BBT Shop: And we have a winner!

Been hearing about this new bubble tea place and Adorables won their door prize of 10 free bubble teas, so why not drop by for free food (Thanks Adorables) =D

Restaurant: The BBT Shop (visit their website here)

Location: 4651 No. 3 Road, Richmond (under Superstore)
Cuisine: Coffee, Bubble Tea, Bubble Waffle
Price range: $5-10

Date of visit: January 31, 2015
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Staff/service: 5/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 5/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

I couldn't decide what drink to get, so opted for a Triple Decker Bubble Waffle ($6.25) instead. They said we could use the free bubble tea card like a gift card, so this was "on the house" aka on Adorables ^-^ The bubble waffle was crispy on the outside, chewy and moist on the inside! Also not overly sweet, it went well with the banana, strawberries, Nutella, and whipped cream. Yum!

First, they put in a lot of effort making the presentation beautiful. I love the care they put in. Secondly, the bubble waffles and other ingredients were very fresh and tasty. Finally, the interior was clean and open. I like the Rubik's cubes they put on every table! Gives you something to do, and if you solve one, you get a free drink! Can't wait to try other items on their menu =)

Sushi California: New menu, poor execution

BigBlackBab00n was back in townnn! Time for long overdue lunch =D Joined by LittleWeed, we hit up our fav jap place in the area, Sushi California. They had a new menu and looks renovated, quite nice now!

Restaurant: Sushi California

Location: 501 North Road, Coquitlam
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Price range: $10-15 per person



Date of visit: December 27, 2014
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 3/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

New to their menu was Hirame ($1.60). I found it a bit too fishy and "veiny". Tasted like a combination of Tai and Hamachi. Rice was cooked and seasoned well. Also got Kanpachi ($2.00), it was fresh and tasty. Flavors are light and the fish was flakey. Also a Chopped Scallop ($1.35) which was overflowing with scallop. It was a bit too saucy though. But fresh and delicious =D (all the nigiris were large size)

Also new to their menu were Fresh Oysters ($4.95). These were poorly executed. They were hit or miss. 2/4 were fresh, 2/4 were not parted from the shell, and one had a broken shell. Only one had no shell bits in the oyster.

They were slimey-- like they hadn't been cleaned at all. Flavors didn't go well with the oysters. Kinda sad, but what did I expect from a place like this? The other stuff was still great (rolls, noodles, etc).

Either way, I enjoyed my kanpachi and chopped scallop. Also ate some of LittleWeed's sushi =P Delish!

Sushimoto: Cheap and great lunch!

Met up with GirlNextDoor for lunch near Holdom Skytrain station, been wanting to try this place out for a while, finally did it!

Restaurant: Sushimoto

Location: 102-2201 Holdom Avenue, Burnaby
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Price range: $10-15 for lunch






Date of visit: August 20, 2014
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

One of their lunch specials was Chirashi ($9.00). I had never had a chirashi before (shame, I know), but my friends have often ordered them. I felt it was too much rice for a small eater like me. However, for this price, I was willing to try for the first time. Super glad I did. It was topped with 3 salmon, 3 tuna, 2 tamago, 2 tai, 1 ebi, 2 hokigai, and masago. I was surprised there was so much sashimi! I had just enough rice to go well with it (also can't believe I ate so much). Sashimi was fresh and everything was delicious.

I also ordered a Chopped Scallop Nigiri ($2.00) because I couldn't resist. Such a glutton. The scallop was fresh and the rice well done. Yum!

This is a great location for a cheap japanese lunch to fill bellies for under $10! Also, a convenient location, right underneath Holdom Station.

Look at the cool figurines they have at the bar ;D

DineOut 2015: Bistro 101

To start off our Dine Out 2015, Adorables and I hit up a location I wasn't able to visit last year! Super excited to be supporting other students, and trying this place out after hearing so many positive things from friends!!

Restaurant: Bistro 101 (visit their website here)

Location: 1505 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver
Cuisine: French, International, Pacific Northwest
Price range: $28+tips & tax





Date of visit: January 20, 2015
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 3/5
Food quality: 3/5
Buck worthy? 3/5

We had arrived earlier than booked time, so we had to wait a bit before they seated us, at our appointed time (6:00pm). Their dineout menu this year was $28.00. Our waiter promptly arrived at our table to inform us of the daily special on their menu. We were started with complimentary bread, of which we were only able to try a couple pieces, but were delicious!

We also got complimentary Ravioli (in wonton wraps). I found these interesting as the sauce overwhelmed the ravioli. Wrapping was cooked al dente. Otherwise nothing special.

For my appetizer, I ordered their special of the day, Pan Seared Scallops with an avocado mash. Visually, it was quite appealing (besides the fallen sweet potato chip). I found the scallops a wee undercooked, but were wonderfully seasoned-- very fresh. The highlight was the avocado mash which had avocado, onion, and herb. It was a bit spicy but so creamy. The chips were oily and soft, I was confused by them.

Adorables got the BC Smoked Salmon Roulade which had fresh crab, chives, and grapefruit. This was delectable. It was creamy but had some bite to it because of the deep fried salmon skin on top. I wish there were more grapefruit, as it added some tanginess to the rich flavor of the crab and salmon. Lovely plating.

For my entree, I ordered their special of the night, Pan-seared Arctic Char with Rice and Melons. The char was cooked nicely, moist and soft on the inside and a little bit of crisp on the outside. The melons were coated in a cream sauce, adding some sweetness to the dish, but felt out of place.

The rice was definitely overcooked. It was soft, dense, and mushy, perhaps they should consider getting a rice cooker. The zucchini on top was placed nicely! The charred leek on the side was too tough to eat (I'm not sure if it was meant to be eaten haha). At least they got the star of the dish right, that was some good fish!

Adorables ordered the Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Glazed Shallots, Chickpea Fries, and Watercress. Plating was nice, but I was surprised with the steak pieces, as it was pre-sliced. I expected a piece of steak. Anyways, it was tender and seasoned well, cooked to a medium, medium-rare as requested. Shallot melted in my mouth and was amazing. The chickpea fries were like BRICKS. Solid and bland, it could use a lot more seasoning and fluffing.

Onwards to dessert, I felt a bit childish giggling at my Vanilla Bavarian and Apples with Butter Pecan Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce. They had used diced apples and apple sauce, the apple sauce looked like little wormies going towards the Bavarian ^^" Anyhow, the Bavarian was light and fluffy, I wish there was more. The cookie under was also light, crispy, and fragrant. The ice cream was average, I couldn't figure out what they sat it on (it was a powder of some sort). I didn't have much of the apple sauce because it was too salty =/

Adorables ordered the Chocolate Caramel Tart with Caramel and Chocolate Crèmeux. The tart was lined with a soft, flakey crust, creamy chocolate and caramel layers. It was very smooth. Plating was also clean and neat. Wonderful dish.

Also complimentary, were a Raspberry Jelly, Chocolate (Dark and Milk), and Macarons (I'd been eyeing them all evening). The jelly was interesting, had some bite but not chewy. Chocolate was delicious, it was so rich and smooth. Macarons had caramel filling, not bad but I feel they weren't chewy and moist in the middle enough. But it was free, so I enjoyed them more =D

Overall it was a delightful evening, I enjoyed the service and food. Although a bit disappointed with food, I had a great date night along with all those free complimentary dishes they gave us =)

Shirakawa: Do I look like I'm 12?!

For CH's birthday, we chose this quaint restaurant nestled in the heart of Gastown. It was a bit difficult to find since it was tucked away in a little alley and their sign outside was dark and small ^^". Anyhow, the exterior looks classy and modern.

Restaurant: Shirakawa by Itoh Dining (visit their website here)

Location: 115-12 Water Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Drinks, Tapas
Price range: $25-$30+ per person





Date of visit: January 10, 2015
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Staff/service: 2/5
Food variety: 2/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 1/5

I did a little research before coming and was ecstatic to try their uni pasta. Sadly, I was informed they had no uni, and had to substitute with kani =( So I didn't get it. SexyNapkins had asked how big the portions were, and the waitress told her that usually 3-4 people share the dishes. I guess we misunderstood what she meant. Either way, BeautyQueen and BigGuns ordered before I could make up my mind.

One of the dishes they ordered was a salada (it was quite large), and this Salmon Nanban ($16.00). The presentation was beautiful, with the skin removed from the fish and fried. It sat on a bed of Shirakawa tartar sauce and aonori roasted potatoes.

LadyH ordered a Gindara ($15.00) which was saikyo miso marinated black cod on a bed of sauteed mushrooms and sundried tomato. There were a two sweet peas in there too. First thing, we were all surprised by how TINY the portion was. Sure, it's known for high quality ingredients, but I didn't hear about how stingy they were with it. It was oily but tasty, the fish was cooked well. LadyH wished there were more on her plate.

Adorables suggested their wagyu beef options, so I chose the Wagyu Tataki ($20.00). It was snake river wagyu beef with garlic soy and walla walla onions. There were some tomatoes too. Sadly, after ordering this (I was indecisive and took longer than everyone else), the waitress snatched the menu out of my hands, stating "It's made of paper and you'll get it dirty". DO I LOOK LIKE I'M TWELVE YEARS OLD?! I still wanted to order one more thing for Adorables (he was late), but she wouldn't give it back until I asserted my need for said menu and I would take GOOD CARE of her paper =.= So rude of her.

It was beautiful plating and beef was nicely marbled. I rolled everything up together and the taste was amazing! The portion definitely was not meant to be shared. There were five pieces of thinly sliced beef on top of about a cup of onions. Too much soy sauce at the end it overwhelmed the beef.

It was too busy of a night so they couldn't make us Buta Don, so we settled with Kakuni ($15.00). It was braised pork belly, sweet slow cooked gala apple, crisp onions, soy reduction with karashi mustard. Honestly, the pork itself was delicious. It melted in my mouth with the layers of fat and tender meat.

The apple tasted more like pear, the wasabi was very strong, and the onions were out of place. There were six pieces of 1" x 1" x 1.5" pork cubes. Needless to say, this was a tiny portion size.

Everyone left hungry, because as poor starving students, we couldn't afford any more. I guess it's just not our kind of place to hang. The ambiance and environment was nice though. Service could use some upgrading. I can see the effort and care put into each of their dishes though, the flavors just made me want more... or was it the portion size? xD 

YEW: Affordable fancy brunch

Happy new year everyone!! First post of this year! My blogger resolution is to finish all my draft posts and actually publish them! What's yours?

Restaurant: Yew Seafood & Bar (visit their website here)

Location: 791 Georgia Street, Vancouver (inside Four Seasons Hotel)
Cuisine: Seafood, wine, breakfast/brunch
Price range: $25+ per person




Date of visit: January 3, 2015
Atmosphere: 5/5
Staff/service: 4.5/5
Food variety: 3/5
Food quality: 5/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

To start off the new year, met up with friends from high school for a nice little brunch! You get to choose a main and add $10 to make it three courses (add appie, $11 regularly, and dessert, $9 regularly), pretty good deal! None of us could decide what to get and eventually everyone got three courses! Brunch is offered Saturday and Sunday 11:30am-2:30pm :)

We were started with complimentary Mini Donuts with a side of Strawberry and Raspberry Puree. These were deliciously chewy yet fluffy. The puree was amazing. Not quite jam but went very well with the donuts (and not to mention the pancakes which arrived later).

Some had no holes, but tasted the same (just more deep fried goodness!)

I ordered an Albacore Tuna Tataki for my first course, and the presentation was beautiful. It was lightly seared tuna slices topped with celery hearts, green apple, spicy ginger vinaigrette, and walnuts. Instead of the green apple I got tart grapes (I guess they switched it out), which was fine if they weren't eaten alone. Eating one alone made me gag. If one could manage getting all the ingredients into one bite, the flavors complimented each other well and was a burst of sweet, sour, and salty together. Amazing!

Starfish ordered Buttermilk Pancakes it was topped with walnuts, caramel (?), and bananas. These were super fluffy and didn't cause that odd gritty feel afterwards in my mouth. Super satisfying. Everyone seemed to enjoy them too!

Now, FrostieToots ordered their Seafood Chowder, which had cod, apple, and... I forgot what other ingredients but it was a lighter chowder. She enjoyed it and it looked quite full of ingredients. Pistaccio ordered Root Vegetables. This actually looked the fanciest with Smoked Ricotta (thought it tasted more like goat), Carrots, Beets, and Hazelnut "soil". She said it was good.

Onto our mains, FrostieToots and Pistaccio both ordered the Lobster Benny ($22.00) and swapped the back bacon for avocado mash (as per our waitress' suggestion). Simple, nice presentation there was lobster, avocado, Romesco, Hollandaise, and poached eggs on an English muffin. I tried some of the potatoes on the side, they were perfectly cooked. It looked like a lot of lobster in the benny too. Pistaccio noted that the Hollandaise was very tart, and I agree. They added their twist to it with lemon and basil.

SunStar ordered a 'BLTA' Open Faced ($15.00) and it was giant. Also a bit hard to work at because there was so much in there! This was crushed avocado, double smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, topped with sunny eggs on Brioche. It looked like a tower of food. The egg presentation was a bit unappealing though, they reminded me of side boobs =/ But that was only me thinking it xD

Finally, for myself, I got Pork Belly and Eggs ($18.00). This intrigued me because of the Root Beer Braised Pork. It was topped with Gluten-free Corn Bread, Jalapeno, Apple, and Poached Eggs. The pork was delicious with the bread and apple mixed in some egg yolk: moist, sweet and tender. Beautiful. The poached eggs were well executed as they looked like marshmallows and held its contents after I rolled it around a bit.

I love the shape of the corn bread because it made it easy to portion off while eating, but by itself, it was really bland. Overall this was a wonderfully prepared dish.

Onto dessert! FrostieToots got the Butterscotch Pudding which had caramelized figs and toasted hazelnuts with some sort of biscuit/cookie thing. The pudding itself was creamy and rich, but the biscuits were just odd things in the cup. There was some sort of cherry drizzle on top too, but I didn't taste it much overall.
Pistaccio was disappointed with her Panna Cotta, which FrostieToots quite enjoyed haha! I agree with Pistaccio that the texture of the panna cotta was off... It was far too soft and fluid. Almost like it was overcooked or the egg/cream had curdled. The flavor was light with a perfume-y aftertaste. The description allured her though, with Imperial Black Tea Panna Cotta, Black Seasame Seed Crumble, Pineapple Compote, and Passion Fruit Sorbet. I thought the sorbet was refreshingly tart, but after her tart Hollandaise sauce, this was too much tart for brunch.

SunStar and I both ordered the Warm Chocolate Cake because well, warm. Chocolate. Cake. It came with a side of Whiskey & Fig ice cream with caramel sauce and chocolate crumble. I was amused by the ice cream because it barely melted. I could definitely taste the whiskey with hints of fig, quite liked it with the cake.

The chocolate cake was super moist but not quite like a brownie. It was fluffy yet solid and melted in my mouth.

Can't believe we finished everything! It was very satisfying with wonderful service, lovely company, and beautiful surroundings. Well worth the buck!