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Our second stop on the Granville Island Dine Out Preview brought us to Edible Canada, which used to be located inside the Granville Island Market. It has occupied the space across from it for a few years now and it is not only a lively bistro, it also has a small store attached to it at the back. The focus of Edible Canada is to use sustainable Canadian ingredient to create unique tastes that represent our vast nation. So their Dine Out Vancouver menu sports a few surprises including Alberta lamb heart and Newfoundland seal!
We started with their Pacific Cod and Pemberton Potato Pakoras with jalapeno apple chutney, fresh mint and pickles. Crunchy and spiked with cumin, these pakoras did represent the Indian-inspiration to the dish. They were a bit dry though, however, the sweet and slightly spicy chutney offered up enough moisture. The entire dish exhibited a spicy brightness despite the appearance of being heavy. Next up was the Crispy West Coast Humbolt Squid with chermoula vinaigrette, white bean hummus and dried olives. I found the squid to be perfectly tender while super crunchy on the outside. The dish was on the saltier side, but the acidity from the vinaigrette provided some balance along with the pepperiness.
My favourite appie was the Grilled Alberta Lamb Heart with Gaujillo adobo, cilantro and hominy corn grits. Cooked to medium, the sliced heart meat was chewy, but in a good way. I would say it was firm, yet still completely tender. There was a definite spiciness to the dish provided by the adobo. I enjoyed the chunky hominy corn grits as they provided the necessary starch to the dish.
Onto the mains, we had the Quebec Rabbit Orecchiette with mushrooms, confit onions, shaved brussels sprouts and parmesan. I found the fresh pasta to be firmly al dente while mildly seasoned. The buttery mushrooms added umaminess as well as an alternate texture. On top, the bitter and crunchy brussels sprouts went well with the saltiness of the parmesan. There was plenty of lean rabbit meat strewn throughout the pasta. Ending off the savoury dishes, we had the Haida Gwaii Rockfish & Mussel Stew in a Moroccan tomato broth with heirloom carrots, chickpeas and cilantro. I found the broth to be tomatoey with a balanced amount of sweetness, spiciness and tanginess. The fish was flaky and tender while the large mussels were briny and buttery. The addition of crispy chickpeas was a nice textural touch.
For dessert, I was pretty impressed with the Pumpkin Sticky Toffee Pudding as it was not shockingly sweet like most versions. It was not as soaked either, so it ate more like a dense cake. That wasn't a bad thing though. Moreover, the amount of pumpkin was also restrained so it wasn't overwhelming. Loved the maple bourbon custard too as it was impactful and tasted like its description. Lastly, we had the Chocolate Pout du Creme with cassis and crystalized ginger. The mousse was rich and creamy with a noted bitterness while not being sweet. However, the currents on top were pretty sweet as well as the candied ginger. These were just some of the samples from their large DOV $30.00 menu. A few items are subject to a surcharge though. However, for the base price, the menu is interesting enough to give it a shot.
*All food and beverages were complimentary*
The Good:
- Attractive $30.00 price point
- Interesting Canadian-ingredient inspired menu
- Fair portions
The Bad:
- Surcharge on many of the choices
You'd think after my nightmare of an experience at the long gone Crawfish King in Richmond would scare me off of anything remotely close in the future. Well, you would be wrong because either I have a short memory or I am a glutton for punishment. While I was gone on my vacay this past Summer, the Captain's Boil opened their first BC location in Richmond. Similar to the Boiling Crab in the States, the place offers up seafood prepared in plastic bags with your choice of sauce and accompaniments.
Grace and I checked it out after what seemed to be an eternity of planning to go. Was it cold feet? Not really because we were greeted warmly and seated promptly. Furthermore, our food came out fairly quickly. Yes, the demons of Crawfish King were exorcised! For me, I wanted to try the Cajun Fries (despite some resistance from Grace). Turned out it was a good call since they were hot, crunchy and nicely spiced. There was still a good amount of potato texture remaining. For our seafood, the first item to arrive was 1 lb. of Shrimp in Lemon Pepper Sauce. We found the white shrimp to be meaty with a slight snap and a good amount of natural sweetness (decent for frozen). The lemon pepper sauce was pretty mild with only a slight kick and background acidity.
To kick things up a bit, we got the 1 lb. of Clams in the Captain's Boil Sauce (that combined all of the available options) in medium spice. This was a bit greasy, yet had more impact due to the spice and garlickiness. We felt it went well with the robust clam meat. Once again, the clams were prepared properly being buttery with only a slight chew. They were sweet and fresh. We ended things off on a high note with the Whole Dungeness Crab in Garlic Sauce. We added corn, potatoes and sausages for good measure. The meaty crab was just right being fluffy and sweet. The ample garlic kept things tasty without overwhelming the delicate crab. We thought the sausages were a bit too soft for our liking though. But in general, the seafood was prepared properly and I think we chose the right sauces for each.
The Good:
- Seafood prepared right
- If you choose the right sauces, it pairs well
- Decent service
The Bad:
- Eating this way will always cost you
- Sausages were too soft
Here we go with another year of Dine Out Vancouver. For me, I believe there are some gems to be found during this chaotic time where a mad rush of diners attempt to sample as many restaurants as possible. Some restaurants understand the premise behind the event and offer up great value with tasty food and quality ingredients for an attractive price. Others do not get it and offer up substandard food in hopes people won't notice they are not getting a deal at all. Well, I guess I could put this belief to the test when I had the opportunity to preview the DOV menus at 3 spots on Granville Island.
We began at Dockside in the Granville Island Hotel where we were treated to 3 appetizers on the dine out menu including the super-flavourful Duck Prosciutto Tart. Since the slices were relatively thick, the prosciutto was a bit chewy. However, it was far from tough and the chewing only helped bring out the gamy saltiness of the duck. Counteracting the salt was the sweet and tart balsamic reduction as well as the onion jam. The arugula added a touch of bitter brightness. Next, the Crab & Shrimp Cakes were pretty textbook with a crispy exterior while meaty inside. It wasn't fluffy, but wasn't dry either. The charred mango aioli combined with the mango salsa did the predictable sweet and tart thing.
Surprisingly, my favourite choice was the Winter Green Salad with manchego polenta croutons. Yah really! I found the mixture of leafy greens and firm French beans a nice textural contrast. Additionally, the croutons were something different which provided a certain robustness. The acidic and impactful herb vinaigrette kept things bright while the blistered cherry tomatoes added an extra layer of tartness. At first, I wasn't sure if the Roasted Zucchini was an appie or an entree. Well, it turned out to be the vegetarian option as a main. I'm not sure it that would be filling enough as a main, but I actually liked it as well (yah go figure). The half side of zucchini was caramelized with depth-of-flavour The crunch of fennel and pine nuts was the textural component while the eggplant puree added a silky mild flavour.
Okay, onto something meat-related, the Beef Wellington was good despite it being cooked a bit more than I would've preferred. Despite that, the meat did eat well being tender and not dry. It was encased in a buttery crust where I detected some horseradish (at least that is what I thought). Underneath, there was some creamy truffle mashed potatoes and on top was a red wine jus. Large in portion size, the Linguini Vongole featured a bevy of buttery Manila clams. Yet, it didn't really translate in flavour to the creamy white wine sauce. I would've liked to see more brininess. With that being said, the pasta was al dente and there was no shortage of flavour as there was a considerable cheesiness from the Reggiano.
For dessert, we were presented with 2 options including the Panna Cotta and Chocolate & Apricot Mousse Layer Cake. Although flavoured with lemon grass and lime, the panna cotta was very mild and not overly sweet. I could get a bit of the aroma only. However, the passion fruit puree along with mint was much more impactful with a sweet tartness. I found the layer cake to be really moist and bordering on wet. I didn't mind it though as it was only purposefully sweet with the chocolate going well with the berries. On the DOV site, it states that Dockside's greatest asset is its location. I would whole-heartedly agree with this statement, yet the food is more-than-acceptable as well (from my previous experience too). As for their $40.00 DOV menu, it is a safe offering that sports fair portions in a location situated right by the water.
*All food and beverages were complimentary*
The Good:
- Awesome location
- Fair portions
- Safe and predictable
The Bad:
- Safe and predictable (for those who are more adventurous)
After a few go-arounds on The Dumpling Trail in Richmond, somehow one dinner just doesn't seem enough these days. This is especially true when Amy, Sharon and Diana were with me at a menu tasting at Ritual. We were all thinking the same thing: what were we going to eat afterwards? No, it wasn't dessert like Mimi and Jacqueline were suggesting. Rather, we wanted "food" and that we got, just around the corner from the newly opened Men-No Kura.
Before we got to the ramen, we tried both the Dashimaki Cheese and Dashimaki Mentaiko (not pictured). These were essentially rolled omelettes filled with cheese and tobiko respectively. Soft, airy and light, the omelettes were a pleasure to eat. I much preferred the stringy cheese rather than the tobiko though. I found the latter to be less impactful texturally, but it was more flavourful with a briny sweetness. Next was the Chicken Karaage, which was on point. It reminded me very much of the one from Mogu. Hence, the same qualities existed such as the juicy and flavourful chicken as well as the lightly crispy batter as well.
Sharon and Nathan each had the Shio and Shoyu Ramen which provided a nice baseline. The most obvious thing about the pork broth was that it was really rich and fatty. Hence, the concentrated pork flavour was very strong, yet at the same time, there was a restrained amount of salt. For this type of ramen, it appears that drinking the actual soup might be a little challenging as it was too heavy. On the other hand, it seemed to flavour and coat the noodles just enough much like a Dan Dan Noodle or Ja Jeun Mein. The noodles themselves were medium thickness and nicely al dente. I found the main difference between the 2 broths was that the shoyu did exhibit the soy flavour as expected over the light saltiness of the Shio.
Amy went for my initial choice in the Black Garlic Ramen (I ended up choosing something else for variety purposes). This was even greasier due to the addition of the black garlic oil. Once again, the broth itself was probably best left as a flavouring agent rather than a drinkable soup. With that, it was successful where the chewy noodles were coated in a porky and nutty aromaticness that was rather appealing. Peter had something similar in the Black Garlic Miso Ramen which was essentially the same except with the addition of miso. Therefore, a richer saltiness dominated the flavour profile of the broth. In addition, it lessened the impact of the black garlic as well.
For myself, I had the Black Garlic Tsukemen that featured warm thicker noodles served with a side of dipping broth. I found the noodles to be quite robust and hearty which decreased the effectiveness of the broth. Hence, I found the flavours to be quite muted. The 2 slices of fatty chashu were excellent being buttery soft and full of natural concentrated flavours. The half-Ajitama egg was also executed properly with a soft runny centre while being mildly seasoned. Diana went for the most expensive item in the Deluxe Spicy Tsukemen served cold with a side of bubbling broth. I found the cold noodles to be texturally better than my hot water blanched noodles. They were chewy and was a nice contrast to the hot semi-spicy broth. Overall, I thought the ramen at Men-no-Kura to be good with well-executed noodles, chashu and egg. However, the broth was a bit too rich and oily for me personally.
The Good:
- Love that black garlic
- Chashu and egg were on point
The Bad:
- Soup base not really meant for drinking as it is fatty and thick
Posts
Our second stop on the Granville Island Dine Out Preview brought us to Edible Canada, which used to be located inside the Granville Island Market. It has occupied the space across from it for a few years now and it is not only a lively bistro, it also has a small store attached to it at the back. The focus of Edible Canada is to use sustainable Canadian ingredient to create unique tastes that represent our vast nation. So their Dine Out Vancouver menu sports a few surprises including Alberta lamb heart and Newfoundland seal!
We started with their Pacific Cod and Pemberton Potato Pakoras with jalapeno apple chutney, fresh mint and pickles. Crunchy and spiked with cumin, these pakoras did represent the Indian-inspiration to the dish. They were a bit dry though, however, the sweet and slightly spicy chutney offered up enough moisture. The entire dish exhibited a spicy brightness despite the appearance of being heavy. Next up was the Crispy West Coast Humbolt Squid with chermoula vinaigrette, white bean hummus and dried olives. I found the squid to be perfectly tender while super crunchy on the outside. The dish was on the saltier side, but the acidity from the vinaigrette provided some balance along with the pepperiness.
My favourite appie was the Grilled Alberta Lamb Heart with Gaujillo adobo, cilantro and hominy corn grits. Cooked to medium, the sliced heart meat was chewy, but in a good way. I would say it was firm, yet still completely tender. There was a definite spiciness to the dish provided by the adobo. I enjoyed the chunky hominy corn grits as they provided the necessary starch to the dish.
Onto the mains, we had the Quebec Rabbit Orecchiette with mushrooms, confit onions, shaved brussels sprouts and parmesan. I found the fresh pasta to be firmly al dente while mildly seasoned. The buttery mushrooms added umaminess as well as an alternate texture. On top, the bitter and crunchy brussels sprouts went well with the saltiness of the parmesan. There was plenty of lean rabbit meat strewn throughout the pasta. Ending off the savoury dishes, we had the Haida Gwaii Rockfish & Mussel Stew in a Moroccan tomato broth with heirloom carrots, chickpeas and cilantro. I found the broth to be tomatoey with a balanced amount of sweetness, spiciness and tanginess. The fish was flaky and tender while the large mussels were briny and buttery. The addition of crispy chickpeas was a nice textural touch.
For dessert, I was pretty impressed with the Pumpkin Sticky Toffee Pudding as it was not shockingly sweet like most versions. It was not as soaked either, so it ate more like a dense cake. That wasn't a bad thing though. Moreover, the amount of pumpkin was also restrained so it wasn't overwhelming. Loved the maple bourbon custard too as it was impactful and tasted like its description. Lastly, we had the Chocolate Pout du Creme with cassis and crystalized ginger. The mousse was rich and creamy with a noted bitterness while not being sweet. However, the currents on top were pretty sweet as well as the candied ginger. These were just some of the samples from their large DOV $30.00 menu. A few items are subject to a surcharge though. However, for the base price, the menu is interesting enough to give it a shot.
