Vancouver Archives - Eat Your Broccoli!

September 22, 2013

Sheraton Wall Centre Event Catering

I went to a gala dinner at the Sheraton Wall Centre last night. I was not optimistic about the food, given the less than stellar reviews on Urbanspoon about room service and Cafe One restaurant.

The event started off with cocktails, where servers walked around with hot canapes. These were really good. I sampled a vegetarian samosa, arancini, chicken meatballs with teriyaki sauce, and sundried tomato bruschetta.

For dinner, we had a Butter Lettuce Salad with Sun-Dried Blueberries, Orange and Grapefruit Segments, Shaved Radicchio and Slivered Pistachios and White Balsamic Tarragon Dressing. I found it unremarkable. For dinner, we had Grilled Queen Charlotte Halibut Fillet with Sweet Potato Puree, Wilted Greens, Seasonal Baby Vegetables and Smoked Vine-Ripened Tomato Coulis. The halibut was a good portion and flavorful, but a little dry. The vegetables were done to a turn.

For dessert, we had Mango Mousse Layered with Raspberry and Almond Sponge Cake served with Coconut Ice-Cream. That was delicious. Service was good, as I would expect from these type of events. Having been to the coffee shop downstairs in the hotel, and talking to others that have eaten at the restaurant, I conclude that the Sheraton serves good food. But, I suspect their service is lacking in the restaurant.

September 22, 2013

Cafe Crepe

I find it difficult to find good breakfast places that open earlier than 9am within a short distance of my hotel. I mean sit down breakfast, not grab and go. So I went to Cafe Crepe, which had been a goto on many occasions.

I find that they serve reliable food and that the service is quick. Good when you’re on the way to the airport. Today, I had the West Coast Eggs Benedict, made with smoked salmon. It tasted pretty good, although the benny was warm in the middle and the outside, room temperature. It’s definitely a serviceable breakfast, for a city that doesn’t seem to have much open early on the weekends.

September 22, 2013

Feastro The Rolling Bistro

Looking for a quick, small lunch before going to the spa, I walked by Feastro. The menu was mostly seafood so that caught my attention. I settled on the dungeness crab and shrimp cake with smoked cocktail sauce and celeriac sweet bell pepper salad.

There was generous amounts of seafood in the deep fried croquettes. It was fresh and hot off the fryer. The celeriac salad was a nice twist on coleslaw. Nice, satisfying lunch.

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.

April 22, 2013

Waffle & Berries

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 — Liege Breakfast
Two Liege Waffles served with freshly whipped cream, mixed berries
and all-natural Canadian syrup

April 22, 2013

Yaletown Brewing

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 — 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

April 22, 2013

Moonpennies

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

April 22, 2013

Green Leaf Salad Bar

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.