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.

Found myself stuck on Broadway at 8:30 this evening after first trying to get to Parthenon (closed at 8) then Hot Cuisine (closed at 7), then East is East (30 minute wait), and then finally making it into Minerva's as they were in the process of closing. While outside of Parthenon I realized I was in the 3*00 block of West Broadway so Churros must be about. The store is very nice, much less franchisey than the web site makes it seem (though the owner did say she'd like to open multiple outlets). The owner and deep-fry worker couldn't have been more welcoming and warm. They gave a complimentary cup of chocolate dipping sauce to the group after me, who said that this was their thrid consecutive day of being there... though I guess they could have been more welcoming and warm if they had given *me* a cup too. But I digress. These churros are not the Disney variety - these are much more crispy/crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, as opposed to the air, bubbly dough found on those churro rotisseries you see at amusement parks that probably had hot dogs on them earlier that day. I had a half dozen, topped with dulce de leche and a little condensed milk. I felt lecherous afterwards - six is enough for 2 or even 3 people (and at $3.95 a good deal - without the dulce de leche, they are just $2.95 per 1/2 doz). Note that Saturday June 11 is their grand opening, with "live music, samples, prizes and much more!"

Finally went to the Kolahchy shop for the first time in a year or so and had the feature - Butter Chicken. It was good, but I wish the filling was a little more moist - as it was it was a little dried out. I enjoyed the texture and tanginess of the bun (reminded me of Ethiopian injera a little), but the fact that they give the kolachy a quick hit in the microwave was *murder* on the bread. Microwave and bread do not go well together at all. Here's a suggestion - have a steamer going and pop the kolachy into a 10-second steam bath. I think it would perk up the filling and moisten the bread a little. Although there might be a risk of the koalchys (kolachies?) turning into a steaming pile of goo. ...must think this through more

That's excellent news, congratulations! When's the first review?

A good-value downtown spot is the newly-opened Saigon One Vietnamese deli on Hornby, 1/2 block north of Nelson (in that little stretch of good value lunch spots where Lunch Box Soup *used* to be. The quality of vietnamese sandwiches varies, but Saigon One is among the best I've had ($3.50 each, including tax). Have one of those and a basil-laden Salad Roll for $6 all-in. My new favourite. Does anyone know if the old Buu Dien vietnamese sub shop, which used to be on Fraser near Kingsway, still exists in some form? I swear I have a memory of driving by it recently, but methinks it may have been a dream. That place was good, but the strip mall was leveled a couple years ago. I also have a soft spot for the $7.95 lunch/$9.95 dinner New India buffet in the tower at 805 W. Broadway, near Oak.

I second (or third) Wild Garlic - your best bet is their weekend Garlic Brunch, which is (or at least was) all-you-can-eat for $20 or so per person. They did have that rich garlic fondue, so sweet and garlicky we ordered two. I've been to the Wild Garlic on Denman, and found it to be less focused on the stinking rose than the Broadway location. Also try the skordalia dip at Parthenon on W. Broadway, there's enough garlic in there to sink a small dinghy. Last, but not least, check out the selection of products from Oddball Organics (www.oddballorganics.com), who specialize in garlicked hot sauces.

I just read Jamie's article on Chambar in the September issue, and aside from the interesting discussion of resto-economics, it made me hungry for some (or all) of the delicious meals described in it. Any word on a true opening date?

Jamie, thanks very much for the itinerary - it sounds like a recipe for a great weekend. We'll definitely check out Fifty Two 80 and as many of the others as we have time (and room) for. We're already thinking of going to Caramba and Portobello. So many dining options, yet so little time. Hopefully, we don't fall down and break our collective crown.

Thanks for the great post, Jamie. We'll be in in Whistler this weekend, so your information is particularly useful. I look forward to the Fifty Two 80 menu info, as we'd love to check it out if not too pricey. Any other reco's for good dining-dollar value in Whistler is also appreciated from anyone who's been recently.

But talk about the perfect battle scar - to outdrink Tony Bourdain or die trying.

Wow, what a blast. I think I'll skip directly to the Bar None portion of the evening.