Liquids & Solids

March 2, 2015March 2, 2015Leave a comment

Liquids & Solids is just a few blocks away from work and is perfect whenever you feel like some soup and sandwich. You can grab lunch, which will fill you up for around $10, which is pretty decent around the Broadway area. The shop is bustling at lunch time and you need to first line up to order. They then call your name and you can grab your order to go or to dine in. They offer mainly soups and sandwiches, but also quiches. They change their menu daily, so you may see some daily specials.

Heavenly Pesto Chicken and Salmon Chowder

On the first occasion, D recommended I try the Heavenly Pesto Chicken. This was delicious! The sandwich was filled with slow roasted chicken topped with aged cheddar, spinach, tomatoes and their popular pesto aioli. This was grilled up on sourdough, which was toasted perfect. The sandwiches are around $7.95, and you can add an extra $2 for soup. I chose the Salmon Chowder, which was filled with salmon pieces and vegetables. Very flavourful!

Cheesus Crust and Chili

E got the Cheesus Crust, which features a blend of cheddar, provolone, Parmesan and blue cheese. It is topped with a cilantro pesto, roasted red pepper antipasta and a touch of sour cream. She said it was very cheesy and had a slight heat. She also added the Chili to her meal.

Jack Daniel’s Pulled Pork and Chili

On another occasion, I had the Jack Daniel’s Pulled Pork, which featured slow roasted pork cooked for hours in Jack Daniel’s sauce. It was topped with carmelized onions and served grilled on Yukon gold, scallion foccacia bread. I also had the Chili which was filled with beans and shredded meat. The chili wasn’t too spicy, but full of ingredients and flavour.

The pulled pork was very moist and was slightly sweet. You couldn’t really taste the alcohol in it. Overall, great sandwiches and soups and reasonable prices. Not much service, but they are still friendly.

Pros:
– Great variety of sandwiches and soups
– Reasonable prices

Cons:
– Not much service
– Not too many seats for larger groups

Price Range: $5-15

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

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

Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France

February 14, 2015Leave a comment

It’s the 5th year that Vancouver has hosted the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival. From January 17 until today, February 14, 2015, a list of shops offer hot chocolate flavours that may not normally be on their normal menu. We decided to check out Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France, which is hidden away just off Main Street. The sign is so small, that it was actually difficult to locate.

They offered the following hot chocolates which they said are exclusive to this festival:

“Marocchino”
Classic Italian drink: half drinking chocolate, half espresso.

“Praliné Chocolat”
Liquid house made Nutella: drinking chocolate + hazelnut praline.

“Lavande Classique”
Available only once a year, during the hot chocolate festival, the simple but classic lavender hot chocolate is back by popular demand.

“Aztec Glacé”
Anne’s favorite iced hot chocolate. Spicy, hot, cold, salty and sweet. Purely addictive.

All hot chocolates are also served with a meringue of your choice. They didn’t have any meringues, but offered either their house-made truffles or toffee.

The interior is really small and homey, but there are still a few seats if you want to sit down and drink your hot chocolate. They offer chocolates, waffles, and take home products like jam.

A display case of chocolates and as you can see, their meringues were sold out.

I chose the Orange Blossom Truffle which was complimentary with my drink. Loved that hint of orange blossom.

Lavande Classique

I chose the Lavande Classique. Very strong in chocolate flavour, but I found that the lavender aroma wasn’t strong enough. Very smooth though.

Orange Blossom Hot Chocolate

K decided to go for their original menu and went for their Orange Blossom Hot Chocolate. You can order just plain hot chocolate for $4 and add a flavour of your choice for $0.50. It tasted basically like my truffle, but I still found that the flavour wasn’t very strong in their drinks. If you order from their regular menu, then you don’t get a complimentary truffle or toffee.

Overall, we thought the hot chocolates were decent. They didn’t look special like the ones at Bel Cafe or Mink. Just came in a simple paper cup and no decorations. we found it pretty pricey since they weren’t really special, other than the flavours. Friendly service though.

Pros:
– Cute coffee and hot chocolate shop
– Decent hot chocolate and friendly service

Cons:
– Nothing too special for the price you pay

Price Range: $5-10

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

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

Zipang Provisions

February 4, 2015February 4, 2015Leave a comment

After work on a Friday night, I was looking forward to try Toshi Sushi to see what the hype was all about. Arriving at around 6pm, the place was already packed, with a long list of diners waiting and the restaurant itself was pretty small. So instead, we did some searching, and I suggested we try Zipang Provisions, which is also on Main St.

The restaurant looked almost like a bar from the outside, and didn’t seem like a Japanese restaurant. Inside, the interior was filled with wooden tables and benches and ropes. A very modern and hipster decor. The restaurant was also filled with mostly Caucasians, but I guess the clientele in this area is mostly non-Asian. One interesting thing we noticed was that almost all of the diners were families with young children. I guess they really cater to families and children here. Anyways, the sushi chefs and waitresses all looked Japanese and were very friendly.

Even their glasses of water were super hipster and came in Mason jars.

Chicken Yakiudon

We started off with the Chicken Yakiudon. Flavour-wise, I found it quite different from your typical Japanese restaurants. It came with assorted vegetables, and we chose Chicken as our protein. The noodles were glistening in the sauce and was quite flavourful.

Love Shuffle and Zipang Roll

We also chose two of their sushi rolls. First was the Love Shuffle, which was filled with 2 pieces of prawn tempura, cucumber and mayo. They were topped with alternating ingredients of salmon, avocado and mango. Each was topped with a masago roe. Not bad. Sort of like your typical rainbow roll. The second roll we got was the Zipang Roll, which was wrapped with soy sheet and filled with scallop, salmon, cucumber, and radish sprouts. I liked the change from seaweed to soy sheet. Their sushis aren’t large, but they are all made with care. A good rice to filling ratio with quality ingredients.

Overall, Zipang Provisions is a tad pricier than some sushi joints, but you get quality over quantity here. Plus, service was really friendly. I’d like to point out that we actually found a piece of hair on one of our rolls, but the server acted very professionally, apologized, and got the chef to prepare us a new roll.

Pros:
– Service is really friendly
– Ambiance is cool and hip, but still great for families

Cons:
– Service was just average
– Restaurant can get a little loud with all the children

Price Range: $15-25

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

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

The Sandbar – DOVF 2015

February 1, 2015February 1, 2015Leave a comment

Wok Charred Albacore Tuna

For our work’s squad lunch, we went to The Sandbar restaurant in Granville Island. It’s part of the Sequoia group of restaurants, like Seasons in the Park and they offered the $28 lunch menu during the Dine Out Vancouver Festival. Most of us started off with the Wok Charred Albacore Tuna for our appetizer. The tuna was crusted with sesame and lightly seared so the middle was still raw. Very fresh and combined with the pickled ginger, it was very refreshing. It also came with a wasabi aioli, but it lacked any wasabi flavour. The dish also came with some crispy wontons to eat with the tuna, which gave the whole dish a very Asian flare.

Seafood Hot Pot

For the entree, I chose the Seafood Hot Pot, which came with loads of seafood! It include bok choy, salmon, snapper, clams, mussels, prawns, and even a scallop. All the seafood was really fresh and it came in a red coconut curry broth. The broth was a very thin consistency soup and was very aromatic in coconut flavour. There was barely any spice, but it was perfect for dipping the complimentary bread into.

Wood Grilled Steelhead Salmon

A got the Wood Grilled Steelhead Salmon, which had a very nice char to it. It came on top of some bok choy and coconut jasmine rice, which sat above the tomato fennel broth. A said it was very delicious.

Chocolate Oatmeal Brownie

For dessert, some of them got the Chocolate Oatmeal Brownie, which came with a creme anglaise. They said this was a bit sweet though.

Lemon Cheesecake

For myself, I chose the Lemon Cheesecake, which came with a raspberry coulis and strawberry. The cheesecake was light and not too sweet. Not bad!

Overall, we were all very pleased with our lunch. I find that their Dine Out menu doesn’t showcase a lot of their best dishes, but it’s a good price at $28 to check it out. I found it interesting that most of their menu threw in some Asian ingredients as well. Service was friendly and efficient. Our food came out quickly, but at a good pace, which was perfect since we wanted a quick lunch. Ambiance is also great, especially when you get seated outside. There’s heating lamps and you get a beautiful view of Vancouver.

Pros:
– Reasonable prices for seafood dishes
– Beautiful views of Vancouver

Cons:
– Parking at Granville Island can be difficult during busy hours
– The Dine Out menu doesn’t showcase their best food

Price Range: $25-35

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

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

Merchant’s Oyster Bar – DOVF 2015

January 31, 2015February 1, 20152 Comments

It’s Dine Out Vancouver Festival time again, and this year, I suggested we try Merchant’s Oyster Bar. Located on Commercial, it’s where the rest of the hipster food spots have opened up. The restaurant is pretty dimly lit, so I’ve never even noticed it. The restaurant has a bar table, but also dining seating. It’s rather dim, but very casual at the same time.

Online, we found the Dine Out menu to be $28, with three savoury dishes. Sort of the reason why I chose this, and also because they had oysters! However, upon arriving, their menu also featured a 4 course menu for $31, which included desserts. The desserts didn’t like anything too special, so we all opted out. They also have wine and non-alcoholic pairings.

MW went for the Scandal Lager, which came in a really cute bottle. So hipster.

Tuna Ceviche (+$2)

The first dishes are “snacks.” MH went for the Tuna Ceviche, which came on top of an endive This gave it a good crunch, but we could barely taste any tuna. The ceviche was seasoned with lime, Jalapeno, cilantro, and shallots, but we all agreed that it tasted too much like the herbs. Quite disappointed with this one.

Baked Oysters (+$3)

IC went for the Baked Oysters, which again came in a set of three. They were seasoned with lemongrass coconut crema, kimchi, and topped with tempura crumbs. I didn’t try this, but she said it was very good.

Oysters

MW and I went for the Oysters. Each diner gets three oysters each, and they brought us two types. One was the kusshi, and I could nto remember the second. It came with mignonette, lemon and horseradish for seasoning. There was also Tabasco sauce to give it some spice. The oysters were tiny, but extremely sweet and fresh. Definitely satisfied my oyster craving.

Beef Tartare

For my first course, I chose the Beef Tartare. The raw beef was chopped up and seasoned with a fermented hot sauce and pickled shallots. Accompanying it were caramelized onion crackers. I was disappointed with this as the beef was rather flavourless. I could barely taste the hot sauce. Without the cracker, the beef would have been very bland. Raw beef needs lots of seasoning or else it doesn’t taste good. It also came with a side of salad with a basic vinaigrette and olive oil dressing.

Sunchoke Soup

IC got the Sunchoke Soup, which had a very thick consistency, which we all enjoyed. You could also taste a hint of truffle oil and the soup came with some Sunchoke chips.

Albacore Tuna

MH got the Albacore Tuna, which came with a daikon pear slaw, ginger ponzu and pickled red onions. I thought that the tuna would be more like a tuna tataki, where it was lightly seared but raw inside, but it was actually fully cooked. I found it to be overcooked, but the daikon pear slaw made the dish really good since it was sweet and crunchy.

Slow Braised Short Ribs (+$2)

IC got the Slow Braised Short Ribs, which came in an interesting presentation. I found the veggies to be plated quite oddly. The short ribs were very flavourful and the meat was extremely tender. It came with some parsnip puree, honey roasted carrots, and braising liquids.

Confit Pork Belly (+$1)

MH got the Confit Pork Belly, which was rather a small piece. A good proportion of fat to meat and you really didn’t need to chew much since it was so soft. It came with a side of celery root puree, clams, celery, and a walnut vinaigrette.

Pan Seared Ling Cod

For myself, I got the Pan Seared Ling Cod, which was moist in the inside and was seared until there was a crispy skin. It came with some sauteed purple potatoes, apple chorizo emulsion, and kale puree. My favourite was the apple chorizo emulsion, which are pictured as those yellow drops. The sauce was so intense with the smokey chorizo flavour and paired great with the fish.

Pros:
– Reasonable prices for the type of food you get
– Ambiance is chill and great to hang out

Cons:
– Food is good, but not nothing too memorable
– Service is average

Price Range: $30-40

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

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

Trafalgar’s Bistro

January 22, 2015Leave a comment

Trafalgar’s Bistro. Located on West 16th, just West of Granville, this rustic, inviting restaurant sits next to the popular Sweet Obsessions.

The restaurant is small, with an interior that is both intimate and warm. On a Friday night, it was surprisingly quite empty. We also found that we were probably the youngest diners all night.

On top of their regular menu, they have a fresh sheet that changes daily depending on the seasonality and what’s available locally.

Complimentary Bread

Dinner starts with complimentary bread and butter. The bread was crispy on the outside and soft inside. It ended up being great for dipping in my entree’s broth.

Parsley Crusted Haida Gwaii Halibut

S got the Parsley Crusted Haida Gwaii Halibut, which came with roasted lobster mushrooms and spinach puree. S commented that the dish was visually unique, to which I concurred. Furthermore, the fish offered a supreme moistness complemented by the crispiness of the parsley crust.

Salt Spring Moules with Bistro Fries

For myself, I got the Salt Spring Moules. This mussel dish is on their appetizer dish, but you can upgrade it to an entree portion size. The mussels were tender and fresh and the cream broth was flavoured with leeks, shallots, white wine and garlic. I also upgraded the fries to Bistro Fries, which are double fried and tossed with truffle oil, Parmesan and fresh herbs. It also came with a house made garlic aioli for dipping, but I didn’t find the need for it as the fries were already very flavourful and well seasoned.

In conclusion, Trafalgar’s Bistro was a pleasant dining experience.

Side note: street parking is amply available.

Pros:
– Fresh sheet changes daily based on what’s in season locally
– Quality eats and presented nicely

Cons:
– Portions are on the smaller side
– Service was there, but didn’t feel friendly

Price Range: $25-35

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

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

Bump N Grind Cafe (Media Event)

January 21, 2015January 21, 2015Leave a comment

Last night, I was invited to the Bump N Grind Cafe grand opening media launch party. This South Granville location is their second location, with their first in the Commercial neighbourhood. This location had actually opened on December 18th, 2014, but last night was their official grand opening.

The interior has high ceilings with a concentration on wood and minimalist designs.

Bump N Grind offers alternative brewing methods, including Pour-over coffee, Aeropress, and French press coffee. The friendly baristas have an in-depth knowledge to answer all your questions.

Owners Cheryl and Kyle Wright were present that night as well. They pride their multi-roaster cafe as one of Vancouver’s top 10 best cafes according to the Vancouver Sun in 2013. At Bump n Grind, the coffees are rotated on a weekly basis, so there is always something new when you visit.

At the media event, they offered their signature drinks, including some that were spiked!

Their everyday menu includes coffees, teas, and snacks.

Around the store are coffee-related items you can purchase. Here, there are a variety of coffee beans for sale.

They even sell the Aeropress coffee maker.

And the famous Mast Brothers artisan chocolate. They are famous in New York for their bean-to-bar chocolates.

We also got to sample some of their goodies, including baked goods and sandwiches.

There were white chocolate as well as ginger molasses cookies.

I sampled the Smoked Salmon Croissant, which was super flaky! Cucumbers and smoked salmon can never go wrong. Their Cookies are also some of the best I’ve had. They are soft, yet still chewy. My favourite of the night had to be the Matcha Green Tea Brownie though. The super soft matcha brownie is mixed with white chocolate and melts in your mouth. Delicious!

Almond Chocolate Gibraltar

First up, we tried the Almond Chocolate Gibraltar, which came in a highball sized glass. This was essentially a double shot of espresso topped with milk. I opted for almond milk, so I found it much lighter. The glass was rimmed with chocolate sauce and roasted almonds. I loved the aroma of this drink and the nutty flavour worked very well with the coffee.

Spiced Chai Latte with Bourbon

I also tried their Spiced Chai Latte with Bourbon, which was aromatic and slightly spicy with a kick of the Bourbon.

Duetto – Macchiato & Maple Whiskey

K went for their Duetto, which she had no idea what it really was. It ended up coming in two parts. Her macchiato in an espresso cup and a straight shot of Maple Whiskey. She enjoyed the coffee, but found the whiskey to be too strong. Perhaps something a little lighter would have worked better.

We also got to take goodie bag homes! What a treat! Inside, we got some of their freshly made in-house baked goods. On the left is the Earl Grey Shortbread. I would’ve liked a stronger Earl Grey essence, but I thought it was interesting how it was topped with salt. Salty and sweet at the same time. We also got my favourite Matcha Green Tea Brownie. Last but not least was the Mookie, which is dairy free. It’s sort of like a muffin and cookie at the same time. It was filled with oats, coconut flakes, dark chocolate, walnuts, cinnamon and nutmeg. You get a nice chew, but it’s also light enough at the same time.

Included were also some of their signature teas, including the Almond Rooibos, Citrus Sencha and Organic Earl Grey. I have yet to try these but the Citrus sencha already sounds really good!

Overall, Bump N Grind Cafe offers some really tasty baked goods. They have your typical coffees and teas, but also some really interesting signature drinks like the ones we tried last night. A great place to hang out with friends!

* All food and beverages were complimentary.

Pros:
– Great coffees and baked goods
– Prices are quite reasonable

Cons:
– Not too many seats, especially for larger groups

Price Range: $5-10

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

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

Provence Marinaside

January 12, 2015January 12, 2015Leave a comment

For S’s birthday, I took her to Provence Marinaside in Yaletown. It’s located right by the water, but unfortunately we were seated near the back of the restaurant away from the view. The interior isn’t too modern nor fancy, but it gives you a comfy French countryside feel. Lunch started off with complementary bread. There were two types. One was your typical baguette which was more tough, while the second was something similar to a focaccia bread.

Fresh Oyster

We started off with some Fresh Oysters. The server said there were two types. One was the Kusshi, but I didn’t catch on to what she said the second one was. It was served with a pear vinegar mignonette and fresh lemon. Very fresh, but I didn’t really like the sauce it came with. I liked the sauces at Rodney’s a lot more. They also don’t have any deals for oysters, so it comes to $2.50 per oyster, which is quite pricey.

Panisse & Vegetables

S got the Panisse & Vegetables, which came to be a very interesting dish. Panisse is a dish from Provence and is pictured above as those rectangular fries. These were made with chick peas and seasoned with basil. They had a crispy exterior, but a very soft interior. Sort of like crispy potatoes. The dish also came with zucchini spaghetti, which S loved. A great alternative to your pasta full of carbs. Wilted leafy greens, fennel, red pepper and tomato coulis finished off the dish.

Linguini Vongole

For myself, I got the Linguine Vongole, which is one of my all time favourite Italian pasta dishes. This featured clams, tomatoes, garlic, white wine, espelette pepper, parsley, and olive oil. They didn’t cheap out on the amount of clams in the dish and they were all sweet and fresh. The pasta was cooked to al dente and I loved the sauce. It was perfect for dipping your bread.

Overall, we were quite satisfied with the food. I also thought the prices were quite reasonable for their lunch menu considering that it’s located in Yaletown and is supposed to be a fine dining restaurant. Dinner however is supposed to be much pricier. Ambiance felt a little casual for a fine dining restaurant and service was just mediocre as well. As for parking, there is metered parking and parkades very close to the restaurant or the skytrain.

Pros:
– Food is above average
– Lunch menu prices are quite reasonable

Cons:
– Ambiance indoors is just average
– Dinner menu prices are not of as good value

Price Range: $20-25

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

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

Every Day is a Food Day

Category: Vancouver

Liquids & Solids

Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France

Zipang Provisions

The Sandbar – DOVF 2015

Merchant’s Oyster Bar – DOVF 2015

Trafalgar’s Bistro

Bump N Grind Cafe (Media Event)

Provence Marinaside