yaletown Archives - Page 3 of 5

In Dessert

Bella Gelateria: Gelato in Yaletown

May 28, 2015

Bella Gelateria has opened their second location right in Yaletown by Marinaside. Bella Gelateria is best known for the award-winning gelato. Maestro James makes sure all the gelato is made to the finest quality.

They have the usual gelato, plus they have a whole food menu and dining area. A huge difference from their first location in Coal Harbour.

I came here just for some quick gelato, so we paid first, then we could go up the counter area to start tasting a few flavours that intrigued us.

On a quiet weekday, the staff are very attentive and have patience to go over some suggested flavours. Sometimes its hard deciding what you want. On a busy day, the experience will be quite different for sure.

Buko Pandan is a Filipino dessert that has the flavour combination of young coconut, green gulaman, nata de coco, sweet cream and pandan. It was a flavour that really intrigued me, so I usually end up getting it.

Stracciatella is M’s favourite. It’s a milk based gelato with shreds of chocolate bits. Very clean taste and pretty addicting if you want something simple. M had to have it with chocolate drizzle and the wafer cookie.

Overall, it’s a great treat for the hot Summer. Plus, since its right by the marina, you can’t help but eat this as you walk along the seawall.

We Rate Bella Gelateria Yaletown:

Address:
1089 Marinaside Crescent,
Vancouver

Website:
http://bellagelateria.com/yaletown/

In Brunch

Good Wolf Kitchen and Bar: Weekend Brunch

December 8, 2014

Good Wolfe? Good Wolf? I’m not quite sure which name they are going for. Weird how they have dropped the ‘e’ in their name. It turns out Chef Josh Wolfe, the original owner has left the restaurant earlier this year. Good Wolf has been on my list for a while, but too bad I didn’t come here sooner before he left.

Good Wolf Kitchen and Bar specializes in European food and they try to get most of their ingredients sourced from the West Coast.

I came here for brunch with a few of my friends to catch up over some good food.

Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice ($4) comes from across the street at Chaser’s Fresh Juice & Deli. Its yummy and has a good amount of pulp.

Kale & Potato Hash ($12) has 2 soft poached eggs, chorizo, mushroom, and hollandaise sauce. CanuckGirl and FloRida thought this dish was quite one dimensional and missed the mark. The hash really wasn’t as flavourful as they had imagined.

Signature B.E.L.T ($14) has house cured bacon, fried egg, lettuce and tomato. It is served with home fries on the side. The bun was an interesting surprise because this made it seem more like a burger. With the amount of bun, the ingredients inside really didn’t shine through. Plus, those home fries needs some work.

Breakfast Spaetzle ($12) has 2 soft poached eggs, bacon, chorizo, and maple syrup. The eggs were so soft that the yolk just popped right out. I do like a good soft poached egg. The bacon was really the best part of the dish as it added more flavour. It was quite a large portion and I could barely finish it.

Cinnamon Brioche French Toast ($13) has a blueberry compote, whipped cream, and maple syrup. This was really good! The french toast has a nice crunchy exterior and the blueberry compote was yummy.

Overall, the french toast was a winner, but every other dish we ordered wasn’t as delicious.

We Rate Good Wolf Kitchen and Bar:

Address:
1043 Mainland St
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://www.goodwolfe.ca/home.html

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 Thai

Urban Thai Bistro: Taste of Yaletown

October 12, 2014

Taste of Yaletown is back for its 10th year full of bites, treats, sips and sights of Yaletown. Every year, Taste of Yaletown brings together the talents of chefs with culinary treasures in the best dining district in Vancouver.

From October 16th-30th, Yaletown kitchens will offer featured menus, special tastings and innovative pairings to tempt the most adventurous foodie. With a fresh approach to fixed price menus of $25, $35 and $45 restaurants will offer combinations of food and drink or even special in-house events.

Urban Thai Bistro is participating this year showcasing their Thai dishes. They have been around since 2000 in Yaletown and is owned by the Thai House group.

[toggle title=”$35 Taste of Yaletown Menu”]
APPETIZER
BBQ chicken
(Thai Style marinated BBQ Chicken served with sweet chili plum sauce)
+
Papaya Salad
(Green papaya strips, carrots mixed with tomatoes, green beans, fresh chilies, roasted peanuts, diced garlic, fish sauce and lime juice )
+
Shrimp Balls
(Marinated shrimp paste wrapped with spring roll wrap served with sweet chili plum sauce)

Jalapeno Shrimp
(Fresh Jalapeno stuffed with shrimp paste served with house sauce)
+
Beef Salad
(Sliced New York beef w/ lime dressing, red onion, tomatoes & Thai chili)
+
Spring Roll
(Deep-fried with mixed vegetables and glass noodles served with homemade sweet chili plum sauce topped with ground peanuts)

SOUP
Tom Kah Prawns or Mussels – Coconut milk broth with galanga, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and mushrooms

ENTRÉE
Green curry prawns & scallop – eggplant, Peas, Bell Peppers & Fresh Basil

Pra Lunm Long Shong Lamb – Thai Peanut sauce topped with Lamb

Kra Pau Duck – Sautéed with Thai Chili, bell peppers, green beans & fresh hot basil

All entrée are served with stir-fried green vegetables

Choice of Rice or noodles

DESSERT
Lychee Jelly

[/toggle]

You can choose from 2 different sets of appetizers. The first one contains:

BBQ chicken has a Thai-style marinated BBQ Chicken served with sweet chili plum sauce.
Shrimp Balls has marinated shrimp paste wrapped with spring roll wrapping served with a sweet chili plum sauce.
Papaya Salad has green papaya strips, carrots mixed with tomatoes, green beans, fresh chilies, roasted peanuts, diced garlic, fish sauce and lime juice.

The BBQ chicken was tender and had a nice flavour. The shrimp balls were crispy and it was great to have it to add a crunchy bite. Papaya Salad was surprisingly quite spicy.

The second appetizer option has the following:

Jalapeno Shrimp has Jalapeno stuffed with shrimp paste served with house sauce.
Spring Roll is deep-fried with mixed vegetables and glass noodles served with homemade sweet chili plum sauce topped with ground peanuts.
Beef Salad has sliced New York beef with lime dressing, red onion, tomatoes & Thai chili.

The alternative dish is quite similar, but it depends on personal preferences.

Soup is the next item to come and you can choose Tom Kah with Prawns or Mussels. It has a coconut milk broth with galanga, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and mushrooms. It is quite spicy, so some people may need a big cup of ice water to quench the heat.

Green Curry Prawns and Scallops has eggplant, peas, bell peppers and basil. It is also served with vegetables and your choice or rice or noodles. I’ve never seen a Thai dish displayed like this. Quite fancy.

The sauce was good and well balanced. I did like the noodles over the rice.

Kra Pau Duck is sautéed with Thai chili, bell peppers, green beans and fresh hot basil. There is also veggies and your choice or rice or noodles.

Pra Lunm Long Shong Lamb has Thai Peanut sauce on top. You also get the same veggies and choice of rice or noodles.

Lychee Jelly has layered jello with different colours and embedded inside are two small lychees. It was quite a basic dessert and I didn’t feel like it represented Thai dessert very well.

Overall, you get quite a large appetizer and yummy entree. The dessert falls a bit short, but you get a well rounded taste of what Urban Thai Bistro has to offer.

We Rate Urban Thai Bistro:

Address:
1119 Hamilton St
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://thaihouse.com/urban-thai-bistro/

In Four Beakers

Minami: Taste of Yaletown

October 11, 2014

Minami is participating again this year with 3 different menu options. I was invited for a sneak peak of their dinner menu and I was excited because they are one of my favourite restaurants in Vancouver.

[tabs tab1=”DINNER MENU $45″ tab2=”VEGETARIAN DINNER MENU $35″ tab3=”ZEN LUNCH $25″]
[tab id=1]

Optional sake pairing 15

FIRST – SUSHI
Sake pairing: Dassai 39

wild boar bacon salmon oshi bite, sunset roll, maguro and kani maki, tai and hotate temari

SECOND – MINAMI ZEN
Sake pairing: Yu Junmai

Stone fruit salad
endive, goat feta, dried olives, maple sherry thyme vinaigrette, fig balsamic reduction
Jidori chicken and foie gras gyoza
truffle dashi consommé
Saikyo miso baked sablefish
coconut creamed kale, wasabi shoga relish, yuzu miso sauce
Braised fraser valley pork cheek
roasted kabocha-onion puree, apple red cabbage kraut, sweet & sour soy ginger glaze

DESSERT
Sake pairing: Hakkaisan Sparkling Nigori

Matcha tiramisu
matcha-genmai ladyfingers, azuki paste, matcha-white chocolate ganache, sesame crumble

[/tab]
[tab id=2]

Optional sake pairing 15

FIRST – FALL GARDEN PLATE
Sake pairing: Dassai 39

fresh market vegetables, soy paper roll, moromi miso sauce, sesame pesto, olive tapenade

SECOND – MINAMI ZEN
Sake pairing: Yu Junmai

Stone fruit
endive, goat feta, dried olives, maple, sherry thyme vinaigrette, fig balsamic reduction
Kaiso salad
baby frisee, umami soy vinaigrette, lotus root chip
Crispy tempeh
spiced tomato chutney, sautéed kale
Shiitake mizuna ricotta ravioli
truffled saikyo miso sauce, organic maple ginger granola

DESSERT
Sake pairing: Hakkaisan Sparkling Nigori

Matcha tiramisu
matcha-genmai ladyfingers, azuki paste, matcha-white chocolate ganache, sesame crumble

[/tab]
[tab id=3]

FIRST – ABURI SUSHI
Sake pairing: Dassai 39

salmon oshi, ebi oshi, sunset roll, nigiri

SECOND – MINAMI ZEN
Sake pairing: Yu Junmai

Aburi bincho
wasabi masatake sauce
Miso marinated tofu salad
baby greens, avocado, crispy tempeh, pickled daikon & carrot, umami soy vinaigrette
Saikyo miso baked sablefish
coconut creamed kale, wasabi shoga relish, yuzu-miso sauce
Braised fraser valley pork cheek
apple red cabbage kraut, roasted kabocha onion puree, sweet & sour ginger soy glaze

DESSERT
Sake pairing: Hakkaisan Sparkling Nigori

Spiced pumpkin brownie ice cream
cinnamon-nutmeg spice blend, walnut brownie pieces

[/tab]

[/tabs]

The sushi assortment has 5 pieces of tai temari, hotate temari, sunset roll, wild boar bacon salmon oshi bite, and maguro + Kani Maki. You really need to savour these 5 pieces of sushi because they taste amazing. Every single bite is a work of art.

Tai Temari was beautiful like a little sushi ball.

Hotate Temari is scallop cut in half and draped over sushi rice.

Sunset Roll has spicy tuna, cucumber, smoked salmon, and tobiko.

Wild Boar Bacon Salmon Oshi Bite and Maguro + Kani Maki were my 2 favourite rolls because of that amazing Miku sauce. That sauce makes your mouth water.

Next is the second course consisting of Braised Fraser Valley Pork Cheek, Saikyo Miso Baked Sablefish, Jidori Chicken and Fois Gras Gyoza, and their Stone Fruit Salad.

Braised Fraser Valley Pork Cheek has a roasted kabocha-onion puree, apple red cabbage kraut, with a sweet and sour soy ginger glaze. The cheek was tender and full of flavour.

Saikyo miso baked sablefish also has a coconut creamed kale, wasabi shoga relish, and yuzu miso sauce. The skin was crisp and the delicate flavours of the sablefish went well with the sauce.

Jidori Chicken and Foie Gras Gyoza also comes with a truffle dashi consommé. The gyoza was good!

Stone Fruit Salad has endive, goat feta, dried olives, maple sherry thyme vinaigrette, and fig balsamic reduction. The fruit was really fresh and everything blended nicely together. It’s good to have one of the item a salad to break up the taste of meat.

Last but not least is their Matcha tiramisu for dessert. It has matcha-genmai ladyfingers, azuki paste, matcha-white chocolate ganache, with a sesame crumble. Oh man, this was good. No more need for regular Tiramisu because this is amazing.

Overall, it’s always a good time at Minami. The $45 dinner menu is reasonable and you get a taste of everything Minami has to offer. If you aren’t keen to spending that much, the $25 lunch is a good option too.

We Rate Minami:

Address:
1118 Mainland St
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://minamirestaurant.com/

In Happy Hour

The Flying Pig: Appy Hour

June 2, 2014

From 4pm till 6pm everyday, the Flying Pig has an Appy Hour menu. The menu isn’t very large, but you have a good amount of choices to choose from. You also have the regular menu to order from.

Appy Hour Menu:

Beet and Bresaola Salad $5
Local Artisan Cured Meat Selection $6
Shortrib Croquettes $5
Seared Chili-Rubbed Skirt Steak $5
Steamed Clams $6
Truffled Mac and Cheese $5
House Salmon Sampler $5

I came here after work with Korean Girl and Mandu to celebrate the end of the week.

The interior is a decent size and the two dining areas are separated by a bar. We sat on the left side of the restaurant on the high top tables.

Shortrib Croquettes ($5) comes with 4 pieces and a side of sriracha parmesan basil dip. It was really good and creamy inside.

Crispy Brussel Spouts ($6) were not on the appy hour menu, but you can order it as a regular side off the menu. It’s a good size for the price. The brussel sprouts is flavoured with lemon, parmesan and capers. Highly recommended.

Steamed Clams ($6) comes with its delicious broth and frites. The broth is yummy and its perfects to dunk those fries into.

Seared Chili-Rubbed Skirt Steak ($5) comes with frites as well. The skirt steak was done at a perfect medium rare and sliced up. The frites were crunchy and delicious but a tad salty.

Overall, the girls and I had a great time after work eating at flying pig and having a few beers. The prices were great and the food was good for the price. I will definitely be back.

We Rate The Flying Pig:

Address:
1168 Hamilton St
Vancouver BC

Website:
http://www.theflyingpigvan.com/

In Cafe

Chez Faye Cafe: Soup, Sandwiches and Korean Food

March 3, 2014

Chez Faye Cafe is located right beside the Yaletown Skytrain. KoreanGirl and I were hunting for some lunch and thought Chez Faye Cafe would be a great place for a soup and sandwich. She’s been here a few times, but I’ve never been. I pass by it a lot of times, but haven’t been here till now.

They serve sandwiches, soups and Korean food. Just simple food that is not complicated.

They are open on weekdays from the morning till late lunch, but aren’t open for dinner.

The interior is cozy and has about 15 tables or so. It’s quiet and peaceful during lunch, so you can relax before going back to the office. A lot of people did take out items to go.

I got the clubhouse sandwich with their daily soup feature – chicken soup with wild rice.

Clubhouse Sandwich has 3 layers of bread and between those layers are – tomatoes lettuce, mayo, bacon, and turkey. I chose my bread to be multigrain. The ingredients are pretty solid and I liked how the bacon was crispy and there were lots of tomatoes to keep the sandwich moist.

Chicken soup with wild rice paired nicely with the sandwich. It’s always nice to have soup on a cold rainy day.

Overall, the food isn’t special or anything, but it’s a good quick lunch that satisfies the hungry belly. I’d come here again for their sandwiches and soup!

We Rate Chez Faye Cafe:

Address:
1168 Hamilton St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1168+Hamilton+St&sll=49.2751929,-123.122024&sspn=0.0053758,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1168+Hamilton+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+2S2&z=16″]

In Cambodian

24 Train Express Noodle House: New Pho Restaurant in Yaletown

December 23, 2013

There is a new Vietnamese/Cambodian restaurant in Yaletown. KoreanGirl, Mandu and I came here for lunch to devour bowls of pho. There’s no other Vietnamese restaurant in the area, so it’s nice to have something different around this area.

24 Train Express Noodle House is located in the previous locations of Sunset Burgers and Ace Burger Bar.

There’s outdoor seating, but it was a cold day so no one was there.

It’s packed during lunch, but the turnover of the table are quite quick.

Their menus have a different restaurant name on their menus. Perhaps they are part of the Gold Train Express chain of pho restaurants. They have one near UBC.

Spring Rolls ($5.80) comes with 2 pieces. It’s not uniformly shaped like other places, but it was decent and crunchy.

#14 Pho Tai Nam, Gan, Sach (Small – $6.50, Large – $7.50, XL – $8.75) has rare steak, tendon, tripe, brisket and noodle in soup.

#10 Pho Tai, Sach (Small – $6.50, Large – $7.50, XL – $8.75) has Rare steak, tripe and noodles in soup.

The different types of pho was decent. Nothing really special about it but it’s a easy quick lunch. Mandu said the broth was not as flavourful as other places, but was quite light.

The pho comes with lemons, bean sprouts, and basil. We asked for the bean sprouts to be cooked and they were nice enough to do so.

Overall, the food is decent with large portions and the prices are pretty good for this area.

We Rate 24 Train Express Noodle House:

Address:
550 Nelson Street
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=550+Nelson+Street+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=550+Nelson+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+6R5&z=16 “]

In Canadian

Earls Kitchen + Bar: Lets Get Cracking

September 30, 2013

The Lobster Event is back at Earls on October 3, 4, and 5th, 2013. It’s a celebration of all things East Coast and apparently the birthday of Alexander Keith (Yes, that beer brand). They fly in 15,000 Nova Scotia lobsters for the 3 day event. It’s been going on for the past 11 years.

For $25, you get a whole steamed 1½ pound Atlantic lobster served up with prawns, grilled corn cob, fingerling potatoes, a brioche bun and chardonnay butter for dipping.

For an additional $5, you get a huge ice cold pint of Alexander Keith Hop Series Ale.

The best part about eating lobster is really the bib. Come on, every adult likes to reminisce about their childhood and get messy. Take all your rings off and get messy. Especially if you are certified in hand to claw combat, you can tackle this meal.

This is my favourite tool! You’ll need it to help you crack those big claws. The chef pre cracks the tail and the claws but there is still some work that needs to be done to get the flesh out. I wish I took more photos of the meal, but my hands were covered in butter and meat.

Throw all the shells away! This saying is quite true.

Sometimes you really need a wet nap at the end of the meal or run off to the washroom to wash your hands.

The meal was delicious and the amount was just right. You definitely want to make reservations ahead of time since they have limited quantities at all their locations. Happy cracking.

Address:
1095 Mainland St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.earls.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1095+Mainland+St+Vancouver,+BC&t=m&hnear=1095+Mainland+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+1A9&z=16 “]

In lunch

Leafy Box: Fresh Salad, Juice and Smoothies

September 19, 2013

Leafy Box serves up healthy salads and juices in Yaletown. If you’re into the cleansing thing, it’s a good option to go to if you don’t have lunch and you’re in the area.

I came here with KoreanGirl during lunch since we wanted to be a healthy. We had too much fried chicken and beer the past weekend for our own good.

The inside was quite large and there are distinct areas to go grocery shopping, make a salad at the salad bar, and a hot food section. All the produce looks really fresh.

The salad bar has its separate fruit and veggie section. For some weird reason, there was even jello as one of the options.

Of course there is a juice and smoothie bar. With all the fresh produce, the juice is mighty enticing.

For my lunch, I grabbed a salad and a bottle of their cold pressed raw juice.

Salad from the salad bar (~$5) I threw in a lot of random ingredients, but you must get avocados because those are mighty yummy.

Essential Greens Juice ($7) has kale, spinach, celery, apple, parsley, cucumber, lemon and ginger. Lots of good stuff bottled up inside. It’s made from 4 pounds of produce in each bottle. The juice was good, but the only ingredient that threw me off a bit was the cucumber, it’s probably because I don’t like cucumber.

Overall, I do like the concept of the store and I would come again for juice. It is a bit expensive, but if you’re lazy to make your own juice, definitely check this place out.

We Rate Leafy Box:

Address:
1155 Pacific Boulevard
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.leafybox.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1155+Pacific+Blvd,+Vancouver,+BC&sll=49.2399859,-122.95816940000002&sspn=0.1721632379598321,0.3516140337636478&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=1155+Pacific+Blvd,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&z=16 “]

In French

Cache Bistro Lounge: Yaletown French bistro

August 19, 2013

Cache Bistro and Lounge is located in Yaletown and serves French inspired dishes with an asian touch. Chef Alex Mok uses local ingredients and creates beautiful dishes with them.

They have 3 course dinners for $35, also they serve brunch on the weekends.

It’s a nice place for the summer as they have a patio outdoors.

Bread arrives and you get lobster oil, raspberry butter, truffle butter and satay peanut butter. I loved the different butter you can use. Satay peanut and the truffle butters are really good! I couldn’t stop eating it.

Chef’s Charcuterie samples features three cured meats from Oyama Sausage Co., mixed olives, onion jam, crostini, and house pickled vegetables. Its a nice item to order if you want some nibbles and a glass of wine. Great for after work.

Lambrusco di Sorbara is paired with the charcuterie.

Pan Seared Scallops (appetizer size) has a jumbo scallop, warm quinoa, orange vinaigrette and a baby zucchini. It was yummy! That quinoa is really goos with the scallop. The entree version has more scallops and quinoa.

Lang Bravo White Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc ’11 VQA BC is paired with the scallops.

Deboned Quail has the Bacon wrapped Fraser Valley quail on top, marinated cranberries wrapped in the quail meat, Kennebec potato and yam pavé, bacon & maple syrup brussel sprouts on the side. It’s quite fatty, so if you don’t want anything too heavy, you might want to avoid this dish.

Clos du Mont-Olivet La Sabonite is paired with the quail.

Chocolate mousse tree has the chocolate mousse base with a hidden mango sauce on the bottom, a pastry tree trunk, mint leaves, and a cotton candy bush. The dessert was creative and cute. It would definitely be fun for a kid to eat. They way you would eat this is taking the bush and truck off the mousse and eat that first. Then, saving the mousse for last.

Overall the food was quite decent. They have some pretty cool items on their menu that I would want to try. I heard their ribs were to die for. Perhaps another visit is required.

We Rate Cache Bistro and Lounge:

Address:
1269 Hamilton St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://cachebistro.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1269+Hamilton+St,+Vancouver,+BC+V6B+6K3&sll=49.891235,-97.15369000000001&sspn=45.72347923378347,88.1395350118194&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=1269+Hamilton+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+6K3&z=16″]

In Canadian

PHAT: Smoked Meat Sandwiches in Yaletown

June 15, 2013

PHAT is a sports bar and restaurant that is located in Yaletown and specializes in Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwiches. PHAT stands for Pretty Hot and Tasty. It’s a very strange name for a restaurant, but we were very curious about this restaurant after seeing the ‘sandwich head’ around Yaletown skytrain station.

Hot Montreal Smoked Meat on Marble Rye (PHAT Size $9.99) the meat is flown in from Montreal and the sandwich is served with Mustard & Kosher Dill Pickle. The slices of smoked meat were very thin. The sandwich was ok, but it still didn’t exactly compare to the ones in Montreal even though the smoked meat is sourced from there. I still miss the smoked meat sandwiches from Schwartz.

Hot Montreal Smoked Meat on Marble Rye (Skinny Size $7.99). The size between the Skinny and the PHAT size was about the same. Not really sure how much of a different there really was.

My friend designed herself a tuna melt sandwich ($8.49). She thought it was ok.

Overall, the food was passable, but it wasn’t anything spectacular. It has a good location, a heated patio and lots of TV screens if you want to watch the game.

We rate PHAT:

Address:
1055 Mainland St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.phatdeli.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1055+Mainland+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1055+Mainland+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+1A9&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In lunch

Patron Tacos & Cantina: Lunch Time

May 21, 2013

Patron Tacos & Cantina is located on Robson street at Cambie Street. The interior is like a Mexican restaurant with a sports bar. There are tons of TVs everywhere, so no matter which seat you have, you can be in the vicinity of a TV. It seems like it would be great to view games.

My coworkers and I came to have some lunch as we saw their lunch specials looked good.

They have a pretty cool chandelier too.

Complimentary Chips and Salsa arrived at the table. The chips were awesome and you could tell they were made in house. The salsa was a bit watery and lacked any spicy taste or heartiness. I like my salsa chunky.

Tortilla Soup came with the lunch combos. It’s deliciously cheesey with chunks of avocado and crunchy tortilla bits inside. You should probably get this soup if you’re here for lunch!

Tacos ($12) comes with 2 Tacos of your choice. My coworker chose the battered fish and the carnitas. It also comes with soup or salad. She felt a bit underwhelmed by this dish.

Tostadas was also part of one of the lunch items. It came with a side of rice and refried beans. I also chose the side of tortilla soup. The tortilla on the bottom of the tostadas was nice and crispy and all the items that layed on top were just delicious. The rice and the refried beans were ok.

Torta is like a sandwich made with a Mexican bun. It is served with a side of criss-cross fries. This will definitely bring you back to your childhood. On the inside, there is chipotle mayo, refried beans, cheese, tomato, lettuce, jalapeños, avocado, and onion. I’m not sure which torta he chose, but he said he enjoyed it and there was a lot of meat inside.

As we only have a hour lunch, the service here is quite slow and inefficient. A few simple things did take a long time like beer, soup and the bill.

We Rate Patron Tacos & Cantina:

Address:
265 Robson St.
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.patrontc.com/

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In Four Beakers

DD Mau: ‘Give Me Mau’ Dining Package Review

November 11, 2012

DD Mau is a modern Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich shop. It’s located close to the Yaletown Skytrain. They sell drinks, salads, vermicelli bowls, and sandwiches.

Vaneats is offering a dining package right now that gives you a full sandwich and a drink for $9.50. The items included are:

1/2 Grilled Lemongrass Chicken sandwich
1/2 Crispy Roasted Pork sandwich
1 Smoothie (Choice of avocado or honeydew)

If you are planning to come check out DD Mau for lunch anyways, might as well grab one of the passes and save a few bucks!

You get to choose between 2 smoothies. I bought one more addition to the package so I could try both.

Avocado Smoothie is my all time favorite drink here. You can’t go wrong with this! It’s made of almond milk and avocados. Seriously, you need to get this smoothie!

Honey Dew Smoothie does not have the same consistency as the avocado smoothie. It was very icy and hard to slurp up from the straw. The flavours were definitely there, but way too icy.

Grilled Lemongrass Chicken has grilled chicken thigh, pickled veggies, cilantro, sweet-chili aioli and jalapenos.

Crispy Roasted Pork has crispy roasted pork, sauteed scallions, pickled veggie, cilantro, garlic aioli and jalapenos. I am in love with this half of the sandwich! It has crispy pork skin and the juicy tender meat! It’s like a Vietnamese Meat & Bread.

Overall, KoreanGirl and I enjoyed the items that we were part of this package. One whole sandwich was too large for us to handle, so we each ate one flavour.

Words of Wisdom:

Limited Seating
All of the sandwiches are good, you can’t go wrong

We Rate DD Mau:

Address:
1239 Pacific Blvd
Vancouver, BC

Website:
ddmau.ca

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1239+Pacific+Blvd+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1239+Pacific+Blvd,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V6Z+2V2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cafe

DD Mau: Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwiches in Yaletown

October 28, 2012

DD Mau is a modern Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich shop. It’s located close to the Yaletown Skytrain. They sell drinks, salads, vermicelli bowls, and sandwiches.

Avocado Smoothie ($4.50) is made with fresh avocados and almond milk. It’s my all time favorite smoothie! The texture is great and the taste of avocado goes so well with the almond milk.

Thai Tea Latte is a new item they just introduced. I’ve never had anything like it, but it had an array of different spices and flavours. It was refreshing and delicious.

DD Mau Iced Coffee ($3.50) has espresso, sweet condensed milk, and Ice. M said it was the best iced coffee he has had so far. The owner said there is a secret ingredient inside! She wouldn’t tell us, but it was yummy!

Braised Sate Short Rib with Caramelized Onions and Watercress ($12) . This was their special feature when we were there. It’s more expensive than their regular Banh Mi Sandwiches, but M really enjoyed the flavours inside.

The sandwich is cut in half, so its easier to eat. The short ribs were very tender and went well with the pickled vegetables . M liked how the bread was a bit softer than most of the other Vietnamese sandwich places, so it doesn’t hurt the top of your mouth.

Crispy Roasted Pork ($8.80) has loads of duck and the addictive crackling! Kind like Meat & Bread, but with a Vietnamese twist.

Overall, M and I enjoyed the items that we had there. Some items can be expensive like their special sandwiches, but their regular sandwiches are still yummy.

Words of Wisdom:

Limited Seating
All of the sandwiches are good, you can’t go wrong

We Rate DD Mau:

Address:
1239 Pacific Blvd
Vancouver, BC

Website:
ddmau.ca

In Izakaya

Minami: Yummy Aburi Beef in Yaletown

October 22, 2012

When I came back from vacation, I headed out to Minami with @Lensflaaare and @Floyvr to see what all the hype was about Minami. Minami is the sister restaurant of Miku. They are popular for their aburi sushi.

It’s located really close to the Yaletown Skytrain on the Canada Line.

Unlike Miku, the atmosphere here was more dark and intimate.

Jasmine tea comes in tea pots. It tastes good and goes really well with their food.

Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi is pressed rice with local salmon, jalapeño, and miku sauce. This is their most popular item from both Miku and Minami. It’s so good!

Slow Roasted Beets & Watercress Salad has yuzu creme fraiche, fig, candied sesame cashew, fig chutney, and a yuzu chardonnay vinaigrette.

Kaisen Soba Pepperoncino has shrimp, squid, scallop, sweet pepper, shiitake, and jalapeno. This dish was ok, not too spicy, but I felt it was a weird combination of seafood and spice.

Aburi Carpaccio has a organic 64 degree egg, asian pear, market greens, lotus root chips, and jalapeno-garlic ponzu. It was fun popping the egg and letting it go all over the raw meat. I enjoyed the nice clean flavours.

Overall, the food was good, but our server was always in a rush and not very attentive. If I had a choice of going to either Miku or Minami, I would go back to Miku. I didn’t enjoy the ambiance or the service as much.

We Rate Minami:

Address:
1118 Mainland St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.minamirestaurant.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1118+Mainland+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1118+Mainland+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Sandwich

Sunset Burger: Closes and Becomes Ace Burger Bar

September 14, 2012

Earlier in the month, I decided to use up my Groupon at Sunset Burgers on Nelson St. before it expires. The Groupon was $10 for $20 worth of food. It was set to expire at the end of the month…so good thing I used it since it closed and has become Ace Burger Bar.

If you haven’t used up your Groupon yet, I would suggest getting in contact with Groupon to get your money back.

As for Ace Burger Bar, it has completely new ownership but does serve similar items. I haven’t been there yet, so I am not sure if Ace Burger Bar is good or not.

Below are some pictures of what I had at Sunset Burgers before it closed.

Canned Limonata

Poutine

Cheese Burger

Bacon Cheeseburger

In Japanese

Kibo Restaurant and Lounge: New Restaurant in Yaletown

August 13, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: We were approached by the owner of Kibo Restaurant & Lounge to preview a few dishes. Although the meal was complimentary, the views and opinions expressed are entirely our own.

On July 26th, Foodology.ca was invited out to Yaletown along with Raymond, Sherman, Rick, Kevin, Janice, Romina and Grace to have dinner at Kibo Restaurant and Lounge. As a new addition to the Yaletown area, we were eager to see how Kibo intended to approach Japanese fusion cuisine and at what level of quality.

To start the meal off, we were served negitoro on thinly toasted pieces of bread. The fatty tuna with chopped green onion was fresh and went well with the toasted bread. A nice start to the meal.

The first main dish of the evening was the Kibo Sashimi Platter. Served on a bed of crushed ice with distinct sauces for each fish type, I found the cuts of sashimi quite fresh and inherently flavorful. As a bit of a sashimi purist however, I would have liked to see the actual sauces served separately but overall a pretty good offering.

The next two dishes that came together were the Kibo Salad and Beef Carpaccio. The salad was very fresh and quite sweet with a generous allotment of mango. Salad lovers will love the fresh greens which are complimented well by fresh cuts of tuna, salmon and creamy avocado. I felt the sauce was applied a little too liberally but wasn’t that bad in small portions.

The beef carpaccio was served with a cheese based, wasabi dressing that received mixed feelings from me. I enjoyed the subtle hit of the wasabi with each bite but the cheese component kind of threw me. The beef itself was sliced nicely and tasted wonderful but the sauce may have been better if it had been kept slightly more simple.

The chikuwa cheese dish looked amazing but ended up just tasting alright. The fish cake was quite tender but the actual batter was not as crispy as I would have liked. Again, the addition of cheese to this dish was slightly puzzling to me as it did not really strengthen the overall dish.

One of the most visually stunning dishes of the evening had to be the plate of Assorted Nigiri Sushi. Unfortunately, due to the large group I was in, I only got to taste 1/2 of one piece of nigiri so I cannot competently review this dish in its entirety. The 1/2 piece of tuna sushi I tried was nice but I will have to return to Kibo in the future to properly review this entire dish.

The next two hot kitchen items that followed the sushi plate were both very good. To be quite honest, you can rarely go wrong with short ribs and bacon wrapped ebi. The ribs were tender and very tasty and same for the shrimp skewers. The bacon itself was not that crispy but quite fatty which really infused the ebi with that smoky, bacon flavor. Overall, two very good kitchen items to order along with sushi.

To follow the above two meat dishes came 4 or 5 different specialty sushi rolls. These were intentionally ordered to showcase Kibo’s creativity with the traditional sushi format. First up was the Hamilton Roll which is basically a standard dynamite roll with slices of sashimi on top. I really like dynamite rolls and prawn tempura/sashimi in general so this roll was an easy favorite for me.

The next roll was the Volcano Roll which was probably the most visually/texturally unique roll of the evening. The fairly traditional roll was deep-fried and then sliced which cased the entire outer surface in a crispy, tempura type shell. The actual layer was not as crispy as I thought it would be but still a very interesting take on a sushi roll.

The third roll we tried was the Caterpillar Roll which again was basically a dynamite roll but with avocado and unagi on top. This roll definitely felt very luxurious with the creamy avocado and super tender unagi. I actually really liked this roll regardless of its bizarre name.

The fourth roll we tried was the Philadelphia Roll. As you may have guessed, this roll is named as such because it has cream cheese inside. For the sushi purists out there, this is definitely one of the more progressive fusion rolls out there. Similar to the salmon cream cheese roll at Kamei Royale, you will either love or hate this roll. I thought it was ok but generally I am not a fan of cheese in sushi.

The fifth and final roll of the night was the aptly named Mango Roll. Essentially a dynamite roll with mango, this roll was pleasantly sweet but the mango unfortunately made the rice a little bit soggy. An interesting roll but one I would not order again. Many of Kibo’s specialty rolls seem to simply be standard rolls with something on top which was a little disappointing to me. For a professed Japanese Fusion restaurant, I would have liked to see significantly more innovation in the menu.

At this point in the meal, there was a small lull in service so I actually thought the dinner was over. Amazingly enough, not only was the meal not over but there were 4 more dishes to be had! I was quite full at this point in the evening so this may have impacted my desire to eat further. That said, I really enjoyed the Grilled Sablefish and Kibo Beef dishes. The Sablefish was very tender and flaky and prepared very simply on a bed of vegetables. The beef was very moist and flavorful, infused with a great sauce. Unfortunately I found the Australian Rack of Lamb to be dry and generally unappetizing. We were all a little baffled why this was being served at Kibo as it didn’t seem very good or Asian in any way.

The last dish of the evening turned out to be one of the best dishes of the evening! Served in a traditional Japanese tea pot, the Kibo Seafood Dobin was a beautiful pure, clean broth infused with a variety of fish, mussels, clams etc. Somebody remarked that the broth would make for an amazing hot pot and I have to agree. Although I was only able to sample a small cup, the broth was simply amazing and refreshing. A fantastic end to a very long and generously endowed meal.

To wrap up with a few final thoughts, I was quite tough on Kibo in the above review but I genuinely did enjoy the experience. As the establishment is so new, I felt obligated to be brutally honest so that they can continue to refine their menu and get better as they find their identity in the Yaletown area. So close to the much heralded Aburi giant Minami, Kibo definitely has their work cut out for them even though their prices are markedly more affordable. I enjoyed many of the dishes I tried and can definitely see potential and room to improve in many others.