LordBalthazar

If nothing else, NU gets the award for "Most Difficult Restaurant to Find in Vancouver". After tyring in vain to locate the incorrect address listed in the phone book, we tried in vain to locate the correct address, called and got directions, negotiated the circuitous route to the bottom of Granville Street, and, with no restaurant sign to direct us, eventually guessed its location by process of elimination. We arrived at the chic, lounge-like NU a little after 6:00 p.m. and were promptly seated. I imagined the uncomfortable half-back chairs had been designed by my old high school gym teacher, Mr. Leighton, who would often admonish us for our inability to sit up straight in class (He'd often delight in pointing out that, by the age of 13, the average boy had already lost the muscle strength that enabled him to maintain proper posture). What they didn't offer in back support, they more than made up for in sheer weight and overall unwieldliness, ensuring that only the most determined (read: uncomfortable) of diners could succeed in shifting them 2-3 inches in either direction. We found our menus hidden within the folds of our napkin (an inventive if somewhat curious touch) and perused the offerings. From the three different appetizer sections (I didn't ask why), one item stood out: Roasted Bone Marrow and parsley salad. It brought back memories of the oven-roasted marrow with sea salt my mother used to make and I couldn't wait to try NU's version. Unfortunately, as it turned out, it was the only menu item not available that night. We were four and started with four appetizers: terrific goat cheese-stuffed chicken wings, very good duck and foie gras croquettes, an excellent potted goose rilletes, and a good albacore tuna salad (I'm not big on salads but my wife loves them and she thought it was excellent). We shared five entrees. The favorite was a very good duck confit served with what was described as a "foie gras pull apart" which I'd liken to a savory cinabon. The crispy braised pork belly was also winner, crisp on top with mouth-meltingly tender meat, served with walnuts and pears. Another favorite was the perfecly prepared crispy-skinned trout, served with chorizo, clams, and chard. The caramelized lamb cheeks, alas, didn't quite work. Although the meat was very tender, whatever sweetness that caramelization may have imparted was thoroughly overwhelmed by the bitterness of the accmpanying radishes and mint. Gnocchi with spring onions, sweet peppers, and olives were fine but unremarkable. Moving on to dessert - I had my eye on the dark chocolate nougat tart but maintained tradition by asking the waiter what he considered to be the heaviest dessert on the menu. It turns out it was the chocolate profiterole. Admittedly wary and second-guessing myself all the way, I ordered the profiterole - and was richly rewarded with an enormous tennis ball-sized pasty shell filled with whipping cream, topped with chocolate and caramel sauces. Delicious. Everyone else seemed to be very happy with their dessert selections as well: creme brulee, lemon tart, and a tart tatin capped with a sour cream based topping. Perhaps sensing my earlier indecision, our waiter also brought us a complimentary dark chocolate nougat tart for the table. As it turns out, it was the only dessert we didn't finish. We closed our meal with tea - an excellent green tea for myself, and mint-chamomile for everyone else. At around 8:20, our waiter not so subtly hurried us along by first clearing our dessert plates, and then relieving us of our napkins. Fearing he would re-set the table in front of us or, worse, seat the next group on our laps, we decided to call it a night. Overall, the food was excellent although some of the more unique selections could have used a little less creative flair and a little more common sense. The lamb cheeks come to mind. The service was excellent up until the minor annoyance at meal's end. So, top marks for the food and service. Bottom marks for those damn chairs. I'm bringing a pillow next time.

They are excellent although I'm partial to the mini versions they sell. Last year, my wife and I were on our way to Blue Water for dinner but stopped by a friend's Yaletown establishment on the way. She was holding a one year anniversary bash and, among the finger food offerings was an enormous pyramid of those mini cupcakes. My wife and I tried a couple, then a few more, then a few more after that... Needless to say, ended up skipping dinner.

I was at the Louis Vuitton soiree and had just finished chatting with the always affable Patrick Corsi, Quattro on Fourth's Managing Partner, when the lights went out, eliciting a collective gasp from the invitees and putting a crimp in the planned fashion show ( ). Rather than clear out, most of those in attendance persevered, snacking on hors d'eouvres and sipping champagne, illuminated only by the lights of the passing traffic, until power was restored sometime after 8:30.

Armed with a host of recommendations from this very thread, my wife and I headed out to Richmond last Sunday for an early dinner. Unfortunately, it was too early a dinner. Our first choice, Shanghai Wind was closed. As was our second choice: Chen's Kitchen. So we headed to Sea Harbour - which was also closed. As was Golden Sichuan. Frustrated and feeling very much like one of the contestant couples on The Amazing Race (the ones who are always getting lost and coming in second to last) we ended up at the food court in Yohan Center. It WAS open. I haven't been by in quite a while and I'd forgotten how good and inexpensive the food was. I had some excellent garlicky crisp-fried calamari, tender steamed chicken with green onions, and a homestyle tofu skin (just like my mother-in-law makes). Toss in a juicy half a barbecued duck and a couple of pieces of that sweeeeet Chinese sausage, lup-chong, and, voila - I couldn't have asked for a better meal. Definitely not your average mall food.

Don Francesco's has a Roasted Pheasant Breast a la Toscana: "Stuffed with Pancetta, herbs and spices, topped with a sauce of game stock and dry vermouth. Served on ham and spinach risotto". Haven't had the opportunity to try it yet.

I was shocked and appalled myself, Max. Clearly, what the world needs now is smaller sushi or weaker arms. J. ← LOL Brilliant.

Thanks.

Hmm. I've tried looking it up but the only Fortune Restaurant that comes up in my search is the Fortune Restaurant on the corner of Cambie and 41st in the Oakride Mall. I'm guess that aint it. No luck on "Fook Luen" either. Any idea where the old Eaton center used to be? Thanks.

That sounds awesome. I remember seeing an old Jack (redacted)-hosted episode of Ripley's Believe It Or Not in which a group of Japanese celebrities traveled to Hong Kong for just such a meal (which did last over three days). Although I doubt the roasted bear paw featured on the show will be on the menu at this event, this is something I would definitely love to try. P.S. Ling, in your opinion, what is the best abalone in town? I've tried it at various restaurants but have always preferred the whole braised abalone at Sun Sui Wah (even over the abalone I had in Hong Kong).

1) I didn't have the early prix fixe items although it did look tempting (served before 6:00 p.m. I believe). 2) No wine. I'll have to admit that I'm a novice when it comes to wine and will have only the occasional glass on the odd special occasion. However, we did share a wonderful bottle of Acqua Panna 2005.

Since moving to a new neighborhood in January, we are now within in walking distance of West (Well, technically speaking we "could" walk. Technically, we could also skateboard to Meinhardt's), so I thought we should revisit a place we haven't been to in well over a year. Given the recent press West has received, Friday night reservations were tricky - but there was an opening at 5:30 and another one at 9:30. We chose the former. (My friends joke about my early dining habits, predicting it will only be a matter of time before I start taking advantage of the various "blue bird specials" around town. I don't know. Blame it on my upbringing. Growing up, 6:00 p.m. was always dinner time as opposed to the 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. window preferred by many a Vancouverite.) We were seated and, as we perused the menu's, were informed of that evening's specials. One entree stood out in particular: Kobe Beef. Ever since we visited Tokyo three years ago where we tried Kobe Beef for the first time, I've been unable to enjoy steak in North America. Once you've had that perfectly marbled piece of meat melt in your mouth, its almost impossible to go back (if you're really jonesing and looking to score a couple of kilos of American-raised wagyu, might I suggest Nikuya Meats on Hastings). Needless to say, I didn't even look at the written entrees. My wife started with a delightful crisp barbecued duck (almost candied) salad with a ginger and sesame dressing. I went the foie gras route, "twice cooked" (I believe its a torchon) with saffron and pear chutney, accompanied by warm, toasted fruit bread. An equally delightful starter. My wife and I both went for the Kobe beef: a well-marbled rib eye with macerated shallots in a red wine reduction, accompanied by braised short ribs in tiny cabbage pockets, roasted galette, and some mystery root vegetable that may have been a turnip. Sublime. For dessert, my wife chose the vanilla cheesecake with brown sugar oat crumble. She Loved it (yes, with a capital "L"). I couldn't decide between the Chocolate Tasting and the pumpkin tart with maplesour cream mousse, so I had both. The tart was tiny, but tasty. The sweet yam ice cream that came with the tart (it was a little bigger than a marble) was terrific. The Chocolate Tasting was comprised of: a milk chocolate passionfruit parfait that my wife enjoyed (don't get me started on mixing fruit and chocolate), a dark chocolate truffle terrine (fine), and a chocolate gingersnap ice cream sandwich (ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!). All in all, a wonderful evening.

Check out Northern Chinese Delicacy in (of all places) the Aberdeen Mall. Excellent quality and a wonderful variety of everything from savory dim sum dumplings to shreeded eel with green onion. If you go, do try the house special - Tea Smoked Duck. And, if you're feeling particularly courageous, try the braised pork belly.

Don Francesco's on Burrard (right across from the Sutton) is a great place to go for Wild Game. I posted a write-up on a recent visit a couple of weeks ago - http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=76998 Oh, and we did go back last week in my ongoing bid to try everything on their Wild Game menu. I had the Broiled Wild Boar with a red wine, blackberry jelly, apple, onion, nut, and brown sugar sauce. To be honest, it read better than it tasted. However, they were accompanied by a game meat stuffed ravioli in a butter and sage sauce that was truly remarkable. My wife had the Duck a la Vignarola for two (for one - she brought home the sizable leftovers). And my friend ordered the night's winner: Roast Reindeer Loin in a wild blueberry and port wine reduction. Simply awesome.

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I'm a huge fan of sweets but follow two general rules when ordering dessert: 1. I'll order the "heaviest dessert" on the menu (I make it point of asking the waiter), and - 2. I rarely mix fruit and dessert. So far as I'm concerned, they're two completely different things. Nothing ruins chocolate like a tart raspberry coulis. Of course, there are occasional exceptions to the rule (a good banana cake comes to mind). That being said, here are my favorite desserts in Vancouver in no particular order - 1. The Date(Toffee) Pudding at Caffe de Medici: What was that I said about not mixing fruit and dessert? Well, to be honest, I avoided this dessert whenever I visited UNTIL a friend ordered it and insisted I try some. Needless to say, I'm a convert to this rich, sweet dessert and now never miss the opportunity to order it when I dine at Medici. Tip: Order it with an extra scoop of ice cream. 2. The Chocolate Lava Cake at La Terrazza: Rich doesn't begin to describe this decadent dessert which resembles a chocolate souffle. But crack the top and the pool of dark and milk chocolate is revealed. Very different (and, in my opinion, much better) that the warm chocolate-center cakes served at Blue Water and Cioppino's). Tip: Like the Date/Toffee Pudding, this one benefits from an extra scoop of vanilla ice cream. 3. The Chocolate Risotto at Bis Moreno: Okay, are you noticing a trend? I'm not sure if this is still on the menu, but it was chocolate heaven the last time we dined here. 4. The Stilton Cheesecake at Senses: Home of the best pastries in Vancouver and this curious but delicious offering. I picked one up on a lark, but its unique flavor totally won me over. It makes me long for the Gorgonzola Creme Brulee they used to serve at C Restaurant. 5. The Pecan Pie a la Mode at Memphis Blues: My favorite pie at my favorite rib-joint in town. 6. The Thomas Haas Signature Chocolate Bar at Diva at the Met: A crispy chocolate fondant with caramel, chocolate sorbet, and a sparkle cookie. What better way to wind down after a foie gras burger? 7. Deep Fried Mars Bar/Snickers Bar/Smores at Wing Nuts: If you're worried about the calories, I'd suggest skipping the wings and just having dessert. 8. The Chocolate Creme Brulee at La Regalade.

Like others who have responded, I think the best place for ribs in town is Memphis Blues (they have two locations - one on Broadway and one on Commercial). Check them out, especially if they're serving the Beef Rib special - one huge Fred Flintstone-worthy hunk o' fall-off-the-bone meat with the fixin's. My wife and I used to eat at Tony Roma's in Montreal (although, for her, nothing beats Montreal's Bar-B Barn), but both times we went to the one in Vancouver, we ended up feeling ill for the rest of the night. We did try Dem Bones once about a year ago. The ribs were unremarkable and our overall dining experience was somewhat marred by the scent of the antiseptic cleaner they had presumably just used to wipe down the tables and/or floors.

Definitely, Wing Nuts is the place to go. Not only do they offer deep-friend Mars Bars, but deep-fried Snickers bars AND (my favorite) deep-fried Smores. Reminds me of that Simpsons episode where Moe transforms his bar into restarant where he specializes in deep-frying an entire table - food, cutlery, and all. I'm loathe to admit that if such a restaurant existed, I'd probably be there opening night.

It has been a while since I visited West (then Ouest). Is the oxtail still on the menu?

I would highly recommend Banana Leaf, a terrific Malaysian restaurant that serves one of the best crab dishes in town (with garlic and cracked black pepper). Great seafood dishes all around (lobster, scallops, and giant prawn served a variety of different ways - your call) and a very relaxed atmosphere. I'd recommend making a reservation, particularly for a big group.