Hapa Izakaya (Taste of Yaletown)

November 27, 2014November 26, 2014Leave a comment

Spiked Pear Lemonade

There are many locations for Hapa Izakaya, but surprisngly, I’ve never been to one. I’ve heard pros and cons about it, so I decided to check it out during the Taste of Yaletown event last month. We started off with some drinks. The Spiked Pear Lemonade was very strong! In a martini glass, it was a mix of Absolute Pears, pear puree, and 7UP.

Tokyo Iced Tea

For myself, I had the Tokyo Iced Tea. Mixed with shochu, this wasn’t as strong in alcohol, and I liked the lemon taste to it. Definitely good taste the oolong tea.

Sashimi Salad

Onto the Taste of Yaletown menu, which was $35 per person and offered 3 courses. First, I had the Sashimi Salad. It had mixed sashimi on top of a bed of organic greens. It was drizzled with a citrus-soy dressing. The sashimi was fresh and I liked the variety, but the the salad was overdressed. The flavour of the dressing itself was good, but it was way too salty. Definitely needs work.

Wild Mushroom Quinoa

Another appetizer was the Wild Mushroom Quinoa. I didn’t try this, but was told it was just average. It included dashi steamed quinoa, wild mushrooms, burdock, carrot, lotus root, and was served with spicy picked vegetables.

Wagyu Soy Butter Steak

Unfortunately, while we were still eating, our mains showed up. I found this quite odd and frankly it made the service quite terrible. I was only halfway into my appetizer, and they didn’t even care to look before bringing out our mains. And to be honest, we weren’t eating extremely slow or anything. Anyways, the Wagyu Soy Butter Steak came with shishito peppers and grilled onion garnish. There were literally only two pieces of meat. As well, by the time we got to our mains, the dish was already cold… Extremely disappointed.

Golden Lobster

For myself, I chose the Golden Lobster. Half the lobster was motoyaki style, with mozzarella cheese and caramelized shallots. The claw was tempura battered and fried. Again, my dish was cold by the time I ate it. I also found it to be just average.

The third course was not dessert, but instead sushi rolls. Both rolls were seared by the waitress at our table.

Chan Chan Roll

The Chan Chan Roll was definitely not a favourite of mine. I ended up barely eating any of it. It had wild spring salmon, crispy skin, asparagus, and a miso-glazed mushroom sauce. It was also topped with a jalapeno slice. However, I found this roll to be extremely bitter! I’m not sure if it was the asparagus or whether they used too much miso. I was just not a fan of this.

BBQ Yakiniku Roll – beef tataki, green bean, green onion, yuzu pepper, onion chips, onion sauce, seared

The second roll was the BBQ Yakiniku Roll. It showed up with raw beef on the sushi, which might be a shocker for some.

After searing it, the raw beef becomes beef tataki. It was filled with green beans, green onions, yuzu peppers, onion chips, and an onion sauce. This was just alright. Nothing too special and the flavours were not very memorable.

Overall, I was quite disappointed with the food at Hapa Izakaya. The service was one of the worst I’ve had as well. You would think that the service would be quite good, but I felt extremely rushed eating. The funny thing was there weren’t any people waiting for seats either. Definitely not worth the $35.

Gyu-Kaku (Broadway)

November 26, 2014November 25, 2014Leave a comment

Pitcher of Beer

Gyu-Kaku has two locations – one in downtown, and the second on Broadway. Since it was relatively close to work, I headed down there to meet up with the girls for dinner. On Mondays, the whole day is Happy Hour, so there are some pretty good deals! For drink deals, the pitcher of Sapporo is just for $9! (It’s a full pitcher by the way, just that I took the picture after pouring.)

Steamed Chili Dumpling

We ordered one of the items off the Happy Hour Menu. The Steamed Chili Dumplings are normally $6.95, but is $4.95 during happy hour. They were your typical dumplings with some spicy sauce on it. Not bad, but it’s nothing too special.

Gyu-Kaku Salad

Gyuk-Kaku offers many set course meals. The best part is that you can have more people than stated on the menu and still order these sets. We chose the Meat Lover’s for 2, although we were a table of three, and we were more than filled. The set is for $55, and when split between 3, it comes to around $20 each. It starts off with some appetizers, including the Gyu-Kaku Salad. Topped with burdock, greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, and hard boiled eggs, it’s quite a salad. It came with a Japanese mayo sauce, which was very delicious!

Edamame

Next up were the Edamame. Lightly salted, and a huge bowl!

Chicken Karaage

The Chicken Karaage came with a spicy mayo dip. I found that there was too much batter compared to meat. This could’ve been worked on.

Garlic Steak, Spicy Pork, Toro Beef Tare

Then our meats came. Each table is equipped with a built in barbeque so you can self-barbeque. However, I found that your meat could be easily burnt when you don’t look after it. My favourite had to be the Toro Beef. It was thin, tender and fatty. The Spicy Pork was probably my least favourite since it was easy to overcook it so it became rough. Many of the meat are already marinated, but they also provide you with three sauces. A spicy, sweet, and ponzu sauce.

Bistro Hanger Steak Miso, New York Steak Miso, Yaki-Shabu Beef Tare

More meat came and another favourite was the Bistro Hanger Steak. Well marinated and tender meat. All cuts were very good. I didn’t have a single piece that was tough to chew. Other than meat, there was always Corn Butter, which were corn niblets that were wrapped in tin foil with butter inside. When you place it on the grill, the heat melts the butter. Very yummy!

Sukiyaki Bibimbap

There was also a Sukiyaki Bibimbap. However, I found that it tasted more like Chinese sticky rice, rather than a bibimbap. I guess it was the type of rice they used. Not bad!

There was also dessert to end the night. Since it’s a two person course set, it only came with two scoops of matcha ice cream, but they were one of the biggest scoops I’ve had. Overall, I was quite satisfied with Gyu-Kaku. Service was very attentive. Our grill was switched multiple times, and they even switched up our beer mugs to frozen ones once in a while. Quality of food is pretty good, and the price isn’t too bad. One of the better barbeque spots I’ve been to.

The Sardine Can

November 24, 2014November 23, 2014Leave a comment

I’m still on the hunt for the best Spanish food in Vancouver, and I think I’ve found one that’s up on the list. Sardine Can is a tiny little spot in the heart of Gastown. I love how they actually have a sardine can placed outside. However, beware of how tiny the spot is! Fitting around only 20 people or less, this means long waits! We waited over an hour for a seat, but it was well worth it! Come here early if you want to be seated right away.

The inside is decorated with Spanish items and the kitchen is open concept. I’m not even sure if this is considered a kitchen since it’s really small! It feels like one at home, with a bar table across where diners can sit and watch the chefs do their thing. Soccer is played on the TV, just like how they would in Spain.

Tostas de sardinas: Smoked Sardine on Toast

The menu is comprised entirely of tapas, which are perfect for sharing. The prices are also extremely reasonable at around $5-12 a dish. We were recommended that two dishes per person would be a good amount of food. So, we started with the Smoked Sardine on Toast, because I mean, after all, their restaurant has the word sardine in it. I’m not a huge fan of sardines since they can be quite fishy, but I found these quite good! Not my favourite, but if you’re a sardine fan, you’ll most likely like this. Topped with tons of sardine so you’ll get it in every bite!

Patatas bravas: Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, garlic aioli & tomato

Next were the Patatas Bravas, which were probably my favourite of the night! Patatas bravas are one of the most typical Spanish tapas and works perfect with beer or drinks. I loved how they put their own twist on this traditional dish. Here, they used fingerling potatoes and roasted these wedges so they were crispy on the outside. It came with a thick garlic aioli and tomato sauce, which was absolutely delicious when mixed together! Simple dish that is easy to make, but I really enjoyed the flavours. A must order!

Chorizo con Jerez: Full-flavoured chorizo sausage cooked in sherry

Chorizo con Jerez was a bit disappointing. Jerez is sherry, so these chorizo sausages were basically cooked in a sherry sauce. I didn’t like it since I found it really oily and nothing too special. The chorizo sausages had their typical hint of spice, but other than that, it wasn’t any special. You could easily replicate this dish at home.

Gambas al ajillo: Spicy garlic prawns

A Spanish meal isn’t complete without some seafood! We decided to get the Spicy Garlic Prawns, which comes in an addicting broth. Perfect for bread dipping. The shrimp were alright – wouldn’t say they are the freshest or juiciest, but the sauce was what made the dish. The dish is also not as spicy as we imagined.

Pinchitos morunos: Moorish spiced chicken kebabs, pomegranate

Moorish spiced kebabs are very typical in Spain, so I suggested we try the Moorish Spiced Chicken Kebabs. It came in two skewers, with a good amount of chicken on each skewer. I would’ve liked the chicken to be more moist, but the flavour wasn’t bad. It came with a pomegranate sauce and some sour cream.

Pan: Terra breads sourdough

We needed some bread for dipping, as well to pair with the chorizo dish since it was quite salty just eating the sausage. We ordered the Terra Breads Sourdough, which came in a cute tower.

Almejas con chorizo: Steamed clams, chorizo, celery, spicy smoke paprika

We probably shouldn’t have ordered the chorizo dish, since the Steamed Clams also came with more chorizo. The clams were steamed in a celery and spicy smoke paprika stew. Very flavourful and more than enough clams! A good deal for sure.

Atun crudo: Tartare of tuna, orange, avocado, chili lime olive oil

The Tartare of Tuna was really interesting! You would think it’s your typical tuna tartare, but nope. Here, they mixed in slices of orange, avocado, and added chili lime olive oil. This was a very interesting flavour with the citrus element to it. Also, the avocado made the tartare very smooth. It’s a lot of tartare too, so you will have plenty left after scooping it on your toasted bread.

Albondigas: Meatballs cooked in tomato and Rioja

Lastly, we got the Meatballs, which were cooked in a tomato and red wine sauce. The dish comes with 5 large meatballs, and is full of flavour. Very moist and perfect when soaked in the sauce.

Overall, we were extremely pleased with the Sardine Can. Of course, I can’t say it is comparable to the food in Spain, but I like how they take those traditional tapa dishes and put their own twist to it. Everything is fairly simple and doesn’t require too much difficulty in cooking. It’s the flavours they use that make the food so good. Prices are also very reasonable without needing to leave with a half empty stomach. Definitely much more affordable when compared with Espana. Looking forward to coming back again!

Milano Coffee Roasters

November 23, 2014Leave a comment

We were waiting for over an hour to get a seat at the Sardine Can, and since it was a bit chilly, we decided to head into Milano Coffee Roasters. I’ve actually walked past here many times but never noticed this coffee shop. They have several other locations, and this is their Espresso Lounge in Gastown.

The inside is pretty basic. Simple decor but still gives you a cool hip vibe. They are well known for their espresso as their roots are from Italian roasting and blending.

Hot Chocolate

We’re not coffee people, so we decided to try some of their other items. C got the Hot Chocolate, which came with chocolate flakes and wasn’t overly sweet. Usually hot chocolate can be really sweet, but this was perfect.

Raspberry Mocha with Whipped Cream

K and I shared the Raspberry Mocha with Whipped Cream. I usually find mocha to be really strong and bitter, but this was the contrary! It was the perfect balance. You could taste the coffee, but it was smooth and light. However, I couldn’t really taste the raspberry. Really good though!

K says this is one of her favourite spots now. Well priced and the drinks are really good! I would guess that their coffee drinks are very good too.

Minami (Taste of Yaletown Lunch)

November 14, 20142 Comments

Of course I’m late again with my posts, but Taste of Yaletown just happened last month from October 16 to October 30. Every year, they bring together restaurants in the Yaletown area and offer set menus so we can try out restaurants we haven’t tried. To be honest, I wasn’t too impressed with the restaurants and menus offered. However, Minami’s lunch menu caught my eye since it was only $25! I’ve been to Minami before and it never disappoints. It’s normally quite pricey, so for $25, it was a great steal.

Miso Soup

First up was the Miso Soup, which was a nice surprise since it wasn’t on the menu. Quite a large bowl too and it was filled with enoki mushroom, which is a good touch to your typical tofu-only miso soup.

Minami Zen

Minami’s set menu really reminded me of Miku’s dine out menu. I’m not sure why on their menu that they say their aburi sushi is the first course, but we were presented with the second course first instead. It actually makes more sense since these are like their appetizers. The Minami Zen is presented in a beautiful wooden box with four dishes.

Aburi Bincho

Starting on the right was the Aburi Bincho, which is essentially tuna tataki. It came with a wasabi masatake sauce, which is a mixture of onions, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil. Loved the sauce and the tuna was very fresh with a slight char.

Miso Marinated Tofu Salad

Next up was the Miso Marinated Tofu Salad. Honestly, I’m not a salad girl, but both Miku and Minami’s salads never fail to impress me. Something about the sauce they use is always so appetizing! This salad had a mixture of baby greens, avocado, crispy tempeh, pickled daikon and carrot, and umami soy vinaigrette. The top had crumbled tofu, which was very interesting. If salads always tasted like this, I would be eating a lot healthier!

Saikyo Miso Baked Sablefish

Third was the Saikyo Miso Baked Sablefish. It was presented beautifully on top of a bed of coconut creamed kale and topped with a wasabi shoga relish and marinated in a yuzu-miso sauce. The fish was moist and flavourful, but the only issue I had was that it was a bit cold. I’m not sure if it was because it took me some time to work my way to the third dish or it wasn’t served right away. It would’ve tasted much better if it was still hot.

Braised Fraser Valley Pork Cheek

The last appetizer was the Braised Fraser Valley Pork Cheek. It came on top of roasted kabocha-onion puree and a sweet and sour ginger soy glaze. On top were some apple-red cabbage kraut. The pork cheek was tender and meaty, but it felt like it wasn’t braised long enough. I was expecting the meat to fall off easily, but it took some effort. Perhaps because the pork cheek is usually more chewy in texture? I really enjoyed the puree though as the onion brought some savoury flavour to the sweet squash.

Aburi Sushi – nigiri, sunset roll, salmon oshi, ebi oshi

Then came the Aburi Sushi plate. Their sushi are always presented so nicely. It came with two of their nigiri sushi, which were both alright. They are a good twist to your traditional nigiri because of the sauces they use, but I still prefer my traditional nigiri. In the middle was their famous Sunset Roll, which is filled with spicy tuna, cucumber, smoked salmon, golden tobiko, kaiware, and mustard sauce. A good texture with tons of flavours and a slight heat. Next was easily their most famous sushi. The Aburi Salmon Oshi is a box sushi topped with a sweet-soy brushed salmon and topped with their famous sauce. The salmon is charcoal flame seared and topped with a jalapeno slice to bring some heat. A must try either at Minami or Miku! Next was the Aburi Ebi Oshi, which is also one of my favourites. Again, it’s box sushi, but with lightly seared ebi. The sauce is a flavoured with ume (plum) and their special sauce along with some lime juice. Yummy!

Spiced Pumpkin Brownie Ice Cream

Last but not least, the menu finished off with dessert. Miku and Minami always have spectacular desserts. This was a dessert I haven’t tried and was perfect for the season. It was Spiced Pumpkin Brownie Ice Cream. A scoop of cinamon-nutmeg spiced pumpkin ice cream paired with a some walnut brownie pieces and a piece of cookie on the side. Refreshing and light!

Overall, we were quite satisfied with Minami’s Taste of Yaletown lunch menu. I believe dinner was $45, so lunch is really affordable since the menu isn’t too much different. Definitely worth going if you haven’t been. I still prefer Miku over Minami, but the ambiance is much more relaxed at Minami.

Fable Kitchen

November 12, 20141 Comment

Canned Tuna “the best canned tuna”

Fable Kitchen is another one of those farm-to-table restaurants which offer fresh ingredients sourced locally. We started off their famous Canned Tuna, which is fresh albacore tuna cooked sous vide-style in a small jar with potatoes, grape tomato and olive oil. We were told to throw in the salt and mix and chop it up thoroughly. It came with enough bread to scoop the tuna on. The tuna was definitely creamy, but I wouldn’t personally consider it “the best canned tuna”.

After mixing it up, it looks like this. Doesn’t exactly look that appetizing. The mush are the potatoes.

Featured Grilled Pork Chop

M had the featured entree, which was Grilled Pork Chop. It definitely looked very pleasing, but the meat was average. I find that pork is usually overcooked or a bit too tough. The sides, however, were extremely delicious. The baked potatoes were addicting! The way that they were seasoned and the crispiness of the outer skin was spot on. It also came with carrot puree, some beets, and fried pork rind.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

As for myself, I had the Parmesan Crusted Chicken. I loved the chicken, as the top was super cheesy and crispy! The chicken was also cooked to moist. The zucchini noodles were also really interesting. A good change from your typical pasta noodles. However, I did find that the cashew tomato sauce was a little bit too sour for my liking. Lots of flavour though.

Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta

Lastly, we finished off with the Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta, which was just alright. It had cocoa crumbles on the top and raspberries on the top. I found it too rich after a full meal. Or I’ve just not been so into chocolate desserts lately…

Overall, I really appreciated Fable Kitchen’s farm-to-table concept, but I wouldn’t say the dishes I had were extremely memorable. They were good, but I also only found them average. Perhaps I will need to try some of their other dishes to make a call on how I like the restaurant. Very busy restaurant with great service though. I think I will be back to try some of the other items to see if they are better. I hear their brunch menu is really good!

Zest

November 8, 2014Leave a comment

Tuna in Three Ways

I’ve been hearing about Zest for some time now, but I never knew where it was exactly. It’s actually pretty hidden, right on West 16th and Macdonald. You wouldn’t expect to find such a popular restaurant here. It’s contemporary Japanese cuisine, and the space is rather small, but filled up very quickly. I realized that most of the diners were Japanese too, which is always a good sign. We started off with Tuna in Three Ways. On the right was big eye tuna carpaccio with soy mustard onion dressing. This was probably my favourite. It was essentially tuna sashimi with a light dressing. In the middle was albacore tuna and avocada with nori soy sauce. The creaminess of the avocado worked well with the tuna. Lastly, on the far right was the big eye tuna tataki with mizore Ponzu. This was your typical tuna tataki with Ponzu sauce. Their tuna was definitely very fresh and I liked how they didn’t over-sear the tuna. Just a thin layer that was seared.

Assorted Mushroom Tempura

Next, we got one of their featured dishes that changes depending on seasonality. We got the Assorted Mushroom Tempura, which like it’s name said, came with an assortment of wild mushrooms. I honestly don’t remember the names of each mushroom, but they all had distinct flavours. It came with curry salt on the side, which actually complemented the dish really well. However, my only issue with the dish was that it started to feel really oily after eating the second mushroom. It was just a mouthful of tempura by the end of the dish. Since they present each dish at a time, you have to finish this dish before moving on. The dish would’ve been nice if I had some other dishes to eat from in between each mushroom.

Grilled BC Wild Spring Salmon Misozuke

The Grilled BC Wild Spring Salmon Misozuke was a nice twist to your typical grilled salmon. I especially loved the sweet miso sauce on top. What was even better is that the fish itself had miso flavour since the fish is cured in a house blend miso for 48 hours! It came with some sauteed kale on the side and an organic quinoa salad on top. Loved the miso flavour in the fish! The salmon was still moist as well!

Tenderloin Katsu

Another entree we ordered was the Tenderloin Katsu. I found this to be just average. The tenderloin was panko crusted and deep fried. However, the issue I have with katsu is that it tends to be a little dry. However, the Fuji apple salad and house blend sweet miso definitely helped bring lots of flavour to the dish.

Zest Roll

The last item we got was the Zest Roll. They have quite a few different rolls, but we decided on the one that had the restaurant’s name since it should usually be their signature roll. However, I wasn’t too fond of it. It was filled with albacore tuna, sockeye salmon, grilled salmon skin, organic green cucumber, and tobiko. I think it was the grilled salmon skin that I didn’t like. It was too salty and brought a fishy taste to the roll overall.

Sake and Raisins, Black Sesame, Matcha

We ended our meal with two desserts. First was the Ice Cream Trio. This is a must try! The Sake and Raisins was my absolute favourite. Who knew sake and raisins would go so well together. Plus, the ice cream had a good amount of sake flavour without it tasting like straight alcohol. The black sesame and match were quite typical and nothing too special. Their ice cream overall is quite smooth and tastes like they use natural ingredients to make.

Matcha Tiramisu

The second dessert was the Matcha Tiramisu. Visually appealing with a splash of colour from the strawberries and raspberries. Extremely smooth and just the right amount of cake. Loved the matcha flavour as well. Really good!

Overall, Zest had its hit and misses, but the meal was pretty good overall. I would definitely come back to try some of their other dishes. It’s a good take on modern Japanese cuisine yet it isn’t those typical fusion rolls. Service was also impeccable. Our server checked up on us and I liked how each dish came out one by one but without too much of a wait in between. They also change your plate after every dish. Very attentive!

Makoto Ramenya

November 6, 2014November 5, 2014Leave a comment

Tuna Tataki

Makoto Ramenya is a relatively new Japanese izakaya restaurant that opened up in Coquitlam. It’s run by Koreans and is open til late. Since it is super close to J’s place, we end up going here whenever we’re lazy to go anywhere far. I thought the restaurant would have ramen, but apparently it’s only offered for lunch. So instead, we had to go for their izakaya food, which is honestly quite limited. We started off with the Tuna Tataki, which had only 4 pieces, but priced at around $9. Pricey! I mean, it wasn’t bad or anything, but I wouldn’t pay that much for so little tuna tataki again.

Fresh Seafood and Vegetables in Tonkotsu Soup

Next, we got the Fresh Seafood and Vegetables in Tonkotsu Soup. It came in a little hot pot with a flame lit below. The soup comes without noodles, so we had to add $3 for ramen, which seems pretty expensive since the pot was over $10 to begin with. I found that the soup was filled with bean sprouts more than anything. The seafood was probably just frozen seafood. As for the soup, we got the “little spicy” version, which was just plain weird. Something was just missing in the soup. It was really bland. The ramen just tasted like store bought ramen too. Nothing special, which means I’m probably not going to try their ramen for lunch.

Beef Yaki Udon

Lastly, we had the Beef Yaki Udon. Unfortunately, we were halfway done eating, when I realized I hadn’t gotten a picture. So the dish is actually double the portion pictured here. This was alright, but again, nothing too special. I mean it’s quite hard to mess up a beef yaki udon…

Overall, I wouldn’t say the food is any great at Makoto Ramenya. Everything is just average. However, the second time I came back, I had some drinks and it was really fun. The atmosphere at night is really chill here, so a good place to hang out and have drinks with friends. They have Japanese beers and Korean soju here. The servers and owners end up sitting around with customers too, so service is either a hit or miss, depending if you can get their attention.