Xpocity 2015

November 15, 2015November 16, 2015Leave a comment

NOTE: I received complimentary tickets to the event, but all opinions are based on my own experience.

I was invited to attend Xpocity Vancouver 2015 hosted by the Socialettes which happened last week at the Four Seasons Hotel ballroom. Xpocity is an event that brings women together for an evening of socializing and shopping and showcases a variety of fashion, food, drinks, beauty, and fitness vendors that women would be interested in.

There were over 60 vendors and everyone was extremely friendly! Tons of samples and new experiences at the event.

SocieTea Events

SocieTea Events offers boutique mobile high tea and brunch services and had afternoon tea treats for us to sample. I loved how girly all the chinaware was and can see it being perfect for showers or birthdays!

Bon Macaron Patisserie

We got to sample some marshmallows and macarons at Bon Macaron Patisserie and I tried the Matcha which was strong in tea flavour. K tried the Yuzu which was also delicious! I like how the flavour tasted very natural and the meringue was light. Owners are from France, so you can be sure of the authenticity!

Sweet Petite Confectioner

At Sweet Petite Confectioner, they set up a S’mores Bar and I got to sample a torched earl grey marshmallow. This melted in your mouth and had a strong earl grey flavour. They offer a variety of other sweets other than marshmallows and is perfect to book for events.

Everyday Superfoods

One of my favourties of the night was from Everyday Superfoods. They have a variety of products, but the one they were showcasing that night was their new product It’s Not Bacon. They’ve pitched on Dragons’ Den with the product and they definitely fooled me with it! These are coconut flakes that taste just like bacon! K who is vegan enjoyed this thoroughly!

Truffles Fine Foods

Truffles Fine Foods was also there that night with some lemon meringue pies and tomato basil and Bocconcini skewers. They offer customized experiences and are have a variety of menus for catering.

The Juice Truck

The Juice Truck has been around for quite some time now and they have even opened a store since. It was my first time trying these healthy juices and I was surprised that they actually tasted pretty good. I tried the Skin Deep, which featured apple, strawberry, kiwi and lemon.

Firefly Fine Wines and Ales

Then it was time to try some wine samples! We headed over to Firefly Fine Wines and Ales which is a private liquor store and we sampled some white wines. My favourite was the Prosecco by Luna and it was ever so light with a bit of sparkle and hint of sweetness. The wines they featured were also quite affordable.

Odd Society Spirits

There were also some funky looking bottled spirits featured at Odd Society Spirits.

Pure Float

Another favourite vendor of mine was Pure Float, which offers Vancouver’s first all-float room spa. Well since they couldn’t transport those rooms to the event, we got to try a 15 minute NeuroSpa treatment instead. It was pretty relaxing after a long day at work and I felt vibrations along with music that went down my spine. Pretty neat!

Flipbook Entertainment

Another one of our favourites was from Flipbook Entertainment and it was even better because we each got to take home a memorable flipbook. You pick your props and then step in front of the camera which films you for a few seconds. Within 5 minutes, they are able to produce a flipbook for you to relive the moment!

Overall, I was very pleased with the vendors at Xpocity 2015 and look forward to attending next year again! A fun night to hang out with your girl friends! Thank you to Xpocity for the invitation!

Twisted Fork Bistro

March 29, 2015April 2, 2015Leave a comment

Twisted Fork is a busy little bistro on the Granville strip in downtown Vancouver. No reservations mean long waits, but as we arrived at the restaurant around 6:00PM, we managed to get seating almost immediately.

The restaurant features an open kitchen concept with seating that features an ample amount of pillows. In a word, it’s “chill.” Service is friendly.

The menu features a “fresh sheet”, featuring dishes which may change daily (updates are provided on their website).

The complimentary bread was average, suffering from being both cold and tough to the chew.

Duck Confit

S ordered the Duck Confit with bacon braised cabbage, jus and pickled pumpkin. He said that it was “not bad.”

Mussels with Frites

I got the Mussels with Frites, which feature a pound of mussels tossed in cream sauce and topped with fries. I think the fries were actually yam fries, so that’s always a plus. However, the fries were quite soggy. The mussels were small, but sweet. Quite good

Pros:
– Quality food
– Cozy ambiance with friendly service

Cons:
– Bread was disappointing
– Usually long waits and no reservations

Price Range: $20-30

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

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

Diva at the Met

March 1, 2015Leave a comment

For Valentine’s Day, S took me to Diva at the Met, which is located at the Metropolitan Hotel. On the day, they only offered the set menu and you were not able to order off the a la carte menu.

Complementary bread and butter

Dinner started off with complimentary bread and butter. There were two types of bread. One had raisins, while the other had nuts. The bread was pretty good, but I would have preferred if it was served warm.

The restaurant has an open kitchen concept with glass, so you can see the cooks prepare your food. That night, they offered a four course menu for $80 a person. There are two choices: the Diva or the Divo. The Diva is supposed to be catered for the girl, while the Divo is for the guy. However, you are open to choosing either depending on which menu you prefer more. Of course, I wanted to try everything, so I went for the Diva, while S got the Divo.

Lobster Bisque

The Divo menu starts off with the Lobster Bisque, which has a truffle cappuccino foam. The consistency is rather thick and you can definitely taste hint of the truffle cappuccino.

Octopus Carpaccio

For the Diva, it starts with the Octopus Carpaccio, which was probably my favourite of the night. The dish was beautifully presented, with lots of colours. It featured lobster, quail egg, and heirloom tomatoes. The octopus was thinly cut and cooked perfectly. It had just the right chew and the tomatoes made the dish very refreshing. The lobster was fresh and the meat was tender.

Smoked Ham Hock Terrine

Divo’s second course was the Smoked Ham Hock Terrine, which featured pickles, onion jam, and bread tuile. The terrine had a smokey flavour and the ham wasn’t too salty. Paired with the onion jam, it made a great dish. The bread tuile was thin and crispy, but there could have been more of that to complement the terrine.

Arugula & Granny Smith Apple Salad

The Diva’s second course was the Arugula & Granny Smith Apple Salad. I wasn’t too happy with this dish since I felt like I already sort of had a salad like dish for my first course. Seemed like they thought the ladies only eat salads… Anyways, this was a huge portion of arugula, and it was topped with a cider vinaigrette. It also came with blue cheese, which I’m not a fan of, so it wasn’t something I really enjoyed. However, I liked the candied walnuts, grapes, and Granny Smith apples that were paired along. The apples were slightly sour so it was really appetizing.

Grilled Angus AAA Rib Eye

The Divo’s main course was the Grilled Angus AAA Rib Eye. S ordered the steak medium rare and indeed, the inside was cooked to a beautiful pink. It was dijon herb crusted with a brandy jus. The cut was perfect and so tender. I wish I had ordered this myself. It also came with roasted honey garlic and a potato and gruyere pave as sides.

Roast Pheasant Coq au Vin

The Diva’s entree was the Roast Pheasant Coq au Vin. The pheasant was stuffed with stone fruit, and came with red rice, barley and honey carrots. The meat was actually pretty moist and the fruit stuffing gave it some sweetness. It came with a red wine sauce. Everything about the dish felt a little too healthy though. Not bad, but I probably wouldn’t order this again.

Passion Fruit Curd and Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse

Lastly, for dessert, both the Diva and Divo’s came on the same dish. For the Diva, it was the Passion Fruit Curd, while the Divo’s was the Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse. The passion fruit curd was filled within a genoise, or Italian sponge cake, and had layers of white chocolate mousse. It came with some berry coulis and fresh fruit. I enjoyed both the desserts. The chocolate mousse wasn’t too sweet and I liked the hint of hazelnut flavour. Tasted sort of like eating a Ferro Rocher. I also liked how it was presented so you can share the plate with your significant other.

Chocolates

Lastly, as your bill comes, they bring you a plate with chocolate truffles and a rose for the girl. Pretty sweet. Service was attentive and friendly. It didn’t feel pushy at all and the ambiance was nice but not over the top. Great place for date night.

Pros:
– All our dishes were pretty good and presented nicely
– Service was attentive and friendly

Cons:
– Wish we could’ve ordered off the a la carte menu

Price Range: $80/person for Valentine’s Day set menu

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

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

4 Stones Vegetarian Cuisine 雅室友素食 (Revisit)

December 7, 2014Leave a comment

Herbal Soup

I haven’t been to 4 Stones Vegetarian for many years, mainly because of how difficult finding parking is. We went on a Friday night and the place was packed! Luckily, we got a seat within 10 minutes. Dinner starts off with a choice of soup – herbal or vegetable. K went for the Herbal Soup, which didn’t smell too appetizing. It probably was pretty good for your health though.

Vegetable Soup

For myself, I went for the Vegetable Soup, which was average. It didn’t taste amazing, but I could tell there wasn’t any MSG used. Just plain vegetable broth, so it was pretty healthy.

Combo Appetizers

The three of us both chose a main dish and made it into a combo. A combo comes with appetizers and a bowl of rice. Today’s appetizers included bean curd tofu and boiled veggies. It also comes with fruits, flax seeds, dried cranberries, and almonds for dessert.

Deep Fried Veggie Oysters

First, we shared the Deep Fried Veggies Oysters as an appetizer. I was surprised that the restaurant presents their dishes quite nicely. Typically, Chiense restaurants do not put much effort in presentation, but here, they definitely make an effort. The so called oysters were actually tofu. The batter is light and for some odd reason, it actually had some oyster flavour to it. It came with a satay-like sauce to dip. Very good!

Veggie Beef Brisket with Curry Sauce on Rice

For the combo mains, I chose the Veggie Beef Brisket with Curry Sauce on Rice. Veggie beef brisket? Yup! The beef brisket was actually a type of bean curd. It actually had the texture of eating meat though! Very impressive. I found that the curry sauce was lacking flavour, but in general, the restaurant’s food is not very salty. I guess that’s a good thing health-wise.

Grilled Veggie Unagi

E chose the Grilled Veggie Unagi, which came on a sizzling plate. The unagi was again made of bean curd, wrapped with seaweed and deep fried. It came with a lot of enoki mushrooms and basil leaves. I found that the unagi tasted more like squid instead though, since it had a chewy texture.

Sweet and Sour Bean Curd Fish

Lastly, K chose the Sweet and Sour Bean Curd Fish. Again, the fish was some type of bean curd and was layered with seaweed to imitate the fish skin. The sweet and sour sauce was not very strong, but the peppers and pineapples brought flavour to the sauce. I enjoyed this dish quite a lot.

Overall, 4 Stones Vegetarian is a great choice if you’re looking for Chinese vegetarian food. They have a large selection of choices, and shows that there are endless options other than eating salads. Reservations will most likely be needed for large groups, and they seem to cater to these groups quite well. Parking is also an issue, but other than that, they seem to have a loyal customer base since their food is quite consistent. Service is friendly, but also quite slow since there are not too many servers and the restaurant is always busy.

Gyoza Bar + Ramen

December 4, 2014Leave a comment

I was super excited to hear that the Aburi Restaurant group had opened another restaurant. Under the same company has Miku and Minami, Gyoza Bar Ramen is now their third restaurant, offering, as the name says, specialty in ramen and gyozas. However, shortly after their opening, I heard that the restaurant was just average and way overpriced. Urbanspoon had some of the lowest ratings as well. I decided it was time to give it a try anyways to see what this talk was about. The restaurant is modern yet rustic, and is very casual compared to their other restaurants.

Japanese Fruit Wine – Ichigo (Strawberry) and Yuzu (citrus) – doubles

We started off with Japanese Fruit Wine. On the left was strawberry flavoured, and on the right was the yuzu. These were already doubles, but they were quite small! Similar to plum wine, these were flavoured as described. I liked my yuzu wine as it was slightly sour, but not overbearing. Very refreshing.

Fraser Valley Pork Teppan Gyoza (7pc)

Next were their famous gyozas. The Fraser Valley Pork Teppan Gyoza is their signature dish, if I remember correctly. We chose the 7 piece dish and it came in a cast iron pan. The gyozas were good with a nice pan fried crisp, but it’s hard to say that they were extremely memorable.

Spicy Garlic Soy and Umami Soy Suace

The teppan gyozas come with two sauces. One is a spicy garlic soy and the second is the umami soy sauce. I preferred the spicy garlic soy sauce as it had more of a kick to it.

Miso Short Rib + Jalapeno-Soy Glaze

They also offer three other specialty gyozas. We tried the Miso Short Rib and Jalapeno-Soy Glaze Gyozas. The gyozas were deep fried and topped with feta cheese, peppers and mushrooms. They were slightly spicy, but I actually didn’t prefer them to be deep fried. These were quite average, but very pricey! Five gyozas for over $12!

Aburi Pork Char Siu

We ordered an appetizer of Aburi Pork Char Siu. Again, it came in a little pan. The pork was quite disappointing to be honest. Nothing special, and I felt that it was under seasoned. It came with a sous vide egg, radishes and a side of bread to complement. Very average and nothing special.

Tamari – Shoyu Tonkotsu Pork Ramen

Lastly, we tried their ramen. I believe their signature ramen is the tomato-saffron ramen, but it is priced at the high price of $17! Instead, we opted for the Tamari-Shoyu Tonkotsu Pork Ramen. The noodles were on the skinny side and cooked to al dente. It was topped with aburi pork char siu, soft boiled egg and kale. I found it odd that they used kale instead of the traditional seaweed. I didn’t find the broth to be very good as well. Something seemed to be missing.

Overall, I would agree with others that Gyoza Bar + Ramen is quite average. I wouldn’t say the food is terrible, but the price is not worth the quality of food. If the price is lowered, then I would be more likely to revisit. Great location in the heart of downtown, and service was decent.

Wing Kee Restaurant 新榮記海鮮食館

December 1, 2014November 30, 2014Leave a comment

Free Range Chicken (1/2)

Wing Kee is super close to my place and I literally drive by it all the time going home, but I’ve never been intrigued to try it. It just didn’t look attractive from the outside. However, I did some googling, and the ratings turned out to be alright. Finally, we decided to make reservations for dinner here. The parking lot is quite big already for one restaurant, but it’s completely packed! We decided to go for their Choose 5 Dishes for a set price. It also came with half an order of complimentary Free Range Chicken. When we thought half an order, we thought it wouldn’t be much, but it was basically what you would get as a whole order normally at other restaurants! The chicken itself was pretty good too. The only issue I had was I found it odd that some of the chicken was cold, and some of it was warm. Definitely microwaved this.

Honey Garlic Spareribs

The first dish we got was the Honey Garlic Spareribs. I thought these were just average. The sauce was flavourful, but the meat was a little tough sometimes.

Pan Fried Clams with Black Bean Sauce

My favourite had to be the Pan Fried Clams with Black Bean Sauce. We had to add a bit of money on top of the set price for this dish, but it was well worth it. Every shell on the plate had clams in it and they were very flavourful. A good amount for the price.

Braised Deep Fried Bean Cake

Next were the Braised Deep Fried Bean Cake. It was mixed with broccoli, and mushrooms. The sauce was thick and flavourful. The tofu inside was very smooth.

Deep Fried Chicken Wings

Next up were the Deep Fried Chicken Wings. These wings were super plump and full of meat! Crispy skin and a peppery and spicy flavour. I wouldn’t say they were the best I’ve had, but not bad for the price since you get roughly 12 pieces.

Sauteed Beef in Satay Sauce Hot Pot

The last item was the Sauteed Beef in Satay Sauce Hot Pot. To our surprise, the dish did not come in a hot pot, but rather in a clay dish. There were tons of vermicelli noodles and it was covered with the satay sauce. There were a lot of beef as well, but the beef did not taste like beef. Sort of weird…Perhaps they used too much tenderizer?

Sweet Potato Dessert Soup

Lastly, dinner ends with complimentary dessert. Tonight, it was Sweet Potato Soup. Great to combat the cold since there’s ginger in it. Spicy and sweet, but also very warming.

Overall, Wing Kee was actually much better than expected. The prices are very affordable as well, and the portions are huge! We ended up packing a lot of the food up. What was even more surprising was how friendly the service was here. Most of the servers are young males, and they were very attentive and polite. To be honest, that’s not very common and expected at Chinese restaurants. Oh, and Wing Kee is also opened until til 3 a.m. everyday, so another place to add on the list for late night snacks.

Hapa Izakaya (Taste of Yaletown)

November 27, 2014November 26, 2014Leave a comment

Spiked Pear Lemonade

There are many locations for Hapa Izakaya, but surprisngly, I’ve never been to one. I’ve heard pros and cons about it, so I decided to check it out during the Taste of Yaletown event last month. We started off with some drinks. The Spiked Pear Lemonade was very strong! In a martini glass, it was a mix of Absolute Pears, pear puree, and 7UP.

Tokyo Iced Tea

For myself, I had the Tokyo Iced Tea. Mixed with shochu, this wasn’t as strong in alcohol, and I liked the lemon taste to it. Definitely good taste the oolong tea.

Sashimi Salad

Onto the Taste of Yaletown menu, which was $35 per person and offered 3 courses. First, I had the Sashimi Salad. It had mixed sashimi on top of a bed of organic greens. It was drizzled with a citrus-soy dressing. The sashimi was fresh and I liked the variety, but the the salad was overdressed. The flavour of the dressing itself was good, but it was way too salty. Definitely needs work.

Wild Mushroom Quinoa

Another appetizer was the Wild Mushroom Quinoa. I didn’t try this, but was told it was just average. It included dashi steamed quinoa, wild mushrooms, burdock, carrot, lotus root, and was served with spicy picked vegetables.

Wagyu Soy Butter Steak

Unfortunately, while we were still eating, our mains showed up. I found this quite odd and frankly it made the service quite terrible. I was only halfway into my appetizer, and they didn’t even care to look before bringing out our mains. And to be honest, we weren’t eating extremely slow or anything. Anyways, the Wagyu Soy Butter Steak came with shishito peppers and grilled onion garnish. There were literally only two pieces of meat. As well, by the time we got to our mains, the dish was already cold… Extremely disappointed.

Golden Lobster

For myself, I chose the Golden Lobster. Half the lobster was motoyaki style, with mozzarella cheese and caramelized shallots. The claw was tempura battered and fried. Again, my dish was cold by the time I ate it. I also found it to be just average.

The third course was not dessert, but instead sushi rolls. Both rolls were seared by the waitress at our table.

Chan Chan Roll

The Chan Chan Roll was definitely not a favourite of mine. I ended up barely eating any of it. It had wild spring salmon, crispy skin, asparagus, and a miso-glazed mushroom sauce. It was also topped with a jalapeno slice. However, I found this roll to be extremely bitter! I’m not sure if it was the asparagus or whether they used too much miso. I was just not a fan of this.

BBQ Yakiniku Roll – beef tataki, green bean, green onion, yuzu pepper, onion chips, onion sauce, seared

The second roll was the BBQ Yakiniku Roll. It showed up with raw beef on the sushi, which might be a shocker for some.

After searing it, the raw beef becomes beef tataki. It was filled with green beans, green onions, yuzu peppers, onion chips, and an onion sauce. This was just alright. Nothing too special and the flavours were not very memorable.

Overall, I was quite disappointed with the food at Hapa Izakaya. The service was one of the worst I’ve had as well. You would think that the service would be quite good, but I felt extremely rushed eating. The funny thing was there weren’t any people waiting for seats either. Definitely not worth the $35.

Gyu-Kaku (Broadway)

November 26, 2014November 25, 2014Leave a comment

Pitcher of Beer

Gyu-Kaku has two locations – one in downtown, and the second on Broadway. Since it was relatively close to work, I headed down there to meet up with the girls for dinner. On Mondays, the whole day is Happy Hour, so there are some pretty good deals! For drink deals, the pitcher of Sapporo is just for $9! (It’s a full pitcher by the way, just that I took the picture after pouring.)

Steamed Chili Dumpling

We ordered one of the items off the Happy Hour Menu. The Steamed Chili Dumplings are normally $6.95, but is $4.95 during happy hour. They were your typical dumplings with some spicy sauce on it. Not bad, but it’s nothing too special.

Gyu-Kaku Salad

Gyuk-Kaku offers many set course meals. The best part is that you can have more people than stated on the menu and still order these sets. We chose the Meat Lover’s for 2, although we were a table of three, and we were more than filled. The set is for $55, and when split between 3, it comes to around $20 each. It starts off with some appetizers, including the Gyu-Kaku Salad. Topped with burdock, greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, and hard boiled eggs, it’s quite a salad. It came with a Japanese mayo sauce, which was very delicious!

Edamame

Next up were the Edamame. Lightly salted, and a huge bowl!

Chicken Karaage

The Chicken Karaage came with a spicy mayo dip. I found that there was too much batter compared to meat. This could’ve been worked on.

Garlic Steak, Spicy Pork, Toro Beef Tare

Then our meats came. Each table is equipped with a built in barbeque so you can self-barbeque. However, I found that your meat could be easily burnt when you don’t look after it. My favourite had to be the Toro Beef. It was thin, tender and fatty. The Spicy Pork was probably my least favourite since it was easy to overcook it so it became rough. Many of the meat are already marinated, but they also provide you with three sauces. A spicy, sweet, and ponzu sauce.

Bistro Hanger Steak Miso, New York Steak Miso, Yaki-Shabu Beef Tare

More meat came and another favourite was the Bistro Hanger Steak. Well marinated and tender meat. All cuts were very good. I didn’t have a single piece that was tough to chew. Other than meat, there was always Corn Butter, which were corn niblets that were wrapped in tin foil with butter inside. When you place it on the grill, the heat melts the butter. Very yummy!

Sukiyaki Bibimbap

There was also a Sukiyaki Bibimbap. However, I found that it tasted more like Chinese sticky rice, rather than a bibimbap. I guess it was the type of rice they used. Not bad!

There was also dessert to end the night. Since it’s a two person course set, it only came with two scoops of matcha ice cream, but they were one of the biggest scoops I’ve had. Overall, I was quite satisfied with Gyu-Kaku. Service was very attentive. Our grill was switched multiple times, and they even switched up our beer mugs to frozen ones once in a while. Quality of food is pretty good, and the price isn’t too bad. One of the better barbeque spots I’ve been to.