Restaurant Reviews Archives - Page 8 of 15

September 20, 2013

Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar

I was looking for a good seafood restaurant for our only dinner in Vancouver. It was a choice between Rodney’s Oyster House or Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar.

The place is popular; I’m glad that I made a reservation. One side of the room had a sushi bar, and the other side, an open kitchen. It was loud; definitely not the place for a romantic date. This is a place where you might want to dress up.

On to the food. I like my seafood fresh, raw and minimally prepared. The menu is quite extensive. To start, we were presented with rolls served with a red pepper spread and blue cheese spread. The red pepper was quite good; I didn’t care for the other one. We shared the BC Tasting for Two, which was a tower of dungeness salad, crab scallop ceviche, albacore tuna tartare and smoked salmon terrine. I continued with the Seafood Plateau which consisted of: mussels, clams, prawns, oysters and scallop ceviche. It was served with cocktail sauce and a strongly flavoured mignonette. It normally comes with jellyfish salad, but I asked for a substitution because I have a food intolerance to jellyfish.

We had the warm dark Cuban chocolate cake for dessert. It had hot molten chocolate spilling out of the inside. Delicious. They provided some nice banana bread to close the meal with.

The service was attentive and friendly. I applaud our server for his memory as there was a substantial list of specials.

Pricey, but you pay for what you get. I definitely think it’s worth paying for.

September 20, 2013

Fresh Local Wild

I’m really eager to sample Vancouver’s food truck culture. Having seen Fresh Local Wild on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, I decided to try it. They have a variety of seafood menu items. The seafood poutine looked interesting as well as the chicken fried oysters. Looking for something with a generous vegetable content, so I choose the BC fish shawarma salad.

The salad came with pieces of pan fried whitefish. There was a generous portion of salad greens with parsley, tomato, cucumber, red onion with balsamic vinaigrette , a splash of hot sauce and hummus. I found the dressing to be overly heavy. The salad itself was quite tasty.

They have an area on the back of the truck where you can eat, shielded from the weather. I would like to come track and try their seafood poutine.

September 20, 2013

Joe's Grill

I met up with some of my extended family while I’m in town. We were looking for a breakfast place close to the hotel when we stumbled upon Joe’s Grill. They were serving heartly breakfasts that won’t leave you hungry. All at a reasonable price. I had the breakfast wrap. Sausage, peppers, eggs and beans in a grilled tortilla served with a side of homemade fried potatoes. Great choice for me as I was planning to do my long run afterwards.

September 13, 2013

CEREZO Cafe and Bar

There’s been a quiet restaurant revolution going on in this part of Edmonton Trail for some time. All sorts of different places are popping up. From rustic casual to fish and chips to a Mexican Taqueria. CEREZO is a take on Japanese fusion much like Carino. They serve tapas which I quite like as I can sample a variety of dishes. The restaurant is located in a small house off the main street; it is easy to miss if you are not looking.

Onto the food. Our first dish was an assortment of sauteed mushrooms served with thin slices of toasted baguette. I love the rich earthy flavors with a hint of garlic. Next was the duo of quiche. One was chicken and the other, tuna. It was topped off with melted cheese. The crust of the quiche had a sweet quality which complemented the dish nicely. Also a touch of heat from some kind of hot pepper. The deep fried spring rolls had a rich shrimpy flavor. It was dusted with a lemon garlic salt which added a burst of flavor. To counter the strong flavours of the preceding dishes, the savoy cabbage and bacon in the dashi broth was a nice change. The gravlax salmon was presented beautifully. There was a dab of wasabi, garnished with lemon zest. The mascarpone cheese was a nice twist on cream cheese. The salmon swam nicely in the yuzu sauce.

The dessert menu was presented in a unique way. There was a selection of cakes, mousse and tarts, all of which could be paired with your choice of ice cream. I choose the strawberry shortcake with salt ice cream. The salt ice cream tasted like vanilla with an aftertaste of fleur de sel. An interesting combination. Hubby enjoyed his chocolate covered green tea mousse with matcha ice cream.

Service was really good to start off, but then it got busier and it was a little slow. Still, definitely worth a return visit.

Chocolate Covered Green Tea Mousse with Matcha Ice Cream

Strawberry Shortcake with Salt Ice Cream

September 1, 2013

Reader's Garden Cafe

I love character houses, locally made from scratch food, a room with a view and Mother Nature. I found the perfect combination in Reader’s Garden Cafe. The restaurant is located in the Reader Rock Garden, which is worth a visit on its own. We took some time to explore the garden before dinner. With the help of my friends, we managed to identify most of the veggies. They grew: purple kohlrabi, swiss chard, parsley, beets, tomatoes, rhubarb and kale. Also a few strawberries here and there. They also grow the flowers they serve in their dishes.

The grounds are popular with weddings; we saw a photo shoot while we were there. I love the narrow stone steps and footpaths. Certainly a place to linger for an afternoon of reading or quiet contemplation. We were seated in the front room which had spectacular views of downtown, the Saddledome, and the Stampede.

They’re only open seasonally from about mid-April to October.

The service was a bit slow, but attentive. They did mention that they have a small kitchen. Almost everything is made from scratch or grown on the property. The yogurt and grainy mustard that came with the charcuterie board was made in house. I also liked the pickled watermelon rind and homemade soda bread that came with the platter. All the flowers and some of the veggies are from their gardens. They were really good in accommodating my birthday cake. Which was a mango mousse cake from Yamato decorated with fresh fruit. The server had a sense of humor to go with the ones at our table.

This is a gem of a cafe and hopefully I will be back again before the season is over.

Charcuterie Board Boar sausage, pickled watermelon rind, house made soda bread, baguette, dill pickles, pickled beets, grainy mustard, yogurt and roast beef — Charcuterie Board
Boar sausage, pickled watermelon rind, house made soda bread, baguette, dill pickles, pickled beets, grainy mustard, yogurt and roast beef

Beer-Braised Saskatoon Berry Beef Short Ribs

August 31, 2013

Saigon Night

I happened to be in the NE on Friday and was looking for a quick, light lunch. I decided on Saigon Night. The food was fresh and definitely quick. The service was very good and friendly. My wonton soup could have used more flavor, but was perfect for the day. As my stomach was a bit unsettled before lunch. Hubby had the deep fried wontons, which he enjoyed. He also had the satay beef with rice, which he thought was good, but average.

August 28, 2013

Juree's Thai Place

Hungry after a day in the mountains, we decided on quick, tasty and close. Juree’s fit the bill. I’ve been here several times before and have always enjoyed the food. All their curries have rich flavors with liberal use of coconut milk. The larb kai had some very spicy and herby notes. I really liked the deep fried tilapia, served whole with sweet and sour sauce on top. The service was very quick. On this night, there were some ladies dressed in traditional outfits dancing outside. I should really visit more often.

Massaman curry with pork and green curry with prawn

August 19, 2013

South Silk Road

When it comes to Chinese food, I have my list of usual suspects: Cantonese, Hong Kong style cafe and occasionally Westernized. I’ve tried a bit of Szechuan and it’s a little too spicy. It was interesting to find something different in Yunnan food. Yunnan cuisine takes strong influence from Szechuan and a host of other cuisines. There is liberal use of chillies, mushrooms, fungus and flavorful meats.

I’ve not had Chinese food like this anywhere. One of my favorites was the deep fried taro roll with black sesame seeds. I suspect it might have been a dessert but we were served it as an appetizer. A few of our dishes were liberally laced with fresh and dried chillies, but they were easy to avoid. I enjoyed the wood ear fungus salad “mok yee”. The mushrooms and dried vegetable in the dry beef dish were nicely spiced. The twice cooked pork had some fatty roasted pork, some lean slices and tofu. There was also squash that was fried tempura style which was good. We were all full but just had to try the dessert, the pineapple rice. It was served warm. That too, was really good.

We arrived early so there weren’t too many people. Service was very attentive and we chatted with the chef owner. As the evening progressed, the service slowed a little but they were nice enough to flag us down when we forgot our leftovers.

There is so much more to try so I am definitely returning.

Dai style tree mushroom and bamboo salad

Steamed rice with honey and coconut in pineapple

August 5, 2013

Laurier Lounge

This little place has been on my wishlist for some time. Over the years, on Urbanspoon, the reviews haven’t been consistent and I’ve experienced why.

The restaurant is located in an old character house in the midst of towering condo developments. I like the plaster walls and eccentric decor. I think it would be suitable for a romantic dinner, except the room we were in had a lot of tables in a very small space. It was loud, even with only a table of four next to us. I really wanted to try the beef, but the source could not be adequately verified. I only eat organic or naturally raised beef. On the menu though, they do say they source from local organic producers.

We both shared the cheese fondue which was delicious. We asked for seconds of the bread to finish it off. My appetizer plate was not clean, but our server replaced it quickly with a new one.

Hubby had the beef bourguignon and I choose the bouillabaisse. My stew came with an abundance of seafood: whole lobster claw, shrimp, clams, a fish similar to bass, potatoes, onion and carrots. The soup was full of flavour. The only thing was that the broth was oily. I should not have filled up with bread, but the portion size was hearty; I took home the leftovers. When I got home, I dug out my lobster shears and pick. The claw was cracked in half, but it wasn’t sufficient to get to all the delicious meat.

The service was slow, as the table next to us received their meals before us, even though they arrived later. Out server was new to the restaurant, but she did try.

I might consider coming back, but since there are so many new and good restaurants to try in Calgary, it might be a while.

August 5, 2013

Yann Haute Patisserie

I hosted brunch for some friends on Saturday and I was looking for something light to finish off the meal. One of hubby’s favorite desserts is macarons, so that was an easy decision. Our friends were generous enough to bring us one of each kind that was available that day. I don’t remember all the flavors, but they all tasted good.