Enigma

For once, I didn't have food on my mind during our Monday softball game. You see, I had made a seafood soup prior and had a couple of bowls. Inevitably, my teammates would try to bring up the topic of food. Why? Well, I think they look forward to a food adventure too! But lately, I've been passing the buck to Bear so I cannot be blamed for a bad restaurant choice! Since last year, we've been meaning to visit Enigma. Getting dangerously close to UBC, this is not a place that was exactly close to me. So when we found out that our game was at Byng, it was time to take advantage of it being in the vicinity. Once again, we were not exactly looking and smelling our best; thus we stood out like a sore thumb. I'm sure we have a hand in clearing out restaurants when we arrive. But that could be just attributed to Lionel Hutz because he comes across as a hybrid of a gangster and a lawyer. Yah, a very scary sight indeed. This time around, there was a formal function of sorts that took over half of the restaurant. Everyone was dressed quite nicely. I felt a bit out-of-place strolling by with my shorts and t-shirt.

We didn't have any reservations and the place was quite busy for a Monday. As mentioned, there was some company event on one side of the restaurant. With the limited amount of seating available, the staff were very accommodating to seat us and then when people left, provide a better seating arrangement. One strange thing about the place is the location of the washrooms. Getting to them is akin to an episode of the X-Files. You walk across the restaurant, through a walkway, then down a flight of stairs, down a corridor and then washroom. I was surprised I didn't have to use any flashlights or run into an alien along the way. We had a pretty large group for dinner tonight with the likes of Bear, Judes, Milhouse, Lionel Hutz, Hot Chocolate, Miss Y, Silent Bob and former teammate TS (eating_club Vancouver). Apparently she decided to join us since it was within her restaurant radius. Anything out of that radius is considered "too far". No, we didn't invite Kim. We don't need a waterboy for our softball team...

We were started off with some complimentary French bread and it was fantastic. Pillowy soft on the inside, crusty on the outside and served warm, this was an above-average complimentary bread. For myself, I decided to get the Baked Brie Dip to start. I figured for $10.00, it would be a modest amount of brie with some bread. I figured wrong. The dip was freakin' huge with a nice mix of brie and cranberries. The result was a lighter-than-expected mixture that was slightly sweet. Our server offered more bread since there is obviously not enough on the plate. For those who tried the dip, they all agreed it was pretty good and a great value. For my main, once again I went for lamb - Braised Lamb Shoulder with rosemary demi-glace, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. There was a generous portion of lamb swimming in an aggressively seasoned demi-glace. I had mixed feelings about the sauce because on one hand, it was so flavourful I lost the taste of lamb. On the other, it was extremely tasty with a predominant hits of red wine and rosemary. The lamb itself was quite tender while dry in a few spots.

Miss Y continued her "alternate reality" when ordering her food. She went for the Lamb Curry. Just like her quiche at the Red Onion, regular hot dog at Japadog and wonton noodles at Copa, she loves to go off the beaten path. However, in this case at least, she felt that the curry was quite tasty with plenty of lamb. Not so much with the naan though. TS went for the Beef Carpaccio and a side order of Yam Fries. Apparently she was too busy socializing to really pay attention to what she was eating. Thus, all she could come up was that the carpaccio was decent. The yam fries could've been more crispy; yet they were decent as well. Boss Woman had the Beef Burger and it was pretty much your standard burger. It was prepared correctly with no surprises either way. The fries were the starch-covered type; thus being crispy. Lionel Hutz went for the Spinach Salad... again... He had it at Chill Winston last time we ate together. I'm beginning to wonder about him! Anyways, he thought the salad was alright' but the chicken was a bit dry. He did remark that the dressing was on the sweeter side and the accompanying bread noHot Chocolate also had a bt all that great.

Milhouse decided on the Guinness Stew. I guess he went for this since he knew very well that if he actually had some Guinness, he'd get drunk. This was the safer route for him. However, much to his dismay, the stew was pretty much devoid of any Guinness flavour. Instead, he though it tasted like Stagg Chili. I tried a spoonful and although it was lacking Guinness flavour, it was thankfully better than a can of Stagg Chili. What he meant was that the meat had a processed flavour to it. With that being said, it was still very tender and not too bad as a regular stew. Bear ended up with the Salmon Caesar. He admittedly chose this dish so he could splurge on dessert later. Honestly, if he had a choice, he'd just go to a dessert shop and eat Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner there! So naturally, he was not overly enthused about his dinner; but did concede that the romaine was crisp and the salmon cooked perfectly. Hot Chocolate had the Salmon Burger and she essentially echoed the sentiments saying that the salmon was moist while being cooked all the way through. She substituted yam fries and once again, she was in agreement with TS. Decent; but could've been crispier and hotter.

Judes ordered something that I thought was quite peculiar. It's not that the dish was strange at all; but with all the choices she went for the Chicken Tenders with fries. Apparently, she just wanted something regular and wasn't in an adventurous mood. Hey works for me. Presented in a unique bowl, the chicken strips were accompanied by 3 dips which included sweet chili, plum and a peppery honey mustard. The chicken strips were fried nicely and the fries being quite generic. Silent Bob went for the Rigatoni with chicken, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. He really enjoyed the pasta because the sauce was flavourful and fresh tasting. The chicken was tender and moist while the pasta was perfect.

Now, as mentioned, Bear saved some room for dessert by having a salad. Would all his hard work and commitment in watching his calories pay off with his chosen meal-ender? His choice was the Apple Pecan Filo Bundle with ice cream and strawberries. Actually, he's had this dessert before, so it wasn't that much of a risk for him. He remarked that the filling was a tad drier than the last time he had it. However, the pastry was really flaky and the flavours were well-balanced. He was happy with the dessert and any thoughts of eating a salad for dinner, especially for a Bear, faded away.

Milhouse was coerced into the Sticky Toffee Pudding also served with ice cream and strawberries. He was debating on dessert, waffling back and forth. Bear told him to join him in having a dessert while I (being much like Bart) was just egging him on so I could take a picture and taste of it. He buckled under the pressure like a poorly made chair from China (hey, I had one that did that!). Lionel Hutz chimed in that Milhouse didn't need to order anything sticky since his keyboard at home was already so. We smartly stayed away from that discussion... Anyways, he thought the cake was sticky, sweet and quite rich. Exactly how a sticky toffee pudding cake should be; yet he personally thought it was just okay. I'm glad he ate it since I avoided all those extra calories! Looking very much like Milhouses' sticky toffee pudding, Miss Y's Warm Ginger Pear Pudding was good. She noticed that the sauce was very gingery. The sharp ginger was a nice contrast to the sweet ice cream. With Bear needing to eat a salad to even think of dessert, Miss Y eats a full meal and a full dessert. Despite these eating habits, which include 3 Krispy Kremes at times, she remains remarkably thin! We all hate her...

Remarkably, Silent Bob had dessert too. He doesn't strike us as a sweets guy. But due the lack of conversation, maybe we didn't realize he is the sensitive, silent type. And of all things, he chose the Cheesecake. I guess he's not as "testosteronie" as he presents himself! As for his cheesecake, it arrived plated vertically. He really liked his New York-style cheesecake. Although he did state that he'd prefer more strawberry sauce on the side. If it looks like we demolished most of the menu here at Enigma, we did. The consensus is that it is a great neighbourhood joint to grab a drink and a bite to eat. Nothing is mind-blowing; yet most of the food is pretty solid and reasonably-priced. Of course with the sheer number of dishes and desserts we had, it would be easy to be critical of certain components. However, with that being said, it also has to be said that nothing turned out terrible. That in itself is an achievement.

The Good:
- Friendly service
- Decent portions
- Diverse menu

The Bad:
- Nothing mind-blowing, so don't expect to be wowed
- Some items get up there in price

New City Diner

When we use the word "diner", it can mean many different things. If we look at the classic diner that we normally find in the U.S., it brings up images of booths, a long counter with chrome stools. It can also merely mean that it is a place that serves up traditional American food such as burgers, shakes, breakfast and the sort. However, up here in Canada, the "diner" may not fit into either category. In fact, it is so muddled up, it can resembled something like the Snak Shak where, in addition to burgers, we get Wor Wonton Soup and Teriyaki Chicken. Ah yes, Multiculturalism at work... What we have here are diner-type joints run by Asians. Thus, we get a bit of this and that in addition to a hearty breakfast. The New City Diner is another example of this. Run by a friendly staff of Koreans, this place generally serves the nearby lunch crowd.

Here you will find breakfast, sandwiches, burgers and California rolls. We weren't in the mood for diner Cali-rolls today, so we stuck with the regular fare. Seeing how no one wanted to try the Breakfast, I decided to order it for variety purposes. I got the 2 Plus which consisted of 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 ham (or 2 bacon strips), hashbrowns, toast and coffee. As per usual, nothing ground-breaking with this breakfast; yet it was quite good. The eggs were prepared correctly and the ham was quite thick. Normally, I'm not a big fan of hashbrowns; but I really liked this one. It was ever-so-fluffy with a nice crisp exterior. Waffle Guy went for the Cheeseburger with baked potato wedges. As you can see in the picture, that is real cheddar atop a well-charred patty. Combined with incredibly fresh toppings and a soft bun, this was an unexpectedly good burger. Although they will never replace actual fries, the baked wedges did the job. Incidentally, they pride themselves on fresh ingredients and healthy food (as healthy as you can get considering the menu).

The Chicken Burger was equally good with a nicely charred; yet tender chicken breast. Same fresh ingredients made for a solid burger. In addition to their hot food, there is a large selection of sandwiches and subs. As you can see in the picture, the Chicken Salad Sandwich is not your typical bits of chicken slathered in mayo. Rather, there is a modest amount of dressing. Consequently, there is more meat and less fat. Combine this with the same fresh veggies as the burgers and really soft bread (it was really fresh!), it's a good sandwich. The burgers and sandwich were part of a lunchtime special that included soup. There is not much in the way of style or food that will blow you away; yet, it is carefully made and inexpensive. Definitely a great find for breakfast and/or a quick lunch.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Everything is fresh
- Nice staff

The Bad:
- Nothing fancy here (neither should it be)
- I wouldn't drive far to come here, it mostly serves the locals

Boomer's Bar & Grill

Gosh, I was really torn about whether I should blog about this or not. After all, it is merely your run-of-the-mill bar located in an ice rink. Most people would not visit these establishments if they weren't there already (ie. playing a hockey game, watching a hockey game, stuck watching spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend/child play). However, food is food and my teammates thought that I should. So here it goes... We had actually visited this place twice during our tournament. The first being in between our 2nd and 3rd games. Yah, boozing and eating fried greasy food ain't the best performance-enhancing activities. However, what do you do for 3 hours while waiting for the next game? Well, we could have aired out our equipment I suppose. Putting wet, stinky equipment on is never a great exercise.

So rather than grabbing a sports energy drink or a banana, we took the $50.00 complimentary gift certificate courtesy of tournament organizers. There wasn't much debate as to what to order since practically everything required the use of a deep fryer. Instead of fighting it, we succumb to the typical fried-Sysco-supplied pub food. Everything arrived at once, so I just hurriedly took pictures of the oil, err... I mean food. I'm not sure what they call the first thing we got; but I'm sure it's some form of Chicken Nuggets or Bites or Poppers... Hey, they were fried nicely and the accompanying fries were your typical generic frozen type. The Team Platter consisted of chicken wings, onion rings, nachos, fried mozza sticks, dry ribs and fried shrimp. Once again, the deep frying station did their job and everything went great with my Diet Coke. Yah, no beer... I actually wanted to be sober for it.

Let's do one more fried item! The Yam Fries once again were your typical generic frozen type. Alas, once again, the deep fry guy or gal did a good job. They were crispy and yammy (is that a word?) in the middle. Finally we have a non-fried item in the Pizza (I have no idea what type it was). I wasn't a big fan of the doughy crust; but there were plenty of toppings and cheese. Despite my ramblings about fried food, there are other items like pasta and sandwiches. For what its worth, the food does its job here for a reasonable price, topped off with friendly service.

The Good:
- It's generic; yet done right
- At least it looks pretty decent inside
- Service is friendly

The Bad:
- Despite other offerings, it is your typical pub fried food
- It's not located near anyone specifically, so normally you'd have to be there to eat there

Cafeteria

*Restaurant is closed*

With a name like Cafeteria, you would expect a counter serving mystery meat, potato paste and the requisite jello (complete with whipped topping) in a refrigerated display. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. Residing on the former location of the now defunct Ping's Cafe, Cafeteria is another venture by the La Buca Group. It boasts finely crafted eats at a reasonable price all in a classy; yet casual atmosphere. Nothing here is over $20.00. With the rising prices of chain restaurant food these days, I'm beginning to wonder why people would overlook places like Cafeteria. Seriously, one could get a 3-course meal at Salade de Fruits for $21.00. With that amount of coin, you can only get one entree at most of the chain restaurants such as Cactus Club, Earl's, Milestones and Joey's.

I tried to convince my softball team to try Cafeteria the week before; but for some reason or another, they preferred E-Bei's all-you-can-stuff-your face sushi. Quantity over quality once again... This week was different. They all agreed to go, even though I did a lousy job selling them on the idea. Heck, I didn't even really know what was on the menu. You see, the menu changes daily and all I could make out on the fuzzy picture on Yelp was schnitzel. So schnitzel for everyone! Deep down inside, I seriously hoped there were be more choices since there is a wide range of tastes on the ball team. Of course, when we arrived, I was face with a focused menu. Let me rephrase that, a REALLY focused menu of 5 entrees. Hey, that can be a positive. When you only have 5 dishes, there is a much better chance they'll be good. Some of my teammates didn't seem to care and commented on the lack of choices. Fair enough.

For myself, I started with a cup of the Tomato Broth with Clams. As opposed to a clam chowder, this was much lighter since it was a broth and had no potatoes. I found all the flavours to be very understated. Usually I would call this bland. Not in this case though. I felt that the lightness helped accentuate the fresh ingredients. The clams were both plentiful and plump while being tender. No easy feat for non-canned clams. For my main, I went for the meatiest item on the menu being the Prime Rib Steak with mac 'n cheese. At just a shade under $20.00, I wasn't expecting anything large. Yet, nearly taking up the entire plate was this massive bone-in steak. It was done a perfect medium-rare despite the fact I was never asked how I preferred my steak. I found the accompanying sauce to be quite flavourful without being salty. I wasn't a huge fan of the mac 'n cheese though. It was both bland and a tad gritty. The arugula added a nice bitter/freshness though.

Since there were only 5 entree choices, 3 people went for the Smoked Salmon appetizer, although, Silent Bob and Judes had it as an entree size. Despite being the "entree" size, it was still very small and not all that filling. Judes thought that the fried potatoes (a la Chinese bird's nest) were a bit too crispy. She did like the sauce, it was a good balance between sweet and salty. However, she did note the sauce detracted from the perfectly smoked salmon. Bear ended up ordering the Duck Confit with Port au jus and we were very surprised it came with 2 legs (a nice surprise that is). He enjoyed both the crispy skin and tender meat. The meat was flavourful without being salty. This was a complete contrast from the disappointing duck confit at Avenue Grill. He thought that a risotto would've went better with the duck; but the lentils were fine anyways. Boss Woman and Milhouse opted for the other meat dish being the Veal Schnitzel. Thinking that it would rival my steak in terms of quantity, they were quite disappointed by their portion size. Milhouse said it best when he remarked that it wasn't that the size was too small, it just wasn't filling. If we focus on the food itself, the veal was beautifully fried and the accompanying sauce delicious.

For dessert, a few of us tried the only 2 that were offered. Miss Y had the Greek Yogurt with sour cherries. I gave this a try and enjoyed the smooth yogurt with the cherries. A relatively light and refreshing dessert. I didn't want a whole dessert to myself and ended up shared a Raspberry & Cherry Crumble with Bear. Not that it wasn't good or anything, we just found that it was your typical crumble. I have to say that it was nice to have 6 other people with me for dinner. There was a wide range of opinions regarding the food. On one end, you have some who were disappointed with the portions; while still enjoying their food. Then on the other, you have Bear and Myself who not only enjoyed our food, the portions were very good. So depending on what you order on the limited menu, your meal could be filling or lacking. In my personal opinion, I thought that the portions across the board were fair considering the quality of ingredients and execution. One could easily spend the same amount of money at one of the aforementioned chain restaurants and still be hungry. At the very least, we pretty much agreed the food is good at Cafeteria.

The Good:
- Focused menu allows for focused food execution
- A good value (in my opinion)
- Unpretentious

The Bad:
- For some, too few choices
- Not a particularly big place and they don't take reservations

Avenue Grill

Back in my high school days, I used to live in Oakridge and would frequent Kerrisdale quite often. Thus, there are several memories etched into my subconscious. Flashbacks occur whenever I'm back in the neighbourhood. There are memories of the former Radio Shack on 41st where I would faithfully get my one free battery per month as part of the "Battery Club". Of course the batteries were pure crap and I could not even make it through one Rick Astley... er... Public Enemy song on my Walkman. Across the street, I can remember visiting McD's and getting a McRib complete with the promotional "Hot Pocket" which warmed our hands during the Winter months. Also, I fondly recall going every weekend to Miramar (now Golden Ocean) for Dim Sum. We would park in the London Drugs parking lot (before they put in the pay parking) at the back. There was also Skyline Sports (now Vivo! Gelato) on W. Blvd. where I would peruse the expensive sports equipment. Oh, not to mention the small grocery store across from Pt. Grey Secondary where I found out that Hostess Hickory Stix were misprinted with "Win a free bag" on every one in the same batch. Yes, 99 cents bought me a heck of a lot of Hickory Stix that day! Ah yes, the memories...

One place that I never visited; but must've passed by hundreds of times is the Avenue Grill. The place is easy to remember with its cool signage. After all these years, I finally got my chance to try it. With another win in softball all-but-guaranteed by the last inning. I took myself out of the game to go fetch my "list". Yah, I printed out a list of restaurants that are near the fields we play our softball games. There have been too many times where everyone looks at me after a game and asks, "where to eat Sherman?". Of course I give a blank look and everyone thinks I that I should know every restaurant that exists. So, I bring the list back and have a mini-conference with Bear as to our potential eating destinations. Finally, Bear decided to make the call since everyone was on the fence. Alas Avenue Grill, I finally get to see what you are all about. For some reason or another, I always had in my mind that the place was a diner. Maybe it was before, I'm not sure. But when we arrived, the place did not fit any preconceived image that we envisioned. The interior graced us with a warm, cozy dining space with art on the walls and a certain level of class. We were all dressed for softball and once again, didn't fit into the surroundings (much like the time at Q4). After we were seated, several tables of older folk left, seemingly annoyed at our existence. I don't blame them, the atmosphere took a turn for the worse due to us!

Boss Woman was a bit dismayed that it didn't turn out to be a diner (it's closer to a bistro than anything else). She settled on the Fettuccine Jambalaya and it was an ample portion. Plenty of chicken, prawns and chorizo hid within the generous amount of pasta. The pasta was on the softer side while the sauce was quite balanced with a bit of spice. She did remark that there was much more in the way of ingredients than pasta. Not necessarily a bad thing; yet she felt there was a lack of balance between the pasta and ingredients. Looking over the featured items on the blackboard, Bear and I were drawn to the Duck Confit with salad and fries. When it arrived, I wasn't even sure if there was duck since the leg was completely covered with caramelized onions. Bear didn't even bother eating any of it and scraped it off. I tried it with the duck and honestly, it didn't add anything. For the duck itself, we both found the meat dry and bland while the skin was soggy (probably from the onions on top). The fries were generic and salty.

Milhouse went for another featured item in the Italian Sausage Cannelloni. He found this quite alright with plenty of a good amount of cheese atop a creamy tomato sauce. With the same sauce, the Lasagne looked pretty much the same as the cannelloni except for the meat. Silent Bob also enjoyed his pasta. Of all the great things on the menu, Miss Y went for the Mushroom Burger. Nothing particularly wrong about ordering a burger; but with the Red Onion just up the street, this was not the place to get one. As it turns out, she really wasn't all that fond of it. She found the patty dry while being greasy at the same time. The sauteed mushrooms probably added to the greasiness. She wasn't all that impressed with it and didn't enjoy eating it. Again, she didn't like the fries either since there was way too much salt.

Judes ended up with the Linguine with prawns, tomatoes, butter and herbs. She didn't like the softness of the pasta and thought that the strong garlic presence overpowering. Thus, she did get a bit of tomato flavour with the garlic; but little else. Hot Chocolate went for something lighter with the Curry Chicken Soup and a side of Foccacia. She liked the soup describing as smooth and balanced while not being too spicy. In general, the food at Avenue Grill is hit and miss. Personally, for the prices, there are much better choices around. With that being said, I can see a visit for breakfast or lunch would possibly be a better experience due to the lower prices.

The Good:
- Quaint little restaurant
- Good service
- Fairly diverse menu (taking into account the fresh sheet too)

The Bad:
- The food in general is not that impressive
- Tight squeeze in terms of seating

Foodie Tour on Granville

For me, I like variety. This is especially true when talking about eats. That probably explains my love for Tapas, Izakaya and Dim Sum. Think of it, smaller portions meant for sharing. This affords us the opportunity to try more items. Now, imagine at least 16 different little bites in a 2-hour period. Better yet, how about all of this in 7 different restaurants? Add at least 7 alcoholic beverages as well! Crazy? Maybe a little. Fun? Oh gawd yes! Ultimately, this is the what a food tour is all about. Get a bunch of people together and migrate from one restaurant to the next sampling their wares. Now if one was to do that by themselves, it would not only cost much more, it probably cannot be done in 2 hours! Michelle Ng, who runs Vancouver Foodie Tours, has taken up the task of coming up with an itinerary of restaurants that are not only good; but are within walking distance of each other. Tonight, I was graciously invited with others to try out the Foodie Tour. The location of this particular tour took us to the rejuvenated Granville Street in Downtown Vancouver. Co-presented by Downtown Vancouver, this was an opportunity to not only sample food from restaurants along Granville, it was a chance to experience this burgeoning entertainment district. Exciting things are happening on Granville, from complete road closures to street entertainment to a number of interactive activities.

The starting point of this particular tour was in front of the Twisted Fork. Within the large crowd, I got to reconnect with some familiar faces such as Mijune, Gigi, Deagan and Crystal. Since our tour started at 4:30pm, there were no customers at the Twisted Fork and we basically had the place to ourselves. I believe that the operating times of the tours are a benefit to the restaurants. During these hours, there are usually not a whole lot of customers around and this is a great way to bring in business to fill the void. Furthermore, it helps showcase the restaurant and attract return customers who want to move further than the little bites during the tour. It's a win-win situation for both the food tour and the restaurant.

We were served 2 little bites at the Twisted Fork starting with the Cured Duck Breast on Brioche Crouton. I believe it was topped with some form of berry compote (lingonberry?). I found the amuse to be decent; yet unspectacular. A pretty standard approach where the duck breast was tender and the sweetness was a good accent. The second bite consisted of Roasted Beet, Grilled Pear, Goat Cheese and Arugula atop a baguette crouton with balsamic reduction. Yet another decent offering, if not a bit ordinary. The flavours at work here were mostly sweet and tart with a slight bitterness from the arugula. Lastly, there was a spoon of Frozen Chocolate Terrine with raspberry sorbet and mint. This was quite rich and not too sweet.

Next up was a visit to the Refinery. We were served a Southwest Kicka** Benny and this was hands-down my favourite item from the tour. Consisting of a fried panko-coated poached egg atop cornbread with Hollandaise, hot sauce and a Jalapeno pepper slice, this was both creative and tasty. Despite being crispy on the outside, the poached egg was perfectly runny on the inside. The extra kick provided by the sauce and Jalapeno really made the normally bland Eggs Benny come alive. Once finished, we made our way across the street to The Edge where we found 4 items waiting for us. First up was the Flatbread with Beef Tenderloin & Blue Cheese. I liked this one, mostly because there was nice piece of fig that amped the flavour of this bite. I wasn't as impressed with the Flatbread with Smoked Salmon & Goat Cheese. Nothing inherently wrong with it; but it was boring with predictable flavours. The Grilled Vegetable Gazpacho was okay. It's a personal thing with gazpacho, I'm not a big fan of it. I didn't get a chance to try the truffles since we were rushed out to the next destination, which was the Granville Room.

I like the style of the place and the drink, Mr. Pink (Belvedere vodka, muddled watermelon, mint syrup & lime juice) was fantastic. Not something I'd normally order though. As for our amuse, Sesame Encrusted Tuna Tataki on a multigrain crisp topped with a tomato & cucumber salsa, it was disappointing. Actually, the fish was perfect; but the crisp was soggy. Chalk that up to sitting around too long until we got there? From there we made our way to Shuraku. I was happy to see items such as the Ebi Chili Harumaki. Essentially an ebi mayo within a spring roll drenched in chili mayo, this was good. Of course a lot crunchier than a regular ebi mayo. I particularly liked the Zuke Aburi, which consisted of a torched piece of tuna with scallions and wasabi on top. Not sure of the actual name of the item since it doesn't really make sense to me; but no matter, it was a nice light bite. The last item, Angus Beef Wrap with mashed potato and corn was alright; but the mashed potato was a bit odd for me.

My last stop (there was one more, but I had to leave) was Culinaria (part of the AI Culinary School). We were served a Crab Ravioli with smoked salmon sauce along side of Duck Confit with Szechuan pepper jus. I found that the ravioli was quite bland. Other than the salmon, I couldn't pick out any other flavours. As for the duck, I thought it was decent being tender. The skin was a bit chewy though. Also, the sauce was more like a demi-glace than Szechuan. Finishing up was a Chocolate Decadence cake. I found it rich, chocolaty and not too sweet; yet curiously dry. I never made it to the last stop (Creme de la Crumb) because my meter was running out. This was definitely a fun experience, if not a bit rushed. However, considering that the regular Granville tour is only $10.00 (it is now $60.00 since the first year was sponsored by Downtown Vancouver), I'd take being rushed any day.

*Note: This was an invited dinner where all food was comped*

The Good:
- A great value considering the amount of food and drinks
- Lots of variety
- A quick sample of many restaurants

The Bad:
- It's a bit rushed

www.foodietours.ca
604-339-0078
michelle@foodietours.ca