Cabrito

June 15, 2016Leave a comment

K has been talking about Cabrito forever so we finally decided to check it out on a Friday night after work. With the nicer weather we have now, the patio is up and running! Note that this is an extremely late post (2 months ago), so apparently the menu has changed up a bit.

The restaurant is quite spacious and uses mostly natural light. There is a bar if you want to just grab some drinks and light snacks.

The colourful painting of the Spanish bull was a nice touch to the decor.

Cabrito Sangria

We started drinks off with their signature Cabrito Sangria. Although at a higher price and smaller portion than many restaurants, I loved how they added cinnamon on top which paired really well. Plus, this didn’t taste watered down.

Campo de Borja – Torres 5G

Near the middle of the night, we ended up opening two bottles of red wine. They have a huge selection of Spanish wines here.

Since K’s fiance works as a chef here on the weekends, we got to try some items that were off the menu. These are K’s favourites and they were some sort of lamb patty with sun-dried tomatoes and topped on some delicious bread drizzled with olive oil. They need to put this on the menu since it’ delicious!

Ceviche

We had the Ceviche which was loaded with scallops. These were fresh and the sauce was not overwhelming. Highly recommend this!

Smoked Patata Brava

One of my favourite Spanish tapas are patatas bravas. It can be a simple dish, but is delicious with a good glass of beer. The Smoked Patata Bravas here are made with Kennebec potatoes & topped smothered in a delicious Piquillo sauce. This version is mostly tomato based and skips the aioli sauce.

Chorizo

The Chorizo dish featured the Txistorra Basque chorizo which was not too spicy for me and enjoyed.

Jamón Ibèrico de Bellota

Jamón Ibèrico is cured ham from 100% acorn fed pata negra pork leg and is aged 36 months and hand carved. This was delicious! It had the right amount of fat to meat ratio and it pretty much melted in your mouth. A must order for beginners to Spanish tapas.

Lamb

Next up was the Lamb dish which featured roasted lamb lollipops and potatoes on a squash puree. The lamb was cooked to a beautiful medium rare and was extremely tender. Paired with the silky smooth squash puree, this was a stellar dish!

Artisan Sourdough Bread

With all the wine, we decided to grab some more dishes to fill up. We got a side of Artisan Sourdough Bread which comes with extra virgin olive oil. Something about just dipping bread into olive oil was so addicting… I guess they serve good bread here.

Meatballs

We found out that Cabrito was participating in Vanfoodster’s Meatball Challenge, so we decided to order the Meatballs. I believe these were beef and chorizo meatballs. I found these slightly on the dry side, but since it came in a bowl of delicious tomato sauce, it helped moisten the meatballs. Plus, the sauce was great for dipping the bread too.

Rotating Cheese Board

With wine in hand, we thought we should end dinner with some cheese. They do a variety of cheese boards, and also a rotating cheese board which features cheese from around the world. We decided to select our own cheese and got the Blue Cheese, a Cheddar, and Manchego. I’m not a fan of blue cheese so I skipped that. I don’t remember what type of cheddar the middle one was, but it was slightly sharp and great paired with bread. The Manchego is a 12 month aged sheep milk and originates from Spain, which is where I first tried it. These were thinly sliced and delicious when paired with the side of sweet honey.

Scrambled Ostrich Egg

We finished dinner off with a little surprise from K’s fiance and this was a Scrambled Ostrich Egg! How cute is that! It was my first time trying ostrich egg, and I have to say, I can’t really tell the difference, but this scrambled egg was moist and on point.

Overall, we had an amazing time at Cabrito and I will definitely be back. I love the sharing plates and large selection of drinks. The vibe in here is just great. Portions are slightly small for the price, but I’ve realized that most Spanish tapas in Vancouver are priced like this. This is when I miss how affordable tapas were back in Spain!

Pros:
– Well-executed and quality dishes
– Large selection of wines, beers, and cocktails

Cons:
– Your bill will easily add up!

Price Range: $40-50/person

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

Food: 4.5 Service: 4 Ambiance: 4 Parking: 3 Overall: 4

2016 VCBW Festival

June 14, 2016Leave a comment

NOTE: I was invited as media with complimentary tickets to the event. All opinions are based on my personal experience.

One week after the Opening Night, we attended the 2016 VCBW Festival presented by Donnelly Group. This was a three day event at the PNE Centre Grounds filled with beer, food, and music.

It was the perfect weekend as the sun came out and it was even a little too scorching for us. Good thing they had mists on set to cool you down!

Other than beer and food, some interesting set ups included Barber & Co where you could get your hair cut amidst drinking your beer.

There were over 100 breweries and cideries at the event. Again, most vendors had at least two types of beers to try, if not more. Food trucks were present as well if you wished to purchase some munchies.

Tickets ranged from $35 – $95 depending if you wanted express entry or a full weekend pass. The ticket gets you into the festival and includes your 4oz taster mug. All beer and cider samples are additional. All samples are 4oz and cost 1 token, with tokens being priced at $1.50 each.

Since we had our fair share of beer at the previous event, we decided to tackle some of the cideries since I’m a huge fan of ciders. One cidery we really enjoyed was the Howling Moon.

We were drawn into this Basque cider called Shacksbury because of the beautiful set up. This cider is unfiltered and was very tart and different from typical ciders on the market.

Storm Brewing had a massive line up so we had to see what it was all about. They were serving up really funky and unique brews, including the Cucumber Jalapeno Pilsner, and Basil IPA. Sounds weird, right? We tried the Pineapple Paradise Pilsner and Raspberry Vanilla Ale and really enjoyed the slight fruity flavour without being too sweet.

My favourite of them all had to be the Fruli Strawberry Beer. I guess by now, you can tell I enjoy fruit beers! This was delicious and didn’t even taste like a beer! Plus, it’s vegan and there are no added sugars or sweeteners. The sweetness is all from the strawberries themselves! The same vendor also had a Cherry Beer from Kriek Lambic. Also delicious but not as sweet.

Overall, we had an amazing time at the VCBW Festival and already can’t wait for next year’s! A wide selection of beers and ciders to sample from and a great event to have some fun with friends.

For more information: http://vancouvercraftbeerweek.com/

VCBW: 2016 Opening Night

June 13, 2016Leave a comment

NOTE: I was invited as media with complimentary tickets to the event. All opinions are based on my personal experience.

On May 27, 2016, Vancouver Craft Beer Week kicked off their Opening Night at Yaletown Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre. We were invited as media to join in on the fun.

Each ticket goes for $60 and gets you a complimentary 4oz taster glass and around 10 tokens (if I remember correctly) to sample beers of your choice.

It also includes canapes provided by CRAFT Beer Market and healthy bars from KINDSnacks to keep you filled up. Out of the Nowhere was also in attendance to provide live music for the night. The place was bumping!

There were around 32 breweries and cideries with over 50 beers and ciders to sample from. Most breweries had two choices to sample from.

Some breweries to name a few included: 33 Acres, Steamworks, Field House, Strange Fellows and Steel & Oak. Other than the local breweries, they also had some German breweries such as Erdinger and Stiegl.

One of my favourites was the Éphémère Blueberry Wheat Ale. This is blueberry fruit flavoured ale which mimics the popular Belgian fruit beers, but brewed in Canada. The sweet blueberry flavour really pulled through and is great for those who enjoy lighter beers.

There weren’t too many cideries, but we did find BC Tree Fruit Ciders at the event of which we really enjoyed both the ciders available for sample.

Overall, we had a great time at the Opening Night of Vancouver Craft Beer Week. I enjoyed the smaller venue so you could take time to chat with the different breweries and it wasn’t too overwhelming. A great event if you are a craft beer lover or even if you are new to craft beer. The perfect event to try new beers or just to have a great time with friends!

For more information: http://vancouvercraftbeerweek.com/

Chachi’s

June 6, 2016June 5, 2016Leave a comment

Note: All food and beverages were complimentary. Opinions are based on personal experience.

Thanks to Sherman, a group of food bloggers and I were invited to a menu tasting at the new Chachi’s located in the food court of Metropolis at Metrotown.

Chachi’s goal is to “make mall food better” and this is their first location in BC with plans to expand to other locations in BC. The focus is on sandwiches, but they also have a variety of salads and sides. All ingredients, including cheese, meats and breads are locally sourced. The bread is fresh from a bakery in Langley daily.

You can choose from the set sandwiches on their menu, or build your own.

They also have three of their own lemonades and iced teas.

Freshly made cookies are available as well. The ones we tried were quite healthy with oatmeal and raisins.

Other than their homemade drinks, they also have a select few bottled drinks. Surprisingly, my favourite was the Cherry Iced Tea. It had a light cherry/raspberry flavour to it. Their homemade drinks are overall slightly on the sweeter side, but not bad.

Asiago Caesar

We also tried two of their salads, including the Asiago Caesar which features crisp romaine, bacon garlic crostini, Asiago, Caesar dressing and topped with turkey.

Arugula

My favourite was the Arugula, which had arugula, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, red onions, goat cheese, and a balsamic sauce with turkey. You can choose your type of meat or have it without. I loved the sweetness of the artichokes along with the acidity of the balsamic. The salad was slightly overdressed though, so a little less dressing would have been perfect.

Cali

Onto what we really came here for – the sandwiches! We tried almost all the sandwiches on the menu, inclduing this Cali, which was filled with chicken breast, double smoked bacon, house made guacamole, cheddar, tomato, romaine, and spicy mayo. I really liked how the bread wasn’t too tough.

Bahn Mi

The Bahn Mi was Chachi’s take on the Vietnamese sandwich. It was filled with beef brisket, asian marinade, pickled carrots, cilantro, jalapeno, and garlic aioli. The beef brisket was very soft and tender, but the sandwich was slightly too saucy.

Hot Philly

The Hot Philly is not for the weak as this is one of the spicier options. Filled with rib steak, bell peppers, onion, jalapeno, provolone, garlic aioli and spicy mayo, this is a delicious spicy sandwich.

Smoked Bacon Breaky Sandwich

They also have some Breaky Sandwiches, including this Smoked Bacon Breaky. I didn’t try this but it looks quite similiar to a McMuffin.

Pork with Mac

My favourite sandwich was the Pork with Mac. This is filled with tender pulled pork, sweet chili, BBQ sauce, and topped with loads of mac ‘n cheese. The pulled pork was so tender and sweet, and the mac ‘n cheese was savoury with a slight spice. Amazing creation!

Dill Chips

They also have homemade chips with a variety of flavours. We tried the Dill Chips, which had a nice pickled flavoured. The chips are kettle cooked and reminded me of Ms. Vickie’s. Addictive!

Spicy Mac ‘N Cheese with Capicollo, Mac ‘N Cheese

The Pork ‘N Mac Sandwich was good, but I would actually just skip the sandwich and order their side of Mac ‘N Cheese. These come in two versions: the original or the spicy with capicollo. These were so smooth and creamy and some of the best mac I’ve had! If you enjoy a bit of spicy, I would highly recommend the Spicy Mac ‘N Cheese with Capicollo.

Overall, Chachi’s is a great addition to the food court by offering a more gourmet sandwich option with quality ingredients. The sandwiches are priced slightly higher at $8-$12, but I can understand since the ingredients are all locally sourced.

Victory Seafood Restaurant – ChineseBites Media Event

June 5, 2016Leave a comment

Note: All food and beverages were complimentary, but all opinions were based on my own personal experience.

I think the last time I visited Crystal Mall has got to be over 10 years ago. Driving in the parkade is the worst experience ever so I avoid this mall at all cost. But when ChineseBites invited me to do a dim sum tour at Victory Seafood Restaurant, I ventured my way out and luckily around 2pm on a Saturday, the parking lot wasn’t as busy (the parking was still pretty bad though!).

We were seated in more of a private room, but outside, the decor is similar with gold being the focus. I could see this as a decent restaurant to host Chinese banquets.

As this was a ChineseBites dim sum tour, we ordered literally almost everything off the dim sum menu – a total of 37 dishes! Dishes range from $4.49-$7.49 depend on size and specialty.

Baked BBQ Pork Buns with Crust Topping looked just like a pineapple bun but was filled with savoury BBQ pork filling. The top was sweet and the bun itself was fluffy.

One of my favourite fried items was the Deep Fried Shrimp Spring Rolls with Garlic. The wrapper was light and crispy and the inside was packed with shrimp and garlic filling.

The Deep Fried Dumplings with Pork & Dried Shrimp were also quite delicious with the outside crispy and interior like a mochi chewy texture. The inside was filled with a savoury pork and dried shrimp filling.

We tried a variety of rice rolls, with my favourite being the Steamed Rice Rolls with Crispy Deep Fried Fish Paste. The rice rolls here are quite silky smooth. The rice rolls with the chinese donuts were also popular.

I like how they give you both the Pan Fried Radish & Shredded Taro Cakes when you order this dish, so you can sample both. The taro cakes are harder as expected, so I do enjoy the softer radish cake personally.

A dish I did not try, but was told by others to skip was the Smoked Salmon with Fruit Salad Sauce Tarts. I guess it’s more a westernized dish, so you can’t expect much at a Chinese restaurant. Apparently, the ingredients just didn’t mesh well.

A new item on their menu was the Steamed Red Rice Rolls with Shrimp. We were all curious about the red colour, but turns out there is no flavour to it. More of a gimmick so I would just stick with the regular rice rolls.

Onto the steamers! Suddenly, everything came out all at once. The Steamed Meat Balls were packed full of flavour and remained moist.

Dim sum isn’t the same without an order of the Steamed Pork Dumplings (Siu Mai). These were topped with flying fish roe and packed full of minced pork.

One of my favourite dim sum items to order is the Steamed Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf. Packed tightly in the lotus leaf, the filling to rice proportion was pretty good.

Other than your steamers and fried food, the dim sum menu also features some clay pot rice, including the Steamed Rice with Chicken & Black Fungus. These were decent, but lacked the crispy rice at the bottom.

Overall, some hits and misses, but overall, a decent spot to have dim sum with a large variety and reasonable prices.

John 3:16 Malaysian Delights – North Van (Media Tasting)

June 1, 2016Leave a comment

Note: All food and beverages were complimentary.

John 3:16 Malaysian Delights was a hidden gem in Richmond, so when the complex they were located in sold to developers, all the stores in the strip mall had to close down. John 3:16 then opened up a restaurant in North Van and Sharon invited me along with some other food bloggers to get a media tasting of their menu. The location is far for me, but the good news is they have secured a new spot in Richmond and will re-open this summer!

Iced Lychee Soya Milk

First up was one of their new drinks – Iced Lychee Soya Milk. If you like soya milk, this is for you. However, I felt bloated after drinking too much of this and the lychee juice is not strong enough. I ended up eating the lychees themselves to get more flavour. G ordered the Iced Lychee Juice which she found to be a better option.

Roti Canai

My favourite appetizer from John 3:16 arrived and these Roti Canai have got to be one of the most flaky roti I’ve had. Warm and flaky, with a nice crunch on the outside but still soft on the inside. This was paired with a side of curry which was light and mild in spice.

Chicken Skewers

The Chicken Skewers were marinated in a sweet savoury sauce and cooked to a nice char. The meat was tender and moist and I enjoyed dipping it in the side of peanut sauce.

Pulut Panggang

The last time I had Pulut Panggang was when I was at a hawker centre in Singapore. The rice is wrapped in banana leaf giving it a fragrant flavour and is cooked to more of a chewy texture. The rice is filled with a sweet coconut filling which I really enjoyed.

Malay Spicy Seafood Soup

Onto some hot food was the Malay Spicy Seafood Soup. At first, we wondered if we should be dipping something into this, but the more we drank it, the more we enjoyed it. Turns out, it is actually a soup so we were doing the right thing! An abundance of seafood is cooked with vegetable, Malay spices and coconut milk to create this aromatic soup. Not overly spicy, but more of a sweet undertone from the seafood with a slight tang.

Char Koay Teow

The Char Koay Teow was an item I had tried previously at the Richmond location, and once again, this did not disappoint. The stir fried flat rice noodle was mixed with beef, shrimp, egg, bean sprouts, Chinese sausage and fish cake. I like how it had “wok hay” and was not overly greasy, which is often the case for this dish.

Ipoh Char Hor Fun

Next was the Ipoh Char Hor Fun, which is stir fried flat rice noodle with fish, shrimp, fish cake and vegetable. This comes in a light egg-starch gravy, and I found the flavours to be rather mild. This was just average for me.

Sambal Okra, Green Beans & Eggplants

Of course we had to have some veggies, so we sampled the Sambal Okra, Green Beans & Eggplants. This was in a spicy sauce with the eggplants being cooked to a nice texture (not over cooked).

Kari Laksa

Onto more noodles, we had the Kari Laksa, which featured egg noodle in curry soup served with curry chicken, tofu puffs, green beans, egg, fish cakes, shrimp and bean sprouts. Rich in coconut flavours with a nice spice. I found that most of their items are not too spicy in general.

Hainanese Chicken

The Hainanese Chicken is a winner for me with the tender boiled boneless chicken being served with a special sauce, ginger, cucumber slices and chili sauce. I like how they top it with fried garlic so it gives a nice flavour. Extremely tender and moist chicken!

Kam Hiong Prawns

Another one of my favourites was the Kam Hiong Prawns. These prawns are huge but they kept a great bouncy texture without being overcooked. The sauce is absolutely delicious as it is sweet with a hint of spice.

Beef Rendang

The Beef Rendang is a dried curry beef stew cooked with Malaysian spices and coconut milk. I thought these looked quite dry, but they were actually quite moist! This would be great paired with rice.

Nasi Goreng

Last but not least, another favourite was the Nasi Goreng. This stir fried rice came with egg, shrimp, squid, corn, carrot, green peas and was served with cucumber slices, anchovies and sambal on the side. I liked how the sambal was put on the side so you can determine how spicy you want your rice. This again had a very nice “wok hay” and char and I could easily eat bowls of this rice!

Overall, John 3:16 at the North Vancouver location did not disappoint. Once again, the flavours were on point and executed well. This location also is much bigger than their original location in Richmond. Downside is it’s quite far for me, so I will have to wait for the new Richmond location to open up!

Sof Peaks: Ice Milk Bars Media Tasting

May 31, 2016May 31, 2016Leave a comment

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Note: All items were complimentary.

The last time I was at Soft Peaks was when they first opened. Fast forward a year later, they have revamped their menu and earlier this month, they launched their new Ice Milk Bars. Thanks to Jacqueline, a few other food bloggers and I were invited to get a taste of their new menu.

There aren’t too many seats on the first floor, but upstairs has more seating. Plus, on a sunny day, Soft Peaks is perfect to indulge in while exploring Gastown.

The soft serves are still on the menu with many additions since they first opened. They now have milkshakes as well. Our event was focused on the Ice Milk Bars which are $4 without any toppings or syrups. PS. Ice Milk Sandwiches are supposed to be launching in June!!

The new Milk Ice Bars currently feature four flavours: mango, milk & honey, and matcha.

Milk and Honey Ice Milk Bar, Matcha Ice Milk Bar

The Milk and Honey flavour is quite like their original honey soft serve. I liked the subtle sweetness along with the creamy milkiness. The Matcha flavour was your typical strong tea flavour, so I didn’t find that flavour too special. Their ice milk bars are made with organic Avalon milk and have no preservatives added, and therefore they melt quicker than off-the-shelf bars. A good excuse to eat them quickly!

Mango Ice Milk Bar, Blueberry Ice Milk Bar

My favourites were actually their fruit flavoured bars. Both the Mango and Blueberry were not overly sweet. Again, no preservatives, so you can really taste the natural ingredients!

Mango Mango Milk Ice Bar

Other than the original flavours, you can also add various toppings and syrups to customize your bars. You can also ask the servers to replicate a similar topping to their soft serves. For example, the Mango Mango Milk Ice Bar comes loaded with mango cubes and drizzled with honey. You’ll need a spoon to eat this though.

We ended up trying a wide variety of their toppings and syrups. The toppings really make the bars much more fancy looking, but I think I prefer the bars on their own so you can really taste the original flavour itself. Plus, you need two hands to eat these when they have toppings! Nevertheless, one of my favouties was the yuzu marmalade (in the center) as I’m a sucker for anything yuzu and I liked how the sweetness of the marmalade paired really well with the milky flavour.

North Pole Breakfast

Although we were here for the launch of the ice milk bars, we couldn’t leave without trying some of their soft serves. Perfect since I had only tried two flavours back when they opened. First up was the North Pole Breakfast, which featured cereal flakes and a caramel syrup. Simple so you can still taste the original milk flavour, but the cereal gives it some texture.

Blue Mountain, Honeycomb Peak

Onto the Blue Mountain on the left which was loaded with blueberries and a homemade blueberry puree. I liked how the puree wasn’t overly sweet again. And on the right was their famous Honeycomb Peak, which features a piece of local honeycomb on top and cereal flakes at the bottom.

Green Forest

The Green Forest on the right features organic premium matcha powder, sweet red beans and condensed milk. This was definitely an improvement from when they first opened. I remember complaining how the toppings and syrups were not distributed throughout the cup so you only got the flavours at the top. They have clearly taken that into consideration and you get a bite of everything throughout now.

Rocky Mountain

Lastly, we tried the Rocky Mountain which features toasted coconut and your choice of syrup, which in this case we got the chocolate sauce. Again, the toasted coconut gives a light crunch for some texture.

Soft Peaks has stepped it up with an alternative to their soft serve ice cream. Same quality ingredients, but a different form and way of eating. Overall, I quite enjoyed the bars, but would prefer them on their own. I would prefer getting the toppings on the soft serve ice cream instead. Soft Peak ice cream isn’t cheap, but great when you want to give yourself a treat! Looking forward to the launch of their ice cream sandwiches!

The Keg (Alberni)

May 28, 2016Leave a comment

I always tell S to skip the chain restaurants, because there are just too many new and more exciting restaurants to try in Vancouver. Not that I don’t like chain restaurants, but you sort of know what you’re going to get. But since I had a $100 gift card to The Keg, I might as well use it, right? I suggested we try the somewhat new location at Alberni in Downtown and was blown away by both the beautiful interior and amazing food.

Complimentary Bread

Dinner started off with Complimentary Bread and whipped butter. The bread was served warm and super fluffy. We loved this!

Filet Mignon

I decided to choose the Filet Mignon with a side of mashed potatoes and vegetables. Served medium rare, the tenderloin was wrapped in applewood smoked bacon and was literally what they describe it on the menu as “ultimate in tenderness”. This was served with Béarnaise but I found the meat itself was already very well flavoured. One of the best cuts you can get and didn’t disappoint!

Prime Rib with side of Lobster Tail

S chose the Prime Rib and went all out by adding a side of a 6oz Atlantic Lobster Tail. Best choice ever, because the lobster tail was cooked absolutely perfect! Buttery and tender, this was delicious dipped in the lobster oil. A must order! The prime rib was also very tender although there were some fatty parts which were difficult to chew. The prime rib was rubbed with Keg’s unique blend of spices and hand-carved. It is served with horseradish and red wine herb jus which further enhances the flavours.

Billy Miner Pie

For dessert, I suggested we skip the other choices and stick to Keg’s top dessert, the Billy Miner Pie. Perfect for sharing because one slice is huge but I could probably have it all to myself… Does mocha ice cream on a chocolate crust with hot fudge, caramel and almonds not sound delicious or what?

Overall, I have to say I was impressed with The Keg and would happily come back here for a great steak. I guess they have been doing this for so many years, that they clearly know how to cook steak. Plus, you know the service is going to be great here.

Pros:
– They know how to cook steak perfectly
– Portions are great

Cons:
– Dishes are more traditional, you won’t see much fancy stuff going on
– Some of their cuts can get pretty pricey (this location appears more expensive as well)

Price Range: $30-50/person

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

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