Flying Pig (Gastown)

November 30, 2014November 29, 2014Leave a comment

Since I wasn’t able to try Flying Pig the last time, we made another visit during lunch time. Their brunch menu is still offered during lunch. To start, they bring you a few slices of complimentary banana bread. I forgot to take the picture, but I liked how they were a bit sticky, which made them moist rather than being too dense.

Wild Mushroom, Asparagus, Chevre Frittata

S got the Wild Mushroom, Asparagus and Chevre Frittata. It comes with a side of organic greens. A frittata is sort of like a mix of an omlette and crustless quiche. She said it was very good. A good amount of toppings.

Braised Beef Shortrib Jumbo Macaroni

For myself, I got the Braised Beef Shortrib Jumbo Macaroni. It comes in a cabernet mushroom cream sauce. The shortrib was moist and flavourful, while the pasta was cooked to al-dente.

Overall, Flying Pig lived up to the expectations. The Gastown location is actually quite large too, so there’s lots of seats. I still want to try their happy hour menu though, since it is a pretty good deal. Definitely coming back!

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.

Pidgin

November 5, 2014Leave a comment

I swear I’ve walked on this street many times, yet I’ve always passed by without noticing Pidgin. The outside decor makes it look sort of like a cage, while the inside is hip and modern. There’s a bar table since they have a long list of drinks, but there’s also regular seating for those who are ready for a meal. Pidgin is known for their sharing plates. Since we wanted to try a bit of everything, we went with their Prix Fixe menu, which comes with 8 dishes to share for $55 a person.

Sakehitosuji “plum sake” Junbaishi and Kozaemon, Junmai Umeshu

We started off with two drinks which were outside the prix fixe menu. I’m a huge fan of plum wine, so we decided to try both of their Plum Sakes. If I remember correctly, the Kozaemon was pricier, but also much sweeter. Really good!

Daily Pickles and Oyster Shot

The first dish that came were the Daily Pickles. It came with beets, cabbage, and something similar to oshinko. They were all sour but my favourite was probably the beets. The rest were too sour for my liking. To be honest, the dish wasn’t too exciting and was a bit disappointing. On the right, was the second dish which was the Oyster Shot. A mini raw oyster topped with apple horseradish. Super cleansing and fresh!

Cured Sockeye Salmon

The third dish was the Cured Sockeye Salmon. It was plated beautifully with a radish and herb salad. I didn’t really like the salad, but the salmon was nice. Nothing too special again.

Raw Scallops

Next was probably my favourite dish. It was the Raw Scallops, which came with pomegranate, red curry oil, daikon, and julienned green apple. I loved the acidity of the green apple against the freshness of the seafood. Very flavourful!

Mushrooms and Snap Peas

The fifth dish was the Mushrooms and Snap Peas. We were told to mix everything together and dip the mushroom into the soft boiled egg. The dish was also flavoured with soy yuzu brown butter. Pretty good, but I wouldn’t say it was amazing.

Pan Roasted Halibut

Finally, something that seemed more like entree came. It was the Pan Roasted Halibut, which came with a side of pine nut raisin mix and some cauliflower puree. The halibut was moist and I loved the cauliflower puree that it was paired with. Not bad!

Half Duck

The last entree was the Half Duck, which was a huge dish! It came with a carrot cake puree with orange and spices. I found that the meat was way too salty though. This was a huge dish too, and it was almost too much to eat alone, especially since each course comes out one by one. I felt like it needed some sort of a side to go with it. We ended up packing more than half of it to take home.

Meringue

The last course was the Meringue. Again, it was plated really nicely, with yuzu curd, vanilla cream and coconut on the side. The meringue was quite sweet though, and was only good when balanced with the yuzu curd.

Overall, I found Pidgin to be just average. Was the food good? Yes, but nothing extraordinary or memorable. The plating is really nice and the portions will actually get you filled up, but it’s also quite pricey. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the service though.

Greedy Pig (Happy Hour)

October 30, 2014Leave a comment

On a Tuesday afternoon, we decided to head to Gastown to try Flying Pig’s happy hour menu. I’ve heard great things about the restaurant and was excited for this meal. Unfortunately, it was raining that day, and when we got there, the street along Flying Pig was completely out of power. They were not able to serve us, and we had to look for other food. Walking around, we found Greedy Pig, which I had visited for New Year’s Eve before. They also offered a happy hour menu, and although limited, we were tired and ready to just eat whatever.

House White Wine

I started off with the House White Wine, which was a pretty good deal at $5 a glass. It was served chilled and was subtly sweet.

Spanish Meatballs

To be honest, we weren’t too fond of the menu after sitting down. We decided to just share two dishes and head to a different restaurant instead. We ended up getting the Spanish Meatballs, which were a huge disappointment. The meatballs were extremely overcooked, dry, and rough. The only thing that helped was the zesty tomato sauce. It came topped with shaved grana padano, which is a popular Italian cheese. I wish there was more cheese though, as it was so little that it didn’t even make a difference to the dish.

Herb Crusted Baked Brie

Lastly, we got the Herb Crusted Baked Brie, which was also just average. I liked how they baked the brie so that it was crispy and flaky on the outer layer though. It came with some raspberry sauce, which always goes well with brie. A good amount of cheese to accompany the bread though.

Overall, we weren’t too fond of the Greedy Pig’s happy hour menu. Based on the dishes we tried, verything was just average, and nothing really stood out. There were quite a few people during happy hour though. I guess they have good prices for their drinks at the time.

Catch 122 Cafe Bistro

October 6, 2014October 6, 2014Leave a comment

Throughout the summer, I despserately wanted to hit some happy hour spots, just because work would start soon and the weather would turn terrible. Finally, K and I decided to head to Gastown and we ended up checking out Catch 122 Cafe Bistro. They offer happy hour from Tuesdays to Saturdays from 4pm to 6pm.

We got there right at 4pm, and I guess it was sort of an odd weekday, so we were literally the only diners. Shortly, there were another couple, but it’s definitely not very busy during these odd times. The interior is rustic yet hip. I loved the wooden furniture and spacious setting.

Beer Flight Paddle (4 X 5.5 oz) ($6.50)

For drinks, I decided to go for the Beer Flight Paddle, which is a great deal to try all their local craft beer on tap. It’s around $3 off the regular menu. Starting from the left, we have the Russell Eastern Promises Pilsner (5%). This was a Czech-style pilsner one of my favourites. I liked how it was light and crispy and had a touch of honey flavour. Next, was the Russell Blood Alley Bitter (5.5%), which was my least favourite. I didn’t like it mostly because I found it too bitter and dry. It did have a hint of grapefruit flavour though. Continuing to our right was the Driftwood Farmhand Belgian Ale (5.5%). This one is brewed in Victoria and is supposed to be Belgian in flavour. It was okay, but I found it to be on the bitter side. Last but not least, on the very right was the Driftwood Fat Tug IPA (7%). This was an Indian Pale Ale, and I liked how it was a fruity beer. It had notes of grapefruit, mango, melon, and passionfruit.

Salmon Tartare, 63º Quail Egg, Gaufrette Potato ‘Chips’ ($4)

For snacks, we started off with the Salmon Tartare. The food items are not discounted, so they are the same price as the dinner menu. However, they don’t offer the dinner menu during happy hour time.The salmon tartare came with a quail egg, which I mixed together. The tartare was flavoured well and the dill definitely brought lots of flavour to your palette. It came with potato chips so you could scoop the tartare. The plate is definitely very small, but very well done.

Mushroom Pâté, Olive, Hazelnut, Poppyseed Lavash ($3.50)

The second appetizer we got was the Mushroom Pâté, which was visually appealing. It looked like a little plant! The pâté was seasoned with olives, hazelnuts, and pepper. It was then topped with little mushrooms. Super cute! Around the pâté, there was a poppyseed lavash ring. The flatbread was crispy and great to scoop the pâté.

Based on just the happy hour menu, Catch 122 has good quality food. I can’t comment too much since I didn’t try most of their menu. However, I liked the atmosphere and I appreciate the fact that they put thought into their dishes, so it’s a bit more unique. Service wasn’t extraordinary, but it was available. I’d definitely return to try the rest of their menu. I hear their breakfast/brunch menu is quite good!

Tsuki Sushi Bar

July 4, 2013Leave a comment

I’m so behind on my posts again, but now that school is over, I’ll be more consistent with posting on time… Anyways, M, J and I wanted to grab some lunch and they put me in charge of where…as always. Trying to find something that everyone would enjoy and had good ratings, I ended up suggesting Tsuki Sushi Bar. The sign is pretty tiny, so I legit stood at the intersection for two minutes with my Google maps, trying to figure out where it was.

I was late, so the two had already gotten a seat. Inside, it’s very spacious, but there aren’t too many seats. I’m guessing it can be quite packed on a busy day. There’s also a sushi bar where you can see the sushi chefs prepare the sushi.

I love the wooden tables, and the lighting gives it a very clean and fresh look. We had a long table, so we did have to share a table with a few other diners, but we were still given enough space to have our own conversations.

Complementary Miso Soup

Shortly after placing our orders, we were each given a complimentary miso soup.

Sockeye Salmon

J got the Sockeye Salmon which was glistening in colour. It was fresh and sliced to the perfect size. Really good!

Enoki Mushroom Salad

M got an Enoki Mushroom Salad, which I believe isn’t on their menu normally. It was one of the items on their chalkboard for daily specials. It was flavoured nicely and was a refreshing appetizer.

Tuna Tataki – Seared Tuna with Ginger, Garlic, Tosazu Vinegar

J and I also shared the Tuna Tataki and the pieces were huge! I think you got around 5 pieces, but each piece was cut quite thick. It was lightly seared and there was a good bite to it.

I have no idea what M ordered, but I’m guessing the red nigiri is Sockeye Salmon. I think the white one was on their chalkboard, and I honestly have no clue what he ordered as the craft roll… It looks really good and he said it was delicious.

Smoked Salmon Nigiri, Scallop Special Nigiri, Special BC Roll(Seared Salmon and Ikura on top of BC Roll), Alaska Roll (Dungeness Crab, Cucumber, Masago w/ seared Sockeye, Mayo on top)

J got the Smoked Salmon Nigiri which was literally a piece of smoked salmon with a slice of lemon on top. Looked pretty good! As for myself, I got the Special Scallop Nigiri, and I enjoyed this as it was different from other restaurants where they slather a bunch of mayo on it. This one was strictly scallops, and you could feel the texture of each scallop. We also shared the Special BC Roll and Alaska Roll. The Special BC had salmon on top of an ordinary BC Roll, but the salmon was ever so lightly seared. It was also topped with lots of tobiko. Not bad! And the Alaska Roll was bascially like any other Alaska Roll, except they used dungeness crab instead of imitation crab.

I was quite pleased with each dish. It seemed that they took the time to craft them with care and they were all presented nicely. The price point also isn’t too bad. It’s actually quite reasonable for the quality of food you get. Most of the craft rolls were a little under $7 and they use some pretty good ingredients.

Meat & Bread

June 16, 2013Leave a comment

Finally! I can finally say I’ve tried Meat & Bread! I swear literally everyone has been here, and sadly, I have been too lazy to make my way to this awesome sandwich shop. M and I decided to go check it out, and we arrived shortly after noon on a weekday. And of course, we saw the line up that everyone talks about.

They mainly serve their signature sandwiches, and their infamous Porchetta Sandwich which made its appearance on Diners Drive Ins and Dives. However, they also have a daily sandwich everyday. I guess because their menu is so limited, they can focus on doing their best on those few and therefore they are consistent in their food.

The owner or co-owner also came out to greet us and she explained to us the menu since we told her it was our first time. Extremely friendly and awesome service! She also assured us that we would find a seat quickly even though the spot is small, but people usually eat and leave right away.

The line moved along quite fast. They’re efficient in taking orders and making their sandwiches, so we probably only waited for around 10 minutes. Not bad at all.

You can see how busy it is, but they get the line moving quick!

And I had to get a picture of the man chopping up the porchetta.

And here, he’s creating my sandwich! A decent amount of meat and topped it with some pork rinds to add crispiness as well.

And lastly, he topped it with some salsa verde, which is essentially green salsa (I guess my Spanish class is paying off). The salsa verde totally made the sandwich. The hint of tanginess was perfect!

Porchetta Sandwich

And here our M and I’s Porchetta Sandwiches! It comes with a glop of mustard as well, which is so delicious! Dip your sandwich in a bit of the mustard, and mixed with the salsa verde, it’s just perfect!

The bread is surprisingly not too tough. I always assume that this type of bread would be a little tough, but this wasn’t at all. Extremely easy to chew, but it definitely gets a little messy with the overflow of meat. Whenever you bite into the pork rind, you get the crispy texture as well which is awesome!

SIP Rosemary Lime Soda

Lastly, I finished it off with a SIP Rosemary Lime Soda. M and I both ended up getting drinks because they had such interesting drinks that we thought were pretty “hipster”. Okay, yea they look pretty cool, but we both agreed they didn’t taste as amazing as we imagined. My Rosemary Lime Soda definitely had a hint of rosemary and lime, but it also reminded me of detergent upon first taste… I guess the flavour grew on me after, and it wasn’t so bad in the end. M got the Lemonade and it was extremely sour. But again, he said it was alright after a while.

Now I know why Meat & bread has such great reviews and craze. They know how to make a good sandwich and they stick to the ones they’re good at. I’d actually love to try their other sandwiches as well, and for a gourmet sandwich, the price isn’t too bad for the amount you get. I was genuinely full by the end of my meal. They’ve also opened up another location to cater to all the business people.