Category: Restaurant Reviews

Hanks

My sister took me to Hank’s on Church Street for brunch. She has been there many times before and had a great experience each time. I was looking forward to the meal. The servers was very friendly and attentive.

I ordered the breakfast poutine and she, the Hank’s Benny.  Our orders arrived promptly and I could tell from my sister’s face that something was not quite right. She ordered her eggs hard poached, but they were soft. The avocado was missing from her dish and so were the fruit garnishes.

My dish was missing the green onions, there was not enough gravy or hollandiase, and barely any tomato. To top it off both dishes were room temperature. I added the avocado from her dish just for fun and sprinkled the green onions on top.

The server noticed our non-verbal cues and immediately enquired. My sister is not picky but she did end up sending her plate back. I did not know any better and ate my dish. The server brought the missing garnishes and my sister’s dish arrived piping hot with hard poached eggs.

The service was very good, but I think the chef was having an off day. My sister would give them the benefit of the doubt. I would rate this as a average restaurant, but due to the attentive service I would consider giving them another chance.


Breakfast Poutine
Yukon Gold fries tossed with Cheddar cheese curds, breakfast sausage and tomatoes, topped with a poached egg & finished with hollandaise sauce

Hank's on Urbanspoon

Murray Street

Fresh. Local. My calling card. Murray Street does rustic and comfort food.  The portions look small, but don’t be fooled. Very hearty and filling. Sort of what you would want on a cool, rainy fall day.  Which it was the day we visited.

Oatmeal cookie and fudge brownie

We didn’t order an appetizer, but they brought us a cookie and brownie to start.  The brownie had flecks of sea salt on top. Dessert before brunch, great idea! The OJ was freshly squeezed.

B.E.L.T.
Cheezy potato casserole, baked herb-topped egg ‘omelette’, heirloom tomatoes,bacon, spring greens

I enjoyed my B.E.L.T.  Especially the greens hidden underneath the potatoes.  Added a light touch  to an otherwise hearty dish.

Corned Beef
Cheezy potato casserole, braised corned beef, poached egg, bone marrow Hollandaise

Murray Street on Urbanspoon

Hawker Bar

Restaurants this trendy don’t have their name permanently displayed on their premises. “Prove that you love me and buy the next round”.

Seeing that I follow food trends on  regular basis, I decided on Hawker Bar. It has been open 6 months, long enough for the buzz to die down but not long enough for it to be not trendy. I was in the mood for Malaysian food, but heard the pickings were slim downtown.

Love the menu on the back of a card board box.
Laksa Lemak. Coconut based curry gravy.

The chicken laksa lemak was delightful. The gravy had a complex flavor of coconut, curry and spices that warmed the tastebuds. The chili was moderate but not overwhelming as it hit the roof of my mouth. The delay in the chili arriving was welcome.

We also had the son in law eggs which were tasty. I have never seen these on a restaurant menu, except for the one occasion where a friend asked for a special order from the kitchen The chili jam went well with the crispy eggs.
Upscale street food. Interesting idea.

Hawker Bar on Urbanspoon

Domus Cafe

This would be my second visit to the Domus Cafe. As usual, the food and service are excellent. They use local and mostly organic ingredients.

I started with an organic beetroot salad.  The beets were done just right and the rich dressing that came with was delicious.

Molasses braised local beef shortrib. The crispy parmesan polenta was a nice texture contrast to the sauce and meat.

The sticky toffee pudding was sooo good!

Domus Cafe on Urbanspoon

Sushi Village

As I would expect, there should be some great seafood in Whistler.  The presentation was definitely up to par. The hamachi salad was fantastic. However, I made the mistake of ordering two very similar items, the deep fried tuna karaage and the tuna kfc roll.  I think I prefer my tuna lightly seared, or raw. Both dishes were adequately seasoned, but the tuna tasted over done and dry. The pumpkin roll was very tasty and flavorful. Service was prompt and quick, but the server was young and could have been more professional.

HAMACHI SALAD
Hamachi sashimi on a bed of greens with
jalapeños, cilantro and special dressing
TUNA KARAAGE
marinated deep fried tuna pieces
served with ponzu sauce
PUMPKIN DELIGHT ROLL – pumpkin, takuwan, cilantro, enoki
mushroom, beets, sesame mayo and wrapped
with tempura pumpkin, drizzled with balsamic reduction

Sushi Village on Urbanspoon

Elements Urban Tapas Parlour

Tapas is a style of food that is beginning to grow on me. I’ve tried Spanish tapas, Korean fusion tapas, and now urban tapas?  The food was fresh and brimming with flavor. Service was attentive, but not obstructive.  I really enjoyed the salmon and tuna tempura. Pork belly with pickled cantaloupe was delightful. The greasiness of the pork belly was offset nicely by the acidity and sweetness of the pickle.  The mini beef burgers and two tone frites went well. Although the frites was more than enough for the two of us and a bit over salted.  Moderately priced and definitely worth another visit.

grilled vegetable antipasto, olive tapanade, hummus, breads, spicy pickled radishes
red salad, radicchio, tomatoes, peppers, blood orange vinaigrette
wild bc salmon & ahi tuna tempura roll, wasabi, tobiko, ponzu
pork belly bites, canteloupe pickle, honey & chilli glaze
two mini burgers, smoked gouda, crispy onions, dijonnaise on sourdough rolls with Pemberton beef & re-up bacon, and two tone frites, with truffle & white balsamic aiolis

Elements Urban Tapas Parlour on Urbanspoon

Crepe Montagne

Ahhh crepes, seems to be a trend that has staying power. Judging by the number of restaurants in Whistler that serve them. I love food when it is fresh, or as they say not out of a jar or can. We liked it so much we came back the next day for breakfast. Service was top notch and the atmosphere does remind me of what a French cafe could be like. I like their super healthy options such as smoothies or juices with choice of protein powder or ginseng.  The cafe is tiny, but they seem to turn over fast. We did not have to wait very long for a table. I love their variety, would like to come back to try their sweet crepes or fondue sometime.

Eggs benedict florentine
Creme anglaise with muesli, strawberries, bananas, almonds and a side of ham.
Crepe with eggs, tomato, ham and three cheeses
Mixed berry smoothie

Crêpe Montagne on Urbanspoon

Anju Restaurant & Eecha Lounge

Anju serves Korean tapas meant to go along with drinks.  Similar concept to an Izakaya in Japanese cuisine. Korean fusion with a nice dash of urban vibe.  The charming house that is home to this restaurant has changed hands over the years. When I last lived downtown, it was a coffee and tea house called Caffeine and Leaves. Tuesday night, early, we had no problem walking in without reservations. We sat upstairs in the lounge with a table facing the window. Cozy. Music was being piped in the other room, but it was not so loud that we couldn’t chat.  It’s probably not like this most nights.

Onto the food. It was fantastic.  The service was a little slow to start, but was good. I asked for a virgin cocktail based on a mojito.  The bar put together something sweet, tasted like guava juice, infused with Thai basil. Lovely and a nice counterpoint to some of the spicy dishes we would have. I love their liberal use of gojujang, a red chili paste in their recipes.  The base flavor was in many of the dishes we ordered, but tasted different enough for my liking. I loved the KFC, much better than Colonel Sander’s version. The fried anchovies were a nice trip back into childhood where Mom would serve fried dace with steamed rice and black beans. Except these are honey garlic.  Mmmm.  The salmon tacos were delish and I loved the gojujang sauce with the pulled pork tacos.

This place is popular.  Reservations highly recommended.

Anju Restaurant & Eecha Lounge on Urbanspoon

Billingsgate Lighthouse Cafe

I’ve known about this place for a while, but just got around to trying it.  Billingsgate Fish Co. has both a seafood market and a diner.  Their fresh sea food in the market is superb.  I brought home oysters in the shell and pickeral. The cafe is a nice idea, you can pick anything from the market and they will cook it for you.  This is mostly a fried fish kind of a place.  My friend had the Boston clam chowder.  I sampled it, it was good, but had a strong flavor of tarragon.  I find tarragon to be pretty overpowering and should be used sparingly.

We shared the crab cakes which tasted house made. Very good. The oysters in the burger were plump and delicious, but they spent too much time in the deep fryer and were dark brown. Same with the fries.  For a diner, I think its’ good value. I would come back if only for the freshness of the seafood.

Billingsgate Lighthouse Cafe on Urbanspoon

Big Fish Dockside

Where in landlocked Calgary, can you find good seafood? Big Fish!  This would be the second time I’ve visited, and it won’t be the last.  If you like oysters on the half shell, Mondays are two for one. We made a raid on them.   Their fish dishes were perfectly cooked, and full of flavor. We also had dessert.  The Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie with Praline Vanilla Bean Mousse and Caramel was sooo good! Holiday Monday, we practically had the restaurant all to ourselves.  We had a diverse group (including a gluten free diner) and our server was very patient with offering menu suggestions. Will return to sample more of the menu.

They source what they can locally and the fish… well it’s pretty fresh.

Big Fish Dockside on Urbanspoon