Thursday 29 December 2011

Suika

Ambiance: Dim light dining, Bar, Light Dining, Clean

Seating/Wait time: Don't come here without a reservation! Otherwise you'll be waiting a LONG TIME, for your convenience here's there phone number: (604) 730-1678

Dress Code: Casual, but could be Dressy Casual, I noticed a lot of people did do dressy casual.


Crowd: Everybody



Meal: 

Torotoro Cha-Shu
$6.80
Very soft, yummy, but nothing special so you can do without this 
Tako Karaage
$8.80
Great and different, better than the average calamari
Three Kinds of Sashimi
(3 tuna, 3 wild salmon, 3 Ebi)
$12.80
I like how they serve wild salmon, as opposed to the cheap quality salmon 
If you order this, you don't need to order the Amaebi Kimchi to try the sweet prawns
Amaebi Kimchi (4)
$5.00
It looks tasty, but the kimchi overpowers the sweetness of the natural flavour of the shrimp
Negitoro Battera (6pcs)
$9.80
This was not a good sushi, it was kind of bitter because of the scallions, it looks nice, but order the Aburi "Shime-Saba" Sushi, maybe that one is better.  This one is not tasty at all.
 


Personal Remarks:  Lots of buzz from friends about this restaurant and it's been Number 1 on Urbanspoon for quite some time, it's hard to resist the urge to try this place out.  Especially, with that photo on the front page all the time taken by Benny of the kim chi spot prawns.

This restaurant does not have any pictures of their food and their description doesn't help much.  Ordering food off the menu took a lot of time because I like to see what I am about to eat.  When restaurants don't have pictures on their menu, it's hard to decide on what to order or even try "new things".

But if I don't try new things, I won't know if the food is good or bad.  Before sitting down I already knew that I wanted to order the Amaebi Kimchi as for the rest of the other stuff I ordered, I had no expectations whatsoever.  


When the Amaebi Kimchi came out, it was A LOT smaller than what I expected from Benny's picture.  They were only about 1/2 inch - 3/4 inch in length.  And I thought there would be more than just 4.


The comments about the rest of food ordered are captioned under the pictures.

Sushi wise, they only have 2 sushi rolls on the menu, this is NOT the everyday sushi restaurant.  This is a Japanese Tapas restaurant.  When you come in, there is a huge bar and that is the place to be sitting if you want to get the authentic Japanese feel.  

These kind of Tapas bars are very popular in Japan.  After a hard day at work you would find a lot of business men at these Tapas bars enjoying these small snacks with beer and their colleagues.  However, customizing this restaurant to Canadian tastes, they've included tables for your dining pleasure.  

All items on the menu are small plates and there are no entrées, but Vancouver, we eat these like share plates.  This is another great way to enjoy this restaurant and try everything on the menu.  

If you come here, don't be the designated driver, to get full pleasure out of the food you definitely need to order the Sapporo Beer to complement the food.  Don't sissy out with water~!  In Japan, train stations are close and convenient so everyone can get drink and eat.  However, in Vancouver, our heavy drinking and driving laws, Suika's sort of in the middle of nowhere and it's hard for everybody "tank" out and drink -OH(alcohol) with your meal.   

The items here are quite expensive, but you're paying for the ambiance, because when you're in here you feel like you're not in Vancouver anymore with the Japanese waitress and decor.  

Value: 4/5 Overall: 4/5

Suika on Urbanspoon

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Stonegrill at the Met

Ambiance: Clean, feels like a diner or a Red Robbins

Seating/Wait time: Plenty of seats, no wait time. 

Dress Code: Casual

Crowd: Everybody


Meal: 

Lobster Chipotle Panini
$11.00
Stone Grill Lobster
Vegetables sides and Potato
$26.00


Personal Remarks:  Waste of time, Waste of Money! This is a poser fine dining restaurant.  

I'm going to get right onto reviewing the food.  The Panini and side yam fries was disgusting. The yam fries were cold and stale the panini itself was just so bare bones.  It was like frozen seafood from Costco or Superstore with some cheese.  It was not good.  Biggest waste of $11.00.



The "Stone" gimmick is so overrated.  The cheapness of the sides made this so unappetizing.  Powder mashed potatoes and the cheapest assortment of vegetables made this so disgusting.  The stupid garnish did nothing for me.

The thing that frustrated me the most is that all the sides seemed like they were fresh out the microwave and the lobster is going to be cooked in front of me.  But it took nearly 30 minutes for the food to reach the table.  In fact the restaurant was not busy at all either.  My assumption is it took them 5 minutes to get everything ready but they dragged on the time so it seems like they actually prepare the food fresh or they're just waiting for the food to defrost.



Nothing about the food made me want to come back.  I'm glad that the stone does work and the lobster got cooked.  After feeling so ripped off, next time I want lobster, I'm going to T&T and buy a fresh one from the tank then grill that baby in front of me.  It will only cost me $13.00 only and I don't just get the tail.    

Value: 0/5 Overall: 1/5

Stonegrill @ the Met on Urbanspoon

Monday 12 December 2011

The Red Wagon

Ambiance: Hipster, downplayed vibe, like an "I don't care" basic feel


Seating/Wait time: Busy during lunch, there is a communal table for singles, not many seats in the restaurant


Dress Code: No shoes, no shirt, no service!


Crowd: Anyone


Meal: 
Crispy Pork Belly Sandwich
Pickled vegetables, jalapeno, cilantro, mayo, baguette, chips
$10.50
Personal Remarks:  With the spectacular reviews and recommendations I was expecting to have my mind BLOWN***.  Instead, it was just ~meh!  But don't hate me Red Wagon, I'll be back to try something else, hopefully, I'll get mind F***** the second time around.


It was the boys day, and we decided to come here and see what all the buzz was about.  It was recommended that there is nothing worth trying here unless it had pork on it.  There were only 2 choices, this crispy pork sandwich or the pancakes.  We came here at 2:00pm.  It felt too late for pancakes so we all ordered a crispy pork sandwich.




The menu didn't have pictures so we had no idea what to expect.  It turns out a western crispy pork belly sandwich means the same thing as a Vietnamese bun.  Not impressed!


Paying $10.50 for a Vietnamese sandwich, it better be freaking amazing.  It just wasn't, I could have went next door and ordered 3 and got a discount on the 3rd sandwich for the same price.  




The crispy pork belly is what you would get at a Chinese butcher shop up the street at John's Market .  Except here they cut the meat away and you just get the skin and fat.  


This is a simplified Vietnamese sandwich, the only difference is, they use "crispy pork belly".  The bun wasn't toasted like a Vietnamese sandwich and by the time the chips came out, they were cold.  


This dish was extremely fatty and when you're eating it you can feel the fat drip down your hands.  The taste is there, but it's definitely not worth $10.50.


I would not order this dish again, and I don't recommend you trying it either.   The ingredients are so simple that you're better off making this yourself at home.   For the same price you can re-create this dish yourself.  


Let's do the math, you order the Vietnamese sandwich next door for $3.75, go to John's Market to buy the crispy pork belly for $5.00.  You go home and replace the meat from the Vietnamese sandwich, cut out only the skin and fat and stick that into your Vietnamese sandwich.  You not only saved money, but you have leftover meat for later.  The chips here are nothing special anyways.  You can use the left over money to buy yourself a drink up too.


You are better off trying another dish on the menu.


Value: 2/5 Overall: 3/5

The Red Wagon on Urbanspoon

Saturday 10 December 2011

Hida Takayama Ramen

Ambiance: Food Court

Seating/Wait time: Food Court

Dress Code: Casual

Crowd: Everybody


Meal: 



\
Spicy Pork Ramen with Vegetables
$9.50
 

Soy Sauce Ramen
$7.50

Personal Remarks:  2 hour free parking in Downtown! This is the only good thing going for this restaurant.  I have never been to Hida, Japan, so I don't know how ramen in that region should taste like.  I can only comment from my perspective and taste, which is a Canadian taste.


There is a story about their broth and how there's and why it is so rich in flavor.  I agree that you can immediately taste the broth's rich flavor.  However, I didn't notice much difference from this place and the one on Denman and Robson.  


I felt that the noodles itself were overly salty.  I don't know if it's supposed to taste like that but for Canadian taste, it was too salty.  I thought the soy sauce may have contributed to that, but it's actually the noodles, this was upsetting for me.


For the value, there wasn't a lot of noodles, and for the same price or a bit more, your dollar and cents are able to get you more elsewhere.  The disappointing thing is, I don't eat a lot and I wasn't very hungry when I came here, but even after finishing the ramen and soup, my stomach still felt a bit empty.  


As for the spicy pork; it is more expensive, so you get an option for more noodles at the same price.  Marketing wise, the extra noodle cost is already included into the price, so it would be dumb not to say yes to more noodles when you're already paying for it.  

The broth for this again did not disappoint.  The amount of vegetables wasn't as generous as he described for the extra $1.50.  So, I wouldn't advise on the vegetables.


Overall, I came here so you don't have to, even with the 2 hour free parking, you're better off doing street parking and eating at another ramen restaurant nearby.  The portion size is smaller than other ramen places, so the extra money you would be spending on parking is included in the meal anyways.


If this place gave more (portion wise) at their current price, made the ramen less salty, this would be an ideal place.  But it does not and it isn't.    


Value: 1/5 Overall: 1/5

Hida Takayama Ramen on Urbanspoon

10 Gift Ideas for Your Guy! and 5 Bad Ones

What to Buy a Guy for a Christmas Gift in Vancouver BC?


I've polled a lot of my guy friends and here are 10 suggestions!  


Read a few internet articles, which gave some really bad ideas like this one, which is only good if he has friends to enjoy the gift you're going to get him. "Suggestions good if he has friends to use the gift with him"


Links are to the product page if you want to see what the product looks like. Not those spam ads/adsense.


1. Belt
Burberry (Lower Price Point $290-$350)
Louis Vuitton (Mid Range $450-$550)
Hermes (Uber Love Range $650-$850)



2. Wallet go for luxury brands like 
Gucci ($250-$450)
Salvatore Ferragamo ($300-$350) <BEST VALUE!!!!



3. A shit load of underwear and socks!
Go to Winners and buy $100.00 worth!


4. A One year gym pass, tell him to get you the same so both of you can go together
Trevor Linden ($270/year)
Community Center Flex Pass ($350/year)
Steve Nash ($720/year)



5. New Cell Phone 
iPhone 4s
Samsung Galaxy S II



6. IPad 2


7. Canada Goose Jacket


8. Messenger bag or satchel
Gucci ($600-$1,500)
Burberry ($900-$1,500) 


9. Sports Equipment
If he's into sports, maybe a new hockey stick or a badminton racquet 


10. Camera DSLR
Nikon D3000 ($480 on Sale ATM)

Canon T2i ($680 on Sale ATM)

Also, I've listed 5 things that you should NOT give!


1. Scarf, tuks, or beanies!
December is ending in 5 days, this is a great gift if you gave it to him in the middle of November, but with 5 days left until the end of the year, this is not a good gift, for either a guy or girl.


2. Gift Cards
Were just going to spend it back on you.  Like your birthday or anniversary.  Guys take this as a "hint" from you that you like this place you're getting the gift card from.



3. Jewelry, ie brackelets, rings, necklaces
No!


4. A home cooked meal from you
If you've never or seldom cook for your guy, don't start on a special occasion.  


5. Cuff-links
Unless you're prepared to buy him at least 5 pairs of French Cuff shirts, or he has a closet full of French Cuff dress shirts, cuff links are utterly useless.  
We can't use cuff links on a shirt that already has buttons.  


Bonus: Could be good/bad


Cologne
The problem is, the cologne may smell nice in the store, but a guys normal flora plus the cologne may not produce a complementary sent.  Personally, I've tried a few different cologne before I found one that works for me.  Places like Sephora have samples, spray it on your guy, take a walk around the mall.  Then after some perspiration, see which one compliments him.  


If you have not tried a cologne on him, it's good to stay away from buying cologne for him.  Otherwise, when he starts stinking and you find out it's because of the cologne you bought him, you're the one that has to smell it.


If you have other suggestions, please leave a comment or know of other great gift ideas please keep adding.  Or if you have other bad ideas leave a comment.

Thursday 8 December 2011

Vina Vietnamese (Metrotown)

Ambiance: Food Court

Seating/Wait time: Food Court

Dress Code: Casual

Crowd: Everybody


Meal: 

Buen Rieu
S2
Small $5.75

Personal Remarks:  With so many choices at the Metrotown food court, it's hard to decide on what to eat.  You rely a lot on pictures, or eat what you're usually accustomed to eating.  But a food court is actually a great place to try new things.


Food court food is expensive because of convenience, but compared to eating in a restaurant it's actually cheaper.  On this day, I wanted to get away from the normal A&W and NY Fries, eventually it was either a beef ball noodle soup and this the Buen Rieu.  I noticed the owner did not have a picture of the beef ball noodle soup and reasoned that if the owner felt this dish is worthy enough to advertise, then it must be worth trying.


This dish looks spicy because it's red, but it's actually not.  If you read some of my previous ventures at Vietnamese restaurants, I do tend to try the tomato based broth more than the normal chicken stock broth noodles.  So, I thought I give this one a try and see how it compares to the other restaurants.  


This broth is not as rich as the ones you would enjoy in a restaurant, it does taste a bit watered down.  The portion I ordered was a small and there is substantially a lot less noodles compared to the "small's" you'd get in a restaurant.


The noodles were normal rice noodles.  The protein that you see is either pork or beef, to be honest I didn't give it much thought.  I just ate it.  Sometimes, it's best not to know.  The only veggies was bean sprout, cilantro, chives, and tomato.   They don't give a lot of meat and most of this is just noodle.  So, if you're really hungry you might have to order the large.


In terms of just having something to fill you up for a decent price, based on food court standards, this is will do.  It's simply average.  It wasn't great for it's value, but it isn't bad either.  So, if you're just wanting something different, this is a "something different" dish to order.


Value: 3/5 Overall: 3/5

Vina Vietnamese (Metrotown) on Urbanspoon

Uncle Fatih's Pizza (East Broadway) and (Abbott)

Ambiance: Clean-ish

Seating/Wait time: A few seats, but more of a take out place 

Dress Code: Casual

Crowd: Everybody


Meal: 

XL Pizza
1/2 Beef and Blue Cheese
1/2 Hawaiian

Pick Up $17.95




Personal Remarks:  I have their number on my speed dial! When you order an XL Pizza you get to choose 2 different toppings! Not only that, it's going to be warm and fresh when you eat it because it's made especially for you!



There are 12 slices in an XL, so it breaks down to $1.50/slice.  People usually order the 2 slices and a pop which is $4.50, so relative to that, the XL is a way better deal.  You can always hit up the Safeway to get your soft drink fix.



This place is indeed yummy, it's more expensive than Fresh Slice, but they have better taste and variety. Uncle Faiths is the better choice.  If you're in Vancouver, this is definitely the place to visit to try what Vancouver's pizza tastes like.



The area is kind of sketchy if you're a tourist, you might get harassed by some homeless people asking you for change (they don't want change for pizza).  If you're a local, you'll probably still be harassed.  But that should not deter you from visiting this place.  

If you're a girl, planning to visit this place alone, please bring someone with you! 

Value: 5/5 Overall: 4/5

Uncle Fatih's Pizza (East Broadway) on Urbanspoon

Uncle Fatih's Pizza (Abbott) on Urbanspoon

Saturday 3 December 2011

Green Lemongrass

Ambiance: Clean-ish, like a lot of other Vietnamese restaurants 

Seating/Wait time: Plenty of seats

Dress Code: Casual

Crowd: Everybody


Meal: 

"T23" Hu Tieu Do Bien Chua Cay
Seafood, tomato and pineapple in a spicy tamarind soup
(non-spicy)

Large $8.00


"G1" Vietnamese Drip coffee
$3.50




Personal Remarks:  I've been looking all over town for "Bien Chua" because my mom only makes this when her sister visits Vancouver.  So, when my aunt isn't in town, and I want to eat this, I can't.  


It wasn't until a few months ago that I finally ate at Green Lemongrass.  My friends come here after badminton, but the one time they came, I couldn't go.  A couple of weeks later, I decided to come here myself and found Bien Chua on the menu and I was so excited.  Sadly, I had no one to share my excitement with.

So far I've only found Joyeaux Cafe and here to serve Bien Chua.  


This dish is so full of goodies, it's really hard for me to try other dishes on the menu because I can't think of another dish that I want to try.  The broth is drinkable and flavourful.  There's an abundance of seafood and noodles.  This is more expensive than Joyeaux, but the portion is bigger here.


The Vietnamese coffee drip coffee is just the same as it is anywhere else.  After ordering it, I wish I had actually saved my $3.50 because I could have went to Starbucks for a $2.00 coffee instead.  I didn't expect the soup to be so tasty,  I actually didn't need to order the coffee here.


Value: 4/5 Overall: 4/5

Green Lemongrass on Urbanspoon

Cafe Montmartre

YUCK! ~CASH ONLY~

Ambiance: Rustic, very casual and bohemian, relaxed hipster vibe

Seating/Wait time: Plenty of seats

Dress Code: Casual

Crowd: Everybody


Meal: 

Crepes served with a side green salad
Divine
Slices of baked chicken breast, Bechamel sauce, herbs and melted mozzarella cheese
$12.95
Cannelle
Butter, Sugar, and Cinnamon
$4.50
Personal Remarks:  Unique and interesting.  There's live music which was interesting and different.  Is this a first date place?



Having a conversation is hard, especially when there's a live band.  You're going to be competing to talk over them, or you're going to be watching them perform.  Depending on why you come, this may or may not be the right place for you.

I have never been to France and the décor seems like what I imagine a small French bistro  in a small village of the countryside would be like.



The Divine was tasty! The chicken was wrapped in what tasted like phyllo dough.  It did not taste like it was wrapped in a desert crepe, the dough was more full and not thin.  


This dish is TOO overpriced!!!!  The salad was served on the same plate making the plate look more full but I felt there should have gave me one more of the chicken wrapped in phyllo dough to make this dish worth it.  If this dish was $9.95 then this would have been more reasonable.  


I was actually expecting a lot more from the desert crepe, size wise.  For $4.50 meaning $2.25/roll.  This was actually one big crepe cut in half.  I totally expected a lot more, I was thinking where the rest of it was, my first thought was wow French egg rolls!  

There wasn't a lot of filling and for it's price this was definitely a rip off.  

The water was just tap water which was a disappointment.  Even though Vancouver has clean water, Main Street is one of the older districts and the taste of tap water really ruins the experience they are trying to present.  It just made the whole experience cheap.

The vibe here is nice if you're looking for some place different to lounge at.  

I wouldn't order any food here, it's just not worth it.  This restaurant seems to have a few loyal patrons to keep this restaurant in business for now.  But they definitely need to improve.



Another big problem was the menu had no pictures of their actual dishes.  The pictures were all web generated images which made ordering confusing.

Value: 1/5 Overall: 3/5

Cafe Montmartre on Urbanspoon