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

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

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.