Category Archives: Mederteranian

FIRST imPRESTONS aka Pork,Bacon,Bacon

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Kev and Bill have teamed up with the Coal Harbor eatery Prestons in the Coast Hotel and are bringing you a 3 course meal with choice 1 of 2 entrees, it’s all great eats in the end and if you’re a bacon or pork eater this baby is for you.

@MaryInVancity was selected by VANEATS.ca to preview and review this package and this time I tagged along as a unofficial reviewer and plain old hungry eater!

I’ve been to Prestons before and the place doesn’t disappoint, the room is split up into 3 spaces~a long table and booth seating area in the front of house along with the bar area and the other half of the room is more of a private and intimate space with high-backed booths and some tables so larger groups can be accommodated.  We made our visit in the afternoon for photographic purposes so in the evening it’s a lot darker and also this is a dinnertime package so please take that into account when dining.

The first course is a trio of appys~Dungeness Crab Cake, Prestons Pulled Pork Poutine and Chicken Karaage.

First up is the Dungeness Crab Cake, it’s a panko breaded dungeness crab cake with a tomato dressing topped with micro herb salad and fried caper accents.  This bad little boy was all crab~definitely not one of those filler and crab cakes.  The crab is sweet and the tomato dressing is nice and tart with lemon and lime~a nice take instead of traditional cocktail sauce and the greens on top added nice color and texture to the dish.  Myself and Mary both really enjoyed this dish.

The Chicken Karaage at Prestons is a garlic sake marinated chicken that is flash fried and served with spicy sambal lime aioli on a nest of miso cabbage slaw~what can’t you love about this??, the chicken is tender and juicy from the marinade and the sauce adds some nice zip so it’s nice the slaw is there to chill your palette out.

Lastly we have the Prestons Pulled Pork Poutine, melt in your mouth pulled pork, classic crispy french fries with Quebec cheese curds smothered in Rickards Red gravy~again another solid dish that would keep me coming back for more, the Rickards comes through nicely and I think I’m going to have to insist on pulled pork on all my poutine from now on!  I missed this dish at the media event I attended back in October along with the crab cake so I was really happy that VANEATS.ca included them in this dining package.

Next is where you have to make you choice~red pill or blue pill!~or if your like me~bring a friend with a dining pass and get one of each entrée and share if that’s your thing!

BC Halibut Wrapped in Double Smoked Bacon

1/2 Rack of Baby Back Ribs

The halibut is served with creamed leeks on a bed of quinoa and the plate is sauced with a killer honey shallot j’us.  I’ve never had halibut with bacon before so this was a new taste for me, it reminded me of smoked fish, the sauce was a great touch to break up the smoke taste and the creamed leeks and quinoa were a nice addition to the plate, also fresh sautéed asparagus and broccolini were served as the veg on the plate.  Mary liked this more than myself~especially the j’us!

The ribs braised for 4 hours and are sauced with a sweet hoisin & ginger glaze, roasted fingerling potatoes with a side of crunchy coleslaw round out the plate.  This was my favorite entrée hands down, the ribs literally melt in your mouth and come cleanly off the bone.  They have a sweet Asian flavor from the hoisin and reminded me of the ribs my mom would make when I was a kid but only super tender.  For the dining package it’s a 1/2 rack but on the menu the regular size is a full rack that I’m definitely coming back for.  The butter based roasted fingerling potatoes were a great starch and the slaw rounded out the plate nicely.

Now to guild the lily Prestons has created a Maple and Double Smoked Bacon Creme Brulee, with a rich dessert and it’s served with julienne slices of pickled granny smith apple that is much needed for a dessert like this, the head chef Alessandro Vianello personally came out with this treat for us, he recommended taking a taste of the creme brulee by itself to get a full taste but to eat the rest of the dessert with the apple to help cut the richness of the brulee and he was totally right, alone the brulee could have passed for a last savory course on a menu if it wasn’t for the apple pickle.

We came in on a Sunday and I’d suggest doing the same if you’re looking to have some drinks with your meal~on Sunday they have all here weekly drink specials available including all there Granville Island bottles and select wines for $5/glass and bottle, also it pays to follow them on Twitter~show your server that you follow Prestons and get a free appetizer~it’s as simple as that so if your interested please click here for there Twitter page.

This package runs $21 and like all the other VANEATS.ca packages provides a great sample of the menu, fills your belly and definitely doesn’t break the bank.  There are 200 First imPrestons packages that will be available, they go on sale starting at 7AM on February 29,2012 and will be available till April 29,2012 unless they sell out first.

**Disclosure~Mary, as a selected reviewer for the package was given a package to check out, my package was comped by the hotel and Prestons at their choice and I was not expected to write a review so these are totally my unsolicited opinions.**

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Prestons

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This week I was lucky enough to be invited to try the new fall menu at Prestons in the coast hotel in downtown Vancouver. It was a night of mixing and mingling with some of Vancouver’s best food bloggers and putting a face to the people who I’ve read and followed for a while now, 106 people showed up so it was one packed event.

Prestons is located in the new Coast Coal Harbour Hotel on Pender street, they feature a West Coast menu inspired by Mediterranean and Asian flavors, an awesome drink menu and full bar makes Prestons a solid place to grab a drink and eat some good food.

Granville Island Brewery was there pouring samples of their awesome beers

Therapy Vineyards was also represented by Icon Fine Wine and Spirits serving up great wines

We were all greeted to Venetian Spritzers when we walled in, it was a real taste of Italy-Aperol Herb liqueur and brut served on ice with a slice of orange. I’ve never had Aperol before and I found it to be a bit boozy for my taste.

The other featured drink was the French Martini, it was a mix of vodka, chambord and pineapple juice. This bad boy went down real easy, the chambord and pineapple went great together and it’s definitely on my list of martinis when I’m out for drinks.

Everybody was raving about this martini as well~the Lemon Meringue- Limoncello, Absolut Vanilia, fresh lemon juice, pineapple juice, graham cracker rim. It was a killer drink and tasted just like a tart lemon meringue pie without being sickly sweet, the graham cracker rim was something I have never seen before and totally made the drink.

Food wise they were sampling their new fall menu, we were served 10 different mini versions of the menu items, I missed a couple of the items so here are the one’s I got to try:

Baby Back ribs with a sweet hoisin and ginger glaze, these were melt in your mouth tender and came right off the bone, the sauce was more sweet than ginger tasting so it was a great balance.

Braised BBQ Pork Sliders_slow cooked pork, homemade BBQ sauce and a gorgonzola coleslaw. This was one of my favorite items of the night, the slaw was the star of the show and the pork was actually sweet more than smoky so it was a great sweet/salty taste combination. They feature these for $2 each during Canucks games.

One of the area set up was a gyoza cooking station featuring there shrimp and vegetable stuffed dumplings with a miso vinaigrette. It was nice to get them fresh out of the frying pan and the stuffing was ample but not to my taste.

Eggplant Parm sliders were on the menu, they have a great take on the Italian traditional dish, it was topped with stewed red peppers, basil pesto and feta cheese.

Crispy Chicken karaage-garlic sake marinated chicken flash fried with a spicy lime aioli and a miso cabbage slaw. The chicken was really tender and moist, the aioli was a nice touch but wasn’t needed~it ruins the crispy crunch of the chicken so I would hope it’s served on the side when ordered ala carte off the menu, the slaw was nice and had a great crunch.

Tomato and Bocconcini crostini-artichoke and basil pesto puree under marinated mozzarella topped with cherry tomatoes. Delish bites of tomato and mozzarella and the artichoke and basil pesto puree was light yet totally flavorful.

Mini matcha creme brule was the dessert of the night, the top was caramelized perfectly and the creme brule filling was nice and creamy, really a great take on traditional creme brule.

With Prestons open for breakfast/brunch,lunch and dinner,free wi-fi and a QR code based rewards program it’s a great option in the downtown dining scene. If you need reservations they participate in the Open Table online system.

**This was an event hosted by the restaurant and I received all my drinks and food for free, I’m not paid to write this review and wasn’t required to do so either.**

Prestons on Urbanspoon

Nuba

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One local place that has really branched out across the city is Nuba, serving Mediterranean and Lebanese meat and vegetarian cuisine, with locations in East Van at the new Waldorf Hotel, downtown/Gastown area at Hastings and Cambie st and in the downtown/West End area at Seymour and Davie st. The design of all the restaurants is really nice but each location does have individual flavor, the location just off Davie street is modern and clean but the location is really small-were talking seating for 10-12 people so takeout is a good option for this location, the location at Cambie and Hastings in the lower level of a historic office building, there are some windows but natural light is at a minimum, they have some beautiful Turkish style brass lamps that add a beautiful feel to the room

I see they have tons if tea light candles so I can imagine that candlelight is the other main form of lighting in this location in the evening hours, there is tons of seating at this location and some large tables for large groups and a back room under an archway that has couches that line the walls for casual relaxed drinking and eating. Finally the newest location in the recently renovated and relaunched Waldorf hotel is in the tiki lounge that is in the hotel, the whole room is wood and really funky, I have yet to visit location but they I’ve heard really great things about it. And after reading their website I also see they is a location at Main st and 3rd Ave in East Van.

The one thing that is the same at all locations is the food and fresh juice’s available, they also have daily specials for main plates, juices and soups. I know the location at Hastings and Cambie serves booze and I’m also sure the one at the Waldorf does as well but not at the Seymour street location. The diner menu has alot more options that all sound really good, I’ve only dined at lunch but some of the items I’ve had are available on the dinner menu.

Every time I’ve eaten here I’ve always left a happy camper~eating a meat dish or all vegetarian, the baba ghanoush here is some of the best I’ve had and is a must try, it comes also on the La Feast platter with killer hummus as well. The pictures in this post are from both the downtown locations so enjoy.

On my 1st visit here I had the Lamb Kibbeh plate $12~grilled grain-fed halal meat patty with vegetables, pine nuts, burghul and aromatic spices. All plates come with your choice of organic brown rice or roasted potatoes (my plate here had both for some reason?), hummus, hot sauce made with jalapeno’s and olive oil, green salad, homemade pickle, tabbouleh~the kind I love~with some bulgar tossed in and pita bread for dipping. All dishes come with tahini except lamb~that comes with tzatziki.

This lamb was ground really fine the patty was very dense and was unfortunately kind of dry so I’m glad the tzazaki sauce was there to add some moisture and also it could have used some more herbs inside for more flavor, all the other items on the plate were really good and have been fresh and consistent with every meal I’ve had.

Here is what I had on my last visit, the falafel plate with brown rice $10.50

I’m a sucker for great falafel and Nuba makes some yummy ones, there hot and fluffy on the inside and golden and crisp on the outside and the brown rice here has a real nutty creamy taste to it that I really love-it almost tastes like tahini is mixed in

the homemade pickle has a beautiful pink hue to it and has a faint taste of beets that are the source of that pink color. The tabbouleh is a fresh addition to there plates and has a nice zip from fresh lemon juice.

next up is the najib’s special plate $11

The najib’s special is made from a vegetable that I really don’t like normally~cauliflower, I could eat tons of this but I save it for a treat every now and then, the cauliflower is brown and delicious but don’t be fooled-it’s not baked like you would think, instead they guild the lily here by DEEP FRYING it!.

it’s all golden brown and crispy on the outside with a nice lemony zip

and tender and moist on the inside!, they provide a side of tahini for dipping in and man it’s so good!

Quality, flavorful food is the call of the day here and the service is good and the staff is very knowledgeable so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

www.nuba.ca

@nubatown

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Nuba (Seymour) on Urbanspoon

Feastro~The Rolling Bistro

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After seeing Feastro featured on the Food Network Canada TV show Eat St my mouth started to water-freshly prepared seafood and other delish meats served up by a classically trained chef Steve Myddleton and co-owner Paul Fenton is there to greet you and take your order.

Their location at W.Cordova and Thurlow street is perfect~your surrounded by the Vancouver Trade and Convention center and the Olympic torch and there is ample seating to enjoy your food which is kinda rare I’ve found with a lot of the food carts in Vancouver.

The menu here is one of the biggest I’ve seen on a food truck so far, consisting of a selection of grilled soft shell taco that are also available with a corn tortilla if you ask and full plate dishes along with a selection of sides if you are in the mood.

I went with the halibut taco~crispy chickpea battered fresh halibut, tomato/anise chutney with Henry Reed organic greens, tikka masala yogurt, hand cut salsa~$7

this was a winner for me even but the amount and type of greens on top made the taco a bit tricky to fold over and eat so I let my inner rabbit out and munched on a few to make things easier, the fish was cooked perfectly and the masala yoghurt sauce was unexpected and surprised me and chutney is delicious.  I would order the taco’s again but would get them on a corn tortilla~the flour version gets a bit dry and brittle with the grilling of it.

Next on the menu was the Crab and Shrimp Cake~cayenne, coriander, sweet bell peppers, on Henry Reed organic greens, with truck made smoked tomato cocktail sauce and topped with crispy tortilla strips~$13

I really liked this dish and it’s got to be one of the best crab cakes I’ve ever had and what crab cakes should be~made without filler, from what can’t be judged by the photo was the size of the cake~the plate its on is a full-sized paper plate and was about 3-4″ thick.  It’s filled with tender crab and shrimp and is super moist, there are finely diced red peppers inside that add a great flavor.  For me the real star of the plate was the crab cake and the homemade cocktail sauce, it was sweet and smokey unlike traditional cocktail sauce and complimented the crab and shrimp cake, the greens for me kinda didn’t work for me~I don’t know if it was the fact it was cold and wet out but I would have liked something else served with it instead of the greens~something like a rice dish but on a hot summer day I could see a salad served with it.

At the end of the day I had a great meal and would go back if I was in the area and if the weather is nice.  If you find yourself in the area of the Vancouver Trade and Convention Center or are visiting Vancouver check out Feastro and there take on West Coast seafood.

@coastfeastro
www.feastro.ca

Feastro the Rolling Bistro on Urbanspoon