VANCOUVER: Kintaro

Should be the most popular Ramen restaurant in the Lower Mainland. Whether it's in the cold miserable winter or sunny Vancouver, the restaurant always seems to be able to gather a little crowd outside their doors on Denman. Their hot steamy bowls of ramen on a cold winter day is always welcoming, their cold ramen on a sunny Vancouver afternoon will never be rejected.

The freshly made ramen comes with a rich vegetable and pork broth. You can have your choice of lean or fatty pork. The flavours vary between the traditional Miso, Shoyu, Curry or even CHEESE! Yes, CHEESE.. I love it! I must say, it will not disappoint cheese lovers. As the menu says "The ladies loooo-ve it!" Boy, do they ever know what ladies LOVE! Heavenly!!

The noodles here are nice and springy, but not overly chewy nor soggy. The soup is to die for, though you really can't have it more than once a month or you'd really probably die of cholesterol. The portions are big enough for a grown man, too much for a lady, especially the cheese ramen, really fills you up.

VANCOUVER: Cannery

Mmmm.. how I love the aroma of the Lobster Oil at the Cannery.
The drive into the restaurant builds up anticipation as you drive through the cargoes, you feel like you are in the middle of an action film, you have to pass on a secret code to an intercom at the entrance, driving through hundreds, if not thousands of cargoes.

As you arrive at the restaurant, you find yourself in what appears to be the inside of a fishing boat, with nets and anchors at the entrance. You have a gorgeous view of the water and a relaxing atmosphere that makes it very comforting while you dine.

As you are seated, a basket of bread is placed in front of you, the server comes along and pours out a orange oil, take a deep breath, is that lobster? Yes. Their renowned lobster oil. I cannot get enough of it. I usually stuff myself up before my appetizer comes.

We went for the Dine-Out Vancouver promotion a few years ago. Good timing for me to introduce them now as they are now taking reservations for Dine-Out this year. (I know, I am missing out!)

We started with the Roasted Parsnip and Fennel Soup with smoked Queen Charlotte sable fish. The soup was creamy, a little on the rich side, surprisingly the cream soup didn't overpower the fresh flavors from the sable fish.

The other entree we ordered was the Ahi-Tuna Carpaccio seasoned with wild paprika, lemon gelee, chili oil and avocado salad. Very fresh and the tuna was grilled ever-so-lightly, keeping the juices and freshness. Mmm.. sooo good.. The chili oil was an excellent choice.

The main courses just stole the show.

1.) Grilled Swordfish Filet brushed with arugula and almond pesto, chipotle pepper sauce.
- Meaty texture accented well with the sauce, I love how the flavours aren't too strong, hey, it's healthy too!

2.) Slow-cooked Pork Shank glazed with tandoori demi, served with tiger prawns, sesame seeds and cilantro.
- Sooooo tender and the tandoori sauce was such an excellent choice instead of the usual boring sauces.

3.) Grilled BC Salmon over oyster mushrooms and baby shrimp in a scallion basil cream sauce.
- The salmon steak was a medium rare. Didn't ask for my preference but that is what I always prefer. I loved it. The sauce wasn't that good to be honest, I didn't think the cream sauce was that special, something you could get anywhere, however, I did love the mushrooms.

Desserts...

Orange Cheesecake over coffee crust, semi-sweet chocolate sauce. The cheesecake was far too heavy, and not very orangey. I prefer my crust crispy, unfortunately theirs was not.

Velvet Chocolate Tower filled with brandied cherries and raspberry coulis. The name and description left me with high expectations of an actual "tower", turns out to be a regular-sized dessert. Chocolate mousse on the outside, was not exactly "filled with brandied cherries", but chocolate was rich. Can't go wrong with chocolate.

Their prices are reasonable relative to other restaurants in the same category. Overall, the Cannery is one of the best in Vancouver in terms of everything... it is unfortunate that this place is relocating in 2010, I've got to return before then.

VANCOUVER: C Restaurant

Who likes Seafood? What about desserts? C Restaurant along the waterfront provides them both with contemporary class. Incredible food is only the start of the many praises I've got for this restaurant. The ambiance is fun yet classy, everything in this restaurant has good taste, from the snow white interiors, to their lighting, their cutlery, glasses, etc. Their ever astounding creativity surprises me every time, you could order the same dish 10 times and you would get something slightly different, always looking good. Despite their inconsistent presentation of their dishes, the flavour, temperature and taste have always been consistently surpassing my expectations (and high is that).

There was however, one disappointment, the service of the servers there were not as attentive as expected from a classy restaurant like this, and making reservations was a pain. We made reservations 3-4 days ahead of time and when the hostess called to confirm the day before, instead of marking us down for a table of 6, she only marked down a table for 4 and thus we had to reschedule our reservations.

Be prepared for forking out extra money if you are planning on ordering wine as their wine list is overpriced.

Lobster Set Menu we ordered from consisted of Lobster Carpaccio, Lobster Bisque, Lobster and a Maple Syrup Creme Brulee.

The Lobster Carpaccio turned out to be very fresh and sweet, the chives complimented it well.

Portion for the lobster bisque was not very generous, however, the bisque was very light and foamy, we begged for more.

The Lobster was shelled and placed on top of spinaches and potatoes. They used an apple sauce as the sauce. First time for me to have lobster with apple sauce and it was superb. The lobster was fresh and the apple added just enough sweetness.

I absolutely adore maple syrup and Creme Brulee has been my favorite dessert since I've known of it. This combination impressed me so much that I literally cleaned the bowl with my tongue... just thinking about this is making me drool...

Trumpet Royal Mushroom Risotto sidestripe shrimp, spinach, lemon parmesan broth

Grilled 'AAA' Beef Striploin goat cheese gnocchi, parsnip, rapini red wine jus

Milk Chocolate and Cinnamon Mousse Cake white chocolate ice cream, dried cherry

HONG KONG: Desserts @ Stonegrill

Been to Stonegrill in Vancouver? Well I have a few times and never wanted to go back. A friend of mine brought me to the one in Hong Kong and I didn't have any expectations whatsoever. She told me it was good though, so we went. The ambiance is totally different as the one in Soho, Hong Kong is very classy, very elegant and looks very much like a French restaurant. The food was superb, much tastier than the one in Vancouver. I was impressed by their selection on their menu. What impressed me more was their desserts. The presentation was very exquisite, each artistically put together, didn't even want to touch them when they arrived because they looked so nice.

We ordered the Mille Feulle with mangoes and strawberries and blackberry with chocolate drizzle. The crust was very crispy, and their selection of seasonal fruits made a good combination.

We also ordered the Chocolate tower with iced mango filling. Never realized that chocolate tasted so good with mangoes. The chocolate was rich but the cake was fluffy, evened out perfectly, and I love the presentation of this one, very simple but very detailed.

VANCOUVER: Brunch @ Feenies

How I miss my regular brunches at Feenies... or my hair appointments at Marcus J (located right beside Feenies). Sometimes would go for the unhealthy choice of Feenies Weenie or the Burger... but for breakfast food, I really like their Salmon Blini.
The yolk is raw on the inside but with a well-done egg-white, so that the egg yolk doesn't break easily. The English muffin is warm and has a crispy crust and I love how the shower the blini with salmon roe. Adds a very interesting texture to the dish. The smoked salmon is fresh, going exquisitely with the Hollandaise sauce. Yumm... my mouth is getting watery just from looking at the picture.

The Roast Beef Rye Sandwich is also one of my favorites for brunch. Toasted rye bread with avocado, tomatoes and lettuce with a side salad greens. Healthy and fresh for a Sunday (hangover) morning. It helps that the Rye bread is so moist.

BURNABY: Lobsterfest @ Hart House

There's a special festival every year held at the Hart House restaurant at Deer Lake in Vancouver. In case you've never been, it's right alongside Deer Lake, in a heritage house. Every year, they have a Lobster Festival that lasts for only 2 or 3 nights, unlike other restaurants that usually have it for the whole season.

Why is the Lobsterfest at Hart House any different from all the others? Value! For $48Cdn, you get a whole lobster to yourself, with a buffet of appetizers, side dishes and also a dessert buffet. If you arrive early, there's an unlimited wine tasting session from 6-7pm!! Trust me, my friends and I enjoyed this perk in particular immensely.

You are seated in the garden area of the restaurant overlooking Deer Lake, beautiful greenery and a beautiful view of the lake. Be sure to have your mosquito repellent as we're dining on grass, and the mosquitos are out to get you towards the end of the evening. This venue is great for those who love dining outdoors.

The lobster is not only big, but it's good too. In my opinion, poaching is the best way to cook lobster, allowing the lobster to be tender and moist and extremely fresh.


The desserts however, were a little of a disappointment, they were just like desserts at any dessert buffet, nothing stood out. There was a very small selection of cakes and they weren't very good either. Their fruits, on the other hand were fresh and sweet.

DEEP COVE: Hidden Jewel

Deep Cove - A cottage community on the West Coast of Canada, a great day trip from Vancouver . Beautiful scenery of the ocean, mountains, parks, forests - true West Coast culture.

Chefi's Seaside Restaurant Bistro is one of the hidden jewels in Deep Cove. Located on the main street, Gallant Avenue. A very small-sized restaurant, run by the owner herself, Jen. She has actually put together a small wine list, with every wine available by glass. Don't you just love that? Makes life so much easier.

The restaurant is small and nicely decorated, there's small patio with fresh flowers. I love the coziness of the ambiance, dimly lit and candles everywhere. It's such a romantic little restaurant, makes you feel like you've been transported to a small restaurant in Italy or something like that. And the service, it was excellent. Even if it wasn't Jen serving you herself, her servers were so sincerely nice, unlike the fake smiles you find in a lot of large restaurants. The servers at Chefi's were truly wanted you to feel like home.

Their menu selection is not big, but excellent value. For a Fillet Mignon, you're looking at paying $20Cdn. Their combination of their flavours is quite impressive with a restaurant of their size. Chefi's also changes their menu season to season, changing them subtly, keeping their favorites while offering new choices.
Their selection of seafood is always fresh, and I always order their mussels. The sauces are made well with a few selections to choose from.
Deep Cove is a secluded area with not much but scenery. It's a wonderful place for a quiet Summer Sunday afternoon, arriving just in time for lunch and leaving right after dinner.

VANCOUVER: Fleuri @ Sutton Place

I must say... the customer service at this hotel was absolutely phenominal. Our server and the host was very helpful and extremely friendly. They were able to make us feel special. It's a nice restuarant and the layout was quite impressive in itself.

This was the menu. The sweet pea soup was best part of the whole meal. Very rich and smooth all at the same time! The Croque-Monsieur was delicious!

Appetizer: Sweet Pea Soup with Croque-Monsieur provided a dual sensation of smooth yet crispy at the same time!

Entree: Lemon and Oregano Glazed Cornish Hen with Oyster Mushroom Risotto in a Nicoise Olive Jus

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with a Gratin of Sweet Corn and Gorgonzola au Jus

Dessert: Grand Marnier Creme Brulee and Dark Chocolate Marquise with Raspberry Mint Syrup - Now with a duet like this, can't really go wrong. The dark chocolate was rich, paired exquisitely with raspberry mint. Creme Brulee was perfectly made with a very thin layer of caramelized sugar and cold creme brulee, indeed proves to be my favorite dessert.

VANCOUVER: Hot Pot Season

I have still yet to try all of the Hot Pot restaurants in Hong Kong. So far, my all time favorite alternates between the expensive yet clean and safe Landmark on Cambie Street and a dirty, very local Fong Wing Kee in Kowloon Shing that serves ICE COLD COKE.

The best thing about Landmark is that they have the world's best Fish Tofu. I have never in my life had fish tofu as good as theirs. For those who don't know what fish tofu is, it's a fried ball of tofu with fish lined inside the tofu. The ball itself is hollow so when you poke your chopsticks through it, it absorbs all the soup.

Landmark also has one of the best fish congee in Vancouver at least. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you can only order this after 10pm as a midnight snack option. They give you a pot of steaming hot congee on the hot pot stove and fresh fish slices.

Fong Wing Kee on the other hand is not as classy. It's in a crappy area of town, it's dirty, the seats are uncomfortable and there's always pretty rude gangster-looking crowd hanging around.

If you can get past that, then you will be able to savor their slices of freshly cut beef that just melts in your mouth as soon as it comes out of the pot. They don't lay out the beef nicely like the expensive restaurants, basically they just pile them on top of the plate without any sense of aesthetic. When you taste the beef, you will understand why. They don't have to.
Another reason I love this place is because of their selection of ice cold drinks. Actually, they only have the basics.. but they are literally ICE cold. I've ordered a Coke Zero that comes in a plastic bottle with pieces of ice inside.

VANCOUVER: Desserts at Seasons at the Park

Thanks to one of my favorite friends, our visit to Seasons at the Park at Queen Elizabeth Park was quite a pleasant one. We had these two amazingly delicious desserts.

Warm Chocolate Caramel Brownie with ice cream
Warm chocolate is always good with vanilla nut ice cream.

Chocolate Mousse Cake
Very clean presentation, large portions, very rich and very yummy.

VANCOUVER: Zakkushi - Charcoal Grill Diner

Haven't written a recent review for a while and today, midweek is a good day to do so. Zakkushi - Charcoal Grill Diner. Original location: Denman and Robson Street, directly beside Dairy Queen. New restaurant: West 4th and Burrard. Located on your right hand side, the entrance looks like a big giant wooden wall, be careful, you might miss it if you're not paying attention.

The ambiance of this restaurant is traditional with nice seating arrangements, this (above) as the feature dining table, situated right in front of the restaurant.

Zakkushi has a similar flair compared with Guu, serving Japanese Tapa-style dishes. With Zakkushi, most of their dishes are on grilled on skewers. This seems to be the trend with Japanese food these days, they're opening so rapidly that it's hard to decide WHICH one to go to, whereas before, there was only one or two to choose from. This time at Zakkushi, I didn't select alot of the dishes, rather, I let my friend choose what he wanted to try. Please read my reviews below.

The first dish we tried was the Tako-Wasa. What this dish simply is, is fresh octopus with a light wasabi dressing. It tasted decent, although the wasabi flavor wasn't as strong as it tastes in Japan, most probably toned down for western palates. Goes perfectly with a bottle of Asahi.
This one is the Zuke Maguro Sashimi. Although the tuna was very fresh, the sauce did not have that extra kick to it. I prefer the one they serve at Guu or Hapa Izakaya.
Daikon Salad. This was bad. It was nothing I expected from a Daikon Salad. The way Zakkushi on Denman prepares this is totally different from the one on West 4th (or at least since the last time I was there). The one I remembered from West 4th, the daikon(radishes) were chopped up into strands, there was a fried lotus on top. I preferred that one much more, allowing the dressing to drizzle to every strand of daikon. This one at Denman however, were sliced into humongous pieces, making it no longer bite-sized and more difficult to eat with chopsticks, the worse part was that the dressing didn't get to alot of the daikon, making it feel like I was a rabbit gnawing on a piece of tasteless vegetable.


Roasted Black Cod with Black Pepper Sauce. This on the other hand was mouth-watering. (The fried lotus on top was what I was talking about in the salad) Now we all know that the flavor for black cod is rather bland, but paired with the black pepper sauce, it really brought the taste to life. The cod was grilled perfectly, as usual, very tender, and the fried lotus on top added a little texture to the fish, finished off with an excellent presentation.

Grilled Ika. I think Zakkushi should just stay with grilled foods and nothing else. This is what they are good at and they should NOT be trying the other stuff. The Grilled Ika was excellent.

Cheese Mochi Maki. This has always been a favorite dish of mine at Zakkushi. This is grilled sticky riche with Cheese on top. The sticky rice has a crispy texture on the inside, with warm gooey goodness on the inside, topped with melted cheese. Yummy!

And finally, Yakitori don. I didn't have a chance to try this as I was already rolling off my seat from being too full, but it sure looks good, doesn't it?