Vancouver

Hi, and welcome to the lower mainland. You'll find several threads of interest here: Egullet overview for Vancouver Have fun!

It sounds like a lovely soup. I wonder if you could get him to make it again! Cheers!

Yes, his name is Daniel! It must be him! What did he do at Il Giardino exactly? Cheers!

Yes, it is definitely a Portugese place.

I hope they do a repeat performance for you as I've only had it once. I'll be curious to hear your report! Cheers!

Went back again, and this time was by far the best experience yet. They had a special rack of lamb not on the menu. We ordered it, and I must say it was the best lamb dish I've had in Vancouver. Once again they did not disappoint with their sauces. The lamb had a fennel based sauce that perfectly complemented the New Zealand lamb. The lamb was perfectly cooked and amazingly tender. It was complemented with a salad and frites. While waiting for the main course they provided a sample of their shrimp cakes as an amuse. These are crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, deep fried croquette-like bundles of joy. The chef surprised us with a mango sabayon with orange liqour (not on the menu). The sabayon was perfectly done - no grainy texture at all (which all too frequently appears when I've had it elsewhere) - with a nice orange liquor overtone. It was served in a large martini glass. It was a wonderfully pleasant meal. The sauces and meats are the quality you would find in a a fine dining establishment - not in a casual neighbourhood place. But the pricing was amazingly low. The grand total for the entire meal was $30 for 2 people. What a steal! i think this may be one of the best casual dining establishments in Vancouver. The chef mentioned that he used to work at Il Giardino - which started to make everything make sense. Cheers!

Just heard about a new sushi bar opening in Richmond called Sushikan. Supposidly it is opening on November, 21. They seem to have a basic website up at: http://sushikan.com/ that says "Japan's #1 Award Winning Master Sushi Chef: Chef Yamazaki." I am not familiar with Chef Yamazaki. Anyone know anything more? Cheers!

One of the more traditional sushi bars downtown is Sakae. It is located on the corner of Thurlow and Alberni in the same basement as Aki robata and the Brazilian restaurant. Sakae offers some fo the freshest fish downtown in a traditional presentation. You will find many of the other sushi bars to be a bit more focused on rolls that mix multiple items into a single roll with a funky name. If that is what you like, then a discount place on Davie called Kadoya probably is the best one downtown. It has a Chinese chef, but the Canadian style mixed rolls are creative and fresh. Just wouldn't go for the nigiri there. And just for completeness here is a link to the budget sushi thread: Budget sushi Enjoy!

Kedah house is halal as well. Cheers!

Yes - just a bit north of Ho Yuen Kee (maybe a block or so). Excellent halal Pakistani food! Cheers!

I agree with you here. I've only been there once, and found the food quite bland compared to Lebanese food I've had elsewhere. The complexity was not there. I have not yet tried Habibi's and upon this recommendation now will! Cheers!

They serve the ti guan yin traditionally as well - with the cup that has the cover that you hold on while drinking it. The tea had a pleasant smoothness to it. My guess is that it is closely related to oolong? (Or perhaps a type of oolong?) Cheers!

Did House of Selassie close down? Their phone number appears to be disconnected. Cheers!

Well, last night on the Cathay flight from New York to Vancouver (yes, you can fly on them within North America - a great treat!) here is the first class menu: CAVIAR AND FINE FISH DELIGHT Caviar and Fine Smoked Salmon servied with Warm New Potatoes and Crème Fraîche LIGHT OPTIONS Roast Pumpkin Soup Traditional Caesar Salad MAIN COURSES Veal Tenderloin with Chanterelle Mushroom Cream Sauce, Mashed Red Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetable Parcels Pan-fried Salmon, Prawn and Sole with Parsley Potato and Wilted Spinach Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli with Tomato Cream Sauce, Pesto Asparagus, Olives and Eggplant HONG KONG FAVOURITES Soy-Marinated Chicken Braised with Abalone in Broad Bean Sauce, Steamed Rice and Chinese Greens Noodles in Soup with Barbequed Duck CHEESE BOARD DESSERT New York Style Cheesecake served with Strawberry Sauce BREAD BASKET Assorted Breads and Rolls TEA AND COFFEE Fuding Jasmine Silver Fur Anqi Supreme Ti Guan Yin Ceylon Japanese Organic Selection: Camomile, Earl Grey, Peppermint Freshly Brewed Coffee Regular or Decaffeinated Espresso, Cappucino and Caffé Latte PRAILINES AND COOKIES WINE LIST CHAMPAGNE Krug Grande Cuvée Champagne WHITE WINES Franciscan Oakville Estate Chardonnay 2001 Puligny Montrachet Les Grandes Marches 2002 RED WINES Corton Grand Cru Louis Max 1996 Foley Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir 2001 Château Lynch Bages 1995 PORT Ramos Pinto Quinta da Ervamoira 10 Year Old Tawny Port APERETIFS AND COCKTAILS Campari, Martini Rosso, Martini Extra Dry, Harveys Bristol Cream Sweet Sherry, La Ina Dry Sherry, Gordons Dry Gin, Stolichnaya Russian Vodka, Bloody Mary WHISKIES Chivas Regal 12 Years Old, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve Single Malt Whisky, Gentleman Jack Bourbon, Canadian Club COGNAC Hennessy XO LIQUEURS Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Drambuie, Kahlua, Bailey's Irish Cream BEER International Selection CX SIGNATURE DRINKS Cathay Delight Pacific Sunrise Also Haagen Daaz ice cream bars were available at any point for a quick snack, as well as roast duck noodles in case the meal didn't provide enough to fill you up for the 5 hour flight. The trip to Australia on Cathay should be a pleasure. Cheers!

You can probably find one at: Justin Tee Antiques on Granville Street. Cheers!

I believe the Korean one you are talking about is called pajon. It tastes quite different from okonomiyaki. Tasty - but different! Cheers!

Big boobs, no? Cheers! ← ding ding ding! We have a winner! ← So can I cash in the 2 points for a brownie? Are they brownie points? Cheers!

Big boobs, no? Cheers!

I repeat my question from earlier in this thread which has gone unanswered - I wonder what the plans are once it starts raining? There is no cover over the outer tables on the patio. Are there plans to somehow cover it? Seems a waste of lovely heaters and wind guards if there isn't a way to keep it dry. Cheers!

Figured I would give Nu a few weeks to settle in prior to trying it out and finally made my way there for dinner. First off, the food was quite good. We had the crispy oyster with Granville Island Lager which was an innovative presentation; the scallop ceviche which had a wonderful citrus kick; the beef tartare which had capers throughout adding a nice flavour and texture; liquid cheddar filled crackers with crisp bacon which was creamy with the nice smokey bacon flavour - although I think a nice extension would be to prepare these with puff pastry instead of the current pouch - somehow the cream screamed out asking for pastry to me; goat cheese stuff chicken wings with the chili gastrique - these had excellent presentation which has previously been mentioned, and I found the gastrique to be the perfect pairing adding a low level of heat to the wings; the roasted bone marrow which was presented with a green apple and poppy seed slaw - this again was an innovative presentation and brought back childhood memories of "soup day" when mom would make beef stock and then dinner would be sucking the marrow out of the bones - yet in a much more dignified way; aspargus with choron sauce which was a very generous portion and the sauce complemented the asparagus nicely; the glazed new carrots - the sage truly highlighted the sweetness of the once again generous portion of carrots; chocolate mouse - presented in an innovative mold as opposed to the standard glass; and creme brulee - which was accompanied by a salty biscuit - the salt was a surprising touch and it actually worked quite well. Overall the food was innovative, well presented, and tasty. I do have a few observations/questions: - The waitstaff was very friendly. - Pacing of the orders needs to be improved. Sitting at a two-top and having all of the dishes arrive almost simultaneously - to the point where there was no room to place the additional plates on the table - seemed unnecessary. Additionally the small spoon for the marrow was presented with the oyster (which had come out prior to everything else). It gave the impression it was to be used to support the oyster and bring it to your mouth while holding pipette. However it was then taken off of the oyster plate and put back on the table after having been used. Small touch, but shouldn't have been done that way - seemed symptomatic of the pacing issue. I imagine Leonard is working hard to get these kinks out of the service though. - I'm a bit confused by the outdoor seating section. The heaters are a nice touch and keep things warm but what are the plans for once it starts raining? I didn't see any sort of rain covering. Seems a shame to waste that space for the bulk of the year - particularly with the lovely heating system. I suppose some of the tables on the restaurant side have some shelter but my guess is that it will be wet. The tables on the water side are certainly not covered - unless there are plans to create a winter covering? I may be crazy, but I could swear that the sloping towards the drains looks off to me as well. My guess is that along the outside edge there will be significant water buildup and associated growths that will create a difficult cleaning task over the winter months. - While I know that a lot of time, thought, and money was spent on the decor I must confess the interior design does remind me of a cruise ship - not in a positive way. My apologies. It is just 1 man's opinion. - The paper menus are already starting to show signs of wear and tear. I guess all of that folding and unfolding takes its toll quickly. I wonder what the replacement schedule is like on these, as they will deteriorate quickly. - Are there plans to have daily specials/menu changes? Part of the impact of the first visit is the innovativeness of the menu. I wonder if after visiting several times it will appear to be as innovative without being refreshed, fine tuned, etc.? - I agree with previous comments about the cutlery - it tends to fall off of the plates due to the shape of both. I noticed the staff having difficulties numerous times with the knives not behaving as they were clearing the tables. - The washroom could have used a bit more attention - the counter tops were wet and with lotion left by a previous guest on the handle. Overall it was a pleasant dinner. My observations and questions are really just to give honest direct feedback so that what is already a very nice offering can be made even better. Cheers!

Budapest on Main has their sour cherry soup back on the daily specials menu. This is a creamy cold soup with pleasant cherry overtones as well as dozens of depitted whole cherries mixed in. Delicious!

The bento box has even made it onto our new Vancouver based airline - Harmony Airways. Their dinner service in business class frequently includes what they call a bento box. The way they serve it is 4 separate small plates all served on top of a large plate. Some interesting items are included including ox tail cannelloni, various lobster incarnations, etc. All as part of the "bento box." As a total aside, I'd love to know where they get their croissants they serve for breakfast in business class. Those are the best croissants I've had in the Vancouver area! Cheers!

In terms of spotting a similar dish South Ocean Seafood down in Richmond has a good variation of it. The squid is lightly coated and fried quickly enough so that the squid is still tender and avoids the over rubberization of many preparations. It is stirred with some black pepper and then covered in green chiles. The dipping sauce is soy based - perhaps with a bit of garlic. The lemon pepper dipping sauce you talk of is quite common in Vietnamese cuisine as well and probably can be found at many of the Vietnamese restaurants on Kingsway. (Although I haven't tried to find it there.) In terms of other dishes that arrived from elsewhere and have taken over this town the obvious one that pops to mind is the BC Roll. Miso marinated sablefish is another one. For being lost in translation - certainly pizza. What has happened to pizza at these 99 cent pizza joints is just criminal. Oh, and if you have enough influence perhaps the fish taco will be next? If you write about it and suggest that restaurants need to get on the fish taco bandwagon or risk missing the trend we may just get lucky! Cheers!

Went back for a 2nd round of that flame grilled cornish game hen. They had 2 of the same sauces available (the piri piri and the mango pepper), and this time the 3rd sauce was a jalepeno based sauce that was phenomenal. It had just the right amount of heat and a slight smoky flavour that highlighted the crispy skin of the game hen. We also ordered a prego (steak sandwich) which came on a crunchy portuguese bun and had been nicely marinated in a chili rub. It was good, but the game hen is still my favourite! For a small neighbourhood place I've been really pleasantly surprised both times with the experience. Cheers!

Really??? Oh my how opinions differ. My Dad and I had a really bad experience there. Overcooked fish and the wrong dinner dish was brought to our table after the owner had come back and asked a second time what we order. I also think they need to tone down the formality of the tableclothes and atmosphere. It would serve them better to be more bistro like. Oh well....so many good places to go in Vancouver. ← I'm going to have to agree here on the overcooked fish part. The one time I went my halibut was overcooked as well. Overall I was underwhelmed with the experience.