canucklehead
-
Posts
1,610 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by canucklehead
-
-
I think that if you are looking for something uniquely Vancouver - I would take advantage of the array of the Asian food.
Ignoring what part of the city you will based (geographically - Vancouver is not spread out, so getting around by car is very doable) - here are my opinions.
Most of the Chinese food in Vancouver is cantonese based, with a Hong Kong slant.
The Kirin on Cambie and 12th is very good for dim sum. You tick your order off a ticket which keeps the food much fresher. If you have problems deciphering the order - usually a waiter can help you out.
Sun Sui Wah on Main St. is very good for dinner, they do a good job on seafood and the roasted squab is crispy and darkly rich.
Accross the street from Sun Sui Wah is Shanghai Yan Yun which is a personal favorite of mine for Shanghainese Dim Sum. Juicy pork buns, flaky radish cakes, pan fried buns are hand made and delicous (and cheap cheap).
The Japanese food is also very good in Vancouver and reasonably priced. In fact, I could never find a Japnese restaurant in San Francisco fully satisfying after growing up in Vancouver.
Izakaya cuisine (bar food - or Japanese Tapas) is a real Vancouver phenom. I have lived in a number of cities have not seen the whole Izakaya thing like I have in here. They are alot of fun, with Japanese wait staff yelling out your orders adding to the boisterous beer-y atmosphere. I personally like Guu w/ Garlic on Robson the most. I went last night and had grilled yellow tail cheek that was succulent but clean and fresh tasting. Their chicken karaage is very good also - you can tell that they keep their oil HOT. For a more refined take on izakaya try Hapa Izakaya, also on Robson.
For sushi - many people swear by Tojo's on Broadway. I think that Tojo's is very good for a different take on sushi - but I find the food a little over manipulated. I like Okada alot for the basic sushi - nothing too fancy, but very fresh sushi and sashimi. Okada will also feature seasonal ingredients served in traditional preparations that emphasize the purity of the ingredient (I had a pine mushroom soup served in a teapot with small teacups, it really pulled you into the moment, forcing you to savor the soup slowly).
Also - Korean food is really taking off in Vancouver. There is a large population of Korean students and home style Korean food is now very abundant. Spicy soups, dumplings and homemade kimchi really showcase Korean food much better than the more well known BBQ's. Jang Mo Jib - also on Robson has some really delicous tofu soups, pan fried dumpings, stone bowl rice, kalbi... uhh I am getting hungry.
But that being said - as you can see from the other postings that there many many non-Asian options that you should not overlook.
West and Lumiere are both landmarks. Both takethe best of west coast ingredients and apply classic techniques. It is a horserace between the two as which one is better (the current consensus being West). Checkout their websites.
Gofish will provide you with the quitesential Vancouver experience of sitting outside by the docks, a great view, and tremendously fresh fish and chips and seafood soups. You just sit back and take it all in...
Vancouver's hottest restaurant right now is Chambar. The perfect mix of great staff, a beautifully modern and hip room, and great unfussy food.
So there you go - now you know why the Vancouver forum is so active. So much good food - so little time.
Sorry about the rambling post - guess that Toronto remark got me going!
-
Love the picture
One thing about Chambar - it is not a fancy reserved restaurant. It is fun and hopping and can get quite loud. In fact - the first time I went there was a foursome beside me that were so amazingly loud - I thought I was on a hidden camera show. They were also a little creepy - could'nt keep their hands off eachother - and I could'nt tell who was with who.
Last I went - they had a venison carpaccio that was very good - but I think that it was been replaced with a tartar version instead. The mussels are good and the frites very very nice (mussels still don't come with bread). I have always enjoyed the lamb tagine. The chocolate desserts are good - deeply bittersweet and dark.
The portion sizes are civilized - so you should feel comfortably satisfied. But feel free to order more, relax and enjoy yourself.
-
Does this vindicate my rant?
-
Also I noticed people in the Chinese place when we were at the Greek place. Now I'm a little less apprehensive...
Wonton King? Total gang hangout. I just found out that Mooshmouse was in a Asian girl gang in high school. Just ask her. Testify!
For Chinese - how about Golden Swan on on Victoria. Very old school chinese family sort of place (not adventurous I am afraid). There is also a Chinese place on Fraser and 41st - in a mini mall right accross the street from Church's Fried Chicken (mmmmmm...).
It looks freaky and you will have to be careful of the doggy land mines from the vet's office in the same mall. But they have a good Chinese chicken salad (stop snickering) and crispy skin chicken.
In the Langara towers was the first time I had HK style western food. The restaurant was called "the Langara" and was wierdly fancy. Baked pork chop rice - which was friend pork chop over fried rice smothered in onions and ketchup sauce.
Edited to correct address.
-
Why are you guys so so MEAN to Rob?
So what if he makes shrimp on the barbie, with actual crustaceans served on top of a Barbie doll. So what if he has mashed potatoes with balsamic syrup that looks like an ice cream sundae. It is meant to be SURREAL man! Get it?!
If I can't convince you - then look at all the $$$ he makes. Doesn't that prove my point?
-
yeah samurai on davie is quite good and fairly inexpensive. there was another place down on denman and robson called musashi that was really good but haven't been there in a while... anyone been and have a recent review?
I used to really enjoy Musashi also. Home style food with good and reasonably priced sushi. I remember you could a bowl of rice topped with a healthly portion of uni - oh yummy. But the caveat above holds for me also - I have'nt been back for a while. Perhaps I will conduct some reconnaissance for you....
-
Just in case you guys were curious I am attaching the Vancouver thread on horse as food.
Horse Meat in Vancouver Start on the second page of the post for pictures and personal experiences.
I hope the link works. As a person who recently got to try it - it was goooooood.
-
Andrew - great post. Sounds like being a waiter in a high end joint has its rewards.
I am stuck in my glass beehive today and I am jealous.
-
For good everyday oil that has enough fruit for dressing use - I have always liked the Costco Oil. It's identified as Tuscan and has a nice green flavour but cheap enough to use for cooking.
In the States - the Costco Oil that I bought was bottled in glass bottles and harvest dated (not up here in Canada though). Dated oil is something that I don't see with anyother large scale seller. I have friends who deal with Costco buyers - and they are picky mofo's.
-
Actually - I would like to get some guidance on sourcing some baking stuff. I want to get the jelly roll type of baking sheet that comes with matching grid type rack. You know the kind of pan that bakers use to glaze things on - the grid letting the excess run off.
I would use the pan also to dry age some steaks, drain fried foods, and perhas even bake with the rack to keep food elevated. I went to the cookshop at City Square (just across from Safeway) which I think is a pretty comprehensively stocked store.
They had pans and cooling racks sold separately - but the guy behind the counter good enough to tell me that the cooling racks would not be able to take baking - so I would need something heavier duty. I went to Cookworks, Gourmet Warehouse (where I have never been able to find anything really useful - and pricey!) and Linen n' Things - no luck.
Can anyone shed any light on places to get serious baking stuff?
(Sorry to ride on your coat-tails - Just Loafing)
-
I think that a local Vancouver chef, Karen Barnaby, has a recipe. Let me check my cookbooks and get back to you.
-
Have'nt tried Solly's but I have always liked Seigels also. Dense and chewy - I get request from my friends in LA to send some down all the time.
-
Clearly a repeat - but I just saw Mr Maw in action on 'Chef at Large' on Food Network tonight. Dude - that safari suit rocks.
Very interesting seeing the whole reviewing process - with the then newly opened Bis Mereno going under the magnifying glass. Both the reviewer and the chef take the process very seriously. Also interesting to see how Jamie monitors the room to ensure that he is not given special treatment.
Watching Chef Miotto's nervousness and reaction to Jamie's first review was more real and compelling than a year's of 'Fear Factor'.
-
This thread has been very interesting.
One thing that I am not clear on is what steps are being taken (or can be taken) to replace the depleted biomass? My fear is that as we switch from one species of fish to another species of fish - are we just nibbling down a shrinking pie from the edges?
As biomass continues to drawn down - how can stocks replenish themselves? I read about a year ago about research being done in BC about tackling the biomass issue at the rivers to build salmon stock. At the time - it sounded like dumping alot of compost (fertilizers) into the rivers but that the initial data looked good. I read this in the Vancouver Sun - have not seen any follow up. Just a lot of hocus pocus?
Would be interested to hear from those much more informed then myself.
-
I know of two really good friends who moved in with eachother. First day together - 'A' gets up to make herself breakfast, but finds her new roommate, 'B', already cooking. Problem though - turns out 'B' is naked (and a nudist in general) making bacon and oatmeal. 'A' could not bring herself to eat the breakfast and they were not roommates for much longer.
In terms of the cleaning thing - clean as you go is always good. But I have always found that having a cleaning lady come in (once a week) was soooo worth it. Cleanliness did not degrade too badly and no-one felt like they were the 'cleaning slave'. Very good for keeping the peace.
-
I guess from my rant about Angela's last reviews - I had some pretty strong thoughts about the nature of reviews.
At the end of the day - though the whole metaphor vs adjective formula is important in making the writing compelling and there are many threads that can and should be pulled in - there needs to be a grounding. The writing should be about the food and it should be responsible.
Not to stoke the fires any further - I have always liked Jamie's reviews because they are entertaining and fun, but they are grounded in a knowlegde about the business, food, and wine. I used to worry about whether or not he should be an anonymous diner - but we already have the Province doing that - and one is enough in this city.
A case study of Jamie's writing was in his review that covered Lift, Wine Bar @ Fiction, and Henry's Kitchen. Jamie put each restaurant under the light of dreams vs economics but underscored his piece by finishing with a review of Henry's Kitchen, - which was all about the sheer joy of cooking and the great neighbourhood restaurant that everyone wishes was in their 'hood.
Quite frankly the piece worked on all levels, metaphor, a lesson in darwinian economics, a study of social dynamics, and - most importanly an informed piece about good food.
That is why when restaurant reviews are bad - they are terrible. The latest Georgia Straight piece came off as snobby and so 'sex and the city' wanna be - when I am sure that was the opposite of what Angela's intentions were (plus - irresponsble). James Barber in his pared down state in Vanmag is now very enjoyable to read - because it is solely about food (no more clunky strained metaphors - yeah!).
Anyways - egullet is my main source of info now. I owe the scary but delicous experience of horse to you all. I am forever indebted.
-
I like the pain au chocolat from Le Pic Nic in west van. The croissant wrapping is perfectly flakey and buttery. Made in small batches so there they don't go stale.
I've heard that uprising breads does goods croissants (not sure about the pain au chocolat's). Given their 'worker guy' roots - I was surprised by this observations but I have not tasted them myself.
-
Well Lee, I'm interested in the chocolate buttermilk cake that PaoPao keeps recommending, so I'll probably be down at LilyKate in the week following the 15th (my last exam) if you want to come with me.
Sounds good! Will PM you later.
-
I know that it seems like I have gone off my rocker and believe me - I am thankful that the Vancouver forum has been indulgent of my rant.
I guess what made me mad - was how unfair the whole review was. Though most of egullet does not take any reviews too seriously - Angela Murrill's review can do the place some real damage. And it was an unfair review because she didn't eat anything. 10$ for a chicken breast seems pretty f-ing steep to me - so it better very tasty (and pretty jumbo-sized) for that price. But I would not know from Angela's review what it tasted like (or looked like or how big it was) - because she did'nt eat anything at the restaurant!
It made me think of all the people who run small business - and how powerless they would feel if someone in the press wrote something so lambasting about their business without actually patronizing the business. So - the most that Lilykate can do here is send off an angry letter to the editor - but the damage cannot be undone. BTW - I know that defending LilyKate is akin to standing up for a high fashion boutique in Kerrisdale.
I have'nt eaten there myself
and I suspect that my experience will echo alot of what the other posters on this thread have already said. But I will check it out for myself and actually eat something.Signing off - Ralph Nader to the hopelessly good loooking.
-
It's tough when you get a negative review. However, you have to consider that the review is a reflection of the writers own experience at a given time. Besides, it wouldn't make for good reading if all people ever wrote about was puppy dogs and rainbows. Her function is to report her experience to the readers. It sounds like here experience was not a pleasant one. At least now the owners have a chance to make corrections. The only thing worse than a bad review is customers who have a negative experience but never tell you. Then what happens is that they don't come back...then you go out of business.
Clearly there is no issue if you dine at a restaurant and you don't like the food and you give it a negative review.
The issue with Angela's review is
a) She makes fun of places that look too good but don't serve good food
b) She then does not eat any of the food at the restaurant but is somehow able to write a dining review anyways!
WTF! It is like saying that I think that Margaret Atwood is to wordy when she writes and that her new book is terrible. But I could'nt get past the cover - so you will trust me that the book is shitty.
What is galling is that she is taking the high road morally yet she does'nt even do the basic prequesite when in comes to writing a food review - namely eat the food.
Negative reviews are not a bad thing - unsubstantiated ones are.
-
I don't know what to say about the Straight's review of Lillykate.
Granted that Lilykate might have their price points off and they may be struggling with opening pains. But the Angela Murrill's report is one of the worst pieces of - I don't know what - that I have EVER seen.
Not only does she decide to review (actually - demolish) Lillykate without actually EATING anything there - but she bears it as proof of her depth of character!
How does this get past the editor? Her bullsh*t smarmy review is proof of nothing except the neurotic baggage that she is dragging around.
I am sorry if I seem like I am pissed - but re-reading the review really makes my blood boil and I needed to vent. Has she ever stuck her neck out and tried to make a go of a business? Does she know what it means to lay your money, sweat, and tears, on the line and open shop in an incredibly competitive market like Vancouver. There are people working very hard at Lilykate and she dismisses the whole enterprise without tasting one bite of the food.
Come on! Show some class (or least some journalistic integrity). Her review has made me determined to go down to Lilykate and at least try some of their food.
(okay.... I feel better....)
-
Angela Murrills also penned a somewhat unfavourable review of Epic in this week's Georgia Straight.
Seems that the common thread running through all three reviews (Straight, CityFood, Sun) is that Epic is a sexy new room, working through some opening kinks but shows lots of potential. I'll wait for a little while longer before trying it out, but I'm still anxious to taste what they have to offer.
Looking forward to notes on your upcoming dining experience, tokyogurumegal.
Mia's review noted that her order was delivered to the wrong table - the diner stuck her fork in it - it was taken away to the kitchen - and then the same dish was served to her.
I know that nothing unsanitary happened - but seems indicative of growing pains. The other thing - how did Mia know that she had been re-served the same dish?
I am sure lots of stuff happens in restaurants - I just don't want to know.
-
So no recommended Korean restaurant in downtown area? I thought maybe with all those ESL students here there might be better restaurants around Robson.
1. Jang Mo Jib on Robson (near Denman), which serves the now-ubiquitous Gam Ja Tang ("Pork back-bone soup/hotpot.") It is amazing to see how tasty those "soup bones" can be. Very hustle-bustle though, sometimes with a line-up.
[Edited to format the quote correctly]
Jang Mo Jib is the one I know the best. I took my cousins there and it was their first non'bbq korean meal and they loved it. I particularly like the soups (being Cantonese - this is genetic I think) - nice and brothy.
The Pork Back-Bone soup is very good - spicy! You get this long spine of bone delivered to your table in a big bubbling pot. Kind of scary looking when you see it the first time.
Whenever I am at Jang Mo Jib - two things always seem to happen:
- the techno music is turned up LOUD
- it always feels like a good ole fashioned brawl is going to break out
Though I pick out both a potential dance partner or the person I am going to take down when the brawl starts - nothing has ever happened.
-
I was also told that Winnipeg has very good burgers. Especially I was told there are White Castle style burgers called "nips". Is there a good burger culture there?
Get Out Your Spectacles...
in Western Canada: Dining
Posted
Went to Cirpriano's on Main for the first time in over a decade. The food - very hit and miss, the service was'nt much better.
When I asked what pasta came with my veal - the owner who was taking our order snapped an me - 'I don't know - whatever the kitchen feels like'. I honestly considered getting up at that point - but eh - what was the point? It would have only validated whatever snarky notion he had in his head.
The highlight was a basket of old school garlic bread with a good dusting of parmasean and romano cheeses. SO GOOD! If I lived near by - I would be taking out bags full of this stuff.
On the wall was a VanMag award for Best Italian from 1989 (I think that it was a reader's choice award, also not sure about the date, it was very dark in the restaurant). Either everbody's tastes have really evolved or the place has slid a bit.
If the service was better - might go back just for the old school aspect. But really - why go somewhere if they are borderline hostile to you? Also - the windows need a good hosing down with windex.