Alibi Room

January 14, 2015January 14, 2015Leave a comment

Seared Albacore Tuna

For K’s birthday, we went to Alibi Room in Gastown. It’s located almost at the end, where it’s a lot more quiet, but Alibi Room is always still packed with people. A super chill environment, with dimly lit lights and communal tables, Alibi Room is a great place to hang out with friends and have some drinks. They are famous for their beers, but I opted for one of their ciders. We decided to share a few dishes and started with the Seared Albacore Tuna. The tuna was lightly seared on the sides and very fresh. It was topped with a green olive tapenade and a side of greens. The star of the dish was actually the red lentil puree though. I’m not even a fan of lentils, but the way they seasoned the puree was perfect. Very flavourful and we cleaned up this dish in no time.

Mezze plate

Next, we got the Mezze Plate, which came with housemade rosemary flatbread. These were sort of soft but slightly chewy. It came with a white bean and green olive dip, goat feta, caponata, cucumbers, and marinated olives. The dip actually tasted sort of like a guacamole. Pretty good, and I liked the caponata mixed with the dip to bring more flavour.

Mushroom & Hazelnut Pate

Lastly, we had the Mushroom & Hazelnut Pate, which was flavoured with truffle oil.The truffle flavour was actually very strong, or it could have been the mushroom flavour that I was tasting. It came with crostinis for dipping, but they were rather hard. On the side, there were garlic confit to accompany the dish. Not bad.

Overall, I thought the food was average. Nothing too special worth coming back, but I like the ambiance here for get togethers with friends for drinks and snacks. I thought that service was friendly, but rather slow. Our drinks came first, but our food took more than 30 minutes to arrive. We ended up finishing our drink before the food even arrived. Something they will need to work on.

Pros:
– Casual, hip ambiance
– Great place for drinks and late night snacks

Cons:
– A bit on the pricey side
– Long waits

Price Range: $20-30

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Parking: 4
Overall: 4

Earls Kitchen + Bar (Richmond) – revisit

January 13, 2015January 13, 2015Leave a comment

Fish and Chips

Making reservations on the day of New Year’s Eve proved to be a difficult task. In the end, we resorted to Earls Kitchen and Bar in Richmond since they had more seating compared to other restaurants. A short wait and we were seated. It seemed that people were rushing to their New Year’s Eve parties. S got the Fish and Chips, which came with two pieces of beer battered Icelandic cod, house tartar, coleslaw, and a side of fries. S said the fish was moist and the fries were crispy. He said Earls does fish and chips pretty well and probably better than most places he’s been to.

Fettuccini Alfredo

K got the Fettuccini Alfredo, which came with the classic cream sauce and topped with grana padano parmesan. It looked rather plain, but she said it was pretty good.

Italia Pizza

For myself, I got the Italia Pizza, which was topped with Virginia ham, Genoa salami, chorizo, and Provolone cheese. A 10 inch pizza, this was actually quite a lot and could easily feed two. I liked the thin crust and the chorizo made gave it some heat. Pretty good for a chain restaurant, but also a little on the oily side.

Overall, Earls is your typical chain restaurant, but their food is pretty consistent in quality and flavour. Service was also pretty good. Plus, there’s an abundance of parking at Lansdowne which makes things more convenient.

Pros:
– Food is always consistently decent
– Service and ambiance is nice

Cons:
– Your typical Chain restaurant menu
– No reservations ahead of time for parties with less than 6

Price Range: $15-25

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3
Service: 4
Ambiance: 3.5
Parking: 4
Overall: 3.5

Provence Marinaside

January 12, 2015January 12, 2015Leave a comment

For S’s birthday, I took her to Provence Marinaside in Yaletown. It’s located right by the water, but unfortunately we were seated near the back of the restaurant away from the view. The interior isn’t too modern nor fancy, but it gives you a comfy French countryside feel. Lunch started off with complementary bread. There were two types. One was your typical baguette which was more tough, while the second was something similar to a focaccia bread.

Fresh Oyster

We started off with some Fresh Oysters. The server said there were two types. One was the Kusshi, but I didn’t catch on to what she said the second one was. It was served with a pear vinegar mignonette and fresh lemon. Very fresh, but I didn’t really like the sauce it came with. I liked the sauces at Rodney’s a lot more. They also don’t have any deals for oysters, so it comes to $2.50 per oyster, which is quite pricey.

Panisse & Vegetables

S got the Panisse & Vegetables, which came to be a very interesting dish. Panisse is a dish from Provence and is pictured above as those rectangular fries. These were made with chick peas and seasoned with basil. They had a crispy exterior, but a very soft interior. Sort of like crispy potatoes. The dish also came with zucchini spaghetti, which S loved. A great alternative to your pasta full of carbs. Wilted leafy greens, fennel, red pepper and tomato coulis finished off the dish.

Linguini Vongole

For myself, I got the Linguine Vongole, which is one of my all time favourite Italian pasta dishes. This featured clams, tomatoes, garlic, white wine, espelette pepper, parsley, and olive oil. They didn’t cheap out on the amount of clams in the dish and they were all sweet and fresh. The pasta was cooked to al dente and I loved the sauce. It was perfect for dipping your bread.

Overall, we were quite satisfied with the food. I also thought the prices were quite reasonable for their lunch menu considering that it’s located in Yaletown and is supposed to be a fine dining restaurant. Dinner however is supposed to be much pricier. Ambiance felt a little casual for a fine dining restaurant and service was just mediocre as well. As for parking, there is metered parking and parkades very close to the restaurant or the skytrain.

Pros:
– Food is above average
– Lunch menu prices are quite reasonable

Cons:
– Ambiance indoors is just average
– Dinner menu prices are not of as good value

Price Range: $20-25

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Parking: 3
Overall: 3.5

Torarenbo Japanese Restaurant 虎連坊

January 11, 2015Leave a comment

Salmon Sashimi

I’ve been to Torarenbo years ago, and didn’t think it was too memorable, but I decided to go back and see how it is now. Parking is pretty difficult around dinner time in the complex on Park Road since there are several other restaurants. We were greeted by Chinese speaking employees, so we knew that this wouldn’t be authentic Japanese food. We started off with the Salmon Sashimi, with an order arriving with 7 pieces. The sashimi were a decent size and was very fresh. Slightly pricey compared to other restaurants.

Rainbow Roll

Next was the Rainbow Roll, which came with 8 pieces and was visually quite attractive. It was essentially a basic California roll, but topped with different sashimi, including tuna, salmon, and prawn. Not bad.

Fantastic Roll

Next was the Fantastic Roll, which was my favourite. It came in a pretty flower shape with 6 pieces. It was filled with chopped scallop, toro and mango, and topped with tobiko. I liked the hint of sweetness from the mango.

We also got the Seafood Nabeyaki Udon, which I forgot to get a picture of. This was a seafood hot pot style soup noodle and the soup was extremely delicious! Very sweet, but I’m assuming there wasn’t MSG since I wasn’t thirsty after dinner. A large portion noodles with scallops, two fried ebi tempuras, and fish.

Overall, we were quite satisfied with the food, but I thought it was slightly pricey. They seem to have a returning clientele though, since the servers seemed to know many of the customers. Most of their tables are reserved beforehand and it actually gets filled up during dinner time. I can see why since their service was extremely friendly.

Pros:
– Fresh sashimi
– Service was exceptional

Cons:
– Parking can be difficult
– Not your authentic Japanese owned restaurant

Price Range: $15-25

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 4
Service: 5
Ambiance: 3
Parking: 2
Overall: 3.5

Seasons in the Park

January 8, 2015January 8, 2015Leave a comment

After a day in downtown, S and friends suggested we go to Seasons in the Park for dinner. Located within Queen Elizabeth Park, the restaurant had some pretty nice views overlooking the city’s skyline at night. The ambiance in the restaurant is dim and romantic, but very traditional with rustic decor. Dinner starts off with complimentary bread and butter.

Braised Veal Cheeks with Porcini Mushroom Risotto

For myself, I got the Braised Veal Cheeks with Porcini Mushroom Risotto. Two veal cheeks braised in red wine sat on top of the Arborio risotto. The veal cheeks were extremely tender and flavourful. However, I thought the risotto was just average.

Fraser Valley Chicken

S got the Fraser Valley Chicken, which was seasoned with lemon, thyme and garlic. It came with some vegetables and mashed potatoes. S said it was just average and thought it was slightly bland.

Overall, we found the food to be just average. You are really paying for the view and ambiance here. The food itself isn’t very memorable.

Pros:
– Nice city views
– Great ambiance

Cons:
– Food was average – nothing special
– Only paid self parking or valet parking.

Price Range: $30-40

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Parking: 3
Overall: 3

Copa Cafe (Richmond)

January 5, 2015January 5, 2015Leave a comment

On Christmas, most restaurants are closed and unless you make reservations well in advance, it’s pretty difficult to get a table on the day of. Mom had been talking about trying the new Copa Cafe on River Road in Richmond for some time now, and it was conveniently opened for Christmas. Not my ideal restaurant to go to for Christmas, but she really wanted to try it, so what could I say… I’m not a huge fan of HK cafe style food, which is essentially what Copa Cafe offers. What was worse was that on Christmas, they only offer their “Christmas menu.” I honestly thought it was a rip off since you had to get their 3 course menu, which was way overpriced for what I was eating. It started off with butter and bread. I didn’t end up eating this since I knew I would get too full by the end of the meal.

Shrimp Salad

First course starts with the Shrimp Salad, which was quite a large portion, but was missing the dressing sauce. I felt like I had a drop of dressing only. Therefore, the salad was really dry. You got some cocktail shrimps, bacon bits and croutons. I personally thought this was a pretty bad salad. Anyone could’ve made this and it definitely lacked flavour.

Shredded Ham Cream Soup

The second appetizer is the choice of Cream Soup or Minestrone. I chose the Shredded Ham Cream Soup. The soup wasn’t hot and already had a layer of cold soup at the top when it arrived. A medium consistency, which I liked, but it lacked any ingredients. You got the tiniest piece of shredded ham here and there.

Surf and Turf

For my entree, I chose the Surf and Turf. This came with a baked lobster tail, steak in peppercorn sauce, some blanched vegetables, and mashed potatoes shaped like a pear and deep fried. The dish was cold when it arrived. To add, my entree came 5 minutes after my two appetizers arrived. Do they expect diners to eat that quickly? It was the worst service possible, with three plates in front of me. I felt that was really unprofessional. As for the food, the lobster was just average. Nothing special. The steak itself was cooked perfectly to medium rare, but I personally thought the peppercorn sauce tasted disgusting. It ruined the whole dish. Something about the flavour was just off. The fried mashed potatoes were decent but needed to be flavoured. The potatoes themselves were bland. Overall, I wasn’t happy with this dish.

Turkey with Cranberry Sauce and Mashed Potatoes

Dad got the Turkey with Cranberry Sauce and Mashed Potatoes. It came with gravy and a side of vegetables. He said they were alright. Your typical turkey.

Crème Brûlée

For dessert, it was Crème Brûlée. The sugar at the top was burnt at the top, hence giving it a burnt taste overall. To add, the dessert was watery in the middle. I thought it was pretty disgusting. Your set menu also comes with your choice of hot drink. The menu ranged from $23 to $32, which I found wasn’t worth it considering the quality of food. It’ll get you full, but I wouldn’t order any of this again. Stick with their regular menu.

Pros:
– Decent amount of parking spots in the parkade shared with T&T
– Ambiance was pretty nice and decorated for a HK style cafe

Cons:
– Service was unprofessional – appetizers and entrees came out all at once
– The dishes we ordered weren’t that great

Price Range: $20-30 (Christmas menu); normally $10-20

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 2
Service: 2
Ambiance: 3
Parking: 3
Overall: 2

Din Tai Fung (Bellevue) – revisit

January 4, 2015January 4, 2015Leave a comment

It’s been over 3 years since I last visited Din Tai Fung located at the Lincoln Square in Seattle (Bellevue). Back when it first opened, the restaurant was bustling with long waits, and when S and I visited for lunch on Christmas Eve, it was quite the same. The wait wasn’t half as long though. You can watch the chefs prepare the dumplings and buns through the glass window while you wait. Their waiting system now offers a text to alert you that your table is ready, which is quite convenient. The restaurant is famous all over Asia, but it’s interesting to note that at this location, there are barely any Chinese employees. I guess they cater to the Caucasian population here.

Juicy Pork Dumplings

After a 20 minute wait, we placed our orders and first up were the Juicy Pork Dumplings. One order comes with 10 dumplings. I liked how the dumpling skin was very thin, but I found that the soup inside cooled down really quickly. I would have preferred it to be still sizzling hot. Nevertheless, they were pretty good or above average.

Rice & Pork Shao Mai

I suggested we order the Rice & Pork Shao Mai, which is essentially sticky glutinous rice with pork stuffed in the dumpling skin to appear like a shao mai. These were very sticky and rather filling. Not bad. Again, they one order came with 10.

Chicken Fried Noodles

Lastly, we ordered the Chicken Fried Noodles. A mix of chicken and vegetables along with the thick Shanghai noodles. I liked how the noodles had a good chewy texture to it and the dish wasn’t too oily or salty.

Pros:
– Good quality food at decent prices
– Ambiance is much nicer than your typical Chinese restaurant

Cons:
– Always a queue for a table
– Service was rather slow for us

Price Range: $10-20

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Parking: 4
Overall: 4

Jade Seafood Restaurant 玉庭軒海鮮酒家 (revisit)

December 31, 2014Leave a comment

Winter Solstice is pretty big for Chinese families, so my mom said we needed to go out for dinner. We celebrated a few days early since it’s always difficult to accommodate with everyone’s schedule. She suggested we go to Jade Seafood Restaurant since they were having a Special Abalone Set Menu. It was $39.98 per person, which was a pretty good deal considering what we got and how full we were. The dinner started off with complimentary peanuts and XO sauce.

Double Boiled Soup

For soup, there are two choices. The Double Boiled Soup came in a clay jar and was extremely sweet and delicious. You could tell it had been boiled for a long time. If I tasted it correctly, it was boiled with chicken and conch meat, which brought lots of flavour.

Shark’s Fin Soup with Shredded Chicken

The second option was the Shark’s Fin Soup with Shredded Chicken, which was definitely less sustainable. I’m surprised they still offer it here since most restaurants have stopped selling shark fin soup. The broth was a thin gelatin consistency and came with ginger and shredded chicken.

Braised Whole Abalone

Next up was the Braised Whole Abalone, which sat on a bed of braised pea tips. Pea tips are one of my favourite Chinese veggies, and they were delicious soaked in the abalone sauce. The abalone itself was just alright. I found it a little too chewy and tough for my liking. The ones at Kirin are much better in my opinion, but also pricier.

Baked Conch with Cheese in Portuguese Sauce

Next was the Baked Conch with Cheese in Portuguese Sauce. The conch shell was presented as part of the dish, and you would’ve thought there would be conch meat inside, but there wasn’t even a bit! It was all mushrooms and onions mixed with the Portuguese sauce. We felt a bit ripped off because of that, but the dish was flavourful regardless.

Sauteed Chicken with Vegetables

A dish that was shared amongst the table was the Sauteed Chicken with Vegetables. It was a good mix of wood ear fungus, zucchinis, carrots, and onions. However, I found the dish to be a bit heavy on oil. The set menu also came with Fried Rice with Egg White and Dried Scallop, which I forgot to take a picture of. Each person got their own bow, and it was huge. Too much rice to finish off the meal.

Hot Almond Soup with Sesame Balls

Lastly, for dessert, it included the Hot Almond Soup with Sesame Balls. The almond soup was smooth and full of almond flavour. There were two glutinous balls filled with sesame paste. Not bad.

Overall, the set menu was a pretty good deal. I know that service is usually pretty bad at Jade, but surprisingly, we had really good service that night. Very attentive and our food came out just as we were about to finish the previous course. Parking of course was a nightmare though, as there are two other restaurants downstairs now.