Cucina Manila
I was craving for Filipino food so I jogged five blocks and went to this local carenderia to try their kare kare and kaldereta. I think it’s been at least eight months since I last went to this place, and I only went just to …
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Famous Dave’s
as a disclaimer, i think my review for this restaurant would not be very reliable because i was very hungry when i ate dinner here with my friends. nevertheless, i’m still sharing the experience i had at “famous dave’s”. we ordered right away “not’cho ordinary …
elementary my dear watson
Just before we watched Sherlock Holmes, we decided to grab a quick dinner at Sui Sha Ya. I think the only striking thing about the place is its signage and ambience when you enter the it, makes you think you’re going to an expensive sushi place, which it actually is compared to others I’ve been to, but not really as good at all.
We chose the AYCE menu and got more than we can finish. We picked the miso soup, ebi sunonomo, kimchi, chicken teriyaki, ebi and veggie tempura, ika karaage, chicken karaage, house roll, crab cone, salmon sashimi, tuna sashimi, spicy salmon sashimi, spicy tuna sashimi, unagi, tobiko, cuttlefish and grilled beef short ribs.
It was a lot, and yes there were only two of us to finish all those. I have tried a lot of AYCE sushi places and several other Japanese restaurants here but I haven’t really been to one that is owned by a Japanese. It’s usually owned by Koreans or Chinese, not that I’m complaining but wouldn’t it be more authentic if food from a certain country is actually served by people from that same region?
Anyway, nothing from the dish really stood out, I’m not sure if we should have tried one of each item on the menu but that would have been food coma and we would be falling asleep on the movie house. One thing I noticed though was that the unagi was actually twice as long as the rice ball and not as sweet as it is on other sushi places – which works for me. They were also generous with their grilled short ribs servings, one of my favorites.
Verdict:
N: 2.0/5.0 [-3 because sushi is a dime a dozen in Vancouver and this one didn’t justify its hefty price tag]
Sui Sha Ya Japanese Restaurant
4820 Kingsway, #236 Burnaby, BC
tour of greece
we had lunch at a greek restaurant today to celebrate one of our friend’s birthday. the ambiance of the place was remarkable. the design of the walls and ceilings matched with the background music made you feel like you’re having lunch in greece. for appetizers, …
farewell lunch at an italian resto
it was my last day with the team yesterday and my team organized a farewell lunch at “olive garden”. we had calamari, garlic bread breadsticks and had a choice between soup and salad for starters. I chose garden fresh salad with fresh ground parmesan cheese. …
It’s a Wonderful Life
– that’s the name of the play we saw at Granville Island last Saturday. But before feeding our penchant for the arts,we went ahead and indulged at Joe Fortes, a really cozy upscale resto in downtown Vancouver with very attentive waiters.
The amuse-bouche was seared salmon on a bed of salad. I’ve now come to recognize how fancy the restaurant is and how big a hole it will burn on my wallet by this treat. My first amuse-bouche experience was at O’Doul’s, that was terrific, we had three sets, and in the end spent almost a grand.
Before our orders arrived, we were treated to a bread basket with whipped butter on the side. I’m not a big fan of bread but after I tried the one at the Cheesecake Factory, I don’t think this could hold a candle to that.
The menu offered a lot of delectable dishes so it was really hard to choose. Upon recommendation from our waiter, we got the Chef’s special for starters, which was a succulent treat of King Crab legs wrapped in crunchy bacon. I must say this was really well done, crispy crackling bacon goodness covering a tender piece of crab legs.
I picked the Orange Berry Crush for drinks then ordered a three-course meal with Cup of New England Clam Chowder as appetizer. Have you ever wondered why they always pair it with Premium biscuits? Anyway I though the crackers were too salty so I skipped it. The clam chowder was superb, I like the big bits of seafood and crab in there. Almost comparable to Nick’s New England clam chowder in San Francisco, but not quite.
For entree, I chose the Slow Roasted Beef Short Rib. This dish was fall off the bones tender. I didn’t even need the knife, it just gave in to my fork. Half way through the dish I was already full, but I was encouraged by my friend’s empty plate so I pushed on until I finally finished it. I should remember to bring a big appetite.
Tiramisu with mascarpone cream, lady fingers and espresso was up for desert. It was ok, to say the least, or maybe I was just too full to appreciate it. Anyway, it wasn’t that memorable if you were to ask me, but I must admire the presentation.
Overall, the meal was excellent and our waiter was especially accommodating, I would definitely go back again if only to try the crab cakes and the seafood tower.
Verdict:
N: 4.0/5.0 [-1 because the bread wasn’t fantastic and the dessert wasn’t spectacular]
Joe Fortes Seafood Restaurant
777 Thurlow Street,
Vancouver, BC V6E 3V5, Canada
not just another sushi place
Eclectic and inventive are two words that best describes Kiku Sushi. With the myriad of sushi places sprouting up along Kingsway from Vancouver to Burnaby, it’s easy to miss Kiku, hidden away at the RBC/London Drugs complex. What’s good about trying out hole-in-the-wall kind of …
On the spot
@ White Spot. As I was cleaning up my dresser, I saw a pile of unused gift cards, remnants of my rewards for being a reliable software warrior back when I was still using my left brain. Since the rest of my place is empty, …
Fine Dining at a China Resto
we had a team lunch today at “pf chang’s” to celebrate the holidays. for starters, we had CHANG’S VEGETARIAN LETTUCE WRAPS (Wok-seared tofu, red onions and water chestnuts with mint and lime. Served with cool lettuce cups)*, CRAB WONTONS (Crunchy wonton filled with creamy rock crab meat and served with a side of spicy plum sauce)* and DYNAMITE SHRIMP (Lightly battered shrimp served with a spicy sauce)*.
it was my first time to try the vegetarian lettuce wrap because i’ve always had chicken or beef when i eat with my friends. it was very good! i did not even notice there was no meat on it. the crab wontons was also good but it did not really stand out among the crab wontons i’ve tasted from “yummy bowl” or “wonton express.” the dynamite shrimp was crispy and tasty. it was nicely placed on lettuce over a martini glass. i’d definitely order it next time around.
as for my entree, i ordered MANDARIN CHICKEN (A flavorful mix of chicken, snow peas, carrots, bok choy and broccoli makes this dish a sure favorite)*. it was served with white rice. the chicken was so juicy and the salted black beans added extra flavor to the dish. it made me want to cook the same dish at home. one of my teammates had STIR-FRIED EGGPLANT (Tossed with scallions in a savory chili pepper sauce)*. the sauce complemented the eggplant’s taste. it gave me an alternative way to cook eggplant because i only know a few eggplant dishes.
overall, “pf chang’s” offers a good selection of tasty dishes and is also friendly to vegetarians.
*from the menu
Verdict: 4.5/5 [-0.5 because the crab wontons did not exceed my expectations]
P.F. Chang’s
1819 Lake Cook Road
Northbrook, IL 60062
Green Basil: The house that Pad Thai built
or at least that’s how I call it. I was invited to join a girls’ dinner out last night with L, J and F, and since my fridge only had cookies I felt it was time to go out and eat real food. They were …
‘Tis the season to be merry
and the more, the merrier, or so they say. So in an attempt to make this blog a truly global phenomenon, I’ve enlisted more contributors who I know are into food and travel, after all that’s the main theme of this site. I hope they’re …
At Galena’s Historic Main Street
on our way from iowa back to chicago, we stopped by for dinner at galena, illinois. galena’s main street at night is nice and quaint. we went inside the “galena canning company” shop. it offers a wide range of tasty condiments, sauces, dips and spreads. it’s impossible to leave their shop without buying something. i bought a pesto spread there that tastes so good with toasted italian bread. it makes a fine pesto pasta too.
the main highlight that night was having dinner at “one eleven main.” we had “galena river cheese board” as appetizer although we were already appetized at our first stop so i guess i’d call this our starter. the cheese board contained 4 types of cheese with slices of apples, a swirl of honey, almond nuts, dried melon seeds, cherries and assorted crakers. we loved the cheese board so much we cleaned it all.
Verdict: 5/5
Galena Canning Company
106 S Main Street
Galena, IL 61036
the main highlight that night was having dinner at “one eleven main.” we had “galena river cheese board” as appetizer although we were already appetized at our first stop so i guess i’d call this our starter. the cheese board contained 4 types of cheese with slices of apples, a swirl of honey, almond nuts, dried melon seeds, cherries and assorted crakers. we loved the cheese board so much we cleaned it all. 
since i wanted to eat light that night, i ordered for main course “one eleven signature salad” that had mixed lettuce, bleu cheese, apple slices, cherries, dried melon seeds and grilled honey chicken. it was seriously the best salad i’ve ever eaten. another impressive thing about this restaurant is it offers galena’s local produce from cheese, fruits, wines, and products from other local shops.
Verdict: 5/5
One Eleven Main
111 North Main Street
Galena, Illinois
