Kintaro Ramen

July 7, 2014Leave a comment

Miso Ramen – medium broth and fat Cha-shu

After a sunny afternoon of biking at Stanley Park, K and I were hungry for food. Since we were on Denman, we began walking towards Robson and of course we came across Kintaro. I’ve been to Kintaro years ago, when it first got all hyped up with the long lines. This was before I started this blog, so of course I had to document it this time. Luckily, it was an odd time to have dinner as it was a bit too early, so we quickly got a seat. Soon after though, there began to form small lines. Definitely still not as crazy as years ago, since there are several other ramen shops in the neighbourhood now. Anyways, I decided to get the Miso Ramen. For the broth, you can choose heavy, medium, or light. As for the Cha-shu (bbq pork), you can choose fat or lean. I chose the medium broth and of course the fat cha-shu. My bowl came and it was a deep yellow broth. A spoon of the broth told me it was going to be a satisfying meal. Their broth is so rich and flavourful! The ramen is chewy and the cha-shu had just the right amount of fat and meat. A good portion of noodles, topped with bean sprouts, green onions, and corn. You only get one slice of cha-shu though, which is similar to many of the other ramen shops. However, the price at Kintaro is always very reasonable.

Cold Ramen

K went for the Cold Ramen. I’ve never actually tried this one, but it looked very colourful! Since it was such a hot day, it was probably actually a good idea to get this dish rather than the boiling hot bowl I had. It came with a variety of veggies and kelp. She had the cha-shu on the side, so I had them. The cha-shu in her bowl was definitely not as good as mine. It was much more rough and also had no fat on it. I guess it would’ve worked well with her noodles, but definitely not with mine. She had a light sauce to go with her noodles. She said she was quite satisfied with her noodles.

Overall, Kintaro is always a good spot to grab some ramen, especially after hitting up Stanley Park. I find that their ramen are much more reasonably priced, compared to some of the other nearby shops. Small shop with limited seating, but people eat ramen quite quickly, so the line usually moves quickly.

Sushi Town (Burnaby)

July 6, 2014Leave a comment

Spicy Salmon Sashimi

Sushi Town is very similar to Sushi Garden, with cheap prices and large portions. They have two locations – one in North Burnaby and one in Coquitlam. We went to the one in Burnaby, and it’s located in a weird area with a lot of residential housing nearby. You’ll probably be able to find free parking just down the streets in front of someone’s house. The place is packed, but since I was half an hour late, my friends were already seated. We shared the Spicy Salmon Sashimi, which is one of their popular dishes. Loads of salmon sashimi cut into cubes with a spicy sauce. I love the mix of cucumber cubes in it as well. A good deal!

Chopped Scallop Roll

I chose the Chopped Scallop Roll. It was filled with lots of scallop, but I wouldn’t say it was that great. The rice was falling apart and the flavour wasn’t the best I’ve had. But for the price, you get filled up if you don’t look at the presentation.

Takoyaki

For the Takoyaki, it came quite nicely presented, with bonito flakes on top. The inside however was more dough than filling. Definitely not a lot of octopus. I would say they are average.

Mango Roll

We also chose two of their specialty rolls. The specialty rolls are pretty good deals since they’re around $4-$5. Normally, specialty rolls are at least $8 at other restaurants. But then again, they use more expensive ingredients. The Mango Roll came with imitation crab, cucumber, and some mango. It was topped with cooked ebi or shrimp and drizzled with a mayo sauce. Not bad as you get some of the sweet and sour from the mango. I do wish they had put a bit more mango though.

Awesome Roll

Lastly, S recommended the Awesome Roll. I believe this was one of their pricier rolls at around $7. However, it included tons of ingredients. It had imitation crab, cucumber, avocado and masago. On top, there was a slice of salmon sashimi, a sweet teriyaki sauce, and bonito flakes. Great flavours when mixed together!

Overall, I was quite satisfied with Sushi Town. You need to go in knowing that quality is not going to be best. This place is all about value, and you’ll definitely be filled up without breaking your wallet. I know that people say that service is quite bad here, but I actually didn’t really experience it at all. The servers took our orders right away (although they sort of rushed us to get our orders down as quickly as possible), but they also poured us tea very frequently. At the end of our meal, we had probably sat for quite some time too, and they didn’t throw us the bill, like many other places would. Definitely would revisit more often if it wasn’t so far for me.

Charcoal Sushi & BBQ (Revisit #3)

July 2, 2014July 2, 2014Leave a comment

Chopped Scallop Roll

After my graduation, we decided to go grab a quick graduation dinner. We didn’t have much planned, so we just headed to Charcoal Sushi & BBQ. I’ve blogged quite a few times about it, but I tried a few different items this time, so I find it worth blogging about. First, we got my all time favourite Chopped Scallop Roll. They are filled with lots of scallop and cucumbers and topped with sesame seeds.

Beef Yaki-udon

Next, we had the Beef Yaki-udon. I think the Mentaiko Yaki-udon was much better. This was flavourful, but wasn’t too special. Tasted just like any other yaki-udon you could get elsewhere.

Snow White Roll

For rolls, we got the Snow White Roll. It was filled with cooked salmon, and topped with chopped scallop and shaved coconut. I thought the coconut would be sort of weird, but it actually tasted really good together! It was also a spicy roll, as there was a spicy mayo sauce.

Rainbow Roll

We also got the Rainbow Roll, which is really just California roll with a mixture of sashimi on the top. It came with tuna, salmon, hokkigai, and other white fish I’m not familiar with. Love the sashimi on top! Very fresh!

Tuna Tataki

Oddly enough, our appetizers came last. I found this a little disappointing, since I was looking forward to eating this at the beginning of my meal. Anyways, we got the Tuna Tataki and although it was seared nicely on the sides, I found it lack flavour. I wish it had a stronger sauce. I felt like I was just eating seared tuna with no seasoning.

Beef Sashimi

Lastly, we were presented with the Beef Sashimi, which again would’ve been preferred as a starter. It came with many slices and was actually quite fresh. The only issue I had with it was that it was a slightly thick cut and I felt like they had not defrosted it enough. Otherwise, the flavour was really good with a hint of a vinaigrette taste to it.

Overall, Charcoal is always a decent place to go for Japanese food. It’s by no means authentic food, but it’s definitely better than many of the Chinese owned restaurants. Prices are also average. Only issue is the restaurant has a small seating capacity, so it’s important to make reservations.

Gudrun

June 30, 2014June 30, 2014Leave a comment

When K came back, I suggested we go try Gudrun. It’s been opened in Steveston for quite some time, but I always just past by it without looking into it too much. Finally, we decided to go on a rainy weekday.

They seem to change their menu daily, based on what’s fresh in the market. Their menu is fairly simple with probably under 10 main menu items.

The inside is dimly lit and filled with wooden tables and chairs. There’s also a long table – great for large groups. It’s an open kitchen and there’s also a bar table. The service was amazing, with our server being super friendly and checking up on us occasionally. He might also be the owner, but I’m not sure. It was really relaxed and chill, and we didn’t feel rushed or pressured to order more. He would actually chat with customers, but he saw us having our own conversation, so he gave us plenty of space. I also love how they have pillows so you can feel like you’re at home. Absolutely love the ambiance here!

Mac & 5 Cheese with Side Salad

K got the Mac & 5 Cheese which came with a side of salad. The Mac & Cheese was definitely very cheesy and creamy. It might be a little pricey for a mac & cheese, but you can tell that this ain’t any cheap Kraft Dinner!

Meat Sandwich – sopressata, red peppers and cheddar

J and I both got the Meat Sandwich. It came with sopressata, which is an Italian dry salami. It also came with a side of salad, which had a really good light dressing. A bit of those tiny little pickles and olives too. A very simple dish, but it tasted amazing!

The sandwich was also filled with red peppers and cheddar. I loved the pairing of the peppers and salami. It wasn’t too salty, and the bread was grilled perfectly!

Overall, we were extremely pleased with Gudrun. It may be a bit pricey, but the relaxing environment really makes it a great place to chill and catch up with friends. They also have a large selection of wines and meat or cheese boards, which would be perfect for a late night hangout. Fresh ingredients with well-executed dishes and impeccable service!

Espana

June 29, 2014Leave a comment

Espana Sangria – red wine, Spanish Brandy, Licor 43

For K’s birthday, I suggested we go relive some Spanish food and check out Espana. I realized that there’s barely any Spanish cuisine here in Vancouver. A lot of Latin American or Mexican food, but not traditional Spanish food. Espana is located on Denman Street, near the Davie area and there were tons of restaurants nearby. They don’t take reservations, but we luckily got a seat quite quickly. It’s dimly lit inside and it’s got a bar table as well. Seems like a great place to grab tapas and enjoy a glass of wine. For drinks, we decided to try their sangrias. Mom got the Espana Sangria, which I think was the best. It was mainly red wine with some brandy and fruits. The rest of them got the Tinto de Verano, which is red wine with lemonade. I really enjoyed the drink in Barcelona, but I didn’t quite like the one here as much.

Kalimotxo – Red wine, Coca Cola

For myself, I decided to try something weird and got the Kalimotxo, which was red wine and Coca Cola. It was such a bad choice. It tasted quite bitter and I wouldn’t recommend anyone getting it.

Iberian Ham Croquettes – quince & sherry aioli

Their food is all tapa size, so it’s meant for sharing. Of course, we had to get the Iberian Ham Croquettes. It came with an aioli sauce and they were fried to a light golden brown. I actually really enjoyed the light batter they used here. I think it might be better than some of the ones I had in Spain! You also got a slight Iberian ham flavour to it.

Serrano Ham – aged 14 months

Next, we got the Serrano Ham, which came with some toast that had been lightly slathered with olive oil. Serrano ham is another type of ham and is bred by white pigs. I believe it’s not as expensive compared to Iberian ham, since Iberian ham is only made from Iberian pigs which are acorn-fed. I actually preferred the Serrano ham though, since it doesn’t have that strong pig taste that I find Iberian ham has. Well, I guess that’s why people like Iberian ham so much, because of that taste.

Marinated White Anchovies, Piquillo Peppers & Quail Eggs on Toast

We decided to try their toasts, but they were fairly different from the ones I had in Spain. I think the main difference was the bread they used. It wasn’t thinly sliced like the montaditos we had. This was quite an expensive dish, with only two slices of toast. We chose the one with Marinated White Anchovies, Piquillo Peppers & Quail Eggs. All ingredients that are fairly common in Spanish cuisine. The flavours actually worked together very well.

Grilled Flat Iron Steak – patatas bravas, moritz mustard aioli

The Grilled Flat Iron Steak was probably our favourite dish. The steak was cooked to medium rare and was super tender. It came with a msutard aioli and some fried potatoes as well. Patatas Bravas are very common in Spanish tapas, but this was a play on it, with the sauce being a little different from usual. The steak was definitely a stand out though.

Grilled Octopus & Chorizo – roasted pepper, sun dried olive & caper bread salad, romesco sauce

The Grilled Octopus & Chorizo was a bit of a disappointment. It was a lot of the other ingredients, but lacked pieces of actual octopus. There were probably only 4 small pieces of octopus. It was more like a salad, with roasted peppers and other greens. You’ll also find a chorizo piece here and there. Felt like they lacked the main ingredients of the dish.

Ox Tongue & Warm Potato Salad – mustard, quail eggs, white anchovies, paprika aioli

The Ox Tongue & Warm Potato Salad was also a huge hit at our table. The ox tongue was sliced very thin, compared to what we normally get in Asian cuisines. It was so tender! Along with the quail eggs, anchovies and the mustard and aioli sauce, it was definitely very flavourful! It also came with some cubed potatoes.

Daily Paella

Last but not least, my parents wanted to try the Daily Paella. It takes a long time to be ready, so you need to order it right away. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed with the Paella. It’s not Valencian style, but rather topped with lots of beans, white anchovies, and arugula. The flavour wasn’t my cup of tea at all. It tasted like tomato based beans. Super expensive too! It was around $32 I believe. And I thought the ones in Spain were expensive…

Overall, I was slightly disappointed with the food at Espana. It was nothing compared to the food I had in Spain. I find that their menu is not very traditional, but they grab bits of the Spanish cuisine and play around with the typical ingredients. Not exactly like the food I had in Spain. But I guess this is a good spot to try some Spanish flavours, since we really don’t have many Spanish choices in Vancouver. I also found the menu to be quite pricey and the portions were very small. Still, a restaurant with great ambiance. I’d come back for a small tapa and drinks.

Yolk’s Breakfast Restaurant and Commissary

June 26, 2014Leave a comment

Manmosa – P49 HayFever Saison, fresh squeezed orange juice

After exams ended, I met up with my Barca buddies K and U for brunch. I suggested we go try Yolk’s Breakfast Restaurant and Commissary. They have a food truck, but they also recently opened a restaurant near Knight and East Hastings. It was a far drive for me, but definitely worth it! We waited roughly 10 minutes and were given a seat. The restaurant is actually fairly large compared to many other breakfast spots. They don’t take reservations, like many of the popular breakfast restaurants. Our server was friendly and checked up on us once in a while. We first started off with some drinks. I went for the Manmosa, which came with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a bottle of beer. I was a bit skeptical of mixing beer and orange juice together, but it turned out great! It’s supposed to be the manly version of a manmosa, but I could care less! A bit of alcohol to start our day off!

Mimosa – sparkling wine, freshly squeezed orange juice

U got the girly version and chose the Mimosa. It comes in a skinnier glass and is already premixed with sparkling wine and orange juice. She said it was pretty good!

Yolk’s Caesar – Bacon infused East Van Vodka, Clamato juice, freshly grated horseradish, Worcestershire, Tabasco, lime, celery shrub

K got the Yolk’s Caesar. Very typical and nothing too fancy with the play on ingredients.

Hand Carved Honey Ham on truffle-lemon hashbrowns and English Bangers

For food, Yolk’s is famous for their Poached Free-Range Egg Sandwiches. Their menu has a cute design for this item, and it guides you through the options for this dish. You can choose the topping, whether you want two eggs or one, english muffin, hashbrowns or gluten-free buns, a sauce or cheese, and any additional sides. K got the Hand Carved Honey Ham, which came with fresh spinach & Yolk’s made Dijon. He also got two eggs and double everything. He chose the truffle-lemon hashbrowns instead which cost an additional $1.50. He had the double smoked bacon last time which he said he preferred. Other than the eggs, he also got the English Bangers which were perfectly grilled sausages. He said they were delicious!

Chicken & Waffles – organic fried chicken, Belgian waffles, chicken gravy & pure Canadian maple syrup

U didn’t go for the eggs, but rather their Chicken & Waffles. Yolk’s has a fairly simple menu, hence probably why they can execute good dishes. The chicken & waffles is also one of their famous dishes and it consists of organic fried chicken between two Belgian waffles. It also comes with a chicken gravy, but we all agreed it didn’t taste like gravy and was very bland. U said that the chicken and waffles, however, were very delicious! The chicken was moist and flavourful.

Poached Free-Range Egg Sandwiches – Portobello Mushroom on truffle-lemon hashbrowns

For myself, I also went for the Poached Free-Range Egg Sandwiches. I chose the third option which is Portobello Mushroom. It came with an aioli sauce and fresh arugula. Just like K, I chose two eggs and double everything and had my eggs on truffle-lemon hashbrowns by adding $1.50. I also chose the real hollandaise as my sauce. Cutting into the eggs, they were perfectly poached with the yolks running out. It doesn’t look like too much on the plate, but I was beyond full by the end of the meal. There’s plenty of hash and they were seasoned well! The option for two eggs and double everything comes to around $10.75. Since we substituted for hashbrowns instead of the English muffin, the total cost was $12.25.

Overall, I highly recommend Yolk’s for a breakfast spot. I know some people wait an hour for this, which I probably wouldn’t, but since I only waited 10-15 minutes, I really didn’t find it too bad. Plus, they have great drinks and the portion sizes of food are just right. A pretty reasonable priced breakfast. Only downside is how far it is for me!

Leonidas (Waterfront)

June 25, 201438 Comments

Hot Chocolate – Dark

I had bought the Social Shopper coupon for $12 at Leonidas which came with Belgian Liege waffles, hot chocolate & chocolate covered strawberries for two people. Since J was busy, I got his to go. For myself though, I sat down on the nice sunny day to catch up on some work and enjoy my desserts. For each item, you get quite a few options. For the Hot Chocolate, you can choose from white, milk or dark. I went for the dark chocolate. It came in a nice tall glass with a frothy top and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. It was actually pretty good with a strong chocolate flavour to it.

Belgian Liege Waffles – chocolate sauce and fruits

Next was the Belgian Liege Waffle. You can choose two toppings on your waffle. I chose the chocolate sauce and fruits. They actually put quite a lot of strawberries and bananas on it. It’s also presented quite nicely. The waffle was warm and fluffy and not too sweet. For J’s take out, they also put each fruit and sauce in a separate container so he could put it on himself when he ate it. I like the thoughtfulness they put in to make sure the waffle doesn’t get soggy.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry – dark

Lastly, I got the Chocolate Covered Strawberry. Again, you can choose between white, milk or dark. Of course I went for the dark! This was really good and the strawberry was very sweet. I think it’s as good as Godiva’s.

I was really happy with the service here even though I was using a Social Shopper coupon. It wasn’t as quick as I would’ve liked it to be, but there were only two girls working and there would be times with many customers all at once. One of the girls was extremely courteous and kept apologizing for the delay of my take out. I liked how she did the take out at the end of my meal though, to ensure that the hot chocolate and waffle was still warm. Definitely a great deal for two sets of the desserts! $6 would probably only get you a waffle at any other dessert shop! Plus Leonidas is known in Belgium to be one of the top. For two sets of these desserts, it would normally be valued at $24.80! Great deal!

Akari Japanese Restaurant (Revisit #2)

June 24, 2014Leave a comment

Akari Japanese Restaurant is located in the Coquitlam Town Center and they have made major changes in their menu since the last time I visited. J told me that they now have a $4.95 menu for every item on the menu, so you really need to do some math to figure out which items are a good deal. It’s a Korean owned restaurant, so it’s not exactly authentic Japanese food. We ended up getting several appetizers, but J began to eat them before I even got some pictures! Anyways, here are some of the sushi we got. This included Hamachi, Ebi, Tuna, Sockeye Salmon, and Saba Nigiris. We also got a Chopped Scallop Roll. So basically, each fish was priced at $4.95 and some of them would come with two nigiris or up to four. The salmon and tuna were pretty good deals as each nigiri would come to under $1.25. I found the rolls to be a bit pricey though, as you can usually find typical rolls at a lower price for the same quality. All in all, our food was average. It wasn’t the freshest I’ve had, but it did it’s job. You end up ordering quite a lot since it seems like a good deal, but in the end we ended up paying almost $20 each. You need to be wise when you pick your items here with the new menu.