Guu Garlic (Robson)

August 7, 2013Leave a comment

For my birthday dinner, J took me to Guu Garlic on Robson St. I’ve never been to this location and I heard that each Guu has a different menu, so I was pretty excited to see what was different. We sat at the bar and we could see the chef preparing our food. I still don’t understand how they can just yell the orders and remember what to make. Their communication and teamwork skills are definitely great here.

Kimchi Udon – marinated udon with cod roe, soy sauce, butter, kimchi & green onion

I always get the normal Yakiudon, so this time we tried the Kimchi Udon. It’s not exactly kimchi on the noodles, but the flavour is a kimchi flavour. I’m guessing they didn’t use traditionally prepared kimchi. The noodles were similar to the yakiudon one, and were cooked until chewy. I still prefer the original yakiudon over this one though.

Ishiyaki – Today’s hot stone bowl dish

We also decided to try the Ishiyaki, which is a hot stone bowl with whichever rice they were serving on the day. I don’t exactly remember what the waitress described the dish as, but it reminded me of Italian flavours. Here, she began to mix the rice before I got a picture.

This is what it looks like after it is mixed thoroughly. The rice is filled with meat, tomatoes, green onions, onions and some other ingredients. We definitely thought it didn’t taste like something you would eat at a Japanese restaurant. The flavours were very westernized and I personally thought it tasted like Italian rice.

Tuna Tataki – lightly seared tuna sashimi with green onion, garlic chips & ponzu sauce

Tuna Tataki is always included in my usual orders. This one was seared really well so that the inside was still raw. I’ve had it a couple of times where the tuna is over-seared.

Salmon Carpaccio – Sokeye salmon carpaccio

I’ve had the Salmon Carpaccio at the Richmond location before, and it is always one of my favourites. This was once again executed very well. I just love the sauce and dressing they use on it. Tons of flavour and the salmon is fresh.

Grilled Japanese “Kurobuta” Sausage

Lastly, we ordered the Grilled Japanese “Kurobuta” Sausage from the daily special menu. Kurobuta is the famous Japanese term for pork meat from a Berkshire pig. These pigs are black and are a rare breed, hence the dishes are usually more expensive than a dish made from the typical breeds. These pigs are originated from England, but they are also bred in Japan, and therefore called Kurobuta if they are bred in Japan. They are prized for their juiciness, tenderness, and flavour. It also has much more fat than normal pork meat. These sausages had a crisp outer layer and the inside was definitely much more juicy. They came along with two dips. One was a mustard seed sauce, which I really enjoyed. I thought the red dip was ketchup, but my sausage became really spicy! I later realized it was a spicy ketchup.

We didn’t end up getting dessert or finishing our meal since we had an emergency and had to leave halfway. The servers were very accommodating and cancelled our dessert order right away. I really wanted to try their dessert too… it had green tea ice cream in it. Oh well, next time!

The Famous Warehouse

July 9, 20132 Comments

I finally met up with the people from my school who are going to Barcelona with me for exchange! K suggested we go to The Famous Warehouse for lunch to talk about our traveling plans over some cheap food and drinks. I’ve heard of this eatery before but never knew where it was exactly. I’ve probably walked by it multiple times as it’s located right on Granville, just a little past the shops and right next to multiple clubs. No wonder people come here for drinks and food before and after clubbing. Don’t expect good service at all, because the selling point of this eatery is their cheap food. All at $4.95. The place is pretty much like a pub, and it definitely smells like a pub. After waiting for around 20 minutes with no one acknowledging us, a customer who was leaving tells us there are spots in the back. We walk a few steps in, and a server finally talks to us and takes us in. We were then served by a lady, who I have to say gave decent service compared to the reviews I’ve read online. She checked up on us, which I was surprised after reading such terrible reviews.

K got a glass of beer and Yam Fries, while U got a glass of white wine, which was poured in a highball glass… Pretty weird. She also got the Twisted Greens and added chicken to it for another $2.

Mushroom Jack Burger – premium Alberta beef, sauteed mushrooms, gravy, macho sauce, Monterrey jack, toasted brioche bun, shreeded lettuce, tomato, pickle

For myself, I had read some reviews before hand, and most diners agreed that the burgers were the most decent. I got myself the Mushroom Jack Burger, which was a fair size. Not as big as other restaurant, but definitely not a slider. Maybe the size of a McDonald’s burger. It also came with a side of Peppered Fries, which I couldn’t finish in the end. The beef patty was moist, and there was an abundant of mushrooms. I have to say it was a decent burger, especially at the price. I also got myself a Palm Bay, which ended up being more expensive than my meal.

I think they make money through their drinks, because all their drinks are priced higher than your actual meal. My Palm Bay was around $5, and it’s probably one of the cheapest alcoholic drinks you can get on the menu. Oh, and they don’t list the prices of beverages on the menu, so you don’t really know how much you’re paying for until you get your bill. I think most of our bills ended up over $10. The place also seems to always be busy. It’s a great place to go if you’re just looking for cheap food and don’t care about service or waiting. If that’s not your cup of tea, then definitely avoid it.

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.

Old Speghetti Factory (Gastown)

May 8, 2013Leave a comment

Since it was dinner time and we were in downtown, J suggested we go to The Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown. I’m not a big fan of the family chain restaurant since I’ve had some pretty bad experiences with the food, but J insisted that they had some great salad, so I decided to give it another shot. The place is definitely a family restaurant, and since we went for an early dinner, we were seated immediately. The Gastown location is said to be haunted too which makes everything a little more spooky! In the middle of the restaurant is an electric trolley. It is said that a train conductor died in a crash years ago and that people have seen his ghostly figure in pictures. Kind of creepy, since we were seated right next to the trolley.

Classic Sourdough Bread with Whipped Garlic and Plain Butter

All items that you order that are under the “It’s all included” menu include some bread, soup or salad and dessert. To start off, we were given the Classic Sourdough Bread with Whipped Garlic and Plain Butter. This was decent and I especially liked the Whipped Garlic.

Crisp Green Salad with Low-Fat Sesame Dressing

J chose the Crisp Green Salad with Low-Fat Sesame Dressing, since he said the dressing was really good the last time he had it. I took a bite and it definitely was pretty good. The dressing was sort of a vinaigrette based dressing with a hint of sesame flavour.

Clam Chowder

As for myself, I chose a soup isntead of the salad. You normally get a Minestrone Soup, but I chose to add $2.25 to substitute for a Clam Chowder. It was thick and creamy, but I’ve definitely had better Clam Chowder. It was just alright.

Pot-Pourri Spaghetti with Meat, Mushroom and Clam Sauce

And onto our entrees, we got of course some spaghetti! Since I couldn’t decide which sauce to get, I ended up getting the Pot-Pourri Spaghetti, which included all three of their most popular sauces. The last time I had spaghetti here, it was just watery and disgusting. This time, it wasn’t watery, but it still wasn’t any better. The meat sauce wasn’t anything special and I swear I could just buy the sauce off the shelf. The mushroom sauce tasted pretty much like the meat sauce except with mushrooms. The only sauce that I thought was decent was the clam sauce which actually had many pieces of clams in it.

Spaghetti with Spicy Meat Sauce

As for J, he got the Spaghetti with Spicy Meat Sauce. This too, wasn’t any good. The sauce wasn’t flavourful and you could just taste the spaghetti with a hint of spice to it. Anyone could have made this dish.

Spumoni Ice Cream

For dessert, J got the Spunomi Ice Cream, which was a mixture of pistachio, chocolate and vanilla. I thought it tasted extremely weird and wasn’t a big fan of it.

Vanilla Ice Cream

For myself, I got the Vanilla Ice Cream. I’m usually a big fan of ice cream, and will literally eat any ice cream no matter how full I am, but I only took a few spoons of this. I was just dissatisfied with my meal and the ice cream wasn’t even good.

Overall, we were pretty disappointed with our meal. The food is decently priced with all the items that are included in your meal, but the quality just isn’t up to par. We left with half our dishes finished cause it was that bad.

Wings Restaurants and Pubs (Granville)

May 6, 2013Leave a comment

Last Wednesday, I met with my Pre-Law Society for a wrap-up dinner to a great year! It has definitely been one of my favourite clubs I joined throughout my university time. Tons of fun with a great team and I will surely miss them next year! We settled for Wings Restaurants & Pubs at the Granville location. There was a Canucks game on that night, but suprisingly the place wasn’t that packed. We had made reservations prior to secure seats anyways.

House White Wine & Fusilli with Chicken in Garlic White Wine Sauce

Unlike many pubs and bars, Wings does not offer Wings Wednesdays. The wings are regular priced like on any other day. However, they do have Pasta Wednesdays! I decided to get that since I wasn’t exactly in the mood for wings that night. You get to build your pasta for only $7.98! What a deal. I chose Fussili with the Garlic White Wine Sauce and topped it with Chicken. The portion was not as large as many restaurants, but it was enough to fill me up. And for a little under $8, it is definitely worth it. Don’t expect anything amazing though. It’s literally just cooked pasta, with a simple sauce and some chicken. It was topped with some cheese and also came with a slice of garlic bread, which I found a little flavourless. As for my drink, I got the House White Wine, which I forgot what the name was… A little dry for my liking though.

Overall, my experience was alright at Wings. I don’t expect much at a pub, and I wouldn’t say our waitress was extremely friendly, but she got things done. It’s also a great place to catch the games as they have televisions at almost every corner of the wall.

Book Kyung Ban Jeom

April 5, 2013April 27, 2013Leave a comment

Book Kyung Ban Jeom is located on Robson St. where the rest of the Korean restaurants are located. It seems that there is this one little strip that is just filled with Koreans!

The restaurant is filled with mostly Korean families and young diners. The promotions on the wall are also all in Korean, so you basically don’t know what they are unless you’re Korean. The menu, however, has both English and Korean.

Side Dishes

The side dishes aren’t exactly the ones I prefer. They included yellow daikon and radish in a kimchi-like sauce.

Tang Suyuk

We ordered the Tang Suyuk, which reminded me of the Chinese sweet and sour prok. I believe this actually beef though. The outer layer is thin and crispy and not too greasy. It’s quite a large dish, so great to share. The sauce is thick and gooey, but not more on the sweet side than sour.

Ja Jang Myeon

We each got a Ja Jang Myeon, which is essentially the Ja Jiang Mian that Chinese people eat. However, the sauce and fillings are completely different! It’s a very gooey sauce and filled with lots of onions. I’m not a big fan of onions, so I actually prefer the Chinese style much more. The sauce is also much more focused on the sweet side, rather than the spicy side. An interesting variation!

Ebisu (Robson)

February 14, 2013April 28, 2013Leave a comment

Friday night, I went to Ebisu on Robson St. to celebrate a friend’s birthday. The Robson store is not that much different from the one in Richmond, although they seem to have a larger menu as well as drinks.

Chopped Scallop Roll

I got the Chopped Scallop Roll because I pretty much get it at every Japanese restaurant. It was average and nothing too special.

Chicken Karaage – deep fried boneless chicken served with sweet honey-mustard and Cajun mayonnaise

I also got the Chicken Karaage which was a huge portion. They actually have a one person size too, but we got the larger one. The pieces of chicken were much larger than I had expected, but since it was boneless, all was good. The batter was decent, although quite oily. I enjoyed the honey-mustard which tasted a little like plum sauce, and the Cajun mayonnaise was a little spicy.

Hamachi Inferno – yellowtail box pressed in shiso, burdock, shiitake, sesame and sushi rice seared!

Ebisu is famous for their inferno sushi, so I finally decided to try it. They have 3 fishes to choose from: saba, hamachi or toro. I chose the Hamachi Inferno, and it was presented to us raw.

Then the waitress brought over a lighter, and seared the sushi in front of us. Pretty cool to watch the colour turn.

And here’s the final product! The fish was soft and definitely a different texture from raw hamachi. I found that the sushi rice was a little harder than usual though, but it was definitely something different to eat.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with the food and service at the Robson Ebisu. They offer a variety of interesting rolls as well, so their menu is quite extensive.