Benjarong Thai: Mini portions, all too sweet

Been craving pad thai for a while now, so why not use my Groupon deal?

Restaurant: Benjarong Thai Cuisine (visit their website here)

Location: 2120 West Broadway, Vancouver
Cuisine: Thai
Price range: $25+ per person



Date of visit: September 9, 2015
Atmosphere: 3/5
Staff/service: 3/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 2/5
Buck worthy? 2/5

The Groupon was $25 for a Three-Course Thai Dinner for Two (one shared appetizer, two entrees, and one shared dessert). Felt like a pretty good deal, and we also ordered a bit more on the side. Our first appie was Crispy Calamari ($6.00). There were four pieces on the plate, the batter was soggy and oily-- and the mayo sauce made it more sickeningly unappetizing. Honestly expected a crispier experience with more pieces.

Our other appie was the New Zealand Mussel with Thai Herb ($6.50). This was less disappointing, but again, tiny portion with 6 mussels in the pot. The broth the mussels were cooked in was overwhelmingly herby to the point the mussels didn't taste like mussels. Neither were the mussels fresh... they were just frozen mussels. The house special spicy seafood dipping sauce was good though, with a hint of mint in it!

Onto the mains, I ordered a Pad Thai with Chicken ($12.00) to curb my cravings. I think they have an abundance of sugar in the kitchen, as this was super sweet. I felt like I was having dessert for a main. Aside from that, the noodles were nice and chewy and the beansprouts added a refreshing texture to the dish. Might I also mention is was very oily?

Our second main was a Choo Chee Prawn and Scallop Curry ($15.00). This had 4 large prawns, 4 scallops, and some veggies. It came with a bowl of rice and again, the curry itself was too sweet. The scallops were cooked well and the shrimp were fresh. Didn't quite care for this curry but it was one of the better things of the meal.

I ordered a Guava Juice ($2.50) to go with my meal and this was definitely from a can and well, nothing special. Adorables had an equally underwhelming Thai Iced Coffee ($3.00).

The Mango Sticky Rice 1P ($5.95) was by far the highest ranked item on the list of things I'd like to send back to the kitchen. Aside it from being tiny, the rice was hard. Yes, it had undercooked bits mixed with overcooked bits. They got the flavor down, but how can you mess up opening up a can of coconut milk to pour over dessert? The mango was sweet and perfectly ripe though, quite the MVP of this meal.

I don't know if portion sizes are different if we're using a Groupon, but if they weren't... Their prices aren't a good reflection of the quality and quantity delivered. Service was mediocre, they were friendly but it did take some effort to flag anyone down for anything. And as much as I love sweets, I won't be back.

Kibo: I prefer my meals without mice around. Thanks.

Adorables got a Groupon ($11 for $30 of food) for this place, so we decided to hit it up before it expired! When I arrived it was empty, I had the restaurant to myself. Oh well, probably because it's a random Wednesday night.

Restaurant: Kibo Restaurant and Lounge (visit their website here)

Location: 1261 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Price range: $15+ per person




Date of visit: February 25, 2015
Atmosphere: 0/5 (mice? No thanks)
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 1/5

Server was very friendly and attentive, I was seated promptly and he brought me some water to start. I knew I wanted to try their Salmon Tartare ($8.00) because it sounded amazing online. Presentation was nice, with the tower of salmon tartare in the middle surrounded by four oba tempura pieces. It looked like a flower. 

The tartare was light, refreshing and a bit tart. I liked the cilantro and their use of sockeye salmon. Made it less fatty than others I've had. Oba was great as a chip to scoop the salmon tartare into our mouths. Fresh and crispy! Loved this dish!

As we sat waiting for our other dishes, little critters joined us at the restaurant (besides another couple who also walked in and were seated next to us). I mean mice. YEAH. MICE AT SUCH A NICE ESTABLISHMENT. I was scared for my life. Too bad they were camera-shy. I was tempted to ask if they were pets, but refrained. It was the first time seeing a live mouse for me though. Kinda lost my appetite at this point and was super worried I would die from the food. Our Kibo Roll ($13.00) showed up all pretty. I ate it anyways. It was an avocado and cucumber roll topped with seared tuna and salmon. The Kibo sauce consisted of ginger and radish, but it overwhelmed the whole roll. Far too tangy, gingery, and salty, taking it off, the roll was far more enjoyable. Adorables also mentioned it was too saucy (the bottom was all sauce), which I agreed with.

Finally, the Crazy Roll ($12 online but they charged us $13) arrived. Visually appealing, Adorables was not impressed by the texture of the roll. The deep fried garlic chips on top stuck to our teeth and disrupted the creaminess of the whole roll. The spicy negitoro and avocado went well together as the spiciness cut the sickening feeling of super creamy avocado. I took the roll to go though, the mice kept running around and I just couldn't focus on eating. Nor did I have much of an appetite.

Service was not bad, but sadly, I won't return because of their vermin problem. I hope they'll fix it, but I checked online for their food inspection and it wasn't listed. I guess its a new problem. I'm still breathing, so I guess the mice were just around the store front. First time in my life that there was no tip to the meal. Adorables mentioned that if it were busier we would have never known. Maybe ignorance is bliss sometimes...

Chiffon Belgium Waffle Bar: Unexpected dessert in an industrial area!

So there was a groupon for this place, $15 for two waffles plus two drinks! Sounds like a good deal and not too far from home, so I brought my parents here to try!

Restaurant: Chiffon Belgian Waffle Bar (visit their website here)

Location: 100-1485 Coast Meridian Road, Port Coquitlam
Cuisine: Dessert
Price range: <$10





Date of visit: August 22, 2014
Atmosphere: 3/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

I totally imagined it to be located in a more urban area, but nope! It was located right next to a bunch of industrial places with lots of giant trailers and a gravel lot. We were quite skeptical walking in as it was under another name (with Chiffon Belgium Waffle Bar written on the side). Anyhow, we walked in and it was kinda homey and the friendly staff seated us promptly.

We looked through their comprehensive menu to find they offered a myriad of dishes from western and Chinese cuisines. Decided on a large Wor Wonton soup ($8.99) and there were 12 wontons (I kinda lost count) and it was packed full of meats and veggies. Quite delicious, they were pork wontons (which my mom didn't care for much because she likes shrimp ones).

Here is the tea. We got Sencha and Earl Grey which were both quite good, both fragrant and light-- the way I like teas. Came on a cute tray with cups, they even gave us an extra cup because there were three of us ^-^

Seeing as their seasonal special was the Berry Berry ($8.50), we got that. It was an assortment of seasonal berries with raspberry cheesecake gelato on top of waffles. The berries included blueberrries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. I really liked the gelato as it was tart and sweet but so creamy!! Waffles were nice and crispy on the outside and soft and chewy inside. Surprisingly beautiful and delicious for a place located in the middle on an industrial park!

We also ordered a Hazelnut waffle ($8.50) which was topped with vanilla gelato and hazelnuts. I found this more generic but still quite good!

Now, I enjoyed this a lot but realize it's closed? (super late post, sorry) Anyhow, it was good while it lasted, hope they come back!

Munchie Adventure: Caché Bistro & Lounge, Yaletown, Vancouver

Since I was going to the Christmas Market, and Groupon had reminded me that I haven't used this yet, I decided to come here, since it was in the same area =) It was a $20 for lunch for two deal, very good! ^-^

Restaurant: Name (visit their website here)
Location:
Cuisine:
Price range:




Date of visit: December 3, 2012
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 5/5
Food variety: 3/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 5/5 (mainly because of the Groupon =P)

Greeted and seated by a friendly waiter (not sure, maybe he was a host/ owner haha), we were quickly seated and given the Groupon deal menu. Then another waiter came over and explained how it worked to us, and brought us drinks to get us started.

The tea came in a nice set, I liked how they used cloth for the teabags instead of the normal paper. Tea was average quality though. At least it had a nice presentation =P

CL decided on their Pasta A La Carte: Seafood Medley + Pesto Sauce + Fettuccine + nuts + cheese. It looked very good, but he said it was too oily that it soon became too overwhelming to finish.

I *almost* got the same thing, but decided I wanted Alfredo sauce instead =) So mines was Seafood Medley + Alfredo Sauce + Fettuccine + cheese. It wasn't a bad choice! The pasta was done very well, and there was a plentiful amount of seafood on top. The sauce had a gritty texture to it that I didn't quite like though =(

Dessert time =D There were three options, I regret not getting the Pavlova, because it looked really good. I decided to stayed safe and ordered their Crème brûlée instead. It was more watery than the kind I usually have, but so smooth and creamy. It was really delicious! The sugar on top was crunchy, but might've worked out better if the sides weren't as thick, it was hard to crack! =P

CL got their Cold Lemon Soufflé, and I tasted some of it too, it was quite lemony and light. A good end to a nice meal =)

Service was great, and the food was good too, so I don't know why it was so empty in there. Honestly speaking though, for the portion size they gave, I wouldn't pay the full price to dine here. The pasta was a good size for me, but I'm pretty sure most people wouldn't be too happy with the petite size.