jackandjill

Mark me down as someone who respects and appreciates Vij's, and a semi-loyal Rangoli customer. Our experiences at Vij's haven't been perfect, but I would call them dependably great. Now to my question: Mr. Vij (or someone else who may know), what is the reason that neither Vij's nor Rangoli offers your take on Butter Chicken? To me, paradise is defined as being submerged in a vat of butter chicken and having to eat my way out. I would be interested in a non-traditional version of the dish, and always wondered why you didn't offer the Vij version.

Let me recommend House of Dosa's. We did take-out, so I can't recommend based on service, but the owner is friendly and seems to care about your experience and there was a steady stream of Sri Lankans and Caucasians enterting (and more importantly, the Sri Lankans leaving while I was paying were saying how excellent their meals were and the owner - staright out of a perfect food scene - would bow and say "by the grace of god we are so busy". The eggplant curry was like nothing I've ever had. We had takeout, and the owner told us that Dosas don't hold up well to taekout, becoming a mushy mess soon after leaving. I would heartily recommend trying some non-Dosa items, as they were delicious and quite refined for what you might consider a neighborhood joint. The coconut chutney was something else.

Could it have been The Kingsway Deli you had the banh mi at? Check out the Banh Mi in Vancouver forum for some good Banh Mi references: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=7513&hl=banh I think I just like saying Banh Mi.

We had Burrito brothers (to go) this weekend, and our experience was just about the same as yours - though I was happy with the fish tacos and the salsas (verde and traditional) that came with it. The guac was oversalted by half and the ground beef was, as you say, angry, so I will stay away from both next time. We didn't eat in, so I can't comment on the atmosphere.

Put me down for 10. I've never even heard of Pearl on the Rock or Casa Verde... they sound interesting.

This past weekend I did it - ordered a House Special from Kingsway Deli (plus their excellent salad rolls) and a House Special from Tiem Bahn Dong (plus some of their excellent baked goods... egg tarts are great). They were quite different, and if I was doing it again I would probably go with Kingsway Deli, but just by a nose. Tiem Bahn Dong (TBD) had very fresh bread, but more dense and buttery, like a baguette as opposed to Kingsway Deli's more french-loaf style of bun. I liked the size of the pickled carrot and radish at Kingsway Deli, too. TBD uses a good shmear of butter and pate on theirs, and I found that a little too rich for my liking. Both, I think, were $2.75 each and worth much more. Truth be told, I stocked up and ended up with 5 sandwiches total, two salad rolls, a pork-and-scallion bun, and a nice variety of baked treats for under $20. That was lunch and dinner for a Sunday, and still too much for two people.

Thanks very much for a wonderful time Neil - the food, beer, and company were excellent. And thanks to Daddy-A for the succulent smoky brisket that melted in the mouth. I thought we were supposed to leave the notes for the fine folks at R&B so our notes were in the pile on the table. :)

I assume Tama's closing also means that their neighboring Karaoke lounge is also closed. That is too bad, one of the few 7-days-a-week karaoke spots in Vancouver is no more. Still, it started going downhill when you had to bribe your way to the mic.

Yes, the old F* and Firkin place on Davie is now Soho Bar and Grill. They haven't changed a thing - same chairs, paint, signs, etc. The food is bad, even for a pub. Service is friendly, if a little slow and amateurish. The menu looked promising (crab gyoza in addition to the standard pub fare), but the results on the plate are lifeless. Nachos were as good as what you could make at home, the ceasar salad I had with my shaved beeef panini had been made hours earlier and was now too soggy. The beef panini itself was flavourless (two others at our table felt the same way). Whoever designed the menu did a good jo, but whoever is executing on that menu needs a kick in the pants. That said, the beer selection is good and prices are cheap. Don't go for much more than the alcohol.

Does a chicken burger qualify as a burger to the Burger Club? I had the cajun chicken burger at Relish last nigth, and it was one of the best I've ever had - the chicken was blackened on the outside, with a lot of cajun heat, but so juicy inside. The burger was only outdone by the fries - thin like McDonald's fries, but much more crispy on the outside and meltingly soft inside. Good selection of Russel beers on tap and very tasty-looking "culinary martinis" that I didn't try (muddled cilantro in some of them). It was my first time to Relish but will be back soon.

Oh... umm.. I must have missed that thread. But this was immaculate toasting. More like a warming. It didn't cause any crusting of the bun. If you try it and still feel it deserves a deduction, then I'll abide by the decision. I repeat, no crusting of the bun.

I just got back from Kingsway Deli, where I had #3, the Shredded Pork Banh Mi ($2.50) and two fabulous salad rolls ($3). All prices include tax. The Banh Mi was excellent - toasted bun so that it was crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy in, and a nice level of warmth throughout. The fillings were generous - pate, chillis, green onion, cilantro, and pickled daikon/carrot. The only thing I didn't love was the shredded pork itself - in my fish-out-of-water panic, I ordered the shredded pork because it made me think of Mephis-blues style shredded pork. I completelty forgot the jelly-like texture of Vietnamese shredded pork. It was good nonetheless, but next time I'll go for the House Special. They also didn't have a BBQ pork version. The salad rolls were excellent, packed with everything under the sun but a nice harmony of tastes. However, I was trying to get to Tiem bahn dong. Vancouver, I walked up and down the street but couldn't find another banh mi shop nearby. Is it really in the same parking lot as Kingsway Deli at 1188 Kingsway? Is it a banh mi shop, or is it more of a grocery store with a banh mi counter? Help!

Au Petit is a little out-of-the-way for me, and the one time I made it over there, they were out of bread by 3. Running out of bread is an all-too-frequent occurrence at most Banh Mi joints - I just can't understand why this happens so often. It seems logical for them to just increase the number of buns they order (or bake) by half a dozen each day, and stop increasing their order the day they have one extra left at the end of the day. Is there some valid reason for why they run out so early? Would the bread become too stale? Do Vietnamese *never* eat sandwiches after 4pm? It's one of my great culinary frustrations.

Buu Dien is, unfortunately, not there anymore. It was my favourite spot for Vietnamese subs untill the entire strip mall was leveled. It may exist in a different location, and if anyone knows of it, please let me know. Downtown, there are a couple option. Saigon Ventures, on Burrard at Drake, you can find some passably good ones. Better yet, and one of the best I've had, is Saigon One on Hornby Street, in the little strip od deli/restaurants where Lunch Box Soup used to be (between Smithe and Nelson, I believe). They have great subs, using good chili, pickled veggies, and crusty bread. Their salad rolls are also great, loaded with fresh basil. If anyone else knows of where to get good Banh Mi in downtown or the West Side, please post. They're such dependable, good, cheap food.

As a reader, I would find eG fairly useless if all I found here were positive reviews. A negative review is probably of more value to me than a positive review (which you can find anywhere you look), and the nature of eG ensures that everyone who has had a positive experience at the maligned shop will weigh in with their good reviews. And edm was actually quite constructive in his criticism - the inexcusable reviews are the ones that use generaltieis like "it was terrible, the service was horrible, the food was bad" and so forth.