Pike Place Market – Beecher’s Handmade Cheese + Pike Place Chowder (Seattle)

October 13, 2014Leave a comment

Before starting full time work, I decided to head down to the States for a road trip with my friends. Our destination was Portland, but we decided to stop in Seattle to grab lunch. Of course, we ended up at Pike Place Market. First, stop, we went to Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, which is an artisan cheesemaker and retail shop. Normally, they have huge line ups because tours bring them here, but we arrived early in the morning, so there were no line ups!

You can purchase cheese here, but also grilled cheese, mac and cheese, and other items. What’s unique about Beecher’s is that they mainly use pasteurized milk, but they also have their own farm and cattle to control their cheese products. You can actually see the cheese being prepared right next to the cafe.

World’s Best Mac & Cheese – penne pasta combined with Beecher’s award-winning Flagship cheese

We decided to share the World’s Best Mac & Cheese, which was absolutely delicious! It used penne pasta and was drenched in Beecher’s award-winning Flagship cheese which is aged for one year! It was thick and creamy and full of cheesiness. I found it quite pricey though since it was around $9 for a large, which really wasn’t too large.

After wandering around the market, we decided to head to Pike Place Chowder. They don’t open until 11:00 am, but by 11:30, there was already a huge line up!

Pike Place Chowder is famous for their award winning chowders. They serve 8 varieties of chowders, but also sandwiches and salads.

Sampler (four 5oz cups of any chowder)

I decided to go big and got the Sampler, which comes with four cups of chowders of your choice. Probably a bad choice, because 5 oz is actually a lot! I was basically drinking 20 oz of chowder…and they are quite thick! This would be great to share though. On the top left was the Seared Scallop Chowder, which came with sweet, tender scallops served in a creamy broth and flavoured with dill and lime juice. This was probably my least favourite. I found the broth to be too creamy and the dill was a little off-putting for me. On the top right was the Smoked Salmon Chowder, which came with nova smoked salmon, capers, and cream cheese. This was much lighter and had a strong smoked salmon flavour. Not bad! On the bottom left, was the Market Chowder. That day, it was a crab and oyster chowder, which was probably my favourite out of the four. If you love seafood, this one is perfect! I also loved the strong flavour of oysters. It wasn’t too heavy as well. Lastly, on the bottom right was the Seafood Bisque, which had Pacific cod, Northwest salmon, Oregon bay shrimp and crab. It was seasoned with fresh basil and simmered in a creamy, tomato-based broth. This was also one of my favourites as the bisque was light but full of flavour. I really enjoyed the tomato-based broth as well. Your chowders come with sourdough bread as well, but I was way too full drinking the soups to be dipping the bread in.

The Sampler is a good deal if you’re looking to share, since you will actually get really full from a 5 oz cup if you’re looking for a snack. However, their chowders are still quite pricey at around $6 for an 8 oz cup.

Master Hung BBQ Restaurant

October 5, 2014Leave a comment

Master Hung is near my house, but I have never made the effort to visit. Finally, we decided to give it a try, and surprisingly it is packed. Even with reservations, we had to wait 15 minutes. They are supposed to be famous for their Soy Sauce Chicken.

The restaurant is actually fairly small, and the interior is actually much nicer than I expected judging from the outside. Service was quick and friendly.

Daily House Soup

We started off with the Daily House Soup. It was simmered with meat and veggies and full of flavour.

Ling Cod (2 courses) – sauteed with celery and snap peas

Next was the Ling Cod which came in two courses. The first was sauteed with celery and snap peas. I found that it lacked flavour, but this was probably the better version of the two. Some of the pieces had bones in it, which I’m not a huge fan of.

Ling Cod with Tofu Hot Pot

The second course was the Ling Cod with Tofu Hot Pot. For some odd reason, there wasn’t much flavour to this either. You would imagine that this dish would be more flavourful. The best part was the tofu. The ling cod in this dish had a lot of bones too.

Soy Sauce Chicken (half) $2 extra

They have dinner specials, where you can order a number of dishes for a set price. We chose the combo of three, which came to $41.80. Our first dish was the famous Soy Sauce Chicken which came in half a serving. We had to add an extra $2 for this. The chicken was decent, but I didn’t find it too special. The meat had great chew, but I thought it was almost a bit too hard to chew.

Combo for three – $41.80

Bamboo Pith Buddha Feast $2 extra

Next, was the Bamboo Pith Buddha Feast, which came with an assortment vegetables. It included mushrooms, wood ear fungus, corn, bean sprouts, carrots, and broccoli. Again, it wasn’t very flavourful.

Honey Garlic Spareribs

Lastly, we had the Honey Garlic Spareribs, which was probably my favourite of the night. They didn’t look too appealing, but they were battered lightly and flavoured well. A good hint of honey and garlic so it wasn’t too sweet or overwhelming.

Overall, we found Master Hung to be overrated and just mediocre. We were surprised by how many people ate here and how good the ratings were on Urbanspoon. Fair prices, but the items really lack flavour. I guess it’s good if you like your food to be more on the bland side…

Potter’s Garden

October 4, 2014October 4, 2014Leave a comment

Since we were in the Metrotown area, we decided to grab some food after hiking. We ended up going to Potter’s Garden. There were customers constantly coming in, which is always a good sign! I believe the owners are Korean as well, but they can speak fluent English, so no problem with ordering here!

They first start you off with some appetizers. Here, we have marinated seaweed salad, beansprouts, sweet potatoes, and kimchi. We actually got two sets of these for 5 people, and I’m pretty sure you can ask for a refill.

They also provide you with lettuce so you can wrap your grilled meat, some dipping sauces, and my favourite ssamjang.

Bulgogi

We started off with the Bulgogi, which is just stir fried marinated tender beer with vegetables. Since we only ordered two grilled dishes, they did not open up the grill for us to grill on our own. I actually prefer that since I don’t exactly enjoy the grilling part and smelling like grilled food afterwards. The meat was very tender and flavourful. Along with ssamjang and wrapped with lettuce, it was very delicious!

LA Galbi Jui

Next, we got the LA Galbi Jui, which are grilled marinated prime ribs. I found the ribs to be slightly disappointing as the meat was a bit tough to chew. And of course, there weren’t too much meat as well. The sauce was very good though.

Nakji-dolsot-bibimbap – rice mixed with assorted vegetables, octopus, optional red pepper paste in a hot stone pot

My favourite of the night was the Nakji-dolsot-bibimbap. This was your typical bibimbap or rice in hot stone bowl with a twist. It has assorted vegetables like bean sprouts, carrots, and zucchini, but also octopus! The octopus was very tender and easy to chew. It was also dressed with the red pepper paste so it was very flavourful and feisty! Recommend!

Japchae

We got our all time favourite Japchae, which is potato noodles stir-fried with vegetables and beef. This was a small size and was a good portion to share so everyone could get some. It was filled with lots of vegetables and beef, so you would get some crunch to it.

Haemul Pajeon (seafood)

Lastly, we got the Haemul Pajeon, which is the Korean style pancake with seafood. Again, this was the mall size. I thought this was done very well as the top was crispy, and they didn’t cheap out on the seafood. It had a mix of squid, shrimp, and of course lots of chives.

Overall, Potter’s Garden was quite good for the value. Nothing too outstanding, but I would probably revisit again when I want Korean food near Kingsway. I believe they are also open until 2 a.m., so a perfect place to get some drinks and late night snacks.

Bella Gelateria (Yaletown)

September 29, 2014September 28, 2014Leave a comment

Bella Gelateria is my all time favourite for gelato, and I was excited when they opened their second location in Yaletown. It’s right by the water, so it’s quite nice on a summer evening. K and I decided to go there on the first day it opened, but ended up going pretty late. We were shocked to see a huge line up, but later realized the line was for gelato only. Phew! So we quickly got seated outside and our server was beyond knowledgeable. She was able to explain the menu thoroughly and gave us her personal favourite suggestions.

The indoors is brightly lit with white decor. At the back, you can see the pizza chefs making the Neapolitan pizzas – which are one of their main features. Apparently, it only takes 90 seconds to bake the pizzas since the oven is very hot.

They also have a showcase of desserts. There are ice cream sandwiches that another company sells here, some ice cream macarons, and the famous gelatinis! A very pretty display! There are also baked good in the morning for the brunch menu.

Margherita – San Marzano (D.O.P.*) tomatoes, fior di latte, parmigiano-reggiano, EVOO, & fresh basil

The menu is quite pricey at Bella Gelateria, with our Margherita pizza being $12. It’s extremely thin, so one person could easily finish it. They use San Marzano Tomatoes (Protected Designation of Origin) which are plum tomatoes. The menu claims they are considered to be the best paste tomatoes in the world. I could definitely taste the acidity and freshness of the tomatoes. The parmigiano is aged for 36 months, rather than the typical 12 months and EVOO stands for Italian extra virgin olive oil. They definitely use the top ingredients. However, we were slightly disappointed that our pizzas didn’t come sizzling hot. When we told our server, she explained that they are made to order, so shouldn’t be. Not sure why ours was sort of cold, but she said she would let management know.

Matcha Smash Gelatini

We couldn’t come to opening night without giving their gelatini a try. The Gelatini is something owner, James, invented, which is martini + gelato. Our server described it as sort of like an island, with the gelato being the island, and the martini being the ocean. We went for the Matcha Smash, which combined matcha powder with vodka and a tcouh of herbal Chartreuse. It was topped with a bit of lemon juice and a slice of lemon peel. Honestly, I thought it was really boozy! And our server said there was one that was way stronger. The vodka was almost too strong for me. I had to take a scoop of gelato before drinking the liquid to balance it off.

The Wonka Coppetta

We also wanted to try their other desserts, so we got The Wonka Coppetta. Coppetta really just means a cup in Italian. The Wonka had Tahitan vanilla gelato, and was topped with a blueberry orange compote and a chocolate drizzle. I liked the balance of sweet and sourt from the blueberries. However, it’s quite pricey – coming at a price of $8. Would I get it again? Probably not. It reminded me of a sundae with fruits and chocolate sauce.

If you go into the restaurant, you can see the kitchen where they make the gelatos. James is here as well!

I love how they incorporated the famous gelato truck inside. If you want gelato after your dinner, you can simply skip the line and order your gelato. I like how they’ve made the line begin outside the restaurant, so it doesn’t disturb the diners. Therefore, the line may look longer than it really is. To be honest, the lines at their original location are even longer since they start inside! Overall, I thought the pizza was mediocre. The gelatinis are interesting, but a little too boozy for myself personally. I’d love to give some of their other desserts a try. Still my favourite spot for gelato though! Now I have another location to visit if I want some of Bella’s gelato!

Shishinori

September 27, 2014Leave a comment

Shishinori opened up quite recently and is located near Broadway and Cambie. S recommended to go here after seeing all the pictures on Instagram. You order first inside, and can take a seat anywhere. We ended up sitting outside sine it was a beautiful sunny day. Their menu consists mainly of salad rice bowls, and although I’m not a salad girl, I was quite impressed.

Ahi Tuna Carpaccio Bowl, Iced Acai Berry Tea, Matcha Jello

The bowls range from $9 up to $12. By adding an extra $2.50, you can turn it into a meal. The meal consists of your choice of beverage and dessert or soup. S got the Ahi Tuna Carpaccio Bowl, which came with thinly sliced ahi tuna carpaccio. I was suprised that there were so few pieces. She said it was more like eating tuna sashimi. Her bowl came with a large amount of veggies – it looked like a lot more than mine. She made it into a meal by adding the Iced Acai Berry Tea and the Matcha Jello. Her acai berry tea was super sweet though. It definitely looked better than it tasted. You would think that the iced teas would be rather strong in tea flavour instead. The Matcha Jello was also really odd… They added something similar to condensed milk on top, and the jello itself was barely sweetened. Quite disappointed with the jello for sure.

Curried Chicken Bowl, Iced Strawberry & Orange Tea, Matcha Jello

For myself, I chose the Curried Chicken Bowl. I was actually surprised how quickly our food came out. My curry wasn’t sizzling hot, so I have a feeling that the hot portions of the food are pre-made. It came with loads of potatoes, carrots, and not as much chicken as I would’ve liked. On top, there was also half a soft-boiled egg. There was also brown rice underneath, so even though it was only salad on the side, it filled me up well. The salad was actually really good. It consisted of different greens, onions, carrots, edamame beans, lotus root and a light soy dressing. The way they put everything together was just visually appealing. I also made it into a meal by adding the Iced Strawberry & Orange Tea. Again, it wasn’t as great as it looked. I found mine to be quite diluted this time. And of course, the jello wasn’t great.

Overall, Shishinori is a great place to grab a healthy meal. I guess eating salads don’t have to be so boring anymore. I would stick with their bowls however, and skip making it into a meal. The drink just looked pretty in the Mason jars, but the flavour needs work. The only downside about Shishinori is that they close relatively early – at 8:00pm. I wish we could sit around and order their desserts as well, but they already started cleaning up.

Browns Socialhouse (Ironwood)

September 26, 2014September 25, 20141 Comment

Bellini

J and I finally set a date to meet up and we had originally planned to check out the Milestone’s Girls Night Out Menu, which featured 4 appies and 4 drinks for $40. However, taking a look at the menu, nothing really intrigued us. Plus, there wasn’t a Milestones in Richmond. Being lazy, we ended up going to Browns Socialhouse in Ironwood Mall. I’ve been here before, but it’s been years since I revisited. The small patio was full, so we ended up sitting indoors. I started off the Bellini, which is always on special for $5. Pretty good deal, but I found that it was way too sweet for my liking. I felt like I was literally eating the fuzzy peach gummies! As for J, she got the Traditional Mojito, since there was a $2 off special going on.

Chicken Quesadilla

For food, I went with the Chicken Quesadilla, which was surprisingly presented very nicely. It came with three sauces – salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. The tortillas were filled with cheese, chicken, peppers, and jalapeno peppers. A bite into the jalapenos really gave you a hit of spice. The quesadilla was crispy rather than soggy, which I was very pleased with. J went for the Charred Peperoni Pizza, which was a perfect size for one. Plus, on Sundays and Mondays, all their pizzas are for $9 which is a great deal! She said the pizza was really good and had a good amount of toppings.

Overall, Browns Socialhouse is always a great place to grab some drinks and food with friends. It’s casual food with great service and prices. A nice change from always going to say Earls.

Red Tuna

September 25, 2014September 25, 20142 Comments

After a long hike at Garibaldi, we decided to grab food before heading home. Somehow after searching on Urbanspoon, we ended up at Red Tuna on Dunbar. My UBC bus used to go down this road every day, yet I have never noticed Red Tuna. Well, there were actually quite a few tables of diners here on a random weekday. I believe the restaurant is Korean owned, since their menu has a some Korean items and the servers looked Korean.

Combo

They have a regular menu with things such as specialty rolls, but they are over $10 each. All of us ended up going for their combos which seemed to be a better deal. I don’t remember exactly what Y’s combo number was, but it included an assortment of Tempura, 2 pieces of Tuna Nigiri, 2 pieces of Salmon Nigiri, Chicken Karage, Chicken Teriyaki on Rice, and a Salad. Y said that the nigiris were alright, but the chicken karage was pretty weird. Everyone also agreed that the sauce on the salad was terrible. No one ended up eating it. It sort of tasted like celery? Not sure, but it wasn’t your typical Japanese salad.

Sushi Boat A

As for myself, I went for the Sushi Boat A, which surprisingly did not come on a boat like its name. My order came with 2 pieces of salmon nigiri, 2 pieces of tuna, 2 pieces of ebi, 1 piece of hamachi, 1 piece of tamgao and a 6 piece roll of tuna maki. I found everything to be quite average. It wasn’t terrible, but nothing that was very memorable. The hamachi was probably the most memorable, being that it was extremely hard to chew on for some reason… Other than that, everyone was decent and I guess for under $15, this isn’t too bad.

All in all, Red Tuna is average, but I probably would not revisit anytime soon. There are much better sushi joints out there.

Ajisai Sushi Bar 味彩

September 23, 20141 Comment

Ajisai Sushi Bar is located in a little nook in one of Kerrisdale’s walkways. It’s pretty hidden, so you won’t notice it unless you actually walk down this alley. Offering a menu of authentic Japanese sushi, it’s a fairly small restaurant and is famous for the line ups. Luckily, when we arrived for dinner, it was only a 15 minute wait, which really isn’t too bad. Definitely not a great place for large groups though.

The seating is really just bar seats, with a line in front of the sushi chefs, and the other seatings against the window.

Tamago Nigiri

K and I started off with the Tamago Nigiri. The colour wasn’t the bright yellow ones you find at cheap restaurants, which is always a good sign. It was slightly sweet and there were some other ingredients inside, which made it very flavourful. I liked how you could actually feel the layered texture when you chewed on it.

Scallop, Red Tuna, Toro, Masago with Quail Egg, Negitoro, Baby Yellowtail

These were J’s selections. I’m not exactly sure which roll he got, so I won’t comment on that. However, the baby yellowtail was a special on the menu and he said was very good! He was ultimately satisfied with his plate.

Natto Negitoro Roll, Tuna, Negitoro, Unagi

K’s selections included the Natto Negitoro Roll, which I don’t normally see in many menus. I find that their menu has many half/half rolls, which is quite interesting. Her unagi was also quite a large piece!

Scallop, Chopped Scallop, Negitoro Roll

As for myself, I chose some nigiris and a maki roll. The Negitoro Roll was really good! It was filled with a good amount of negitoro and I liked how there was wasabi already in it. My Scallop Nigiri was very fresh and came with a piece of seaweed underneath which I found interesting. As for my Chopped Scallop Nigiri, it was one of the better ones I’ve had. The scallops were fresh and there wasn’t an overload of mayo.

Ika, Red Tuna

I also ordered the Ika Nigiri, which was very tender and came with a leaf underneath to bring it a minty flavour. My Red Tuna Nigiri was okay. I wish it was more tender. This one didn’t seem as fresh as the rest.

Overall, Ajisai is a great place to go for good quality authentic Japanese sushi. However, the prices are a little steep, so it’s not a place to go crazy unless you have a huge budget. Their menu has a lot more variety compared to say Sushi Hachi. You’ll find non-authentic rolls here as well, so I guess that’s why it’s so popular. Be ready for a wait here!