Looking for breakfast… again. One does need to eat when one is travelling. This is a diamond in the rough. Their signature dish is the Liege waffle. The Liege Breakfast had my name on it. Our server and cook cautioned us on being too large for one person; it is a breakfast for two. I had other plans. I was looking for a breakfast to sustain me through the lunch hour boarding at the airport. No airport food for this person. I waited in eager anticipation of my two house made waffles with fresh fruit, whipped cream and a side of maple syrup. It was delicious and filling. I was happy that the syrup was on the side and that I had passed on the Nutella which liberally covered hubby’s waffles. For most ordinary appetites, I would recommend just one.
Liege Breakfast Two Liege Waffles served with freshly whipped cream, mixed berries and all-natural Canadian syrup
Yaletown Brewing is a large, family friendly pub. They seem to be very accommodating with the ramps for strollers and the amount of room around the tables. With four adults and two kids in tow, they were up to the challenge. We were seated on the patio under the warmth of the heater. The umbrellas were put out when it started to rain.
We shared a tasty appetizer of South Pacific Spicy Fried Squid. I had the Salmon Nicoise salad. The salmon was done to a turn as were the vegetables. The super salty anchovies added some zing. But there was just a tad too much oil on the bottom of the plate. Good placed for a bite, especially if you are hungry.
Salmon Nicoise Wild Sockeye Salmon over cubed Yukon Gold potatoes and crisp garden green beans, hard boiled egg, Greek olives, anchovy fillets, tender tomato confit and warm vinaigrette
Sometimes, when you are constantly eating out, you just want something that is quick and healthy. I was looking for something similar to my normal breakfast. Which is steel cut oats with fruit, yogurt and a couple of fried eggs on the side. Moonpennies was close enough. I ordered the honey granola with fruit and yogurt. Also a side of sausage and a fruit smoothie. I found the food very average; there was nothing too exciting about it. The prices were good value. It would be similar to what I would eat daily at home. Which was perfect for this day as that was all I was looking for.
Granola and yogurt with sausage and fruit smoothie
I was on a search for something healthy to tide me over between lunch and dinner. Voila, I found the Green Leaf Salad Bar. This little place serves a variety of Mediterranean food. The salad bar looked fresh and tasty. I helped myself to a good sized portion of mixed greens, peas, chickpeas, pineapple, strawberries, orange, kiwi, red cabbage, beets, mixed vegetables, raspberry vinaigrette, and olive oil. The prices are good value too, $1.59/100g. Sometimes, simple is the best.
One of the reasons I like Vancouver is the diversity of the food. Specifically, Malaysian food. Kaya Malay Bistro does a wonderful take on street style Malaysian food for their lunch menu. Reminds me of Hawker Bar in Toronto.
Menu
The daily special drink was a passion fruit soda. Yum!
Passion Fruit SodaMango Smoothie
Hubby had the Kari Lamb. The lamb was succulent and the lively flavors made my taste buds dance.
Kari Lamb Boneless lamb shoulder stewed in curry, infused with cumin, fennel and coconut milk
I had the Satay chicken, gado gado and rice. The chicken had lots of flavor, and I could have eaten the peanut sauce all day long. I love gado gado; a take on an Indonesian cooked vegetable salad. There was also a green salad on the side with a sweet mustard dressing.
Satay Chicken, Gado Gado with Rice Famous Malaysian skewers served with a bean sprout tofu salad topped with peanut dressing.Satay Chicken, Gado Gado with Rice Famous Malaysian skewers served with a bean sprout tofu salad topped with peanut dressing.
We slept in today and went hunting for breakfast. I was looking for something on the healthy side. So we decided to go downstairs to the hotel restaurant, Tableau. We arrived there just before they were about to close the buffet. I had steel cut oats, fruit compote with brown sugar, yogurt, fresh fruit, smoked salmon and a hard boiled egg. They also offered freshly made egg wraps, which resembled a panini. Hubby enjoyed his wrap. I thought $16.95 was reasonable for a breakfast buffet. The quality of the food was good. We won’t have the opportunity this time, but next time will be back for dinner.
Teatro is one of those places that have been on the periphery of my radar. One of those places, at some point, that I would get around to visiting. I finally did, lured by a vendor luncheon.
Special lunch menu
I was feeling less then well at the time, so I opted for something that I hoped to be lighter. I went with the caesar salad and the spatzle. The caesar was nicely presented and it tasted, like a caesar salad. The spatzle was rich, creamy and divine. Not very light, but very filling and tasty for a vegetarian dish.
I didn’t have the lamb, but almost everyone else did. It was a beautiful frenched rack, done to medium rare.
Leek and Spaetzle Cauliflower, white gold provolone, parmesan cheeses, tomato concasse
The butternut squash tart was delicious. I really enjoyed the gooeyness of the toasted marshmallow and the accompanying coulis.
Butternut Squash Tart cinnamon meringue, caramelized zucchini
The decor was very nice. We were in the Opera room, a room outside the main restaurant. The ceilings were high and the lighting looked as if they had installed two large full moons in the ceiling. I will have to come back for a more typical meal.
Teatro is one of those places that have been on the periphery of my radar. One of those places, at some point, that I would get around to visiting. I finally did, lured by a vendor luncheon.
Special lunch menu
I was feeling less then well at the time, so I opted for something that I hoped to be lighter. I went with the caesar salad and the spatzle. The caesar was nicely presented and it tasted, like a caesar salad. The spatzle was rich, creamy and divine. Not very light, but very filling and tasty for a vegetarian dish.
I didn’t have the lamb, but almost everyone else did. It was a beautiful frenched rack, done to medium rare.
Leek and Spaetzle Cauliflower, white gold provolone, parmesan cheeses, tomato concasse
The butternut squash tart was delicious. I really enjoyed the gooeyness of the toasted marshmallow and the accompanying coulis.
Butternut Squash Tart cinnamon meringue, caramelized zucchini
The decor was very nice. We were in the Opera room, a room outside the main restaurant. The ceilings were high and the lighting looked as if they had installed two large full moons in the ceiling. I will have to come back for a more typical meal.
I knew there would be another visit. A friend wanted to go for her birthday. She asked for the Chef’s tasting menu, for the four of us. What we got was a selection, chosen by the chef from the regular menu.
We started off with the yam tempura, which were not part of the tasting menu. Sweet potato cut french fry style fried in tempura. It was amazing.
Up next was the Tai miso soup. Sort of a luxury miso soup, with a variety of mushrooms. Tasty.
Pan fried sushi grade tilapia with steamed tofu, oyster, king and shiitake mushroom in soya bean brothSeared seasoned New York steak thinly sliced dressed with homemade spicy vinaigrette
The spicy chicken was indeed spicy, it reminds of the flavors of gojujang sauce.
Fresh chicken stir fried with seasonal vegetable in house made spicy miso sauce
The pork belly was tasty. It tasted of Chinese five spice with soy undertones. Here’s a version of the recipe. He mentioned it cooks for six days.
Slow cooked pork belly in house secret recipe sauce (Okinawa style)
What really shines are his house specials. Okonomiyaki, a Japanese style pancake. The bonito flakes got the audience going as they looked like they were fluttering in the air.
Japanese style pancake with bacon and mixed vegetables sprinkled with dry fish flakes top glazed with otofuku sauce and mayoSeared sashimi grade ahi-tuna served on top of a variety mix of seaweed with a touch of kani-su and house miso dressing
Here’s another house special, the Treasure of Ocean roll. The dry bean curd wrap was an interesting touch.
Soya bean wrap, steamed prawn, avocado, red tuna, tobiko, tempura and spicy mayo. Topped with sweet sesame mayo.
At this point, I thought we had about eight or nine dishes, but when the server asked if we were still hungry, one of my friends said yes… So we got another three dishes and dessert. Not hungry anymore, just a bit full.
Deep fried breaded horse mackerel served with a sweet soy based vinaigretteCrab meat, mayo, avocado, red tuna, mango, sweet may, wasabi tomiko
I really like the yam chips that came with the Ayumi Unagi. The rest of the dish was good too, but I was too full to properly enjoy it.
BBQ eel, avocado, sweet shiitake mushroom,. Served with house made special sauce and tobiko.
There’s always room for dessert. I had the mango panna cotta. The mango syrup reduction was very rich and flavorful. The banana bread was an interesting touch.
Tiramisu, mango panna cotta and banana bread
We had the opportunity to chat with the chef, Oscar, and his wife, April. They are both very genuinely nice people who really care about their food. As we left the restaurant, we realized it was quite full and sort of amazed how quickly our food came out.
I don’t know why I haven’t found this place earlier. It’s so good and the portions are huge. Friday lunch, the three of us arrived at 12:30 We caused the lineup to go out the door. No matter. They have lunch service down. Food is served up as quick as they can make it. I ordered the small chicken shawarma, veggie samosa and a pistachio rose baklava. The chicken was melt in my mouth tender. There was an orchestra of garlic dancing on my tastebuds and subsequently, my breath. I’ll be happy to have garlic breath any day. Hubby ordered a medium beef donair, which was almost too big to finish. No supper required. The prices are a good value for what you get. They apparently have ice cream which may warrant a stop on my cycling route.
Small Chicken ShawarmaMedium Beef DonairPistachio Rose BaklavaThe Counter
