Category Archives: kid friendly

Cactus Club Cafe English Bay

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The new Cactus Club Cafe at English Bay has not only become known for its amazing view but it’s also a place where you could find a 90 minute or more wait for a table at dinner.  I made my visit on a lunch hour so I was able to get a table on the patio without a problem.

The location does have all the favorite items on the Cactus Club menu but there are also a couple of dishes that are completely unique to this location.

I started with the Ravioli and Prawn Trio.  A Rob Feenie Signature Dish.  Tender jumbo prawns and silky butternut squash filling team up with a rich truffle infused sauce and pine nuts.  I was really surprised how rich this dish would be-it was a filling appy and surprised me for only being 3 ravioli.  The pasta was Al dente and the right thickness for being fresh pasta.  This is a winning dish that I would order again

Tuna tataki and prawn salad with mango, cucumber, radish, crispy shallots and a yuzu vinaigrette for $17.  Another Rob Feenie Signature Dish. I like salads and this was a winner for me, the tart yuzu/soy dressing was a perfect compliment to the tuna and prawns.  The seafood and fish were really fresh and the tuna melted in my mouth, the prawns were plump and juicy.  The greens in the salad were also nice and fresh, the mango was the star of the mix and I would have loved more in it.  Again I’d order this and recommend it for a nice light but filling lunch.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bar – with Tahitian vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and crunchy chocolate pearls.  This tasted like a gourmet Wunderbar!  The caramel sauce was thick and rich.  The chocolate bar itself was amazing, it melted in my mouth and the peanut butter flavor was just right.  The ice cream was rich, creamy and smooth with the perfect amount of vanilla flavor.  This is a must try for peanut butter and chocolate fans.

At the end of the day I had a great lunch and with a great selection of items I’d say it’s a great fit for a leisure lunch or romantic dinner with that killer English Bay sunset that we all love so much.

Cactus Club Cafe (English Bay) on Urbanspoon

Brunch at Ensemble Tap

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Not only does Ensemble Tap and Dale MacKay serve up a kick butt lunch and dinner but now he’s taking it one step further by offering up weekend brunch!

the menu

I was invited by the Ensemble Tap team to check out the new brunch menu on the inaugural weekend and I couldn’t have been happier to oblige so I brought @MaryInVancity along with me, the menu is varied with benny’s and other egg dishes, pancakes, a couple burgers and classics like steak and eggs, so without further a due~let’s brunch!

fresh brewed coffee,$3

Guava Mimosa~Fresh squeezed Guava juice with Cava,$6

We started off with some a couple of cups of Casa Del Cafe coffee, it was a nice medium roast and our cups were kept topped up through out our meal.  Also we checked out the guava mimosa, price at $6 each it’s a great value and a nice twist with the guava juice instead of the traditional orange juice.

I went with the Crispy Bacon Pancakes with Maple Butter and Caramelized Apples for $11.  These aren’t your mom’s pancakes, they were light and fluffy and the bacon that is mixed into the batter was a perfect touch~bacon and maple in every bite!  The caramelized apple topping served on the side was a nice touch and worked well with all the flavors.

Mary chose the Brisket Benny, two poached eggs, hollandaise, home fries
and mixed greens for $13.  The sign of a perfectly cooked egg is this:

perfect runny yolks on the eggs is what is prized in this dish and it sure didn’t disappoint, the hollandaise sauce was tangy and rich so if you get this bad boy make sure to order some toast so wipe up all that yummy egg goodness!  The brisket is more like a Jewish braised brisket so when you bite in think of the flavor of Montreal Smoked Meat and not Texas BBQ.

We had a great time dining on the great brunch creations on the menu at Ensemble Tap and I’m already looking forward to my next meal~they have a pulled pork, baked bean and poached egg dish that sounds delish so if you’re looking for something new or different from your regular brunch spot be sure to check out Ensemble Tap’s weekend Brunch from 11am-2pm and get your eat on!

**Disclosure~Myself and Mary were guests of Ensemble Tap and our meals and drinks were courtesy of Ensemble Tap but or experience and opinions are completely our own.**

Ensemble Tap on Urbanspoon

A Tale Of 3 Chicken Sandwiches

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Lately I’ve noticed that I eat a lot of sandwiches when I’m out so here is a brief sampling of 3 of the latest chicken sammy’s I’ve chowed down on lately.

First up is the cheapest out of the bunch, it’s Mc Donald’s new “McBistro” line of chicken sandwiches and came in at $5.99 before taxes.   I chose the crispy version of this because I was of the understanding that it was a new version of the crispy breast they had before but the sandwich I got from my local Mickey D’s had the old breast and came packaged in the old line of sandwich boxes but was on the new whole wheat bun, I went with the BLT version out of the 3 choices, the tomatoes could have been fresher and I took them off after taking the picture~you could tell they weren’t sliced that day and the chicken was really tough.  In the end it was a meh kinda sandwich and let’s just say I wont be having another one~there pretty much the same line of “Supreme” sandwiches they had previous but just on a different bun.

Next up and in the middle position price wise is the Fatburger Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich, it was the special of the day so the combo ended up only costing me $9.79 plus tax.  I’ve never had the grilled chicken sandwich at Fatburger before, the chicken breast was nicely seasoned with a lemon pepper blend and had a nice tang, it was juicy and tender, toppings wise it was kept simple with lettuce, tomato, mayo and pickles.  I must say that I really like the fries here compared to other fast food places, there crisp and tender on the inside and seasoned with a bit of salt, also there cooked to order which makes all the difference.

Lastly we have The Big Chick from Vera’s Burger Shack over in Kits, again I stopped in on the day when all combo specials were available so the combo ended up costing me around $12 after taxes.  The Vera’s crew marinade this chicken breast in bourbon and the burger is topped with sautéed onions, provolone cheese and bacon, veggie wise it had lettuce, tomato and a pickle.  I’ve had this before when I first tried Vera’s and it’s a good chicken sandwich but for some reason this one refused to stay in the bun and the chicken breast slid out more with each bite so needless to say this gets the messiest sandwich award.  On a flavor note I’d suggest getting cheddar or something else as the cheese on this because the provolone totally dominated this and it wasn’t a good thing.  My meal also came with fries and a drink, the fries here are hand cut and fried to order but the ones that I got needed to be cooked more and lacked seasoning so  2/3 of the basket were not eaten but at the end of the day it’s not about the fries and the chicken sandwich was good and the quality of the toppings were there.

So out of the 3 sandwiches I’ve mentioned the one at Fatburger is the one that I’d go back for or eat instead of a burger, the seasoning on the chicken was unlike I’ve had at any other place in Vancouver and definitely made the sandwich standout against the others.

McDonald's (Robson & Bidwell) on Urbanspoon

Fatburger (Dunsmuir) on Urbanspoon

Vera's Burger Shack (Kits) on Urbanspoon

Suika Japanese Snack Bar

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A place that I have been wanting to hit up for a while is Suika on West Broadway and knowing that Mary has been here before and loves it we set off to have a Wednesday night adventure.

The space is great and there were a couple large groups when we were having dinner~the space is set up great for a mix of different party sizes and I really liked the Sake bottle light fixture. It is a izakaya so the volume of the place is quite loud with the Japanese welcomes as diners come into the restaurant and adds to the atmosphere that’s for sure.

The drink selection here is great, I love my beer and always order a Asahi Black if it’s on the menu and Mary went with a pint of Sapporo. Despite the Asahi being really dark it’s actually a smooth light beer and should be tried if you’ve never had it before.

My Ebi Mayo, cilantro battered prawns served with house made chili mayo for $7.80 you get 6 large prawns.  This was some of the best ebi mayo I have ever had, the prawns were nice and plump and the batter wasn’t too thick or too greasy.

After reading great things about it I had to get an order of Suika’s Sweet Corn Kakiage, this lightly battered sweet corn was like  a corn fritter and was enjoyed by the both of us, the individual corn kernels would pop in your mouth when eating them because of the frying.  I’d totally order this dish again.

Miso Marinated Grilled Sable Fish was the last item we ordered off the menu, for $9 it was a decent piece of sable fish for 1 person but not to share~the end that I go had a ton of bones in it~I found 10 and stopped counting.  The skin of the fish was nice and crisp from the grilling so if you like crispy fish skin this dish is worth ordering despite my problem with my dish.

We had a great time at Suika and will definitely be back, we got to try some other dishes on this visit that will be part of another post coming up so please stay tuned for my upcoming flavor town adventure next this time next week.

Suika on Urbanspoon

 

Wikipedia: An izakaya is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks. →

The Boathouse English Bay

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For my next Dine Out 2012 dinner I was in the mood for some steak and with a long day behind me I didn’t want to go far so going to the Boathouse restaurant at English Bay was a no brainer seeing I live around the corner from it.

The views of English Bay are great and the patio that is open in the summertime is one of Vancouver’s best and should not be missed if you’re visiting the city.

They are offering 2 choices of menu’s~one for $28 and one for $38, both are 3 courses and offer some pretty appealing dishes, I went with the $28 choice and I was really happy with that choice.

For my appy I went with the Firecracker Shrimp, in this Dine Out portion size I got 10 nice big shrimp, the sauce was buttery and there was some heat in it form chili and some grape tomatoes in the dish, served along with it was a black olive bread that was perfect for dunking in that nice sauce that came with the shrimp~I’d order this again without hesitation on a future visit.

For my main I went with their 7oz Sirloin with Lobster Thermidor topping, the topping included shrimp, lobster, mushrooms in a sherry cream sauce.

The steak was cooked perfectly to my liking and was juicy and tender, I would have liked to see more lobster in the topping on my steak but it was delicious none the less.

The dish was served with a side of broccolini and buttered mashed potatoes~both were great and a nice accompaniment to the steak.  This dish alone is $28 on the menu so the rest of the meal was like a bonus!

For my dessert I went with their New York Cheesecake with a berry compote, it was a killer, rich thick cheesecake that anybody that likes cheesecake would dig!

Over all my Dine Out meal was totally worth $28 and shows a great value for money with you leaving with a full belly.

Boathouse (West End) on Urbanspoon

The Templeton-Quality Food,Snappy Service!

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One place that packs them in every day is The Templeton Cafe on Granville Street.  The Templeton has occupied the space since the mid ’90′s but it’s been a diner since 1939 so the old school fixtures and vibe inside is totally authentic.

The place usually dies down around 1:30-2pm on the weekdays so it was a great time to visit and grab one of my favorite things and snap some pictures.

The shakes here are not to be missed, there made with hand scooped hard ice cream and whole milk, served in the mixing tin but glasses are available if you ask.  There thick and rich just like they were made back in the 50′s.

They also make custom made sodas as well, in the summer I’ve had many a cherry limeade made with fresh limes and cherry syrup and soda~crisp and refreshing it’s a diner classic.

This is the 777 Burger Platter, it’s a 100% certified lean organic beef on a sesame kaiser bun, all burgers come with mayo, lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickle and your choice of soup or mixed organic greens or house chipped fries or garlic mashed potatoes,  For $10.50 it’s a solid choice if you’re a burger lover.

The burgers here are really juicy and the organic beef is a great choice.

Fries here are classic skin on, thick cut chips, crisp and seasoned with some pepper as well as salt, you get a nice portion of them and they aren’t greasy.

If you find yourself downtown you should definitely check out The Templeton, it’s totally kid friendly and your sure to find something to satisfy your appetite with the varied menu that goes from breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Templeton on Urbanspoon

Acacia Fillo Bar-A Hidden Gem In A Foodies Paradise

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Hidden away in Denman Street between Delaney’s Coffee Shop and Fatburger is Acacia Fillo Bar. I’ve walked by here a million times not knowing the hidden gem that was right beneath my eyes.

Opened in 2005 by Vera and Ziggy, Vera is bringing traditional Bulgarian baking and comes from a family in the restaurant business and she a owned a successful restaurant and catering company in her home country before coming to Canada.

The service here is warm and friendly, the staff are ready to answer any questions you might have, it’s a comfortable, relaxing place to enjoy breakfast and read the paper with your coffee and a lot of the locals seem to believe that we well-it was constantly busy on both of my visits and pretty much everyone I saw eat the compliment the chef of how good everything was and I totally agree with them!

The signature dish here is the Banitza, it’s like a layered phyllo pie but the layers are end to end instead of on top of each other~it’s totally delicious and a must try for your 1st visit.

This is the spinach and feta banitza, all of the banitza’s have eggs in them but you state the other fillings more than the egg, the feta used here is from Bulgaria and all the phyllo here is made from scratch, what really got me was this~from a photographers point of view

the individual compartments of flavor and layers of phyllo and how they translate in a  picture~OK now back to the food!, I loved this dish!

It was served with a small spinach salad with balsamic dressing and a side of plain yogurt with pepper~both the salad dressing and yoghurt help cut the richness of the banitza, for $8.50 it was a great meal and a solid value.

Next up is the leek, feta and egg banitza, just like the spinach but leek this time, the flavor on this one was more savory because of the leek and the feta stood out more on this one as well~again another delicious dish and the same price as the spinach and feta banitza.

Lastly I tried something else on the menu~a filled Phyllo, this one was mushrooms and spinach

This was made fresh because they were out at the time, the filling was simple~just spinach and sautéed mushrooms, it was ok but I enjoyed the other items I had more, there were also 2 different sides with this main

a simple salad like with my other meals

and roasted potatoes and yams, these I really liked, the yams were nicely seasoned and so were the potatoes.  This meal was a  bit more than what I had before-$16 and change including a can of pop.

At the end of the day I enjoyed my visits here and am definitely going to make it a regular breakfast spot, if you find yourself in the area and want to try something a little different check Acacia Fillo Bar out, they are also open for dinner and have a selection desserts made in-house as well as catering services available.

Acacia Fillo Bar on Urbanspoon

Mucho Burrito-Fast Casual in the West End

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Mucho Burrito opened its doors in the summer of 2011 and the people are eating up the fresh take on take on Texmex classics. With locations across Canada and some in the states it’s a better option than Taco Bell or Taco Time-these guys here are cooking real food here right in front of your eyes so you know your not getting any mystery meat here!

Here is what there all about according to their website:

“Get ready to change your tune about what you think Mexican food is! Mucho Burrito™ hits just the right notes with our made-to-order gourmet Mexican menu. Just one taste of our hand-rolled burritos, tacos and quesadillas will tell you how much effort we put into our mouthwatering products. We’ve put a fresh gourmet spin on Mexican food! Our tender “barbacoa” (shredded beef) and “carnitas” (shredded pork) are slow-cooked (about 8 hours!), retaining the tantalizing flavor of the Mexican seasonings we amply apply. There’s a reason these meats are marinated overnight – it’s called “succulent!” Delicious salsas and guacamole are made daily. Mucho Burrito™ offers it all in a bright, fun contemporary atmosphere you’re sure to love.”
Johnny Mucho

I will say it was refreshing to see real meats being grilled in the open kitchen and veggies being sautéed in fresh batches as needed for the burritos and other dishes-something you don’t usually see at fast food restaurants.

This review is based on a couple visits, on my 1st visit I went with the 12″ medium Barbacoa burrito with guacamole for .99 cents extra and a side of black bean and corn salsa with tortilla chips for $2.09 more, they also have a selection of Mexican soda’s-Jarritos, that I quite like so I grabbed a pineapple soda.

One think I will say is that this meal came out to just about 15 bucks-a bit on the expensive side for a meal for one but the ingredients were really fresh and it tasted just fine, the beef was flavorful and melt in your mouth tender. It was packed with ingredients and then grilled in a press resulting in a crisp top and bottom but on the other hand it was a pain and a mess to eat and ended up falling apart.

They have a selection of salsas you can add to your burrito-I went with the green tomatillo, it was pretty mild and you can also add fresh chopped jalapeño for some spice then if you want more heat they have a selection of hot sauces up front for your enjoyment.

The black bean and corn salsa that I chose is one of the options to have in your burrito so it wasn’t a wet salsa like you would expect so eating it with the chips was a bit hard and it’s better off used in the dishes, they had the traditional mild,medium and hot salsas to choose from for your chips, the chips were hot and fresh and fried on site I think, packaged up in little brown paper bags and placed in a warming cabinet up front, it was a nice touch from just plain old cold bagged tortilla chips.

On my 2nd visit I decided to go with what I would usually have-a burrito salad for $8.99, this time I chose the carnitas-slow roasted shredded pork-one of my favorites. Again I went with pretty much the same stuff as I had in the burrito but the rice is replaced with lettuce, you also can choose your beans-pinto or black-in both cases I went with black beans. This was a good meal and was just what I was expecting, the pork was flavorful and tender. Again my meal came in at the $13 mark after taxes.

To wash it all down I chose a grapefruit Jarritos and I’d recommend it to anyone-it’s super refreshing and tastes just like the pop named Squirt that is sold in the USA.

With the choices in meats-they even have chorizo as a choice and the quality if the proteins Mucho Burrito is set apart from similar TexMex fast food places but the price for a meal won’t have me coming back when there are better price options for me closer to my apartment but it’s a good option if you work in the area or are just looking for a quick TexMex meal.

Mucho Burrito (Davie) on Urbanspoon

Tossed

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A new option for healthy quick eats has opened it’s doors in the Downtown core and I wouldn’t call it fast food but rather good food fast. The Tossed chain is from the USA and the location in downtown Vancouver is the first and only in Canada.

The interior is bright and modern and goes with the healthy eating concept, the food is prepared when you order it but everything is packed to go~even if your eating in, you can order online for pickup in advance right now but eventually going to get there online ordering system to the point where they will deliver your food to you in your office downtown, they also do catering.

The menu is really diverse compared to other options like this in the fast casual market, they offer custom made salads as well as chef created choices, soups, sandwiches, panini, smoothies and desserts as well as something I haven’t seen before-fat free, whole wheat buttermilk crepe wraps.

On my first visit I was served by the owner of the location, he was very helpfully with suggestions and answered any questions I had.

I went with the Turkey Crepe Wrap for $7.95, it had smoked turkey, smoked bacon, romaine hearts and chopped tomato with mayo.

It was a was a good lunch but the smoked bacon flavor over took the wrap and the turkey flavor was muted, as for the crepe as a wrap I really like it compared to a tortilla, the texture and flavor were light and showcased the ingredients in the wrap. Your wrap comes in some white paper-keep it on and peal it down as eating otherwise your wrap will be a mess to eat-I removed the paper to get a photo and have learned my lesson, also you might want to not get them to cut it in half and eat it like a burrito.

On my 2nd visit I went with something I saw on There Is Always Room , Heather raved about the soups here and I had to try them-I love some good soup, they had Mushroom Bisque or Chicken Noodle, I went with the bisque as part of there Tossed 2 combo for $7.95, you get your choice of daily soup or 1/2 salad (Caesar, spinach or vegetarian) and 1/2 a sandwich or panini.

The soup was totally delicious, it had a mix of wild mushrooms in it including shitaki, the flavor of the broth was nice and rich in a good mushroom way, it wasn’t a creamy mushroom soup that’s for sure~I licked my bowl clean and would order a large bowl of this again.

I chose the roast beef sandwich for my main on multigrain bread, it had baby arugula, roasted red peppers and thousand island dressing.  It was one good sandwich, the bread was nice soft yet it totally held together, the thousand island dressing was light in taste and worked with all the ingredients~something I never would have put on a sandwich, the arugula and roasted peppers provided a nice savory note and were a nice change from the typical lettuce and tomato for a roast beef sandwich.

I think Tossed is a great healthy option that fits with the lifestyle of a lot of people who live in Vancouver, they also offer a gluten free menu, it’s a great addition to the Vancouver Good Food Fast Scene!

You can order and check out there menu online by clicking here

Tossed on Urbanspoon

The Spot Cafe

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The west End and specifically Robson and Denman is packed with dining options that span the ends of the earth but if you’re looking for a regular mom and pop coffee shop The Spot Cafe fills that roll quite nicely.

It has all the usual sandwiches and salads that you would expect to find as well as wraps and Panini sandwiches.  The owners work right in the restaurant and are there to answer any questions you might have, I’m not sure how many generations of the Korean family work here but it looked like the owner’s elderly parents and his kids all work behind the counter and making the food so you really do get the vibe of a family operation.

They offer some drinks sweetened with cane sugar and can be found in these glass bottles~it’s just like the sprite from the 70′s before corn syrup started screwing everything up!

I feel like a good test for a place besides trying an omelet is to try a clubhouse!~just kidding~I love’s me some clubhouse sandwiches and that’s what I felt like having, they do there’s here with house roasted shredded chicken instead of the sliced stuff you find at most places.  I watched the older lady making this and it was she was delicately assembling a bomb ~a food bomb that is, she was precise in her placement of all the ingredients down to each piece of chicken.  I used to work above a Korea run sandwich shop on Homer Street for a couple of years and it was they had some of the most well prepared sandwiches I have ever had and this place reminds me of it completely.

I watched the older lady making this and it was she was delicately assembling a bomb-a food bomb that is, she was precise in her placement of all the ingredients down to each piece of chicken.  I used to work above a Korean run sandwich shop on Homer Street for a couple of years and it was they had some of the most well prepared sandwiches I have ever had and this place reminds me of it completely.  For $7.95 it was a good value and a solid sandwich and I’d come back and eat here again for sure.

The X Spot Cafe on Urbanspoon