Archive for the ‘Eastside’ Category

FRAY ON FRASER

November 2nd, 2011 admin

3980 Fraser Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-569-3317

Web: http://fray.me/our-menu/

Twitter: @Frayonfraser

Advice: Colouring pencils at each table for kids or adults to colour away a great added touch.

This is one of those not so ordinary places that I am happy is just that. Last week my friend and fellow writer Cassandra Anderton joined me for dinner where we were happy to find a creative, passionate chef who supports local farms on the east side. Chef Antonio Martin has created a fresh, flavour focussed menu with dishes chock full of local farm grown veggies and other local fare.

Portobello Fries

F-Bombs

To start we both shared the addicting Portobello Fries ($8.95) A Jenga tower of breaded mushroom fingers, fried and served with truffle aioli; we then shared their F-Bombs ($7.95) a variation on Devils on Horseback, this is a share plate of Fraser Valley bacon-wrapped fresh figs with a balsamic reduction.

Lamb Pasta

Vegetarian’s Delight

For our Mains, we shared both the outstanding Lamb Pasta ($17.95) Braised lamb with vegetables on fresh tagliatelle that was full of flavour, as well as the ever so tasty Vegetarian’s Delight ($10.95) fresh market vegetables roasted and served on a bed of the most delicious cauliflower cous cous with chick peas and a curry vinaigrette. Although they list the Vegetarian’s Delight as one of their mains we both thought it would be better off being a side dish for two to share.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Banana Spring Roll

For dessert, we shared the delicious and simple home-made Vanilla Bean ice cream ($4) with extra virgin olive oil and maldan salt; along with the Banana Spring Roll ($6.95) Served with homemade vanilla bean ice cream and local fireweed honey.

Looking forward to my next visit which will be for Brunch, must try their French Canadian Toast!

Review By: Richard Wolak

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THE PERCH

June 5th, 2011 admin

1701 Powell Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-568-3877

Web: http://www.eatdrinkperch.com/index.html

Twitter: @eatatperch

Advice: Play Bengo on Thursday nights, it’s like Bingo but named after Ben so it’s Bengo.

Pesto Flatbread

Thin Crust Pizza

I had high hopes for this vegan focussed restaurant when having lunch with friends recently. The room is quite funky on two levels with lots of light escaping from the large windows. My friends and I sat upstairs and ordered the Pesto Flatbread ($5) for us all to share that was too hard to eat. Since pizzas appeared to be quite popular with 2 tables surrounding us having ordered them, I decided to join them and had the Thin Crust Pizza ($11) with vegan cheese, yam, arugula, cashew on a gluten-free crust that looked good was a fairly good size for the price, though was quite bland in taste. Both of my friends had Omelettes ($7) with various fillings that again were of a good size and lacking in flavour. The music was blaring too loud for our liking, this was a restaurant not a nightclub, and it shouldn’t have taken us three requests to have the server turn down the music alas it did.

Review By: Richard Wolak

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BIG LOU’S BUTCHER SHOP

May 2nd, 2011 admin

269 Powell Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-566-9229

Web: www.biglousbutchershop.com

Twitter: @biglousbutcher

Advice: It’s a butcher shop and a sandwich shop in one.

This is an old fashioned butcher shop that is everything but old fashioned, leading the way with noted origins of which farm or producer each meat has been sourced. They are all about the best meats available and making the best sandwiches to eat in or to go.

The Big Lou-ongo

Bulgogi Chicken

I shared a couple of sandwiches eating-in with a friend and absolutely loved the Bulgogi Chicken ($9) Korean firechicken using locally sourced Polderside chicken, green onion, sesame mayo and cucumber the other sandwich was the house special The Big Lou-ongo ($7.50) named after one of the star players on the Vancouver Canucks hockey team, this sandwich is filled with housemade meatballs, marinara sauce and shaved parmesan, all stuffed on to a baguette and served piping hot. The sandwiches are a good size and the bread has a good crunch to it, you will find a whole array of sandwiches as well as some side salads. The staff were fashionably dressed in old-fashioned suspenders and hats, Big Lou’s is a meat loving paradise and this is the place you are going to want to go for your meat!

Review By: Richard Wolak

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THE LEETEG ROOM

February 14th, 2011 admin

1489 East Hastings St, Vancouver (located inside the Waldorf Hotel)

Tel: 604-253-7141

Web: www.waldorfhotel.com

Twitter: @waldorfhotel

Advice: open for dinner service Wednesday through  Saturday.

I have always had a fascination with Spanish food and ever since I visited Barcelona and tasting all the delicious food and sweets, I have longed for Spanish cuisine even more. The Waldorf Hotel ‘s Leetag Room specializes in Spanish cuisine and every few months they are featuring a different region from within the country as visiting chefs take up residence here to create a regional menu for all us lucky diners to savour.

Ajo Blanco

Gambas al Ajillo

I dined in a couple of weeks ago and celebrated the NW region of Spain, starting off with a Glass of Burgans Rias Baixas – 2008 Albariano from Pontevedra, Spain ($9) which went well with the smooth Ajo Blanco – ($6) Chilled White Almond Gazpacho with extra virgin olive oil and fresh grapes. The next dish was the tasty Gambas al Ajillo ($12) –sauteed prawns with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, red chilli, brandy and parsley, the sauce was the best part of the dish and I used the bread to soak up the remaining jus.

Red Snapper and Clams

Fabada Asturiana

Chuletillas de Cordero con Pimientos y Papas Confitadas

My first entrée was the Red Snapper and Clams ($20) in Salsa Verde –traditional basque style red snapper served with clams and olive oil, garlic and pasley sauce; followed by the 2nd entrée ‘Fabada Asturiana’ a white bean stew ($18) with saffron, bacon, shoulder of pork, blood sausage and chorizo. My 3rd entrée was my absolute favourite dish Chuletillas de Cordero con Pimientos y Papas Confitadas – Basque style grilled lamb chops ($22) with garlic, sherry vinegar, pipuillo peppers and potato confit, this lamb was done to perfection and paired well with the Glass of Las Rocas de San Alejandro -2008 Garnacha (Aragon, Spain) ($8).

Fondante de Txocolate

For dessert I had the outstanding Fondante de Txocolate ($8) Chocolate fondant with Mango ice cream it was the perfect ending to the outstanding meal the chocolate fondant was superb.

They have an impressive well thought out wine list that features a good selection of Spanish wines, you will also find cocktails and beers on offering. This menu was created by Ernesto Gomez (Nuba), Pedro Martin (Jaleo) and Cesar de la Parra (Nuba). All three trained together under the notoriously brutal brigade of three Michelin Star Chef Martin Berasategui in San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain. The room is located inside the Waldorf Hotel and is of a Tiki theme, perhaps not what you would think of when dining in Spain, however it all works here and the service is spot on.

Review by: Richard Wolak

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POOR ITALIAN

January 3rd, 2011 admin

3296 East 1st Avenue, Vancouver

Tel: 604-251-1122

Web: http://www.pooritalian.com/

Twitter: n/a

Advice: Reservations suggested, free parking.

My friend Ajay joined me for a delightful dinner recently at this Eastside Italian, within minutes I noticed friends Rick and Kathleen being seated at a nearby table. This was a first time visit for all of us as it turned out, and we were fortunate to be able to meet Executive Chef John Costanzi and to talk to him about his classic Italian cooking.

Roasted Beet and Burrata Salad

Linguine Vongole

Grilled Rack of Lamb

The large and colourful room was bustling with dinners on this Monday evening. To begin I had a glass of Di Lenardo Pinot Grigio IGT 2008 (Italy) and Ajay had a glass of the Piccini Chianti DOC 2008 (Italy). We each had the Roasted Beet and Burrata Salad ($12) Crispy pancetta, shallot and pine nut vinaigrette to start, we then shared the Linguine Vongole ($18) White wine, garlic, fresh clams, and for our entrée we each had the delicious Grilled Rack of Lamb ($32) Balsamic glazed cipollini onion and rosemary jus. We both loved the cipollini onion glaze with the lamb which made for an outstanding dish.

Tortino d‘Olio Warm Olive Oil Cake (L) & Dark Chocolate Terrine (R)

We were both quite full, however dessert was in order. We shared two desserts the Dark Chocolate Terrine ($11) with red wine sorbet, cracked sea salt and the outstanding Tortino d‘Olio Warm Olive Oil Cake ($9), with sweet rosemary gelato.

Review by: Richard Wolak

Posted in Eastside Tags: , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments »

PINPIN RESTAURANT

January 1st, 2011 admin

6113 Fraser Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-322-3086

Web: http://www.pinpinrestaurant.com

Twitter: n/a

Advice: No reservations, note that your whole party must be present to be seated.

A group of my friends joined me for dinner where our Filipino friend Jay lead us on a tasting journey. We ordered a selection of dishes for 6 of us to share, at the table was Jay, Minna, Ajay, Jonathan, Emmy and me.

Lumpia Shanghai

Garlic Rice

Steamed Rice

Binaboongan

Inihan Wa Baboy

Chicken Adobo

Sinagong Soup with Milkfish

Bopis

Sitan at Kalabasa Sa Gata

Dish after dish arrived to our table, we started off with the Lumpia Shanghai ($4.95) finger sized spring rolls (Appetizers), then the Binaboongan ($8.50) pork with eggplant simmered in shrimp paste, followed by a couple of rice dishes including a large Garlic Rice ($4.75) and Steamed Rice ($2.50), next was the Inihan Wa Baboy ($8.50) grilled pork, then the Chicken Adobo ($8.95) with rice and soup, next dish was the Sinagong Soup with Milkfish ($11.50) a Tamarind flavoured soup, then the Bopis ($7.95) lungs and heart in brown sauce and the delicious Sitan at Kalabasa Sa Gata ($8.95) squash and string beans in coconut milk. Of all the dishes that we tried my absolute favourite was the Squash and string beans in coconut milk and the Garlic rice.

Leche Flan

Halo-Halo

Sago Gulaman

Dessert was a must to end this tasting meal, I ended up sharing 2 desserts with Ajay and we both loved the Leche Flan ($3.95) caramel custard, the other dessert was the Halo-Halo ($5.95) a somewhat confusing tasty mixture of ice, red beans, purple yam, coconut, ice cream and shaved ice that you had to smoosh to eat. Minna had the Sago Gulaman ($3.25) a dessert drink that was made with tapioca and cassava pearl in sugar syrup which was like a Filipino bubble tea.

Going with a group of friends is a great way to taste a wide variety of dishes!

Review by: Richard Wolak

Posted in Eastside Tags: , , , , , 1 Comment »

DONA CATA

July 16th, 2010 admin

5076 Victoria Drive, Vancouver

Tel: 604-436-2232


Advice: great selection of salsas at the salsa bar.

Mole Chicken

Vegetarian Burrito

I was in for dinner recently with friend Ariane as we were craving some good Mexican food. I love this authentic east side spot with their colourful interior, the night we were there they had a duo in musical performance. I have often done take-out, this time stayed to enjoy the music and the atmosphere. I had the Mole Chicken ($10.50) with pulled chicken, mexican rice, house stewed beans and 3 corn tortillas. Their mole boasts over 25 ingredients and 5 chiles to create a flavourful sauce. Ariane had the Vegetarian Burrito ($7) beans and cheese wrapped around a flour tortilla with a side of pico de gallo. The menu features a large selection of tacos, and taco variations along with breakfast specialties and Enchiladas too.

Review by: Richard Wolak
Photo credit: Ariane Colenbrander
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SONG HUONG

June 26th, 2010 admin
1613 Nanaimo Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-251-1151

Web: n/a

Advice:  If you are vegetarian this is not the restaurant for you. Cash only.


A group of my friends and I dined together recently, my friend Minna is Vietnamese and she chose the restaurant for us all. Personally I found the green decor to be a bit dated, however the food was as authentic as you would find in a Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver. Some of us shared the dishes and others had their own. Minna guided us all thru the menu and explained how the dishes were prepared.

Lemongrass Chicken

Shrimp Salad Rolls

Bo La Lot in betel leaves

Bo La Lot - Sausages

Raw Beef in Hot Pot

Beef Pho

To begin our meal Alisha and I shared the Lemongrass Chicken ($6.25) with vermicielli, we also shared the tasty Shrimp Salad Rolls ($2.50 each) with peanut sauce. For our main dish Beef prepared 7 Ways ($25.95) I shared this with Alisha and Minna as it was quite a large dish, well it was actually 7 different dishes within the big dish and this was quite the experience. We received a plate of the condiments which included a large bowl of sweet fish sauce, crushed peanuts, dried lemongrass and sriracha with seeds, the plate of veggies included bean sprouts, cucumber, tomato, pickled daikon, carrots, lettuce, and mint leaves. Then we got a plate of Vermicelli and a package of rice wrappers along with a bowl of hot water to soak each of the rice wrappers to soften them for eating. The first course of the 7 was the Raw Beef which you don’t eat raw, it is for cooking in the hot pot of water on the portable burner which happened to be placed in the center of our table. The second course was the Bo La Lot – sausages wrapped in betel leaves which looked like green cigars, the third course were Bo La Lot – sausages wrapped in caul fat. The fourth couse was more Bo La Lot – sausages with an onion flavour. The fifth course was Grilled Beef over a bed of cabbage, onions and basil which is more like a salad. The sixth course was the Beef Congee which and the seventh course was a giant steamed beef Meatball made with mushrooms, vermicelli and onions.

Jay had the large Beef Pho and then Ajay shared some of the other dishes with Jay, and Alexei ate solo as he was eating vegetarian with great difficulty, the restaurant ended up making him a plate of rice topped with an egg. All of us thought the prices were very reasonable for the large amount of food served. Although we all wanted to have some dessert we decided that the limited number of desserts on the menu were not appealing and we went off to another place for dessert.

Review by: Richard Wolak
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