Petrichor Social Restaurant & Bar

When I heard that Jules Bistro was closing at the end of 2023, it marked the end of its run in Gastown since 2007.  I had made a visit way back 2010 and then again in 2022, which would almost bookend their years in existence.   Not long after it closed, a new French restaurant, Petrichor, opened up in March 2024 in its place.  French native chef/owner Luc Duval offers up a slice of Southern French cuisine in a remodelled dining space that is inviting and quaint.

We arrived in time for happy hour and decided to get some cocktails for only $10.00.  Yes, that is correct, any of their cocktails are only $10.00 during happy hour!  We had From Mexico with Love and the Grenoble Sour.  I liked both but preferred the former as it had more pop in the form of lime, blueberry syrup and ginger beer.   The sour was much more subtle and the sweetness of pineapple juice.  

Also, we went for the Crab Croquettes for $15.00, also on the happy hour menu.  This came in a trio of crab cakes that were topped with saffron aioli and sat on a bed of spring mix.  These crab cakes were on the lighter side with an airiness inside.  Hence, it wasn't exactly packed with crab, but especially for the price, there was a sufficient amount that was fluffy.  Outside was uniformly crispy and the aromatics from the aioli was impactful.

Next, we had the House Brioche served with brown butter for $12.00.  This featured a whole brioche charred on the grill.  It had a lightly crisp exterior with some nutty smokiness from the char.  On the inside, it was super fluffy and steaming warm.  Presented as streaks on the plate, the whipped butter was super creamy and amplified in terms of tasting like butter.  Naturally, being brown butter, it was nutty and sweet.  There was minimal salt added to it, which meant the aforementioned flavours were more pronounced.

Onto the regular items, we decided to go for the Coquilles St. Jacques for $38.50.  Plated with 3 whole scallops on the shell, it was dressed in its classic bechamel with carrots, leeks and bread crumbs.  There was some piped potato puree on the perimeter of the shell.  I thought this was prepared quite nicely as the scallop was plump and still bouncy.  It was super sweet and had a concentrated scallop flavour where the brininess really came through.  The bechamel was creamy with sweetness from the veggies, but could've used more salt.  On the side, there was a salad and grilled herb brioche.

We also decided on the Creamy Sausage Ragu Pappardelle with sage, dijon mustard and confit onion-infused cream.  This was also quite good with al dente ribbons of pasta that were not clumpy.  There was enough cream sauce to keep things fluid without drowning the pasta at the same time.  Flavours were rather subtle with the meatiness of the sausage being the dominant texture and taste.  I could get a bit of the sweet onion as well as the background with the earthy herbal taste of sage.  

Lastly, we shared the 32 oz. Dry Aged Bone-in Ribeye.  We asked for this to be prepared medium (since my dining partner prefers it this way).  It came out more-or-less medium with some medium-rare portions (that I personally prefer).  The meat was nicely crusted and just salted enough.  The meat was full of umami and a bit of mustiness due to the dry aging.  Great flavour and super tender.  It didn't look like a lot, but we didn't finish it.

 

We had a choice of 2 sides to go with the steak as well as a herb butter.  Our choice of sides included the Pommes Dauphine and the Roasted Butternut Squash.  Those crispy little potato pillows were so delicious.  Beautifully salted, they were like a little snack.  The roasted butternut squash was caramelized and sweet.  They were soft, but not mushy.  Overall, we enjoyed the meal at Petrichor and it did bring me back to Southern France.  Only thing missing was a version of socca!  The place is cute and the happy hour is a good value.  Would come back.

The Good:

- Cute and quaint

- Solid eats

- Happy hour is a good value, especially the cocktails

The Bad:

- Some dishes could use more salt

+84 Vietnamese Bistro

Hey, another Vietnamese restaurant! - This is not something that usually gets people excited when it comes to new restaurant openings.  However, I recently visited +84 Vietnamese Bistro and I'm pretty excited about the place.  Now, let me be real here, it isn't fine dining, nor is it like another new Vietnamese spot in Madame Danh.  Rather, it is a family-own operation that puts out quality eats in large portions and with reasonable prices.  All of this located right on Robson Street in Downtown Vancouver no less.

We paid the place a visit recently and we started with the Grilled +84 Platter consisting of Beef Short Ribs, Sugar Cane Shrimp, Minced Pork, Prawns Skewer and Seafood Spring Roll with vermicelli, lettuce and pickled carrots/daikon.  This was quite a bit of food and was a great value at $34.00.  I enjoyed the all of the items including the one that wasn't listed.  It was a crispy triangle with what seemed like diced squid in it.  Short ribs were tender and nicely charred with sweet caramelization.  Sugar cane shrimp was removed from the sugar cane and it was sweet and bouncy.

Beyond the platter, we had a few more appies in the deep fried Soft Shell Crab as well as the deep fried Chicken Wings.  Featuring 2 large soft shell crabs, the dish was also served with a tamarind sauce.  Dipping the crispy battered crab into it really helped bring it alive with sweet tanginess.  As for the wings, they were crispy with rendered skin.  Meat was still juicy and well-marinated.  The outside was coated in a fish sauce caramel that was equal parts briny, salty and sweet.

On the menu, there are featured dishes as Chef's Special.  We ended up with a few of them including the Chicken Curry and the Flushing Fat Chicken.  The coconut curry was fragrant and pure-tasting.  I would've liked to see a bit more salt used in this, but it was great with the accompanying rice.  The dark meat chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender.  As for the other chicken dish, it sported a chicken leg and a half that was fried until golden brown.  The skin was super crispy and seriously rendered.  The chicken was a touch dry, but still tender and flavourful.  It was served with a delicious fried rice on the side. 

Another chef's special dish was the Sizzling Beef Hot Plate or a version of Bo Ne.  I really enjoyed the rich savoury meat flavour of the "gravy" that was great for dipping the toasted baguette.  Of course the sunny side egg didn't hurt either.  The tender morsels of beef were tender and plenty meaty-tasting with garlic and onion notes.  Somewhat of a "regular dish" was the Grilled Prawn Vermicelli Bowl.  Prawns were briny and sweet with heighten impact due to the grilling.  The spring roll was wrapped with rice paper, which meat it was flaky crispy.  Inside, the pork filling was juicy and well-seasoned.

We got a pair of noodle soups including the Bún Bò Huế and Bún Riêu.  The one I enjoyed most was the crab noodles as the briny sweetness was super concentrated with tanginess.  It was also chock full of sliced fish cake, fried tofu and of course the fluffy crab/pork/egg meatballs.  As for the BBH, it was a close second with a fragrant broth that also had balanced spice.  There was plenty of meat in the form of meatballs, Vietnamese ham and brisket.

We also tried some drinks including the Matcha Coconut, Fresh Lime Soda, Salted Cream Vietnamese Coffee and Jackfruit Smoothie.  My favourite of the bunch was the jackfruit as it featured bits of fruit and was refreshing and just sweet enough.  The lime soda was also refreshing and purposefully sweet.  We ended off with the Spicy Beef Sate Bánh Mi.  This had some good heat to go with the aromatics of the tender beef.  This was all served on a crusty baguette with an airy centre.  On this note, they are offering all Bánh Mi and drinks for 50% off this coming weekend (March 22nd and 23rd) with a limit of 2 per person.  If you can make it in by March 20th, they are offering 20% off your entire bill.  I would take advantage of this if I were you!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Large portions
- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:
- Limited seating
- Some refinement on a few dishes needed

Liuyishou Hot Pot & BBQ (Robson)

Okay, you might be wondering why there is yet another Liuyishou post on my blog.  Also, why is it at the Robson location as I've visited it not that long ago.  Well, there are a few reasons for this.  First of all, I've never had the AYCE dinner menu at this spot before and more importantly, they now have the option to add AYCE BBQ in addition to the hot pot for only for $32.99 (+$2.00 on weekends and holidays).  I don't know about you, but just having the AYCE hot pot alone for that price (in Downtown by-the-way) is a steal.  Add in BBQ, then you really have an affordable meal that isn't just a burger and fries (if you haven't seen lately, that will cost you $25.00+ at most places).

In addition to their AYCE menu that you check off and hand over to the staff, there is also a Self-Serve section that consists of noodles, fish balls, tofu products and the sort.  This is a great way in cutting down the time waiting for items and being able to get cooking right away.  Next to it is the Sauce Bar, where you can make your custom dip for all the food you cook.  It isn't the most comprehensive selection, but you can create a pretty tasty concoction.  Over to the left of this section, you will find some braised pork bones as well as a jelly dessert.

Right beside the Sauce Bar, we found a few items including Boiled Peanuts, Grape Tomatoes, Pickled Daikon & Carrots, Orange Wedges, Spicy Chicken and Shrimp Chips.  Next to it, we found a selection of hot food too with fried chicken wings, salted crispy chicken and spring rolls.  There was also an adjacent chaffing tray with fried rice and 2 stir-fries.  However, that particular tray was never refilled for the 2 hours we were there.  The highlight had to be the juicy chicken wings.

So the BBQ plate sat atop the exhaust of the hot pot.  This was a space-saving way of having both types of cooking vessels.  For our hot pot broths, we chose Pork Tripe with black pepper and the Golden Chicken Broth.  Loved both as they were flavourful and naturally sweet.  Great for those who don't want spicy.  They put a piece of parchment on the BBQ plate and it was necessary as the meat got stuck on pretty hard on parts without it.  As you can see, we had the Liu's Beef & Lamb Platter that looked impressive around the hot pot.  Meats were sliced thin and cooked up tender.

In the pictures above, this was just a sample of the items that can be ordered from the AYCE menu.  These included cooked items such as Deep Fried Pork and Fried Chinese Donut.  There was also an assortment of tripe and beef aorta.  In addition, we found freshly made meatballs and also crispy sausages.  There was also a BBQ meat section that featured Signature Marinated Beef (also spicy version) and Black Pepper Chicken.  Overall, the combination of Hot Pot and BBQ with broth included as well as the wide selection of ingredients and cooked food makes this an absolute steal.  With the unaffordability of eating out these days, it is nice to see something so fulfilling for under $35.00.  Would totally do this meal again.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- You get both AYCE Hot Pot and BBQ

- Reasonable price

- Lots of choices

The Bad:

- Food does get stuck onto the grill where there isn't parchment

- Self-serve area is a bottleneck and some cooked food doesn't get refilled enough  

Desi Lounge

Ethnic cuisine at one point in time was purely associated with inexpensive, cheap and unsophisticated.  Many customers are looking for more memorable experiences with elevated cuisine and equally impressive decor, cocktails and service.  Of course, there are those who still want good value and there are plenty of choices for that.  It is especially important since the economy is still not quite there.  We've seen higher end Chinese proliferate the Vancouver restaurant scene as well as extravagant Omakase and even elevated Vietnamese.  Now we are seeing more and more luxurious Indian restaurants.  One of the newest is Desi Lounge in Downtown Vancouver.  Jackie and I checked the place out recently.

To illustrate the elevated cuisine at Desi Lounge, the best example of this was the Udupi Burrata.  Naturally, we don't see this soft fresh cheese in Indian cuisine.  But the chef combined that with Indian flavours with success.  The fresh burrata sat in a udupi-spiced smoked tomato puree, which was earthy, a bit spicy and full of fall-type flavours.  The smokiness did come through while the tomato tang as muted.  As much as garlic toast might seem like an odd accompaniment, it worked well with a contrasting crispiness while giving way to a soft airy centre.

Going with something more traditional, we had the Raj Kachori which was majestically plated.  It consisted of a large crispy semolina shell stuffed full of diced potatoes, red onions, yogurt, spiced chickpeas and tamarind & mint chutneys.  I've had this dish on numerous occasions and this one was definitely up there in terms of execution.  Potatoes were tender while maintaining texture, onions were crunchy and bright, chickpeas were flavourful with some kick.  Combined that with soothing yogurt and the tangy sweetness of the tamarind as well as the brightness and heat from the mint chutney, it was a flavour explosion in my mouth.

The Tandoori Chicken was another example of a dish that was elevated while still maintaining the integrity of the dish.  On that note, the custom plates really made a difference in the presentation of the food and it shows the effort they are putting into that part of the experience.  Sure, the chicken was plated nicely, but its execution was also flawless.  Each piece of chicken featured beautifully-rendered skin that was crisp and exuded the flavours of the marinade including earthiness, spice, sweetness and nuttiness.  The chicken itself was moist and succulent.

One of the most impressive dishes we had was the Tandoori Sockeye Salmon.  Many other fine-dining spots in town may not even execute a piece of salmon better than Chef Bal.  Featuring spiced and crispy skin, the salmon was beautifully prepared.  It was flaky and moist throughout despite being a leaner type of salmon.  The accompanying apple and pickle salad went well with the salmon with sweet crunch as well as an appetizing tanginess.  The mint chutney raised the brightness level even more so while adding a creamy heat.

Moving onto the curries, they were definitely more traditional, but in terms of flavour, the Bombay Seafood Delight surprised us.  In my experience with Indian seafood curries, I find that the flavour of the curry and seafood are usually mutually-exclusive.  For this one, things were incorporated that the curry were it was reminiscent of a seafood chowder but with Indian spices.  Definitely got the nutty earthiness as well as some spicy tanginess.  The seafood was just perfect with the sweet snap of the shrimp, tender crunch from the squid, plump butteriness of the mussels and tender bounce of the scallops.  Delicious!

Although Jackie isn't into lamb, I had to get my way and order the Lamb Rogan Josh.  I got the dish to myself!  Good thing too as it was also excellent.  Each cube of lamb was tender and the gaminess was quite mild due to the lean cut of the meat.  I found the spice level for the curry to be on point.  It had heat, but not to the point where I could not taste the other spices.  Definitely got the ginger as well as the sweetness from the cardamom as well as the fall-flavours from the cloves.  There was plenty of body to this with rich spices and warmth.

Moving onto some vegetarian dishes, we had the Kolhapuri Paneer Mushroom.  This was surprisingly spicy, yet that was just perfect for me!  Once again, it wasn't spicy for the sake of being spicy.  There was heat, but I could get the layers of spices as well.   Definitely got the nuttiess and earthiness as well as the aforementioned heat.  There was also background sweetness from the coconut.  I thought the plating of the mushroom and the paneer on top of the curry was neat as it allowed them to have more texture.  Also the dusting of spices on top concentrated the heat even more so.

I thought the Malai Kofta was one of the best curries amongst the ones we tried.  It was creamy and rich with a noticeable natural sweetness.  This was quite mild and we didn't find any particularly flavour to be more dominant than the other.  There was apparent nuttiness though which added to the creaminess.  Once again, we had some earthiness from the spices.  As for the potato and cheese kofta, they were light and not overly dense.  Nice soft texture while not mushy either.

Our last 2 curries consisted of the Malvani Chicken & Palak Paneer.  I found the chicken to be super tender while nestled in a thick and rich curry.  Definite aromatics going on with the coconut and noticeable spice too.  As for the Palak Paneer, it wasn't as dark as some other versions and it was also not as heavy.  The brightness of ginger really came through and although the spinach was cooked down, it still had a bit of texture.  The paneer were soft and squishy, just how I like it.

Naturally, we had some Garlic Naan to go with all the curries and it was solid.  The bottom was crispy and well-charred while the rest of it was soft with appealing elasticity.  Nice garlic essence to go with the ghee.  As much as we enjoyed the Garlic Naan, the Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Naan was outstanding.  One of the best versions I've had.  The outside was crispy with an aromatic nuttiness.  The naan was almost flaky while the filling was delicious.  I gladly ate this just by itself. 

Beautifully-plated, the Malai Ghewar consisted of a crispy nest of batter that was akin to fried honeycomb.  It was light and purposefully sweet.  On top, we found malai, nuts and berries.  This made for a refreshing dessert that was a good end to the heaviness of the curries.  Overall, the food at Desi Lounge is fantastic.  From the classics to the some more creative dishes, they were all prepared with care and did not lack impact.  Combined with the beautiful decor and reasonable prices, Desi Lounge makes for a night out that won't break the bank.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Delicious food with impactful, but balanced spice
- Beautiful decor
- Reasonable-pricing

The Bad:
- Parking is limited in the area

Moltaqa Moroccan

Trying to hit up the last few restaurants on the Michelin guide for Vancouver, it has brought me to Moltaqa Moroccan.  This has actually been on my radar for quite some time even before it became Michelin-recommended.  However, it is the same thing over and over again - too many places to eat at and so little time.  We made it a point to go there since we actually do like Moroccan cuisine, in particular a lamb or chicken tagine.

So before those tagines, we had went for their Moroccan Hummus and bread.  This was an extremely smooth and creamy hummus with the strong nuttiness of sesame seeds that were on top.  I got a bit of the garlic, yet was wanting more lemon.  Even the squeeze of the lemon wedge wasn't enough.  Maybe I like things more acidic, so the hummus overall was very good.  The side of Moroccan bread was fantastic.  A bit crispy on the outside and plenty fluffy inside, it was perfect for mopping up the hummus.

Our next small plate was the Duck Pastilla.  Oh my, this was absolutely mind-blowingly delicious.  Beyond the flaky and crispy phyllo casing, the ample amount of duck inside was moist and well-spiced.  There was definitely the sweetness of the onions while the powdered sugar made this almost a quasi-dessert.  But it all worked well with the combination of savoury and sweet.  Loved the almonds too as it added texture and nuttiness.

Continuing with the same protein, we had the Flambe Duck with cherie sauce.  The flambe was served tableside and that was pretty cool.  However, this dish was not only for show, it was also super delicious.  The skin of the duck breast was blackened with Moroccan spices and hence had rich fall flavours cinammon and cloves.  The duck itself was moist and tender while complimented perfectly by the sweet and tart sauce.  The side of roasted root vegetables were prepared nicely.

Finally, here we are with the tagines!  The first was the Lemon & Olive Halal Chicken Tagine with saffron.  This was truly an aromatic dish with the saffron coming through.  The chicken itself was super tender and moist with the salty brininess of the olives and the tangy lemon being quite evident with each bite.  There was also the earthiness of the turmeric as well.  With olives and thinly sliced lemon at our disposal, we could make each bite even more flavourful.  We had rice as our side dish for this tagine.

For me it was all about the Tagine of Lamb with saffron prunes and almond.  This was delicious where the lamb fell off the bone and was at its fatty best.  The meat had the gelatinous fattiness that I was looking for.  Due to the lamb being more robust than the chicken, the saffron was much more muted, but still present.  There was a certain sweetness to go with the rich Moroccan spices.  I had the side of cous cous with chickpeas with this.

We had a few cocktails to go with our meal in the Moroccan Cherie Sour and La Bel Aicha (we were also served some olives at the outset of the meal).  I found the sour to be quite nice and appetizing with the classic fall flavours of Moroccan spice paired with bourbon and white cherries.  A bit of sweetness to go with that tang.  As for the other cocktail, it was floral and refreshing with some ginger notes.  Overall, we quite enjoyed our meal at Moltaqa.  The portions were generous and the flavours were exotic.  Considering its Yaletown location and the deliciousness of the food, the prices were fair too.  Will come back.

The Good:
- Impactful exotic spices
- Generous portions
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Maybe a few repetitive spices, but I didn't mind