Temper Pastry (Summer Soirée and New Menu Launch)

June 13, 2015June 13, 20151 Comment

NOTE: All food and beverages were complimentary as part of the Temper Pastry media event.

Last week The PR Company invited me to Temper Pastry for their summer soirée and new menu launch. Temper Pastry is located in the village of Dundarave in West Vancouver, which is an area I am not too familiar with. However, going along Marine Drive, I realized how beautiful this area is! Tons of cute cafés and boutiques in this seaside village. Temper has both seating indoors and outdoors. The patio was perfect to enjoy the sunny evening.

Owner and chef, Steven Hodge was on site and greeted me as I arrived. Steven actually grew up in Dundarave, but later moved to California to study business administration and then at Le Cordon Blue, specializing in pastry and chocolate. Steven has years of experience from all over the world, from apprenticing at Dominic’s Restaurant in West Hollywood to working in England at Gordon Ramsay’s 3 Michelin star restaurant. He then returned to Vancouver to work with Thomas Haas to fine tune his culinary skills. And just last January, he decided to open Temper to follow his culinary dreams.

Temper offers many take home chocolates and are perfect for gifts. I especially loved the chocolate animals.

And of course they offer their gourmet handcrafted chocolates. Any items that are coffee flavoured feature Stumptown coffee.

Temper offers some items for the summer. That evening, we got to sample some of these summer items as well as new menu items.

Pink Grapefruit Iced Tea

I started off trying their Pink Grapefruit Iced Tea, which was extremely refreshing and pretty to look at. There is just a slight grapefruit flavour without it being too tangy or sweet.

Almond Croissants

We also got to sample various croissants. Temper’s croissants go through a three-day process: a 17 hour-polish and 24 hour dough. He also uses high quality ingredients like European butter to ensure that the croissants are the flakiest they can be. I got to try the Almond Croissants, which I had high expectations for, knowing that he had trained under Thomas Haas. Thomas Haas definitely makes the best croissants in Vancouver in my opinion, and you can tell that Steven has learned to do just that. These croissants were flaky and melted in your mouth. There were also various truffles, which were also exceptional.

Lime and Coconut Fruit Tart, Passion Fruit Dessert (Back – left to right)
Rum Baba Parfait, Pistachio & Strawberry Parfait, Eton Mess Parfait, Lemon Yoghurt Mousse Parfait (Front – left to right)

Next were some of the new desserts, featuring a variety of parfaits. I didn’t actually end up trying all these, but I did get to sample the Rum Baba Parfait. Just like how a rum baba should be, the cake was moist and saturated with rum, although I found it rather sweet than strong in alcohol flavour. There was just the right amount of cream and there were some crunchy bits at the top to give it some texture. Delicious treat and I liked how it wasn’t too heavy.

What’s great about Temper is that they also support the local community. They actually feature their neighbouring business, Sebastian & Co Fine Meats Ltd. We got to sample some charcuterie and the meats were delicious! I especially enjoyed their salami and prosciutto.

Sebastian and Co. also sell cheese, so we got quite a variety of cheese to sample that night.

Loved the Smoked Gouda!

Drinks were also being served that evening. For wines, Tightrope Winery was a featured sponsor, and I got to try the Pinot Gris (2014). I liked how it had a fruity aroma to it.

Several breweries also sponsored beer that night. This included Bridge, Grolsh, Hoyne, Black Kettle, and Postmark. Unfortunately, I did not get around to trying all these.

Mini Ice Cream Bars

And then the Mini Ice Cream Bars rolled in! These are homemade and featured just for the summer. The perfect size without feeling too guilty! There are three flavours: almonds, chocolate, and vanilla. The little cups featured a caramel dessert which I forgot what the name was, but other guests mentioned they were really delicious!

Chocolate Mini Ice Cream Bar

I went for the Chocolate Mini Ice Cream Bar, which was absolutely delicious! Just the right amount of sweetness, and the chocolate inside was creamy smooth!

A snapshot of the interior of the chocolate mini ice cream bar.

Affogato Espresso with Vanilla Ice Cream

Next up, I sampled the Affogato Espresso with Vanilla Ice Cream. I’m not a regular coffee drinker, but I loved the contrast of hot and cold in this drink. The espresso is from Stumptown Coffee and the drink was smooth and creamy. If you love coffee and ice cream, then this is the perfect drink for you.

Longaniza Sausage

Last but not least, Temper had a barbeque going on, so we got to try some of Sebastian and Co.’s specialty sausages. That night, they had three sausages being grilled: Hot Italian, Longaniza, and Classic Pork. I believe I got the Longaniza since it tasted like chorizo. The sausage was flavoured with chilies and spices, and I added some grainy mustard to my hot dog. Super tasty without an overwhelming amount of heat.

Guests left with a gift bag, which featured some of Temper’s chocolates. This included Temper’s Signature Dark Chocolate Bar, which I really enjoyed. A slight bitterness to it, but extremely smooth chocolate.

We also got some truffles and chocolates including, a Ganache, Pina Colada Truffle and Salty Ball, which has won an award. The Salty ball is chocolate enrobed in liquid caramel! Delicious!

Overall, I was extremely impressed with Temper’s chocolates and pastries. Steven’s creations show the years of experiences he has gone through in perfecting his skills. I guess I will have to make trips out to West Vancouver to try out more of his desserts now! Thanks to Naz from the PR company and Steven for inviting me to this wonderful event!

Joe Fortes (Happy Hour)

June 5, 2015June 6, 2015Leave a comment

Joe Fortes has been around for a long time and it’s known for their seafood and steak. They are your classic North American restaurant and a prime spot for both tourists and locals. Their regular menu can be a bit on the pricey side, so what better way to enjoy than to try some of their bar items by going for happy hour! They offer happy hour from 4-6pm daily and the best part is they have buck a shuck oysters! S, N and I headed over and we were slightly earlier than 4pm, but the hostess still seated us knowing that we were here for happy hour. So be sure to get there early and you’ll be guaranteed a spot!

Orchard Hill Red Roof Apple Cider

We started off with some drinks, although we ordered off their regular menu. However, they do have happy hour drinks with highballs, house wine and Molson pints on deal for $5. I chose the Orchard Hill Red Roof Apple Cider instead, and this was light and crisp without being overly sweet. Very refreshing!

“Buck a Shuck” Oyster

Of course we had to go for the Buck a Shuck Oysters. They are literally only $1 each, which is a steal!The oysters were served on top of ice and served with a classic cocktail sauce and horse radish. They also give you Tabasco sauce for those who like it spicy. The oysters were quite large but they were still very sweet! No bits of shell at all in any of mine! That’s a sign of a good oyster shucker. I’d definitely say Joe Fortes is one of my top favourites for oysters. Probably just after Rodney’s, but Rodney’s happy hour is slightly more than a $1.

Joe’s Shrimp Ceviche

Their happy hour is actually quite extensive and you get to choose from a large variety of snacks. We went for Joe’s Shrimp Ceviche, which featured a mix of shrimp, jalapeno, avocado and tomatoes. This was served with corn chips. The shrimps were very tiny, but they were still fresh and bouncy. Probably not my favourite ceviche, but it’s not bad. I would’ve liked a bit more tang to it.

Mini Lobster & Shrimp Rolls

And then we got their infamous Mini Lobster & Shrimp Rolls. These are a must order at happy hour! The buns are filled with shrimp, Atlantic lobster meat and a classic French mayonnaise sauce. You actually get quite a bit of lobster here, so it’s definitely a good deal. Plus, something about the rolls are just so delicious. They are buttery and super soft but crispy on the edges.

Oyster Rockefeller

Lastly, we got the Oyster Rockefellers, which I also highly recommend. An order comes with four large local oysters, which have a spinach base and topped with hollaindaise sauce. The oysters are huge! It’s like an eggs benedict but with an oyster instead. I loved the creamy spinach along with the sauce. A slight bit of paprika sprinkled on top gives it some extra flavour.

Overall, we were extremely pleased with Joe Fortes. They are definitely the place to go for Happy Hour. Service was also very attentive, professional and friendly. Ambiance is rustic and traditional, but no need to dress up. Perfect spot to stop by while shopping on Robson.

Pros:
– Great happy hour menu (must order oysters and shrimp and lobster rolls!)
– Professional service

Cons:
– Restaurant can be busy so may need to wait sometimes

Price Range: $20-30 (Happy hour)

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

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

Ramen Butcher

June 4, 2015June 4, 2015Leave a comment

Ramen Butcher opened up earlier this year in Chinatown and was definitely one of the most talked about ramen shops for a good time. They are part of the Menya Kouji franchise, which is a Japanese restaurant group with many ramen shops in Asia. The chefs are all trained under Yamagishi Kazuo, who is the inventor of tsukemen, a type of ramen noodles.

Everyone has been talking about the line ups, and I’m definitely someone who hates waiting. So a few months down the line, I was ready to check this place out, hoping the hype would’ve died down. And it definitely did. We had no wait when we arrived shortly just before 6pm, and the shop remained rather quiet throughout the meal. There were diners, but the tables were not fully occupied.

Orange – Tonkotsu broth with miso marinated ground pork

At Ramen Butcher, their ramens are colour coded. Although most of their soup bases are tonkotsu (pork) based, they put a spin on it with spicy, pesto, and garlic flavoured pastes. S went for the Orange, which has the tonkotsu pork broth with rich miso marinated ground pork. It also comes with aburi pork chashu, which you can choose fatty or lean, and a medium boiled marinated egg. S chose lean chashu and it was pretty much your typical chashu without any fat. The noodles here are much more thin and they are freshly made. I actually really enjoyed the tonkotsu pork broth along with the miso flavouring. It wasn’t too salty although we did find the soup a little on the oily side.

Black – Tonkotsu broth with roasted garlic oil

For myself, I got the Black, which features tonkotsu pork broth with roasted garlic oil, aburi pork chashu, and a medium boiled marinated egg. The broth definitely appeared black in colour, and my first reaction to the broth was that it tasted very unique. You get a strong roasted garlic flavour for sure, which I actually quite enjoyed. For my chashu, i chose fatty, and my piece of chashu was literally 90% fat! The fat is more chewy than the “melt in your mouth fat”, but it actually wasn’t that bad. It didn’t leave a fatty residue in your mouth afterwards. The medium boiled egg was also made quite well, with the yolk being runny.

Oh and did I mention that they offer free noodles once you finish your first bowl of noodles and still have soup left? Just let your server know and they will bring you a bowl of noodles to add to your existing soup. We were actually quite full from our first bowl already, but this is great for those who have a large appetite! Overall, Ramen Butcher is a decent ramen joint to try. It seems like people have negative reviews on Ramen Butcher, but I really don’t think it’s as bad as they say. Of course, I would still prefer some of the other ramen joints, like Santouka, but Ramen Butcher is still a great option. Is it so good that I would make a trip out of the way to Ramen Butcher? Probably not. But if I was around Chinatown, it would definitely be an option.

Pros:
– Free noodle refill
– Tonkotsu broth is quite delicious

Cons:
– Broth is a little on the greasy side

Price Range: $10-15

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

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

Chatime – ChineseBites Media Event

June 3, 2015June 4, 20151 Comment

NOTE: All food and beverages were comped

The other week, I was invited by ChineseBites to attend the Chatime media event. This was the Broadway location, but they have opened up stores on Robson and in Richmond as well. They are the #1 bubble tea brand in the world and have over 1200 locations worldwide.

We got to try their top 10 drinks, which included:

1. Pearl Milk Tea
2. Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea
3. Taro Pudding Milk Tea
4. Brown Rice Green Milk Tea
5. Taiwan Mango QQ
6. Matcha Red Bean Milk Tea
7. Mango Smoothie
8. Red Bean Pearl Milk Tea
9. Matcha Tea Latte
10. Chocolate Mousse

You can also customize your drink with pearls, grass jelly, coconut jelly, red bean, coffee jelly, aloe vera, rainbow jelly and pudding.

They have two sizes – regular or large. Their large size is basically the size of the regular bubble teas elsewhere. The great thing about Chatime is that you can customize ice and sugar level.

They are famous for their teas, which are brewed fresh in store, using tea leaves and other high quality natural ingredients. Therefore, they rely on natural flavours without the use of preservatives, pre-made tea or tea powders.

There is a decent amount of seating, and the interior is bright and modern.

Taro Pudding Milk Tea and Mango Smoothie

I decided to try the Taro Pudding Milk Tea, with regular sugar and ice levels. You could immediately tell that they used fresh taro, since the drink was rather gritty with the taro bits. The pudding was smooth, but I wished that pudding was chopped up a bit, since I found it hard to get through the straw. S got the Mango Smoothie, which was refreshing with a slight tang. The ice wasn’t blended fully, so you got some bits of ice, which I enjoyed.

Chatime also treated us to some of their in house desserts and fruits. I’m not sure if they actually sell these during regular hours though.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with Chatime, and since it’s right near work, I’ll likely be visiting soon again. Thanks to ChineseBites for the invite!

Pros:
– Tea based drinks are of high quality
– Sugar and ice levels can be customized

Cons:
– Slightly on the pricey side for bubble tea

Price Range: $5-10

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

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

Mama’s Fish and Chips

May 23, 2015May 24, 2015Leave a comment

On a sunny Friday, my coworkers and I decided to head down Granville St. in search of lunch. We decided to check out the food trucks, and we found Mama’s Fish and Chips parked at Granville and West 10th. Just look for the black truck with a cartoon fish painted. I’m not sure if they move around or if they’re always at this location.

Their menu is mostly fish and chips of course, but they also have salmon sandwiches and crispy prawns. Prices are quite reasonable for fish and chips. The wait is rather long though at around 15 minutes or so after you place the order. I was hoping a food truck would be a quicker option than at a sit in restaurant, but it’s not really.

2 pcs Fish and Chips

I got the 2 pcs Fish and Chips to share with S and the portion was actually quite large. It comes with a side of coleslaw, fries, and some tartar sauce. The first thing I noticed was how dark the fish was fried. It was an golden orange, which I’m not sure if that means the oil is rather old. I was expecting a lighter yellow. However, the fish was very crispy. It was moist, but I wouldn’t say this is one of the top spots for Fish and Chips. Fries were crispy, but they didn’t wow me. As for the coleslaw, this was actually quite flavourful. Overall, the fish and chips are decent, but I wouldn’t say they are the top in Vancouver.

Pros:
– Decent fish and chips
– Reasonable prices

Cons:
– The wait to get your food is rather long

Price Range: $15-20

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

Food: 3 Service: 2.5 Ambiance: N/A Parking: N/A Overall: 3

Earls (Broadway)

May 15, 2015May 15, 2015Leave a comment

The Royale with Cheese

Earls is currently having a limited time menu for their new gourmet burgers. For lunch, we decided to head down to Broadway and Fir and most of us ended up giving these burgers a try. StevieD got the Royale with Cheese, which features a freshly baked brioche bun with a certified Angus beef patty topped with dry cured bacon, caramelized onion, lettuce and tomatoes. The cheese is a mix of smoked applewood cheddar, regular cheddar and Monterey and the sauce is a mushroom ketchup. It comes with a side of fries which are very crispy.

Fish and Chips

And of course S got the Fish and Chips, which is always his go to dish. These are beer battered Icelandic cod and comes with a side of house tartar and coleslaw. As always, he says they are delicious.

The Forager

E and I each got the Forager, which is perfect for vegetarians. It features a hand-chopped mushroom burger with crisp red onions, mayonnaise, cheddar, fresh lettuce and pickles. The mushroom patty is tossed in olive oil, parmesan cheese, rolled oats, and oregano. Again, it came with a side of crispy fries.

The Forager was very delicious and a good alternative to the meat patty. The mushroom patty was very well seasoned. The burger was quite messy to eat but was very delicious. Overall, it’s a great time to try out these new gourmet burgers as they are only available for a limited time from April 22 – June 16, 2015. They are also running a social media contest where you can win burgers for four! Check out their website or in store for more information!

Pros:
– Limited time gourmet burgers
– Good service

Cons:
– Food is consistent but average

Price Range: $20-30

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

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

Rajio

May 13, 2015Leave a comment

Rajio is the third sister company of Suika and Kingyo. Rajio has been on my to visit list for some time now since I love izakaya food and I’ve been pleased with my experiences at its sister restaurants. I gave them a call at around 5:30 asking for a table at 6:00 and the waitress told me yes, but only until 7:00 and that I could come even earlier. No problem since we weren’t going to eat for long anyways, so an hour was perfect.

When we arrived, the restaurant was starting to pick up with the arrival of many other diners. While seating us, the waitress stressed to us again that we would only have the seat until 7:00pm. We get it! She seriously didn’t have to repeat it so many times… Anyways, the interior of the restaurant is quirky with Disney lights and wooden tables. It’s quite a small restaurant, so I would suggest making reservations.

Dinner started off with complimentary salad. The salad used a type of cabbage that I’ve never had before. The texture was quite thick and hard and was quite flavourless. The dressing was quite delicious though, with a bit of sweet and tangy flavour to it. Would much prefer Suika’s salad though.

Black Sweet & Sour Pork Rib

We started off with the Black Sweet & Sour Pork Rib, which came sizzling hot and looking impressive on the plate. The pork ribs were slightly battered and fried and topped with a balsamic vinegar sauce. It had a tangy sweetness to it and was very flavourful. I especially liked the parts which had some fat to it since the meat around those areas were very tender. Some other parts of the meat were rather overcooked and became very dry. I was worried that there would be more bones than meat, but it proved me wrong. Tons of meat for you!

Imperial Kitchen Tested Peking Chicken

Next was the Imperial Kitchen Tested Peking Chicken. This was crispy chicken skin with green onion and Rajio’s original sweet bean glaze wrapped in a warm soft tortilla. S and I were both underwhelmed by this. The portion was so small as well! It only came with 3 small rolls. The chicken skin was crispy, but that was about it. Nothing too special and you really don’t get much value out of it.

Kakuni Bibimbap Stone Bowl

Lastly was the Kakuni Bibimbap Stone Bowl, which featured stewed pork belly, glazed with peppery sweet soy, and placed on top of rice with green onion and savory shrimp. The pork belly was juicy and very tender. The waitress mixed this up for us and the overall dish was very flavourful. You can never go wrong with some juicy pork belly!

And 10 minutes before 7:00, the waitress came by again to make sure we were going to be out by 7:00. Clearing up our plates and letting us know it would be our last call. Like seriously, we get it. No need to be so pushy. Overall, service was pushy and food was just average. Nothing really blew my mind and made me excited to come back and try the rest of their menu. I’d much rather just return to Suika, Kingyo or even Guu.

Pros:
– Fun, quirky ambiance
– Decent izakaya items

Cons:
– Service was pushy
– From the items I tried, nothing blew my mind

Price Range: $15-30

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

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

Chatime (Broadway)

May 12, 20151 Comment

Chatime is a Taiwanese bubble tea chain store and has franchises all around the world. In Vancouver, they have actually been selling their bubble tea inside Chef Hung restaurants, but they never had their own storefront. However, last month, they expanded in several locations around the Greater Vancouver. I believe they have one on Robson, one in Richmond and one on Broadway. Conveniently, the Richmond location is a few blocks away from my house, but the grand opening promotion had already passed for that location. Since Broadway’s location is also extremely close to work, I decided to head down there after work to take advantage of their grand opening promotion.

For the first week, they offered buy one get one free drinks. The free drink was either the Pearl Milk Tea or Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea. A really good deal!

As for your first drink, you can choose from their large assortment of drinks. They specialize in their tea drinks, so of course we tried one from their fresh tea line. They also have small or large sizes. The small is quite small compared to your typical bubble tea, yet the prices are around the same. Chatime definitely is on the pricier side, so the promo was great.

The great thing about Chatime is that they offer customization. They will always ask you for your sugar and ice option. This is great for people who are conscious about their sugar intake and I especially liked the ice option as I usually like my drinks to have less ice.

Service was not the quickest that day, but it can be understandable since they just opened.

Brown Rice Green Milk Tea & Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea

We decided to get the Brown Rice Green Milk Tea, which we opted for less sugar and less ice. This was delicious! You don’t normally see brown rice flavoured milk tea on the menu at other bubble tea shops, so we had to give this a try. Tasted basically like milk tea, but it had a hint of wheat flavour to it. This was a large size, and it came to be the same size as typical bubble teas. As we had purchased a large bubble tea, we got the free bubble tea also in a large size. We chose the Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea, which is a must try. The grass jelly is not super sweet, but was very smooth and soft. The milk tea itself was smooth and had a roasted flavour to it. Way better than your typical milk tea. I also find that their consistency is much more thin, rather than being very thick and milky. I actually prefer this consistency as you don’t get as filled up.

Overall, I’m super happy that there is a new bubble tea shop right by work and also home. They are on the pricey side, at around $5 for a large sized drink, but the quality of the drinks are great! Also a good amount of seating to enjoy your drink.

Pros:
– Roasted Milk Tea is delicious!
– Sugar and ice options

Cons:
– Service was a bit slow
– On the pricier side

Price Range: $5

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

Food: 4 Service: 2.5 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 3 Overall: 3.5

Every Day is a Food Day

Category: Vancouver

Temper Pastry (Summer Soirée and New Menu Launch)

Joe Fortes (Happy Hour)

Ramen Butcher

Chatime – ChineseBites Media Event

Mama’s Fish and Chips

Earls (Broadway)

Rajio

Chatime (Broadway)