Archive for the ‘Eastside’ Category

DONA CATA

5076 Victoria Drive, Vancouver

Tel: 604-436-2232


Advice: great selection of salsas at the salsa bar.

Mole Chicken

Vegetarian Burrito

I was in for dinner recently with friend Ariane as we were craving some good Mexican food. I love this authentic east side spot with their colourful interior, the night we were there they had a duo in musical performance. I have often done take-out, this time stayed to enjoy the music and the atmosphere. I had the Mole Chicken ($10.50) with pulled chicken, mexican rice, house stewed beans and 3 corn tortillas. Their mole boasts over 25 ingredients and 5 chiles to create a flavourful sauce. Ariane had the Vegetarian Burrito ($7) beans and cheese wrapped around a flour tortilla with a side of pico de gallo. The menu features a large selection of tacos, and taco variations along with breakfast specialties and Enchiladas too.

Review by: Richard Wolak
Photo credit: Ariane Colenbrander
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SONG HUONG

1613 Nanaimo Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-251-1151

Web: n/a

Advice:  If you are vegetarian this is not the restaurant for you. Cash only.


A group of my friends and I dined together recently, my friend Minna is Vietnamese and she chose the restaurant for us all. Personally I found the green decor to be a bit dated, however the food was as authentic as you would find in a Vietnamese restaurant in Vancouver. Some of us shared the dishes and others had their own. Minna guided us all thru the menu and explained how the dishes were prepared.

Lemongrass Chicken

Shrimp Salad Rolls

Bo La Lot in betel leaves

Bo La Lot - Sausages

Raw Beef in Hot Pot

Beef Pho

To begin our meal Alisha and I shared the Lemongrass Chicken ($6.25) with vermicielli, we also shared the tasty Shrimp Salad Rolls ($2.50 each) with peanut sauce. For our main dish Beef prepared 7 Ways ($25.95) I shared this with Alisha and Minna as it was quite a large dish, well it was actually 7 different dishes within the big dish and this was quite the experience. We received a plate of the condiments which included a large bowl of sweet fish sauce, crushed peanuts, dried lemongrass and sriracha with seeds, the plate of veggies included bean sprouts, cucumber, tomato, pickled daikon, carrots, lettuce, and mint leaves. Then we got a plate of Vermicelli and a package of rice wrappers along with a bowl of hot water to soak each of the rice wrappers to soften them for eating. The first course of the 7 was the Raw Beef which you don’t eat raw, it is for cooking in the hot pot of water on the portable burner which happened to be placed in the center of our table. The second course was the Bo La Lot – sausages wrapped in betel leaves which looked like green cigars, the third course were Bo La Lot – sausages wrapped in caul fat. The fourth couse was more Bo La Lot – sausages with an onion flavour. The fifth course was Grilled Beef over a bed of cabbage, onions and basil which is more like a salad. The sixth course was the Beef Congee which and the seventh course was a giant steamed beef Meatball made with mushrooms, vermicelli and onions.

Jay had the large Beef Pho and then Ajay shared some of the other dishes with Jay, and Alexei ate solo as he was eating vegetarian with great difficulty, the restaurant ended up making him a plate of rice topped with an egg. All of us thought the prices were very reasonable for the large amount of food served. Although we all wanted to have some dessert we decided that the limited number of desserts on the menu were not appealing and we went off to another place for dessert.

Review by: Richard Wolak
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JAVA-LICIOUS

55 Kingsway, Vancouver

Tel: 604-568-6822

Web: n/a

Advice: free wifi

Large and spacious, café with high ceilings, large windows around the café with lots of wood as part of the décor. From the moment I walked in I was in awe, great to see such a nice café in the area with friendly baristas too! You will find photos for sale that adorn the walls, free wifi, bench seating, pillows, stool seating by the windows.

Espresso Macchiato

Raspberry Cream Cheese Croissant

There are sandwiches, all sorts of baked goods including croissants, muffins and cookies from Calabria bakery. There are smoothies, milkshakes, teas, cold beverages and Lavazza coffees. I had a Raspberry Cream Cheese Croissant ($2.25) and a Espresso Macchiato ($1.85)   Loved the ambience and the great space to work on my laptop writing this review. Coming back soon!

Review by: Richard Wolak

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KEN’S CHINESE RESTAURANT

1097 Kingsway, Vancouver

Tel: 604-873-6338

Web: www.kenschineserestaurant.com

Advice: Have a private room that holds 40, good idea to share some of the dishes.

Yin Yang

Lobster Hotpot

Stuffed Pink Scallop

Beef Tenderloin

This award winning restaurant has been on my list to check out for quite sometime, very happy that I finally trecked across town to visit. The server told me that I had to try the Yin Yang ($2.25) which I did, it was a hot beverage made of black tea and coffee and I suspect this popular HK style hot beverage is loaded with caffeine, with a little bit of sugar for sweetening it was a tasty hot drink. My friend and I began our meal here with award winning signature dish, the Lobster Hotpot ($18.80) in a very tasty sauce with ginger and green onion with taro noodles. The next award winning dish was the Stuffed Pink Scallop ($5) served on the half shell in a curry and cheese sauce. Since they serve both Cantonese style food along with Western Style I had to try one of the popular Western dishes and I enjoyed the huge Beef Tenderloin ($16.95) with black peppercorn sauce, broccoli and other vegetables.

Mung Bean & Sago Dessert Soup

They serve complementary dessert with all of their meals, these desserts change often, tonight we had a bowl of the hot Mung Bean & Sago Dessert Soup. The menu selection is vast, with 3 very different menus they offer a lot of different dishes and apparently all are popular with the varied mix of customers from lunch, thru late night. They were awarded Best Casual restaurant in the 2010 Chinese Restaurant Awards and I see why, come as you are and enjoy the homey atmosphere.

Review by: Richard Wolak

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ALIBI ROOM

157 Alexander Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-623-3383

Web: www.alibi.ca

Advice: Go for the beer and try something that you wouldn’t find anywhere else.

Howe Sound 3 Beavers Imperial Ale

This vibrant room is always filled with what seems to be patrons who are well educated on the many beers on offer. Their beer list numbers 100+ different beers, with 25+ beers on tap, others in casks or by the bottle. They have one of the largest beer selections of any restaurant in the city and they aren’t afraid of offering new beers to their devoted customers.

Chinatown Noodle Bowl

I was in for the food, though you couldn’t miss accompanying the food with a beer and I had the Howe Sound 3 Beavers Imperial Ale ($5.75). I ordered Chinatown Noodle Bowl with tofu ($13), Asian greens and peanut dressing. The menu offering is rather simple, you’ve got a selection of small & share plates, salads, sandwiches and larger plates. My go to guy for all things beer is Rick Green who is known as @BCBrews on Twitter, anything that I would ever want to know about beer I would ask Rick, he is a valuable resource for the team at Alibi as well, and he was one of the reasons that I revisited Alibi for dinner. I have always loved the exposed brick walls, shared table seating and the private bar/room downstairs for larger parties.

Review by: Richard Wolak

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CAMY’S PIZZA

5688 Fraser Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-324-2200

Web: www.camyspizza.com

Advice: Call ahead for pick-up or delivery. 2 for 1 Pizza Deals are the way to go.

Butter Chicken Pizza

Places that specialize in Take Out Pizza are a dime a dozen around Vancouver, I heard that Camy’s offers an array of specialty pizzas in addition to the regular selection with a focus on Indian toppings. I had the Butter Chicken Pizza (Small for $12.49) a butter chicken sauce, mushrooms, onions, green pepper, boneless chicken, banana pepper and roasted garlic. I also ordered a Vegetarian Pizza (Small for $12.49) with a creamy white sauce, topped with cheese, mushrooms, pineapple and red pepper which was delicious. There are all sorts of toppings to choose from including tandoori chicken, veggie paneer, shahi paneer, jalapeno and more.

Vegi Pizza (left) & Butter Chicken Pizza (right)

Upon request they can make your pizza on thick, thin, hand tossed or wholewheat crust. In addition to the pizzas, there is also baked pasta and baby back ribs. Ordering their specialty pizzas is the way to go here.

Review by: Richard Wolak

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TWO CHEFS AND A TABLE

305 Alexander Street, Vancouver
Tel: 778-233-1303

Web: www.twochefsandatable.com

Twitter: @2chefsandatable

Advice: Book ahead if you have a large party.

Kabocha Squash Soup

Lamb Shank

There is always that one place that you love which reminds you of a private dinner party at home. My one place is this place, Two Chefs and a Table, it’s location is a bit off the beaten path, you visit not for the location but for the food, the flavours, the tastes, and the tantalizing dishes. One of my friends had a birthday dinner here recently, of course I suggested the restaurant which went over well for everyone lucky to be at Sheryl’s almost private birthday dinner party.

I had the Kabocha Squash Soup ($8) with truffle oil, French croutons to begin, this was followed by the Lamb Shank ($23) double braised, oyster mushroom risotto, heirloom carrots; and then to end the meal I had the moist and outstanding Almond Cake ($7) with creme anglais.

Almond Cake

The menu offers a changing selection of ala carte items as well as a prixe fix menu for all those people who are hungry to try 5 or so courses and who may want to add a wine pairing. The restaurant is fairly small, not much bigger than ones kitchen and dining room, the communal tables are popular if dining alone or with a friend.

Review by: Richard Wolak

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AU PETIT CHAVIGNOL

845 East Hastings Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-255-4218

Web: www.aupetitchavignol.com

Twitter: @petitchavignol

Advice: Bring a friend or two along to share one of their fondues.

Grilled Cheese

Pommes Frites

I’ve got this Parisian feeling each time I step inside this eastside gem that appears a bit out of the way. This is a cheese lover’s dream, a wine bar and a restaurant that specializes in cheese and charcuterie. Love their Grilled cheese $8 made with their special cheesy mixture that they use in their Mac & Cheese, it was a secret blend I was told that is served with a side of quince paste (this is a sandwich you have to ask for as it is not featured on their printed menus). I shared the Pommes Frites ($5) with mayonaisse for dipping with a friend.

Espresso

Grand Marnier Creme Brulee

Ending a meal on tasteful note is as important as the beginning of the meal, loved the Espresso ($2.25) along with the Grand Marnier Creme Brulee ($7). Well known for their wine choices theirs is mainly a European list, with good selections from Germany, France, Portugal, and Spain. Many of the wines are available by the glass and this is a great place to try a wine and cheese pairing as the cheese selection is vast. The menu also features French favourites including raclette, croque monsieur, croquet madame, mac and cheese and fondues.

Review by: Richard Wolak

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