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A few Summers ago, we were up in Whistler at Chill's cabin. Yes, we are very lucky to have a friend like Chill and Bubbly because staying at Whistler can be a pricey proposition otherwise. While we were there, Bubbly kept insisting we visit Purebread in the Village. She was yammering on and on about the place to which we ignored. Not that we weren't interested, but with a location in Vancity, we weren't in a hurry to try the place. Well, we finally did get to the Vancouver location, 3 times in fact...
On our first visit, Viv had the Lemon Chevril Brownie which lived up to its namesake in spades. In addition to hits of rich dark chocolate, there was the unmistakable essence of chevril in the cream cheese. Then the whole thing was lightened up by the spike of lemon a the end. We felt this was a balanced and well-executed brownie. For our savoury item, we had the Cheddar and Bacon Scone. Beyond the almost crunchy exterior, the inside was soft, fluffy and purposefully dense. It was blessed with a good amount of sharp cheddar and the smokiness of the bacon.
On another visit, we decided to try the Mushroom Gruyere Tart just on looks alone. Yes, we are pretty shallow like a puddle sometimes... Well, the looks weren't deceiving like a Photoshopped picture as the puff pastry was light and crispy. On top, there was a mixture of Earthy mushrooms, caramelized onions and of course melted creamy gruyere. On the other hand, we thought the flavours were a bit too mild. Another solid offering. For our sweet tooth, we went for the Raspberry Riot Loaf that featured an overly sweet glaze on top. Not a really big issue as the soft and fluffy cake was minimally sweet while being the beneficiary of lemon.
On our 3rd visit, we almost didn't make it since the place was packed. But we toughed it out and found a seat anyways. Turned out to be a great decision as we really enjoyed the Savoury Croissant with pesto, cheese and tomato. Despite its plain appearance, the croissant was packed with flavour from the aromatic and pleasingly salty pesto. The light and airy croissant didn't hurt things either. We also had the Raspberry Cheesecake Brownie and it was similar to the other one we had except for the tart raspberry and impactful cream cheese centre. This as a real treat and really, all 3 visits were on point. There is still many items to try and I'll probably just tack it onto this post as there are definitely more visits in the future.
The Good:
- Appealing and equally good treats
- Fairly large selection
The Bad:
- Kinda pricey
- Tight and I mean it, seating
My son's fascination with Teriyaki Chicken has made him a rather agreeable individual when we insist on eating Japanese. Although the dish could be considered one of the "safer" options, it is at the very least not Udon in soup (really hated ordering that all the time). So when we were heading home one rainy night, it made for an easy decision for dinner. Not being particularly adventurous nor having any sort of plan, we stopped at Miyako Sushi (which was on the route home).
Upon looking at the menu, the "Pick any 3" items for $8.95 looked like a great way to feed the kiddies. One of the choices was the aforementioned mini-Teriyaki Chicken Don. We also got the Appetizer Tempura and Wild Salmon Roll as well. Although the rice was pretty soft and wet in the don, the chicken itself was fairly tender while not being over-sauced. We weren't that impressed with the tempura as it looked rather dark in colour, possibly from the use of old oil. Hence, the flavour was as such and the veggies were somewhat undercooked while the batter was super greasy.
For Viv and myself, we got the Assorted Sashimi consisting of salmon, tuna, tai, hokkigai, tako and hotate. The slices of salmon and tuna were pretty large, yet not cut with much precision. Due to its thickness, the salmon was a bit difficult to eat. It was decent in quality though as it was relatively sweet with a toothsome texture. The tuna was fairly soft and not overly flavourful. Yet for $13.95, this was a pretty large order of sashimi. Looking more like a full order of Futomaki, the 1/2 order was another good value. By its appearance alone, we thought it would be dense. One bite and no, it wasn't dense at all, but the rice was a little wet and soft. I wasn't a huge fan of the large amount of imitation crab though, as it resembled a California Roll rather than a futomaki.
As a filler, we got the Chicken Yakisoba served on a sizzling cast iron plate. I liked how there was very little "sauce" on the bottom of the plate. In turn, the noodles remained chewy and not overly sweet. On the other hand, there could've been a touch more seasoning as the dish was quite mild in need of some tang. The veggies retained some natural texture while the bits of chicken were a bit dried out. Our specialty roll of the meal was the Awesome Roll consisting of a California roll topped with seared salmon and crispy yam strings. Once again, the rice was pretty wet, which made the roll heavy to eat. There wasn't much inherent flavour to the roll either.
Just to ensure that the kiddies got their fill of food, we added the Chicken Karaage as well. Prepared with large pieces of dark meat, the chicken was tender and succulent. It was lacking in seasoning though. Furthermore, the batter wasn't exactly crispy, being quite greasy instead. As you can ascertain, the food at Miyako Sushi wasn't exactly authentic. Now that shouldn't be a determining factor as long as the food is good for what it is. In this case, things were alright, but hardly memorable.
The Good:
- Well-priced and well-portioned
- Fairly friendly service
The Bad:
- An interpretation of Japanese food
- Flavours were generally weak
Originally, I was invited to the media event for Fondway Cafe which I was all ready to attend before I double-checked my schedule. Drats, I already had dinner scheduled for that night. Could I do both, "a la Mijune"? Who am I kidding? Of course not... So the only other option was to attend their VIP night a few days later. Tucked behind the Metrotown Skytrain station on Beresford, Miss Y and I were surprised to find a cute little Asian-run cafe adorned with appealing decor and a wonderful high ceiling.
As part of the tasting menu, we were given a choice of beverage. I went for the Caramel Macchiato which was served in a double-walled plastic cup. This ensured that I could hold onto it despite being served scalding hot. It also kept it warm longer. As for the drink itself, it was lightly creamy with hints of caramel without being super sweet. The espresso part of it was pretty mild. Miss Y had the Grass Jelly Milk which was served in an interestingly tall cup. The soft jelly was easily sucked up by the large bubble tea straw where it was slightly sweet and minimally bitter. Also lightly creamy, the milk was easy on the sugar.
In terms of food, we were started off with a selection that included Chicken Corn Chowder, Vegetable Soup, Cheese Salmon and Tuna Waffle. Even before I was informed that everything was made in-house, we could easily tell things were fresh. I really enjoyed the vegetable soup as it had a home-made quality where nothing was too acidic nor salty. At the same time, it was full of depth highlighted by natural sweetness. The corn chowder was equally good with a medium viscosity while not being over-seasoned. The bits of chicken were remarkably tender despite being in a soup. Not much to comment on the smoked salmon other than that the cracker was too crumbly for the application. I liked the acidity of the tuna mixture, but the waffle was a bit cold and stiff.
Generally, a Green Salad is as exciting as a border lineup (go get Nexus!), but this one was actually a bit different. Sure, the greens were well, greens, but the Italian-type dressing was spiked with fruit and fresh cucumbers which added a certain brightness and natural sweetness. Furthermore, it added another layer of crunch and texture to the salad. This was accompanied by 2 sandwiches including the Smoked Pork and Turkey Croissant. These were generous in size and packed with ingredients. Unlike ham, the smoked pork was not overly salty while sporting a softer pulled pork-like texture. I liked the addition of sliced hard-boiled egg as it added some more body to the sandwich. Served on a house-made croissant, the real turkey breast was decently moist.
Onto some sweets, we were served 3 tarts including one that was a mix of Nuts, Seeds and Cranberries. This one had a firm texture while lightly sweet and of course nutty. We loved the various textures of crunchy and chewy. Up next was a Berry Frangipane Tart topped with slivered almonds. This was fairly dense as it appeared and lightly sweet with the essence of almonds throughout. Lastly, with a buttery sugar crumb topping, the Apple Tart featured a firm buttery crust that held in what appeared to be more frangipane topped with sweet apples and cranberries.
Moving onto some cakes, we were presented with 5 consisting of Green Tea Red Bean, Earl Grey, Strawberry Cream, Concentrated Chocolate and NY Cheesecake. Being an Asian cafe, the cakes were predictably light. I thought they executed it nicely where it was fluffy and light while not dried out. They were conservative with the sugar where we could taste the intended flavours. The earl grey was my personal favourite as the natural tea taste really came through at the end without being too strong. Another highlight was the cheesecake as the texture was spot on being creamy, a touch dense while being very cheesy and mildly sweet. The bruleed top added the necessary sugar content and a crunch as well. So, they say sometimes good things come in small packages. Sure it is an overused cliche, but this just might be the case of Fondway Cafe.
*All food and beverages were complimentary*
The Good:
- House-made everything
- Not heavy on the sugar
The Bad:
- Hidden location with limited parking
- Some may not understand the light Taiwanese treats
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Well, we weren't too concerned with service or the odd shape of the restaurant when we stopped in for a quick bite. In fact, I don't recall ever being that picky with any Vietnamese restaurant since they often take over other restaurants. We started off with the Butter Garlic Wings that sported a thin almost tempura-like batter. Hence, the exterior was lightly crisp while the skin was not rendered at all. The good news was the juicy and well-seasoned meat underneath, but the rest of the wings were not very flavourful. For my main, I tried the Luc Lac Beef which was pretty bland. There was very little impact and flavour while the chunks of beef were rather chewy. The version at Phnom Penh kicks this one in every way.
The kiddies shared the Lemongrass Chicken with Rice (where we added 2 fried eggs). This was a pretty good dish consisting of sweet charred chicken that was sufficiently moist. On the other hand, the lemongrass was definitely overwhelmed by the amount of sugar used in the marinade. Of course we also got an order of Pho which featured a very mild broth that was lightly sweet. It could've used more meatiness and maybe more star anise. Meats were okay though. I guess that pretty much sums up the food here as the real draw is their Bo 7 Mon. That will be another day and I'm sure will be more exciting than the meal we had this time.
