Bella Gelateria – Hot Chocolate Festival

June 10, 2014June 10, 2014Leave a comment

Bella Gelateria has always been one of my favourite gelato shops. It’s pricey, but their handmade gelatos are always worth it. For the Hot Chocolate Festival this year, they offered a “Hot ChocolatO.” It essentially meant that the hot chocolate were flavoured by a ‘gBar’, which is a frozen gelato on a popsicle stick. We chose the Black Magic, which comes with a Black Seasame & Matcha Green Tea gBar and a 85% & White Hot Chocolate.

The pairing also came with a slice of Banana Bread. You could actually taste the richness of the chocolate in the drink, and apparently you are supposed to stir your gelato in your drink, but I ate it on its own. I loved the sesame in the gbar, although I found that it overpowered the matcha flavour. Again, the gelato was extremely smooth. The banana bread was also a very nice treat to go with the drink. It’s made by a local called Erin Ireland, and it consists of roasted macadamia nuts, Callebaut milk chocolate, olive oil and organic bananas. All this was for $7.50, which is decent considering the amount of hot chocolate you get and the extra treats on the side.

Dubh Linn Gate

June 9, 2014June 7, 2014Leave a comment

Clam Chowder (Cup) – hearty chowder combined with Arctic clams, Yukon Gold potatoes, bacon and fresh herbs

The next afternoon, we looked for a quick meal before we headed back to Vancouver. We stayed at the Pan Pacific Whistler, and Dubh Linn Gate is attached, so we decided to just go for convenience. Dubh Linn Gate is an Irish bar, but also offers breakfast and lunch menus. We began with a cup of Clam Chowder, and we both agreed this was one of the best Clam Chowders we’ve had! It had tons of clams, and something just made this chowder so flavourful! We were devouring this so quickly!

Bangers and Mash – hearty pub classic with Guinness infused bangers

K got the Bangers and Mash for her entree. Bangers essentially are sausages. The sauce was a Guinness sauce and it came with some mashed potatoes. I was a little disappointed in this. I didn’t think it was that great and definitely not worth $16.

Honey Garlic Chicken Wings with Ranch Dip

For myself, I was craving some wings, and got the Honey Garlic Chicken Wings. This was a good portion, with around 10 pieces. The sauce a sweet and sticky, with the wings lightly fried. Not bad for a pub! I did find it a little pricey at $14 though.

All in all, we were quite surprised with the quality of the food at the pub. Usually, I don’t expect much at a pub, but we were both quite happy with our dishes. Again, prices are a little high for a pub, but food in Whistler is just expensive in general.

Crepe Montagne

June 8, 2014June 7, 2014Leave a comment

Chorizo Crepe

A while back, I joined K up at Whistler for a night and that also meant trying some of Whistler’s restaurants. Araxi is known to be one of their top, but it’s also extremely pricey. The restaurant was also completely packed, so we decided to try out Crepe Montagne. They offer French crepes, but are also famous for their fondues and Swiss Raclette. This restaurant is rated very well, but it’s also extremely small. It fits roughly 30 people in total, and is constantly packed. We waited around 20 minutes and were given a very tight seat. You really can’t move around! Other than that, the food is pretty good. We went for the Chorizo Crepe, which was filled with the spicy sausauge, cheese, green onions and topped with a bechamel sauce. It also came with mixed greens along with a Dijon vinaigrette. The crepe was actually one of the best I’ve had. the crepe itself was slightly crispy, and the fillings were very flavourful and cheesy. However, their crepes are quite expensive, priced around $22 each.

Old Fashioned Cheese Fondue

Since they’re famous for fondues, of course we had to give it a try. They have both cheese and meat fondues. We chose the Old Fashioned Cheese Fondue. All their fondues are made with Emmenthal and Gruyere cheese from Switzerland, and seasoned with garlic and white wine. For the Old Fashioned, it is also mixed with Dijon mustard and herbs. They give you a large bowl of French baguette cubes, and we definitely were not able to finish all that bread between the two of us. The fondue would be great to share with more, or just to share with two people on it’s own.

The fondue was definitely very cheesy. The server would constantly come around to stir our pot so the cheese didn’t clump together. A quick stir, and your cheese would melt nicely again. Unfortunately, we found that our fondue had an odd taste that we didn’t personally really like. It might’ve been the white wine or the dijon, but it threw us off a bit. Also, the bread quality isn’t too good, as it’s very rough. I guess since it’s soaked in the cheese, it doesn’t feel as rough anymore, but I was slightly disappointed with the quality since we’re paying $23 for the fondue.

And here was our meal! A very small table filled with lots of food. Our server was also particularly amazing. She was friendly and funny and K and I definitely agreed she made our night very enjoyable. We still found the prices to be on the high side though, even though we were quite satisfied with the food. I guess it’s because you’re in Whistler, and they’re able to price it higher due to the tourists.

Miku – Dine Out 2014

June 7, 2014Leave a comment

My third dine out was at my favourite Miku Restaurant. The last time I visited, it was back when they were still at their original location. Now, they are located right by Canada Place and features a beautiful view. Miku’s Dine Out Vancouver 2014 dinner menu was for $38, although their lunch menu was only for $28. Of course, the two menus are a little different and you get much more in the dinner menu.

The inside was actually fairly empty when I arrived at around 6pm. The sushi bar was empty, but all the tables along the window with a view were taken up. Service was excellent. I was waiting for J and M to arrive, and was checked up multiple times. The service wasn’t pushy or anything though.

Sake Pairing

For an additional $19, we added a sake pairing to our dinner. This was excellent and a good amount of sake to complete our meal. The sake to pair our appetizer was called Umajun. It was the lightest of them all and was my favourite. Next was the Aburi Ginjo to pair our entree. It’s an exclusive sake for their restaurants, but I didn’t like it as I found it too strong in alcohol. Lastly, was the Sparkling Nigori to pair our dessert. It was a cloudy colour and had some fizz to it. Not bad!

Shortly after, we were presented with our appetizers which came neatly in a wooden box. Miku’s Dine Out Menu does is set and therefore you are not given a choice in each course. For the appetizer, we were given 4 different dishes.

Tosaka Seaweed and Tofu Salad – arugula, sweet and sour soy vinaigrette

The first appetizer was the Tosaka Seaweed and Tofu Salad. At first, I thought it would be just a plain old salad, but this was so delicious! It came with arugula, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and tofu. I think what made the salad so delicious was the sweet and sour soy vinaigrette. A great way to open up your appetite.

Ebi Fritter – prawn, sweet chili aioli, soy balsamic reduction

Second was the Ebi Fritter. I’ve had their ebi mayo before, which I had really enjoyed, but we all agreed that the Ebi Fritter was a bit underwhelming. The prawn was huge and fresh, and it was lightly battered, but it wasn’t the star of the show. A nice aioli sauce too and also a drizzle of soy balsamic reduction. It also came with a small salad on the side.

Baked BC Oyster – spinach, miso aioli

Third was the Baked BC Oyster, which was probably my favourite appetizer. The oyster was so fatty and fresh. It wasn’t like those terrible baked oysters with too much sauce on top. It was a light miso aioli.

Tamari Glazed Short Rib – sterling silver AAA, yukon potato puree

The last appetizer was the Tamari Glazed Short Rib. This was a sterling silver AAA short rib, and the meat would just flake off. It came with a bit of wasabi on top to give it a Japanese flare. Under the short rib was a potato puree, which was very creamy and smooth.

Miku Signature Sushi – selection of Aburi, Nigiri, Roll and Oshi Sushi

The entree was the Miku Signature Sushi. This was what I was looking forward to the most. Miku is known for their aburi and oshi sushi. They are extremely creative in their rolls too. None of their sushi require soy sauce since they already come prepared with a sauce. Starting from the left to right, we have the Tuna Nigiri. This was very smooth. Next was the Ebi Nigiri, which came with a pesto sauce. This was just alright. Next was a Hamachi Roll with a wasabi dressing. I believe the one after was called the Red Wave Roll. It had crab and avocado and was wrapped in red tuna. The last two were my favourite since they were the oshi sushi, which means they are pressed sushi. First was the Saba Oshi Sushi, which is house cured mackarel and came with a miso sauce. The last on the right was the Salmon Oshi Sushi, which was pressed BC wild sockeye salmon, topped with jalapeno and Miku sauce. This is always my favourite at Miku. The aburi style creates a smooth, fatty texture in your mouth when you have the fish in your mouth.Extremely fresh fish as usual!

Lemon and Chardonnay Cream – raspberry sorbet, lemon coconut cookie

Lastly, we had the Lemon and Chardonnay Cream for dessert. The presentation was beautiful on a black charcoal-like plate to keep it cool. A lemon coconut cookie sat beneath the raspberry sorbet. On the side was a bit of mango puree and sauce. There was also something similar to a blackberry cheesecake on the side. Not bad, but not their best dessert. I still enjoy their Green Tea Opera much more.

All in all, a good deal for $38 if you want to try a selection of their appetizers and signature sushi. Miku is quite pricey regularly, so this is actually a decent priced menu. You will actually feel filled up just right after dinner. Not overly full, but just right.

Sushi Hachi

June 1, 2014Leave a comment

Finally! Finally, I was able to try Sushi Hachi. I remember coming here with J twice, and each time, it was each fully booked or it was closed. They only open on Tuesdays to Saturdays and only for dinner from 6pm to 9pm! It’s like almost impossible to get a seat here without reservations too, since the restaurant is extremely small. It fits around 30-40 guests too, so they probably only get around 2 rounds of diners.

The restaurant is solely run by a man and his wife. The man does all the cooking, while the wife takes orders and serves food. Therefore, the wait time for your food can be a long time if you arrive at around the same time as other diners. Be sure to make a reservation before coming or you’re likely to be told to come back another day.

Salmon Sashimi

We started off with an order of Salmon Sashimi. It comes with 7 pieces. Very fresh and nicely cut.

Sushi by piece: Scallop, Red Tuna, Toro (Tuna Belly), Tamago

Sushi Hachi is famous for their nigiris because they offer fresh fish. They also don’t do any crazy rolls, so if you’re looking for creativity, this place isn’t for you. The man crafts authentic sushi and looks for quality. We first did a round of nigiris, and you are only able to order them by piece. They can be quite pricey, but they were definitely of high quality. For myself, I had a piece of the Red Tuna and Toro. The red tuna had a very nice bite and reminded me of salmon sashimi. On the other hand, the toro just melted in your mouth. So fatty and delicious!

Sushi by piece: Saba, Chopped Scallop, Mirugai (Geoduck)

Our next tray came, and I had one of each nigiri. First, the Saba was simply seasoned with a bit of ginger to rid the fishiness that saba usually has. The saba was very fresh though, so it didn’t taste too fishy. The Chopped Scallop was extremely fresh with the right amount of mayo and tobiko. The Geoduck was one of my favourites, with a nice chew, but not too tough.

BBQ Squid

Other than nigiris, they also have some authentic dishes and BBQ dishes. We chose the BBQ Squid was extremely delicious! I highly recommend this! It was grilled lightly, and seasoned with a sweet Japanese sauce. It wasn’t over seasoned so you could still taste the flavour of the squid. The squid was also extremely tender!The tentacles were my favourite!

Unagi Don

Dad and E shared the Unagi Don. I’m not a huge fan of unagi, so I can’t comment much about it.

Chef’s Choice Sushi (10 piece + 1 roll)

Lastly, we also ordered the Chef’s Choice Sushi, which is a good value for an individual who wants to try an assortment of sushi. I believe the sushi changes daily, based on what’s fresh on the market. Here, starting from the back row on the left were a 5 piece Tuna Roll, Chopped Scallop, Scallop, and Marinated Red Tuna Nigiri. The bottom row is a bit of a mystery for me as I couldn’t quite figure out each fish. They are fish that I normally don’t consume regularly, so I was a bit confused. Pretty sure there was some Hamachi, Saba, and some type of tuna. Since we only got one of each, I can’t really comment on them. From the ones I had though, they were all extremely fresh!

Be warned that you are likely to be still hungry after a dinner at Sushi Hachi, although you have probably spent quite a lot. That being said, Sushi Hachi is about quality over quantity. The nigiris are quite small, but pricey at the same time. However, it’s a very nice treat when you want some high quality authentic sushi. Highly recommend to try at least once!

The Oakwood Canadian Bistro (Dine Out 2014)

May 30, 2014Leave a comment

For my second dine out, I visited The Oakwood Canadian Bistro with J. Parking is a bit tough here since there’s only street parking and it’s pretty packed in the Kitsilano area. The bistro was packed and I found the atmosphere to be a bit too loud. It was sort of hard to talk, but it would be a nice place to hang out with friends.

Pork Terraine – maple cauliflower puree, pickled shallots

For the appetizer, J got the Pork Terraine. I took a bite and it was alright. We both agreed it sort of tasted like spam, but of higher quality. Wasn’t my favourite.

Smoked Seafood Chowder – cod, clams, bacon lardon, oyster crackers

For myself, I got the Smoked Seafood Chowder. It was quite flavourful, with loads of clams and bits of cod fish. It also came with oyster crackers, which I enjoyed. You could actually taste the oyster flavour in the crackers.

Grilled 16 oz Pork Chop – roast fingerling potato, charred cippolini and fennel, apple glace

For the entree, J paid an extra $10 for the Grilled 16 oz Pork Chop. It was decent, but I don’t know if I would pay an extra $10 for it. The meat was juicy and came with a nice apple glaze.

Roast Porchetta – confit garlic brocollini, dijon spatile, caramelized onion puree

For myself, I got the Roast Porchetta, that everyone talks about. However, I was actually quite disappointed in it! I found that my dish had more fat than anything! The amount of meat was so minimal. I know porchetta is supposed to come with some fat, which is why it’s so delicious, but this was too much. It felt kind of disgusting just chewing on the fat. The crispy layer of the porchetta, however was quite crunchy, although I found it under-seasoned. It was just salty, but not flavourful. My favourite part was actually the dijon spatile. Not exactly sure what it was, but it’s crunchy and sort of like popcorn.

Chocolate Mousse – coffee pistachio crunch, whip cream

For dessert, J got the Chocolate Mousse. This was the only item he really enjoyed the whole night. He loves coffee desserts, so this was perfect. It was a chocolate mousse with coffee flavoured bits mixed with pistachio, so you got a nice crunch. The whip cream just underneath this crunchy layer gave it a smooth texture along with the mousse. Mix it all up and you get a delicious mousse with a crunchy bite.

Maple Creme Caramel – pecan shortbread, cranberry gel, vanilla caramel

My dessert was the Maple Creme Caramel. It was such a Canadian dessert, with the red being a cranberry gel and the maple leaf being a pecan shortbread. Underneath was a vanilla caramel that tasted sort of like a pudding. I personally didn’t really enjoy this dessert. The cranberry gel gave it a sour taste and I found it a bit odd.

Overall, we were slightly disappointed with the Dine Out Vancouver 2014 menu at The Oakwood Canadian Bistro. Next to us was a friendly diner who said he visits the bistro regularly, and he agreed that the dine out menu did not showcase the best of what there is to offer. He suggested that we try their regular menu next time because there are some really good dishes. The Dine Out menu was for $28, and although I wouldn’t say that’s pricey for the amount of food we had, the dishes weren’t that great. They weren’t dishes that made me want to return to try out more of their menu. But again, I hear good things about their normal menu, so I’ll definitely think about a revisit soon.

Edible Canada (Dine Out 2014) & Earnest Ice Cream

May 28, 2014May 27, 2014Leave a comment

I know I’m months late for my Dine Out 2014 posts, but I’m going to write them anyway! For my first dine out, I went to Edible Canada with J. Edible Canada is located at Granville Island, and is well known for promoting local food. The Dine Out menu was for $28, with some menu items offered at an additional cost. We also chose to get the BC VQA Wine Pairings, which was an additional $16. I can assure that you’ll be pretty filled up by the end of the night!

Bartier Scholefield Sauivignon Blanc 2012, Bartier Bros. Unoaked Chardonnay 2012

The wines that came with our appetizers were white wines. Each dish comes with a specific wine pairing that is supposed to match your dish. I’m not a wine expert, so I won’t comment too much about them, but we did find that all our wines suited the dishes quite well.

Crispy Humboldt Squid – shaved fennel, radishes, squid ink aioli

J got the Crispy Humboldt Squid, which were cut into strips, rather than the typical calamari style we often eat. The squid were very tender and the batter was light and well seasoned. It also came with a bit of squid ink aioli which was a nice touch.

Fried BC Mountain Scallops – lamb offal, brown sugar & bacon, baked beans, cornbread

For myself, I got the Fried BC Mountain Scallops. I had originally thought that they were “typical” scallops, until the waitress warned me while taking my order that they were really lamb offals or testicles. Feeling adventurous that day, I ordered it anyways. Turns out they were quite delicious! They were tender and had a slight chew, and were lightly breaded and fried. It came in a pan of baked beans which accompanied the “scallops” really well.

Bartier Bros. Merlot 2011, Market Red 2012

For our main pairing, we were given red wines. Perfect, since we were both having dishes with meat.

Grilled 6oz Canadian AAA Filet Mignon – bouquetiere of vegetables, bone marrow butter, root vegetable pave

J added an extra $20 for the Grilled 6oz Canadian AAA Filet Mignon. It was cooked to medium-rare as requested with a beautiful pink interior. The meat was tender and juicy.

Seared Lois Lake Steelhead – Fraser Valley winter kale, wild boar bacon, roasted Hazelmere Farm sunchokes

For myself, I chose the Seared Lois Lake Steelhead. I like to order fish when I dine out, since I can never cook fish well. This was absolutely delicious! The steelhead was so moist and the skin was seared beautifully. I normally don’t like to eat the skin on fish, but I devoured this! A must order! It also came with some kale, which was lightly seasoned and made a great side of veggies.

Whiskey Cream a la Zack Shave, Venturi-Schultze Brodenburg #3

Lastly, for our desserts, we also got some dessert wines. For my dessert, I got a Whiskey Cream, which I found extremely strong! It’s like a creamy coffee cream flavour, but the whiskey itself was very strong so I felt like you had to really sip on this.

Canadian Butter Tart – macerated raisins, Chantilly cream

J got the Canadian Butter Tart, which he said was quite good.

Bacon Ice Cream Sundae – ginger brownie, walnut crumble, dulce de leche, whipped cream

I came here looking forward to the Bacon Ice Cream Sundae. Unfortunately, you needed to add an additional $2, but I did it anyways. Edible Canada is known for their bacon ice cream, but I was actually slightly disappointed. It was delicious after the first spoon, but halfway through, I found it too sweet. It’s filled with a lot of dulce de leche, and along with the brownie, it’s just too sweet for my liking! The bacon and ice cream is a nice pairing though, just because you get a bit of saltiness and sweetness. Still, I don’t think I would order this again.

Edible Canada also has a retail store next to the restaurant. They sell a variety of local goods. They essentially sell Canadian gourmet foods here, although they focus mainly on BC goods. One local goodie they sell are Earnest Ice Cream products! So of course I went home with a jar of Whiskey Hazelnut Ice Cream. Quite pricey for ice cream since it came to around $10. That was already after using a 10% coupon that Edible Canada provides you on your receipt after you’ve dined with them. However, the ice cream is pretty damn good. I don’t know if I would pay that price for my every day ice cream though. Probably a nice treat once in a while! For those that don’t want to trek all the way to Earnest Ice Cream, you can now shop at after your meal at Edible Canada!

All in all, Edible Canada was a nice casual restaurant with quality food. I like how they use local ingredients, so you know that you have the freshest ingredients. Service was average, but as usual, you can’t expect much during Dine Out, since it’s always busy. They did their regular check ups, so I was quite pleased with that. To add on, we were late for 30 minutes, and they still took us in and didn’t rush us out, so we were very happy with that. Looking forward to coming back again!

Sura (Richmond)

May 27, 2014May 26, 2014Leave a comment

Complimentary Side Dishes

Sura Korean Restaurant has been around for quite a while in their Downtown Robson location. I hear good things about that location, with their lunch menus being quite affordable. Sometime last year, they opened a second store in Aberdeen Mall in Richmond. Sadly, it didn’t seem to meet the same expectations looking at online reviews. I decided to give it a try myself, since J wanted some Korean food. First, we were given some complimentary side dishes. The only dish I liked was the Kimchi. The other was a chili chive, which is too strong for my liking, but J loved. The third was some sort of marinated mushroom, which was alright.

Yukhoe

J introduced me to something that frightened me a bit at first, but I later found delicious. It’s called Yukhoe, and is essentially the Korean version of steak tartar. It’s made from high quality raw ground beef and is seasoned with various sauces and spices. The beef was julienned into thin strips, and surprisingly it was very easy to chew. If you’re not someone into eating raw beef, this is definitely not for you. You mix it with the veggies, like cucumber, carrot, radish, and apple, and these ingredients bring some sweetness to your meat. I believe it normally also comes with a raw egg on top, but J doesn’t eat eggs, so it was removed.

Dolsot Bibim-bap

I found that most of the dishes on the menu were good for sharing, but for the two of us, it was a bit difficult to order. On another visit, we ended up just getting a Dolsot Bibimbap, which is the most original bibimbap. It’s rice topped with lightly sauteed vegetables and beef served in a heated stone pot. The server will mix it for you, and you can add some Korean hot sauce for some extra flavour. You get some crunchy rice at the bottom, which J loves.

Galbi-tang

For both visits, we got the Galbi-tang. It’s a nice hearty beef soup and comes with a bunch of marinated beef short ribs. I found that as usual, the short ribs lacked meat, but it was still very tasty. Korean cuisine is known for their soups and they have many added benefits. I would definitely recommend this soup if you’re looking for a healthy alternative.

For both visits, the service was average. The first visit was the worst, since this server was still in training and she kept messing up our order, which gave us a lot of confusion and extra wait time. All in all, I found the food to be average, but extremely pricey! The environment is quite nice, but I probably wouldn’t pay that much for a typical dinner. Haroo would be a much better choice for an affordable Korean meal.