westcoast Archives - Page 3 of 6

In Chef

Showcase Restaurant Bar: West Coast Cuisine in Downtown Vancouver

April 4, 2016

Showcase Restaurant and Bar is located inside the Marriott Hotel in Downtown Vancouver. It is on the main floor of the hotel to the left of the lobby. They are a casual dining restaurant serving delicious West Coast Cuisine.

They also have a huge bar, which is great for hanging out with coworkers if you work around this area.

I won a complimentary dinner for 8 at an event and decided to come here with a few friends and the whole family. I’ve never dined here before, so it was a good experience to be able to see what they can produce for their guests. When I think about dining out, I don’t go to a lot of hotel restaurants and I have this impression where its expensive.

They have a private room for large groups.

2011 Cipes Blanc de Franc, BC VQA

Produced by Summerhill Pyramid Winery, this incredibly unique traditional method sparkling is made from 100% Cabernet Franc. In 2011, their Cabernet Franc grapes were in peak condition to be made into a sparkling wine. Aged en tirage for 3 years, this wine provides notes of eccles cakes, currants, dried raspberries and blueberries, finishing dry and well balanced.

A good way to start the meal.

Shirley Temple was my sister’s drink as she is still underage. Instead of all that wine, she had this non-alcoholic drink with grenadine syrup, ginger ale, and orange juice. I would have so many of these when I was younger. A fun way to still be fun and fancy but without the alcohol. I like how the grenadine syrup is dizzled on the side of the glass, so it looks like blood.

Chef Kenny Kyle brought out his creation – “Canned Tuna on the Beach“.

The cans were places in a wooden box full of rocks and shells. Inside the can, there is seared albacore tuna, maple macerated berries, pear & peashoot salad with a smoked sea foam.

This really hit the spot! Very creative way of placing the tuna in the cans. The smoke sea foam was minimal, but has a loads of smoky flavour.

The next dish was the Roasted Beet Salad. Chef Kyle Kenny and Sous Chef Westley Feist came out and prepared the dish right in front of us. The beets were crusted in salt and put into the oven.

Roasted beet salad with goat cheese mousse, cocoa nibs, and herbs. It looks like a simple dish, but the taste of those roasted beets were so good. Some people at the table that didn’t take a liking to usual beets, love this dish. The bit of goat cheese paired well.

Next was the fun Potato soup with a parmesan puff and chili cream. I love creative dishes where the diners get to participate in putting together their meal. It’s interactive and entertaining.

We whacked the puff open and poured the soup all over it. At first, I didn’t think a potato soup could be so interesting.

2005 Meursault Chartron et Trebuchet, French White Burgundy

This wine was definitely an interesting choice to pair with the appetizers. It started off well, but the aftertaste was like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. It was very cheesy and pungent. It wasn’t to my liking so I went with something else.

Bread Service came with golden ears grass fed cultured butter with black garlic. The pieces of baguette were piping hot and so good. The butter containers reminded me of the Beauty and the Beast where they store the mystical rose…but in this case…delicious butter. We enjoyed it so much that we asked for it to-go so they don’t waste any of it.

Seared duck breast, panzanella salad, grilled sourdough, and basil puree. The duck was very flavourful and it was rendered well, so it wasn’t too fatty.

Short Ribs and wild mushroom fazzoletti, shaved parmesan, and arugula salad on top. The richness of the pasta and short ribs balanced with the arugula salad. That short rib was very tender.

Arctic Char with chorizo vinaigrette, and potato gnocchi. was the lighter entree of the evening.

2013 Burrowing Owl Syrah, BC VQA

All the entrees paired with this. It was very smooth, full bodied with a fruit finish.

Up next was dessert! They incorporated a bit of science into this dish was freezing the Vietnamese coffee mousse in liquid nitrogen.

Liquid nitrogen frozen Vietnamese coffee with warm milk sauce, and cake bits.

The dessert was splattered all over the platter. It’s not about the look, but it was the taste and texture that impressed us. You have the icy coldness of the Vietnamese coffee, then the crumble, but you can start hearing and feeling the pop rocks. Very multi sensory.

We shared each platter among 4 others. I wanted to eat it all, but sharing is caring.

2013 Stone boat, Verglas, BC VQA

We ended with this. Sweet with hints of honey, fruits and citrus. I liked it since its not as sweet as some other ice wines out there.

The dinner was great to see what the restaurant can offer guests as well as the innovative skills of the people who work at Showcase and the Marriott. Chef Kyle Kenny and Sous Chef Westley Feist really took took us through a well prepared meal with a lot of different techniques. Assistant Restaurant & Bar Manager – Kal put together some great wines.

Everyone at the table was impressed and left with a lasting impression. Since I won a contest and was invited, it’s definitely not a normal dining experience here. They do private dining for small to large groups with a custom menu, so if you want something similar, give them a shout.

I’ll definitely be back in the future for a normal dining experience.

We Rate Showcase:

Address:
1122 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.showcaserestaurant.com/

In lunch

Bao Down: Poke Bowls, Bao, and Fries

March 14, 2016

Bao Down has a new location in Olympic Village and it’s their Gastropub and Raw Bar. Their menu is slightly different than the one in Gastown and offers more than just bao.

I came with my coworkers the first time and had horrible service as we were not informed about an automatic service charge for groups of 6 or more. Also at the end of the meal, they didn’t show us the itemized bill before paying. So, we tipped about 15% on top of 18%. As one of my coworkers thought the meal was oddly expensive, she requested the itemized bill before leaving to go back to the office. We later found out there was the service charge.

After a few of us posted our frustration on Instagram, they invited us back for lunch on them. It was a nice gesture and they were able to change their service charge policy from 6 people to 8 people. Plus, they reassured us they have trained their staff a bit more so there is no more confusion for future customers.

The restaurant seats about 65 people and they do lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. I love the art piece on the left wall.

They have a wide variety of alcohol, but since it was a daytime lunch, we had to skip the alcohol.

The lunch time menu has poke bowls, salad, bao, curry, soup, and fries. Their menu seems to have been changing after hearing feedback from customers.

When they first opened, they didn’t have bao, which was shocking.

Poke Bowls comes with either ahi tuna, albacore tuna or tofu. You can choose the below sauces to go with it:

Sweet shoyu-sesame
Gochujang miso-mayo
Calamansabi

Of the 3 sauces, the table liked the sweet shoyu-sesame as well as the gochujang miso-mayo. You can also choose from brown rice or white rice.

It’s a pretty good portion for lunch. In the bowl is also a lot of vegetables. Definitely very healthy lunch option.

The second time we went, we noticed they added pineapples to it and had less fried noodles on top.

Consistency of what goes into the bowls did change, but they are probably trying to test the dishes to find a good combination or perhaps they were trying to use fresher ingredients.

Bao Chicka Bao Bao has garlic, lemongrass fried chicken, daikon, crisp garlic, fish sauce glaze, carrot and garlic scape mayo. A lot of people seem to order this one. My coworkers liked it.

Phrench Dip comes with a pho broth dip so you can dunk the whole bao into it. It is an interesting concept but it was quite pricey. It was almost double the price of their other baos.

YVR Bao has sesame seared albacore tuna, pea shoots, double smoked bacon, avocado, wasabi mayo and sweet soy.

Japayoki Fries has fried chicken, curry cheese sauce, seaweed, jalapeño, bean sprouts, pea shoots, white and black sesame, sweet soy, scallions, and togarashi. We ordered the small to share and it was pretty good.

Kimchi Fries has kennebec potato fries, crispy pork belly, sweet soy, crispy garlic, bean sprouts, garlic scape mayo and scallions.

Another good combination. With both fries, I wish the fries were more crispy, but I can see how it would be difficult since there are a lot of sauce and toppings that go on top.

Overall, the food was good for a lunch stop. You have the classic baos and fries that you would find at their Gastown location. The dinner and brunch menus do vary, so you might not find these items at other times.

I personally find the baos ok, but I would prefer getting their poke bowls.

We Rate Bao Down:

Address:
115 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver

Website:
http://baodown.net/

In Brunch

Craft Beer Market: Weekend Brunch

February 16, 2016

Craft Beer Market is open for brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10am till 2pm. It’s a huge space inside and can easily fit a few hundred people. Great for large groups.

They have at least 140 taps available, which makes their craft beer selection massive. Plus the have a long list of wine, cocktails, and spirits. Brunch and booze? Great combination.

Their tap system is pretty complicated but it’s very fascinating to look at.

Four Winds Saison was what I chose to go with brunch. It has notes of flower and spice, fermented hot for a fruity ester profile. It is slightly hoppy.

Caesars in the morning, goes well with brunch. Perhaps a mimosa would do well too.

Hawaiian Ahi Poke is made of Ocean Wise sashimi-grade tuna, cucumber, fresh ginger, garlic and sesame soya vinaigrette served with crispy wontons on the side. We also added avocado too. It’s definitely different that the traditional poke.

Craft Madame has sliced tomatoes with two types of bacon sandwiched between fresh sourdough, baked until crispy and topped with two fried eggs and beer mustard sauce. It comes with potatoes on the side.

Classic Farm House Bennies has two farm fresh eggs poached with ham and served on a house made buttermilk biscuit with hollandaise and crispy hash browns.

The egg was poached to a perfect softness. When we poked into it, it oozed and oozed. I felt the buttermilk biscuit was very thick and dry compared to the rest of the dish. The grapes that came with it seemed unwashed, and the potatoes were ok.

Overall, great beer selection but the brunch is pretty average.

We Rate Craft Beer Market:

Address:
Olympic Village, 85 West 1st Avenue, Vancouver

Website:
http://vancouver.craftbeermarket.ca/

In Gastown

Tacofino: Taco Bar in Gastown

February 9, 2016

Tucked away in Gastown is Tacofino’s Taco Bar near Army and Navy. The area around it is still slightly sketchy, but has gotten a lot better over the years. With this new location, people who work in the area don’t need to go so far to hunt down their food truck near Burrard.

I was in Gastown with a few coworkers, so we decided to stop for a bite here. The inside was really nice. They also have a Burrito bar but its take out only. It works out fine since most people want to go take out and go back to their offices.

Our group decided to sit down inside to eat as there were seats left and no wait. We had to give up the burrito, but at least we would be satisfied with tacos.

Fish Taco ($6 each) is made with pacific cod, salsa fresca, and a chipotle mayo. The fish is nicely battered and crispy.

Chicken Taco ($6) has pickled vegetables, epazote chimichurri, and a buttermilk chili crema. Imagine chicken karaage in a taco.

Pork Al Pastor ($6) has pineapple, pickled onion, and cilantro.

Lamb Birria ($6) has an herb salad, arbol chili, pickled nopales, and preserved lemon zest.

Not Caesar Kale Salad ($9) has seasonal & kale greens, cotija, pickled okra, pomegranate, and hazelnut croutons. It was a good salad and I did enjoy it. I just didn’t like how hard the croutons were.

Overall, a good quick lunch but I wished they offered the burrito during lunch when eating in.

We Rate Tacofino:

Address:
15 Blood Alley, Vancouver

Website:
http://tacofino.com/

In Granville Island

The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant: Dining on Granville Island

September 27, 2015

The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant is located on Granville Island right by the public market. They are best known for their selection of fresh Oceanwise seafood, which is sustainable and ethically caught.

They can seat up to 300 people in their space and you can see the Granville Street Bridge and False Creek.

Zomato hosted an intimate meetup in their private room for a few of their foodies and bloggers that use their site. It was a good chance to meet new foodies and of course enjoy some delicious eats.

Everyone else had a nice looking cocktail but I was a rebel and asked for a beer. I quite enjoyed the beer with the different arrays of seafood and fried items.

Raw Oysters were the first to arrive. It came with a vinaigrette sauce, horseradish, hot sauce and lemons. The oysters were shucked well so there were so bits of debris in it. They also do testing on their oysters to make sure they are free from any illness.

Ahi Poke has scallions, sesame seeds, sesame oil, soy, and a garlic chili sauce. This dish was quite heavy on the sesame oil and was quite salty from the soy sauce.

Seafood Croquette comes with a chili lime aoili sauce. There’s a lot of seafood packed inside and it was cooked well so the outside is super crunchy.

Wok Squid has garlic, chilis, onions, cilantro and ginger. It was ok, but could have used a but more chili.

California Roll and Special Scallop Roll both had very fresh ingredients but taste ok as well. It was odd how it was served with ginger and wasabi but no soy sauce. Maybe they forgot to bring it.

Sandbar Tower has jumbo prawns, oysters, clams, mussels, crab, lobster, with housemade cocktail sauce. It’s a delicious tower with plenty of seafood. A real west coast feast.

Dragonboat Platter has bbq ribs, fried oysters, spicy green beans, and wok squid.

Chocolate truffle cake, white chocolate cheesecake, lemon pie, Belgian chocolate pudding, and creme brulee.

It was all pretty darn awesome! We loved every bite of the dessert platter. My favourites were the Chocolate truffle cake and the Belgian Chocolate Pudding.

Assorted Cheese Plate 4 different types of cheese to end the meal.

Overall, the food was delicious and fresh. For the dishes that had more asian influences, those dishes fell a bit flat and needed some more refinement to them. My favourite part was the seafood tower and the Belgian chocolate pudding.

We Rate Sandbar Seafood Restaurant:

Address:
1535 Johnston St, Creekhouse #102
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.vancouverdine.com/sandbar

In Brunch

Adesso Bistro: Brunch in the West End

September 12, 2015

Adesso Bistro is hidden in a residential neighbourhood in the West End. I’ve been searching for new places for brunch and this popped up as one of the suggestions on Zomato. Since I’ve never been, I thought it would be a good chance to have brunch and hang out with a friend. We love brunch, so we do love to explore.

The interior is nice and intimate, which is good for a dinner setting. As the building is older, we could really smell the age of the building. The smell reminded me of a museum.

They also have a patio, which is pretty awesome. Since it was cold in the morning, we stayed inside.

Strata ($14) is a brunch dish, similar to a quiche or frittata. It is oven baked in a hot skillet. There is pancetta, eggs, oyster mushrooms, and fontina cheese. There is a cherry tomato and arugula salad with a light dressing.

It sounded like a cool dish when the waiter described it, but it fell kinda flat.

Trota Hollandaise Benedict ($18) has house smoked trout , poached eggs, roasted tomato, chives, hollandaise, and spring onions. They also serve it with a tomato and arugula salad with light dressing.

The poached egg was made to a perfect medium. I liked the use of focaccia bread instead of the typical english muffin. It gives it a nice texture and it soaks up the hollandaise and yolk a bit more.

Overall, the brunch was good if you have the bennys but it is a bit pricey.

We Rate Adesso Bistro:

Address:
1906 Haro Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.adessobistro.net/

In Brunch

Farmers Apprentice: Farm to Table Brunch

July 16, 2015

The Farmers Apprentice is located in Fairview and they serve a farm to table style cuisine that uses the best ingredients that our local farmers have to offer.

As per weekend tradition, brunch is a must! Farmers Apprentice has been on my ‘eating list’ for a while. They were named best new restaurant of 2014 by En Route Magazine, Restaurant of the Year by Vancouver Magazine, and so many more.

It just seemed like it opened and instantly won all these awards. Either way, I wanted to check it out for myself.

The interior is rustic and has about 40 seats, but they are quite busy. The atmosphere is casual that you feel like you fit right in.

Their kitchen is pretty open, so you can see what they are all doing. I love it since you know they have nothing to hide. They just want to make delicious food. The best view of the kitchen is from the bar seats. I love bar seats since you can see all the staff in action.

All the dishes for brunch are meant to be shared and it arrives in the order they prepare them.

Cappuccino was our drink of choice to start off our day. It came in these clear mugs, so we can see the contents inside.

Smorrebord (all 3 – $16 or $6 each) is an open-faced sprouted rye bread sandwich. When we dined here, they had 3 kinds:

filet beans, fromage frais, soft boiled egg and roasted onion
beef tartare, mustard emulsion, and pickled shallots
cod rillette, creme fraiche, pickled beets and dill

It’s a great item to share among friends. What I liked most about this item is the bread! I just love the texture of all the seeds in it. All 3 flavours were great, as you can really taste the ingredients that go into each one. But, I felt like the beef tartare was under seasoned or needed a bit more mustard taste to make the beef taste shine through.

Berkshire and tamsworth pork biscuit sandwich with fried egg ($14) this was highly recommended by our server. She says it apparently changes lives when people sink their teeth into this. Definitely brunch worthy. The egg was fried perfectly with a soft yolky centre. The biscuit was damn good too.

Octopus, sieglinde potatoes, pickled radish, charmoula, and poached egg ($15) was just delightful. The octopus was tender and flavourful. The sauce balanced well with all the other ingredients.

When I was eating this dish, you can’t help but adore each bite of each ingredient. The octopus was really good!

The egg was poached soft and made my heart sing. That’s my favourite type of egg to fit a perfect brunch meal. I get angry at other restaurants when they don’t know how to poach eggs.

Confit Chicken, potato has, summer squash, and poached eggs ($13) had a similar presentation to the octopus. Great taste and it felt super clean and healthy.

Overall, you can really classify this restaurant as farm to table with hipster west coast flare if there was such a thing? I enjoyed the meal and you can feel the passion that the chef has for this restaurant and this type of cuisine. Plus, BC grows some amazing vegetables and produce great proteins. I’m sure if you asked the staff about where they source their ingredients, you’ll enjoy the stories.

This restaurant won’t appeal to everyone but it’s great to try at least once. It’s feels healthy, clean and delicious. Usually brunch is associated with being greasy and protein heavy, but it’s a nice change coming here.

We Rate Farmers Apprentice:

Address:
1535 West 6th Avenue, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.farmersapprentice.ca/

In Harrison Hot Springs

The Copper Room at Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa

June 22, 2015

The Copper Room is located in the Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa. It’s a bit hidden, but just make sure you follow the signs. They serve up food from the West Coast, so expect some good seafood and steaks.

The restaurant is like a throwback to the 80’s with a live band and dance floor. From Sunday to Monday, Patsy B. And The Lefties play live and then from Tuesday through Saturday, The Jones Boys play. This restaurant isn’t for everyone, you will notice the age group is a little bit older.

There is a minimum dress code, so make sure you don’t wear t-shirts, shorts or sneakers. I made all of those mistakes and felt embarrassed. I should have done my research ahead of time to figure out there is a minimum dress code. Long story short, we ended up getting all their dishes sent to our room.

Complimentary Bread arrives with butter.

Ahi Tuna Sashimi ($18) has pickled ginger and a wasabi dressing. The dressing was subtle and did not have a strong wasabi taste. The cut of tuna wasn’t that great and could have been prepared a bit better. The slabs were quite large and when we used our knives to cut into it, it just ended up mushing the sashimi up. I would have preferred smaller bit size pieces so we didn’t have to cut it like a steak.

Mushroom Ragout ($16) is a sauteed bouquet of wild mushrooms, white wine, and fresh herbs. I love mushrooms, so it was a great dish to accompany an entree. It didn’t work very well as an appetizer because its a lot of mushroom to eat. It can be shared amongst the table.

Buffalo Mozzarella ($15) is wrapped with prosciutto and a sweet fig dressing. The star of the dish was really masked by the prosciutto. It was still a decent dish but I just wanted more of the mozzarella taste.

Rack of Lamb ($52) has veggies, mashed potatoes with a black currant thyme demi sauce. It was our favourite entree of the evening. Lamb had great flavour and was cooked to a perfect medium and the demi sauce paired very well. The vegetables were a nice compliment but the mashed potatoes weren’t as fluffy as we imagined.

Lobster Newburg ($49) has shrimp, white wine, and a sherry and creamy lobster bisque. The lobster was prepared nicely with the creamy sauce. Risotto was good too. The shrimp seemed like it was plopped onto the plate with little thought. It could have used a tad more seasoning or had it integrated into the dish more.

Bone-in Rib Eye ($56) with wild mushroom demi. The steak was cooked to a medium rare and it was nice and large. We had the same thought about the mashed potatoes. It wasn’t that fluffy and was quite solid.

Mascarpone Tart ($12) has dried figs , ricotta cheese, pastry and a citrus butterscotch sauce. The dessert looked pretty but the crust of the tart wasn’t very impressive.

Chocolate Pot au Crème ($10) comes with rich chocolate pudding and ice cream. The dessert was pretty average. Nothing too exciting about it. It does look pretty.

Overall, I was sad that I couldn’t experience the full service at the Copper Room. M and I didn’t mind that we had to eat our whole meal in our room, but at least we could look at the beautiful view from our window and also watch the Food Network. This review is based solely on the food. The price is quite expensive for what you get, but we found their entrees to be pretty good. It’s a very traditional place, so you won’t find a modern flare in the food.

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa and my meal was comped. All thoughts are my own.

We Rate The Copper Room:

Address:
100 Esplanade Avenue,
Harrison Hot Springs, BC

Website:
http://www.harrisonresort.com/dining.aspx

In Downtown

Coast: Happy Hour in Downtown

June 11, 2015

Coast is part of the Glowbal Group of restaurants and they specialize in seafood. They bring together West Coast flavours with fresh local seafood.

They have a special cocktail hour from 2:30pm till 5:30pm. On this menu, there is $5 beer and wine as well as oysters, appies, entrees, sushi and sashimi. We rushed from work to make it on time.

As we arrived, the waitress was a bit rushed and impatient about ordering. With 20 minutes to spare, we put in our order but then the waitress was a bit rude and told us we only have 4 minutes to make another order. She was very precise in saying 4 minutes. Not 5 minutes, just 4. You can tell Happy Hour doesn’t bring happiness to the staff since they get slammed with orders.

For a nicer restaurant, I’m not sure why the service is so poor.

Kirin Beer ($5) is a light beer thats crisp and smooth.
Warsteiner ($5) was pretty good, it has a clean, crisp, refreshing taste.

Both good choices to go with the food they serve. Light beers go well with seafood and fried foods.

Kusshi Oyster ($3.70 each) tastes clean, mildly sweet, delicate, and meaty. It’s one of my favourite types of oysters.

Beni Sake Salmon Sashimi ($6.50)
Toro Tuna Belly Sashimi ($7.50)

Both were good.

Smoked Salmon Flatbread ($16.95) has dill crème fraîche, red onion capers, and arugula. It is a filling item to order and there’s a good amount of smoked salmon on top.

Crispy Garlic Calamari ($14.95) is topped with fresno chillies, cilantro, and a lime aioli. It wasn’t very crispy after a while, it got quite limp.

Overall, the food was alright, but nothing very special. I would still prefer to go to a Japanese restaurant to get food like this. Even with the food 50% off, it was still a tad expensive.

We rate Coast:

Address:
1054 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.glowbalgroup.com/coast/

In Four Beakers

Nomad: New Restaurant on Main Street

December 30, 2014

Nomad Restaurant is located on Main Street and King Edward. Their menu features fresh ingredients from around the Pacific Northwest, all prepared in-house by their team. Their chef – Ryan Reed won an episode of Chopped Canada on the Food Network in late 2013.

The drink list follows the same idea of local fresh ingredients with many bitters, syrups and tinctures created by their bartenders. They also have a Happy Hour specials for select beverages are from $5 – $6:

Weekdays from 5-6PM and 10-Midnight.
Weekends from 3-6PM and 10-Midnight

Macaroni and Cheese ($12) comes with their house made meatballs. It was one of their specials and it sounded really good. It was very creamy and has tons of cheese sauce. They were also kind enough to split it up into 2 bowls for us. The meatball was full of flavour too.

Hanging Beef Tender ($25) has a celeriac purée, crispy potato net, red wine jus, roasted brussel sprouts, and roasted potatoes. The beef was tender. M really loved this dish and kept stealing my meat.

Braised Lamb ($24) has fenugreek ricotta gnocchi, cauliflower, and edible flowers. Lamb was tender and not too salty.

Overall, M and I were quite full from sharing the 3 dishes. The food was great and you could see a good amount of technique in the execution. Presentation was good too. The service was ok, even though the restaurant wasn’t very full, they did seem to forget about us for a while. It took them a long time to get our bill.

Besides that hick up, it’s still a nice place to dine. Tons of seats for small or large parties. Great for after work drinks since they have the happy hour.

We Rate Nomad Restaurant:

Address:
3950 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://nomad-vancouver.ca/

In Farm to Table

Ulla: Top Restaurant in Victoria

December 19, 2014

ulla-sign

After a long day at work, the coworkers and I wanted to go out and celebrate Js Birthday at Ulla in Victoria. Whenever I come to Victoria, all the popular restaurants don’t take reservations, so you have to wait in line.

I’m glad Ulla takes reservations and if you’re not in town, they take email reservations so yo don’t have to waste long distance minutes.

ulla-lamp

Their interior is beautiful from their tables all the way to their light fixtures.

ulla-map

What I find so amazing about Victoria and their restaurant is how there is an increasing trend towards sourcing food that is hyper-local. They even show you on a map, where exactly on the island they source their food from.

ulla-bread

Complimentary bread arrives at the table with a dish of olive oil. It’s soft and fluffy on the inside with a hard crust on the outside.

ulla-pilsner

Hoyner Pilsner comes in a big bottle. It’s a nice light and crisp beer.

ulla-drink

They also make some good cocktails.

ulla-whippedtuna

Whipped Albacore Tuna Belly ($6) with sriracha and squid ink crisps. It only comes with 3 pieces on the plate but the different texture really worked well. The crispiness of the squid ink crisps and the soft and fluffy albacore tuna belly. It’s one of my favourite items.

ulla-canolli

Chicken and Morel Mushroom Cannelloni ($14) with bacon, parmesan crumb with veloute sauce. It comes with 3 pieces.

ulla-oup

Broccoli soup ($12) with cauliflower, carrot and ‘cheddar’ egg with a brioche crouton. The egg isn’t an egg, it looks like an egg with the cauliflower on the outside and the carrot on the inside making it look like an egg.

ulla-salad

Autumn Vegetable Salad ($12) has sunflower seed and yogurt ‘cheese’, kasha crisps and cider dressing.

ulla-scallop

Scallop boudin blanc ($15) with winter squash, pine mushroom, potato purée and pumpkin seeds. The scallops were pureed and made into a new shape. It had a neat texture and tasted really great.

ulla-steak

Bavette, heritage angus beef ($27) is served with potto roesti and puree, mushrooms, onions, creamed greens and a pepper sauce. The beef was cooked to medium and it was very tender.

ulla-loin

Still Meadows Farm Pork ($27), cheddar perogies, cabbage, celery root, apple cider jus The pork loin definitely had a lot of fat on of the ends, but it was still very delicious.

ulla-pear

Poached Pear ($9) with calvados sabayon, autumn spices, buttermilk sorbet, and almond streusel. A nice light dessert to end the meal.

Overall, it was another fantastic dinner at Ulla. Although it can be a bit pricey for the portions, it’s not an everyday restaurant. It’s great for special occasions.

We Rate Ulla Restaurant:

Address:
509 Fisgard St
Victoria BC

Website:
http://ulla.ca/

In Farm to Table

10 Acres Bistro, Bar & Farm: Dining in Victoria

December 14, 2014

10 Acres Bistro, Bar and Farm is located in Victoria, BC and they offers a unique West Coast experience showcasing the freshest foods from the island including meat, cheese, seafood and the finest seasonal produce direct from their farm.

I came here with work colleagues for dinner after coming off the ferry. They suggested 10 Acres would be a great place to go to.

The restaurant is quite large! THey have an inside area, a bar area, and then the outside patio. We were seated in the patio and even thought it was the winter, they have lots of heated lamps to keep this space warm.

They even had a cool heated fire in the centre. It was really hot but I loved it.

Stanley Park Pilsner – Turning Point Brewery (Sleeve – $5) is a beautiful light beer thats won various awards. I really liked it because it was light and fruity.

Sooke Trout ($19) comes from the 10 acres farm. It is served with organic vegetables and herb oil.

Salt Spring Island Mussels ($16) comes with your choices of garlic + white wine, green curry or tomato chorizo sauces. I went with the tomato chorizo because I wanted some meat. It is also served with grilled bread.

The mussels tasted fresh and were flavourful and plump. A good reflection of the West Coast.

Tagliatelle with Rotisserie Chicken ($14 + $3) has wild mushrooms, vegetables, asiago, and a citrus brown butter cream sauce. The chicken was very flavourful.

Overall, it was a decent place to dine for dinner. It is really great to know all the ingredients are from their local farm.

We Rate 10 Acres:

Website:
http://www.10acres.ca/

Address:
611 Courtney St Victoria, BC

In Downtown

Mosaic: 2014 Fall Menu Preview

December 9, 2014

hyatt-mosaic-view

Mosaic is hidden away in the Hyatt Regency Vancouver on Burrard Street. It’s a nice spot to spy on people when you are seated by the window. Clearly, I am a people watcher.

Their menu focuses on locally sourced produce, sustainable seafood and select ingredients with careful and creative preparation. The menu is seasonally inspired with simple and fresh ingredients. You can definitely see it in their menu as it changes every few months.

Mosaic recently switched up their menu to utilize the produce available in the Fall. Sous Chef Jo Ong shared with a me a few of their signature dishes on their new menu.

hyatt-mosaic-inner

I find it’s a nice place for a company dinner or a date. It’s not very crowded and there’s lots of space. Great for a calm and peaceful environment.

hyatt-mosaic-biscuits

Cheddar and chive biscuits are served with butter. A yummy start to the meal with these buttery biscuits.

hyatt-mosaic-drinks

Coal Harbour ‘311’ helles lager is on tap and it’s one of their lighter beers. It also has some fruity notes to it too.

Coke and Disaronno is M’s drink of choice. Disaronno is an almond liqueur and when it’s mixed with coke, it tastes like Doctor Pepper.

hyatt-mosaic-amuse-bouche

Amuse Bouche is a bite-sized appetizer that arrives at the table prior to your meal. We got a taste of their roasted butternut squash bisque. It smelled heavenly with the cinnamon on top.

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Yellowfin Tuna ($19) is presented on the dish with pickled radish, sea beans, cucumber, black garlic, yuzu dressing. The delicate tuna was really delicious and the dressing paired perfectly.

hyatt-mosaic-baby-beets

Earth Apple Farm Baby Beets ($14) is paired with endive, Okanagan goat cheese and a citrus vinaigrette. I’ve grown to really love beets over the years. Beets do have a natural earthy flavour, but it’s so good! I gobbled this dish right up.

hyatt-mosaic-pate

Foie Gras Torchon ($23) has brioche crisps, quince and grounded up pistachio. Foie Gras is the fatty liver of duck and no matter how many times I’ve tried it, I’ve never seem to be a fan of the dish. Perhaps I’m not sophisticated enough.

hyatt-mosaic-carpaccio

Smoked Venison Carpaccio ($18) is thinly sliced with dehydrated granny smith apple, baby kale and pomegranate. Oh man, this was so delicious! The venison was very full of flavour.

hyatt-mosaic-rissotto

Aquerello Risotto is crazy delicious with wild mushroom , 64° egg and a parmesan crisp. The 64° egg is to die for and just oozes over the risotto screaming for you to eat it. This was my favourite dish of the night. Mmmmmm!

hyatt-mosaic-cod

BC Ling Cod is beautifully cooked with Salt Spring Island mussels, leek saffron nage and baby fennel. The mussels were delicious and plump.

hyatt-mosaic-pork-chop

Sloping Hill Farm 12oz Pork Chop is so flavourful and tender. M couldn’t stop eating it. It is served with broccoli rabe, sweet potato, and calvados jus.

hyatt-mosaic-chocolate

Valhona Dark Chocolate Mousse with port wine poached pears and cacao nibs. The chocolate was rich and full of chocolaty goodness.

hyatt-mosaic-cremebrulee

Chestnut Creme Brulee is served with chestnuts and house-made toasted marshmallows. It’s quite large, so you definitely want to share.

Overall, it was great to see the new dishes on the Mosaic menu featuring the fresh Fall produce.

We Rate Mosaic:

Address:
655 Burrard St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://vancouver.hyatt.com/

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In Coquitlam

Stake: Hump Day Date Night Menu

December 3, 2014

M and I wanted to spend a lovely Wednesday out at Stake to eat some steak. Of course, they serve much more than just steak. They have a variety of items that are inspired by local produce and west coast cuisine.

They have a special on Wednesday nights called the Hump Day Date Night Menu, which costs $49.99 per couple.

This includes:

Artisan Greens for Two

Dinner Platter for Two
Select two of your favourites served with silky mashed potatoes and sautéed baby vegetables

Pan-seared Spring Salmon
Braised Lamb Shank
BBQ Whiskey Glazed Beef Ribs
Free Range Chicken Breast
Pan-Seared Truffle Polenta

Dessert Platter for Two

Mango Cheese Cake
Chocolate Marquise

You can even do a few add-ons to the menu.

Bottle of Wine (+$20)
Pan Seared Garlic Prawns (+$10)
Pan Seared Scallops (+$10)
Stake-cut Onion Rings (+$8)
Roasted Mushrooms and Garlic with Fresh Thyme (+$8)
Glazed Golden Beets with Fresh Thyme (+$5)
Steam Asparagus with Lemon (+$8)

There’s not too many people here on a Wednesday evening, but with the holidays coming up, the tables are nicely decorated.

We stated off with complimentary bread and butter. It came with a good amount of slices. M and I couldn’t finish it all. We both just had one piece since we wanted to save room for the platter.

Artisan Greens comes with Golden Ears Quark Cheese, walnut wafer, shaved carrots, roasted red pepper with a raspberry vinaigrette. We got 2 of these as part of the meal. It was a yummy simple salad.

The dinner platter arrived and M and I chose the Braised Lamb Shank and the Pan-Seared Truffle Polenta. There were 2 balls of mashed potatoes, carrots, beets, asparagus and gravy. It was a good size for 2 people to share.

I found it was actually quite fun having it all on one platter. Instead of having our own individual meals, we had fun fighting who gets the last bite of lamb.

Braised Lamb Shank was very tender and fell apart beautifully. Mmm Mmm very delicious!

Pan-Seared Truffle Polenta looks like an omelette but it’s not. The polenta is very delicious and quite fluffy. One of the best polenta’s I’ve had so far.

We decided to add on the Stake-cut Onion Rings (+$8). The looked more like donuts than onion rings. It was very salty and had mostly batter. We didn’t like these very much.

Mango Cheese Cake was very good! Whats not to like? Cheesecake is always a winner.

The Chocolate Marquise wasn’t very good this time. It was very hard to cut through. This was very different from the last time I had it.

Overall, the food was good but it was only the Chocolate Marquise and the onion rings that we didn’t like. Service was good and the food came out at a good speed.

We Rate Stake:

Address:
2080 United Boulevard
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
http://www.hardrockcasinovancouver.com/venue/stake/

In Brunch

Hawksworth: #BrunchClub 2 for 1 Deal

October 27, 2014

Hawksworth has won multiple awards since it first opened in 2011. As one of Vancouver’s Best Restaurants, it can be a bit pricey. Luckily, they offer a special #BrunchClub deal every long weekend on Saturday and Sunday for brunch where if you bring a guest, their brunch entree is comped. So, basically thats like buy 1 get 1 free. If you and your friend split the bill, it’s definitely more affordable.

I do love brunch, so I didn’t pass up this deal up.

Cappuccino ($5) is the same price as juice, which I find kinda funny. Regardless, I do need my coffee in the morning.

Hawksworth Beef Burger ($20) is served with a side of crispy fries and a mayo and ketchup. Inside the burger is applewood smoked bacon, aged cheddar, tomato, an onion ring and lettuce. This is not necessarily a typical brunch item, but it’s pretty good. The burger is juicy and goes well with the crunchy onion ring and smoked bacon.

Steak and Eggs ($24) is quite elegant for brunch. I got the steak medium rare and it was really good! On the plate, there are 2 sunny side eggs, rosti, avocado, and a jalapeno salsa verde. I was surprised by this dish! Good flavours!

Brioche French Toast ($18) was a pistachio mousse, oranges, brown butter sauce and crumble sprinkled on top. There are 3 pieces of the brioche toast. Taking an initial bite of this, it was dry and no matter how much sauce you put on it, it’s couldn’t save this dish. No one at the table liked this dish.

You can read my previous review with more brunch dishes here.

Overall, I would say Hawksworth isn’t very consistent with their dishes for brunch. The cut of ham for their eggs benny can vary a lot. I would just go here when they have the deal on the long weekends.To get the #brunchclub deal, just whisper to the server with the words “brunch club” and they will understand. Just double check their Facebook and Twitter just in case they decide to discontinue the deal.

We Rate Hawksworth:

Address:
801 West Georgia Street Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.hawksworthrestaurant.com/

In Coquitlam

Stake: Flagship Restaurant at Hard Rock Casino in Coquitlam

September 28, 2014

Hard Rock Casino Vancouver has revamped their flagship restaurant – Stake with a new menu created by Executive Chef Matthew Richmond. They are committed to putting local produce in all their dishes where possible.

Even though I live in the subburbs, I’ve actually never come here until now.

Stake doesn’t only serve steak as their name suggests. There’s a good variety of WestCoast dishes that will appeal to your tastebuds. Executive Chef Matthew Richmond’s goal is to bring the flavours of what you would find in Downtown Vancouver, back to Port Coquitlam, where he grew up. He has worked in numerous restaurant from the bottom up and really has a passion for creating delicious dishes as well as being a mentor to the young chefs in the community.

Of course, Chef Matthew has an amazing team that works behind the kitchen that beautifully puts together all the dishes.

There is lots of seating inside and has a lot of cool portraits and things up on their walls.

Their knives are pretty awesome too.

We started off with complimentary bread and butter.

Beet Trio ($9) has a blueberry goat cheese mousse, pea greens, walnut wafer, with a golden beet dressing. The different beets have their own unique tastes, some have an earthier taste and other are more sweet. It’s just incredible tasting these fresh beets. It also goes really well with the blueberry goat cheese mousse.

Stake’s Signature Smoked Crispy Pork Belly ($12) has a green pea puree, butter braised white asparagus, tomato confit, and apple bourbon jus. The pork belly is yummy and has the crispy crackling on top. You can’t say no to pork belly…unless you’re a vegetarian.

Pacific Halibut ($24) has king oyster mushrooms braised in abalone sauce, preserved olive, green beans & eggplant with wilted pea greens. This dish has a very asian flavour profile. The vegetables were very good, but a tad salty if you eat it alone. It’s much better when you eat a bit of everything together.

Pan-seared Truffle Polenta ($16) has a leek fondue, ratatouille, thyme glazed portabella, garlic cream, and micro chard. This polenta was really good. It was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. This is probably the best polenta I’ve had so far in Vancouver.

6oz Seared Beef Tenderloin ($28) comes with Golden Ears Emmental fondant potato, glazed beets, crisp leek, truffle foam, and jus. The tenderloin was a perfect medium rare. Very good, tender and full of flavour.

Chocolate Marquise ($8) has a Irish cream anglaise, chocolate pearls, and a raspberry coulis. The chocolate cake was dense and smooth like a ganache.

Overall, their revamp of the menu works really well for Stake and the quality is definitely there. Executive Chef Matthew Richmond really put his mark on this menu. I’ll definitely be back with my friends or family.

We Rate Stake:

Address:
2080 United Boulevard
Coquitlam, BC

Website:
http://www.hardrockcasinovancouver.com/venue/stake/

In Downtown

Mosaic: New Summer Menu

May 22, 2014

Mosaic Bar & Grille is located in the Hyatt Vancouver on Burrard and Georgia Street. They specialize in locally sourced produce, sustainable seafood and choice ingredients with careful and creative preparation.

As Summer is coming near, Mosaic has launched their new Summer Menu. Chef Heinrich and Chef Jo worked hard to put the menu together to showcase unique dishes with fresh in-season ingredients.

I was invited by Chef Heinrich to try the menu and I couldn’t help but drag Mandu along with me as she does love trying out new and fascinating dishes.

As usual, the meal starts off with complimentary biscuits that arrive as you wait for your meal. It’s fluffy and comes with butter.

Pemberton Beef Tartar ($16) has pickled fire roasted spring onion, water cress and a sesame tuile surrounding the soft sous vide egg yolk and beef tartar.

I found the mustard to really overpower the tender beef. I could only taste the intense mustard as it was hitting me in the face.

Avocado Terrine ($12) has watermelon radish, fava beans, fiddlehead ferns, and a lemon vinegar oil. It was great to see all the lovely vibrant colours from the fresh vegetables. Beautiful salad, but I felt the avocado terrine was lacking. It needed something salty and acidic to go with the bland taste of the terrine.

BC Gooseneck Barnacles ($14) comes with sherry, cream, green garlic, ramps and served with grilled crostini.

I have never had a gooseneck barnacle, but I am sure I did try this dish. It tasted really good with the broth. If you like seafood, you’ll like this dish.

Papayas ($16) has the white spot shrimp, cucumber, papaya puree, and cilantro lime fluid gel. This dish was beautiful and delicious. The shrimp was pretty darn delicious!

BC Ling Cod ($18) has artichoke confit, stinging nettles, and a lobster sauce. The ling cod was tender and had a nice crispy crust on the outside. The artichoke complimented nicely with the dish.

Squid Ink Casarecce ($20) has manilla clams, two river smoked chorizo, and english peas. Don’t be afraid of the black pasta, it tastes just like regular pasta. The sauce was delicious and so were all the clams.

Peace Country Lamb ($26) has buckwheat groats, fava beans, with a coffee jus. The lamb was medium rare and super tender! You know this is a good slab of lamb.

Baja Ocean Wise Scallops ($22) has grilled foraged ramps, sweet runner corona beans, and a fennel puree.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Pavlova is a meringue based dessert and it was very crispy and hard. I’ve never had pavlova before, but if I had to compare it to something it would be like a hard styrofoam.

Mosaic Chocolate Cake is always a must! The slice is huge and tastes really good.

Overall, some of the dishes are either a hit or a miss. What I liked about the menu is there are some pretty cool items you wouldn’t find easily on other menus around town like gooseneck barnacles.

We Rate Mosaic:

Address:
655 Burrard St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://vancouver.hyatt.com/

In Brunch

Hawksworth: Brunch Time

March 31, 2014

In the past few months, I’ve come here several times for brunch. Usually on long weekends, they have a promotion where if you follow their social media accounts and mention #BrunchClub, your dining companion gets their brunch for free. It’s a pretty sweet deal.

Unfortunately, I always ending up coming here when it’s not a long weekend. Their brunch is pricey compared to some places in town, but it’s definitely worth it. I’ve never had to make reservations as it’s not as busy as some other places in town.

Classic Eggs Benedict ($18) has caramelized ham and hollandaise sauce. On the side, there are potatoes and a tomato.

What captivated me was the delicious ham! It was so flavourful and was a thick slab of meat on the english muffins.

Another time I went here, the ham wasn’t as thick. It didn’t even fill most of the english muffin. Some inconsistencies with the cut, but the flavour is still very good. The friends that I came with on this visit, also liked it but was disappointed by the amount of ham.

Pacific Sablefish Brandade ($19) has poached eggs, tomato, chorizo, watercress, and grilled bread. Really good and the crunch of the chickpeas complimented the dish.

Smoked Chicken Hash ($19) has sunny side eggs, wild mushroom, and peppercorn sauce. Really good! I was surprised by the mix of flavours.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes ($17) has pear, walnut, caramelized honey yogurt, and maple syrup. Also a very good dish! The yogurt and pear really goes so well with the dish.

Overall, the experience was great. The food is definitely pricey, but it is fair if you look at some of the higher end brunches in town. The service is very friendly and attentive.

We Rate Hawksworth:

Address:
801 West Georgia Street Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.hawksworthrestaurant.com/