Weekend Round Up – April 2013

Like most people, I tend to get caught up in returning to my favourite restaurants/cafés/bars time and time again. Let’s be honest, it can be difficult to continue exploring new places when you know exactly where to find your favourite pizza/burger/pasta/whatever. It is a habit I occasionally slip into and so this weekend I made an effort to visit some places that I’ve had on my radar but hadn’t managed to get to yet.

Beta 5 (Industrial Ave/Main Street)

I have been wanting to visit their location for months and I finally made it there. As I’ve already tried their chocolates before,  I was keen to visit them more so for their fresh baked goods. Their baked goods absolutely did not disappoint – in fact, I returned today for another pastry hit. I sampled their butter croissant and their vanilla cream puff, which was texturally very interesting. It was similar to the cream puffs that Beard Papa sells however this had a firmer, crisper shell, which provided a really interesting texture to the bite. Just look at that bite…

Vanilla Cream Puff

Beta 5 makes some tantalizing pastries, such as their chocolate croissant and their twice-baked croissant, but I had to go with the original butter croissant. At just $2.50, this is incredible value. There was a lot of butter, a lot of layers, and many flakes – just how I believe a croissant should be. I would definitely recommend their baked goods (and their chocolates). I also picked up one of the Snickers-inspired peanut and nougat bar, which was well-worth the calories.

Butter Croissant

Hawkers Delight (Main Street)

This is a hole-in-the-wall on Main at King Ed and they do cheap (super cheap) dishes from Malaysia and Singapore, which happen to be some of my favourite cuisines. The restaurant is quite small and was an absolute mad house when I visited, which added to the charm of the place. With all the yelling and chaos I felt as though I could have been in humid, exotic South East Asia (for a few minutes anyway). I ordered the mee goreng, which is essentially fried noodles, and I was surprised at two things. 1/ The price – only $6.50 and 2/ They were really good! The reason why this place is so busy would come down to the value for money – serving sizes were huge and the prices are cheap.

Mee Goreng

Harvest Union (Union Street)

I’m really starting to love that stretch of Union Street that is home to The Union, The Parker, and Harvest Union. I visited Harvest with one thing in mind; green onion and cheddar waffles with bacon and a fried egg. It is one of the items on their brunch menu, however, once I got there the ramen with pork shoulder and candied bacon somehow managed to persuade me. Harvest is super cute inside and they have a simple menu (mostly ramen or udon) with a focus on local foods. Their small store also sells local products, such as Earnest Ice Cream and Beta 5. I really enjoyed the ramen, particularly with the addition of some chilli oil, which gave it a great kick. I’ll be returning for the waffles.

I love exploring new spots and this weekend reminded of how many great new places pop up in Vancouver and why I should continue to keep exploring, even when sometimes I just want something familiar.

Photo Visit – Bao Bei – April 2013

163 Keefer Street
Vancouver, BC
V6A 1X3

T: 604 688 0876
www.bao-bei.ca

Brief Description: A funky, Chinatown-based restaurant offering non-traditional Chinese fare in tapas style. Bao Bei appeals to those who aren’t necessarily looking for an authentic Chinese experience but more of a modern, up-market version of that experience. Prices are between $4 (for small “schnacks”) but most are around the $14 mark.

It has been some time since I was last at Bao Bei but after tonight’s dinner I am wondering why I had left it so long. The flavours were popping tonight, the serving sizes were spot on, and the price (without drinks) was an affordable $43. One of my previous complaints about Bao Bei was the cost of their simple fried rice dish. At $17 a bowl I had a hard time justifying it, even though it was delicious. Well, I’m happy to report that the price (and size) of the fried rice has come down to a reasonable $12. This makes me much happier as the decrease aligns it with the cost of most of the other menu items (understandably, lamb and salmon are slightly more expensive).

Truffled Pork Dumplings – $7.50

Shao Bing – $12

Mantou – $9Seasonal Fried Rice – $12

The shao bing was well-rounded with a lot of flavour from the cumin lamb, punctuated with pickled onions and the fiery heat of the salted chillies. The seasonal fried rice sounded unusual (with iceberg lettuce and prosciutto) but the end result was actually very good but made even better by the addition of the chilli oil condiment available. The truffled pork dumplings were warming, with a light splash (more like an aroma) of truffle oil, and the mantou buns were soft, and spongey with just the right amount of pork belly (cubes rather than a big slab).

For a Tuesday night, the restaurant was steady and they still aren’t taking reservations in advance so either show up on a weeknight or plan for a bit of wait. Thankfully, there are now a few bars in the area where you can whet your appetite before waiting for a table to become free (I recommend The Keefer or The Union).

Photo Visit – Bob Likes Thai (Fairview) – April 2013

1521 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
V6H 3G6

T: 604 558 3320
www.boblikesthaifood.com

With so many recent restaurant closures in Vancouver it is uplifting to see a restaurant that is expanding, rather than closing. Bob Likes Thai opened their original location on Main street in 2010. Following their success in that location, they quietly opened their Fairview location at the end of last year in the space that once housed Go Fish 2, and prior to that, Bin 942. This location seems to be a tricky one – lots of people coming and going but they are not necessarily looking for somewhere to eat. Having said that, there were a few other diners in there with us on Sunday night.

Miang Kham – $7Pad Pik King Chicken – $13Pad Si-ew – $13Caramelized pineapple – $5

It has been my experience, at this location and the original, that the food is good but not necessarily rave-worthy. I think it is a decent spot for Thai (in a city with few worthy options) and it is quite affordable but it wouldn’t be my first choice for Thai.

I was a little disappointed with the Miang Kham, which is a snack dish that translates into “eating many things in one bite”, at this location. I have eaten the same dish at the Main street restaurant and found them to be fresh-tasting and bursting with flavour. The ones we had on Sunday were covered in a sweet sauce which, unfortunately, drowned out the other flavours. The Pad Pik King Chicken was good but I would have liked to have seen some more noodles in the Pad Si-Ew. The Caramelized Pineapple with vanilla ice cream was simple and tasty. Bob Likes Thai hit the spot for a quick and cheap dinner on a Sunday night.

Photo Visit – Forage – April 2013

1300 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC
V6E 1C5

T: 604 661 1400
www.foragevancouver.com

As a constant bruncher, I am always on the hunt for new brunch spots. I typically tend to visit the same places, week after week, until I hear of a new place that piques my interest. The thing that always surprises me about downtown Vancouver is that there are so few brunch spots – you’d think in a city this size that there would be many options but the sad reality is that, unless you go to a hotel for brunch, you are almost out of luck. I have been hearing some pretty good things about Forage, a sustainable restaurant that has opened in the Listel Hotel on Robson street. Even though Forage is technically a hotel restaurant, it feels removed from the hotel and the price point isn’t as high as other hotel brunch spots (Yew and Hawksworth, for example).

The restaurant interior feels very clean and modern with lots of light wood highlights and natural light from the many windows. The brunch menu has all of the traditional, feel-good breakfast options that you’d expect, such as bacon and eggs, buttermilk pancakes, and a classic benny, but they also have a few meatier options, such as the delicious Rangeland Game Burger, or deep-fried pork cutlet. At $16, the burger is the most expensive item on the menu so brunch here isn’t going to break the bank.

Buttermilk pancakes with blueberries and honey butter – $11

Rangeland Game Burger – $16

We had a very pleasant brunch there yesterday and it hit the spot for a non-fussy, tasty breakfast. I believe it is worth a visit if you are in the West End and looking for an affordable brunch. I’m looking forward to returning to try dinner there.

Edible Canada’s Guest Chef Dinner

Earlier this month I attended a dinner event that I have been wanting to do for years; a Guest Chef Market Dinner at Edible Canada.These group events are held every few weeks in the Edible Canada restaurant/store on Granville Island and offer exceptional value. This is your chance to meet a local chef from BC, such as Vikram Vij of Vij’s or Ned Bell from YEW, and over a few hours they will prepare your multi-course dinner in front of you whilst you kick back and absorb the chef’s knowledge. I chose the evening with Jeff Van Geest, who is the Executive Chef at Miradoro in the Okanagan. Although he now lives in the Okanagan, Jeff was based in Vancouver for a number of years when he owned and operated Aurora Bistro and worked at Diva at the Met.

A hands-on cooking class this is not – as a guest you don’t lift a finger – it is purely a demonstration by the chef and a chance to get to know them in their “happy place”. This was absolutely fine with me. After doing a few cooking classes recently, I was happy to leave the work to someone else. The menu was quite simple (it has to be, he is cooking for 24 people!) but the food was all very good. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so I don’t have any pictures to share (although I have some really shitty ones on my Twitter feed), which means that you’ll have to use your imagination!

Sparkling wine on arrival

Course 1: Roasted olives and almonds – paired with Tinhorn Creek Gewurtztraminer 2011

Course 2: A simply lovely crisp pancetta salad of butter lettuce, egg and caper dressing, finished with sourdough crostini – paired with Tinhorn Creek Two Bench White 2011

Course 3: Smoked ham hock terrine – paired with Tinhorn Creek Rosé 2011

Course 4: Roast Polderside Farm Chicken Breast, finished with fried alpindon cheese and olive potatoes, salsa romesco and mojo verde – paired with Tinhorn Creek Two Bench Red 2009

Course 5: Organic pear upside down cake topped with whipped mascarpone cream – paired with Tinhorn Creek Kerner Ice Wine 2011

All of our dishes were paired with Tinhorn Creek wines because Miradoro is the restaurant onsite at the Tinhorn Creek Winery but this isn’t typical. Usually the wines will be from assorted wineries, rather than just focused on one.

If you are looking to attend a dinner that is different from your typical restaurant meal, then try one of these Guest Chef Market Dinners. At $80 per person, the cost is quite reasonable (remember that includes wine) and I left happily full, with a wine buzz in tow. I am now planning to go back for another dinner later in the year but it will be hard to select the next chef that I would like to “meet” as there are many interesting chefs being showcased. Ahh, foodie problems.

Photo Visit – Blue Water Cafe – February 2013

1095 Hamilton Street
Vancouver, BC
V6B 5T4

T: 604 688 8078
www.bluewatercafe.net

Brief Description: As a member of the Top Table family, Blue Water Cafe is known as one of the city’s superior seafood restaurants. The menu is comprised of a raw bar and hot seafood dishes. Price point is high-end.

If you are someone who just loves, loves, loves seafood and you have decided to splurge on a meal out, look no further than Blue Water Cafe. This spot is jumping – even when I visited on a Wednesday night a few weeks ago. The place was packed so be sure to book ahead!

After limiting what I have been eating (kinda) since the new year, I really like to splurge when I go out for dinner now. That is why I had to order the pearl barley risotto because, quite simply, I am a sucker for risotto. I did add some pan seared scallops, which were perfectly cooked, and I started with an assortment of fresh oysters. Dessert was a must-order and with a really strong dessert menu, it was hard to narrow it down but the rich, warm dark Cuban chocolate cake was highly recommended by our server and it didn’t disappoint.

Pearl Barley Risotto with Pan Seared Scallops – $24.50 + $4.50 per scallopsSmiley-faced Warm Dark Cuban Chocolate Cake – $12.50

Overall, Blue Water continues to deliver the same high quality and standards that I’ve come to expect from the Top Table Group (West, Araxi, Thierry). I do have to mention that prices are high. Without any drinks this meal cost me about $80, so depending on your situation, this may be a once-in-a-while splurge or a more frequent treat.

Thierry – Beignets de Carnaval

1059 Alberni Street
Vancouver, BC
V6E 1A1

T: 604 608 6870
www.thierrychocolates.com

Brief Description: A sophisticated patisserie (and café, and chocolaterie) that comes to us from veteran local pastry chef, Thierry Busset. Prices aren’t cheap but the quality is worth the splurge.

Have you heard of beignets before? Perhaps I have been living under a rock all my life, but I was not familiar with these deep-fried morsels of goodness until just recently. Beignets are essentially deep-fried dough, commonly served with a sprinkling of icing sugar (powdered sugar) as a dessert, although they can also be served as a savory dish. They originated in France and are extremely popular in New Orleans, however, you won’t have to travel that far to sample them. Thierry, the fancy patisserie/café/chocolaterie located Downtown, is currently in the midst of their “Beignets de Carnaval“. Although there are no circus tents, nor balancing trapeze, you will find piles of freshly fried beignets, ready for the munching. They are served with either melted chocolate, or house-made jam, for $7.95. I popped in to Thierry last night to enjoy my first ever beignets and I was happy indeed. They are basically warm, less-sweet versions of donut-holes, with most of the taste coming from the melted chocolate or the jam (I recommend the jam). Get there before the after-dinner rush to nab a seat – it was packed when I was in there! The carnaval only runs until March 16.

Photo Visit – Bo Laksa King – February 2013

You may remember that some time ago I was trying to uncover Vancouver’s best laksa. Well, let it be known that the search hasn’t stopped but it hasn’t been progressing as fast as I would like. Throughout my search I have sampled laksa from Freshbowl, Tropika, Cafe D’Lite, and Banana Leaf. I was still looking for other contenders and the place recommended to me the most was Bo Laksa King. Hell, I had to go! Bo is the LAKSA KING!!

Admittedly, this recent visit was not my first time to BLK (let’s keep this short and sweet, shall we?), but it is just so damn far from my place that repeat visits are few and far between. BLK is a little hole-in-the-wall place on East Hastings (just after Kamloops Street) and is one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it places. Thankfully, I knew what I was looking for – a big, hearty bowl of laksa!

Laksa, minus the fish balls – $7.50Roti Canai – $3.99

Let’s get to the important stuff – the laksa! I found it to be very good and probably the most authentic laksa that I’ve had in Vancouver, although I felt it still lacked a little something. Overall, there was a good depth of flavour although I would have preferred a bit more heat to mine. I also found the soup to be quite thick, almost like a wet curry, rather than “soupy” – yes, me just being particular! The best part about BLK’s laksa was that they gave you a choice of yellow noodles or rice noodle – one of the things that makes a laksa for me, is the yellow noodles. I was pretty happy with the laksa and the roti was also very good – slightly crunchy and flaky on the outside. The sauce that was served with the roti was lackluster as it too watery and not enough flavour for my liking.

I wish that Bo Laksa King was a little closer because then I would visit it more regularly. The prices are wallet-friendly (cash only), the food seems authentic, and I’d say that their laksa is the best that I have found on my search, thus far, but I feel that there must be better out there. Any recommendations?

Croissant Crusade!

Let me unbutton my jeans whilst I write this post…

Over the past week I’ve been spending my mornings researching a post that I’ve been intending to write for some time – a croissant crusade. I’ve undertaken the incredibly hideous task (ahem) of visiting local patisseries and bakeries in search of Vancouver’s “best” croissants. I have sacrificed myself (mostly my thighs and ass) so that you, dear reader, may enjoy some of the wonderful croissants that Vancouver has to offer. For consistency, I sampled the croissants around the same time every day (about 11am) and only on weekdays. Whilst most of the places also offered other types of croissants, such as almond croissants, I was only interested in researching the traditional butter croissants.

I sampled five different croissants from five different places; Beaucoup Bakery, Ganache Patisserie, Cadeaux Bakery, Thomas Haas, and Faubourg.

Beaucoup Bakery:
Where: Fairview
Cost: $3
Alternative orders: Anything!

Beaucoup’s offering is probably my favourite croissant (tied with Ganache) that I tried over the week. The reasons for this are:

• It is smaller than the others that I sampled so it didn’t get the doughy insides that some of the others fell victim to.
• It was slightly crunchy and shattered into flakes when I ate it. This is how I prefer my croissants.
• The crunch gave way to a tapestry of pastry layers inside.
• It was buttery and at times you could smell the butter on each bite.
• There were very obvious thin layers of flaking pastry, as evident by the photograph.

Ganache Patisserie:
Where: Yaletown
Cost: $2.25
Alternative orders: Their beautiful individual-sized cakes.

Ganache was the dark horse of the race and I wasn’t expecting that from a place that I don’t hear much about. Ganache, and the croissant from Beaucoup, would be tied as the “best” for me. It was different to Beaucoup’s in a few ways:

• It was much darker than the rest that I sampled but this didn’t take away from the taste.
• It had a good amount of crunch, particularly on the bottom, but not necessarily flaky.
• The pastry seemed almost sweet once you reached the inside.
• The inside of the croissant had many layers and had a light and airy honeycomb-like structure (check it out in the pic below)

Cadeaux Bakery:
Where: Gastown
Cost: $2.75
Alternative orders: The bacon twist croissants!

• This one was bigger in size than those from Beaucoup and Ganache but it wasn’t unreasonably large.
• There was a good amount of crunch from the base and the ends.
• A little buttery on the outside but not too much.
• Spongy on the inside but then gave away to too much dough towards the middle, which I don’t like.
• The flakey layers were satisfactory on the outside but I would have like to have seen more fluffiness and chew on the inside.

Thomas Haas:
Where: Kitsilano
Cost: $2.50
Alternative orders: I’ve been told that the almond croissants from Thomas Haas are da bomb!

Thomas Haas is well-known for his croissants so I was a little disappointed with the one that I ordered as I know that I’ve had better from Thomas Haas in the past. Unfortunately I have to review it on the one that I ordered so it was:

• Medium sized.
• Quite flaky on the outside, golden, and shattered slightly (evidence on the plate).
• The inside was quite moist and slightly dense.
• I found the inside was similar to Cadeaux’s in that it was too chewy and there was a lot of damp pastry as you moved towards the middle of the croissant, rather than fluffiness.

Faubourg:
Where: Kerrisdale
Cost: $2.75
Alternative orders: Their baguettes are some of the most authentic that I’ve had in the city. The tri-chocolate decadent pastry was also memorable.

This was the furthest that I travelled for a croissant and it was good but that isn’t what I would travel back there for (see “alternative orders”).

• A little too big for my liking
• A little dry and it didn’t taste overly fresh, although I’m sure it was baked that day.
• Minimal flakiness and it lacked obvious pastry layering.
• The bottom was buttery and toasted, which was a plus in my books.
• Quite underwhelming.

Boy, am I glad this post is over – no more pastries for me for awhile! I need to get back onto my “avoid wheat” goal but this was fun whilst it lasted. I’m confident that there are other places in the city offering good butter croissants but I went with my instincts and from recommendations. The places that I have listed above are a good place to start to help you find your own favourite croissants. As with anything that I eat, my preferences might not be what you find the “best” so happy hunting!

Photo Visit – Diva at the Met – January 2013

645 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 2Y9

T: 604 602 7788
www.metropolitan.com/diva

I recently went for lunch at Diva at the Met with a foodie friend of mine. It was my first visit to Diva as I generally don’t give much thought to lunching at hotel restaurants. I was easily persuaded when I saw their menu – any place that does a gourmet corn dog is worth a visit in my books.

Although this was my first visit, Diva at the Met has been around since 1996 – not a bad stint for a local Vancouver restaurant – and is located in The Metropolitan Hotel. With a heavy lean towards seafood, the lunch menu was a little limited for my liking, although there were the usual pasta, pizza, and burger options to choose from. The dining room was a little unusual as it is spread out over a few levels, rather than just one room, and the decor was unmemorable.

I started with their Diva Roll; which was a tempura nori roll with smoked black cod, shiso leaf, and ponzu, for $12. In a city with excellent sushi options, it was satisfactory but certainly not the highlight.

Diva RollDiva corn dog

I was more intrigued by the food truck inspired section of the menu and couldn’t look past the Diva Corn Dog, which was a gourmet sausage made with foie gras, sweet breads, and bone marrow. It was finished with truffle mayo, grainy mustard, home-made sauerkraut, and thrice cooked kenebec fries. I was captivated by the fact that they had a corn dog on the menu because, when I was a kid, these were my favourite carnival treats (although we called them dagwood dogs in Australia).

After only a few bites of Diva’s corn dog, my stomach was revolting at how incredibly rich the deep-fried sausage was so I only managed to finish half of it. But if your stomach can handle rich foods better than mine, then this dish would be worth ordering for the novelty alone. Admit it, you are now thinking “Huh, a gourmet corn dog?! I wonder what that tastes like.”