Welcome to the Vancouver Foodster Meatball Challenge. Restaurants from all over the city were invited to enter their meatball dishes into this challenge, some of the restaurants have created a special meatball creation just for this challenge and others have entered their top choice off their existing menu. Each restaurant will be featuring their meatball creation on their menu from April 1-26, 2015.

How Does this all Work? For the public challenge, you are invited to go out and order any or all of the meatball creations in this challenge, then you decide who you think has the best meatball creation for the People’s Choice award winners. 

Share your experiences: Tweet (and don’t forget to tweet or instagram your photos) throughout the challenge, our twitter and instagram address is @vanfoodster and the hashtag is #MeatballChallengeYVR please include this hashtag in all your tweets during the challenge.

Voting criteria –  some things to help you judge your favourite meatball creations – keep these things in mind: originality, creativity, uniqueness, traditional, non-traditional, price, value and most importantly taste.

Get some friends together and make a night of it, visit 2 restaurants or more to share and taste the different meatball creations or go solo or with a friend – just remember to VOTE for your favourites between April 1-26, 2015. 

Watch – – > The Vancouver Meatball Challenge on the Global TV Saturday Morning News “Saturday Chef”  with hosts Leigh Kjekstad and Jay Janower on April 4, 2015.

Here are the 14 Meatball creations in this challenge, listed in no particular order other than when they were received by us.

 

Via Tevere Pizzeria

La Vera Polpetta

Price: $3.25 each

Description: Nonna’s classic Southern Italian recipe – the way they were intended to be

Main Protein Ingredient: Beef

Created by: Nonna

Available:  During regular business hours (5pm daily, closed Mondays)

Via Tevere Pizzeria

1190 Victoria Drive, Vancouver

Tel:   (604) 336-1803

Twitter:   @ViaTeverePizza

Web:  http://viateverepizzeria.com/

 

Linh Café

Bun Cha ( pronounced Boon Cha )

Price: $12.95

Created by: Chef Tai Luong Nguyen

Description: Pork meatballs, vermicelli, fresh herbs, pickled green papaya & carrot, fish sauce.

Main Protein Ingredient: Pork

Optional: Add Spring Roll for $5.00

Offered: Wednesday to Sunday between 9AM – 9:30PM.

Linh Cafe

2836 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver

Tel: 604-559-4668

Web: http://linhcafe.com/

Twitter: @LinhCafeVan

 

Pronto

Zia Maria

Price: $8

Created by: Brian Fodor

Description: The meatballs are made by gently sauteing some garlic and onion before adding it to a meat blend. The mixture is then seasoned with fresh herbs and cheese. They are then baked until they caramelize and immediately added to a lightly seasoned pomodoro to simmer until done.

Main Protein Ingredient: Veal, Pork and Beef

Offered: Tuesday – Sunday all the time

Pronto

3473 Cambie Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-722-9331

Twitter @ProntoCambie

Web: http://www.prontocaffe.ca/

And

Prontino

3475 Cambie Street, Vancouver

Tel: (604) 722-9331

Twitter @ProntinoCambie

Web: http://www.prontocaffe.ca/prontino/

 

Meinhardt

I HARDT Espresso Meat Ball

Price: $2.99 each. Combo with small mix grain salad $5.99

Created by: Francis Vicente

Description: Meaty perfection – ground beef with pork combined with a medley of espresso, cardamom & sriracha baked to tender perfection.

Main Protein Ingredient: Beef

Offered: Lunch & Dinner

Meinhardt

3002 Granville Street

Tel: 604-732-4405

Web:  http://www.meinhardt.com/

Twitter: n/a

 

The Copper Chimney

Mumbai Spiced Lamb Meatballs with Pasta Dumplings

Price: $18

Created by: Executive Chef Jaroslaw Faryna

Description: Roma tomato sauce, ground lamb, Indian Spices, onion, garlic

Main Protein Ingredient: Lamb

Offered: Lunch and dinner daily

The Copper Chimney

567 Hornby Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-689-8862

Web: http://www.copperchimney.ca/

Twitter: @CopperChimney_1

 

Cioffi’s Cucina

The Angelo

Price: $9

Created by: Chef Jason Symington & Chef Josh McWilliams

Description: Delicious House-Made Meatballs with Mamma Cioffi’s Tomato Sauce, on a Toasted Ciabatta Baguette with Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise and Fresh Arugula

Main Protein Ingredient:  Pork, Beef, and Veal

Offered:  Daily from 11 am – 6pm

Cioffi’s Cucina

4150 E Hastings Street, Burnaby

Tel: (604) 291-9373

Web: http://www.cioffisgroup.com/

Twitter @cioffiscucina

 

Truffle Fine Foods

Italian Rosemary Meatball Pocket

Price: $8

Created by: Josh Karbelnik

Description: Classic Italian Rosemary Meatballs with Tomato Sauce and melted Provolone in a homemade Pocket

Main Protein Ingredient: Beef

Offered: 9:30am-6pm, VanDusen Garden Kitchen

Truffle Fine Foods Cafe

5151 Oak Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-505- 4961

Web: www.trufflesfinefoods.com/café

Twitter: @trufflesfoods

 

Ban Chok Dee

Surf & Turf on a Bed of Pad Ped

Price: $15

Created by: Executive Chef Parinya and Chef Ladda

Description:  Beef and pork blended with Thai herbs (including ginger; kaffir lime skin; grated coconut; basil; and glass noodles) wrapped around a single prawn. Served on a nest of crunchy and soft egg noodles with asparagus stalks, shitake mushrooms, pepper slices and fresh peppercorn. Topped with a thick, rich pad ped sauce harmonized with coconut milk.

Main Protein Ingredient: Beef and pork

Offered: All the time

Ban Chok Dee

20563 Douglas Crescent, Langley

Tel: 778-278-3088

Web: http://www.banchokdee.com

Twitter: @BanChokDeeThai

 

U & I Thai

U&I Thai Meatballs

Price: $15.95

Description: Beef meatballs with lemongrass, Galanga, lime leaves, holy basil, cilantro served on a bed of rice noodles!

Main Protein Ingredient:Beef

Created by: Ui Ratsomjit

Offered: All the time

U & I Thai

3364 Cambie St, Vancouver

Tel: (604) 875-6999

Web: http://uandithai.com/

Twitter: @uratomjit

 

Argan Bistro

Quail You Try My Cheesy Meatballs

Price: $20

Created by: Chef Nourdine Majdoubi

Description: Quail egg and emmental cheese stuffed Moroccan meatballs baked in homemade taktouka sauce.

Main Protein Ingredient: Beef and Pork

Offered: All the time

Argan Bistro

795 Jervis Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-563-8466

Web: http://arganbistro.com/

Twitter: @ArganBistro

 

Salida 7

Albóndigas del cazador

Price: $14

Created by: Chef Devin Blaney

Description: Description: Venison and wild boar meatballs stuffed with dates, wrapped in wild boar bacon, organic pork and game red wine jus, shaved almonds, valdeon cheese

Main Protein Ingredient: Venison and wild boar

Offered: Tuesday – Sunday after 5pm

Salida 7

52 Alexander Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604 569 3088

Web: http://www.salida7.ca/

Twitter: @salida7gastown

 

 

Hopcott Meats

A taste of Italy

Price: $7.95

Created by: Steev Patterson

Description: A third generation specialty meat shop located in Pitt Meadows. Hopcott Meats is the gold standard of quality, from the sourcing and raising of cattle to meticulous butcher cuts. As part of Vancouver Foodster’s Meatball Challenge, we have created the Classic Italian Meatball– with Hopcott beef, eggs, and local cheeses.

Main Protein Ingredient: Beef

Offered: During regular hours.

Hopcott Meats

18385 Old Dewdney Trunk Road, Pitt Meadows

Tel: 604.465.7799

Web: http://www.hopcottmeats.ca/

Twitter @HopcottFarms

 

Siddarthas Indian Kitchen

Royal India

Price: $13.50

Created by: Chef Siddharth Choudhary

Description: Paneer stuffed cardamom flavoured herbed chicken balls served with roasted tomatoes and garlic blended perfectly with rich cream with mint, cilantro and smooth smoky flavour.

Main Protein Ingredient: Chicken

Offered: all the time

Siddarthas Indian Kitchen

2066 Commercial Drive, Vancouver

Tel: (604) 215-7556

Web: http://siddharthaskitchen.com/

Twitter: @ChefSiddharthas

 

Make sure you pick up one of the Meatball Challenge postcards available at each of the participating restaurants. Remember to Vote for your favourites daily, all the voting details are at https://vancouverfoodster.com/meatball-challenge/

 

Our Media judges for this challenge are:

 

Tara Lee

Freelance journalist and broadcaster. Writer for Georgia Straight

Twitter: @VanGlutton

 

Art Factora

Morning Show Producer Z 95.3 FM

Twitter: @artfactora

 

Cassandra Anderton

Writer and Broadcaster for many publications including her own http://goodlifevancouver.com/

Twitter: @goodlifevan

 

Stephanie Yuen

Food Writer. Author. Broadcaster. Blogger for many publications including her own http://beyondchopsticks.com/

Twitter: @stephyuenyuen