ShiZenYa, Vancouver: Too healthy for my palette!

Was around the VGH area, and saw the high ratings of this place! Gluten-free, organic, natural, brown rice? Sure, why not give healthy a try?

Restaurant: Shizen Ya (visit their website here)

Location: 1102 West Broadway, Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi, Brown Rice, Gluten-free, organic
Price range: $15-$20




Date of visit: September 14, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 3/5

It was a cute little store with an interesting menu. Their gluten-free menu consisted of mainly quinoa-based dishes, with a few vegetarian options. Intrigued, I ordered a Sakura Blossom Roll ($12.95). This wasn't as bad a it looked, the flavors were well-rounded and the ingredients were fresh. It consisted of smoked salmon, salmon, avocado, real crab meat, cucumber, wrapped in brown rice. The salad in the middle however, was disastrous. Besides being bitter, the leaves weren't very fresh at all.

Adorables ordered their Dinner Combo A Kheema Curry ($14.95). It consisted of miso soup, ebi sunomono, sashimi, and curry with rice. The miso soup had veggies in it, interesting. Ebi sunomono was made with tiger prawns and... not your typical glass vermicelli. It looked more like brown rice vermicelli. Adorables seemed to find the sashimi acceptable though.

Last but not least, the chicken curry. Paired with brown rice, this didn't taste one bit Japanese. It was a very strong curry flavor and herby-- no milky flavor that I'm used to for sure. Saw some unsatisfied expressions on his face, taking that as the curry wasn't enjoyable for him either xD It also was a bit dry and barely any chicken in there, loaded with a myriad of beans though.

Honestly, I'll just stick to my "unhealthy" Japanese food. This was far too health-conscious that it lost the meaning of food. If this is the price to pay for my health (maybe not even that much of a difference), I'd rather starve (maybe not literally though... MUST KEEP EATING). Munch on!! <3

Random picture of the night scenery ^-^ The beauty that is named, Vancouver~

The Morrissey Pub, Vancouver: Burger week contestant!

Tried to be a good foodie and join in on the festivities! Burger week 2013 is Sept 1-7, hopefully some of you got to try some amazing burgers on discount this week! =D

Restaurant: The Morrissey Pub (visit their website here)
Location: 1227 Granville Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Pub Food, Burgers, Drinks
Price range: $15-20

Date of visit: September 6, 2013
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Staff/service: 5/5
Food variety: 2/5
Food quality: 4.75/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

The burger they entered for the burger week contest is the Lamb Royal ($10). It came with either fries or a salad, and I chose the salad option, since SexyNapkins ordered fries =P. First off, I must say the burger was ginormous. I couldn't fit it in my mouth! The deep fried eggplant added another layer to the whole burger, but it was a great addition! The lamb was so fragrant and lamby I loved it. The eggplant added some crisp and juice to make it less dry, without being overwhelming with the flavor. The bun itself was quite chewy (which I really like) and moist (not in a bad way). The salad itself was pretty good too, pieces were a bit large to fit nicely, would've been better if they had chopped it into smaller pieces =) It was smothered in a zesty vinaigrette.

SexyNapkins ordered their Morrissey Burger ($13) and it too, was HUGE! It looked super juicy and she said it was delicious. A bit more messy than mines because of the sauces, but worth it =) The fries were crispy and packed full of potatoey goodness. Nothing super exceptional, but they were made well.

I felt the ambiance and feel of the pub was very cozy and a great place for a relaxing evening of girl talk ;) Waitresses were very friendly, and I felt really comfortable there (even though I was messily eating a burger).

So adorable how she drew hearts around our totals <3 May try to get a foodie event to happen here! -- Sorry for the bad quality of pics, it was sort of dark in there! However, it didn't give me a dirty feeling as do many dimly lit establishments, which is a pro! =D