Makoto Ramenya

November 6, 2014November 5, 2014Leave a comment

Tuna Tataki

Makoto Ramenya is a relatively new Japanese izakaya restaurant that opened up in Coquitlam. It’s run by Koreans and is open til late. Since it is super close to J’s place, we end up going here whenever we’re lazy to go anywhere far. I thought the restaurant would have ramen, but apparently it’s only offered for lunch. So instead, we had to go for their izakaya food, which is honestly quite limited. We started off with the Tuna Tataki, which had only 4 pieces, but priced at around $9. Pricey! I mean, it wasn’t bad or anything, but I wouldn’t pay that much for so little tuna tataki again.

Fresh Seafood and Vegetables in Tonkotsu Soup

Next, we got the Fresh Seafood and Vegetables in Tonkotsu Soup. It came in a little hot pot with a flame lit below. The soup comes without noodles, so we had to add $3 for ramen, which seems pretty expensive since the pot was over $10 to begin with. I found that the soup was filled with bean sprouts more than anything. The seafood was probably just frozen seafood. As for the soup, we got the “little spicy” version, which was just plain weird. Something was just missing in the soup. It was really bland. The ramen just tasted like store bought ramen too. Nothing special, which means I’m probably not going to try their ramen for lunch.

Beef Yaki Udon

Lastly, we had the Beef Yaki Udon. Unfortunately, we were halfway done eating, when I realized I hadn’t gotten a picture. So the dish is actually double the portion pictured here. This was alright, but again, nothing too special. I mean it’s quite hard to mess up a beef yaki udon…

Overall, I wouldn’t say the food is any great at Makoto Ramenya. Everything is just average. However, the second time I came back, I had some drinks and it was really fun. The atmosphere at night is really chill here, so a good place to hang out and have drinks with friends. They have Japanese beers and Korean soju here. The servers and owners end up sitting around with customers too, so service is either a hit or miss, depending if you can get their attention.

Pidgin

November 5, 2014Leave a comment

I swear I’ve walked on this street many times, yet I’ve always passed by without noticing Pidgin. The outside decor makes it look sort of like a cage, while the inside is hip and modern. There’s a bar table since they have a long list of drinks, but there’s also regular seating for those who are ready for a meal. Pidgin is known for their sharing plates. Since we wanted to try a bit of everything, we went with their Prix Fixe menu, which comes with 8 dishes to share for $55 a person.

Sakehitosuji “plum sake” Junbaishi and Kozaemon, Junmai Umeshu

We started off with two drinks which were outside the prix fixe menu. I’m a huge fan of plum wine, so we decided to try both of their Plum Sakes. If I remember correctly, the Kozaemon was pricier, but also much sweeter. Really good!

Daily Pickles and Oyster Shot

The first dish that came were the Daily Pickles. It came with beets, cabbage, and something similar to oshinko. They were all sour but my favourite was probably the beets. The rest were too sour for my liking. To be honest, the dish wasn’t too exciting and was a bit disappointing. On the right, was the second dish which was the Oyster Shot. A mini raw oyster topped with apple horseradish. Super cleansing and fresh!

Cured Sockeye Salmon

The third dish was the Cured Sockeye Salmon. It was plated beautifully with a radish and herb salad. I didn’t really like the salad, but the salmon was nice. Nothing too special again.

Raw Scallops

Next was probably my favourite dish. It was the Raw Scallops, which came with pomegranate, red curry oil, daikon, and julienned green apple. I loved the acidity of the green apple against the freshness of the seafood. Very flavourful!

Mushrooms and Snap Peas

The fifth dish was the Mushrooms and Snap Peas. We were told to mix everything together and dip the mushroom into the soft boiled egg. The dish was also flavoured with soy yuzu brown butter. Pretty good, but I wouldn’t say it was amazing.

Pan Roasted Halibut

Finally, something that seemed more like entree came. It was the Pan Roasted Halibut, which came with a side of pine nut raisin mix and some cauliflower puree. The halibut was moist and I loved the cauliflower puree that it was paired with. Not bad!

Half Duck

The last entree was the Half Duck, which was a huge dish! It came with a carrot cake puree with orange and spices. I found that the meat was way too salty though. This was a huge dish too, and it was almost too much to eat alone, especially since each course comes out one by one. I felt like it needed some sort of a side to go with it. We ended up packing more than half of it to take home.

Meringue

The last course was the Meringue. Again, it was plated really nicely, with yuzu curd, vanilla cream and coconut on the side. The meringue was quite sweet though, and was only good when balanced with the yuzu curd.

Overall, I found Pidgin to be just average. Was the food good? Yes, but nothing extraordinary or memorable. The plating is really nice and the portions will actually get you filled up, but it’s also quite pricey. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the service though.

Forage

November 3, 2014Leave a comment

Grilled Kale Salad – Agassiz hazelnuts, Jersey blue and honey dressing, dried fruit preserve

Forage is one of those sustainable restaurants who offer the farm to table experience. I heard good things about it, and good thing we had reservations, because it was packed on a Friday night. We started off with the Grilled Kale Salad. A large portion and dressed in a blue cheese and honey dressing, I was surprised that I actually really enjoyed it. I’m not a huge fan of blue cheese, but it wasn’t very pungent in the dish. You could taste it slightly, but it wasn’t overpowering. Plus, the dried fruit preserve evened it out.

Featured Grilled Salmon – with kale and mushrooms

Next, we got the featured entree of the night, which was Grilled Salmon. It came with the skin on and grilled to a perfection where the meat was still moist. On the side, there was another kale salad with mushrooms and potatoes. It also came with a dressing on the side, which I can’t quite remember what our server described it as. I didn’t find that the dressing was anything too special though. It wasn’t something that was necessary.

Spicy Sawmill Bay Clams – kimchi, frites, charred fennel and bone marrow aioli

Our last entree was one of my favourites. It was the Spicy Sawmill Bay Clams, which came soaked in a spicy kimchi broth with bone marrow aioli. The fries were crispy, but when soaked in the broth, they were addicting! A must order.

Chocolate Custard – raspberry cheese mousse, vanilla cream, pecan crumbs

We ended the night with some desserts to share. First, we got the Chocolate Custard, which I found just average. I thought it was too rich.

Lemon Verbena Neufchatel Cheese Puff – ice cream, cordial

The second was the Lemon Verbena Neufchatel Cheese Puff, which is a cream puff filled with lemon cream and Neufchatel cheese. This is one of the oldest cheese in France. Surprisingly, it wasn’t very strong in cheese flavour. It tasted more like lemon custard. Pretty interesting.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend trying Forage. It’s a little on the pricey side, but it’s well worth it, especially knowing that the restaurant is all about sustainability. Service was also extremely attentive and friendly. Can’t wait to come back to try the rest of their menu!

Shirakawa

November 1, 2014Leave a comment

After Greedy Pig, we decided to look around for more food. We came across Shirakawa, which is tucked away behind some other boutiques. It’s definitely easy to walk past and not even notice that there is a walkway where more shops are located. It’s an Itoh Dining company, and one of the first in Vancouver. Itoh Dining is a high end Japanese restaurant company in Japan. Shirakawa is actually famous for their high quality beef, especially their Kuroge Wagyu beef. However, we came for their happy hour menu, which was offered from 5:30-6:30pm.

Mint Sake Lemonade

I went for their featured drink, which was also discounted for happy hour. It was the Mint Sake Lemonade, which I found very refreshing. It definitely was strong in the minty flavour.

Kome Dry, Honjozo, Yoshi no Gawa, Niigata Sake

We also decided to share the Niigata Sake. It was described to have notes of mild tropical fruit, and distinctively dry lending to an ultra-clean finish. I could definitely feel that dry feeling, which I wasn’t too fond of. Very strong for sure.

Kakuni

All their happy hour dishes are $5, which is quite a good deal. We decided to just order every dish on their happy hour menu, since there weren’t that many. First up, we had the Kakuni, which was slow cooked pork belly, with a teppan finish. It had a sweet soy reduction and on the side of the plate, there was some spicy mustard. This was probably one of my favourite dishes. The pork belly had a good amount of fat and meat, and the teppan finish made it have sort of a smoky flavour. Along with the spicy mustard, it was very appetizing!

Buta Katsu

Next was the Buta Katsu, which I thought was just average. It’s essentially panko-breaded pork cutlet. It is then topped with harvati cheese and black miso. I found that the sauce wasn’t very effective and didn’t bring too much flavour to the dish.

Teba

Next were the Teba, which our server highly recommended. It’s fried ginger soy marinated chicken wings, and they were definitely very yummy! I liked their batter as it was just the right amount and it didn’t feel oily.

Gastown Gyoza

The Gastown Gyoza was also a highly recommended dish by our server. The gyozas were filled with pork and mixed vegetables. It came with a jalapeno miso sauce which was very good. Definitely had a kick in the sauce.

Spicy Tofu

The last item on their happy hour menu was the Spicy Tofu. It was deep fried tofu with vegetable garnish and a spicy dashi broth. Contrary to what the name says, and that spicy dashi broth, it really wasn’t spicy at all. We ended up dipping the tofu in the jalapeno miso sauce that came with the gyozas. The tofu were deep fried to a nice golden brown though.

Amakaki

Since we were still sort of hungry, we ordered some items off their regular dinner menu. First, we got the Amakaki, which are house marinated oysters on a bed of ume dressed onions. The oysters were plump and fresh. The marinade was also very flavourful and refreshing with the oysters.

Kani Cream Croquette

We also ordered the Kani Cream Croquettes, which are cream croquettes filled with crab. The dish normally comes with only three croquettes, but we paid extra to add an additional. They remind me of risotto balls but filled with crab. Not bad!

Kimpira Udon

Lastly, we got the Kimpira Udon, which was probably my least favourite of the night. It was cold udon noodles topped with spicy burdock, renkon, pork bits and drizzled with a house rayu sauce. I didn’t find any of the dish spicy, and the minced pork was a huge fail since they would just fall through. By the end of the dish, there was a bunch of minced pork left on the plate as none of us could grab the noodles with the pork. They need some sort of a thicker sauce to go with it if they want the diners to eat the pork together with the noodles.

Overall, our experience at Shirakawa based mostly on their happy hour menu was very good. I find that their regular menu is quite pricey, so going for happy hour is definitely a good deal. Plus, the service was very attentive and friendly.

Greedy Pig (Happy Hour)

October 30, 2014Leave a comment

On a Tuesday afternoon, we decided to head to Gastown to try Flying Pig’s happy hour menu. I’ve heard great things about the restaurant and was excited for this meal. Unfortunately, it was raining that day, and when we got there, the street along Flying Pig was completely out of power. They were not able to serve us, and we had to look for other food. Walking around, we found Greedy Pig, which I had visited for New Year’s Eve before. They also offered a happy hour menu, and although limited, we were tired and ready to just eat whatever.

House White Wine

I started off with the House White Wine, which was a pretty good deal at $5 a glass. It was served chilled and was subtly sweet.

Spanish Meatballs

To be honest, we weren’t too fond of the menu after sitting down. We decided to just share two dishes and head to a different restaurant instead. We ended up getting the Spanish Meatballs, which were a huge disappointment. The meatballs were extremely overcooked, dry, and rough. The only thing that helped was the zesty tomato sauce. It came topped with shaved grana padano, which is a popular Italian cheese. I wish there was more cheese though, as it was so little that it didn’t even make a difference to the dish.

Herb Crusted Baked Brie

Lastly, we got the Herb Crusted Baked Brie, which was also just average. I liked how they baked the brie so that it was crispy and flaky on the outer layer though. It came with some raspberry sauce, which always goes well with brie. A good amount of cheese to accompany the bread though.

Overall, we weren’t too fond of the Greedy Pig’s happy hour menu. Based on the dishes we tried, verything was just average, and nothing really stood out. There were quite a few people during happy hour though. I guess they have good prices for their drinks at the time.

Elephant’s Delicatessen – Portland

October 22, 2014October 22, 2014Leave a comment

Elephant’s Delicatessen is a local favourite and dates back to 1979. We decided to go grab breakfast on our last day before heading back to Vancouver.

We thought it would be like a typical deli, but the inside is huge! With different sections and food, like soups, sandwiches, pizzas, and more. They open at 7:00 but many of the hot food sections weren’t open until closer to lunch time. They prize themselves for making all their food from scratch every day so it’s fresh.

What’s cool is that throughout the store, there are a variety of take home goods too. From specialty seasonings to chocolates and wine, there is just tons of stuff to see! It’s definitely a gourmet deli and similar to Whole Foods but even better! They also have a bar area, so they have happy hour deals.

Crab Cakes

There’s a cold food area but filled with typically hot food like fried chicken and more. We decided to get the Crab Cakes, but surprisingly, they didn’t heat up the food. They just placed it on the plate with the dip, so I’m guessing you’re supposed to eat it like how it is. The crab cakes were good – filled with tons of flaky crab, herbs and seasoning, but it just wasn’t the same since it was served cold. I’m sort of confused why this is. Perhaps you’re supposed to purchase these to take home and bake?

Mama Leone’s Soup

I got the Mama Leone’s Soup, which is their famous soup here. They describe it as a creamy Italian chicken soup with tomato, spinach & herbs. It was extremely flavourful and one of the best soups I’ve had. A good medium consistency, but you could really taste the chicken and vegetables. Not those cheap canned soup for sure. Definitely a recommended item!

Overall, Elephant’s Delicatessen is a really cool place to check out for a quick and inexpensive meal. They have seating inside as well, although the rest is self serve. I think it’s worth checking out if you enjoy any gourmet foods as well, since they have many goodies that you probably can’t find in most stores.

Hapa PDX @ Tidbit – Portland

October 21, 2014Leave a comment

I can officially say that our restaurant research pretty much came to a waste while in Portland, since the no reservation policy basically meant we were wasting too much time waiting. Driving to the other side of town, we were eager to try the famous Pok Pok, but of course, it was over an hour wait again. We wandered down the street and found Tidbit Food Farm and Garden, which is actually one of Portland’s newest food cart pod. It just recently opened in the summer and is located at SE 28th Place and Division St.

It’s pretty neat as over 20 food carts gather here and the best part is that there’s actual seating areas so you don’t need to stand around eating.

Super relaxing atmosphere with a fire pit and live music too! I believe this is open every day as well. Perfect when it’s sunny out!

There’s pretty much all types of cuisines here. I usually don’t like to get Asian food when I’m in America because I find that it’s probably not that great. However, I ended up going for a ramen food truck called Hapa PDX. It wasn’t even run by a Japanese, but tons of people were getting ramen here. There must be something good! Their name Hapa describes the fusion of their Japanese cooking techniques and Hawaiian recipes, so it’s pretty interesting! They have your typical miso, shoyu, tonkotsu ramens, and also a variety of rice bowls.

Iced Plantain Tea

For drinks, I got the Iced Plantain Tea, which was like a pineapple infused tea. A little fruity, but not too sweet. It was interesting and great to quench my thirst.

Shaka Bowl – Tsuke-men – pork belly broth, cold dipping noodles, egg, shitake, nori

Instead of getting the typical ramen, I chose the Shaka Bowl. They had a sign saying you could ask for a complimentary sample of the broth, so I did just that. The broth is made from pork belly, so it’s really fatty, but absolutely delicious! It had tons of pork belly slices in it too. The cool thing about this ramen is that you dip the cool ramen noodles into this boiling hot broth.

This was the bowl of cold ramen you get to dip in the broth. It came with shitake mushrooms, half a hard boiled egg, and some nori. A good amount for $8.50. I wouldn’t say it’s the best ramen I’ve had, but the broth was really unique and delicious! Not a bad choice at Tidbit!

Clyde Common – Portland

October 18, 2014October 17, 2014Leave a comment

Clyde Common is located right next to the Ace Hotel, which is known to be super hip and a huge tourist spot. The whole area around here is great for shopping with unique boutiques.

We had done some researching, but the locals also recommended that we go to Clyde Common for happy hour. It’s served every day from 3-6 pm so plenty of time to check it out!

They have an open concept kitchen so it’s pretty neat.

There’s also a bar on one side. Service was pretty good here. Our server was really funny and attentive.

Pacific Standard: vodka, lemon, ginger, honey, soda

Their happy hour menu consists of food and drinks, so it’s pretty good! The drinks are well priced at around $5 for the cocktails. I chose the Pacific Standard, which was sort of like a lemon soda drink. We soon realized that all their drinks are very strong in alcohol. They definitely don’t cheap out on the liquor here! You can taste it heavily for sure.

Daily Punch

J went for the Daily Punch, where I don’t think we figured out what it was still. I liked how it came in a little tea cup though.

Spelling Bee: Reposado tequilla, agave syrup, absinthe, bitters, grapefruit peel

K got the Spelling Bee, which was probably the strongest in alcohol. It’s like all the hard liquor in one drink. I took a sip and all I could taste was alcohol. You’ll get your moneys worth if you order this, but I’m not so sure if I liked how it tasted.

Smoked Mussels, Crackers

We then moved on to their appies. They don’t have a huge list and some of them sound quite ordinary. We went for the Smoked Mussels with Crackers, and it was surprisingly really good! The mussels were so tender and not tough at all. It paired really nicely with simply crackers! Yum!

Pickled Devil Eggs

Next up were the Pickled Devil Eggs, which were very delicious! I liked how they seasoned the egg yolks. It was a little sour due to the pickling, so it was very appetizing.

Meatballs, Bordelaise

We also ordered the Meatballs with Bordelaise Sauce. These little meatballs didn’t look too appealing, but they were very interesting! They had carrot bits inside and a beautiful red wine sauce which made it very flavourful.

6 oz. Hamburger, Cheddar, Bacon, Pickled Onion, Lettuce and Aioli

The server recommended that we get the 6oz Hamburger, which he said is something you will want more of. We decided to share it anyways, and it was just as good as he described it! The ingredients were simple with just cheddar, bacon, pickled onion, lettuce and aioli, but the meat patty itself was so juicy! It was served medium so the meat wasn’t tough. The mustard seed sauce was also delicious with the burger.

French Fries, Pepper Aioli

Lastly, we simply shared the French Fries, which came with a pepper aioli. Such a simple dish, but the fries were fresh and deep fried to a nice golden yellow. Crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. The pepper aioli was also very delicious. It gave it a bit of a kick.

Overall, we were very impressed with Clyde Common. It’s definitely one of my favourite spots in Portland from the places I tried. The atmosphere is nice, and the prices are quite reasonable for happy hour. Best of all, there was no line up!