bill_n_opus

Have you checked out Rempel Meats in Abby for some farmer sausage? Downes Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7T4 (604) 853-5361

eGullet has slowed down these days ... but not my appetite. Haha. Had the day off, family is out of town, so I decided to drop myself off in Vancouver to get some eats and play tourist for a change. Note that i'm not that picky, i'll eat almost anything and like it - well, mostly. (Saturday) Patisserie Lebeau on West 2nd for breakfast. Had the Liege Waffle with mixed fruit/custard/whipped cream. It was pretty tasty. Took the white chocolate/almond waffle to go. Pretty intense waffle. Had some coffee from JJ Bean in Granville Island. Went for lunch at Thai Basil on Thurlow, ordered the Green Curry with Chicken and it was nice. Perhaps a little "sweet"? I'm not a Thai expert ... but it was tasty nonetheless. Walked all the way across town to check La Tacqueria. Had the Al Pastor, Fish, the beef tongue(?) and the one with the shredded pork, the Carnita? Anyways, the Al Pastor was alright. The Fish was decent but it was my last one so it was a bit soggy by that time. The Tongue was really nice ... or was it the Carnita? Finished with Memphis Blues for supper with some family. Your usual Memphis Blues food, I was hungry so it was tasty! Otherwise, it's decent. Hey, where is everyone!? Are there other forums i'm missing out on apart from CH? (and yes, I say tasty alot)

Great read, thank you.

Say hi to Sada at Octopus' Garden! Food is very good, prices are reasonable. I miss that place, nothing like marriage, lots of rambunctious kids - to ruin what you used to do when you were single, haha.

Wow, last reply was a long time ago. No one is eating anymore? Anyways, went to Go Fish for the first time today (never got around to it)and was tempted to order the fish curry soup but instead I just wanted to try the codx2 and chips. It was pretty good, the amount of cod you get compared to other standard fish/chip joints is impressive. Very substantial, meaty and filling. I was impressed with that. Batter was good, a little different than what I was expecting. My initial bite into the cod tasted a little funny ... probably because of the amount of fish. My tastebuds righted themselves after a few mouthfuls. Chips were good, not earth-shattering but tasty. The coleslaw was nice, a hint of spice and more of a cole-chop. If you like the sauce-laden versions out there you may be disappointed. I passed by Dona Cata but didn't stop. Next time.

Yes, the Rock Creek Petro Can makes decent deli sandwiches. I've been to Cowboy Coffee in Princeton and the coffee was good. There are a couple of places in Greenwood that do decent stuff ... been a long time for me though since I typically drive through instead of dropping by. Copper Eagle is decent. Grand Forks has a bunch of interesting places, there's a new pizza joint run by a young chef along the main road there which used to be a Suds IIRC, across from the Shell and High school. A bunch of decent coffee shops too. Rilkoff's has some good offerings i've heard from the in-laws. There are some places to check out in Christina Lake. Pick up some fresh fruit, preserves and local items like vinegars etc ... at Keremeos. 20 bucks for 35lbs of Cherries!

I'm sorry ... I have to ask, since I have 4 children ranging from 2 to 9, all boys. How "sophisticated" can a 1 and 3 year old be? "Cannot sit still for long periods of time" - that I can believe! I also have to echo the sentiment that Chinese restaurants seem to have a certain amount of tolerance when kids get loud and active. Might be an option to check out.

Some people have interesting lives for sure ... especially people that can pull off high-end cooking and then do something completely different to make a living. Like Trevor Hooper of Raku back on W10th(?) Asian-fusion cuisine? He's doing high tech stuff now, got out of the restaurant biz. Some people amaze me.

Reviving a thread from the dead ... is this place still around? The website seems current ... but as i'm getting back into checking egullet more often I remember awhile ago when this place was very favorably reviewed at the rupert location. Then it went downhill as per reports ... anybody been there lately? I feel like a salt-encrusted hen all of a sudden.

Sarpino's? What kind of prices are we talking about? I checked the website and there were no prices ... just tellin' me to check my local franchise for current prices.

Sorry to go of topic, what's the deal with Stongs? Never been there. I also should stay somewhat on topic and report that i've never seen Uruguayan beef nor tasted it - what am I missing?

Dead again, new link is here: http://www.vanmag.com/Restaurants/101_Things_to_Taste

Interesting thread ... good info, thank you. "FAS" makes sense ... unfortunately, to me and in my line of work, FAS stands for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. I somewhat doubt (probably, maybe) that this shared acronym will affect the deployment of "Frozen at Sea" on it's own food marketing merits ... however, it's something to think about as FAS in the medical sense is quite broadly recognized. Have you thought about alternative acronyms or expressions that allude to the educational aims of wild salmon consumption/availability?

Good thing I come to eG once in awhile ... would have missed this info! Couple of blocks over ... is that North or South? On the Firehall side or the other side?

Thank you Brian for the response ... that would have been something to witness seeing the grease trap catch on fire! I'm just so mentally stubborn because I know various places sell the Q series ... but i've been researching prices over the 'net and back East the Q220 is literally 30-40 bucks cheaper out there plus you can stack a 10% off at Home Depot or get it price matched at a place like Johnstones etc ... Also, thanks for all the info about classes at wellseasoned ... because my bro-in-law is getting big into bbq and he competed at the old BC Pavillion area a couple of months back which increased his interest in bbq. I'll pass on the info about judging etc to him since he lives in the Valley and it would be much more convenient for him. I know we're not back East but just knowing that info behooves me.

Great thread Brian. Just wondering, how's your Q holding up? I'm resisting the urge to buy a Q220 with rolling cart ... but I think i'll cave in soon. I just saw someone in the local park with one and asked him some questions and, of course, he gushed all over it - not literally mind you. I am also looking at the Napoleon series portable ... but they are not so common and i'd like to see one in action first.

Good deal ... sorry to see it go.

Yes, but it's still a "restaurant" ... and Port Moody is top 10 because the Boathouse chain is extremely popular for the demographic that are a teeny bit adventurous but are not able to wrap their minds around venues like Chambar or even Sandbar. The average person who thinks the Boathouse is a "destination place" may offend the sensibilities of people in the biz ... or people who frequent forums like eGullet ... but let's face it, forumites from eGullet represent the minority of the "average" diner out there ... and the Boathouse is grateful for that otherwise they wouldn't have the business as it would be diverted to other restaurants. They are popular because they got the formula down pat ... and our society is a formulaic-driven animal to a large degree. I would try to divert my in-laws to a decent restaurant ... but they say stuff like "why don't we go to the Boathouse? It's a nice place ..." It's tough to fight my friend.

The aquabus was a great idea ... normally I just pack snacks for Scienceworld with the kids ... that or get chicken fingers and fries at the White Spot inside SW. Sometimes i'll do double duty and hit Costco next to GM/BC place to do some quick shopping and some chicken strips/fries/pop/pizza/hot dogs ... at least it's cheap by eating out standards and I can pick up a 50lb sack of rice on the way out. hahaha.

My post was about Fraiche. It is a non sequitor to jump to Asian/Chinese. You can find good Asian/Chinese in any city that has a large Asian/Chinese community. Vancouver is not unique in that; and yes, it is very average. For everyday Chinese, well I haven't found one in West Vancouver (where I live), apart from some dingy little place in Ambleside. Don't get me wrong. Dinning out in Vancouver has a number of positive aspects: friendly staff, spacious rooms, good distances between tables and a lack of table turning. But the food on offer is generally poor when compared to other cities. For example, Copenhagen (a city smaller than Vancouver) has some increadible restaurants including my absolute favourite (Kong Hans Kælder ). 20 years ago London was a dining out backwater. Sure there were some very fine restaurants; but they were few and far between and painfully expensive. What changed was the UK's closer intergration with the EU, the rapid increse in the number of overseas vacations (to Italy, France, Portugal and Spain) and the freer movement of labour (ie chefs). Vancouver, unfortunately, is geographcally isolated. ← I respect your "opinion" but your post was very superflous. I was interested in reading your defence of your opinion and all I got was rambling material and contradictions. If you say that "you can find good ... anywhere the ethnic groups are present ..." and then say it's "average" in Vancouver ... then you're actually contradicting yourself. Then you lament not finding good Chinese in West Van ... well, no kidding. When I think Chinese food, and I am Chinese-Canadian background, I do not think West Van ... I thnk other places. I think you're barking up the wrong tree with that one, that makes no sense. It's like saying ... "I live in West Van ... and I find it hard to find good poutine! ... except for some Quebecois shack down in Ambleside ... " O Ryly? Chinese people may live in West Van ... but ask any Chinese person if they eat in West Van ... for Chinese food. Hello? Then you talk about dining out and the positive aspects of which Vancouver offers ... and then you jump to Copenhagen. Wait a minute, were we not just talking about Chinese food and your opinion why you think it's average in Vancouver? What does dining out in Copehagen have to do with Chinese food in Vancouver? Then you make some strange correlation between geographical relationship vis a vis food and proximity to influence such as the UK/EU development. What? I fail to see how that has anything to do with the quality of Chinese food offerings in Vancouver ... especially when you previously qualified that "anywhere there's a large Chinese population there's bound to be good food ... " Are you saying then that Vancouver is a culinary backwater that needs increasing influence and proximity to other countries before Chinese cuisine in Vancouver becomes better? Strange logic. Rather, lack of it. Let me tell you something, when Chinese people tell you that eating in Vancouver for Chinese food is very comparable to Hong Kong etc ... then that holds way more validity and power I'm sorry if this has come through somewhat harsh ... i'm trying my best to be diplomatic and professional ... but I think you're off your rocker.

Arne, there are grow ops everywhere. British Properties ... Westwood Plateau ... Let's stick to your promising suggestion and leave the topic of grow ops to the police and Hell's Angels etc. As for other suggestions re: BBY/NW border, if you want to faithfully stick to that sliver of area then my suggestion is to go around the Lougheed Mall area. You have some choices of chain-type restaurants like Red Robins and Joey Tomatoes, Boston Pizza, Ikea if you want to go cheap and shop at the same time(!) ... other restaurants like that Pasta place by the strip portion next to Walmart/Liquor store - but perhaps if you have some adventurous and open minded souls in your group you may check out the many Korean restaurants there since it's got a heavy Korean influence. I can't give a particular recommendation ... but if you know someone (I guess, Korean) that has some knowledge you may be able to find some good restaurants that are beyond the experience of this forum here. Good luck.

Iraqi "Turkish" food?

Maybe not Tojo's "fine" but it's changed much since the early years. I'm curious, what are the usual suspects for "Best Japanese" in the city nowadays? Anyone have a list? I've been out of the loop for a long while.

I assume it's the same recipe and product as the Chinatown location? I didn't even know that there was a Newtown in Surrey! I found the Chinatown version of the old HK Cafe apple tarts to be fairly close ... but not exactly. Damn, I miss those days of my childhood.

Rarely get to go out anymore ... but we did go back to an old haunt, The Octopus' Garden on Cornwall to visit Sada and the crew. Well, don't know the recent crew as the old crew have come and gone. Have been going there for almost 15 years. Forgot to wear my t-shirt this time. Sada was disappointed. I miss the old buzz and menu as usual but his food is still great and I always eat the octopus gummy at the end. Still the best chicken karaage in town (or so i'm conditioned). Highly recommended.