Burgr – Las Vegas

February 21, 2015February 21, 2015Leave a comment

Our last meal in Vegas was in Planet Hollywood at the talked about Burgr by Gordon Ramsay.

Upon entering, his restaurant has the flames all set up on the glass window. Reminded me of Hell’s Kitchen.

He has a touch screen menu outside which you can scroll through while you wait in line. And yes, there is a line up, but it’s not very long. The funny thing is the restaurant isn’t even filled up when you enter. I guess they want to make it appear like there’s always long waits…

The interior is actually super casual. It’s almost like a sports bar. Burgr is probably one of the most casual and lower end restaurants of Gordon Ramsey’s. Burgers are all mostly under $20, which is pretty good in Vegas. Works for us since we already splurged the days before!

Just noticed that the G and R are in different colours to point out Gordon Ramsey. I guess he threw out the E in burger for a reason. How witty.

Opening up the menu, you get to see Gordon Ramsey’s face!

The server brings you an iPad, which has all the drinks on it.

Angry Orchard Hard Cider

We all went for the Angry Orchard Hard Cider. Light and crisp. Always love apple ciders!

Soba Noodle Chicken Salad

We decided to share a salad to start since we were starving. The Soba Noodle Chicken Salad features siracha chicken skewers, edamame, carrots, cucumber, avocado, sesame seeds, and a cilantro honey peanut dressing. Quite a big portion and could easily be an entree. The skewers brought some heat to the salad and was very delicious.

Fish & Crisp Sandwich

Then our burgers came. SK got the Fish & Crisp Sandwich, which had an awesome presentation. The ale battered cold was literally shaped like a fish and sat in a hot dog type bun. It came with salt & vinegar crisps, which were thinly cut and fresh dill tartar sauce. The fish was moist and delicious.

Hell’s Kitchen Burger

SP and I both got the Hell’s Kitchen Burger. All burgers are grilled over apple & alder wood and you can decide how well you want the meat cooked. The burger came with jalapeno cheese, roasted jalapeno peppers, avocado, and oven roasted tomato.

I chose medium rare for my burger and it was definitely cooked so. Reddish pink meat, although I would have now probably wanted medium for my burger next time. Felt like it was a little raw for a burger. The burger was slightly spicy because of the jalapeno, but I loved the oven roasted tomatoes inside.

Sweet Potato Fries

The burgers don’t come with any sides, so we ordered the Sweet Potato Fries to share. It ended up being such a large portion that we barely made a dent in it. It came with vanilla powdered sugar and a honey jalapeno mayo. I thought the powdered sugar was a little weird, but the fries were still crispy.

Overall, we were quite satisfied with Burgr. Reasonable prices for these gourmet burgers. Service is also friendly and attentive. Cool casual ambiance.

Pros:
– Great portions and reasonable prices
– You can decide on how well the meat is cooked

Cons:
– They make you wait in line even though there are seats
– Food comes out slightly slow

Price Range: $20-30

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

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

Wicked Spoon – Las Vegas (revisit)

February 19, 2015February 19, 2015Leave a comment

On Sunday morning, we decided to hit up the Wicked Spoon for some buffet at the Cosmopolitan. I ate here when they first opened and really enjoyed it, and I heard that it has kept up its standards, so it was time to do a revisit.

I heard there are always long line ups, but surprisingly, there was no line and we were seated right away. The buffet for brunch and lunch is around $38USD after tax, which is pretty reasonable for buffets in Las Vegas.

During their lunch buffet, they have a variety of items from different cuisines. Here, there is sushi.

Then they have some Thai curries and Chinese food. I love how everything comes in little pans and they even had Chinese take out boxes!

Then there’s your typical American food. Their pizzas had some pretty good toppings like smoked salmon. There’s also a variety of breakfast foods, a prime rib and other meats section, and a salad bar.

Then, there’s the dessert section. A variety of pastries. Probably one of the better buffets for dessert.

Red velvet cupcakes and cheesecakes were just some of the desserts.

So many choices for cakes!

Cakes are well presented.

My first round included a mix of food. Eggs bennedict, sausauges, bacon, mussels, bone marrow, fried chicken wings, pizza, and even takoyaki. I also liked how they had fresh juice in the salad bar. It was a strawberry kiwi juice and was very refreshing.

Second round included some smoked salmon, fresh fruits, and lamb curry.

S got some baked potatoes, gnocchi, bone marrow, kale salad, and eggs benedict.

Then came the desserts. I got the white chocolate mousse cone, white chocolate and orange mousse cake, pistachio eclair, coffee cake, and blood orange sorbet. They have a huge ice cream bar with a variety of flavours. One of my favourite parts of the buffet.

S got the chocolate dipped strawberries, cheesecake, molten lava cake and passion fruit sorbet. Their cheesecake is so good!

Overall, we were quite happy with Wicked Spoon. The price for lunch is quite reasonable, but if you’re looking for seafood, then it may not be the best for you. Great buffet if you like desserts though. They do a good job in plating everything and the ambiance is very modern.

Pros:
– Good variety of food
– Great dessert section

Cons:
– Some dishes are just average
– May have long waits during peak hours

Price Range: $40-50

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

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

Mon Ami Gabi – Las Vegas

February 18, 2015February 18, 2015Leave a comment

Over the long weekend, I headed to Las Vegas for a girls’ trip. On the first night, we decided to try Mon Ami Gabi, which is located in the Paris Hotel. Right next to the Eiffel Tower.

The restaurant is famous for their patio, since you can people watch, but I had made reservations online, which was only for indoor seating. That was fine with us, since the patio seating would mean long waits. We were seated right away since we had reservations, so be sure to do so if you don’t mind indoor seating.

The restaurant is dimly lit with a bar on one side. Mon Ami Gabi specializes in classic French cuisine. Our server was very friendly and made me laugh with his enthusiasm and thick French accent.

Complimentary Bread and Carrot Salad

Dinner came with complimentary bread and a carrot salad. Bread was soft and fluffy, but the carrot salad was just average. Nothing too special.

Sangria

We decided to start the night off with a pitcher of Sangria to share. A mix of red and white wine with fruits, this was tasty and great for sharing. You get at least two glasses each for three people.

Chilled Seafood Platter

For appetizers, we decided to get the Chilled Seafood Platter to share. The great thing is that it’s one set price, and you can share it with everyone. Much better than what happens in Vancouver, where you need to order a minimum of two orders and the platter is made specifically for the number of people. Anyways, the platter came with a whole Maine lobster, jumbo shrimps with cocktail sauce, market oysters with mignonette and lemon, and salmon tartare with baguette chips. My favourite were probably the oysters and salmon tartare. The tartar was mixed with avocado and went great with the chips. The platter also came with some seaweed salad, which I enjoyed, but nothing too special. Overall, the seafood were decent, but I wouldn’t say they were extremely fresh compared to what you get in Vancouver.

Caramelized Sea Scallops

For entrees, SP got the Caramelized Sea Scallops. The scallops were cooked perfectly and were very fresh. However, we found them slightly too salty. It also came with a side of butternut squash puree and brussels sprouts, which SP loved.

Mussels Mariniere

For myself and SK, we both got the Mussels Mariniere. You can get half an order, but we got the full order for double the price. It ended up being a huge plate! The mussels were rather small, but they were still decent. It came with a white wine sauce with herbs. We both found the sauce slightly salty again. It seemed like everything in the States is just on the salty side.

Signature Hand-cut Fries

The full order of mussels also came with a side of Signature Hand-cut Fries. These were extremely thin-cut and very crispy. I loved dipping it into the white wine sauce. But again, way over salted.

Overall, Mon Ami Gabi had some pretty good dishes, but we found everything too salty. Service and ambiance was also pretty good. Prices are actually pretty reasonable for Las Vegas, but it can add up with all the drinks and appetizers.

Pros:
– Good French dishes
– Great ambiance and service

Cons:
– Dishes are on the salty side
– Seafood may not be the freshest compared to what we have in Vancouver

Price Range: $40-50

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

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

Happy Date

February 15, 2015February 15, 2015Leave a comment

Happy Date has been around for a long time, and they are famous for their pineapple buns and HK style food. Not the best looking on the outside and inside, but they are known for great food. My mom told me that they now serve Chinese dishes for dinner time, rather than just the HK style food during lunch, so we decided to go give it a try. The restaurant is packed inside and surprisingly, it has been renovated and is decent looking. Nothing special, but it was clean.

They have a few set menus for dinner, including lobster or pigeons. We went for the Pigeon Special Set Menu, which came with two crispy pigeons and your choice of 3 dinner dishes served with soup, rice and dessert for $69.88. First up was the soup, which had meat and vegetables. Your typical home-made soup which had been boiled for many hours.

Crispy Pigeons

Then came the feature of the set menu. You can choose more or less pigeons depending on how large your group of diners are. The choice of dishes increase when you add more pigeons as well. We went for two pigeons, which was more than enough. Everyone had around 2 pieces to eat. We found that the skin could have been more crispy though. Flavourwise, I liked how it wasn’t overly salty.

Pork Chop with Honey and Peach Glaze

With our set menu, you can then choose three dishes from a long list of choices. We chose the Pork Chop with Honey and Peach Glaze, which ended up being a huge dish! It was definitely glazed with lots of sugar, since the honey was very apparent. The pork chop was deep fried, but we all found it to be just average. The batter was sort of too thick and I found it to be too sweet.

Vegetable and Bean Curd with Lettuce

The second dish was the Vegetable and Bean Curd with Lettuce. This came in a fish broth, which I found to be too milky for my liking. The veggies were fresh, but other than that, nothing too special. Your typical veggie dish.

Deep Fried Chicken with Fish Sauce

Lastly, was the Deep Fried Chicken with Fish Sauce. The skin was crispy, but didn’t seem to attach to the chicken itself. The chicken was moist and seasoned well, and I liked the fish sauce that came with it. Not bad.

Dessert was red bean soup, but I guess it’s whatever they decide to make that night. Not a fan of red bean soup, so I didn’t have any to comment on.

Overall, Happy Date was pretty average to me. Good prices and large portions, but I wouldn’t say the food is too memorable or above average. Service was also very friendly, and it’s honestly pretty clean although you shouldn’t expect much ambiance here. It’s super basic and simple, but somehow still attracts all these diners!

Pros:
– Reasonable prices
– Large portions

Cons:
– Average eats
– Ambiance isn’t the best

Price Range: $15-20

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

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

Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France

February 14, 2015Leave a comment

It’s the 5th year that Vancouver has hosted the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival. From January 17 until today, February 14, 2015, a list of shops offer hot chocolate flavours that may not normally be on their normal menu. We decided to check out Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France, which is hidden away just off Main Street. The sign is so small, that it was actually difficult to locate.

They offered the following hot chocolates which they said are exclusive to this festival:

“Marocchino”
Classic Italian drink: half drinking chocolate, half espresso.

“Praliné Chocolat”
Liquid house made Nutella: drinking chocolate + hazelnut praline.

“Lavande Classique”
Available only once a year, during the hot chocolate festival, the simple but classic lavender hot chocolate is back by popular demand.

“Aztec Glacé”
Anne’s favorite iced hot chocolate. Spicy, hot, cold, salty and sweet. Purely addictive.

All hot chocolates are also served with a meringue of your choice. They didn’t have any meringues, but offered either their house-made truffles or toffee.

The interior is really small and homey, but there are still a few seats if you want to sit down and drink your hot chocolate. They offer chocolates, waffles, and take home products like jam.

A display case of chocolates and as you can see, their meringues were sold out.

I chose the Orange Blossom Truffle which was complimentary with my drink. Loved that hint of orange blossom.

Lavande Classique

I chose the Lavande Classique. Very strong in chocolate flavour, but I found that the lavender aroma wasn’t strong enough. Very smooth though.

Orange Blossom Hot Chocolate

K decided to go for their original menu and went for their Orange Blossom Hot Chocolate. You can order just plain hot chocolate for $4 and add a flavour of your choice for $0.50. It tasted basically like my truffle, but I still found that the flavour wasn’t very strong in their drinks. If you order from their regular menu, then you don’t get a complimentary truffle or toffee.

Overall, we thought the hot chocolates were decent. They didn’t look special like the ones at Bel Cafe or Mink. Just came in a simple paper cup and no decorations. we found it pretty pricey since they weren’t really special, other than the flavours. Friendly service though.

Pros:
– Cute coffee and hot chocolate shop
– Decent hot chocolate and friendly service

Cons:
– Nothing too special for the price you pay

Price Range: $5-10

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

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

Legend House

February 6, 2015Leave a comment

Just across Coquitlam Centre is Legend House, a restaurant that specializes in Northern China and Szechuan cuisine.

Walking in, you can see the chefs preparing handmade noodles and dumplings.

Chicken with Spicy Sauce

We started off with the Chicken with Spicy Sauce. The free range chicken was tossed in a spicy Szechuan peppercorn dressing & garlic. I found the sauce to be very spicy, but I’ve had a spicier one. I’m sure Szechuan diners would think that this is not spicy enough. The chicken itself was also difficult to eat, since the chicken was chopped up in a way were there were bits of bones everywhere. Not a lot of actual meat to be honest.

Dan Dan Noodles

Next were the Dan Dan Noodles, which came in a huge bowl for a cheap price of $6.95. Eating this on your own would definitely fill you up very well. The noodles were handmade, but I found that they stuck together a lot. The texture itself is pretty good though, with a nice chew. The sauce was a spicy, tangy peanut sauce, and included minced pork & spinach. Of course, there were crushed peanuts as well. Slightly spicy, but I could still handle it.

Shanghai “Xiao Long Bao” Soup Dumplings

Next up were the Shanghai “Xiao Long Bao” Soup Dumplings, which were filled with minced pork and ginger. The soup inside was sizzling and creamy. The skin was also a good thickness. Pretty good and comparable to some of the ones in Richmond.

Legend Beef Rolls

We also got the Legend Beef Rolls, which were ginormous! The five spiced beef were rolled in a crispy green onion flat bread and filled with sweet hoisin sauce. We thought the outside was pretty burnt, but the roll itself was pretty good, with a good amount of filling. I found it difficult to eat since it was such a big roll though.

Szechuan Hot Chili Dumplings

Last but not least, we got the Szechuan Hot Chili Dumplings, which were filled with pork filling and tossed in chilli oil, garlic, vinegar & spinach. These were actually not very spicy, and we found it too oily. It was literally just dumplings in chili oil.

Overall, Legend House was decent, but not memorable. Service is actually pretty good here and the ambiance is much nicer than many Chinese restaurants. Very reasonable prices and there’s free underground parking. I guess this would be a good choice for Shanghai/ Szechuan food in Coquitlam.

Pros:
– Ambiance and service is pretty good for a Chinese restaurant
– Reasonable prices for decent eats

Cons:
– Some hits and misses for dishes, but overall not very memorable

Price Range: $15-20

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

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

Zipang Provisions

February 4, 2015February 4, 2015Leave a comment

After work on a Friday night, I was looking forward to try Toshi Sushi to see what the hype was all about. Arriving at around 6pm, the place was already packed, with a long list of diners waiting and the restaurant itself was pretty small. So instead, we did some searching, and I suggested we try Zipang Provisions, which is also on Main St.

The restaurant looked almost like a bar from the outside, and didn’t seem like a Japanese restaurant. Inside, the interior was filled with wooden tables and benches and ropes. A very modern and hipster decor. The restaurant was also filled with mostly Caucasians, but I guess the clientele in this area is mostly non-Asian. One interesting thing we noticed was that almost all of the diners were families with young children. I guess they really cater to families and children here. Anyways, the sushi chefs and waitresses all looked Japanese and were very friendly.

Even their glasses of water were super hipster and came in Mason jars.

Chicken Yakiudon

We started off with the Chicken Yakiudon. Flavour-wise, I found it quite different from your typical Japanese restaurants. It came with assorted vegetables, and we chose Chicken as our protein. The noodles were glistening in the sauce and was quite flavourful.

Love Shuffle and Zipang Roll

We also chose two of their sushi rolls. First was the Love Shuffle, which was filled with 2 pieces of prawn tempura, cucumber and mayo. They were topped with alternating ingredients of salmon, avocado and mango. Each was topped with a masago roe. Not bad. Sort of like your typical rainbow roll. The second roll we got was the Zipang Roll, which was wrapped with soy sheet and filled with scallop, salmon, cucumber, and radish sprouts. I liked the change from seaweed to soy sheet. Their sushis aren’t large, but they are all made with care. A good rice to filling ratio with quality ingredients.

Overall, Zipang Provisions is a tad pricier than some sushi joints, but you get quality over quantity here. Plus, service was really friendly. I’d like to point out that we actually found a piece of hair on one of our rolls, but the server acted very professionally, apologized, and got the chef to prepare us a new roll.

Pros:
– Service is really friendly
– Ambiance is cool and hip, but still great for families

Cons:
– Service was just average
– Restaurant can get a little loud with all the children

Price Range: $15-25

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

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

Hapa Izakaya (Robson) – DOVF 2015

February 3, 2015February 3, 2015Leave a comment

Beef Tataki

For my last Dine Out, I went to Hapa Izakaya on Robson Street. I had a pretty bad experience at the Yaletown location, but the Robson location had an $18 menu and the choices seemed pretty good. The restaurant wasn’t fully booked like most of the other dine out restaurants, so it made getting a table last minute very easy. We decided to share all our dishes and started off with the Beef Tataki. The lightly seared AAA beef was fresh and cut to the right thickness. It was topped with a sesame-chili sauce and came with some garlic chips.

Bintoro

The second appetizer was the Bintoro, which is lightly seared Albacore tuna sashimi. The tuna was seared just so the edges were cooked, and the sashimi itself was tender and fresh. It came with a ponzu sauce and was paired with a salad.

Raw Oyster

The third appetizer we chose were the Raw Oysters, which features the Chef’s selection oysters with daikon ponzu sauce. The oysters were rather large, but were still very fresh. I found it interesting that they gave you pickled ginger and wasabi, but none of us gave that a try. A pretty good deal since you get three oysters for the order.

Taster Plate (2pc ea. Ebi Mayo, Karaage, Gyoza)

For our second course, we chose the Taster Plate, which included 3 types of snacks. There were two pieces of each snack. First were the tempura prawns, which came with a spicy mayo sauce. I wasn’t a fan of these since the prawns were very small, and the batter wasn’t crunch. These were sort of soggy. In the middle were the Karage – deep-fried boneless chicken. This came with a soy ginger sauce, which was also just average. Lastly were the Gyozas, which did not really look like gyoza. It was essentially minced pork layered with lotus root and tempura battered. Overall, the taster plate was just average. Nothing too special.

Gindara

Another second course we ordered was the Gindara, which was baked sablefish with a sake-miso marinade.It came with some grilled vegetables. The sablefish was very moist and tasted great with the sake-miso sauce.

Kakuni

The third second course we got was the Kakuni. This was an interesting dish, featuring soy-braised pork belly with steamed buns. It also came with some Japanese hot mustard and salted cucumber. The bun was soft and the pork belly was tender with a good amount of fat. One of our favourite dishes.

Spicy Pork Ishiyaki

For our third course, we chose the Spicy Pork Ishiyaki. The rice was mixed minced pork, garlic sprouts, egg, tomato, lettuce, spicy miso, and served in a hot stone bowl. Sort of like the Korean bibimbap. It was slightly spicy, but not overpowering. Very flavourful!

Tartar Sushi Donburi

We also got the Tartar Sushi Donburi, which was probably my favourite. Essentially a chirashi don, with assorted chopped sashimi, shiso, and ginger-soy mayo. It featured salmon and two types of tuna. Perfect for those who love sashimi.

Mentaiko Udon

Lastly, we got the Mentaiko Udon. The udon noodles were mixed with a spicy cod roe sauce, but I found this to be just average. I prefer Guu’s yakiudon.

Overall, I wouldn’t say any of the food was too memorable, but everything was decent. I still prefer Guu if I want izakaya food. Hapa is more bar like and somewhat more formal. It’s still a great place for happy hour or to grab drinks.

Pros:
– Reasonable prices
– Ambiance is pretty nice

Cons:
– Service was just average
– Food isn’t too memorable

Price Range: $20-30

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

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