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

Torarenbo Japanese Restaurant 虎連坊

January 11, 2015Leave a comment

Salmon Sashimi

I’ve been to Torarenbo years ago, and didn’t think it was too memorable, but I decided to go back and see how it is now. Parking is pretty difficult around dinner time in the complex on Park Road since there are several other restaurants. We were greeted by Chinese speaking employees, so we knew that this wouldn’t be authentic Japanese food. We started off with the Salmon Sashimi, with an order arriving with 7 pieces. The sashimi were a decent size and was very fresh. Slightly pricey compared to other restaurants.

Rainbow Roll

Next was the Rainbow Roll, which came with 8 pieces and was visually quite attractive. It was essentially a basic California roll, but topped with different sashimi, including tuna, salmon, and prawn. Not bad.

Fantastic Roll

Next was the Fantastic Roll, which was my favourite. It came in a pretty flower shape with 6 pieces. It was filled with chopped scallop, toro and mango, and topped with tobiko. I liked the hint of sweetness from the mango.

We also got the Seafood Nabeyaki Udon, which I forgot to get a picture of. This was a seafood hot pot style soup noodle and the soup was extremely delicious! Very sweet, but I’m assuming there wasn’t MSG since I wasn’t thirsty after dinner. A large portion noodles with scallops, two fried ebi tempuras, and fish.

Overall, we were quite satisfied with the food, but I thought it was slightly pricey. They seem to have a returning clientele though, since the servers seemed to know many of the customers. Most of their tables are reserved beforehand and it actually gets filled up during dinner time. I can see why since their service was extremely friendly.

Pros:
– Fresh sashimi
– Service was exceptional

Cons:
– Parking can be difficult
– Not your authentic Japanese owned restaurant

Price Range: $15-25

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

Food: 4
Service: 5
Ambiance: 3
Parking: 2
Overall: 3.5

Seasons in the Park

January 8, 2015January 8, 2015Leave a comment

After a day in downtown, S and friends suggested we go to Seasons in the Park for dinner. Located within Queen Elizabeth Park, the restaurant had some pretty nice views overlooking the city’s skyline at night. The ambiance in the restaurant is dim and romantic, but very traditional with rustic decor. Dinner starts off with complimentary bread and butter.

Braised Veal Cheeks with Porcini Mushroom Risotto

For myself, I got the Braised Veal Cheeks with Porcini Mushroom Risotto. Two veal cheeks braised in red wine sat on top of the Arborio risotto. The veal cheeks were extremely tender and flavourful. However, I thought the risotto was just average.

Fraser Valley Chicken

S got the Fraser Valley Chicken, which was seasoned with lemon, thyme and garlic. It came with some vegetables and mashed potatoes. S said it was just average and thought it was slightly bland.

Overall, we found the food to be just average. You are really paying for the view and ambiance here. The food itself isn’t very memorable.

Pros:
– Nice city views
– Great ambiance

Cons:
– Food was average – nothing special
– Only paid self parking or valet parking.

Price Range: $30-40

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

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

Copa Cafe (Richmond)

January 5, 2015January 5, 2015Leave a comment

On Christmas, most restaurants are closed and unless you make reservations well in advance, it’s pretty difficult to get a table on the day of. Mom had been talking about trying the new Copa Cafe on River Road in Richmond for some time now, and it was conveniently opened for Christmas. Not my ideal restaurant to go to for Christmas, but she really wanted to try it, so what could I say… I’m not a huge fan of HK cafe style food, which is essentially what Copa Cafe offers. What was worse was that on Christmas, they only offer their “Christmas menu.” I honestly thought it was a rip off since you had to get their 3 course menu, which was way overpriced for what I was eating. It started off with butter and bread. I didn’t end up eating this since I knew I would get too full by the end of the meal.

Shrimp Salad

First course starts with the Shrimp Salad, which was quite a large portion, but was missing the dressing sauce. I felt like I had a drop of dressing only. Therefore, the salad was really dry. You got some cocktail shrimps, bacon bits and croutons. I personally thought this was a pretty bad salad. Anyone could’ve made this and it definitely lacked flavour.

Shredded Ham Cream Soup

The second appetizer is the choice of Cream Soup or Minestrone. I chose the Shredded Ham Cream Soup. The soup wasn’t hot and already had a layer of cold soup at the top when it arrived. A medium consistency, which I liked, but it lacked any ingredients. You got the tiniest piece of shredded ham here and there.

Surf and Turf

For my entree, I chose the Surf and Turf. This came with a baked lobster tail, steak in peppercorn sauce, some blanched vegetables, and mashed potatoes shaped like a pear and deep fried. The dish was cold when it arrived. To add, my entree came 5 minutes after my two appetizers arrived. Do they expect diners to eat that quickly? It was the worst service possible, with three plates in front of me. I felt that was really unprofessional. As for the food, the lobster was just average. Nothing special. The steak itself was cooked perfectly to medium rare, but I personally thought the peppercorn sauce tasted disgusting. It ruined the whole dish. Something about the flavour was just off. The fried mashed potatoes were decent but needed to be flavoured. The potatoes themselves were bland. Overall, I wasn’t happy with this dish.

Turkey with Cranberry Sauce and Mashed Potatoes

Dad got the Turkey with Cranberry Sauce and Mashed Potatoes. It came with gravy and a side of vegetables. He said they were alright. Your typical turkey.

Crème Brûlée

For dessert, it was Crème Brûlée. The sugar at the top was burnt at the top, hence giving it a burnt taste overall. To add, the dessert was watery in the middle. I thought it was pretty disgusting. Your set menu also comes with your choice of hot drink. The menu ranged from $23 to $32, which I found wasn’t worth it considering the quality of food. It’ll get you full, but I wouldn’t order any of this again. Stick with their regular menu.

Pros:
– Decent amount of parking spots in the parkade shared with T&T
– Ambiance was pretty nice and decorated for a HK style cafe

Cons:
– Service was unprofessional – appetizers and entrees came out all at once
– The dishes we ordered weren’t that great

Price Range: $20-30 (Christmas menu); normally $10-20

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

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

Din Tai Fung (Bellevue) – revisit

January 4, 2015January 4, 2015Leave a comment

It’s been over 3 years since I last visited Din Tai Fung located at the Lincoln Square in Seattle (Bellevue). Back when it first opened, the restaurant was bustling with long waits, and when S and I visited for lunch on Christmas Eve, it was quite the same. The wait wasn’t half as long though. You can watch the chefs prepare the dumplings and buns through the glass window while you wait. Their waiting system now offers a text to alert you that your table is ready, which is quite convenient. The restaurant is famous all over Asia, but it’s interesting to note that at this location, there are barely any Chinese employees. I guess they cater to the Caucasian population here.

Juicy Pork Dumplings

After a 20 minute wait, we placed our orders and first up were the Juicy Pork Dumplings. One order comes with 10 dumplings. I liked how the dumpling skin was very thin, but I found that the soup inside cooled down really quickly. I would have preferred it to be still sizzling hot. Nevertheless, they were pretty good or above average.

Rice & Pork Shao Mai

I suggested we order the Rice & Pork Shao Mai, which is essentially sticky glutinous rice with pork stuffed in the dumpling skin to appear like a shao mai. These were very sticky and rather filling. Not bad. Again, they one order came with 10.

Chicken Fried Noodles

Lastly, we ordered the Chicken Fried Noodles. A mix of chicken and vegetables along with the thick Shanghai noodles. I liked how the noodles had a good chewy texture to it and the dish wasn’t too oily or salty.

Pros:
– Good quality food at decent prices
– Ambiance is much nicer than your typical Chinese restaurant

Cons:
– Always a queue for a table
– Service was rather slow for us

Price Range: $10-20

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

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

Jade Seafood Restaurant 玉庭軒海鮮酒家 (revisit)

December 31, 2014Leave a comment

Winter Solstice is pretty big for Chinese families, so my mom said we needed to go out for dinner. We celebrated a few days early since it’s always difficult to accommodate with everyone’s schedule. She suggested we go to Jade Seafood Restaurant since they were having a Special Abalone Set Menu. It was $39.98 per person, which was a pretty good deal considering what we got and how full we were. The dinner started off with complimentary peanuts and XO sauce.

Double Boiled Soup

For soup, there are two choices. The Double Boiled Soup came in a clay jar and was extremely sweet and delicious. You could tell it had been boiled for a long time. If I tasted it correctly, it was boiled with chicken and conch meat, which brought lots of flavour.

Shark’s Fin Soup with Shredded Chicken

The second option was the Shark’s Fin Soup with Shredded Chicken, which was definitely less sustainable. I’m surprised they still offer it here since most restaurants have stopped selling shark fin soup. The broth was a thin gelatin consistency and came with ginger and shredded chicken.

Braised Whole Abalone

Next up was the Braised Whole Abalone, which sat on a bed of braised pea tips. Pea tips are one of my favourite Chinese veggies, and they were delicious soaked in the abalone sauce. The abalone itself was just alright. I found it a little too chewy and tough for my liking. The ones at Kirin are much better in my opinion, but also pricier.

Baked Conch with Cheese in Portuguese Sauce

Next was the Baked Conch with Cheese in Portuguese Sauce. The conch shell was presented as part of the dish, and you would’ve thought there would be conch meat inside, but there wasn’t even a bit! It was all mushrooms and onions mixed with the Portuguese sauce. We felt a bit ripped off because of that, but the dish was flavourful regardless.

Sauteed Chicken with Vegetables

A dish that was shared amongst the table was the Sauteed Chicken with Vegetables. It was a good mix of wood ear fungus, zucchinis, carrots, and onions. However, I found the dish to be a bit heavy on oil. The set menu also came with Fried Rice with Egg White and Dried Scallop, which I forgot to take a picture of. Each person got their own bow, and it was huge. Too much rice to finish off the meal.

Hot Almond Soup with Sesame Balls

Lastly, for dessert, it included the Hot Almond Soup with Sesame Balls. The almond soup was smooth and full of almond flavour. There were two glutinous balls filled with sesame paste. Not bad.

Overall, the set menu was a pretty good deal. I know that service is usually pretty bad at Jade, but surprisingly, we had really good service that night. Very attentive and our food came out just as we were about to finish the previous course. Parking of course was a nightmare though, as there are two other restaurants downstairs now.

Salmon n’ Bannock

December 27, 2014December 27, 2014Leave a comment

Just a block away from the office, Salmon n’ Bannock isn’t quite noticeable. E told me that it’s supposed to be Vancouver’s only restaurant that serves First Nations cuisine. Never tried the cuisine before, so I was curious what this was all about.

The restaurant is fairly small, but it wasn’t too busy during the lunch hours. The inside is decorated with First Nations decor and gives a very homey feeling. Staff was very friendly, but the only issue I had was how slow the food came out. We waited over 30 minutes for our food, and with a one hour lunch break, there isn’t really much time to eat. Come here if you are not in a rush.

Elk Burger

E tried their Elk Burger, which came with an elk patty, sauteed mushrooms, alder smoked bacon, tomato, smoked cheddar and organic greens. All the burgers also come with your choice of salad or sweet potato fries. E got the sweet potato fries and it came with a side of aioli. All burgers come with the bun as a bannock. I didn’t really know what bannock was, but it is the main staple in First Nations cuisine. It’s a flat quick bread and I thought it almost tasted like a scone, but less dense.

Salmon n’ Bannock Burger

For myself, I went for the Salmon n’ Bannock Burger, since it seemed that the restaurant was named after this dish. It featured a 6oz wild sockeye salmon fillet with tartar sauce, red onions and fennel slaw. I also chose the sweet potato fries, which were cut fresh and topped with lots of herbs. However, I found that they were quite soggy. The seasoning was great, but the fries needed to be crispy. There was a large piece of salmon fillet and the salmon was cooked to moist. I found the red onions to be a bit too overpowering as there were too much of it, so it covered the salmon’s flavour. However, I really enjoyed the change from your typical burger bun. The bannock was fluffy and crispy on the outside. A very interesting texture and worth trying.

The receipt came in a box with Aboriginal detailing, which I thought was a nice touch. Overall, Salmon n’ Bannock offer some pretty good burgers that are very different from your typical. It’s interesting to note that most of the meat they use are meats you wouldn’t normally see, such as bison and elk. Burgers range from $17-18 so not exactly the cheapest option. Still, it’s a cool place to check out if you’ve never tried First Nations food.

Kingyo Izakaya

December 16, 2014Leave a comment

Yuzu Gin Tonic

I’ve always wanted to try Suika’s sister restaurant, Kingyo, so when K and U told me to decide, off we went to Kingyo. I made reservations beforehand and was told that there was only a seating at 6:00pm and that we would need to leave by 7:30pm. This place is packed! Anyways, we started off with their cocktails, since U said they are really good. I went for the Yuzu Gin Tonic, which was essentially a gin and tonic with yuzu juice. It was topped with some yuzu zest and a slice of lime. Loved how it was refreshing and not overly sweet.

Fresh Melon White Wine Sangria

K went for the Fresh Melon White Sangria, which consisted of fresh melon juice, calpico, melon liqueor, white wine, soda, and lime. His was slightly more sweet, but really good! As for U, she got the Kingyo, which had rum, shiso, lime, 7up, soda, tonic, goji berries and yuzu juice. Again, the drink wasn’t overly sweet.

My Ebi Mayo

To start, we had the My Ebi Mayo, which I loved! The ebi were huge black tiger prawns and were tempura battered, then deep fried. The prawns were so juicy and fresh. Dipped in the spicy chili mayo sauce and topped with paprika powder, it gave the dish just a bit of heat.

Rock’n Kobe

Next up was the Rock’n Kobe, which came with a large stone to self-grill. The kobe beef was already marinated, but it also came with 2 kinds of Kingyo’s original sauces. One was a spicy sauce and the other was more like a garlic sauce.

There aren’t too many slices of kobe beef for $22, but the meat was definitely a nice cut. Very tender and the marinade was flavourful. Just make sure you don’t overcook it!

Deep Fried Chicken Breast Tender

The Deep Fried Chicken Breast Tenders were marinated in plum and shiso. It was served with lemon, wasabi, and a side of chopped jelly fish marinated in plum sauce. I thought they were pretty much like chicken strips, but nevertheless, they were good.

Invincible & Undefeated Tantan Noodle

The server recommended the Invincible & Undefeated Tantan Noodles. These noodles were similar to instant ramen, but they were cooked in a pork bone and shrimp broth. It was seasoned with sesame oil and miso, then topped with cashew nuts, ground pork, chili marinated Chinese chives and black sesame. A mouthful of flavour! I wish it had more of a kick to it though, since it wasn’t spicy at all compared to your typical tantan noodles.

Cheese Tofu

Lastly, we added a dish off their December special menu, which was the Cheese Tofu. Sounded weird, so we gave it a try. It came with a few slices of toasted bread, and 4 slices of “cheese tofu.” It looked like tofu, but it tasted like cream cheese! It was definitely odd, but not bad at the same time. Not sure what I was eating really.

Overall, we were extremely pleased with Kingyo. Even though we felt a bit rushed at the end, the service was still there. Definitely make reservations ahead of time if you want to eat during the busy dinner times. Otherwise, a great place for food and drinks. Definitely coming back!