. Wow, this octopus was tender. When you bite into the tentacles, the suction cups just fall apart in your mouth. Hands down best octopus I’ve ever eaten. It has great flavours! I still think about this dish a few times a week. MmmMmmmm so good!

Leche Frita & Salted Dulce de Leche ($6) this was my favourite dessert. It was really delicious and the sweetness and flavours were nicely put together. It was like a churro.

Salted Dark Chocolate Ensaimada ($7) was ok, not as good as their other 2 desserts. The star here is the salted chocolate ice cream. The ensaimada didn’t add much to the dish.

Basque Cake ($8.50) has Sherry Cream all over it. The cake was moist and the sherry cream was perfect with it. So simple but so good. My other friends thought this was the best dessert.

Overall, the four of us had a good time at Bar Isabel. The food was good and I would definitely come back.

We Rate Bar Isabel:

Address:
797 College St
Toronto ON

Website:
http://barisabel.com/

In Commercial Drive / Grandview

Kishimoto: Beautiful Sushi Rolls on Commercial Drive

February 2, 2014

Coming with the girls on the weekend for lunch drew us to Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen. I haven’t been back in 3 years, so I just had to come back and try more items off their menu. Also, they serve Salmon Oshi Sushi similar to Miku’s Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi. It looks very similar, but was curious how it compared.

The restaurant quickly filled up and got much busier as it approached 12:30pm. The 3 of us got seated quickly but we were put in a very small table and it was uncomfortable and cramped. They do not take reservations, so you just need to take your chances.

Complimentary tea arrived at the table. It was piping hot and enjoyable as we waited for our order.

Salmon Oshisushi ($11.75) has a salmon creamy sauce with freshly cracked black pepper, then seared with a torch and an added jalapeño on top. It looks like Miku, but the flavour is just not the same. Once you have Miku, you can’t go anywhere else for these types of sushi.

It comes with 7 pieces and it’s still good.

Unagi Oshisushi ($11.75) has unagi, creamy sauce, freshly cracked black pepper, then it’s torched. A slice of cucumber is on top. It’s good, but not as good as their salmon version.

The presentation of all their dishes are really cute. All the little details make the experience more enjoyable.

Tuna and Salmon ($10.25) come with 3 pieces of salmon and 3 pieces of tuna. It is served on top of a block of ice and daikon. The sashi tasted very fresh and was enjoyable.

Chicken Karaage ($6.75) is very good. Nice crispy skin with a slightly sweet sauce.

Masago Nigiri ($1.50) has a lot of masago. Yummy.

Dragon Roll ($10.95) has 2 pieces of prawn tempura, tobiko, unagi sauce, sliced avocado and unagi on top. It comes with 8 pieces.

Scallop Roll ($3.95) has scallops, cucumber, masago and mayo. It came with 6 pieces.

Toro Nigiri (3 pieces – $10.50) just melts in your mouth because its so fatty. nom nom nom. It’s quite expensive for 3 pieces.

Nabeyaki Udon ($13.95) has 3 pieces of tempura on the side. Inside the bowl is mushrooms, chicken, soft boiled egg, kamaboko, and green onion all in a bowling hot stone bowl. It was pretty yummy.

Pork Okonomiyaki ($10.95) was the last item to arrive at the table and it took over an hour to arrive. A lot of tables ordered it too and they were also mad it took a long time. Mandu thought it was a bit bland, so we asked them for more sauce on the side. Granted, it is quite large and is delicious with more sauce.

Overall, the presentation of the food was beautiful. The service was decent and the food was pretty good. The prices are a bit high and we spent close to $100 on lunch for 3 people.

We Rate Kishimoto Japanese Kitchen:

Address:
2054 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pages/Kishimoto…

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Tapas

Interior

Menu

Ampersand Gin & Tonic

Rosso Negroni

Designer Dim Sum

Coconut Buns

Final Thoughts

Interior

Drinks

Corn Dogs

Yam Fries

Loaded Tater Tots

Rainbow Glory Bowl

Chicken Wings

Crunchy Chicken Sandwich

CB Burger

Baby Back Ribs

Salmon Cobb Salad

Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches

Final Thoughts

Cafe by Day

Menu

Coffee and Pastries

Wine Bar by Night

Menu

Small Bites

Final Thoughts

Interior

Weekly Specials

Mexican Bulldog Para Dos

Personas L.I.I.T.

Cotton Candy Cosmo

California Sushi Taco

Ebi Prawns

Sticky Ribs

Chicken Wings

General Hao’s Chicken

Thai Shrimps Flatbread

Fig, Cheese and Honey Flatbread

Tropic Thunder Flatbread

Falafel Wedge Salad

Poke Bowl

Persona’s Burger

Bourbon St. Blackened Chicken

Short Rib Pappardelle

Final Thoughts

Interior

Menu

Drinks

Spicy Fish Tartar

Gindara

Scallops Risotto

Sakura Cheese Cake

Matcha Mille Crepes

Homemade Ice Cream

Final Thoughts

Interior

Pickled Vegetables

Insalata di Halloumi

Nachos Italiano

Gnocchi

Cauliflower

Octopus Conserva

Papardelle with Lamb Shoulder Ragu

Burrata

Meatballs

Chocolate Cake

Cafe Latte Panna Cotta

Latte

Final Thoughts

Menu

Cider Flight

Final Thoughts

Interior

Drinks

Cheese Tots

Deuce Papoose

Tacos

Carnitas