Bistro 101 @ Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts

September 3, 2015September 4, 2015Leave a comment

For our squad lunch a few weeks back, we visited Bistro 101 at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts on Granville Island. During lunch hours, the 3 course set menu is $25 and you can view this online before you go. They change it up every month, so unfortunately, I don’t have the exact names of the dishes. The culinary students who train here get to work in a real life setting in a restaurant. All the food is cooked by the students and even the servers are students. It’s a pretty neat concept!

The interior of the restaurant is actually quite nice (I forgot to get a picture), but it’s actually pretty much fine dining. The students learn to correctly place the cutlery and how to pour water and wine in the glasses. The view from our table was the catering kitchen, so we got to see some chefs prep for their cooking.

Complimentary Artisan Bread

We were served two batches of complimentary artisan bread. Each piece of bread was a bit different. My favourite was the cheese balls since they were fluffy and full of cheese flavour. We also enjoyed the flatbread type cracker which had a variety of seeds and grains. Crispy!

Amuse Bouche – Raw Beet Juice Shooters

Shortly after, we were served a platter of Amuse Bouche, which we were not expecting. They were Raw Beet Juice Shooters topped with a slice of strawberry. (No alcohol in it by the way!) I was hesitant at first since I’m not a fan of beets, but it tasted surprisingly good and refreshing!

Goat Cheese Salad

StevieD got the Goat Cheese Salad, which he thought was a bit odd. There was a lot of goat cheese, but also some fruits. He said the cheese was too strong for his liking and he thought the fruits didn’t go too well with the dish.

Lamb Meatballs

The rest of us got the Lamb Meatballs. The meatballs were wrapped with eggplant slices and topped with cheese. A marinara sauce was placed under for dipping. These were actually pretty good and the lamb wasn’t too gamy.

Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin

Everyone at the table except for me got the Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin for their entree. We found the piece of beef to be rather small, but it’s probably because of how expensive beef is now. The ones who asked for medium rare had their beef cooked more to a medium. I guess we can’t complain too much since the students are still in training. Beef was still very tender and flavourful.

Pan Seared Halibut

Since I wanted to try something different from everyone else, I got the Pan Seared Halibut. This came in a light miso broth with an abundance of vegetables. The skin was crispy and the fish was cooked to moist. Very delicious!

Tiramisu

For dessert, some of us got the Tiramisu, which had a strong coffee flavour. The mascapone cheese was smooth and the cake was moist.

10 Layer Chocolate Cake

For myself, I got the 10 Layer Chocolate Cake. It came with a scoop of mango sorbet. The cake layers of mousse and was rather dense, but I really enjoyed it. If you love chocolate, this is perfect. The sweet and sour flavour from the mango also complemented the chocolate flavour very well.

Overall, we were quite pleased with Bistro 101. The portions are a bit smaller than what I remember in the past, but you still get pleasantly full for $25. Our server was a bit shy, but you could tell he was probably just really nervous. Overall, I think it’s pretty good for a restaurant run by students. Worth to give it a try and the price is quite reasonable for a 3 course menu.

Pros:
– Reasonable price for 3 course menu
– Ambiance is pretty nice

Cons:
– Service is a little slow because student run
– Food consistency can be a little off sometimes

Price Range: $25

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

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

Beijing Noodle House

September 2, 2015September 1, 2015Leave a comment

I drive by Beijing Noodle House pretty much every week and I’ve noticed that there’s always people dining in there. It’s been around for many years, but I’ve never wanted to try it since it doesn’t look very appealing from the outside. S told me that the food is actually pretty good there, so we headed over to try a few dishes.

Surprisingly, the inside looks much better than what I imagined. Still, it’s not the nicest ambiance, but everything felt clean, so that’s good.

Crispy Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin

S suggested we try the Crispy Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin. This was very crispy with the sauce being more of a thin consistency. The pork was slightly dry, but I quite enjoyed the flavours.

Stir-Fried Shredded Pancake, Beijing Style

The Stir-Fried Shredded Pancake, Beijing Style, was an interestnig dish. It tasted basically like noodles but more chewy. It tasted similar to knife cut noodles and I really enjoyed the chewiness. It was mixed with a variety of noodles and shredded pork. I quite enjoyed this dish.

Overall, I was surprised with this hidden gem. The prices are quite reasonable and the food is decent. I wouldn’t say the food blows my mind, but based on the dishes we tried, they were executed pretty well.

Pros:
– Food is decent
– Reasonable prices

Cons:
– Ambiance isn’t the nicest

Price Range: $10-20

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

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

Le Tigre

September 1, 2015August 30, 2015Leave a comment

Looking for a new lunch spot near work is always a challenge, so on a sunny Friday afternoon, E and I decided to head down on Granville Street to check out the food trucks. Le Tigre roams around the city and on Fridays during lunch hours, they are on Granville and 10th. We spotted Chef Clement Chan, who appeared on Top Chef Canada, and along with his staff, they were decked out in their hello kitty frames.

The menu at Le Tigre is limited but features contemporary Chinese street food with a west coast influence. All items are under $10, so a good price for lunch.

Angry Kitty Cat Squares

E and I decided to share a couple of items and bring it back to work to eat. We started off with the Angry Kitty Cat Squares which are the bomb! A must order! These are crispy fried rice squares, seasoned with kimchi, chilies, basil, spicy mayo and nori. When the sign said these are spicy, I didn’t believe it, but these are definitely hot! I also loved how these squares were filled with rice – a creative take on kimchi fried rice.

Steam Pulled Pork Bun

Next was the Steam Pulled Pork Bun, which featured a steamed bun filled with pulled pork, cabbage slaw, cilantro, basil, and a sweet chili bean sauce. I thought this wasn’t as special as some of their other items, but the pulled pork was extremely tender and flavourful. The bun was also soft and fluffy.

That “Fricken” Chicken

Lastly, we got That “Fricken” Chicken, which is fried chicken marinated in a special Le Tigre sauce, and seasoned with chili, garlic and shallots. It also comes with a 7 spice mayo. The chicken was moist but the skin wasn’t as crispy as I’d like it. I have a feeling it might be because of our walk back with the box closed, so the crispiness couldn’t be contained. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the sweet and savoury flavours of the chicken.

Overall, we were pleased with what Le Tigre had to offer. Funky asian food is what I’d like to call it. I will be going back to try some of their other items! The team has also opened up Torafuku, which is on my list of restaurants to try!

Pros:
– Great flavours and creative dishes
– Reasonable prices for lunch

Cons:
– Food cart means no where to sit to enjoy the food! (especially around the Granville area)

Price Range: $5-10

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

Food: 4 Service: 3 Ambiance: N/A Parking: 3 Overall: 3.5

Nuba (Gastown)

August 31, 2015August 29, 2015Leave a comment

A trip to Bao Down ended up being a trip to Nuba. Since it was rather busy at Bao Down, N and I decided try Nuba. It’s been on my list of restaurants to try for some time now, but for one reason or another, I never made it here. Nuba offers Lebanese food, which I’m not very familiar with, so I was excited for this lunch.

The interior is pretty nice and hip. Their lunch plates are around $10-15, but will fill you up quite well. Dinner is a bit more pricey, so lunch is a good option to give it a try. The plates are beautifully presented and colourful!

Chicken Tawook Plate

I had the Chicken Tawook Plate, which featured grilled Mount Lehman chicken breast marinated in paprika, thyme, lemon, garlic confit and drizzled with tahini. All the lunch plates are also served with hummus, salad, pickled cabbage, olives, pita and your choice of organic brown rice or roasted potatoes. I had asked for roasted potatoes, but for some reason my plate came with half brown rice and half roasted potatoes…The chicken was moist and and tender. The seasoning wasn’t overwhelming, but rather simple. The pickled cabbage was very sour but was a good way to open up your appetite. The roasted potatoes were also delicious with a nice char on them. I quite enjoyed the hummus as it was drizzled with olive oil and I also asked for hot sauce on top which is optional. It was very smooth and paired well with the pita.

Lamb Kafta

N got the Lamb Kafta, which featured grilled grain-fed halal lamb patty, seasoned with onions, parsley, and spices. I had a piece of this and it wasn’t too gamy in flavour. Very moist again. N quite enjoyed her dish.

Pita

This is the Pita that comes with your lunch plates. This was for the two of us and was the perfect amount for us to finish our hummus. Thinly rolled pita is rather bland by itself, but great paired with the hummus.

Overall, we were extremely pleased with the food at Nuba. The plates look small at first especially since you don’t seem to get a lot of meat (and I love meat), but I ended up being beyond full. Great place to feel healthy and they also have many vegan friendly dishes.

Pros:
– Vegan-friendly dishes
– Great assortment of nutritious items on your plate

Cons:
– Can be a bit pricey

Price Range: $15-25

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

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

Pho Han Vietnamese Restaurant

August 30, 2015August 29, 2015Leave a comment

I’ve been trying to convince S that good food sometimes comes in the dingiest looking restaurants. So that’s when I tried to convince S that Pho Han might be one of them after reading some of the positive reviews on Zomato. Pho Han is located on Garden City in the same mall as Capstone and Manzo. It’s on the very corner, so you usually only see a sign pointing into the mall, but not the actual store front.

The outside already looks pretty dingy looking, but the inside is quite the same. It fits less than 20 diners at a time and is run by husband and wife. We were seated on the side next to the windows and there were bars on the windows for security. S described that it felt like he was in a prison… Anyways, first thing I noticed was that the prices had increased from what I had saw online. Previously, a small pho was only $5.99, but it was now $6.50, so quite comparable to other pho spots.

House Special Beef Noodle Soup

I chose the House Special Beef Noodle Soup and it came with rare sliced sirloin beef which were presented laying on the side of the dish. For some reason, that didn’t feel really appetizing to me, even though I eat rare beef. The bowl also came with beef flank, brisket, tendon, meatballs and tripe. The bean sprouts that came with the noodles were old and wilted. The soup itself was okay, but not mind blowing. There is definitely better pho around Richmond.

Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chop on Rice

S got the Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chop on Rice, which S complained throughout dinner. The pork chop was dry and most of it was inedible since it was either fat or too chewy. The dish also came with shredded pork, fried egg, and vegetables on rice. To be honest, the plate looked pretty sad and I felt like my parents could do a better job. S obviously was unhappy with the dish.

Overall, I guess S proved me right with Pho Han that it was dingy looking and also had poorly executed food. They also completely forgot our order of spring rolls, but we didn’t want to give it a try anyways after having our food. Service is also basically non-existent and we had to go up to pay since we weren’t able to get the attention of anyone. Still, I have yet to prove to S that there are spots with poor ambiance but delicious food.

Pros:
– 10% off on Mondays
– Pho is somewhat cheaper than other spots

Cons:
– Poor ambiance and service
– Pho is average and pork chop was poor

Price Range: $10-15

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

Food: 2 Service: 1 Ambiance: 1 Parking: 3 Overall: 2

Bob Likes Thai Food

August 29, 2015August 29, 2015Leave a comment

Located just on the corner of Broadway and Granville, Bob Likes Thai Food is a small joint that offers authentic Thai cuisine. It’s a colourful shop with quirky decor for ambiance. A couple of my coworkers and I came here for lunch since they have lunch specials for $10.

Pad Thai

All their lunch specials come with a side of green salad and wonton chip. E got the Pad Thai which featured fried rice noodles, prawns, tofu, peanuts, egg, and bean sprouts. She really enjoyed this and many of our coworkers said it’s probably the best around our area for pad thai.

Panang Beef

For myself, I got the Panang Beef and I asked for the curry to be mild. You get a bowl of coconut milk based red curry with beef, basil and bell peppers and a scoop of rice on the side. This was very flavourful and you could definitely taste the basil and coconut. Tons of sauce to smother over your rice. The beef was also very tender. Even though you ask for mild, you still get a bit of a kick which I liked. The wonton chips were literally just fried dough and was topped with some sweet chili sauce. I sort of wished there was some filling inside of it. Salad was dressed with a light sweet vinaigrette.

Overall, our table was quite pleased with the food. At $10 a plate during lunch, it’s quite reasonable for restaurants around our area. The food is served up quick so that’s a plus since office people are usually in a hurry. Portions are decent. I finished the dish easily, so for a hungry person, this might be a bit small. Service was efficient and friendly.

Pros:
– Reasonable lunch prices
– Decent eats

Cons:
– Portions are on the smaller side

Price Range: $10-15

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

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

Li’l Cheese Steak Spot

August 28, 2015August 28, 2015Leave a comment

Li’l Cheese Steak Spot recently opened up in Royal Centre’s food court. Since I was nearby for work, I headed over to grab take out. The food takes a little longer to get prepared since they make the sandwich when you order. You can wash the cook grill your steak and veggies on spot. They also have other sandwiches and soups to order.

Cheese Steak Sandwich

I went for their signature, which is the Cheese Steak Sandwich. It doesn’t look appealing because it was all wrapped up and the sauces got all smothered, but this was delicious! If you love steak and cheese, this is for you. The beef was tender and you actually got quite a lot of it. It was also filled with onions, melted cheese, banana peppers, tomatoes, and a white sauce. Only downside is that the sandwich is quite pricey at $9. Nevertheless, it’s filling and the quality of steak is great.

Pros:
– Steak is tender
– Sandwiches are made to order

Cons:
– Pricey sandwich for food court

Price Range: $10

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

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

Cook Your Life – 2015 Gateway Theatre Pacific Festival

August 26, 2015Leave a comment

NOTE: I was provided two complimentary tickets to the Cook Your Life show.

I was invited by Gateway Theatre to enjoy the Cook Your Life show happening this September 17-19. Just like last year, the Gateway Theatre is bringing back the Gateway Theatre Pacific Festival, showcasing the best contemporary theatre Hong Kong has to offer. This year’s festival runs from September 3 – 26, 2015, with various different acts, including Cook Your Life, which is perfect for anyone who enjoys food!

Cook Your Life stars MayMay Chan in a hilarious solo performance, cooking live on stage as she draws insightful parallels between food and love. The show incorporates a 4-D theatre approach where the audience can see, hear, smell, and taste the experience. May is also a seasoned cook herself with her own cooking channel in Hong Kong. The show will be in Cantonese with English subtitles.

By going to watch Cook Your Life, you’ll also get to watch MeChat, which explores the delightful and not so delightful aspects of the Internet, with rising Hong Kong theatre and television star Eric Tang guiding the audience through online romance, cybersex, selfie-mania, Groupons, and the price we pay when we trade in real life for cyber-living.

Dates:

Full festival: September 3 – 26, 2015.
Cook Your Life / Me Chat: September 17 – 19 at 8pm (2hrs45min, including 15min intermission)

Ticket information:

Festival Passes: $60 (Includes one ticket to the double bill Cook Your Life / MeChat plus one ticket to Tuesdays with Morrie, and priority registration for all free events)

Individual Tickets: $40 adult; $20 student; $35 groups of 10 – 19; $30 groups of 20+

For more information, visit gatewaytheatre.com, or check out their social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.