Taste of Yaletown

I'm sure most people have heard of the Dine-Out Vancouver, where many popular restaurants roll out a 3-course meal at a set price. The intention is attract customers who would normally be apprehensive in shelling out gobs of money on a restaurant they know little about. This way, the cost is fixed and the food serves as an introduction. Honestly, there are some hits and misses to this concept and if you pick the right restaurant (with a good menu), then it may very well turn into a good experience. Chose the wrong one and it may leave a bad taste in your mouth (figuratively and literally). Unlike Dine-Out Vancouver, the Taste of Yaletown is not as big. Consider it a form of Dine-Out on a smaller and more concentrated scale. Specifically Yaletown restaurants, we find the same set meals at a reasonable price. If you were afraid to pay Yaletown prices on food you may or may not like, this is your chance to take some risks.

As part of the media Dine-Out event, I was able to get a preview of 3 restaurants participating this year. We were supposed to meet at the Yaletown Business Improvement Office for the start of the tour. Somehow, a number of us got confused as to where it was located. Turns out it is a fairly non-descript place on Hamilton. There I met with Tara Thind from Omni TV. Also in our group was Carolyn Ali from the Georgia Straight and Sabine who writes Life Sparkles. Honestly, I didn't even pay much attention to the food as the company was interesting. We started at Society and tried the Short Rib Pot Pie (Braised short ribs, seasonal vegetables & natural jus) and the Confit Albacore Tuna (olive oil, crostini, roasted garlic & frisee salad). We also got an interesting Pink Tom Collins topped with a large ball of cotton candy.

Next, we headed over to Hapa Izakaya and sampled only one item which was the Charcoal BBQ Wagyu Beef and Matsutaki Mushroom. Finally, we headed over to a relatively new place called Sweeney's. It used to be Soup Etc!. We sampled 3 dessert here including the Lemon Tart with Raspberry Coulis, Chocolate Mousse with Guinness Foam and a Deux Pêche Mode (Peach Tarte Tatin, served with a Peach Vanilla Ice Cream). A sweet ending to a quick tour. The Taste of Yaletown runs from October 13th - 31st, 2010. It will feature 25 of Yaletown’s restaurants with 3 course menus priced at $25, $35 and $45. Head to their website for more details: yaletowninfo.com.

Lucy's Eastside Diner

Normally, when I go play hockey, there are people who join me for food afterwards. However, that is never the case on Thursdays. You see, this group likes to head home once we're done. I guess it has something to do with it ending at midnight. I suppose it makes sense. After all, it is a weekday night and people do have to work the next day. Hey, that hasn't stopped me... So, when I found out that Rich Guy was back in town, I took a chance and asked him if he wanted to join me for some food after my game was done. Seeing how his internal clock was still on Filipino time, he was wide awake at midnight. So when he said yes, that is when I broke the news as to our destination - Lucy's Eastside Diner. Why the delay on the information? He lives in Coquitlam and Lucy's is on Main Street, near 11th (a couple of stores down from Cafeteria). I convinced him that it would take him less than 1/2 hour to get there at that time of night. I gotta give it to him. He was game and I'm really lucky to know people who will not only let me violate their food with my camera, they make an effort to come out to eat.

I originally found out about Lucy's a couple of days ago while I was driving down Main on my way into Downtown. It caught my eye and I almost stopped to check it out. Alas, I was on my way to other eats already. Besides, I wanted to wait for someone to join me. Tonight, or should I say this morning, we were ambitious and ordered 3 dishes to share. Rich Guy went for the Three Little Pigs, which consists one each of bacon, ham and chirizo Benny. The individual components were prepared nicely such as the perfectly poached eggs and crispy bacon. However, the Hollandaise was far too rich. It had a nice lemon zing and it was smooth; however, it was very hard to eat all of it. Furthermore, the hash browns were both strange looking and gummy. For myself, I had the Burger and Milkshake combo. For $10.00, it seemed like a good value since a milkshake alone costs $6.50. The burger itself was pretty average. The beef patty was a bit dry (yet nicely cooked) and got lost in the dense Kaiser bun. The accompanying fries were sub-par. They were not crispy at all and rather limp. As for the milkshake, we found it to be very good. Not too sweet and with plenty of vanilla flavour.

For our 3rd entree, we got the Fried Chicken with fries, gravy and veggies. When it arrived, we were surprised that it consisted of 2 small pieces of fried breast meat. Although it was crispy, the meat was dry and the flavour was quite muted. No specific flavour stood out other than pepper. It came with the same limp fries; but at least the gravy made them more edible. The veggies were your typical frozen mix type (they were cooked properly though). After all this, I could still eat a little bit more. Actually, I just wanted to try their Mac 'n Cheese... It arrived baked au gratin and bubbling hot. The macaroni was still al dente and the cheese sauce had a nice sharp taste to it. I liked how there was a nice cheese taste without being salty. Overall, the food is hit and miss. It needs some work. Moveover, food presentation has a lot to be desired. There is an obvious attempt in offering something a bit different. Definitely some potential here despite the average food. With all that being said, the prices are very reasonable with most items well under $10.00. Portion size is pretty much reflective of the pricing. Kudos to them for staying open 24 hours a day. It fills the void of establishments that are open all the time.

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Open 24 hours
- Nice retro diner look

The Bad:
- Food is not quite there yet
- Food presentation needs some work
- The place is small, not good for big groups

Manolis

Okay, why does this always happen? Our annual softball tournament had to fall on the hottest day of the year so far. Not only that, the league decided to schedule 4 games in a row without breaks. Luckily I brought plenty of Gatorade and had picked up some Banh Mi earlier in the morning. The day started off quite well with a convincing win in our first game. Then we proceeded to lose our next 2. The third one was particularly troubling for 2 reasons. First, I was almost knocked into the next area code when I collided with an opposing player at first base. I got a bloody nose for my troubles. Then, on an obvious out at 3rd base, the ump inexplicably called the opposition safe. That cost us 2 runs and yup, the game as well. Seems like the ump should've eased up on the cocktails whilst umping. Luckily we were able to squeak out a win in our 4th game to finish 2-2. Thus, by virtue of run-differential by only one run, we made it the next round.

Joyous, yet very tired, we all headed back home to shower and re-energize. Don't worry, we were still gonna eat! Therefore, we had to find a place that was central to everyone. That ended to be Manolis. Much like last year at Stella's, Manolis does not have A/C. Being the hottest day of the year so far, we had to rely on ceiling fans. Too bad the fans and restaurant lighting kept going out throughout our meal. Looks like the circuit breaker couldn't take it anymore. Maybe it was suffering from heat exhaustion as well? At first glance, the prices here seem a bit high. However, they currently have a special for $10.99 which gives you a choice of roast lamb, souvlaki or moussaka. Judes got the Spanakopita as an appy and it was pretty average. Dry and bland. Ketchup and Ranger started with the Saganaki. She was a little disappointed with the it since it was a little on the dry side and not as flavourful as she would've liked.. With that said, how can one not like deep fried cheese? Ketchup went for the Chicken Souvlaki while Ranger had the Beef Souvlaki. Presented similarly on a bed of rice with lemon potato and Greek Salad, the portion size was indeed very modest. If we had to pay the regular prices, this would be a terrible value. Since Bear and I decided to share the Manolis Platter, I got to sample practically everything that was ordered at the table. Thus, I didn't need to scam samples from everyone. I found both of the souvlakis to be overcooked and dry. Despite this, there was good flavour with a proper amount of seasoning including lemon and garlic. The lemon potatoes had a nice softness to them without being mushy. I would've liked even more lemon though. I was really confused with the rice. Texturally, it was fine (slightly chewy); but it was spicy. Hey, I have nothing wrong with spicy, I like spicy. Yet, it was not what I expected. I liked the Greek Salad, it was fresh and only lightly dressed.

Boss Woman, Hot Chocolate and Milhouse all had the Roast Lamb and once again, the portion size was very modest. Although the lamb was not incredibly moist, it wasn't dry either. There was some really tender portions mixed in with slightly chewier pieces. That is usually the case with roast lamb anyways. There was a pronounced garlic flavour and for me, that was very good. Judes went for the Prawn & Scallop Souvlaki. The prawns were small and scrawny for her liking and the scallops were a tad overcooked being chewy and a bit hard. She was confused with the rice as well. Spicy rice? Maybe in a Spanish restaurant. She was not that impressed with her meal. As mentioned, Bear and I shared the Manolis Platter which consists of roast lamb, beef & chicken souvlaki, calamari, keftedes (substitution for dolamathes), lemon potatoes, veggies, rice, tzatziki and humus. For $50.00, there was a fair amount of food; however, the summer specials, being $11.00 each would be a better deal. I liked the Calamari. The squid was tender and well-seasoned. The batter could've been a bit more crisp though. I wasn't a huge fan of the Keftedes. They were dry and bland. It needed a lot of tzatziki to save it. As for the humus, it was quite oily and also lacking in seasoning, although it did have a good amount of garlic.

Lack of A/C withstanding, our experience at Manolis was quite underwhelming. If we had to pay the regular menu prices (which Bear & I did), the portion sizes are insufficient. In terms of the food itself, it was mostly below average with a few highlights. With so many other Greek restaurants around, Manolis would not be high on my list.

The Good:
- Summer special pricing
- Friendly staff (all one of them)

The Bad:
- So-so food
- Expensive regular pricing
- Small portions

Fujiya

Normally, for most people, fresh sushi is a must. Considering that it is raw fish and rice, you wouldn't want it pre-made or sitting around too long. Think of it, both the fish and rice start to degrade and take on textures that are undesirable. Furthermore, I'm also pretty sure most people prefer freshly made Japanese food as well, such as donburi, gyoza, croquette and teriyaki. So if this is the case, why is Fujiya so darn popular? Well, the really low prices don't hurt. If a donburi only costs $3.95, there is not much complaining to be heard. Also, there are times (as few as they are) that someone might want to grab a quick bite that doesn't involve lining up where "smiles are free". Yup, fast food that is generally healthier and different than the usual burger or taco. Of course boxed pre-made sushi is never a first choice. For me, the rice just get all hard and gummy.

With that being the case, it doesn't stop me from doing the occasional Fujiya run. Fujiya is actually a Japanese market the sells everything from dry goods to fresh fish. Yet, they are mostly known for their inexpensive sushi, bento boxes, donburi and other food items. The open display case is quite impressive and extensive. At this location, there is a small eating area at the front entrance complete with a microwave and TV. The microwave is essential for heating up the pre-packaged cold food. Too bad there is no way to revive the rice in their sushi... Oh well, the things you have to expect from premade sushi. So as expected, the Nigiri is only average due to the cold rice and equally stiff fish. However, the fish itself is pretty decent considering. As for the Scallop & Tobiko Roll (and frankly all of their rolls), there is a liberal use of sushi rice. Furthermore, they are not the prettiest to look at. Once again, with tempered expectations, the rolls are alright. I must admit the rice does have decent flavour. I won't judge the texture too much since it is refrigerated, although it is chewy and not mushy.

While I was perusing the sushi and other cooked food, I noticed that they had Japanese Curry. So I gave it a go. I'm not sure if it was due to being the bottom of the barrel (literally bottom of the pot); but the curry was very thick and lacking beef. I could count only 3 pieces. Flavourwise, Japanese curry is sweet rather than spicy. However, this one was very sweet. Again, not sure if it was because there was very little left. For $3.95, the Tonkatsu Don and Oyako Don are a good value. I know for that price, we should be a bit forgiving. In the case of tonkatsu, inevitably, it will be soggy if reheated. It was in this case and it will never be confused for the freshly made version. Once again, it's only $3.95 and for people who just want food to fill them up, it's a fabulous deal. Okay, probably one of the few things that could possibly pass off as fresh when reheated in the microwave are the Gyozas. Yah, the bottoms won't be crisp; however, it's close enough. These are pretty decent, with a relatively thin wrapper and light filling. And for the umpteenth time, for the price, there is not much to complain about. And honestly, that is the whole point of Fujiya. It is what it is. I'm personally not a huge fan of prepackaged Japanese food. In this case, it serves a purpose and is not really in competition with actual Japanese restaurants.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Pretty good selection
- It's Japanese-run, if that matters

The Bad:
- Refrigerated sushi is not really all that appealing
- Some fried items do not reheat nicely

Golden Day Cake House

After dropping off JuJu and RBC at Brit, fresh from our brunch at the Alibi Room, I proceeded to head home. Whilst driving along Hastings, I quickly pulled into the 7-11 parking lot. If you were thinking of Slurpee, think again. Rather, it was a pit stop for some Chinese buns. Okay, okay, I know, Hastings and Chinese buns... I know what you're thinking. No, I didn't go for those type of buns. I'm talking about Chinese pastries. Although chain bakeries such as Maxim's, Pine House and Anna's fit the bill, I find that their bakery items to be getting to be boring. They seem to be shrinking in size (esp. Maxim's) and going up in price. Thus, it has led me to find other places for my fix. There have been pleasant surprises such as Karmony and 1st Ave Bakery. So, I though that it was time to give Golden Day Cake House a go.

While I was getting my order, of all people, JuJu walks in. Apparently he had the Chinese bun urges as well (that just sounds awesome). The first thing that struck me were how big the buns were! I love big buns! And they were very inexpensive. Cheap big buns! You gotta love that. So for only a measly $9.00, I got 6 Egg Tarts, 4 BBQ Pork Buns and 4 Pineapple Buns. Once I got home, I needed to try some. I was pleasantly surprised that the Egg Tarts were still warm (very fresh outta the oven). I really wish that the tart shell would've been flakier; but the filling was pretty good. Only semi-sweet while exhibiting some residual egg flavour, this was a decent egg tart. Then I proceeded to slice the BBQ Pork Bun in half. As you can see, there is only a modest amount of pork in the bun. Mind you, that modest amount was very good. Not over-sauced or over-seasoned, the filling tasted like BBQ pork. I also really liked the airy, slightly chewy bun.

That would be the same for the Pineapple Bun as well. It was large with the same great texture and of course the classic sugar topping (that only looks like a pineapple, there is no pineapple in the bun). So another random bakery and another pleasant surprise. The stuff is pretty good and the prices are low. It's nice to get big fresh buns for cheap along Hastings...

The Good:
- Cheap
- Large buns
- Dough texture is not too dense

The Bad:
- Egg tarts were good, but I didn't like the tart shell
- It says it's a cake house, but the selection for that is limited

Central City Brewing

"Bacon Tasting Menu". That alone would stop many people in their tracks or some hearts as well... For me, when I heard that Central City Brewing was doing their take on bacon overload, that was essentially a calling. Problem being is that I rarely venture out to Whalley for dinner. No, it's not because of the area. It gets too much of a bad rap already. Rather, I'm not exactly close by during the evening. Thus, I would need to make a special trip out. No matter, have food, will travel. In fact, Kim and Elaine were intrigued enough with the bacon tasting to do the same trip out. I was a little late arriving and met up with Elaine at the front. When I inquired where Kim might be, she remarked he was getting a massage... Uh... a what? Okay, I'll leave it at that. I really don't want to know. Maybe the bacon tasting is his version of a happy ending? Whatever the case, we sat down first and waited for him to finish up with the massage. While waiting, I noticed some of my co-workers (who had planned to go as well) and chatted with them. Eventually, I would go to their table to take photos of their food. Yes, the shamelessness of it all. Hey, Kim took photos too!

Now, instead of ordering 3 bacon tasting meals, we decided to order one and get other dishes as well. Good thing too because the tasting meal had a beer pairing for each course. 3 beers! Not for me, I was driving! And not for Kim because he's a cheap drunk! On that note, we could see why the meal was $35.00... We started with the Bacon & Corn Cakes. Resembling doughy pancakes, there was a definite smoky, salty bacon taste to these. The sweetness of the corn was a nice balance to the bacon. I would've preferred the cakes to be slightly more crisp and less dense. However, they were good in their own way.

Second course consisted of a Bacon Terrine served with pickled veggies, salad and mustard. I wasn't exactly fond of the cold bacon fat on the exterior of the terrine. The texture is just all wrong in my mouth. For the terrine itself, it was rock hard and practically impossible to spread on the crostinis. Furthermore, there was a severe lack of bacon taste. In fact, I found it quite bland. The accompanying mustard was quite strong and completely overwhelmed the terrine. Was that the intention? If so, that worked in that respect. Before Kim arrived, Elaine had her eye on the mussels. No, not my muscles or lack-there-of... Unless a one-pack counts as a muscle! What we did end up with was the Bacon & Blue Cheese Mussels. As if we didn't have enough bacon already (never too much bacon!), this dish was quite good. I thought the blue cheese would be overwhelming; but there was just enough to declare their attendance without getting a detention for being too loud. That goes the same for the bacon. Definitely there; but just enough for flavour. The mussels themselves were plump, just cooked and all open except for one. A solid offering on all fronts.

A dish that piqued our interest was the Central City Fried Chicken. It consists of a de-boned half chicken stuffed with cream cheese, caramelized onions and herbs coated with a blend of 9 herbs and spices. Sounds good on paper eh? In reality, it looked quite unappetizing when it arrived. Sure, looks can be deceiving; but I really didn't like this one. For me, anything stuffed with cream cheese becomes a goopy mess. This was no exception. Sure, the sweetness of the onions was nice; yet I didn't get a whole lot of flavour from the chicken or coating. It was a little on the overcooked side as well. The horror show didn't end there. The coleslaw had enough dressing to make a whole batch. And, the baked mac 'n cheese tasted like Kraft Dinner. No offense to KD; but I don't want my restaurant-made mac 'n cheese to taste and look like KD.

As if we really needed that much food in the first place, we also got a Pizza Margarita. The ingredients were fresh and the crust was thin and crispy. However, the pizza lacked flavour. In fact, Kim brought up a good point. The fresh basil should not have been cooked with the pizza. Rather, it should've been placed on the pizza afterwards. Personally, I thought the top of the pizza was too wet. The last course of the bacon tasting was the Bacon Cheesecake. Essentially a cheesecake square with bacon bits and syrup on top and around, this was a winner. The cheesecake itself was really smooth and not as heavy as it looks. Not too sweet with good cream cheese flavour, the syrup did not overwhelm. The bacon was a nice contrast. A definite winner and am glad to hear it's on the regular menu.

This was a good end to a meal that started off strong and fizzled in the middle. I really give Central City Brewing kudos on attempting food that is beyond the regular fare we find at such establishments. Of course some items worked out better than others. We weren't looking for perfection and that should never be an expectation. Yet, as a whole, the meal was not bad. I personally liked the decor and the service was friendly (if not a tad slow and forgetful). With everything taken into account, CCB is a decent place to grab some drinks and food while watching the game.

The Good:
- Dares to be a bit different
- Nice decor
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Not cheap
- With risks comes hit and miss
- Food and service was a bit slow

Fet's

For the love of... Finally, we won a game. Our hockey team has been on a 5-game losing streak that has seen us get crushed in most games. Being the goalie, it has not really helped my self-confidence. I'm ready to go to Goalies Anonymous. The only thing that has been keeping me going is the promise of eats afterwards. Continuing the trend of not going for wonton noodles, we headed over to the Drive, in particular Fet's. We attempted to eat here once; but arrived as they were closing. Thus, we ended up going for Pho. For once, this time around we had an earlier game and made it in time.

Emilicious had the Fish Tacos. She thought it was the perfect amount of food for a late-night snack. It was light and refreshing with seafood (fish & shrimp). The salsa was quite spicy but good for those who like it hot. All-in-all, $10 for three tacos is a good value. Silent Bob had the BBQ Chicken Pizza. He found the pizza to be really tasty. Every bite, he could taste something different - chicken, caramelized onions, BBQ sauce. There was a nice crispy thin crust. Something he'd definitely order again.

Milhouse and Gordo both had the Chicken Wrap. The wrap was quite good. The darn thing was big and tightly-packed. The second half of the wrap began to moisten due to the abundance of ingredients. The Fet's fries were a pleasant surprise. Freshly-cut, they were quite starchy and not greasy. They were not extremely crisp; yet they stay the same level of crispiness from start to finish. For myself, I contemplated on their popular burgers. Since I had a burger at White Spot earlier in the day, it didn't seem like the best decision to do it again. Thus, I opted for the Gnocchi & Capocollo. Being a bar-type establishment, I wasn't holding out much hope for my pasta. To my utter surprise, the darn thing was pretty good. The gnocchi itself wasn't going to set the culinary world on fire since it was on the denser side. With that being said, I still liked it. The real star of the show was the delicious sauce. With a nice kick from the capocollo and littered with big chunks of meat, there was no absence of flavour at work here. Overall the food was good for the price. Service was friendly for us. Only thing is we could've used A/C ...felt a little warm.

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Food is pretty solid
- Great place to hang out

The Bad:
- A bit warm w/o A/C (but since it was open in the front, can't see how there could be A/C either)
- Tight seating