The Refinery (Dine Out)

February 10, 2013April 28, 20133 Comments

Last Thursday, I went to my last Dine Out! It was a spontaneous one, and we pretty much planned it the night before. We wanted a girls night out, and was looking for somewhere on Granville and was from the fixed price of either $18 or $28. SP suggested we go to The Refinery and off we went! A poor picture of the place, but The Refinery is basically next to Sip Resto Lounge, and you have to go up a flight of stairs. So really, it is on top of Sip Resto Lounge! It was a Thursday night, and the place was around 3/4 full. Not bad I guess.

Complementary Amuse Bouche – Salted Cucumber Sorbet

Shortly after placing our orders, our server brought us a complementary amuse bouche. She explained a bunch of stuff, but from what I remember, it was basically a cucumber sorbet that was salted. When I took a little nibble of it, I thought it was really salty! But I decided to take the whole spoon, and it became a mixture of salty and sour. It was supposed to cleanse our palettes before we ate, but we all felt that it just left our palettes salty and sour! It was definitely refreshing though, since it was an ice cold sorbet. Let’s just say it was interesting…

Albacore Tuna – confit tomato sauce, cannellini beans, basil oil, parsley

For my appetizer, I chose the Albacore Tuna. The portions were actually quite generous. There were probably around 7 slices, and each slice was quite thick. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the sauces. I’m not a parsley person, so the flavours didn’t really work for me. I have to say that the tuna was fresh, and seared well though. The cannellini beans reminded me of chickpeas, which also aren’t my favourite. I guess I’m just a picky eater…

Poached Pear Salad – white wine poached, arugula, goat cheese, walnuts, yellow beets, honey-dijon vinaigrette

SP and SK got the Poached Pear Salad. It was a large plate of arugula, and they felt that it was way too much. There was also parsley in it, which they weren’t too fond of.

Sablefish – roasted red pepper and potato stew

For their entree, they both got the Sablefish. I was tempted to get it too, but I wanted to try their other dishes too. I tried some of the fish, and it was delicious. Cooked perfectly and the fish was smooth. It’s definitely a small piece of fish though!

Stuffed Mushroom – a refinery classic, stuffed with our special house mixture

For myself, I decided to try the Stuffed Mushroom. I’m glad I got this since it was full of surprises! It was one large mushroom filled with their special house stuffing mixture. The top was something that I believe was similar to bread crumbs, but the inside had cashews in it! At first, I found it weird, but for some reason, when you keep eating it, it becomes highly addictive. The nutty flavour just worked so well with the rest of the mixture.On the side, there was also some pesto sauce which added some flavour to the mushroom. On the right was more salad, which was similar to the appetizer. Lots of arugula and parsley! So I didn’t really eat much of it.

Tiramisu – espresso soaked lady fingers, whipped marscapone, cocoa dust

My favourite part of the meal were the desserts! I got the Tiramisu which came with a biscotti. This was extremely delicious! They had a thick layer of whipped marscapone, and it was dusted with cocoa powder on the top. The lady fingers weren’t soaked with a lot of alcohol, or I barely even tasted it, but I didn’t mind it. Because of that, it ended up being on the sweeter side, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Flourless Chocolate Cake – chocolate ganache, raspberry compote, balsamic reduction coconut cream

The girls got the Flourless Chocolate Cake which had a raspberry compote underneath. It was full of chocolate goodness and my one bite satisfied my sudden chocolate cravings. The girls both agreed that it was way too much chocolate and therefore very sweet, but that’s how a flourless chocolate cake is supposed to be like!

When we got our bill, we were also given complementary Chili Truffles, which I forgot to snap a picture of. The truffles were not spicy at first, but once the outer cocoa powder dissolved, the spice hit! It was acutally quite spicy and the server explained that she felt that this batch was a lot spicier.

Overall, The Refinery was average. I don’t know if I would come here again, but this is soley based on their dine out menu. Service was great when our server checked up on us, but where we were seated was difficult to get her attention. It literally took us 10 minutes to get a different servers attention when we wanted a picture because our own server still didn’t notice us. I don’t think the food is bad, but it might be just a personal taste preference and the ingredients aren’t items I normally enjoy. However, I enjoyed their desserts, and the place also seems like a cool place to grab some drinks. Their bar looks really nice!

Raw Canvas (Dine Out 2013)

February 4, 2013April 28, 20132 Comments

I’ve always wanted to try Raw Canvas but looking at the menu, it can be pretty pricey. It’s basically a place where you can eat some meat and cheese, have some drinks, and then you have the choice to go paint! Pretty neat idea, and an awesome place to go for a girls night out. Luckily, Raw Canvas participated in Dine Out Vancouver 2013, so I got to try it out for only $38!

$38 gets you your “appetizer”, which is a choice of cheese sampler or meat sampler. Then your “entree” is a canvas to paint on, with all paint supplied and included. Lastly, your “dessert” is gelato and port! A pretty good deal, since the smallest canvas itself is normally $55. The one for dine out is a bit smaller though, but still a deal regardless since you get food as well.

They have a really nice bar, and at around 9p.m, the place was filled with people having drinks. It definitely feels like a nice place to chat with friends over some drinks.

The place is basically separated so one side is where you eat, and the other half of the place is where the art happens! At first we thought that there weren’t that many easels, but they actually have a lot! It gets a little tight, so if you want lots of space, then I would suggest going earlier or on a weekday night.

I love how the wooden tables and brick walls give the place such an artsy feel to it! Along with the gorgeous paintings on the wall, you can’t help but feel inspired to paint!

The place actually has a decent amount of seats too. Seats for smaller and larger groups as well. The dim lighting totally works in this setting.

Blue – Sake, alize bleu, ginger ale, ginger

K got a mixed cocktail called Blue. Pretty nice!

Karmellet Tripel (Belgium) – abbeys

E got the Karmellet Tripel, which he said wasn’t too bitter. It was recommended by the guy, who we think may be the owner. He was extremely nice and professional. Awesome service!

Peach Italissima Nectar

For myself, I was not feeling like alcohol, so I chose the Peach Italissima Nectar. I really had no idea what it was, but it came in a tiny little bottle.

Then you pour it into a glass with ice, and it is actually pretty good! It’s a little thick, but the ice helps to liquify it. Not bad, and it actually was decent with the meat.

Water comes in a Raw Canvas glass bottle, which they reuse. It’s pretty neat though. You want to check your glasses beforehand though, because some of them have paint on them since people can take their drinks with them when they go paint. The servers were observant enough to let us know and quickly change them though.

Freshly Baked French Baguette

At first, we thought that we would not get full at all, since we’re really just eating meat… but we were wrong! For the 3 of us, they served us two large bowls of Baked French Baguettes. And we were totally full after our meal! I guess the bread really fills you up.

Charcuterie Tasting Plate, served with freshly baked french baguette: Provence Saucisson Sec – southern French sausage flavoured with pastis, Pheasant and Pistachio Terrine – made in Quebec by maison du gibler, Czech Beer Salami – classic Czech style salami flavoured with beer

Accompaniments:Stoneground Mustard, Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Cornichons

All 3 of us got the Charcuterie Tasting Plate, which is basically a plate with 3 types of meat and 3 accompaniments. On the far left, there was the Provence Saucisson Sec. This was basically a sausage, and was my favourite. It was soft and tasted great with the stoneground mustard. In the middle, was the Pheasant and Pistachio Terrine. This was probably my least favourite. It might’ve been the pistachio flavour that threw it off for me. Lastly, on the right was the Czech Beer Salami. Although it was lightly sliced, it was very chewy and hard. It was also extremely strong in pork, but salami is made of pork! They gave a fair amount of the salami, and it was easy to place on the bread.

For the accompaniments, it came with the Stoneground Mustard, which was my favourite! It’s basically mustard seeds that are grounded and made into a paste. It’s definitely strong in mustard flavour, and I could just spread it on the bread and I would be completely happy. So delicious! In the middle, we had the Fire Roasted Tomatoes, which were also really delicious. This can just be put on the bread and there was tons of flavour. And lastly, on the right, were the Cornichons, which are basically pickled cucumbers and are popular in Europe. I’m not a big fan of pickles, but these ones were surprisingly not too sour. I didn’t finish all of them, but they were nice to have in between all the meat.

Gelato and Port – Vanilla Bean Gelato with Sweet Portuguese Wine

For dessert, the item was Gelato and Port. It was a huge scoop of Vanilla Bean Gelato, and you could see the black specks so you knew it wasn’t just vanilla extract. It was served with a glass of sweet Portuguese wine, which when you smell it, smells quite strong in alcohol. I thought it was brandy or whiskey at first, but the server explained that it was a sweet wine. I poured around half the flask in, and it was already plenty to have a taste of alcohol in it. Definitely brings out the sweetness and was a great pairing to the gelato.

After you finish dessert, they ask you if you’re ready to go paint! They don’t push you to, and you can take your time to talk some more if you want to. But of course we were ready to go paint! They provide you with a smock so you can totally get into your artsy spirit. They also have a long wall of paints, and you just squeeze them out onto you palette board. I wish I got a picture of that, because it looks really neat! Then, you go ahead and get all artsy! They also have an artist there to look after you in case you have questions, or need some help getting inspired. And honestly, you don’t need to be an amazing artist to paint. Everyone was just having fun and bringing out their creativity!

So overall, Raw Canvas is an awesome place whether you know how to paint or not. It’s definitely a place to go once in your lifetime, whether it be on a date, to celebrate or to find a place to have food, drinks, and art! It may get quite expensive if you go on their regular nights, but it is something that everyone should try. Instead of having a typical movie night, why not go painting?

Oru (Fairmont Pacific Rim)

February 2, 2013April 28, 2013Leave a comment

Dine Out Vancouver 2013 is about to end soon! 😦 I’m sad since I wish I had tried out more places, but that also means my bank account is going to hurt! For those of you who don’t know about Dine Out Vancouver, it’s basically 200+ restaurants offering set menus that range from $18, $28, to $38. They are usually pretty good deals, but occasionally there are ones where you are paying for basically what you would if you ordered off the regular menu.

Anyways, this year, I decided to try out Oru. I really had not heard much about it, but I had a look at the menu, and it seemed like food I would want. Oru is located inside the Fairmont Pacific Rim, and it is absolutely gorgeous! When you walk through the hotel doors, you are at their lobby and when you continue walking, you see this clean bright white area and stairs leading up to Oru.

Oru has two sides to their restaurant. One side is more of a lounge, where people are mostly drinking. I love the red couches against the white walls. Such a nice contrast! There’s also a mini bar on one side.

They have an open kitchen, where you can basically see all the chefs working. Pretty neat if you sit close to them, but our table was pretty far from the kitchen. I also love how the kitchen area is all white. So classy looking.

Oru is supposed to be a Pan Pacific Asian fusion restaurant, so they actually serve sushi and such in their menu. I guess that’s why they also have chopsticks on their table. Orange chopsticks to be exact.

This is the view we had for our table. Not an ocean view, since we sat by the window that just overlooks the new convention centre. Still pretty nice though.

ORU Salad – sunflower seed butter, quinoa, organic greens, pea shoots, lemongrass dressing

My parents got the ORU Salad, which we stared at for quite a while. We realized that the cabage was literally still fully attached. So you really had to use your knifes and fork to eat this. That also means that they had to buy a cabbage for each dish they made! All fancy huh… Underneath the leaves were quinoa, and on the top, it was topped with sunflower seeds. I took a bite, and it was pretty good. The lemongrass dressing gave it a nice zest.

Yarrow Meadows Duck and Rabbit Terrine – pickled mustard seeds, radish and fennel salad

E had the Yarrow Meadows Duck and Rabbit Terrine. I didn’t try it but he said it was pretty good. Definitely a dainty piece on the large plate though.

Roasted Sunchoke “Mocha” – sunchoke veloute, truffled milk foam, morel cocoa powder

For myself, I had the Roasted Sunchoke “Mocha”. To be honest, I didn’t really know what a veloute was, so I did some quick googling beforehand, and it’s basically a soup. There was some cocoa powder on the top, but I didn’t really taste it. The truffled milk foam however, was powerful, but worked well with the soup. It had an interesting consistency, and was something I hadn’t tried before. Was it something I loved though? Not exactly, but I wouldn’t mind it.

PEI Coldwater Lobster – cold water lobster, isreali cous cous, coconut butter sauce

K had the PEI Coldwater Lobster. I didn’t try it, but apparently it was quite bland. You definitely cannot compare this to how Chinese restaurants prepare lobster. This was definitely just lobster with some butter sauce to go with. She did however mention that the lobster was a little overcooked, so it was a little tough.

Angus Reserve Beef Tenderloin – wild mushrooms, house cured bacon, confit fingerling potato, jus

I was debating between the lobster or the beef tenderloin, and am I ever happy that I ordered the Angus Reserve Beef Tenderloin! At first, I thought the portions would be small, because they usually are at fancy restaurants, but I was totally wrong. Medium-rare prepared, the piece of beef tenderloin was huge, and it was the most tender beef tenderloin I’ve ever had!! You still had to chew on it, but there was no fuss in cutting up the pieces, and it was just oh so tender!!! The sides were slightly crispy, and the meat inside was juicy and full of flavour. The sauce underneath was also delicious. It as a mixture of wild mushrooms, bacon, and potatoes. And I literally finished every bit of the dish. Everything just worked so well together, and I would definitely recommend this. This dish is on their regular menu too, and for $38, so it was definitely a steal for dine out, since you basically get the appetizer and dessert for free. But if I were to come to Oru again, I would highly recommend getting the Beef Tenderloin. So worth your money!

Chocolate Mousse Trifle – single-origin Mexican chocolate, candied banana, coconut foam

Everyone at my table opted for the Chocolate Mousse Trifle. It was presently beautifully like an art piece. The top of the chocolate mousse was a hard chocolate shell. This is definitely for the chocolate lovers. I liked how they had some candied bananas on the side, so you weren’t too overwhelmed with the chocolate flavour, and the banana flavour works well with it.

Lemon Tart – vanilla syrup, meringue crisp, crème fraiche Chantilly

I wanted to try something different, but I didn’t want their third option, which was cheese, so I got the Lemon Tart. The waitress said that was her favourite, so why not! I’m normally not a big fan of lemon tarts, because they can sometimes be too sour and tarty. However, this one was delicious. It was almost like a lemon creme brulee. It had some sugar on the top that was burnt and the lemon filling was smooth and creamy. I also enjoyed the meringue crisps at the top. Everyone at the table got a bite and said that it was surprisingly good. And best of all, it wasn’t super sweet!

Overall, I was extremely pleased with the Dine Out menu for Oru. I can’t comment on how the food is normally, but their food seemed to be consistent. Oh, and I cannot stress how much I loved the Angus Reserve Beef Tenderloin! Beautiful place with great views as well. Servers weren’t annoying and gave us enough space to eat, while occasionally checking up on us.

Adonia Tea House

January 29, 2013May 2, 2013Leave a comment

J and I finally met up to have some girl catch up time and we woke up early to go brunch. Well not that early, but we got to Vancouver around 11 and when we got to Jethro’s Fine Grub, we were told we would have to wait 40 minutes. The place was really tiny and 40 minutes is usually an okay wait for me, but I had other plans after. So we decided to go elsewhere. J suggested Adonia, and we called to make sure we could get a seat, and off we went.

I love how the chinaware is super girly at Adonia. All the floral and golden details make you feel like you’re at an actual tea party!

Jasmine Green Tea (back) and Mango Passion Fruit Green Tea (front)

Their teapots however, were not as girly as I had imagined them to be. For myself, I got the Mango Passion Fruit Green Tea. My mini afternoon tea set came with a choice of tea, so I chose this fruity green tea. I usually like floral teas, but this fruity tea was a nice change. A hint of sour and sweet, but not overwhelming.

Seafood Chowder – Crowded with fresh seafood

J got the Seafood Chowder, but I never tried it. It looked appealing though, with an actual large piece of shrimp in it.

Smoked Salmon – Gourmet sandwich with smoked wild sockeye salmon, dill cream cheese, sweet red onion and capers on foccacia bread. Served with a side salad.

For her entree, J got the Smoked Salmon Sandwich. I was so tempted to get this too! It looked delicious with loads of smoked salmon on the foccacia bread, topped with onions and capers.

Mini Afternoon Tea – A sampling of our afternoon tea. It includes 7 pieces of mini sweets and savories accompanied by your choice of tea.

For myself, I got the Mini Afternoon Tea. This was for $18 and included your choice of tea, so an average price for high tea. They also offer just an afternoon tea, which is their deluxe version and I’m guessing includes much more. That one, however, is $27.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich, Cucumber Sandwich, Egg Sandwich, Berry Scone with Devon Cream and Raspberry Jam

On the bottom tier, we have our savories. The sandwiches were all very basic sandwiches, but they were presented nicely and delicious! Simple ingredients, but executed right! The scone had berries in it and top with sugar on the top. It wasn’t my favourite, as I found it a bit too dry, but scones aren’t my favourite.

Brownie, Coconut Lemon Pie, Fruit Tart

The top tier was filled with 3 desserts. I’m always excited to try the dessert section! I didn’t find them any special though. They were all decent, but nothing made me go wow! I did enjoy the Fruit Tart though, but I think it was because of how nicely it was presented. Each piece of fruit, although small, was sliced nicely so it would all fit on the tart.

Overall, Adonia was average. I don’t think it was anything amazing and the service wasn’t exactly the best either. Also, you don’t know what the savouries and sweets are before hand. So you really just get a surprise, whereas many other high tea houses have a menu listing the different items that you will get.

Wicked Spoon

March 11, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

From Top Left (Clockwise): Potatoes in Creamy Sauce. Hash brown, Sausage, Scrambled Eggs. Stuffed Pasta in Cheddar Sauce. Pizza Flatbread.

Top: Assorted Desserts (marshmallow, chocolate dipped strawberry, chocolate macaroon)
Top Right: Passion Fruit Pudding/Jello
Bottom: Shiu Mai, Shanghai Dumplings, and Assorted Sushi

In Bowl: Mango Sorbet
The dessert that looks like an egg, is an egg shell coloured in silver, with mango pudding and a mango jelly in the center, which I’m guessing is supposed to represent the yolk. It’s topped with a purple macaroon! Delicious! My favourite dessert here.
Bottom: Orange Macaroon

More Desserts!

The Ice Cream Bar: Eggnog, Gingerbread Crunch, Biscotti, and Peanut Butter, just to name a few exotic flavours!

Candied Apples

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Assorted Chocolate and Marshmallows

Assorted Desserts

Assorted Desserts kept in Fridge

I’m a bit late, but I’ve finally uploaded my photos from my trip to Las Vegas over the Christmas break. Of course a trip to Las Vegas means splurging in those delicious buffets the hotels are famous for! Here are the pictures from my favourite buffet of the trip: The Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan. Funny enough, we weren’t intending to eat at the Cosmopolitan, but those confusing connections between each hotel made us stumble into the wrong buffet! But I guess it was a good thing, because the food was the best out of all the buffets we had! The environment was really nice and service was quick. We actually were seated when breakfast was still happening, so I got to grab some breakfast food as well. I love how a lot of dishes came in little silver pots so that you didn’t have to scoop your own potatoes or pasta. They looked much more professional and each pot allowed the food to be still sizzling hot. I’m a dessert junkie, so of course I left my stomach empty for the sweets! The variety of desserts served were by far the most I’ve seen from the buffets I’ve gone to. Most of the desserts were also kept behind glass so you had to line up and ask the chef to bring the dessert out for you. I guess this way the desserts wouldn’t be ruined and allowed the desserts to be plated much more attractively in the fridge. Ice cream was also served by the chefs as well, and line ups were extremely efficient. I definitely recommend the Wicked Spoon if you are off to Las Vegas. The pricing was actually even cheaper than all the other buffets I had. The Cosmopolitan is located in the new City Center, so it is fairly new. Must try!

WE. Coffee

March 2, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

If you go down a little further past the retail shops at Robson, you’ll see WE. Coffee. It’s a little cafe that serves freshly roasted coffee, panini, croissant sandwiches, as well as their famous waffles and other cakes and desserts. I tried the Cappuccino as well as the Strawberries and Ice Cream Waffle here. The waffles were made perfectly with a golden crisp and the environment is very modern. They also offer magazines so you can read while you eat and chat with friends. Definitely a great hangout place for a small snack and drink!

Check out their facebook page to see their menu: http://www.facebook.com/The.Coffee.WE.Drink

Every Day is a Food Day

Tag: Desserts