La Terrazza
1088 Cambie Street, Vancouver
You know that place on the corner…right on Pacific and Howe…you know, it’s like right on the edge of Yaletown…yeah you know the one. Well I’ve always seen this place as I make my way onto the Cambie Street Bridge but for some reason, I’ve never been. Maybe I thought the location was bad. Maybe I though it kinda looked gaudy. Nevertheless, it never struck me as a place I’d want to go and to be honest, I’ve never heard much about it. But that began to change recently when I started hearing people talk about this restaurant – a traditional Italian restaurant that isn’t just a pasta bar. The food was supposed to be sensational and the wine list was one of the most comprehensive. I began to grow curious. I mean this place has been in Vancouver for quite awhile now so it must be doing something right. Well luckily, I had the opportunity to go there this week and see for myself what the little rumblings were about.
I went to La Terrazza for a special function, which meant we had a set menu and had a choice for our main course and dessert. Because we have a relatively large group (35ish people) we were seated in one of their 2 private dining rooms. The restaurant is quite stunning, once you step inside. Right when you walk through the doors, you enter into their lounge area with a full service bar. I found it kind of weird that people were actually having dinner in the lounge even though the dining room wasn’t full at all. But I guess that was their choice. Walk around the bar and you can see the dining room, which was beautifully decorated with Italian paintings on the walls and red wood chairs and tables lined with white linen. I headed into our private room, up 2 steps and through a stoned archway and was pleasantly surprised. The room has wines stacked up in shelves on the far wall and was spacious enough to fit at least 6 or 7 tables.
We all mingled with each other and the servers were all very attentive, pouring wine and making sure everyone was comfortable. Before we were told to settle in, 2 plates of appetizers were placed at each table with an assortment of the restaurant’s favorite appies for us to try. But even before we got to dig into that dish of food, our head waiter gave his spheal about our meal that evening. He told us what was on the appetizer plate (there was so much stuff on there but I do remember the duck sausage, the mushrooms, the ratatouille and the tomato and bocconcini…at delicious!), what our choices were for the main and the choices for dessert. As he was reading out our choices, you can hear everyone whispering and discussing what they should get. It was all very exciting and I think they do this simply to stir us up a bit for the food. For my main, I decided on the beef tenderloin and for dessert, I went with their special marscapone cheesecake wrapped in phyllo.
After chowing down on the appies, the servers brought around round 2 of our 5 course meal. We had a mushroom ravioli (they had a fancier name but it was basically ravioli) in a mushroom reduction sauce. Now you know I don’t eat pasta but being in that restaurants just made me throw my diet to the wind and I ate the ravioli. It was good but honestly, I think they can do with more stuffing inside the pasta. I personally found the pasta a bit thick and the filling thin. I mean it was good but probably wasn’t good enuf for me to actually eat pasta. Oh well…
Our next course was just a green salad, which wasn’t anything too special. But then it came. For our main course. I had the beef while my mom went with the duck. Oh boy was I ever happy with this piece of meat! It was made to perfection! I had ordered my steak medium rare and it was cooked exactly to medium rare. The gentleman sitting beside me got his medium well and again, he was so impressed that they actually made it exactly to medium well. The steak was juicy and tender and just plain gorgeous. They duck was really good too and my mom was happy with it. I thought it was good but I was defiantly happy that I ordered the tenderloin!
We all had a latte or cappuccino before our dessert and I was getting kinda full at this point. The portions weren’t huge so it wasn’t like I was stuffed but I guess I didn’t need to eat dessert. But then the dessert came and, again, I threw my diet out the window. This dessert was just heaven! It was a warm piece of cheesecake wrapped in phyllo pastry and I don’t think I’ve ever had anything like it. This dessert is defiantly something you should all try!
The service at this place is top notch and the waiters were all just so nice. They were always there filling our glass with wine and making sure we were okay. They knew how to serve and were very professional. On a side note, the white wine they served that night was a Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris and I think I just found another wine that I can actually enjoy! Very very yummy!
Well I’m sure glad I got to go there and I’ll defiantly be going back again. I guess this is just another lesson not to judge a book by it’s cover, or in this case, it’s frontage on Cambie Street. The little rumblings about this place were all true and hopefully, the rumblings will turn into an earthquake and more people will start checking this place out!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Queen's Cafe
Queen’s Café
6091 No. 3 Road, Richmond
Richmond is a mecca for Asian food. Is it really a wonder though? With the huge Asian immigrants, the market (as well as the appetite) is defiantly there. But what is one to do when they are stuck out in the ‘burbs and feeling for some nice downtown style dining?
Queen’s Café is the answer. A contemporary westcoast style restaurant located right in the heart of Richmond, Queen’s is a nice change from all the rice and noodles you get in the area! Suffering from a bad location (right on No. 3 Road beside the Moores clothing store) and a non-descript awning in the front, Queen’s is one of those places you can be easily missed. But defiantly keep your eye open for this place and check it out because it’s well worth it. The space is quite lovely and calm, with clean linens, warm colours and soft music (my mother thought the lights could be dimmer to create an ambience) and the service was attentive. They really made us feel welcome. Yes it could be because of the fact that it was a quite night (we were the only customers until the end of the night when another table came in) but nonetheless, our waiter was great and very pleasant.
The food is solid, thanks to executive chef Brian Leung and the prices are jaw-dropping to say the least. I went there with my mom last week and we both ordered the 4 course meal for $29.99! That’s like the price of an appie at most fine dining places downtown! I started with the lobster bisque and crab cakes while mom has the corn chowder and the shrimp. The soup was a bit on the salty side but still delicious and both the crab cakes and shrimp was heaven! We both ordered the rack of lamb which was done to perfection! She ordered medium well while I got it done medium rare and it was great when we actually got it cooked the way we ordered it! You know how sometimes you say rare and someone else says well and they look just about the same? Yeah…not cool. And the plating and presentation was done with such attention to detail that it almost seemed like a shame to eat the food on the plate. We both ordered the crème brulee for dessert and that again was just fantastic.
In all, Queen’s is defiantly one worth checking out! And go support the non-Asian restaurants in Richmond! They are a dying breed in the area and we want to promote diversity right????
On a side note, if you don’t think you can handle a 4 course meal, well then you are just weak! But you can also chose from a 3 course menu that is only $19.99. Trust me, the 4 course meal fills you up so bring an appetite!
6091 No. 3 Road, Richmond
Richmond is a mecca for Asian food. Is it really a wonder though? With the huge Asian immigrants, the market (as well as the appetite) is defiantly there. But what is one to do when they are stuck out in the ‘burbs and feeling for some nice downtown style dining?
Queen’s Café is the answer. A contemporary westcoast style restaurant located right in the heart of Richmond, Queen’s is a nice change from all the rice and noodles you get in the area! Suffering from a bad location (right on No. 3 Road beside the Moores clothing store) and a non-descript awning in the front, Queen’s is one of those places you can be easily missed. But defiantly keep your eye open for this place and check it out because it’s well worth it. The space is quite lovely and calm, with clean linens, warm colours and soft music (my mother thought the lights could be dimmer to create an ambience) and the service was attentive. They really made us feel welcome. Yes it could be because of the fact that it was a quite night (we were the only customers until the end of the night when another table came in) but nonetheless, our waiter was great and very pleasant.
The food is solid, thanks to executive chef Brian Leung and the prices are jaw-dropping to say the least. I went there with my mom last week and we both ordered the 4 course meal for $29.99! That’s like the price of an appie at most fine dining places downtown! I started with the lobster bisque and crab cakes while mom has the corn chowder and the shrimp. The soup was a bit on the salty side but still delicious and both the crab cakes and shrimp was heaven! We both ordered the rack of lamb which was done to perfection! She ordered medium well while I got it done medium rare and it was great when we actually got it cooked the way we ordered it! You know how sometimes you say rare and someone else says well and they look just about the same? Yeah…not cool. And the plating and presentation was done with such attention to detail that it almost seemed like a shame to eat the food on the plate. We both ordered the crème brulee for dessert and that again was just fantastic.
In all, Queen’s is defiantly one worth checking out! And go support the non-Asian restaurants in Richmond! They are a dying breed in the area and we want to promote diversity right????
On a side note, if you don’t think you can handle a 4 course meal, well then you are just weak! But you can also chose from a 3 course menu that is only $19.99. Trust me, the 4 course meal fills you up so bring an appetite!
Friday, October 19, 2007
Shiru Bay Update!!
Went there again last nite with Viv and Eddy! Yumm-O! Check out the post about Shiru Bay from last week for the update!
Coast Restaurant
Coast Restaurant
1257 Hamilton StreetVancouver, BC V6B5P9
So I’ve been going on and on about the Taste of Yaletown but have I actually been??? Well now the answer is yes! For my first foray in to the Taste of Yaletown menus, I went to Coast and in all, it was a pretty good experience.
To be honest, I was going to go to Goldfish with 5 of my friends for dinner. The plan was for us to go the Yaletown, looking all pretty and stuff, and dine out at a nice restaurant. However, after looking at the set menus offered, the menu at Goldfish just wasn’t up to snuff. So in a mad rush to find a place that can accommodate 6 of us at the last minute, Coast was chosen. But don’t get me wrong, it’s not like this was a “oh-shit-i-can’t-find-anything-better” type of deal. The menu offered for the taste of yaletown was sounded pretty good so we decided to give this place a go!
I did my reso online on OpenTable.com (you all should know how much of a fan I am of this site!) and the day before the reso, the restaurant called to confirm the booking. They told me that I need to be on time since the only hold tables for 15 minutes. It’s always a nice touch for a restaurant to call you to remind you of your booking and I thought the 15 minutes thing was fair. However, on the day of the booking, I was running super late and I was just scrambling to get another one of my friends there on time. Luckily, my non-tardy friends made it but when I got there, they informed me that the server told them that the table was booked for a party after us and that we were on a time limit. Now, Coast is a popular restaurnt but when I got there, it wasn’t like the place was packed! Fine, whatever! We knew what we wanted or order anyways and we got right to it. All of us got the set menu and the funny thing was while we all go the crab and halibut cake for an appie (you don’t make friends with salad!) the boys went with the surf and turf while the girls went with the baja scallops. The boys definatly got the better deal on that one. The surf and turf was quite delicious, with a 5-6 ounce piece of bacon wrapped beef tenderloin and 3 pieces of shrimp. The scallops was kinda disappointing, given that we basically got 5 small pieces of scallops on a bed of risotto. I wouldn’t even call that a scallop dish! It was more a risotto dish with scallops…but I’m not the chef there so whatever! The risotto was also a bit overdone but that’s understandable since they would probably make it in huge batches for the tasting menu. As for desert, instead of giving us 3 choices, the server told us that we’d actually be getting both the chocolate fondue and the german chocolate cake but in smaller sizes! Yay! Less decisions and more food. I quite enjoyed the desert but I did hear some people say that the cake was too sweet. I’m also pretty sure the fondue was made with milk chocolate so that added to the sweet factor.
All in all, Coast is a nice place and we had a good experience. Was it sensational? Not really. And to top it all off, remember how they said we were on a time limit? Well at the end of the meal, they didn’t even ask us to leave, which makes me wonder if they did have a second booking or if they were just trying to clear us out of there quick. Hm…….
1257 Hamilton StreetVancouver, BC V6B5P9
So I’ve been going on and on about the Taste of Yaletown but have I actually been??? Well now the answer is yes! For my first foray in to the Taste of Yaletown menus, I went to Coast and in all, it was a pretty good experience.
To be honest, I was going to go to Goldfish with 5 of my friends for dinner. The plan was for us to go the Yaletown, looking all pretty and stuff, and dine out at a nice restaurant. However, after looking at the set menus offered, the menu at Goldfish just wasn’t up to snuff. So in a mad rush to find a place that can accommodate 6 of us at the last minute, Coast was chosen. But don’t get me wrong, it’s not like this was a “oh-shit-i-can’t-find-anything-better” type of deal. The menu offered for the taste of yaletown was sounded pretty good so we decided to give this place a go!
I did my reso online on OpenTable.com (you all should know how much of a fan I am of this site!) and the day before the reso, the restaurant called to confirm the booking. They told me that I need to be on time since the only hold tables for 15 minutes. It’s always a nice touch for a restaurant to call you to remind you of your booking and I thought the 15 minutes thing was fair. However, on the day of the booking, I was running super late and I was just scrambling to get another one of my friends there on time. Luckily, my non-tardy friends made it but when I got there, they informed me that the server told them that the table was booked for a party after us and that we were on a time limit. Now, Coast is a popular restaurnt but when I got there, it wasn’t like the place was packed! Fine, whatever! We knew what we wanted or order anyways and we got right to it. All of us got the set menu and the funny thing was while we all go the crab and halibut cake for an appie (you don’t make friends with salad!) the boys went with the surf and turf while the girls went with the baja scallops. The boys definatly got the better deal on that one. The surf and turf was quite delicious, with a 5-6 ounce piece of bacon wrapped beef tenderloin and 3 pieces of shrimp. The scallops was kinda disappointing, given that we basically got 5 small pieces of scallops on a bed of risotto. I wouldn’t even call that a scallop dish! It was more a risotto dish with scallops…but I’m not the chef there so whatever! The risotto was also a bit overdone but that’s understandable since they would probably make it in huge batches for the tasting menu. As for desert, instead of giving us 3 choices, the server told us that we’d actually be getting both the chocolate fondue and the german chocolate cake but in smaller sizes! Yay! Less decisions and more food. I quite enjoyed the desert but I did hear some people say that the cake was too sweet. I’m also pretty sure the fondue was made with milk chocolate so that added to the sweet factor.
All in all, Coast is a nice place and we had a good experience. Was it sensational? Not really. And to top it all off, remember how they said we were on a time limit? Well at the end of the meal, they didn’t even ask us to leave, which makes me wonder if they did have a second booking or if they were just trying to clear us out of there quick. Hm…….
Friday, October 12, 2007
Shiru-Bay Chopstick Cafe
When most Vancouverites think of Yaletown, it’s usually one of 2 reactions: “Oh Gawd! Love Yaletown! It’s like so chic and it’s where all the hot and beautiful people hang out now, like, you know!” or “You can cut the pretentiousness with a knife…excuse me Mr. Ferrari, are you trying to advertise you’re going through a mid-life crisis???” But whatever the reaction, you can’t deny that Yaletown boasts some good eating! But the choice of restaurants down there also seems to cater to either crowd 1 or crowd 2. Well fear not! Finally there is a restaurant in Yaletown that will make you feel special without all the Paris Hilton wannabes hanging around.
With the recent growth spurt of izakaya places all over Vancouver, one might overlook this joint. But with an awesome reputation (they have won Best Casual Japanese Dining Silver for the past 2 years in Vancouver Magazine) and amazing food, Shiru-Bay Chopstick Cafe is defiantly a “must eat!” Shiru-Bay is actually part of a chain of restaurants owned by the Uno family back in Japan. This Yaletown location is the first Shiru-Bay outside of Japan and is run by Kodai Uno, the youngest chef in the family. Now I’m sure you all know wut izakaya is about and have been to a few izakaya restaurants. They all have their own take on how izakaya should be done since there really isn’t any formula to it-it’s basically what the chef creates. The really great thing about Shiru-Bay is that while it’s still traditional izakaya, there are defiantly some western influences on the food. Aside from the regular smoked fish and sashimi, there are also crab croquettes and ceviche on the menu. I heard some great things about this place from my friend Peter so I just had to give it a try.
I went there last Thursdaywith Martine and was ready for a great izakaya experience. The restaurant itself looks like any other Japanese restaurant, with wooden furniture and beams, a sashimi bar and dark lighting. We were seating by our super friendly server, who was actually the only non-Japanese person working there. She was east Indian but I’m sure she speaks fluent Japanese and/or studies Japanese history or something! She did sorta stand out but her great attitude more than made up for it. Martine and I didn’t really know what to order or how to even start and our server was really helpful in pointing out our options. They had two set menu available but in the end, we decided to do a la carte.
We ordered about 4 dishes between the 2 of us and we were just stuffed! We had the smoked halibut, which was juicy and delicious and we tried their “famous ebi-chilli mayo” which was a cool take on the traditional tempura. We also had the crab croquette and salmon sashimi. Everything was just delicious...except for the sashimi. Now you all know I don’t eat raw fish but the server insisted that I should try it here because they only use the best. Well I decided to try it and now I can confirm that I don’t like raw fish AT ALL! This is nothing against Shiru-Bay’s sashimi!!! Martine liked it and said it was good but I felt like puking after eating it! *sigh….well I gave it a shot!
Anyways, we were so stuffed after our meal that we actually had to cancel one of our orders! But that didn’t stop us from ordering desert! The deserts here are actually very very good…and when I say very very good, I mean orgasmic! We each ordered 1 desert (screw sharing!) and I ordered the Match cheesecake while Martine got the banana macchiato. They were both sublime! MmmMmmm! But while we were eating our desert, we noticed 2 ladies at the bar eating some sort of gooey grey concoction. There server was literally standing there for 5 minutes mixing the thing. We asked our server what it was they were eating and apparently, it was natto ice-cream. For those of you who don’t know, natto is the Japanese fermented beans. Sounds gross eh? But apparently, it’s mixed with vanilla ice cream and syrup and it’s quite yummy! Very interesting and defiantly worth trying out next time!
So if you’re in the neighborhood and don’t want to spend an arm and a leg in Yaletown for dinner, this is defiantly the place to go! I’m defiantly going back soon so if anyone wants to join me, let me know! But you better be ready for some natto ice-cream! ;)
UPDATE!!!
Well I just went again tonite and tried the natto ice-cream. It was soooo good!!!!!!!!! Don't let the whole "fermented beans" thing scare you off! I'm definately a fan and it's worth a try! The icecream just gets gooey-er and yummier!!! Try it!!! Thanks to Viv and Eddy for coming with me!
As for the food...again top notch! Had the ebi prawns and the smoked cod again but this time, we also go the beef tongue and the shabu shabu. hmmmMMMmmMMMMmm....very good! But the service this time was kinda weird. The servers kept trying to collect our plates even when there was food on the plates! Hello!!! We paid for the food and we want to eat it! but aside from that, it's was just perfection!!!!!! This might be one of my fav restaurants in Vancouver!! But stay tuned! I'm gonna keep my taste buds guessing and asking for more! so who wants to take me out to dinner???? :D
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Metro Dining
Metro Restaurant
2A-200 Burrard StreetVancouver, BC, Canada
You know when we go out to eat, we always want to try everything. And if you’re Chinese, you have absolutely no shame in reaching over and just picking something off your dinner companion’s plate! Hey…sharing is caring right? But at Metro, they make it easy for you. You get to chose how much of each portion you want of each dish and therefore, you can order as many different dishes as your hearts desire!
Metro is brought to you by Brian Fowke and Tim Keller, the same guys who brought Rare onto the scene. The whole concept of Metro is decidedly more Westcoast-from the minimalist and clean décor to the type of food they serve. On their website, they talk about how Metro is all about sustainability and ecology and what steps the restaurant is taking to be environmentally friendly. But these aren’t a bunch of tree huggers..nonono…Metro is also all about being upscale, sophisticated and classy. I guess if you think about it, Metro does embody what Vancouver stands for: classy, sophisticated, a bit snooty, granola munchers! :D And that’s not a bad thing people!
So I went to Metro with my new-to-Vancouver friend, Mike and his sister. Both of them just very recently moved to Vancouver to study (him at VFS and her at Blanche Macdonald). Well I figured that since they are from out east (Ottawa to be exact), I should take them to a place where they can really experience west coast cuisine.
I really liked the décor at Metro. Like I said, it’s minimalist and clean but not too bare. You can tell it’s a new restaurant since the kitchen is still pretty spotless. They have a huge bar and lounge on one end with wood paneling and a big screen TV and the other side is the restaurants. They have these really cool leather bucket chairs which at first glance will make you think that maybe you should have brought your own seating but once you settle in, they’re actually really comfortable. Penny really did like the chairs! While you probably won’t be getting a nice view from the restaurant for the next six months (hell you won’t get a nice view from anywhere in this city for the next 6 months!), you’re actually rite by Canada Place so there is the POTENTIAL for a nice view! :D
There has been a lot of new “west coast cuisine” style restaurants opening up in Vancouver but what makes Metro different is the way that you can order their food! Like I said, they price their items buy the ounce. It’s a really really great concept and it really allows you to get a taste of everything! For example, if you can’t decide between the striploin, tenderloin or the duck breast, you can have all 3! Basically, what you would do is order a small cut of each (say 2-3 ounces of each type of meat) and then you’ll be presented with something like a tasting menu! And the best part is that each of the meat comes with their own garnish so it’s not like you’re just getting the meat-you’re getting the accompaniments too! Think tapas but your own way! Mind you, if you know what you want, you can order that on its’ own too. Just order a larger cut, say 5-6 ounces and you’ll have a full sized main course ready to go.
The three of us started off sharing the smoked duck sausage served on a brioche hoagie round with slow cooked onion corn chutney. It’s kinda like a duck sausage hotdog! The sausage was really good but when meat is in a sausage form, you can really taste the difference I guess. But it was quite yummy and a great way to start the meal. For our main, I chose to go with a full-sized order of the sablefish with oyster mushroom risotto while Penny got bison and the pork tenderloin and his sister go the Dungeness crab and the blade steak. My sablefish was excellent (as sablefish usually is!) but I did get a bit of the fish taste with it. However, the risotto was delicious! It was cooked perfectly and even though I don’t usually eat carbs or rice, this was some good stuff. From what I heard about the other twos main courses, they seemed really happy with it. The pork was a bit dry and giant cous couse that came with the crab was a bit wet but in all, I think the meal was quite a success!
I’m defiantly going back there and trying all the other types of food. And I guess I won’t have to bring an army of people to try everything there!
2A-200 Burrard StreetVancouver, BC, Canada
You know when we go out to eat, we always want to try everything. And if you’re Chinese, you have absolutely no shame in reaching over and just picking something off your dinner companion’s plate! Hey…sharing is caring right? But at Metro, they make it easy for you. You get to chose how much of each portion you want of each dish and therefore, you can order as many different dishes as your hearts desire!
Metro is brought to you by Brian Fowke and Tim Keller, the same guys who brought Rare onto the scene. The whole concept of Metro is decidedly more Westcoast-from the minimalist and clean décor to the type of food they serve. On their website, they talk about how Metro is all about sustainability and ecology and what steps the restaurant is taking to be environmentally friendly. But these aren’t a bunch of tree huggers..nonono…Metro is also all about being upscale, sophisticated and classy. I guess if you think about it, Metro does embody what Vancouver stands for: classy, sophisticated, a bit snooty, granola munchers! :D And that’s not a bad thing people!
So I went to Metro with my new-to-Vancouver friend, Mike and his sister. Both of them just very recently moved to Vancouver to study (him at VFS and her at Blanche Macdonald). Well I figured that since they are from out east (Ottawa to be exact), I should take them to a place where they can really experience west coast cuisine.
I really liked the décor at Metro. Like I said, it’s minimalist and clean but not too bare. You can tell it’s a new restaurant since the kitchen is still pretty spotless. They have a huge bar and lounge on one end with wood paneling and a big screen TV and the other side is the restaurants. They have these really cool leather bucket chairs which at first glance will make you think that maybe you should have brought your own seating but once you settle in, they’re actually really comfortable. Penny really did like the chairs! While you probably won’t be getting a nice view from the restaurant for the next six months (hell you won’t get a nice view from anywhere in this city for the next 6 months!), you’re actually rite by Canada Place so there is the POTENTIAL for a nice view! :D
There has been a lot of new “west coast cuisine” style restaurants opening up in Vancouver but what makes Metro different is the way that you can order their food! Like I said, they price their items buy the ounce. It’s a really really great concept and it really allows you to get a taste of everything! For example, if you can’t decide between the striploin, tenderloin or the duck breast, you can have all 3! Basically, what you would do is order a small cut of each (say 2-3 ounces of each type of meat) and then you’ll be presented with something like a tasting menu! And the best part is that each of the meat comes with their own garnish so it’s not like you’re just getting the meat-you’re getting the accompaniments too! Think tapas but your own way! Mind you, if you know what you want, you can order that on its’ own too. Just order a larger cut, say 5-6 ounces and you’ll have a full sized main course ready to go.
The three of us started off sharing the smoked duck sausage served on a brioche hoagie round with slow cooked onion corn chutney. It’s kinda like a duck sausage hotdog! The sausage was really good but when meat is in a sausage form, you can really taste the difference I guess. But it was quite yummy and a great way to start the meal. For our main, I chose to go with a full-sized order of the sablefish with oyster mushroom risotto while Penny got bison and the pork tenderloin and his sister go the Dungeness crab and the blade steak. My sablefish was excellent (as sablefish usually is!) but I did get a bit of the fish taste with it. However, the risotto was delicious! It was cooked perfectly and even though I don’t usually eat carbs or rice, this was some good stuff. From what I heard about the other twos main courses, they seemed really happy with it. The pork was a bit dry and giant cous couse that came with the crab was a bit wet but in all, I think the meal was quite a success!
I’m defiantly going back there and trying all the other types of food. And I guess I won’t have to bring an army of people to try everything there!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Taste of Yaletown - Price Fix Menus
Taste of YaletownGourmet Prix-Fixe MenusOctober 12 - 28, 2007
Enjoy special three-course, prix-fixe meals at some of Yaletown's best restaurants.
Duration: Friday, October 12 through Sunday, October 28, 2007
Pricing: $25 - $45 lunches and dinners; prices are per person and do not include beverage, tax or gratuity
You guys must LOVE me!!! :D Heheheh! Okay so maybe that's reaching a bit too far but I have found ANOTHER price fix meals event for you to enjoy! The Taste of Yaletown is happening in the second half of October, which means that you all have another chance to get some good eats for great deals. Yay to not having to wait until Dine-Out in January! The participating restaurants are listed below and if you follow the link, you should be taken to the menu each restaurant is offering! I'm giving you plenty of time to prepare for this folks so don't miss out!
And if you do go, please let us know wut you think by leaving a comment! We can all benefit! Well at least our stomachs can! ;)
ENJOY AND HAPPY EATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Participating Restaurants:
Click on the links below to view the participating restaurant's menus. Then call your favourites to make a reservation.
Amarcord Ristorante Italiano
Bardot Waterfront & Grille
Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar
Browns Restaurant & Bar
Cactus Club Cafe
Capones Restaurant & Live Jazz Club
Chopstick Café Shiru Bay
Coast Restaurant
Elixir
Fuse Pan Asian Express
George
Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar
GoldFish Pacific Kitchen
Hamilton Street Grill
La Terrazza
Milestones Yaletown
Provence Marinaside
Rodney's Oyster House
Section (3) Restaurant
Urban Thai Bistro
The Yaletown Brewing Company
Enjoy special three-course, prix-fixe meals at some of Yaletown's best restaurants.
Duration: Friday, October 12 through Sunday, October 28, 2007
Pricing: $25 - $45 lunches and dinners; prices are per person and do not include beverage, tax or gratuity
You guys must LOVE me!!! :D Heheheh! Okay so maybe that's reaching a bit too far but I have found ANOTHER price fix meals event for you to enjoy! The Taste of Yaletown is happening in the second half of October, which means that you all have another chance to get some good eats for great deals. Yay to not having to wait until Dine-Out in January! The participating restaurants are listed below and if you follow the link, you should be taken to the menu each restaurant is offering! I'm giving you plenty of time to prepare for this folks so don't miss out!
And if you do go, please let us know wut you think by leaving a comment! We can all benefit! Well at least our stomachs can! ;)
ENJOY AND HAPPY EATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Participating Restaurants:
Click on the links below to view the participating restaurant's menus. Then call your favourites to make a reservation.
Amarcord Ristorante Italiano
Bardot Waterfront & Grille
Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar
Browns Restaurant & Bar
Cactus Club Cafe
Capones Restaurant & Live Jazz Club
Chopstick Café Shiru Bay
Coast Restaurant
Elixir
Fuse Pan Asian Express
George
Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar
GoldFish Pacific Kitchen
Hamilton Street Grill
La Terrazza
Milestones Yaletown
Provence Marinaside
Rodney's Oyster House
Section (3) Restaurant
Urban Thai Bistro
The Yaletown Brewing Company
Friday, September 28, 2007
Bridges Restaurant
1696 Duranleau Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Granville Island
Sorry to break it to you all but City Dine is officially over (boo)…Well I guess we’ll have to console ourselves with the fact that Dine Out is just a few short months away. But amidst my super, duper, busy schedule (yeah right!), I was able to fit one of those special dinner menus in this past week. And the lucky restaurant? Bridges in Granville Island! *ding ding ding ding ding*
Bridges is nestled at the end of Granville Island, right on False Creek between the Burrard and the Granville Street bridge (duh! Bridges…) and it offers 2 very different dining experiences. The bottom floor is a casual bar/dinner room setting, great for grabbing a bite and throwing back a few beers. But walk upstairs and you are brought into a world of mahogany wood, chandeliers and oak furniture. It’s a really classy joint but it’s a bit weird to enter a casual place and then be brought upstairs to a fancy dining establishment. :P
I went this past Tuesday with Richard and we dined upstairs in the formal dining room with a beautiful view of False Creek. When you’re sitting there in this beautiful dining room with a view of Vancouver out in front of you on a beautiful day, it really is just a wonderful experience. We both ordered the off the $35 city dine menu. As part of this San Pellingrino City Dine, we got a bottle of the water for free. I started off with a thai green curry prawn, while Richard got the scallops. We also ordered a “lettuce wrap” to start. Oh before I forget, the bread they give you there is just delicious! I don’t usually eat bread but when they brought it to our table, you can just tell that it was fresh and soft and…well I just had to try a bite. And it was well worth it! Flavored with rosemary and sea salt, the bread was just perfect! But on to the actual meal.
Well the 2 starters we got as part of the Dine Out menu was sensational!!! The scallops were huge and seared to perfection! The thai curry prawns that I got was just great too! Hmm hmm delicious! Well like I said, we ordered the dine out menu plus a starter of a ahi tuna lettuce wrap. Well funnily enough, the most disappointing part of the meal came from the item NOT on the cheap menu! First off, it wasn’t really a lettuce wrap. It’s more like a shredded lettuce wrapped in a rice sheet with a piece of ahi tuna inside. Like I said, not very sensational.
Vancouver, B.C.
Granville Island
Sorry to break it to you all but City Dine is officially over (boo)…Well I guess we’ll have to console ourselves with the fact that Dine Out is just a few short months away. But amidst my super, duper, busy schedule (yeah right!), I was able to fit one of those special dinner menus in this past week. And the lucky restaurant? Bridges in Granville Island! *ding ding ding ding ding*
Bridges is nestled at the end of Granville Island, right on False Creek between the Burrard and the Granville Street bridge (duh! Bridges…) and it offers 2 very different dining experiences. The bottom floor is a casual bar/dinner room setting, great for grabbing a bite and throwing back a few beers. But walk upstairs and you are brought into a world of mahogany wood, chandeliers and oak furniture. It’s a really classy joint but it’s a bit weird to enter a casual place and then be brought upstairs to a fancy dining establishment. :P
I went this past Tuesday with Richard and we dined upstairs in the formal dining room with a beautiful view of False Creek. When you’re sitting there in this beautiful dining room with a view of Vancouver out in front of you on a beautiful day, it really is just a wonderful experience. We both ordered the off the $35 city dine menu. As part of this San Pellingrino City Dine, we got a bottle of the water for free. I started off with a thai green curry prawn, while Richard got the scallops. We also ordered a “lettuce wrap” to start. Oh before I forget, the bread they give you there is just delicious! I don’t usually eat bread but when they brought it to our table, you can just tell that it was fresh and soft and…well I just had to try a bite. And it was well worth it! Flavored with rosemary and sea salt, the bread was just perfect! But on to the actual meal.
Well the 2 starters we got as part of the Dine Out menu was sensational!!! The scallops were huge and seared to perfection! The thai curry prawns that I got was just great too! Hmm hmm delicious! Well like I said, we ordered the dine out menu plus a starter of a ahi tuna lettuce wrap. Well funnily enough, the most disappointing part of the meal came from the item NOT on the cheap menu! First off, it wasn’t really a lettuce wrap. It’s more like a shredded lettuce wrapped in a rice sheet with a piece of ahi tuna inside. Like I said, not very sensational.
For the main, I got a braised lamb shank and Richard on the spinach ricotta cannelloni. Richard was sure that his cannelloni was gonna be pretty small and that he’d only get like 1 or 2 piece. Well was he wrong! In a good way! He got 3 pieces of cannelloni and it was delicious! My braised lamb shank was actually quite dry…I mean it was good but definitely dry…some parts were just kinda hard. L Pretty disappointing I must say but the taste was good. I think they used a chocolate reduction sauce and it added a really cool taste to the lamb.For dessert, I got a tiramisu and Richard got the New York cheesecake. Yummo! It was the perfect way to end the meal. The portion we got was just amazing! But honestly, the portions we got for every dish was great! Totally worth the $35 we paid! Bridges is usually a pretty expensive high end place so this was a great treat!
Let me just say, I was very very happy with this meal! Not only was the food delicious, but the portions were amazing! Okay…so the “lettuce wrap” was a bit disappointing but that was our own fault…ordering off the normal a la carte menu…pffttt!!! Wutever! Definitely gonna go back to this place…but maybe only for Dine Out! ;)
Ps. Pictures of the food to come!
PPS. Pics are here!
Thomass Hass....orgasmic!
Thomas Haas Patisserie and Cappuccino Bar
Unit 128, 998 Harbourside Drive, North Vancouver, BC, V7P 3T2
Opening Hours:Tuesday - Saturday: 8am-5:30pm Sunday & Monday: Closed
I use to be a chocolate fiend. I am a woman! But in the past few years, I have really started to lose my interest. It all started when I was in Ireland and I decided to give up alcohol and chocolate for lent. I’m not even religious but I thought it’d be fun because every Irish person does it! Well I finished lent that year without cracking (and I was even in Belgium during Lent and I didn’t touch any chocolate!!!) and I was just really proud of myself. Anyways, ever since then, I was never hugely into chocolate.
But the tide might be turning. Tucked into a secluded corner in the middle of a non-descript industrial park in North Vancouver is Thomas Hass’s Patisserie and Cappuccino Bar! Oh thank heavens!!! If you haven’t heard about Thomas Hass, well you are missing out. This guy is a legend in the pastry world! In 2001, Thomas Hass won FIRST Prize in ALL categories (Best in Chocolate, Best in Sugar, Best in Table Design and Best Overall) at the Valrhona National (North American) Pastry Team Championships. In 2002, The Vancouver Sun Restaurant Awards awarded Thomas/Senses (RIP) with BEST Chocolates, BEST Desserts, BEST Croissant and BEST French Pastries. The Vancouver Magazine awarded Thomas/Diva at the Met with BEST LAST COURSE for the years 2001, 02, 03, 04, 05 & 06. Thomas Haas Chocolates & Patisserie was awarded BEST LAST COURSE for 2007. AND Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates was named one of the TOP 20 Artisan Chocolatiers in Chocolatier Magazine’s 20th anniversary issue (Feb/March 2004). Woah is right! So he knows a little something-something about desserts!
Well with all the accolades, I just had to try this place out and luckily, with work, I was in North Vancouver on Wednesday and made the trip to his little café. It really is in the most unassuming place. Right across from Bodwell High School (lucky kids!) and in some sort of business/industrial park, you can totally overlook it. Once you step inside of the place, though, it’s like heaven. I honestly felt like I was a kid in a candy store (duh! I was in a candy store!). I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. It was just pure excitement! In front of me was a glass display of all the chocolates they hand make right in the back of the store. It was pretty full on this Tuesday afternoon and right away, you get a sense that these people come here often. I walked up to the counter, bright eyed and all and the girl who helped me was super helpful. It was obvious I was too overcome by anticipation and so she made a few suggestions and I ended up with 8 pieces of chocolate (at 95cents each), a non-fat latte and an almond sablee. As I was waiting for my items, the girl informs me that the merlot infused caramel chocolate was made fresh that day! She didn’t have to say anymore. Although I had bought one in my choice of 8, I decided that I just had to have one right then and there. She directed me to the wall on the side and said that they sometimes leave samples in the drawers and told me to check it out. The wall as actually just a thin divider between the café and the production line and behind there, I saw all the chocolate being delivered on a belt to be packaged!!!! It was soooo cool! Kinda like that “I Love Lucy” episode where Lucy and Ethel were working in some candy place! But these guys are professionals. If it was me in there tho, I’d defiantly be stuffing my face and shirt with as much chocolate as I can. So I didn’t get my free sample from the wall but I was just going to buy a piece separately, but the girl could see how much I wanted it so she just gave it to me for free! Amazing chocolate and for free?!?!? Yes…pure heaven. And so here goes, right then and there, I put the chocolate in my mouth and…well it was just perfect! The chocolate melts in your mouth and you can taste a hint of merlot in the soft, gooey caramel in the center. I must have had the look of pure ecstasy because this guy at the counter just stared smiling and said “It’s so nice to see someone just enjoy their chocolate.” Hahahha! Did I ever enjoy it! I collected my coffee and cookie and, with the sun shining in my face, I just thought to myself “boy it’s good to be alive!”
All the other pieces of chocolate was just as sensational too! Everyone I gave it to (yes..I actually did share!) said it was just perfectly made. The almond sable was full of buttery goodness and it was the perfect compliment with my coffee.
It is a bit of a trek to get out to Thomas’s patisserie but I wouldn’t think of it as a trek…more like a pilgrimage to the holy place…that is if you belong to the church of sweets like me! It’s defiantly worth it! Honestly though, with the discovery of this place, I don’t know if I can ever really give up chocolate again…kinda glad it’s so far from my house! But next time it’s on to the croissants and sandwiches. Oh here’s to counting down the days until I meet with Thomas Hass again!
PS. He was actually there! I saw Thomas Hass and he said hi to me! :D oh he’s soooo dreamy…..
Unit 128, 998 Harbourside Drive, North Vancouver, BC, V7P 3T2
Opening Hours:Tuesday - Saturday: 8am-5:30pm Sunday & Monday: Closed
I use to be a chocolate fiend. I am a woman! But in the past few years, I have really started to lose my interest. It all started when I was in Ireland and I decided to give up alcohol and chocolate for lent. I’m not even religious but I thought it’d be fun because every Irish person does it! Well I finished lent that year without cracking (and I was even in Belgium during Lent and I didn’t touch any chocolate!!!) and I was just really proud of myself. Anyways, ever since then, I was never hugely into chocolate.
But the tide might be turning. Tucked into a secluded corner in the middle of a non-descript industrial park in North Vancouver is Thomas Hass’s Patisserie and Cappuccino Bar! Oh thank heavens!!! If you haven’t heard about Thomas Hass, well you are missing out. This guy is a legend in the pastry world! In 2001, Thomas Hass won FIRST Prize in ALL categories (Best in Chocolate, Best in Sugar, Best in Table Design and Best Overall) at the Valrhona National (North American) Pastry Team Championships. In 2002, The Vancouver Sun Restaurant Awards awarded Thomas/Senses (RIP) with BEST Chocolates, BEST Desserts, BEST Croissant and BEST French Pastries. The Vancouver Magazine awarded Thomas/Diva at the Met with BEST LAST COURSE for the years 2001, 02, 03, 04, 05 & 06. Thomas Haas Chocolates & Patisserie was awarded BEST LAST COURSE for 2007. AND Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates was named one of the TOP 20 Artisan Chocolatiers in Chocolatier Magazine’s 20th anniversary issue (Feb/March 2004). Woah is right! So he knows a little something-something about desserts!
Well with all the accolades, I just had to try this place out and luckily, with work, I was in North Vancouver on Wednesday and made the trip to his little café. It really is in the most unassuming place. Right across from Bodwell High School (lucky kids!) and in some sort of business/industrial park, you can totally overlook it. Once you step inside of the place, though, it’s like heaven. I honestly felt like I was a kid in a candy store (duh! I was in a candy store!). I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. It was just pure excitement! In front of me was a glass display of all the chocolates they hand make right in the back of the store. It was pretty full on this Tuesday afternoon and right away, you get a sense that these people come here often. I walked up to the counter, bright eyed and all and the girl who helped me was super helpful. It was obvious I was too overcome by anticipation and so she made a few suggestions and I ended up with 8 pieces of chocolate (at 95cents each), a non-fat latte and an almond sablee. As I was waiting for my items, the girl informs me that the merlot infused caramel chocolate was made fresh that day! She didn’t have to say anymore. Although I had bought one in my choice of 8, I decided that I just had to have one right then and there. She directed me to the wall on the side and said that they sometimes leave samples in the drawers and told me to check it out. The wall as actually just a thin divider between the café and the production line and behind there, I saw all the chocolate being delivered on a belt to be packaged!!!! It was soooo cool! Kinda like that “I Love Lucy” episode where Lucy and Ethel were working in some candy place! But these guys are professionals. If it was me in there tho, I’d defiantly be stuffing my face and shirt with as much chocolate as I can. So I didn’t get my free sample from the wall but I was just going to buy a piece separately, but the girl could see how much I wanted it so she just gave it to me for free! Amazing chocolate and for free?!?!? Yes…pure heaven. And so here goes, right then and there, I put the chocolate in my mouth and…well it was just perfect! The chocolate melts in your mouth and you can taste a hint of merlot in the soft, gooey caramel in the center. I must have had the look of pure ecstasy because this guy at the counter just stared smiling and said “It’s so nice to see someone just enjoy their chocolate.” Hahahha! Did I ever enjoy it! I collected my coffee and cookie and, with the sun shining in my face, I just thought to myself “boy it’s good to be alive!”
All the other pieces of chocolate was just as sensational too! Everyone I gave it to (yes..I actually did share!) said it was just perfectly made. The almond sable was full of buttery goodness and it was the perfect compliment with my coffee.
It is a bit of a trek to get out to Thomas’s patisserie but I wouldn’t think of it as a trek…more like a pilgrimage to the holy place…that is if you belong to the church of sweets like me! It’s defiantly worth it! Honestly though, with the discovery of this place, I don’t know if I can ever really give up chocolate again…kinda glad it’s so far from my house! But next time it’s on to the croissants and sandwiches. Oh here’s to counting down the days until I meet with Thomas Hass again!
PS. He was actually there! I saw Thomas Hass and he said hi to me! :D oh he’s soooo dreamy…..
Monday, September 24, 2007
CinCin
1154 Robson StreetVancouver, BC V6E 1B5
Vancouver sure does have its fair share of italian places. And you know I'm not the biggest fan of italian. (carbs! NO you evil doers!!! BACK!) But ever since I can remember, I've heard about CinCin's and for some reason, I've never been there to eat before...could have been because of the high price range but i digress...
I've heard good and bad about this celebrity magnet (yes...apprently, this is the place to go to, to get your famous-faces-fix) but I thought it was all hype. I never did have an urge to go there, thinking (and hearing) that it was overrated. But after years of shunning the place, curiosity finally got the best of me and I was able to con a friend from out of town to take me there (Thanks Pat! ;) and get my mom to take me and Richard out for a "simple" dinner . I did have high expectations though, even if my preconceived notion was that this place is overrated. I mean this place has become an institution in the Vancouver culinary scene. It's been around for like...FOREVER and...well it's famous! So i was hoping not to be disappointed.
Tuck between Zefferelli's and a currency exchange place, the entrance to CinCin is pretty unassuming. But once you make your way up the stairs, it's like you're transported from the busy street of Robson into an Italian villa. The room just oozes old world medditerranean flavour. The decor definatly wants to remind people they are in an italian restaurant...but not just Mario's pizzaria or anything...you have entered the world of Cristiano's tuscan vinyard! You know that movie "Under the Tuscan Sun?" with Diane Lane? Yeah...this place looks like that! A curved marble bar and stone walls adorned with art makes CinCin just a really comfortable place to enjoy a nice meal. The restaurant has a heated patio so you can people watch while you're enjoying your meal, but what I really liked was the open kitchen. You can see exactly what the cooks are doing in there and you can watch as they but their food into their great big wood fire oven.
From the greeters at the door to the wait staff, the service is pretty spot on. I mean it's not the warmest, greatest servers but definatly not bad. And the food....well...i am very glad to say, that I was very wrong in thinking that it's overrated! It was delicious! On my first visit, we started off with a shared anti-pasto plate, which was definatly good for the two of us. I had this fish (Halibut i think) and it was just perfect! I love fish and I always order it at a restaurant and this was really really good! CinCin received an honorable mention from the 18th Annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant awards and so I just had to see what they had to offer. So I ordered an apple tart dessert served with house-made gelato and it was divine!!! Anything with apples and tart is good for me but this was just really really really good! :D
During my second visit, we started off with 2 appies-the scallops and....oh something else. But it was soooooo yummy! We clared both our plates! For the mains, I'm pretty sure I got the fish again but maybe a sablefish? My mom got the lamb and Richard ordered the risotto. No one had any complaints! The lamb was superb and it was a good sized portion too!!! Richard's risotto was cheesy and creamy and he said he enjoyed it very much!
Now the down side of CinCin is that it is EXPENSIVE!!! yeah...quite expensive! Main courses run from about $22 for a pizza to $43 for a tenderloin. So definatly try to scam the parents (or anyone else!) to take you or save it for a special occasion. But the food is definatly worth it and if you live in Vancouver, I would say you definatly have to try this place out. It is just a great dining experience and i promise you your taste buds will not be disappointed!
Vancouver sure does have its fair share of italian places. And you know I'm not the biggest fan of italian. (carbs! NO you evil doers!!! BACK!) But ever since I can remember, I've heard about CinCin's and for some reason, I've never been there to eat before...could have been because of the high price range but i digress...
I've heard good and bad about this celebrity magnet (yes...apprently, this is the place to go to, to get your famous-faces-fix) but I thought it was all hype. I never did have an urge to go there, thinking (and hearing) that it was overrated. But after years of shunning the place, curiosity finally got the best of me and I was able to con a friend from out of town to take me there (Thanks Pat! ;) and get my mom to take me and Richard out for a "simple" dinner . I did have high expectations though, even if my preconceived notion was that this place is overrated. I mean this place has become an institution in the Vancouver culinary scene. It's been around for like...FOREVER and...well it's famous! So i was hoping not to be disappointed.
Tuck between Zefferelli's and a currency exchange place, the entrance to CinCin is pretty unassuming. But once you make your way up the stairs, it's like you're transported from the busy street of Robson into an Italian villa. The room just oozes old world medditerranean flavour. The decor definatly wants to remind people they are in an italian restaurant...but not just Mario's pizzaria or anything...you have entered the world of Cristiano's tuscan vinyard! You know that movie "Under the Tuscan Sun?" with Diane Lane? Yeah...this place looks like that! A curved marble bar and stone walls adorned with art makes CinCin just a really comfortable place to enjoy a nice meal. The restaurant has a heated patio so you can people watch while you're enjoying your meal, but what I really liked was the open kitchen. You can see exactly what the cooks are doing in there and you can watch as they but their food into their great big wood fire oven.
From the greeters at the door to the wait staff, the service is pretty spot on. I mean it's not the warmest, greatest servers but definatly not bad. And the food....well...i am very glad to say, that I was very wrong in thinking that it's overrated! It was delicious! On my first visit, we started off with a shared anti-pasto plate, which was definatly good for the two of us. I had this fish (Halibut i think) and it was just perfect! I love fish and I always order it at a restaurant and this was really really good! CinCin received an honorable mention from the 18th Annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant awards and so I just had to see what they had to offer. So I ordered an apple tart dessert served with house-made gelato and it was divine!!! Anything with apples and tart is good for me but this was just really really really good! :D
During my second visit, we started off with 2 appies-the scallops and....oh something else. But it was soooooo yummy! We clared both our plates! For the mains, I'm pretty sure I got the fish again but maybe a sablefish? My mom got the lamb and Richard ordered the risotto. No one had any complaints! The lamb was superb and it was a good sized portion too!!! Richard's risotto was cheesy and creamy and he said he enjoyed it very much!
Now the down side of CinCin is that it is EXPENSIVE!!! yeah...quite expensive! Main courses run from about $22 for a pizza to $43 for a tenderloin. So definatly try to scam the parents (or anyone else!) to take you or save it for a special occasion. But the food is definatly worth it and if you live in Vancouver, I would say you definatly have to try this place out. It is just a great dining experience and i promise you your taste buds will not be disappointed!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Gastropod
1938 W. 4th Avenue Vancouver
I've heard so much about this place before I actually got there: Vancouver Magazine's Gold Medal winner for Best New Fine Dining, Silver award for Best Design..etc etc. And the buzz generated by Angus An...well you get the picture. I had high hopes for this place and was able to convince Mik to take me there (thanks hun!) on a sunny summer evening.
Maybe it was the hype...maybe it was my choices...but honestly, I wasn't all too impressed. Lets reminice shall we...?
Lets start off with the good. Gastropod is located right in the heart of Kits and falls comfortably into the whole gist of the area-it's simple, comfortable, and not overbearing at all. It's quite a small space but it definatly doesn't make you feel cramped. The use of neutral colours as their palate allows patrons to just fall into the place and settle in nicely. It definatly exudes a confident, but no-need-to-be-flashy type of feel. Our waitress was wearing a uniform that was the same colour scheme as the restaurant, which I thought was kind of amusing but we're here for the food, not a fashion show rite?
We began looking at the menu and the first thing that struck me was that the menu on the website did not match what was on the menu given to us. Now, you know I like eating out so I always do my homework. I had the entire meals planned out and now all of a sudden, I was thrown for a loop. This I did not appreciate! On top of that, the "new menu" didn't have anything I was too crazy for. Yes, it was small and I understand that at restaurants like this, the menus are usually small. But shouldn't they at least cover their basis and have at least a dish for every genre? Anyways, don't ask my why but I decided to get the salmon tartar as a starter and prbably a fish as my main (i'm really sorry people but I went a few months back and my old age is getting to me). So I don't eat raw fish and I'm not a big fan of salmon so why i ordered the tartar i don't know. But I was willing to give it a shot. I've had raw salmon before and there were times I enjoyed it. But not this time. It just had that harsh raw salmon taste to it. Bleh.... Okay you can blame it on my own stupidity but hell, I've definalty had better raw salmon! As for the main course, all I can say is that I didn't remember disliking it...but I dind't remember finding it fantastic either :
We did end the meal with a dessert and I believe Mik decided on a chocolate concoction and it was okay. Yes...even the dessert did not win me over! i'm sad to say that my whole experience at Gastropod was not the epicurial sensation that everyone seems to make it out to be. But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I should give this joint another chance. I will...I'll go back...but I'm definatly in no rush......
I've heard so much about this place before I actually got there: Vancouver Magazine's Gold Medal winner for Best New Fine Dining, Silver award for Best Design..etc etc. And the buzz generated by Angus An...well you get the picture. I had high hopes for this place and was able to convince Mik to take me there (thanks hun!) on a sunny summer evening.
Maybe it was the hype...maybe it was my choices...but honestly, I wasn't all too impressed. Lets reminice shall we...?
Lets start off with the good. Gastropod is located right in the heart of Kits and falls comfortably into the whole gist of the area-it's simple, comfortable, and not overbearing at all. It's quite a small space but it definatly doesn't make you feel cramped. The use of neutral colours as their palate allows patrons to just fall into the place and settle in nicely. It definatly exudes a confident, but no-need-to-be-flashy type of feel. Our waitress was wearing a uniform that was the same colour scheme as the restaurant, which I thought was kind of amusing but we're here for the food, not a fashion show rite?
We began looking at the menu and the first thing that struck me was that the menu on the website did not match what was on the menu given to us. Now, you know I like eating out so I always do my homework. I had the entire meals planned out and now all of a sudden, I was thrown for a loop. This I did not appreciate! On top of that, the "new menu" didn't have anything I was too crazy for. Yes, it was small and I understand that at restaurants like this, the menus are usually small. But shouldn't they at least cover their basis and have at least a dish for every genre? Anyways, don't ask my why but I decided to get the salmon tartar as a starter and prbably a fish as my main (i'm really sorry people but I went a few months back and my old age is getting to me). So I don't eat raw fish and I'm not a big fan of salmon so why i ordered the tartar i don't know. But I was willing to give it a shot. I've had raw salmon before and there were times I enjoyed it. But not this time. It just had that harsh raw salmon taste to it. Bleh.... Okay you can blame it on my own stupidity but hell, I've definalty had better raw salmon! As for the main course, all I can say is that I didn't remember disliking it...but I dind't remember finding it fantastic either :
We did end the meal with a dessert and I believe Mik decided on a chocolate concoction and it was okay. Yes...even the dessert did not win me over! i'm sad to say that my whole experience at Gastropod was not the epicurial sensation that everyone seems to make it out to be. But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I should give this joint another chance. I will...I'll go back...but I'm definatly in no rush......
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
2007 San Pellegrino City Dine
I'm not sure if you all know about this but the 2007 San Pellegrino City Dine benefitting the Canadian Association of Food Banks is currently taking place. The follwing restaurants are offering special three-course prix fixe meals from Sunday, September 16 - Thursday 20, 2007 and Sunday, September 23 - Thursday, September 27, 2007. Take advantage! I know you all all salivating for when Dine Out rolls around so this should tie you over until then! Bon Appetit!
a kettle of fish
aurora bistro
bardot
bistro pastis
bistrot bistro
bogart's chophouse & bar
bridges restaurant
caffé dé medici ristorante italiano
capones restaurant & live jazz club
chow
cru restaurant
delilah’s restaurant & martini bar
deuce restaurant
flux bistro
hamilton street grill
la terrazza
maurya indian cuisine
metro restaurant
ocean 6 seventeen
one 12 restaurant & lounge
provence marinaside
provence mediterranean grill on 10th
quattro on fourth
rare restaurant
savory coast cucina mediterranea
so.cial at le magasin
stonegrill
the hart house restaurant on deer lake
the transcontinental
watermark on kits beach
whine o's
wild rice restaurant
a kettle of fish
aurora bistro
bardot
bistro pastis
bistrot bistro
bogart's chophouse & bar
bridges restaurant
caffé dé medici ristorante italiano
capones restaurant & live jazz club
chow
cru restaurant
delilah’s restaurant & martini bar
deuce restaurant
flux bistro
hamilton street grill
la terrazza
maurya indian cuisine
metro restaurant
ocean 6 seventeen
one 12 restaurant & lounge
provence marinaside
provence mediterranean grill on 10th
quattro on fourth
rare restaurant
savory coast cucina mediterranea
so.cial at le magasin
stonegrill
the hart house restaurant on deer lake
the transcontinental
watermark on kits beach
whine o's
wild rice restaurant
Watermark on Kits Beach
1350 Arbutus Street (at Cornwall)
I often ask myself "Why did I move back to Vancouver???" The rain, the commute, the lack of culture...THE RAIN! Sure we really do have good food here (awesome selction, excellent quality and good prices) but is that enough to make you want to live here? To be honest, I was beginning to lose faith in the city. What does the UN know about quality of living? Ranking Vancouver as the most livable place on earth! Bah! But in one evening, I was re-introduced to all the beauty that was Vancouver. Okay, a bit melodramatic I know but Watermark at Kits Beach has that effect on you!
Watermark is located rite on Kits Beach at the end of Arbutus Street. Now when I say righ on Kits beach, i mean RIGH ON KITS BEACH! Spit off the patio and you will hit sand! It's a modern building, with concrete walls, huge dining area and floor to ceiling glass windows giving patrons a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean and the mountains. It's a modern/minimalist decore design, which is fitting for the Kits area crowd. Don't think you have to dress up for this place either. It's really cazh and I think it's because they're really just trying to draw on the beach crowd. I really don't know how that's working for them tho. One one hand, the whole casual thing is great cuz it's right on the beach and people can go to the restaurant after a hard day laying out in the sand. But the menu and the prices are all more in line with a high end restaurant and personally, I was a bit confused by it all.
The view offered by this place is just spectacular...breath-taking, gorgeous...just take any superlative and insert it here folks! You are completely surrounded by the beauty of this city and this alone is worth the visit to this restaurant. I don't think you can find a nicer view at any other restaurant in the city!
We had made reservations earlier that day and I think that was a smart idea. While the place wasn't full when we got there at 6:30 on a Sunday, it was quickly filling up and I heard the hostess tell some people there was going to be a wait. I though that was odd since there was a few empty tables and this place was pretty huge! We sat out on the patio since it was a beautiful day and we had a fantastic view of the sunset! But bring your sunglasses cuz it gets pretty bright out there! Our server was nice enough but I don't think she was too enthralled with us-just mains, no drinks :P The main complaint I have here tho...the food took a long time. Now I understand that this is a large restaurant but they had plenty of servers. I even saw a few of them hanging out. And their kitchen was not as big as some others I've seen. But there was at least 5 guys in there cooking! You'd think they'd be able to get your food out in time. I think we waited about 40 minutes from when we ordered to when we actually got our food. And no bread people. So if you're hungry, you may want to reconsider
But how does the food fair? Well, I had high expectations for this place given that the executive chef here is Lynda Larouche, the former chef at Seasons in the Park. Heck if she's good enough to cook for Bill Clinton, she good enough to cook for me. And while I wasn't blown away by the cooking, I have to say it was up to par with similar restaurants of this calaber. My mom and I had the sablefish while my stepdad Ron had the rack of lamb. the portions were really good and we all left with a full stomach. In general, no one had any complaints about their food, but no one was raving either.
To be fair, we didn't have any appies or desserts and both my mom and I had the same dish. I think we came on a bit of an off night. But truly folks, you are coming here for the setting! This place is second to none in terms of the view and if you have people visiting, be sure to take them here so they can enjoy that world-famous Vancouver scenery! I'm definatly willing to give this place a second chance. Maybe those UN ranking people really do know what they are talking about....
I often ask myself "Why did I move back to Vancouver???" The rain, the commute, the lack of culture...THE RAIN! Sure we really do have good food here (awesome selction, excellent quality and good prices) but is that enough to make you want to live here? To be honest, I was beginning to lose faith in the city. What does the UN know about quality of living? Ranking Vancouver as the most livable place on earth! Bah! But in one evening, I was re-introduced to all the beauty that was Vancouver. Okay, a bit melodramatic I know but Watermark at Kits Beach has that effect on you!
Watermark is located rite on Kits Beach at the end of Arbutus Street. Now when I say righ on Kits beach, i mean RIGH ON KITS BEACH! Spit off the patio and you will hit sand! It's a modern building, with concrete walls, huge dining area and floor to ceiling glass windows giving patrons a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean and the mountains. It's a modern/minimalist decore design, which is fitting for the Kits area crowd. Don't think you have to dress up for this place either. It's really cazh and I think it's because they're really just trying to draw on the beach crowd. I really don't know how that's working for them tho. One one hand, the whole casual thing is great cuz it's right on the beach and people can go to the restaurant after a hard day laying out in the sand. But the menu and the prices are all more in line with a high end restaurant and personally, I was a bit confused by it all.
The view offered by this place is just spectacular...breath-taking, gorgeous...just take any superlative and insert it here folks! You are completely surrounded by the beauty of this city and this alone is worth the visit to this restaurant. I don't think you can find a nicer view at any other restaurant in the city!
We had made reservations earlier that day and I think that was a smart idea. While the place wasn't full when we got there at 6:30 on a Sunday, it was quickly filling up and I heard the hostess tell some people there was going to be a wait. I though that was odd since there was a few empty tables and this place was pretty huge! We sat out on the patio since it was a beautiful day and we had a fantastic view of the sunset! But bring your sunglasses cuz it gets pretty bright out there! Our server was nice enough but I don't think she was too enthralled with us-just mains, no drinks :P The main complaint I have here tho...the food took a long time. Now I understand that this is a large restaurant but they had plenty of servers. I even saw a few of them hanging out. And their kitchen was not as big as some others I've seen. But there was at least 5 guys in there cooking! You'd think they'd be able to get your food out in time. I think we waited about 40 minutes from when we ordered to when we actually got our food. And no bread people. So if you're hungry, you may want to reconsider
But how does the food fair? Well, I had high expectations for this place given that the executive chef here is Lynda Larouche, the former chef at Seasons in the Park. Heck if she's good enough to cook for Bill Clinton, she good enough to cook for me. And while I wasn't blown away by the cooking, I have to say it was up to par with similar restaurants of this calaber. My mom and I had the sablefish while my stepdad Ron had the rack of lamb. the portions were really good and we all left with a full stomach. In general, no one had any complaints about their food, but no one was raving either.
To be fair, we didn't have any appies or desserts and both my mom and I had the same dish. I think we came on a bit of an off night. But truly folks, you are coming here for the setting! This place is second to none in terms of the view and if you have people visiting, be sure to take them here so they can enjoy that world-famous Vancouver scenery! I'm definatly willing to give this place a second chance. Maybe those UN ranking people really do know what they are talking about....
Monday, September 17, 2007
CRAVE on Main and 23rd
Well I guess I'll make my first post about the most recent dining experience I had. And it's not a bad way to start a blog about restaurants by writing about the hip-little-restaurant-that-could opened by the Former Four Seasons Vancouver Hotel Executive Chef Wayne Martin.
The restaurant is located on Main and 23rd and if you don't look, you could very well drive right past it! But with it's hightening reputation, this place will not be overlooked for that much longer. You might miss the sign but I doubt you'll miss the line-up of people waiting outside for a table.
Well my first (but definatly not the last) experience with this place was on Saturday with dear ol' mom. Actually, she was the one who suggested it since her friend was raving to her about it. And I've heard good things about this place so why not. I had actually called before to make sure we can get a table (6:30pm on a Saturday...you better be safe than sorry) but was a bit disappointed to find out that they don't take resos. They said they were pretty open but it was filling up fast so I hightailed it out there but once on Main, parking became a problem...a big problem! It took me quite awhile to finally find a spot and I can see this turning into quite a problem for this place. Nonetheless, we got to the restaurant and luckily, was able to get a table right away. Now if you are planning on a get together for a group of friends, this is probably not the place to hit up. This place is small...i mean small. They have a patio in the front and a patio in the back but if you're talking about just the inside, they can probably sit about 25 people. But it does make the space more intimate. The decor is very simple-dark walls, a few photographs and dim lighting but it really suits the style of the place.
As soon as we got comfortable (not as soon as we sat down mind you!) our server was there with a warm smile. My mom and I didn't order any drinks but their drink menu is pretty small. They had the traditional mojitos and stuff and an average selection of wine (no Reislings! Damn!) but for a restaurant that size, you can't be too choosy.
As for the food. They had a starter as well as a main course special. My mom settled on the corn chower (special) and the lamb while I went for the Alaskan smoked cod. The corn chowder was pretty good. I liked the fact that you can tell they didn't add alot of salt and stuff to it. However, I guess that was why it was lacking a bit in the taste department. But it was very chowder-y with a good amount of corn. As for the main course, the lamb was GREAT! Very tender and juicy and the potatoes that came with it was out of this world! I thought it tasted great but my mom thought it could be a little tastier. My cod was very good too! But bewarned, there was 2 small pices of corn with a LARGE salad beside it. It definatly looked more like a salad dish than a fish dish. But nonetheless, the cod was smooth and the texture was great. It did have quite a strong smoked taste to it but i guess that was what i ordered rite??? My bad! I topped off my dinner with a non-fat latte and it was the perfect way to end my dinner.
The best thing about this place is the price. We're talking under $20 for the main courses! This is from the former executive chef at the Four Seasons!!!! Trust me, that's a great deal! The food is definatly comparable to those restaurants in the $30 range. You are getting a good deal here folks! With such a trendy location, good pricing and great vibe of the restaurant, Crave is definatly a place to check out. But be careful, the waiting lines here will definatly be getting longer and longer!
The restaurant is located on Main and 23rd and if you don't look, you could very well drive right past it! But with it's hightening reputation, this place will not be overlooked for that much longer. You might miss the sign but I doubt you'll miss the line-up of people waiting outside for a table.
Well my first (but definatly not the last) experience with this place was on Saturday with dear ol' mom. Actually, she was the one who suggested it since her friend was raving to her about it. And I've heard good things about this place so why not. I had actually called before to make sure we can get a table (6:30pm on a Saturday...you better be safe than sorry) but was a bit disappointed to find out that they don't take resos. They said they were pretty open but it was filling up fast so I hightailed it out there but once on Main, parking became a problem...a big problem! It took me quite awhile to finally find a spot and I can see this turning into quite a problem for this place. Nonetheless, we got to the restaurant and luckily, was able to get a table right away. Now if you are planning on a get together for a group of friends, this is probably not the place to hit up. This place is small...i mean small. They have a patio in the front and a patio in the back but if you're talking about just the inside, they can probably sit about 25 people. But it does make the space more intimate. The decor is very simple-dark walls, a few photographs and dim lighting but it really suits the style of the place.
As soon as we got comfortable (not as soon as we sat down mind you!) our server was there with a warm smile. My mom and I didn't order any drinks but their drink menu is pretty small. They had the traditional mojitos and stuff and an average selection of wine (no Reislings! Damn!) but for a restaurant that size, you can't be too choosy.
As for the food. They had a starter as well as a main course special. My mom settled on the corn chower (special) and the lamb while I went for the Alaskan smoked cod. The corn chowder was pretty good. I liked the fact that you can tell they didn't add alot of salt and stuff to it. However, I guess that was why it was lacking a bit in the taste department. But it was very chowder-y with a good amount of corn. As for the main course, the lamb was GREAT! Very tender and juicy and the potatoes that came with it was out of this world! I thought it tasted great but my mom thought it could be a little tastier. My cod was very good too! But bewarned, there was 2 small pices of corn with a LARGE salad beside it. It definatly looked more like a salad dish than a fish dish. But nonetheless, the cod was smooth and the texture was great. It did have quite a strong smoked taste to it but i guess that was what i ordered rite??? My bad! I topped off my dinner with a non-fat latte and it was the perfect way to end my dinner.
The best thing about this place is the price. We're talking under $20 for the main courses! This is from the former executive chef at the Four Seasons!!!! Trust me, that's a great deal! The food is definatly comparable to those restaurants in the $30 range. You are getting a good deal here folks! With such a trendy location, good pricing and great vibe of the restaurant, Crave is definatly a place to check out. But be careful, the waiting lines here will definatly be getting longer and longer!
Finally! It's here! Welcome to a full stomach :D
Well I've finally done it! If you guys know me, i'm a total foodie! I LOVE FOOD! And I love going out and trying new places. If you know me, you know that I'm all about trying new restaurants in Vancouver and putting in my two cents worth on the place! Well with people always asking me about new restauratns and stuff, I figured i might as well make it (semi) official! So here it is folks! My very own blog about the great eats in Vancouver! Now keep in mind that this is just my own opinion and this is just for fun! Plus it's a good way for me to remember where I've actually been to! I'll try to update this as much as I can with any new place I go to-be if restaurants, lounges, cafes...etc.
I hope this will be as enjoyable for you as it is for me. Feel free to put your two cents in also and hopefully, if you guys are facing a dilemma on where to go for food, this can help point you in the right direction! Happy Eating! :D
I hope this will be as enjoyable for you as it is for me. Feel free to put your two cents in also and hopefully, if you guys are facing a dilemma on where to go for food, this can help point you in the right direction! Happy Eating! :D
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