Category Archives: yaletown

Between Two Buns

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Sandwich shops are the new burger joint in 2012 it would seem and I just LOVE it!  The newest addition to the Vancouver dining scene is Between Two Buns on Homer Street, these guy’s have taken over the old Bella Pizza location and really transformed the space from dump to dream.  The space is open with seating for 6-8 so take out is a great option here and from what I see they have made a lot of neighborhood residents regular customers already and that says a lot seeing they’ve only been open for a couple of weeks.

I’ve been in couple of times since they opened there doors and tried a couple of sandwiches and a daily soup, all of which were really good in general so it’s safe to say that the sandwich wizards at Between Two Buns are doing it right!

The Cheeky and Roasted Tomato soup.

The cheeky is a great combination of braised pork cheeks, smoked emmental cheese, creamy coleslaw and caramelized bacon aioli.  I had this on their opening day.  The meat was melt in your mouth tender but I found the creamy coleslaw overwhelmed the rest of the ingredients and made the sandwich taste overly sweet.  The soup on the other hand was PERFECT.  There was a beautiful tang to it and it had a great thickness to it which made it really hearty.

The Maniac is appropriately named, it’s a mix of double smoked bacon, baby arugula with asiago,garlic and Parmesan aioli.  Now this sandwich really kicked butt!  I really enjoyed the saltines from the bacon and the aioli with the peppery baby arugula.

Both sandwiches were priced at $9 each and the soup was around $4 so it’s on point price wise with other sandwich places.  If you find yourself in the Yaletown area I’d definitely recommend Between Two Buns so your sandwich fix.

Between Two Buns on Urbanspoon

Salsa and Agave Mexican Grill

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Real good Mexican food isn’t so far away if your downtown or in Yaletown thanks to Salsa and Agave.  The place is a hit with a lot of the neighborhood residents and my good friend @MaryInVancity, you can check out her review of a lunch she had recently by clicking here.

Every table is given house made salsa and chips, I really dig the serving dishes that they use here.  The salsa is tangy without being blow your head off hot.

The special of the day on my visit happened to include something that I was looking to try anyways~the Azteca Soup, and a small burrito of your choice off the menu for $9.50.

The soup is a tomato/chili base with diced avocado, tortilla chips and cheese then drizzled with sour cream, I love tortilla soup and this is just like that and the addition of the avocado was a complete winner and something that I am going to have a lot more often in my soups and stews.  It wasn’t too spicy, also the size with the combo is a small which was a perfect lunch size.

My burrito choice was an Al Pastor and it was also filled with house made re-fried beans.

The sauce had a sweet note to it from pineapple used in the cooking of the meat, the sauce wasn’t overly spicy and the meat was nice and tender.  The beans were pureed smooth but weren’t gloppy.  With this and the soup it was  a perfectly filling meal and I didn’t have to break the bank.  I also had a glass of horchata and the side of tomatillo salsa added a nice tang to the burrito and was a nice dip for the chips as well.

Salsa & Agave Mexican Grill on Urbanspoon

C Restaurant

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On my first dine out adventure I checked out C Restaurant on beautiful False Creek. Seeing it was my first ever Dine Out dinner I felt it appropriate to invite @MaryInVancity with me, she has been here before for brunch and really loved her experience, you can read about it here.

I used the Open Table reservation service to book us a table, I’m new to that type of service and I loved how easy it was to book and also see what times are available for your visit plus you earn points that can be used for restaurant gift certificates for future dining, I arrived and was greeted by name at the door and the hostess quickly offered to check my coat seeing it was raining out, the service is really great and what you would expect for a fine dining restaurant.

The room is a split level space with a more intimate dining area upstairs, the room downstairs is all about the False Creek view with floor to ceiling windows, the space was not so busy when we got there so it was pretty quiet with soft music playing in the background but as the night went on it got packed and the volume definitely went up.

C is all about the Ocean Wise fish and seafood program and head Chef Robert Clark is the man in the kitchen coming up with innovative dishes that really you can’t get anywhere else. The restaurant is part of the Kambollis group of restaurants that include The Rain City Grill and Nu Greek.

Like I said we were here for Dine Out 2012 and they were offering a unique 4 course menu for $38~all the other restaurants in town that are offering the $38 menu are only offering 3 courses, you also have the option of adding additional courses for a nominal charge and also wine pairings are available if you choose.

We were served some complementary house made bread and butter, the bread here is delicious, one of the types were served is their famous seaweed bread, both Mary and I loved this, it’s such a nice treat when a restaurant makes delicious in-house bread.

Our amuse bouche was a Smoked Salmon Cannelloni with Preserved Lemon and Creme Friache. The salmon was melt in your mouth tender and the creamy yet slightly tart creme friache added another nice note of richness. I’m not a big smoked salmon fan and I really liked this I must say, the salmon smoke wasn’t too strong so it would appeal to a wide range of dinners.

For our first course I chose the sautéed BC Spot Prawns with kale,chilli, lime and romesco sauce for a $9 extra charge. They were succulent and really good!, the romesco sauce added a great smoked note to the plate, the kale was a great touch but the chilli and lime didn’t really come through.

Mary went with the Northern Arm Farms Beet Panzanella salad with harissa dressing and shaved ricotta, this is the standard first course on the Dine Out menu. We ended up sharing so we split all the dishes in half to get an accurate taste of the menu and did this for the whole dinner. The harissa wasn’t too strong or spicy, the beets were pickled and are a favorite of mine and Mary’s. We both loved this dish and would order it again.

For my second course I went with the Poached Lobster with a lemon herb risotto and a cognac creme, it was a $12 extra charge for this dish and I think it was worth it, there was a nice big lobster claw on top and the dish was smothered in cognac cream, the lobster for mine and Mary’s taste was over cooked and quite firm, besides that one negative it was a great bowl of risotto, the rice was perfectly cooked and it all went down quite nicely!

The other second course was a seared Albacore Tuna with a Winter minestrone, Parmesan pistou and crisp basil. Melt in your mouth tender tuna and a hearty Winter minestrone with orzo pasta was a great accompaniment to the tuna, there was also a basil pesto on the plate that rounded out the plate and reminded me of an Italian tuna dish.

The main course or third course in this menu they are offering a lake Babine Salmon with a squash puree and almond tapenade. The salmon was nice and pink inside, the flavor was nice and rich and was the star of the plate that is for sure. Both of us enjoyed this a lot.

Mary wanted to try the beef option on the menu, for $12 extra they had a Roasted Beef Tenderloin with a walnut polenta, tarragon butter and confit of Portobello mushroom, there was also candied dates on the plate. It was a great beef dish and I ended up cleaning the plate clean, the walnut polenta accented the beef nicely but the Portobello mushroom was a bit to mushroomy for my taste.

We both opted for the Lemon and Olive Oil Sorbet palette cleanser for $4, they served this with little shortbread cookies, it really worked to get our palette ready for dinner.

The standard dessert on the menu is a Spiced Chocolate Pudding with caramelized rice cereal and a Chantilly cream.

It was also available with an orange sorbet for a small extra charge, Mary for this on her plate and I took a taste~it was great but I like my chocolate without orange and would love this on its own (I know the sorbet looks like the olive oil lemon kind we also had but it was definitely orange!). The pudding was spiced with cardamom and the flavors were GREAT!, the caramelized rice cereal wasn’t too sweet and added a nice texture to the pudding, the Chantilly cream rounded out everything nicely.

We had a great time at C and I wold come back and check it out for a lunch seeing they have a killer patio in the summer, our bill after our add-on’s, taxes and a beer I had came out to $142~definitely a bit more than we were thinking but when splitting the bill down the middle it came to $80/person including tip which wasn’t so bad for a 2 hour dinner and as a bonus Mijune Pak was dining in the restaurant so it was finally nice to meet and dish about food with the lovely @FollowMeFoodie but the menu could have been clearer with what courses were extra!

C Restaurant is also Zagat rated and can be checked out here.

C Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Rasoee Indian Kitchen on Robson

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One of the new franchises to open this year has been Rasoee, serving up Indian food in a modern environment with a few twists on some of the classic Indian dishes is what sets them apart from what else is on the market.

I was lucky enough to have won a free regular size curry bowl and a free “small bite” or in other words~appetizer from there weekly twitter contest so I headed off to the location I’m near the most~Robson Street and chow on some curry!

I went with a bowl of beef curry on basmati rice it usually goes for  $7.49 on the menu.

The curry bowl was a decent size and the chunks of beef were on the large size, the curry itself was OK, the flavor of it was kind of one note and the meat was lacking the flavor of being stewed and cooked in the curry like I’ve had at other Indian places and one thing that I didn’t like was the sounds of a microwave being set when my meal was being prepared evident by this

the meat was lukewarm in the middle and kind of tough~in a nuked kind of way.  I think next time I’ll stick to chicken or totally vegetarian.

This is the small bite I chose, they call these Potato Tikkis, again they go for $2.99 for 2 pieces and they comes with a side of Rasoee Indian ketchup.

They are vegetarian and filled with ground chickpeas, spices and potato and the outside is light and crispy.  I really enjoyed these on their own but I didn’t like the Indian ketchup~it had the taste of strawberry jam for some reason and it was too spicy for my tastes.

At the end of the day my meal was OK from Rasoee and I’ll still keep them on my list of quick eats when I’m in the area.

Rasoee Indian Kitchen on Urbanspoon

Dessert at Cento Notti

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After a great meal at the Hurricane Grill in Yaletown – @MaryInVacity and myself destroyed the Hurricane Fiesta package from VANEATS.ca, some walking was in order and I suggested that we hit Cento Notti in the Opus Hotel because some great dessert was on my mind!

I’ve had the pleasure of dining here for lunch and sampled a few dishes and the dessert really stood out for me so I knew this would be the right place to come.
Mary went with the Pumpkin bread Pudding with house made Pistachio Gelato and Biscotti $8, it was also served with a Crème anglaise and had cranberry’s with the bread pudding.  She was kind enough to let me sample it and it was totally delicious, the gelato was smooth and rich yet not too heavy and the sauce balanced out the earth spices of the pumpkin bread pudding.
I went with the Frozen Tiramisu $8, I’ve heard great things about this and they sure were right~it’s amazing, being frozen it’s a totally different mouth experience when eating this, the tiramisu was topped with a thick rich mascarpone mousse that I especially liked and the edible gold leaf was a beautiful finishing touch.
If you’re looking for a great dessert and a solid Italian meal check out Cento Notti, they have a terrific $35 three course price fixe menu that includes the dessert I had as a choice.

Cento Notti on Urbanspoon

Footo Delights

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A new bakery has opened in downtown Vancouver and it specializes in handmade croissants, Footo Delights (Fresh Out Of The Oven) is owned and operated by Brenda Yip, a graduate from the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver and SFU Alumni, she has a huge passion for what she does, she puts her heart and soul into the products she creates and it really shows in the final product.

Footo Delight’s  is located on Homer St right near Robson St neat the Vancouver Public Library so it’s super easy to get to and there open early if you’re in the mood to have fresh-baked croissants in the morning.

On a recent stay close by at a local hotel for the Grey Cup I stopped by Footo Delight’s for a bite to eat and to pick up some croissants for breakfast in the morning before the big game.

The croissants I picked up to take back to the hotel were the following:

The classic Cheese Croissant, delicious and flakey, buttery and cheesy!, this was a great croissant and the cheese flavor really came through.

The Spinach and Feta croissant is always a favorite of mine and this one was one of the biggest I have ever had!, it was filled with nice big chunks of salty feta and cooked spinach, again no complaints here.

For a sweet treat I grabbed an Almond Croissant, this one was coated with an apricot glaze that made it a sticky mess to eat but the flavors were great and it would be better enjoyed fresh out of the oven.

For the 3 filled croissants I paid just about $10, it might seem like a much but it’s a hand-made from scratch product with only the finest, freshest ingredients and I think there worth every penny.

The items I had when I was in the bakery were the following:

They offer a selection of croissant sandwiches, I’ve heard great things from @foodologyca about the Turkey Pesto sandwich so I went with that.  For $5.95 it’s a great value and is equally delicious, I had them warm mine in the oven so the croissant was extra flakey and the cheese and tomato were nicely warmed and melted.  The pesto was definitely their flavor wise~it’s straight up pesto and not mixed with mayo like most other places do but all the ingredients worked well together.

Lastly to wrap up a good meal I had one of Brenda’s delsih handmade desserts, I went with the tiramisu, It has whipped mascarpone cheese with lady fingers dipped in a rum/espresso blend and dusted with cacao powder.  This was one damn fine tiramisu!, the mascarpone cheese was super rich and creamy yet really light, the lady fingers were nicely soaked and not complete mush so there was nice texture there.

If you find yourself in the area around the Vancouver Public Library be sure to check out this wonderful small business and show your support.  Right now Footo Delight’s is running a contest via there Twitter account~think of your ideal croissant flavor and submit your idea, if it’s chosen you get a dozen of your flavor to enjoy!, check out there Twitter account here .

Footo Delights on Urbanspoon

Hurricane Fiesta from VANEATS.ca

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The guy’s weren’t kidding when they said it was going to be one Delish December and it’s going to be one to remember that’s for sure!

The newest dining pass offered from VANEATS.ca is at the Hurricane Grill and it’s called the Hurricane Fiesta, this time around you have 2 locations to choose from-Yaletown or North Vancouver, with packages specific to each location.

Photo Credit To Mary Sheridan

You get the option of choosing 2 of 4 delicious huge salads from the menu and an order of bruschetta all for $25, it’s designed for 2 people and you are sure to leave with full belly’s and smiles on your face.

Here is a full description of the menu for you:

Bruschetta – classic made with tomatoes, Parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, basil, balsamic reduction, mozzarella and goat cheese

The Grill Salad –Six oz N.Y. steak on grilled vegetables, spring mix and tossed together with a balsamic reduction

Warm Seafood Spinach – Scallops, prawns, baby shrimp, baby spinach, mandarin oranges and mushrooms, layered with goat cheese and roasted almonds

Ako Salad – Grilled chicken breast, English cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers, feta cheese and rice along with a balsamic vinaigrette

Fiesta Salad – Romaine lettuce, corn, black beans, avocado, blackened chicken, salsa, nacho cheese, sour cream and a cilantro mint dressing

Myself and @MaryInVancity were invited to give the VANEATS.ca Hurricane Fiesta dining pass a try and here is a breakdown of our chow down.

The brushetta was HUGE!, you get 3 pieces and each is piled high with tomatoes, goat cheese and the balsamic drizzle was a great addition to cut the richness of the goat cheese.  It was a great start to our meal and I’d definitely order this again.  Regularly this item is $10.99 on the menu.

Salad wise we chose The Grill with the steak done medium rare.  This was a perfect salad and actually remind me of a grilled meal with the peppers and asparagus, instead of lettuce they use spinach here and it’s a great choice I think and the dressing rounded everything out nicely.  This was enjoyed by both of us and would satisfy any meat and potatoes eater.  Normally this is $16.99 on the menu so it’s a great choice for the dining pass.

lastly we went with the warm seafood spinach salad.  This one put huge smiles on our faces, as you can see its piled mile high with baby shrimp, tail on prawns and nice big scallops, the plate is rounded out with mushrooms, mandarin oranges and roasted almond slices with a mango dressing.  Mary loved this and I quite liked it, it’s one of the most generous salads toppings wise I have ever had the pleasure of laying my hungry eyes on.  Menu wise this bad boy runs $15.99 and will fill you up without weighing you down that’s for sure.

We both really enjoyed this dining pass and the guy’s at VANEATS.ca have been really on the money with offering up creative dining experiences and some of Vancouver’s great restaurants, again the guy’s at VANEATS.ca are giving away 4 Hurricane Fiesta Dining Passes and the details on how to enter are below:

How to Enter
Entering the contest is easy. Complete one of the following two options and you’re entered to win 1 of 4 HURRICANE FIESTA dining passes, two at the Yaletown location and two at the North Vancouver location. Complete both options and you’re entered in the draw twice!

Option 1

1) “Like” them on Facebook – (facebook.com/VANEATS)
2) Visit the HURRICANE FIESTA Facebook Album.
3) Tag yourself in the photo with the dish (or dishes) that appealed to you the most and comment to tell them why.

Option 2

1)Follow them on Twitter (twitter.com/VANEATSca)
2)Retweet the following: Win 1 of 4 dining passes for #HURRICANEFIESTA! http://ow.ly/7Jp1Z from @HurricaneGrill and @VANEATSca #DELISHDECEMBER

That’s it! Come back every Monday and Friday to the VANEATS.ca blog between December 2 and December 12 to find out if you’re a winner!

Contest draw dates: December 2, December 5, December 9, and December 12, 2011.

HURRICANE FIESTA dining passes are not transferable between the two locations and are redeemable only between December 15, 2011 – January 15, 2012.

A note of disclosure, our dining pass was courtesy of the guy’s at VANEATS.ca and our drinks were covered by the Hurricane Grill, the options our are own and based on the food and service we received.

Hurricane Grill on Urbanspoon

Cento Notti

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Cento Notti is the new restaurant in the Opus Hotel in Yaletown, it replaces the vivid and bold 100 Nights space and the decor is equally eye catching and appropriate for the modern Italian menu.

Executive Chef Paul Marshall is really making magic in the kitchen, pretty much everything is made in house including the burrata cheese in my salad I had and sourcing form local farms your getting the freshest ingredients turned into spectacular dishes.

I stopped in at lunch time and what caught my eye outside was the $35 three course dinner menu, I asked the server if I could possible get that menu for lunch and it wasn’t a problem at all.

San Pellegrino $7.95

Burrata Salad-vine-ripened tomato, basil, olive oil.  I’m a sucker for burrata and when I see it on a menu I have to try it, usually burrata comes from Italy and it’s highly perishable so freshness is key, at Cento Notti they make theirs from scratch everyday and one of the few to do so in Vancouver.  The cheese was creamy and sweet combined with the balsamic and tomatoes it was a match made in heaven.

Porcini Risoto-fresh thyme,Grana Padano Parmesian and a balsamic port reduction.  Who can so no to risotto with porcini!, it’s traditional Italian with a modern twist with the reduction.  My bowl of risotto was rich and creamy like a great risotto should be, the mushroom flavor was earthy and meaty and the cheese melted into my dish.

Chocolate Panna Cotta-Roasted strawberry’s and a kalamata olive infused fig jam.  I was curious about how roasted strawberry’s would taste but what blew me away was the olive jam~olives with the chocolate was totally weird and at first I thought it was balsamic in the jam~I never would have thought olive, it was totally delicious, the panna cotta was rich and creamy and the strawberry’s were still firm~I thought they would turn to mush from the roasting.

I’m already looking forward to my next meal at Cento Notti and with the Taste Of Yaletown coming up I think it’s going to be on my list.

Cento Notti on Urbanspoon

The 2011 Taste Of Yaletown

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The 7th annual Taste Of Yaletown is taking place again from Oct 19th 2011-Oct 30 2011 and The Greater Vancouver Food Bank is going to benefit from a portion of the profits. Since its inception, this community-based event has raised thousands of dollars for the Food Bank to provide food and related assistance to users of the food bank.

22 restaurants are taking part this year, offerings are a 3 course price fixe menus for $25 but some of the restaurants are also offering menus for $35 and $45 as well as multiple price point menus, at the end of the day you’re getting some top quality food and it’s a great way to check out the great dining scene Yaletown has to offer and help The Greater Vancouver Food Bank and those in need.

2011 Taste Of Yaletown menu’s and participating restaurants can be found at the link here.

With all the different options and restaurants participating this year it’s looking like it’s going to be a great event this year, I know I have an idea of which restaurants and dishes are you looking forward to trying, what are yours?