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!

Makoto Ramenya

November 6, 2014November 5, 2014Leave a comment

Tuna Tataki

Makoto Ramenya is a relatively new Japanese izakaya restaurant that opened up in Coquitlam. It’s run by Koreans and is open til late. Since it is super close to J’s place, we end up going here whenever we’re lazy to go anywhere far. I thought the restaurant would have ramen, but apparently it’s only offered for lunch. So instead, we had to go for their izakaya food, which is honestly quite limited. We started off with the Tuna Tataki, which had only 4 pieces, but priced at around $9. Pricey! I mean, it wasn’t bad or anything, but I wouldn’t pay that much for so little tuna tataki again.

Fresh Seafood and Vegetables in Tonkotsu Soup

Next, we got the Fresh Seafood and Vegetables in Tonkotsu Soup. It came in a little hot pot with a flame lit below. The soup comes without noodles, so we had to add $3 for ramen, which seems pretty expensive since the pot was over $10 to begin with. I found that the soup was filled with bean sprouts more than anything. The seafood was probably just frozen seafood. As for the soup, we got the “little spicy” version, which was just plain weird. Something was just missing in the soup. It was really bland. The ramen just tasted like store bought ramen too. Nothing special, which means I’m probably not going to try their ramen for lunch.

Beef Yaki Udon

Lastly, we had the Beef Yaki Udon. Unfortunately, we were halfway done eating, when I realized I hadn’t gotten a picture. So the dish is actually double the portion pictured here. This was alright, but again, nothing too special. I mean it’s quite hard to mess up a beef yaki udon…

Overall, I wouldn’t say the food is any great at Makoto Ramenya. Everything is just average. However, the second time I came back, I had some drinks and it was really fun. The atmosphere at night is really chill here, so a good place to hang out and have drinks with friends. They have Japanese beers and Korean soju here. The servers and owners end up sitting around with customers too, so service is either a hit or miss, depending if you can get their attention.

Clyde Common – Portland

October 18, 2014October 17, 2014Leave a comment

Clyde Common is located right next to the Ace Hotel, which is known to be super hip and a huge tourist spot. The whole area around here is great for shopping with unique boutiques.

We had done some researching, but the locals also recommended that we go to Clyde Common for happy hour. It’s served every day from 3-6 pm so plenty of time to check it out!

They have an open concept kitchen so it’s pretty neat.

There’s also a bar on one side. Service was pretty good here. Our server was really funny and attentive.

Pacific Standard: vodka, lemon, ginger, honey, soda

Their happy hour menu consists of food and drinks, so it’s pretty good! The drinks are well priced at around $5 for the cocktails. I chose the Pacific Standard, which was sort of like a lemon soda drink. We soon realized that all their drinks are very strong in alcohol. They definitely don’t cheap out on the liquor here! You can taste it heavily for sure.

Daily Punch

J went for the Daily Punch, where I don’t think we figured out what it was still. I liked how it came in a little tea cup though.

Spelling Bee: Reposado tequilla, agave syrup, absinthe, bitters, grapefruit peel

K got the Spelling Bee, which was probably the strongest in alcohol. It’s like all the hard liquor in one drink. I took a sip and all I could taste was alcohol. You’ll get your moneys worth if you order this, but I’m not so sure if I liked how it tasted.

Smoked Mussels, Crackers

We then moved on to their appies. They don’t have a huge list and some of them sound quite ordinary. We went for the Smoked Mussels with Crackers, and it was surprisingly really good! The mussels were so tender and not tough at all. It paired really nicely with simply crackers! Yum!

Pickled Devil Eggs

Next up were the Pickled Devil Eggs, which were very delicious! I liked how they seasoned the egg yolks. It was a little sour due to the pickling, so it was very appetizing.

Meatballs, Bordelaise

We also ordered the Meatballs with Bordelaise Sauce. These little meatballs didn’t look too appealing, but they were very interesting! They had carrot bits inside and a beautiful red wine sauce which made it very flavourful.

6 oz. Hamburger, Cheddar, Bacon, Pickled Onion, Lettuce and Aioli

The server recommended that we get the 6oz Hamburger, which he said is something you will want more of. We decided to share it anyways, and it was just as good as he described it! The ingredients were simple with just cheddar, bacon, pickled onion, lettuce and aioli, but the meat patty itself was so juicy! It was served medium so the meat wasn’t tough. The mustard seed sauce was also delicious with the burger.

French Fries, Pepper Aioli

Lastly, we simply shared the French Fries, which came with a pepper aioli. Such a simple dish, but the fries were fresh and deep fried to a nice golden yellow. Crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. The pepper aioli was also very delicious. It gave it a bit of a kick.

Overall, we were very impressed with Clyde Common. It’s definitely one of my favourite spots in Portland from the places I tried. The atmosphere is nice, and the prices are quite reasonable for happy hour. Best of all, there was no line up!

Browns Socialhouse (Ironwood)

September 26, 2014September 25, 20141 Comment

Bellini

J and I finally set a date to meet up and we had originally planned to check out the Milestone’s Girls Night Out Menu, which featured 4 appies and 4 drinks for $40. However, taking a look at the menu, nothing really intrigued us. Plus, there wasn’t a Milestones in Richmond. Being lazy, we ended up going to Browns Socialhouse in Ironwood Mall. I’ve been here before, but it’s been years since I revisited. The small patio was full, so we ended up sitting indoors. I started off the Bellini, which is always on special for $5. Pretty good deal, but I found that it was way too sweet for my liking. I felt like I was literally eating the fuzzy peach gummies! As for J, she got the Traditional Mojito, since there was a $2 off special going on.

Chicken Quesadilla

For food, I went with the Chicken Quesadilla, which was surprisingly presented very nicely. It came with three sauces – salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. The tortillas were filled with cheese, chicken, peppers, and jalapeno peppers. A bite into the jalapenos really gave you a hit of spice. The quesadilla was crispy rather than soggy, which I was very pleased with. J went for the Charred Peperoni Pizza, which was a perfect size for one. Plus, on Sundays and Mondays, all their pizzas are for $9 which is a great deal! She said the pizza was really good and had a good amount of toppings.

Overall, Browns Socialhouse is always a great place to grab some drinks and food with friends. It’s casual food with great service and prices. A nice change from always going to say Earls.

Kirin Ichiban Garden – Ichiban Shibori Frozen Draft – Tokyo

September 14, 2014September 12, 20141 Comment

Walking around Shibuya, we somehow came across the Kirin Ichiban Brewery.

There were tons of people sitting outside in the beer garden. Apparently, it only recently opened.

There was also the Frozen Beer truck! We got in line to see what it’s all about. In Vancouver, they only recently began to sell it at Guu. They offer several different flavours for the frozen beer. You can get original, cranberry, lime, lychee, mango or cassiss (blackcurrent).

Cassiss Ichiban Shibori Frozen Draft

We got the Cassiss flavour, which is essentially blackcurrent flavour. The beer is flavoured with blackcurrent flavouring, so it just tastes like a fruity beer. The foam however is the frozen part. It’s like a slurpee at the top. However, the foam doesn’t have much flavour. Apparently, the invention was so that the frozen foam can keep your drink cold for 30 minutes without needing to add ice. Pretty neat. Worth trying!

Address: 3-7 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya, Tokyo

Warawara – Seoul

September 4, 2014September 3, 2014Leave a comment

After dinner, the boys took us to look for some fruit soju! We took a 10 minute walk and ended up in a street full of bars. And this was a random Wednesday night, but the street was busy! Shows how much Koreans love to drink! Anyways, we ended up Warawara, which is supposed to be famous for their fruit sojus. The dining bar was in the basement floor, and the decor is all wooden. I liked how they had little rooms with blinds separating you from other diners so it gives you some privacy.

Italian Creamy Fried Chicken

Apparently, you must eat when you drink! It’s drinking etiquette to always order at least one dish to share. They say that’s how they get drunk, since you keep eating, and so you’ll drink more… Anyways, we ordered the Italian Creamy Fried Chicken, which was by far my favourite fried chicken we had in Korea. It definitely had to do with the creamy and cheesy sauce! I had thought that the best fried chicken would be the classic, but they really know how to fusion up their classic fried chicken. They were little chicken balls that were boneless, so no hassle with deboning. Filled with vegetables like corn, peppers, broccoli and onions, the dish was extremely flavourful!

Then came our fruit sojus! What’s cool about this bar is that they actually use fresh fruit to make your soju or other alcoholic drinks. None of that cheap processed juice or powder! What’s even cooler is that they actually present the drink in the fruit’s shell! So here we have the server actually physically bring us all the equipment to make the soju. His blender was filled up half with soju already. He then pulls out the pineapple with a metal tool.

He then actually blends the whole drink in front of us! Super cool! Plus, you’re guaranteed it’s fresh!

Pineapple Soju

And here we have the finished product of the Pineapple Soju! He fills the pineapple shell with half of the soju and places it on a plate filled with ice to keep it cold. Loved the experience and the drink was absolutely delicious! I love how you get some pineapple pulp in it, and it tastes more like juice than alcohol! I see how you can get drunk off of this so easily…

Watermelon Soju

The pineapple soju was so good that we had to get another round of soju! This time, we chose the Watermelon Soju. Unfortunately, they said they ran out of the actual watermelon skin for the bowl, so we were only able to get it in a jar already made. I’m not sure how that works out though, because where did the watermelon come from if there’s no shell for it…? Odd… Again, super refreshing! These fruit sojus are a must try if you normally like calpico sojus that are flavoured peach or grape and such. Never thought these fruits would be so great with soju!

Cass Beer

We mentioned how we liked the Korean beers, since it’s really light and diluted, so the boys taught us how they normally drink their beers. This time, we tried Cass, which is also a popular Korean beer.

Soju

Now apparently, just drinking beer alone isn’t enough to get these boys drunk….so they mix it with soju! Here, the boys were showing us a trick where they spin the green soju bottle, and place light from their phone under the bottle to create a tornado…

Soju Bombs

Typically, you can make soju bombs by dropping a shot glass of soju into a pint of beer. Instead, the boys just poured the soju into the beer. They then took a spoon and poked the drink through, and somehow the drink just mixed itself together. Pretty neat!!

And here is what it ended up like! Some foam at the top, and the beer and soju mixed up! This definitely gets you more drunk quicker!

Overall, an absolute fun night to finish off our trip in Seoul! Can’t wait to visit these crazy boys again. Warawara is definitely a great place to hangout and have a few drinks in a comfortable environment! If you’re not a heavy drinker, those fruit sojus are perfect for you! I believe they have several franchises all over South Korea, so it shouldn’t be hard to find one!

Chir Chir Fusion Chicken Factory (치르치르) – Seoul

September 1, 2014Leave a comment

After doing some night shopping in Myeongdong (again), we got a bit hungry. At the end of the Myeongdong street, we found a chicken and beer restaurant. We still hadn’t had chicken and beer in Seoul! We decided to go into Chir Chir Fusion Chicken Factory. It had a large selection of chicken dishes. The first level was for smoking, and the second level was non-smoking. The restaurant is actually quite huge and it was very packed.

Crispy Classic Fried Chicken

We wanted more of a snack, so we decided to order one order to share. It’s pretty huge! I believe there were roughly 8 pieces of chicken, so it’s perfect for 4 girls. We wanted something original, so we went for the Crispy Classic Fried Chicken. When I saw it, I thought it looked quite similar to KFC’s, but after eating one, I can see why people love their Korean fried chicken! The flavouring is so much more delicious! Plus, it didn’t feel too oily! Lightly battered so that it was crispy. It came with two sauces – a tartar sauce and a sweet chili sauce. It was delicious without the dipping sauces! I liked how it wasn’t too salty, and by the end of the night, I wasn’t even really thirsty. That’s always a good sign!

All orders come with some side dishes as well. It came with some salsa (which I really didn’t like because of the cilantro and raw onions), some corn, and some crackers. Wish we had gotten some beer to go with it, but we felt that they priced their beer a bit too high. I guess that’s how they make their money here!

Original Joe’s Restaurant & Bar

July 8, 2014Leave a comment

Raspberry Burst

After checking out the Greek Festival, K and I decided to look for a patio back in Richmond to enjoy some drinks and the sun. I wouldn’t say there are too many patios in Richmond. Most of them are also quite pricey and more fancy than what we were looking for. We settled for Original Joes, which I’ve only been for lunch at the Broadway location. Original Joes in Richmond is tucked away on Steveston Highway, a bit further away from the rest of the restaurants in Ironwood Mall. Anyways, we sat outside in their small patio area. I chose the Raspberry Burst, which included vodka, raspberry syrup, sprite and lime juice. You can’t taste too much of the alcohol, so I really enjoyed the drink. A hint of sweetness and very refreshing.

Joe’s Sangria

K chose Joe’s Sangria. It had red wine, Scotch, Triple Sec with lemon, lime, pineapple and fresh orange juice. Her drink looked very nicely presented, but it also tasted pretty good! Drinks were around $7 each, so quite typical for any restaurant establishment. Overall, we were quite satisfied with the drinks and service wasn’t too bad. It’s pretty quiet in the afternoon, so it’s a good place to hangout and chat.