Sunday, August 07, 2005
In the summer, I find myself doing less dining in restaurants, and much more take-out, so that we can enjoy the food in parks, on seawalls or at the beach. I also find it too hot in my shoebox of a home office to pound out 500-hundred word reviews, so what follows are some notes on the past 30 days in the bellies of Jack and Jill.
Chambar - 562 Beatty Street, 604-879-7119
I finally made it Chambar for something other than lunch, this time for a 13-person staff dinner. When the reservations were made, we were automatically assigned the 3-course prix-fixe menu without being told that we wouldn’t be able to order from the regular menu or given the option to choose to forgo to the prix-fixe menu for the regular menu. I understand the challenges that a party of 13 must present to the kitchen, but this was the first time at Chambar for most of the diners, and they’re left with the impression that Chambar has a really, really limited menu. I had to plead for the main menu and ordered four plates of pomme frites to get everyone a little excited about the food. The frites were excellent by the way, a hit across the board. I had been craving the lamb tajine after reading about it so much, but was stuck with the steak-fish-veg options so common to prix-fixe menus. My issue is mainly that the prix-fixe menu isn’t a good exposure to what Chambar offers, and I can get a good steak or halibut in many a restaurant in town. In any event, the food was well-presented and delicious, and the service was impeccable. The highlight of the night was the excellent selection of Belgian beers – from the cherry sweetness of the Bellevue Kriek to the tang of Crannog Brewery’s Chambar Ale and the unique taste of Leffe, it was a beer-lover’s dream.
The appetizer was maple-seared scallops, and they were tasty – not too sweet, the maple sauce was mild enough to allow the flavour of the scallops to come through, and the scallops were soft inside, but without the caramelized crust you find on other similar dishes. The steak was also great, charred outside but still red within. It was accompanied by fondant potatoes, something I had never had the pleasure of until this meal. Infused with a strong potato flavour, it had the dense soft texture of fondant and was richly delicious.
The meal was capped off by the set Belgian Waffle desert, with chocolate and raspberry coulis, and vanilla ice cream. It was good, but not sufficiently sinful enough for me to qualify it as a great desert. I found myself eating only dry waffle about three quarters through, and that doesn’t quite cut it in the world of deserts. When I give in to temptation and order deserts, I don’t want to do it half-assed. Bring on the caramel-bourbon or maple-chocolate sauces to dip the waffle in.
The lamb tajine will have to wait until next time. (08/05)
Fiction’s 6th Anniversary
A big thanks to Sean and Sue of Fiction Tapas and Wine Bar for the invite to their 6th Anniversary Bash. Jill was consumed by work, so I went with Robert to enjoy the excellent canapés, mojitos, Russell beers, and single-malt scotch. Among the taste plates we sampled, the Beef Wellington was exceptionally good, as were stilton soufflé and the scallop ceviche. At 3 for $11, the Tastes are a good way to sample some of the excellent food the kitchen turns out. We soaked up the drinks with a delicious thin crust pizza with duck confit, tete de moine, and caramelized onions. All three ingredients added up to a lusciously rich pizza, the texture offset by the crispness of the thin crust. It was excellent, but the creamy earthiness of the tete de moine cheese would have been nicely offset by something tart or acidic like sundried tomatoes or kalamata olives. Raise a glass of 16-year-old Lagavulin ($11) to Fiction. Here’s to another 6 years.
Brown’s – 1165 Mainland StreetTwo eGullet friends joined Jill and I at Brown’s on a sunny Sunday evening. Never having been to the Brown’s in North Van, this was our first visit. The 70’s rec-room interior was tongue-in-cheek classy, and I’m sure this will be a regular Yaletown hangout joint, with good food and drinks to satisfy the less-than-adventurous Yaletowner who’s looking for a safe bet.
If you woke up at Brown’s. you’d be forgiven for thinking you came to in a Cactus Club. The neon words, dark woods, and chandeliers look like they were scavenged from a Cactus Club warehouse. This isn’t so surprising considering Brown’s pedigree, but trying to stake its own design claim would have helped it stand out from the pack. (Brown’s was started by the co-founder of Cactus Club, and it shows). Not that there’s anything “wrong” with the design, its just that we’ve seen it before – in each of various Cactus Clubs in Vancouver, Surrey, Langley, Richmond, Burnaby, etc, etc.
The menu was challenging – a single page crams in all of the appetizers, entrees, and side dishes, leaving little room to sell or explain the dishes by their ingredients. Staring at the page, it’s hard to see anything stand out and I found myself re-reading the menu countless times (read: three waitress check-ins) before really grasping what was available. Jill and I split the Orange Peel Chicken, a dish eerily reminiscent of Cactus Clubs Spicy Chicken appetizer, served on the same plate no less. It was quite good, though I do prefer the Cactus Club version for being a little less cloyingly sweet.
PaoPao and Yummy had the Wok Squid ($8.00), and were gracious enough to share some with us. This had to be the best dish of the night, possibly the best Wok Squid I’ve ever had. The breading was light, almost gossamer-like, and it had strong whiffs of curry powder to it. It was all I could do to restrain myself from moving the dish to our side of the table and finishing it off myself, and I’m not even a big fan of calamari. They also had the Hot Crispy Wings, which I didn’t try but they were happy with.
The entrees came – Baby Back Ribs ($23) for PaoPao, Ahi Tuna ($22) for Yummy, Salmon ($18) for Jill, and a Blackened Halibut Sandwich for me ($13). My sandwich was excellent, the fish charred on the outside but moist and tasty inside, and it came with a side of their Cowboy Salad – very highly recommended. In fact, with the menu as it is, if I do return to Brown’s, I’ll probably just re-order the sandwich, which is something I never – ever – do. I’m always tempted by something else I saw on the menu and it sticks in back of my mind until I return and try it. In Brown’s case, there’s nothing on the menu that I really wish I ordered and am pining for the time I return to try it.
Jill’s Salmon was passably good, a little more than slightly overcooked. I could tell that by the halfway point, the dish no longer did it for her. She enjoyed it, but it was one of dishes that didn’t knock anyone’s socks off. I think the same feeling describes PaoPao’s and Yummy’s entrees. They were good, even very good, but nothing that you couldn’t get elsewhere in town. There were no ooohs and ahhhs, or “you have to try this!”. We ate our meals, had good service, good drinks, good times, but nothing stood out. Thankfully, the company was the highlight of the night and we can’t wait to try another place with Yummy and PaoPao.
Each couple finished off the night with Brown’s excellent, creamy Key Lime Pie ($6). Almost cheesecake-like, it was piquant with limes, but the long strands of lime zest made mastication a little awkward.
When we left, PaoPao remarked that while Brown’s was good, the next time an opportunity to go out for dinner came up, there was nothing about Brown’s that would catapult it into the top choices. I have to agree. I’m sure I’ll be back to Brown’s for their good food, good service, good bar mentality… I’m just not counting the days. Nonetheless, when going for after-work drinks with friends or co-workers in Yaletown, Brown’s is a good alternative to the Cactus Club-Milestones-YBC triumvirate. (07/05)
House of Dosas 1391 Kingsway at Clarke, 604-875-1283
I had heard so much about House of Dosas that I’d been salivating over the thought of dosas for some time. Check out Nancy Land for a great review of HoD. Our overall experience was excellent, tempered by a couple letdowns. The first let-down wasn’t the restaurant’s fault, though. When we told the gracious proprietor our plans to get the dosas to go, he warned us that we would be digging into Styrofoam containers of mush, as dosas are not really takeout friendly. This was welcome advice, and we decided to forego the standard dosas. However, he did suggest that the Rava Dosa (made with rice flour and cream of wheat) would stand up better to remote consumption, so we ordered an Onion Rava Masala Dosa ($7.99). To round things out, we chose Idly ($4.99), Chicken 65 ($7.99), Beef Korma ($12.99) and Eggplant Curry ($9.99). Because we were to be dining al fresco, we opted for a double order of roti instead of rice. I have to point out that the owner here, obviously running the restaurant with his family, was as friendly and welcoming as you could hope fore. The restaurant was packed with both South Asians and Caucasians, and as we waited for our to-go orders, the turnover was going strong.
Three of us enjoyed these fine dishes on a bench at the Coal Harbour Seawall, the backdrop of mountains, floatplanes, foamy seawater, and the Lions Gate Bridge a quintessential Vancouver scene. The Idly is not something I would order again, the balls dense and rather bland, but they came with exceptionally delicious sweet-and-spicy coconut chutney that was almost worth the $4.99 price tag for the entire dish. The Chicken 65 offered copious amounts of tender chicken pieces in a spicy sauce. It was great, its only downside being that it was a one-note dish, meant to be shared by a group. One or two people having this would have explored its flavours sufficiently by the halfway point. Next came the Eggplant Curry, the highlight of the night for me. I have eaten too many curry dishes to speak of in town, and have become accustomed a sense of sameness among them. They’re usually great, but you would be hard-pressed to differentiate between any of them. Not so this dish. I could expound on the multiple layers of flavour, the complexity of the earthy eggplant offset by notes of sweet and salt, and the multiple spices that bring them all together. But nothing I could write would capture this dish. The Beef Korma was slightly more pedestrian, very capable and the meat was still tender, but not something I would recommend over any other Beef Korma dishes in town.
To the biggest disappointment of the night, though – they neglected to include our double-order of roti bread. Being 20 minutes away when we discovered this meant we were stuck, sans roti. In any event, even with the roti mishap, three of us were nicely sated for $47 including tax but not tip, and there were some leftovers for the next day. (07/05) Quick note – another favourite take-out spot is East is East on West Broadway, near the Hollywood Theater. For just under $11, you get two deliciously-organic roti wraps, a foil pouch of salad, and two containers of chutneys. Try their eastern shakes and lassis, too.
Chambar - 562 Beatty Street, 604-879-7119
I finally made it Chambar for something other than lunch, this time for a 13-person staff dinner. When the reservations were made, we were automatically assigned the 3-course prix-fixe menu without being told that we wouldn’t be able to order from the regular menu or given the option to choose to forgo to the prix-fixe menu for the regular menu. I understand the challenges that a party of 13 must present to the kitchen, but this was the first time at Chambar for most of the diners, and they’re left with the impression that Chambar has a really, really limited menu. I had to plead for the main menu and ordered four plates of pomme frites to get everyone a little excited about the food. The frites were excellent by the way, a hit across the board. I had been craving the lamb tajine after reading about it so much, but was stuck with the steak-fish-veg options so common to prix-fixe menus. My issue is mainly that the prix-fixe menu isn’t a good exposure to what Chambar offers, and I can get a good steak or halibut in many a restaurant in town. In any event, the food was well-presented and delicious, and the service was impeccable. The highlight of the night was the excellent selection of Belgian beers – from the cherry sweetness of the Bellevue Kriek to the tang of Crannog Brewery’s Chambar Ale and the unique taste of Leffe, it was a beer-lover’s dream.
The appetizer was maple-seared scallops, and they were tasty – not too sweet, the maple sauce was mild enough to allow the flavour of the scallops to come through, and the scallops were soft inside, but without the caramelized crust you find on other similar dishes. The steak was also great, charred outside but still red within. It was accompanied by fondant potatoes, something I had never had the pleasure of until this meal. Infused with a strong potato flavour, it had the dense soft texture of fondant and was richly delicious.
The meal was capped off by the set Belgian Waffle desert, with chocolate and raspberry coulis, and vanilla ice cream. It was good, but not sufficiently sinful enough for me to qualify it as a great desert. I found myself eating only dry waffle about three quarters through, and that doesn’t quite cut it in the world of deserts. When I give in to temptation and order deserts, I don’t want to do it half-assed. Bring on the caramel-bourbon or maple-chocolate sauces to dip the waffle in.
The lamb tajine will have to wait until next time. (08/05)
Fiction’s 6th Anniversary
A big thanks to Sean and Sue of Fiction Tapas and Wine Bar for the invite to their 6th Anniversary Bash. Jill was consumed by work, so I went with Robert to enjoy the excellent canapés, mojitos, Russell beers, and single-malt scotch. Among the taste plates we sampled, the Beef Wellington was exceptionally good, as were stilton soufflé and the scallop ceviche. At 3 for $11, the Tastes are a good way to sample some of the excellent food the kitchen turns out. We soaked up the drinks with a delicious thin crust pizza with duck confit, tete de moine, and caramelized onions. All three ingredients added up to a lusciously rich pizza, the texture offset by the crispness of the thin crust. It was excellent, but the creamy earthiness of the tete de moine cheese would have been nicely offset by something tart or acidic like sundried tomatoes or kalamata olives. Raise a glass of 16-year-old Lagavulin ($11) to Fiction. Here’s to another 6 years.
Brown’s – 1165 Mainland StreetTwo eGullet friends joined Jill and I at Brown’s on a sunny Sunday evening. Never having been to the Brown’s in North Van, this was our first visit. The 70’s rec-room interior was tongue-in-cheek classy, and I’m sure this will be a regular Yaletown hangout joint, with good food and drinks to satisfy the less-than-adventurous Yaletowner who’s looking for a safe bet.
If you woke up at Brown’s. you’d be forgiven for thinking you came to in a Cactus Club. The neon words, dark woods, and chandeliers look like they were scavenged from a Cactus Club warehouse. This isn’t so surprising considering Brown’s pedigree, but trying to stake its own design claim would have helped it stand out from the pack. (Brown’s was started by the co-founder of Cactus Club, and it shows). Not that there’s anything “wrong” with the design, its just that we’ve seen it before – in each of various Cactus Clubs in Vancouver, Surrey, Langley, Richmond, Burnaby, etc, etc.
The menu was challenging – a single page crams in all of the appetizers, entrees, and side dishes, leaving little room to sell or explain the dishes by their ingredients. Staring at the page, it’s hard to see anything stand out and I found myself re-reading the menu countless times (read: three waitress check-ins) before really grasping what was available. Jill and I split the Orange Peel Chicken, a dish eerily reminiscent of Cactus Clubs Spicy Chicken appetizer, served on the same plate no less. It was quite good, though I do prefer the Cactus Club version for being a little less cloyingly sweet.
PaoPao and Yummy had the Wok Squid ($8.00), and were gracious enough to share some with us. This had to be the best dish of the night, possibly the best Wok Squid I’ve ever had. The breading was light, almost gossamer-like, and it had strong whiffs of curry powder to it. It was all I could do to restrain myself from moving the dish to our side of the table and finishing it off myself, and I’m not even a big fan of calamari. They also had the Hot Crispy Wings, which I didn’t try but they were happy with.
The entrees came – Baby Back Ribs ($23) for PaoPao, Ahi Tuna ($22) for Yummy, Salmon ($18) for Jill, and a Blackened Halibut Sandwich for me ($13). My sandwich was excellent, the fish charred on the outside but moist and tasty inside, and it came with a side of their Cowboy Salad – very highly recommended. In fact, with the menu as it is, if I do return to Brown’s, I’ll probably just re-order the sandwich, which is something I never – ever – do. I’m always tempted by something else I saw on the menu and it sticks in back of my mind until I return and try it. In Brown’s case, there’s nothing on the menu that I really wish I ordered and am pining for the time I return to try it.
Jill’s Salmon was passably good, a little more than slightly overcooked. I could tell that by the halfway point, the dish no longer did it for her. She enjoyed it, but it was one of dishes that didn’t knock anyone’s socks off. I think the same feeling describes PaoPao’s and Yummy’s entrees. They were good, even very good, but nothing that you couldn’t get elsewhere in town. There were no ooohs and ahhhs, or “you have to try this!”. We ate our meals, had good service, good drinks, good times, but nothing stood out. Thankfully, the company was the highlight of the night and we can’t wait to try another place with Yummy and PaoPao.
Each couple finished off the night with Brown’s excellent, creamy Key Lime Pie ($6). Almost cheesecake-like, it was piquant with limes, but the long strands of lime zest made mastication a little awkward.
When we left, PaoPao remarked that while Brown’s was good, the next time an opportunity to go out for dinner came up, there was nothing about Brown’s that would catapult it into the top choices. I have to agree. I’m sure I’ll be back to Brown’s for their good food, good service, good bar mentality… I’m just not counting the days. Nonetheless, when going for after-work drinks with friends or co-workers in Yaletown, Brown’s is a good alternative to the Cactus Club-Milestones-YBC triumvirate. (07/05)
House of Dosas 1391 Kingsway at Clarke, 604-875-1283
I had heard so much about House of Dosas that I’d been salivating over the thought of dosas for some time. Check out Nancy Land for a great review of HoD. Our overall experience was excellent, tempered by a couple letdowns. The first let-down wasn’t the restaurant’s fault, though. When we told the gracious proprietor our plans to get the dosas to go, he warned us that we would be digging into Styrofoam containers of mush, as dosas are not really takeout friendly. This was welcome advice, and we decided to forego the standard dosas. However, he did suggest that the Rava Dosa (made with rice flour and cream of wheat) would stand up better to remote consumption, so we ordered an Onion Rava Masala Dosa ($7.99). To round things out, we chose Idly ($4.99), Chicken 65 ($7.99), Beef Korma ($12.99) and Eggplant Curry ($9.99). Because we were to be dining al fresco, we opted for a double order of roti instead of rice. I have to point out that the owner here, obviously running the restaurant with his family, was as friendly and welcoming as you could hope fore. The restaurant was packed with both South Asians and Caucasians, and as we waited for our to-go orders, the turnover was going strong.
Three of us enjoyed these fine dishes on a bench at the Coal Harbour Seawall, the backdrop of mountains, floatplanes, foamy seawater, and the Lions Gate Bridge a quintessential Vancouver scene. The Idly is not something I would order again, the balls dense and rather bland, but they came with exceptionally delicious sweet-and-spicy coconut chutney that was almost worth the $4.99 price tag for the entire dish. The Chicken 65 offered copious amounts of tender chicken pieces in a spicy sauce. It was great, its only downside being that it was a one-note dish, meant to be shared by a group. One or two people having this would have explored its flavours sufficiently by the halfway point. Next came the Eggplant Curry, the highlight of the night for me. I have eaten too many curry dishes to speak of in town, and have become accustomed a sense of sameness among them. They’re usually great, but you would be hard-pressed to differentiate between any of them. Not so this dish. I could expound on the multiple layers of flavour, the complexity of the earthy eggplant offset by notes of sweet and salt, and the multiple spices that bring them all together. But nothing I could write would capture this dish. The Beef Korma was slightly more pedestrian, very capable and the meat was still tender, but not something I would recommend over any other Beef Korma dishes in town.
To the biggest disappointment of the night, though – they neglected to include our double-order of roti bread. Being 20 minutes away when we discovered this meant we were stuck, sans roti. In any event, even with the roti mishap, three of us were nicely sated for $47 including tax but not tip, and there were some leftovers for the next day. (07/05) Quick note – another favourite take-out spot is East is East on West Broadway, near the Hollywood Theater. For just under $11, you get two deliciously-organic roti wraps, a foil pouch of salad, and two containers of chutneys. Try their eastern shakes and lassis, too.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Feenie’s 2563 West Broadway, 604.739.7115
After a wild restaurant chase that took us through North Van and into West Van, we decided to get back to a more familiar locale and ended up at Feenie’s at 8:30 on a Saturday night. They were able to get us in on the patio or at the bar, and since it was a nice July evening we opted for the deuce on the patio.
What unfolded that evening was a study in contrasts. First, let me state that it was a fairly busy night there, but not overly so. When we were seated there were a number of empty tables both inside and out, but there were still groups arriving.
We were seated and our (male) server promptly informed us of the special that night. He returned a few moments later to take our drink orders, but by then we had already decided on our food orders, and placed those as well. That was to be the last time I saw our server until after the arrival of our main courses – and after asking for him, no less.
We sat at our table wondering where our drinks were, looking in vain for our server. I noticed the table next to us, who had arrived after us, already had their drinks and a basket of bread. Five minutes later, our appetizers were brought to our table by a young busser/server’s assistant. I asked this young fellow, who actually turned out to be the only bright spot service-wise of the night, if we could get our drinks and bread, since everyone else’s looked so good. He brought them both within 3 minutes.
Oh yeah, the food! Writing about the night is eerily reminiscent of the night itself. I get so preoccupied with the frustratingly spare level of service that it distracts me from the food itself. In this case, I had the Alsatian Pizza ($10), a flaky pie-like crust topped with speck bacon, onions and bacon. It was quite delicious, the flaky crust an interesting variant on the standard. Jill had the Romaine Salad ($9), an above-average take on a Caesar with a yogurt and garlic sauce, laden with anchovies. The shaved parmesan mentioned in the menu description was more of an afterthought than a feature, but that was a minor quibble.
Our empty plates remained on the table, while our two empty water glasses screamed to be refilled. This is a personal pet peeve of mine, and I feel service can be accurately gauged by the length of time a water glass stands empty. In this case, it was particularly maddening because of the two tables next to us. Their (female) server walked directly by us with the water jug, filled their glasses, and walked right past our empty glasses. This happened three times between courses. To me, this shows a significant and detrimental lack of teamwork. When tables next to you receive their drinks, bread, and water refills while you can only stare agog at their bounty, it is somewhat maddening.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was likely only about 10 minutes, our entrees arrived, delivered again by the server’s assistant. Jill ordered the $26 Tenderloin, and I, out of a craving for good sausage and sauerkraut that hit me when I saw it on the menu, ordered Feenie’s Weenie ($8). The tenderloin, already sliced, was delivered without a steak knife. My fries were delivered without anything to dip them into. I asked our server’s assistant for some ketchup or mayo, and I asked him if he would send over our server.
When the server arrived, I pointed at our empty glasses and asked (pleaded, actually) if we could have more water. Jill asked for a steak knife, and when he returned it was with water and a pepper mill. Jill asked again for a steak knife, not a pepper mill. The pepper mill stayed, and when the server returned it was to tell us that the restaurant doesn’t have steak knives. Jill’s bread knife was her steak knife. She told the server that the bread knife didn’t work as a steak knife, he shrugged, then left. The pepper mill remained, though.
Back to the food. Rob Feenie’s eponymous weenie was excellent, the bread soft and chewy. The sausage was very good quality, oozing with mozzarella cheese. The highlight of the dish was the sauerkraut, more like winekraut, with complex flavouring that nicely offset the richness of the sausage. It was accompanied by a cone of french fries, much like the kind found at fish and chips shops near the beach – square cut and soft inside. After requesting something to dip them in, a tray of dipping sauces was delivered and suited them nicely. Jill’s striploin was tender, juicy and accompanied by healthy portions of potatoes and vegetables.
When desert was offered, I was too interested in leaving to consider anything, though I suspect it would have been delicious. Our server did succeed in clearing our entrée plates, but left the dipping sauce plate and our bread plates. The pepper mill remained at the table longer than we did. The lack of service we received from our server overpowered the good food, and (I mean this figuratively, eGulleters) left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t think Feenie’s will suffer too much by me not returning, they are and will be as busy as ever. The people next to us seemed to enjoy their meal and the level of service they received seemed more than adequate, so Jill and I were probably an exception to the rule. But I don’t expect to test that theory. Fool me once…
Feenie’s: a study in contrasts. The food was good, even great. The service was not. (07/05)
After a wild restaurant chase that took us through North Van and into West Van, we decided to get back to a more familiar locale and ended up at Feenie’s at 8:30 on a Saturday night. They were able to get us in on the patio or at the bar, and since it was a nice July evening we opted for the deuce on the patio.
What unfolded that evening was a study in contrasts. First, let me state that it was a fairly busy night there, but not overly so. When we were seated there were a number of empty tables both inside and out, but there were still groups arriving.
We were seated and our (male) server promptly informed us of the special that night. He returned a few moments later to take our drink orders, but by then we had already decided on our food orders, and placed those as well. That was to be the last time I saw our server until after the arrival of our main courses – and after asking for him, no less.
We sat at our table wondering where our drinks were, looking in vain for our server. I noticed the table next to us, who had arrived after us, already had their drinks and a basket of bread. Five minutes later, our appetizers were brought to our table by a young busser/server’s assistant. I asked this young fellow, who actually turned out to be the only bright spot service-wise of the night, if we could get our drinks and bread, since everyone else’s looked so good. He brought them both within 3 minutes.
Oh yeah, the food! Writing about the night is eerily reminiscent of the night itself. I get so preoccupied with the frustratingly spare level of service that it distracts me from the food itself. In this case, I had the Alsatian Pizza ($10), a flaky pie-like crust topped with speck bacon, onions and bacon. It was quite delicious, the flaky crust an interesting variant on the standard. Jill had the Romaine Salad ($9), an above-average take on a Caesar with a yogurt and garlic sauce, laden with anchovies. The shaved parmesan mentioned in the menu description was more of an afterthought than a feature, but that was a minor quibble.
Our empty plates remained on the table, while our two empty water glasses screamed to be refilled. This is a personal pet peeve of mine, and I feel service can be accurately gauged by the length of time a water glass stands empty. In this case, it was particularly maddening because of the two tables next to us. Their (female) server walked directly by us with the water jug, filled their glasses, and walked right past our empty glasses. This happened three times between courses. To me, this shows a significant and detrimental lack of teamwork. When tables next to you receive their drinks, bread, and water refills while you can only stare agog at their bounty, it is somewhat maddening.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was likely only about 10 minutes, our entrees arrived, delivered again by the server’s assistant. Jill ordered the $26 Tenderloin, and I, out of a craving for good sausage and sauerkraut that hit me when I saw it on the menu, ordered Feenie’s Weenie ($8). The tenderloin, already sliced, was delivered without a steak knife. My fries were delivered without anything to dip them into. I asked our server’s assistant for some ketchup or mayo, and I asked him if he would send over our server.
When the server arrived, I pointed at our empty glasses and asked (pleaded, actually) if we could have more water. Jill asked for a steak knife, and when he returned it was with water and a pepper mill. Jill asked again for a steak knife, not a pepper mill. The pepper mill stayed, and when the server returned it was to tell us that the restaurant doesn’t have steak knives. Jill’s bread knife was her steak knife. She told the server that the bread knife didn’t work as a steak knife, he shrugged, then left. The pepper mill remained, though.
Back to the food. Rob Feenie’s eponymous weenie was excellent, the bread soft and chewy. The sausage was very good quality, oozing with mozzarella cheese. The highlight of the dish was the sauerkraut, more like winekraut, with complex flavouring that nicely offset the richness of the sausage. It was accompanied by a cone of french fries, much like the kind found at fish and chips shops near the beach – square cut and soft inside. After requesting something to dip them in, a tray of dipping sauces was delivered and suited them nicely. Jill’s striploin was tender, juicy and accompanied by healthy portions of potatoes and vegetables.
When desert was offered, I was too interested in leaving to consider anything, though I suspect it would have been delicious. Our server did succeed in clearing our entrée plates, but left the dipping sauce plate and our bread plates. The pepper mill remained at the table longer than we did. The lack of service we received from our server overpowered the good food, and (I mean this figuratively, eGulleters) left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t think Feenie’s will suffer too much by me not returning, they are and will be as busy as ever. The people next to us seemed to enjoy their meal and the level of service they received seemed more than adequate, so Jill and I were probably an exception to the rule. But I don’t expect to test that theory. Fool me once…
Feenie’s: a study in contrasts. The food was good, even great. The service was not. (07/05)
Thursday, June 09, 2005
A Night of Fiction 3162 West Broadway 604.736.7576
What is it with restaurants that don’t even try? There’s a Vietnamese pho and sub café across the street from our place that must either think they’re god’s gift to pho or, I have to deduce, simply don’t care. The phone number on their backlit sign is not even their correct phone number. You might think they would black out the incorrect number, or imitate a logical business owner and put the correct number up. So I am unable to telephonically inquire about the availability of Vietnamese subs for dinner.
Of course, when I trudge over there I am told that they always sell out of sandwich buns at lunchtime. Here’s a thought – consider the idea of increasing your bun supply by a half dozen each day until you start to see a few leftovers. You’ve now reached a healthy cutoff point.
Why the diatribe? When you see the polar opposite of the above example – a restaurant owner who is proactive, personable, and applies sound business principles to their operation so you have some confidence that they’ll be around for more than a few months – it makes you appreciate such restaurants all the more.
Thanks to the organizational skills of Andrew Morrison, Nabob of Waiterblog, Jill and I attended a special eGullet dinner at Sean Sherwood’s fine Fiction on West Broadway. Conveniently located across the street from the new but tried-and-tested Churrolicious. Of course comparing the highly refined yet energetic Fiction to a pho house is a like comparing apples to headaches, but for our sakes it illustrates my point.
We arrived early and had a seat at the bar, Jill imbibing on the newly-launched Mojita, a properly-muddled mojito with Raspberry Stoli. She pronounced this a winner, nicely tart yet fragrant with the fresh mint leaves. I spent the night sampling the good selection of Russell beers on tap, ending as I always somehow do with their excellent Cream Ale.
For this Waiterblog dinner, Fiction put together an exceptional 7-course meal starting with an inventive Salad sorbet, the essence of salad concentrated into tart crystals of cool sorbet. A great palate cleanser to start the meal. Fiction has a relatively small kitchen that is not typically called on to churn out 70 plates at a time, and so some of our sorbets had begun the slow process of melting into salad soup. But as they proved throughout the night, the kitchen and servers were able to pull it off with minimal issues, and the night more than lived up to everyone’s expectations. The second course took things up another level. I had to try the seared foie gras with pickled rhubarb, rhubarb sorbet, sugar hay. The sinful richness of the foie gras was nicely offset by the tartness of the rhubarb and the sugar hay added both sweetness and a delightful crunch to the mix.
As great as that dish was, I have to say Jill’s blonde morel mushroom flan, with carpaccio of pickled beets and truffle vinaigrette. It was sublime and the texture of the finely dices morels was complex, and allowed the mushrooms to melt on the tongue. Jill gave me a few bites of hers, and it was sublime. So simple, yet so deeply flavourful.
For the next course, I had the cote de boeuf with dungeness crab yukon gold pave and bearnaise sauce. The beef was perfectly pink and tender, almost red but without a hint of blood and the Dungeness flavour elevated the potatoes underneath. Jill had the ruby trout wrapped in potato with tuscan bean pomme puree, rapini pesto and balsamic reduction.
Elegantly presented, with the body flanked by upstanding head and tail, in terms of size this was the biggest dish of the evening. The potato wrapping allowed the trout to cook without losing any moisture. I don’t consider myself a fish person, but this trout was delicious, and it was all I could do to not pick more off of Jill’s plate when she wasn’t looking.
Arriving next was a sharply flavoured cucumber consommé palate cleanser accompanied by diced cucumbers. I liked the contrast between the texture of the consommé and the diced cukes, united by the distinct flavour of cucumbers that was so concentrated in the consommé.
Jill’s main course was the grilled quail in a potato nest with caviar studded white chocolate mole sauce. It must have been great, as I was only able to pilfer a small piece of quail meat, Jill wanted the rest for herself. My dish of braised lobster escalope, open faced ravioli, creamed truffle leeks and lobster bisque gastrique was delicious, the lobster flavour coming through in a variety of textures and flavour combinations, only suffering from a bit of the chills on its journey from the kitchen.
The desert course was next, and I couldn’t help but order the trio of classical tarts ~ banana cream, key lime, and coconut cream pies. Each was richly redolent of its primary ingredient, my favourite being the intense tartness of the key lime (though the coconut cream was just as tasty). Jill had another trio – this time of brulees ~ pineapple-sage, coconut-basil and lavender. Wow. That’s all I will say.
As if to elevate the obscene level of decadence already achieved, a desert plate of dark chocolate and peanut butter truffles with a variety of ice wine jellies was brought out. The truffles were rich with peanut flavour, not sweet like Reeses cups, but dark and deep. The ice wine jellies were too good to describe properly, sprinkled with sugar they were slipping sliding around the mouth and were packed with a ice wine goodness. The thought of those jellies still sticks with me and just writing about them is inducing mental drooling.
Then someone brought the decadence level to Caligula-like heights by bringing over a veritable ciudad of churros from Churrolicious across the street. It will be a long, long time until another night approaches this one. I look forward to revisiting Fiction soon to experience their regular menu. [06/05]
What is it with restaurants that don’t even try? There’s a Vietnamese pho and sub café across the street from our place that must either think they’re god’s gift to pho or, I have to deduce, simply don’t care. The phone number on their backlit sign is not even their correct phone number. You might think they would black out the incorrect number, or imitate a logical business owner and put the correct number up. So I am unable to telephonically inquire about the availability of Vietnamese subs for dinner.
Of course, when I trudge over there I am told that they always sell out of sandwich buns at lunchtime. Here’s a thought – consider the idea of increasing your bun supply by a half dozen each day until you start to see a few leftovers. You’ve now reached a healthy cutoff point.
Why the diatribe? When you see the polar opposite of the above example – a restaurant owner who is proactive, personable, and applies sound business principles to their operation so you have some confidence that they’ll be around for more than a few months – it makes you appreciate such restaurants all the more.
Thanks to the organizational skills of Andrew Morrison, Nabob of Waiterblog, Jill and I attended a special eGullet dinner at Sean Sherwood’s fine Fiction on West Broadway. Conveniently located across the street from the new but tried-and-tested Churrolicious. Of course comparing the highly refined yet energetic Fiction to a pho house is a like comparing apples to headaches, but for our sakes it illustrates my point.
We arrived early and had a seat at the bar, Jill imbibing on the newly-launched Mojita, a properly-muddled mojito with Raspberry Stoli. She pronounced this a winner, nicely tart yet fragrant with the fresh mint leaves. I spent the night sampling the good selection of Russell beers on tap, ending as I always somehow do with their excellent Cream Ale.
For this Waiterblog dinner, Fiction put together an exceptional 7-course meal starting with an inventive Salad sorbet, the essence of salad concentrated into tart crystals of cool sorbet. A great palate cleanser to start the meal. Fiction has a relatively small kitchen that is not typically called on to churn out 70 plates at a time, and so some of our sorbets had begun the slow process of melting into salad soup. But as they proved throughout the night, the kitchen and servers were able to pull it off with minimal issues, and the night more than lived up to everyone’s expectations. The second course took things up another level. I had to try the seared foie gras with pickled rhubarb, rhubarb sorbet, sugar hay. The sinful richness of the foie gras was nicely offset by the tartness of the rhubarb and the sugar hay added both sweetness and a delightful crunch to the mix.
As great as that dish was, I have to say Jill’s blonde morel mushroom flan, with carpaccio of pickled beets and truffle vinaigrette. It was sublime and the texture of the finely dices morels was complex, and allowed the mushrooms to melt on the tongue. Jill gave me a few bites of hers, and it was sublime. So simple, yet so deeply flavourful.
For the next course, I had the cote de boeuf with dungeness crab yukon gold pave and bearnaise sauce. The beef was perfectly pink and tender, almost red but without a hint of blood and the Dungeness flavour elevated the potatoes underneath. Jill had the ruby trout wrapped in potato with tuscan bean pomme puree, rapini pesto and balsamic reduction.
Elegantly presented, with the body flanked by upstanding head and tail, in terms of size this was the biggest dish of the evening. The potato wrapping allowed the trout to cook without losing any moisture. I don’t consider myself a fish person, but this trout was delicious, and it was all I could do to not pick more off of Jill’s plate when she wasn’t looking.
Arriving next was a sharply flavoured cucumber consommé palate cleanser accompanied by diced cucumbers. I liked the contrast between the texture of the consommé and the diced cukes, united by the distinct flavour of cucumbers that was so concentrated in the consommé.
Jill’s main course was the grilled quail in a potato nest with caviar studded white chocolate mole sauce. It must have been great, as I was only able to pilfer a small piece of quail meat, Jill wanted the rest for herself. My dish of braised lobster escalope, open faced ravioli, creamed truffle leeks and lobster bisque gastrique was delicious, the lobster flavour coming through in a variety of textures and flavour combinations, only suffering from a bit of the chills on its journey from the kitchen.
The desert course was next, and I couldn’t help but order the trio of classical tarts ~ banana cream, key lime, and coconut cream pies. Each was richly redolent of its primary ingredient, my favourite being the intense tartness of the key lime (though the coconut cream was just as tasty). Jill had another trio – this time of brulees ~ pineapple-sage, coconut-basil and lavender. Wow. That’s all I will say.
As if to elevate the obscene level of decadence already achieved, a desert plate of dark chocolate and peanut butter truffles with a variety of ice wine jellies was brought out. The truffles were rich with peanut flavour, not sweet like Reeses cups, but dark and deep. The ice wine jellies were too good to describe properly, sprinkled with sugar they were slipping sliding around the mouth and were packed with a ice wine goodness. The thought of those jellies still sticks with me and just writing about them is inducing mental drooling.
Then someone brought the decadence level to Caligula-like heights by bringing over a veritable ciudad of churros from Churrolicious across the street. It will be a long, long time until another night approaches this one. I look forward to revisiting Fiction soon to experience their regular menu. [06/05]
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Memphis Blues Barbeque - 1465 West Broadway, 604.738.6806
I have uncontrollable urges for pulled pork. There’s nothing so juicy and appetizing as shredded pork butt. Reader, you can be forgiven for thinking you’ve stumbled upon a different type of website, but understand I’m talking about pork butt that has been slow-roasted for hours until a mere fork tears it to shreds. Succulent shreds.
What better place for such a delicacy than Memphis Blues Barbeque House, or so I’ve been told. Having to provide food for seven people recently made me think that a huge mess o’ meat would fit the bill. When you have a table of picky eaters, no one can turn up their collective nose to ribs, brisket, rib ends, pulled pork, chicken, sausage, beans, coleslaw, country fries, and corn bread. That is exactly what you get with the $30.95 Memphis Feast, a platter fit for a Sumo wrestler on the Atkins diet. Seven of us filled up on two platters, with enough leftovers for a ravenous pack of dogs. The pulled pork was the highlight for me, followed by the brisket and the meaty rib ends. I found the chicken to be slightly dry and less flavourful, perhaps because the less fatty chicken meat stands up to hours of cooking less favourably than does a brisket.
The side dishes were similarly tasty – the beans and corn bread providing a meal unto themselves, and I was surprised at how good the fries were, crunchy on the outside, soft in, and with a smoky barbeque flavour throughout. The only disappointment was the coleslaw. I’m a coleslaw fan, but I found this version to be creamy and bland, and I secretly wished for even the KFC variety.Two platters, with tax and copious leftovers, came to $66, which I think is a very fair price to stuff seven people. Even a single platter likely would have fed us all nicely.
Available for takeout, that might be your best choice for experiencing Memphis Blues in light of all the complaints of rudeness leveled at the owners by posters online. In fact, when Memphis Blues first opened a few years back, I visited them for lunch and was taken aback by the disrespectful comments the owners made to my dining companion, an older man with memory lapses. But in Vancouver, good BBQ – much like good Mexican - is hard to find, so you play the cards your dealt. So I would recommend takeout from Memphis Blues to avoid experiencing any of the poor service people have complained about. I would also recommend being very careful when moving the paper sacks of foil-wrapped meat, as one of the paper sacks became soggy and the entire contents of one of the platters spilled onto my pants, my shoes and the street. Fortunately, the meat was saved by its foil wrappers but an entire bowl of delish BBQ sauce ended up on my pants and shoes.
You may feel that this review is much less than a ringing endorsement for Memphis Blues, but you’d be wrong. When it comes to barbequed meat – not grilled, but slow-cooked so that tough cuts turn to butter – Memphis Blues is tough to beat. [05/05]
I have uncontrollable urges for pulled pork. There’s nothing so juicy and appetizing as shredded pork butt. Reader, you can be forgiven for thinking you’ve stumbled upon a different type of website, but understand I’m talking about pork butt that has been slow-roasted for hours until a mere fork tears it to shreds. Succulent shreds.
What better place for such a delicacy than Memphis Blues Barbeque House, or so I’ve been told. Having to provide food for seven people recently made me think that a huge mess o’ meat would fit the bill. When you have a table of picky eaters, no one can turn up their collective nose to ribs, brisket, rib ends, pulled pork, chicken, sausage, beans, coleslaw, country fries, and corn bread. That is exactly what you get with the $30.95 Memphis Feast, a platter fit for a Sumo wrestler on the Atkins diet. Seven of us filled up on two platters, with enough leftovers for a ravenous pack of dogs. The pulled pork was the highlight for me, followed by the brisket and the meaty rib ends. I found the chicken to be slightly dry and less flavourful, perhaps because the less fatty chicken meat stands up to hours of cooking less favourably than does a brisket.
The side dishes were similarly tasty – the beans and corn bread providing a meal unto themselves, and I was surprised at how good the fries were, crunchy on the outside, soft in, and with a smoky barbeque flavour throughout. The only disappointment was the coleslaw. I’m a coleslaw fan, but I found this version to be creamy and bland, and I secretly wished for even the KFC variety.Two platters, with tax and copious leftovers, came to $66, which I think is a very fair price to stuff seven people. Even a single platter likely would have fed us all nicely.
Available for takeout, that might be your best choice for experiencing Memphis Blues in light of all the complaints of rudeness leveled at the owners by posters online. In fact, when Memphis Blues first opened a few years back, I visited them for lunch and was taken aback by the disrespectful comments the owners made to my dining companion, an older man with memory lapses. But in Vancouver, good BBQ – much like good Mexican - is hard to find, so you play the cards your dealt. So I would recommend takeout from Memphis Blues to avoid experiencing any of the poor service people have complained about. I would also recommend being very careful when moving the paper sacks of foil-wrapped meat, as one of the paper sacks became soggy and the entire contents of one of the platters spilled onto my pants, my shoes and the street. Fortunately, the meat was saved by its foil wrappers but an entire bowl of delish BBQ sauce ended up on my pants and shoes.
You may feel that this review is much less than a ringing endorsement for Memphis Blues, but you’d be wrong. When it comes to barbequed meat – not grilled, but slow-cooked so that tough cuts turn to butter – Memphis Blues is tough to beat. [05/05]
West Restaurant - 2881 Granville Street, 604.739.8938
West was recently named Best Restaurant in the 2005 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, and Jill and I took advantage of their early-bird $35 per-person prix fixe menu as a way to experience West’s rollercoaster of flavours without blowing the budget.
Arriving at West just after their 5:30pm opening time, we found the room to be bright and lively, with vivacious jazz playing over the din of the dining room. We were early, and the room was only half-full, but one small complaint we had was the convergence of staff at the bar. Restaurants like West likely do understand that when there are diners eating, the show is on, and staff condensed at the bar chatting can be a little intimidating and unprofessional. By the time we received our bread, though, the room was busy enough that the staff were too busy to hang around the bar. Using rich materials and repeating architectural elements throughout the restaurant – and on the plates themselves – West screams fine dining. The service reinforced this, and while some may feel the service is slightly overpowering, the suave touch of restaurant director Brian Hopkins smoothes the experience into a wonderfully pleasant evening.
The night started out on a high note with the arrival of our amuse bouche, a garlic croquette that came on a small puddle of aged balsamic in a wonton soupspoon. Best eaten in one bite, this little nugget of flavour literally exploded in the mouth. I still have flashbacks of this garlicky treat. Imagine a crispy, crunchy croquette shell surrounding a molten core of garlic essence, which explodes into, and is absorbed by, the surrounding shell when bitten into. It was a simple dish, with each element pushed to the limits of its flavour, and it set the stage for the rest of the night.
Jill started with a dish of marinated wild salmon and crispy oyster with citrus butter, and she pronounced the salmon as succulent and juicy, bursting with flavour like a piece of fruit. The salmon was clean, without even a hint of fishiness. I started with a trio of red carrot and cream cheese raviolis in a sage brown butter sauce, and here again the flavours literally exploded from their wrappers. The feature here was on the red carrot filling, and the brown butter served as a rich backnote to the rich, creamy centre.
Our entrees were also great, but made me wish for some of the strong flavours in the first two courses. I had the braised lamb shoulder with vegetable puree and spaetzle. The lamb was cooked perfectly, needing nothing sharper than a fork to break apart, but I found the spaetzle and the green puree on the plate to be mild and (dare I say) a little boring. Jill’s halibut with chorizo, mussels and clams came in a creamy broth and was deliciously clean, the salty bits of chorizo perfectly offsetting the smoothness of the halibut and mussels.
Desert capped off the three-course menu perfectly, Jill opting for the wine-poached rhubarb with coconut biscotti and tapioca sauce while I chose the malted pot-de-crème with two chocolate and raspberry petite gateau and pistachio ice cream. Both were delightful, and we would have left content if it weren’t for the arrival of two sets of desert amuse bouches. A round chocolate and kumquat truffle and apricot shortbread cookie were the perfect end to the meal, the truffle repeating the burst of flavour from the garlic croquette amuse bouche - a great counterbalance to the experience (it was more than just a meal).
Dinner for two, with a glass of wine and sparkling water came to around $120.
West was recently named Best Restaurant in the 2005 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, and Jill and I took advantage of their early-bird $35 per-person prix fixe menu as a way to experience West’s rollercoaster of flavours without blowing the budget.
Arriving at West just after their 5:30pm opening time, we found the room to be bright and lively, with vivacious jazz playing over the din of the dining room. We were early, and the room was only half-full, but one small complaint we had was the convergence of staff at the bar. Restaurants like West likely do understand that when there are diners eating, the show is on, and staff condensed at the bar chatting can be a little intimidating and unprofessional. By the time we received our bread, though, the room was busy enough that the staff were too busy to hang around the bar. Using rich materials and repeating architectural elements throughout the restaurant – and on the plates themselves – West screams fine dining. The service reinforced this, and while some may feel the service is slightly overpowering, the suave touch of restaurant director Brian Hopkins smoothes the experience into a wonderfully pleasant evening.
The night started out on a high note with the arrival of our amuse bouche, a garlic croquette that came on a small puddle of aged balsamic in a wonton soupspoon. Best eaten in one bite, this little nugget of flavour literally exploded in the mouth. I still have flashbacks of this garlicky treat. Imagine a crispy, crunchy croquette shell surrounding a molten core of garlic essence, which explodes into, and is absorbed by, the surrounding shell when bitten into. It was a simple dish, with each element pushed to the limits of its flavour, and it set the stage for the rest of the night.
Jill started with a dish of marinated wild salmon and crispy oyster with citrus butter, and she pronounced the salmon as succulent and juicy, bursting with flavour like a piece of fruit. The salmon was clean, without even a hint of fishiness. I started with a trio of red carrot and cream cheese raviolis in a sage brown butter sauce, and here again the flavours literally exploded from their wrappers. The feature here was on the red carrot filling, and the brown butter served as a rich backnote to the rich, creamy centre.
Our entrees were also great, but made me wish for some of the strong flavours in the first two courses. I had the braised lamb shoulder with vegetable puree and spaetzle. The lamb was cooked perfectly, needing nothing sharper than a fork to break apart, but I found the spaetzle and the green puree on the plate to be mild and (dare I say) a little boring. Jill’s halibut with chorizo, mussels and clams came in a creamy broth and was deliciously clean, the salty bits of chorizo perfectly offsetting the smoothness of the halibut and mussels.
Desert capped off the three-course menu perfectly, Jill opting for the wine-poached rhubarb with coconut biscotti and tapioca sauce while I chose the malted pot-de-crème with two chocolate and raspberry petite gateau and pistachio ice cream. Both were delightful, and we would have left content if it weren’t for the arrival of two sets of desert amuse bouches. A round chocolate and kumquat truffle and apricot shortbread cookie were the perfect end to the meal, the truffle repeating the burst of flavour from the garlic croquette amuse bouche - a great counterbalance to the experience (it was more than just a meal).
Dinner for two, with a glass of wine and sparkling water came to around $120.
Sip Resto-Lounge - 1117 Granville Street, 604-687-7474
Friday night on Granville street can sometimes be a hopeless quest for quality food, and you’re left settling for a something, anything that will fill your belly enough to soak up some of the copious amounts of alcohol you plan on consuming throughout the night. I mean, why else are you on Granville Street? It’s not for the food.
Well, that might just be part of the past now, with the arrival of Sip, an uber-hip restaurant/lounge with reasonable food and drink prices, great service, and a tasty, well-executed menu. Organized back-to-front, with the kitchen at the entrance, the bar just beyond that, and a darkened lounge at the back, Sip has a variety of environments packed into a small space. Imagine a Cactus Club, reduced over low heat for hours, and you might understand Sip – or better yet, just drop in for a drink.
My friend Bart recommended Sip, and he also told me to order the perogies. At first, I scoffed. Perogies are not something I order when I go out – they’re typically emergency carb-loading devices that I boil as a last resort. But when I saw five or six plates of these perogies leaving the kitchen before I finished my first beer, I though that they might be worth a try. The three-cheese perogies come on a plate with salty chorizo disks and pear brandy sour cream ($7), and were among the best perogies I’ve ever had. That may sound like faint praise, but these were absolutely delicious, the skins not at all mushy. To further gird my belly for the night, I also had their hand-cut fries with chipotle mayo ($5), with an order of three side dips for an extra $2. The fries were amazing, crispy on the outside with some sort of coating, and soft and meltingly good on the inside. With the dips, the combination of perogies-and-fries was elevated from boring bar food. It made me look forward to visiting again and trying other items on the menu. Pints of beer were $5 to $6 and double martinis were $6.50.
Afterwards we hit The Morissey and the Buffalo Club, where Sip’s food did a great buffer job between belly and beer. Next time you’re at the Buffalo Club, try the Buffalo Black Death ale from local favourite Russel Brewing Company. This beer, dark as Guinness but much more mild, packs a walloping 12.5% alcohol but without any cloying sweetness that plagues other high-proof beer.
Friday night on Granville street can sometimes be a hopeless quest for quality food, and you’re left settling for a something, anything that will fill your belly enough to soak up some of the copious amounts of alcohol you plan on consuming throughout the night. I mean, why else are you on Granville Street? It’s not for the food.
Well, that might just be part of the past now, with the arrival of Sip, an uber-hip restaurant/lounge with reasonable food and drink prices, great service, and a tasty, well-executed menu. Organized back-to-front, with the kitchen at the entrance, the bar just beyond that, and a darkened lounge at the back, Sip has a variety of environments packed into a small space. Imagine a Cactus Club, reduced over low heat for hours, and you might understand Sip – or better yet, just drop in for a drink.
My friend Bart recommended Sip, and he also told me to order the perogies. At first, I scoffed. Perogies are not something I order when I go out – they’re typically emergency carb-loading devices that I boil as a last resort. But when I saw five or six plates of these perogies leaving the kitchen before I finished my first beer, I though that they might be worth a try. The three-cheese perogies come on a plate with salty chorizo disks and pear brandy sour cream ($7), and were among the best perogies I’ve ever had. That may sound like faint praise, but these were absolutely delicious, the skins not at all mushy. To further gird my belly for the night, I also had their hand-cut fries with chipotle mayo ($5), with an order of three side dips for an extra $2. The fries were amazing, crispy on the outside with some sort of coating, and soft and meltingly good on the inside. With the dips, the combination of perogies-and-fries was elevated from boring bar food. It made me look forward to visiting again and trying other items on the menu. Pints of beer were $5 to $6 and double martinis were $6.50.
Afterwards we hit The Morissey and the Buffalo Club, where Sip’s food did a great buffer job between belly and beer. Next time you’re at the Buffalo Club, try the Buffalo Black Death ale from local favourite Russel Brewing Company. This beer, dark as Guinness but much more mild, packs a walloping 12.5% alcohol but without any cloying sweetness that plagues other high-proof beer.
Taste of Heaven - 678 West Broadway 604.879.9830
I'm not sure exactly who Johnny Vuong is, but Taste of Heaven's bio at www.where2eat.ca/restaurants/tasteofheaven_restaurant.php gives him credit for introducing fusion cuisine to Vancouver over a decade ago.
His new restaurant, Taste of Heaven, recently opened at the non-descript location overlooking London Drugs on Broadway that has seen a rotating selection of non-descript restaurants - most recently a Himalayan spot requiring a hike up three flights of stairs. Vuong has refactored those Everest-like steps into a Stairway to Heaven, plopping you in the center of an airy, colourful room with very sparse decor. They've done what they could to make it welcoming, with soothing yet lively wall colours and a striking ceiling, but the tile flooring and cavernous space are screaming to broken up with some rugs or additional screens.
We were greeted by a very welcoming server named Allana, motherly in appearance and disposition. After being seated in a windowfront table overlooking the great lights of London (Drugs, that is), we were promptly greeted with a complimentary amuse bouche of johnnie cakes. We gobbled them up, light in texture yet with some depth of flavour to them.
Taste of Heaven bills itself as a place with "fine dining cuisine, casual dining prices" and that is not off the mark. In fact, the prices are so low as to encourage you to try many different plates. Portions are surprisingly large, yet not so large as to discourage menu sampling. Our flight of appetizers included Prawn and Pork Spring Rolls ($4), Heaven's Dumplings ($4), and a large of bowl of the Thai Hot and Sour Soup ($4.50). Both the spring rolls and dumplings were deep-fried, but without a hint of grease, making them piping hot inside and crunchy out. That's a sign that Vuong uses screamingly hot oil and changes it frequently. Spring rolls can be ruined when they're more grease than roll, but these were excellent, our only complaint was that the accompanying garlic chili vinaigrette seemed watered-down. Our Heaven's Dumplings were a mix of shiitake, pork, ginger, and minced vegetables, served with a wonderfully pungent red chili vinaigrette. Again, these were crisp with nary a hint of grease, and were finished off quickly.
Both of us had to agree that the highlight of the appetizers was the Thai Hot and Sour Soup. More Hot and Sweet and Hot and Sour, this was a hot bowl of layered complexities that we'll have again next time. Sprinkled with highly edible lemongrass medallions and chunks of chicken, it was a revelation of tastes.
Although the Lunch menu was no longer being served, Jill asked if they would consider making her a Seafood Club ($9) and without hesitation was told of course they would. Featuring a large fillet of salmon, it was pronounced delicious and Jill was barely able to finish the large portion. I stole a number of the accompanying fries, and have to say that they also benefited from Chef Vuong's excellent use of deep frying oil, as they were crisp on the outside, succulent inside, and without any grease in sight (or in taste).
After all those appetizers, I wasn't looking for anything too substantial for my entree and went with the Thai Tearing Salad ($8), with vermicelli and mixed baby greens flavoured with Thai herbs and ringed by a surprisingly generous number of jumbo prawns and grilled scallops. This $8 dollar salad came with more seafood than many $20 entrees at other restaurants in the city, even casual dining chains like Cactus-Milestones-Earls.
With no room for desert, we left Taste of Heaven feeling sated in both mind and body - and wallet, too, considering that three appetizers, two mains, a glass of chardonnay and a kokanee came to $44.30 after taxes but before tip. Taste of Heaven may not have the excitement of the nearby Rugby or Cactus Clubs, but in the food department I think Chef Vuong has them bet. I did notice a small stage with audio equipment up front as we were leaving, so there may be some partying in Heaven yet!
I'm not sure exactly who Johnny Vuong is, but Taste of Heaven's bio at www.where2eat.ca/restaurants/tasteofheaven_restaurant.php gives him credit for introducing fusion cuisine to Vancouver over a decade ago.
His new restaurant, Taste of Heaven, recently opened at the non-descript location overlooking London Drugs on Broadway that has seen a rotating selection of non-descript restaurants - most recently a Himalayan spot requiring a hike up three flights of stairs. Vuong has refactored those Everest-like steps into a Stairway to Heaven, plopping you in the center of an airy, colourful room with very sparse decor. They've done what they could to make it welcoming, with soothing yet lively wall colours and a striking ceiling, but the tile flooring and cavernous space are screaming to broken up with some rugs or additional screens.
We were greeted by a very welcoming server named Allana, motherly in appearance and disposition. After being seated in a windowfront table overlooking the great lights of London (Drugs, that is), we were promptly greeted with a complimentary amuse bouche of johnnie cakes. We gobbled them up, light in texture yet with some depth of flavour to them.
Taste of Heaven bills itself as a place with "fine dining cuisine, casual dining prices" and that is not off the mark. In fact, the prices are so low as to encourage you to try many different plates. Portions are surprisingly large, yet not so large as to discourage menu sampling. Our flight of appetizers included Prawn and Pork Spring Rolls ($4), Heaven's Dumplings ($4), and a large of bowl of the Thai Hot and Sour Soup ($4.50). Both the spring rolls and dumplings were deep-fried, but without a hint of grease, making them piping hot inside and crunchy out. That's a sign that Vuong uses screamingly hot oil and changes it frequently. Spring rolls can be ruined when they're more grease than roll, but these were excellent, our only complaint was that the accompanying garlic chili vinaigrette seemed watered-down. Our Heaven's Dumplings were a mix of shiitake, pork, ginger, and minced vegetables, served with a wonderfully pungent red chili vinaigrette. Again, these were crisp with nary a hint of grease, and were finished off quickly.
Both of us had to agree that the highlight of the appetizers was the Thai Hot and Sour Soup. More Hot and Sweet and Hot and Sour, this was a hot bowl of layered complexities that we'll have again next time. Sprinkled with highly edible lemongrass medallions and chunks of chicken, it was a revelation of tastes.
Although the Lunch menu was no longer being served, Jill asked if they would consider making her a Seafood Club ($9) and without hesitation was told of course they would. Featuring a large fillet of salmon, it was pronounced delicious and Jill was barely able to finish the large portion. I stole a number of the accompanying fries, and have to say that they also benefited from Chef Vuong's excellent use of deep frying oil, as they were crisp on the outside, succulent inside, and without any grease in sight (or in taste).
After all those appetizers, I wasn't looking for anything too substantial for my entree and went with the Thai Tearing Salad ($8), with vermicelli and mixed baby greens flavoured with Thai herbs and ringed by a surprisingly generous number of jumbo prawns and grilled scallops. This $8 dollar salad came with more seafood than many $20 entrees at other restaurants in the city, even casual dining chains like Cactus-Milestones-Earls.
With no room for desert, we left Taste of Heaven feeling sated in both mind and body - and wallet, too, considering that three appetizers, two mains, a glass of chardonnay and a kokanee came to $44.30 after taxes but before tip. Taste of Heaven may not have the excitement of the nearby Rugby or Cactus Clubs, but in the food department I think Chef Vuong has them bet. I did notice a small stage with audio equipment up front as we were leaving, so there may be some partying in Heaven yet!
Zin Restaurant - 1277 Robson Street 604.408.1700
It wasn’t easy getting a Dine Out Vancouver table on a Saturday night, and after making a number of calls, we managed to get a table for 6 at Zin for 9pm. Zin is a cavernous space, red and chocolate throughout, split lengthwise by a heavy pink curtain, separating the dining area from the lounge.
Service was attentive and friendly, though the single server seemed overworked and could have come around to check on us a few more times throughout the night. We started out by ordering a round of drinks – wine, beer, and zintinis – and for the most part enjoyed the drinks. Dawn ordered a bubble-tini, which according to the menu, came with tapioca pearls. Unfortunately, what came was devoid of pearls and aside from a “sorry about that”, there was no effort to correct the problem.
My beer was cold and fresh, so I had little trouble ordering my three courses. Five of us started with the Ahi Tuna appetizer, in a soy and ginger broth with shredded daikon. Cut carpaccio-thin, this dish was excellent and everyone cleaned their plates.
Half of us chose the Bison Shortribs with taboulleh while the other half chose the sable fish on mushroom risotto. I had the shortribs, which were tender and sweet but heavy with fatty bits. After finishing the plate, I was seriously wishing for more meat and less fat, but was fortunate enough to share some of Jill’s sable fish to tide my hunger. The fish was moist, slightly oily in a good way, and without any hint of dryness. It sat on a bed of buttery risotto and was crowned by two delicious oven dried tomato slices. It was the best dish of the night.
The desert course offered a choice between coconut rice pudding with cardamon pods or “chocolate and orange tamale”, basically a flourless chocolate cake flavoured ever so slightly with orange essence and baked in a tamale husk. Once again, Jill lucked out by ordering the rice pudding, a delicate, creamy bowl of smooth flavours nicely accented by a mango and mint salad. The chocolate tamale was either a science experiment gone wrong or an inspired use of tamale husks in some sort of desert emergency. At best, it was a fairly bland chocolate brownie, with the texture of a protein bar. The orange and cumin compote on the side was probably the best note in the dish.
We had ordered two baskets of bread ($4 each), and we did receive the order. Except we only received a single order, it tasted like it hadn’t seen the inside of an oven for at least 48 hours, and it came after we were all finished our entrees. In Zin’s defense, they (without asking) took it off our bill.
The opportunity that Dine Out Vancouver brings to participating restaurants is exposure to diners who wouldn’t otherwise visit – those who would rather go somewhere they’re familiar with. Judging by the empty tables throughout the night, Zin had a real opportunity to show off their cuisine and generate enough excitement that people will want to come back in the busier spring and summer months. Unfortunately for Zin, what was on the plate was not too exciting, and didn’t serve to whet diners’ appetites to the point that they would come back again to order from the full menu. Not to say that Zin is a bad place at all. In fact, I believe that most people could go there and have a satisfying meal, but in a town like Vancouver with dozens of excellent restaurants at any point in time, Zin simply didn’t do anything above and beyond what was expected of them for the Dine Out promotion.
It wasn’t easy getting a Dine Out Vancouver table on a Saturday night, and after making a number of calls, we managed to get a table for 6 at Zin for 9pm. Zin is a cavernous space, red and chocolate throughout, split lengthwise by a heavy pink curtain, separating the dining area from the lounge.
Service was attentive and friendly, though the single server seemed overworked and could have come around to check on us a few more times throughout the night. We started out by ordering a round of drinks – wine, beer, and zintinis – and for the most part enjoyed the drinks. Dawn ordered a bubble-tini, which according to the menu, came with tapioca pearls. Unfortunately, what came was devoid of pearls and aside from a “sorry about that”, there was no effort to correct the problem.
My beer was cold and fresh, so I had little trouble ordering my three courses. Five of us started with the Ahi Tuna appetizer, in a soy and ginger broth with shredded daikon. Cut carpaccio-thin, this dish was excellent and everyone cleaned their plates.
Half of us chose the Bison Shortribs with taboulleh while the other half chose the sable fish on mushroom risotto. I had the shortribs, which were tender and sweet but heavy with fatty bits. After finishing the plate, I was seriously wishing for more meat and less fat, but was fortunate enough to share some of Jill’s sable fish to tide my hunger. The fish was moist, slightly oily in a good way, and without any hint of dryness. It sat on a bed of buttery risotto and was crowned by two delicious oven dried tomato slices. It was the best dish of the night.
The desert course offered a choice between coconut rice pudding with cardamon pods or “chocolate and orange tamale”, basically a flourless chocolate cake flavoured ever so slightly with orange essence and baked in a tamale husk. Once again, Jill lucked out by ordering the rice pudding, a delicate, creamy bowl of smooth flavours nicely accented by a mango and mint salad. The chocolate tamale was either a science experiment gone wrong or an inspired use of tamale husks in some sort of desert emergency. At best, it was a fairly bland chocolate brownie, with the texture of a protein bar. The orange and cumin compote on the side was probably the best note in the dish.
We had ordered two baskets of bread ($4 each), and we did receive the order. Except we only received a single order, it tasted like it hadn’t seen the inside of an oven for at least 48 hours, and it came after we were all finished our entrees. In Zin’s defense, they (without asking) took it off our bill.
The opportunity that Dine Out Vancouver brings to participating restaurants is exposure to diners who wouldn’t otherwise visit – those who would rather go somewhere they’re familiar with. Judging by the empty tables throughout the night, Zin had a real opportunity to show off their cuisine and generate enough excitement that people will want to come back in the busier spring and summer months. Unfortunately for Zin, what was on the plate was not too exciting, and didn’t serve to whet diners’ appetites to the point that they would come back again to order from the full menu. Not to say that Zin is a bad place at all. In fact, I believe that most people could go there and have a satisfying meal, but in a town like Vancouver with dozens of excellent restaurants at any point in time, Zin simply didn’t do anything above and beyond what was expected of them for the Dine Out promotion.
The Mouse and the Bean - 207 West Hastings 604-633-1781
Located in the Dominion building, the Mouse and the Bean is a little off the beaten path and that may be why they close at 6pm Monday to Thursday and 8pm on Friday and Saturday.
Descending down the staircase from ground level transports you, literally and figuratively, from streetscape to a sparse restaurant space. A wide space with little to break it up, the expansive tiled floors give it a cool, almost cold, feeling. Nonetheless, the family that runs the Mouse and the Bean warms things up enough to make you feel like you just might be at a taqueria in Playa del Carmen.
We started off with fresh tortilla chips with a piquant salsa for dipping while waiting for our entrees. First up was the Mixed Platter ($9.95), which came on a big sombrero of a plate with 2 tostadas overflowing with bright red tomatoes and green shredded lettuce, 2 chicken flautas, and 2 cheese quesadillas that went well with the bowl of fresh salsa in the middle of it all.
The name of the next dish escapes me, but it was a blend of peppers, onions, beef and melting cheese, accompanied by hot steaming tortillas. The Mouse and the Bean offered good, fresh, honest Mexican cuisine about as far from Tex-Mex as you can get in Vancouver these days.
We finished it up with a bunella to share, a giant crispy tortilla covered in cinammon and sugar. It outpaced a churro by a mile. Two large dishes (the most expensive 2 on the menu), two sodas, and a bunella came to less than $25 before tip.
The Mouse and the Bean accepts Interac, but are still waiting on their liquor license. I can’t wait to return when they get one and kick back with a cerveza and some sopes.
Located in the Dominion building, the Mouse and the Bean is a little off the beaten path and that may be why they close at 6pm Monday to Thursday and 8pm on Friday and Saturday.
Descending down the staircase from ground level transports you, literally and figuratively, from streetscape to a sparse restaurant space. A wide space with little to break it up, the expansive tiled floors give it a cool, almost cold, feeling. Nonetheless, the family that runs the Mouse and the Bean warms things up enough to make you feel like you just might be at a taqueria in Playa del Carmen.
We started off with fresh tortilla chips with a piquant salsa for dipping while waiting for our entrees. First up was the Mixed Platter ($9.95), which came on a big sombrero of a plate with 2 tostadas overflowing with bright red tomatoes and green shredded lettuce, 2 chicken flautas, and 2 cheese quesadillas that went well with the bowl of fresh salsa in the middle of it all.
The name of the next dish escapes me, but it was a blend of peppers, onions, beef and melting cheese, accompanied by hot steaming tortillas. The Mouse and the Bean offered good, fresh, honest Mexican cuisine about as far from Tex-Mex as you can get in Vancouver these days.
We finished it up with a bunella to share, a giant crispy tortilla covered in cinammon and sugar. It outpaced a churro by a mile. Two large dishes (the most expensive 2 on the menu), two sodas, and a bunella came to less than $25 before tip.
The Mouse and the Bean accepts Interac, but are still waiting on their liquor license. I can’t wait to return when they get one and kick back with a cerveza and some sopes.
Montri’s – 3629 West Broadway 604-738-9888
We had heard about Montri’s for years, and just never found ourselves there until recently. Tucked away in a non-descript space on Broadway near Alma, it has the feeling of a cozy neighbourhood restaurant, low on décor but high on Thai flavours. Service was good in the sense of only being noticed when it was needed, but not as prompt as some might like.
Montri’s is not the kind of place that impresses by its looks, it’s beauty requires you to dig a little more than skin deep. The food here is flavourful, with the use of many fresh ingredients such as basil, galangal, garlic, and lime.
We started with 2 pairs of crispy, crunchy and extremely flavourful spring rolls ($7), accompanied by a sweet dipping sauce and a pungent pepper and garlic mixture for heat.
Next was an excellent standard-pink Pad Thai ($9). It was nothing revolutionary but was one of – if not the – best pad thais I’ve had in a long time. Portions here are not overly large, but they will fill you up. Just don’t count on much leftovers to eat the next morning, which is half the fun of eating out.
Not quite as successful was the green curry with chicken and eggplant ($13.95), usually Jill’s favourite Thai dish. It was oily yet thin and watery, and lacked texture or a prominent green curry flavour. Stay away from it; I know I wished I opted for the “sweet hot” Mus A Man Curry instead.
The oddly-named Beef Arroy D ($14.95), offered chunks of beef in a rich sauce redolent of kaffir lime, galangal, peanuts, lime, and coconut milk – resting on a nest of quick-cooked spinach. I think everyone agreed it was the best dish of the night.
We had heard about Montri’s for years, and just never found ourselves there until recently. Tucked away in a non-descript space on Broadway near Alma, it has the feeling of a cozy neighbourhood restaurant, low on décor but high on Thai flavours. Service was good in the sense of only being noticed when it was needed, but not as prompt as some might like.
Montri’s is not the kind of place that impresses by its looks, it’s beauty requires you to dig a little more than skin deep. The food here is flavourful, with the use of many fresh ingredients such as basil, galangal, garlic, and lime.
We started with 2 pairs of crispy, crunchy and extremely flavourful spring rolls ($7), accompanied by a sweet dipping sauce and a pungent pepper and garlic mixture for heat.
Next was an excellent standard-pink Pad Thai ($9). It was nothing revolutionary but was one of – if not the – best pad thais I’ve had in a long time. Portions here are not overly large, but they will fill you up. Just don’t count on much leftovers to eat the next morning, which is half the fun of eating out.
Not quite as successful was the green curry with chicken and eggplant ($13.95), usually Jill’s favourite Thai dish. It was oily yet thin and watery, and lacked texture or a prominent green curry flavour. Stay away from it; I know I wished I opted for the “sweet hot” Mus A Man Curry instead.
The oddly-named Beef Arroy D ($14.95), offered chunks of beef in a rich sauce redolent of kaffir lime, galangal, peanuts, lime, and coconut milk – resting on a nest of quick-cooked spinach. I think everyone agreed it was the best dish of the night.
