Italian Kitchen (Happy Hour)

Here we go with another fabulous deal that allows you to go out to eat while on a budget.  We all know things are crazy expensive right now.  Eating out is such a luxury whether it be fine-dining (especially so) or even casual spots.  However, at Italian Kitchen, you can visit them during Happy Hour from 3:00pm - 6:00pm everyday and have a delicious meal for a reasonable price.  Considering they are located in Downtown and their Happy Hour menu features 11 food items and 19 drink specials, it makes the deal even better.  Jackie and I were invited to try it out on a lovely May evening.

To start things off, we had the Mushroom Arancini as a amuse bouche of sorts.  It is listed on the Happy Hour menu at $3.00 per piece or $12.00 for 3 of them.  I've had these before and they are pretty solid.  Inside, we found aborio rice that was still a bit chewy while bathed in an earthy mushroom cream.  There was also the usual cheesiness while the outside was light and crispy.  A little dollop of truffle aioli added a bit more woodiness to the bite.

Next, we moved onto the Olive Ascolane which consisted of beef-stuffed olives coated with the same crispy breading as the arancini.  For me, I love olives, so anything olive-related would be tasty in my books.  However, even Jackie found these delightful since the strong olive brine was nicely balanced by the generous amount of tender beef.  Hence, the flavour of the olive was present, but just enough to make the little bite impactful without being salty.

One of the more surprising items was the Zeppole Prosciutto Cotto & Formaggio.  At first, we were a bit skeptical at fried dough balls sitting in a tomato fondue.  However, these were really good being fluffy with a good mouth feel.  They were filled with fontina and prosciutto, which provided saltiness and cheesiness.  Combined with the silky tomato fondue we had some light tang and sweetness.

Probably the best deal in the happy hour menu (in my mind), was the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio.  It was well-executed and was ultimately tasty.  Presented on a large platter, there was a good amount of tender slices of buttery beef.  We could taste the natural beef flavour as well as the drops of mustard aioli.  Nice creaminess with a slight tangy bite from the mustard where the crunch from the crispy shallots and fried capers provided aromatics and some more saltiness.  Plenty of arugula to brighten things up while the parm was nutty.  To compliment, the garlic toast was like a crouton being super crunchy, buttery and airy,

Another showstoper was the Bruschetta Trio with Macerated Heirloom Tomatoes and Pesto, Mortadella, Burrata and Pistachios & Roasted Mushrooms, Ricotta and Pine Nuts.  This was $15.00 for 3 and $6.00 for 1.  Really loved the toasted crostinis as they were appealingly crunchy while being light at the same time.  It stood up to the wet ingredients, and stayed as such even after our picture-taking.  My favourite was the tomatoes and pesto where the combination of brightness, tart and sweetness really came through.  I loved how the pesto was not completely blended as it had real texture and impactful herbaceousness.  The mortadella was meaty as expected but the creaminess of the burrata added a cold creaminess.  The mushrooms were earthy and not squishy (on the drier side, but good for this application) while the ricotta added all the creamy moisture that was needed.

With a combination of calamari, prawns, salmon, cod and shishito peppers, the Fritto Misto came in a pretty large portion.  I found that the salmon and cod to be perfectly fried where they were delicate and super moist.  The batter was thin and crispy while not being greasy.  I found the prawns to have the desirable snap texture with a completely edible shell at the tip of the tail. The calamari was slightly on the chewier side, but when dipped into the calabrian chili aioli, it was still quite good.

Of course we had to get their ever popular Baked Meatballs and we had 3 pieces for $11.00 (it is $4.00 for 1).  Initial impressions, you wouldn't think these would be anything special, but upon digging in, they were tender, light and moist.  Due to their size, the meatballs were able to retain quite a bit of juiciness where the texture was also rather light while still meaty.  There was enough seasoning for the meatballs to stand on their own, but the combination of cheeses on top allowed for extra salty nuttiness.  The tomato sauce helped provided some tangy brightness.

Another delicious small plate was the Ravioli Fritti.  These large fried raviolis were crunchy on the outside without being too firm.  There was a certain lightness to it, yet it still had a robust texture.  Inside, there was a good amount of braised beef and mozzarella that helped vary both the flavours and texture of each bite.  The beef was tender with natural meat flavour while the cheese provided the some stretchiness.  On the side, we found a parmesan fondue which was creamy, rich and nutty.

One dish we were a bit indifferent about was the Mozzarella Fritta.  These were essentially mozzarella bites that were fried in a herb breading.  Nothing wrong with the breading as it was crunchy and flavourful.  The issue was the size of each bite as they were far too small for the mozzarella to have any impact.  All I got was crunchy breading.  If these were just a bit bigger, I would've had more cheese in each bite.  The rest of the dish with the fior di latte, basil aioli and tomato fondue were good providing creamy tanginess.

Lastly, we had the Garlic Prawns that were quite large.  The picture doesn't do it justice, but believe me, they were super plump.  It really helped that they were sauteed properly as the texture was meaty, but had a buttery sweet snap.  The meat was light and not dense.  In terms of the garlic butter, it was nutty with lots of garlickiness that was aromatic and not too sharp.  There was also spot-on seasoning where it complimented the natural flavour of the prawns.

Of course we didn't have all this food without some beverages right?  We ended up trying the Alba di Amalfi,  Sogno Ross, Fizzy Amore and Negroni all Fragola.  I know it is easy to say I loved them all, but I really did.  Good portion size on the cocktails too!  Overall, the happy hour at Italian Kitchen is happy hour done right.  The menu is big enough that one can have an entire meal just on these dishes alone.  They didn't skimp on the portion size nor the quality.  It is a really affordable way to dine out right before a movie at Scotiabank Theatres or a show at the Orpheum.  Hey, it is great just to go for no reason at all and enjoy the patio on a sunny day!

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

The Good:
- Well-priced
- The dishes are appealing and well-portioned
- Love the patio

The Bad:
- The Mozzarella Fritta was my least favourite dish

H2 Kitchen & Bar (Sunday Supper)

It has been a minute since I've last visited H2 Kitchen & Bar nestled within the Westin Bayshore hotel.  They've gone through a few iterations with the current setup being a casual dining spot with a BBQ focus.  I've had that a few times now and it has been pretty solid, especially for a hotel restaurant (that are usually not known for thinking out-of-the-box).  This time around, we were here for their Sunday Supper Series and to have a few of their other items on the menu.  This is not the first time I've tried their Sunday Supper, as they used to have a family-style menu.  Now they feature a 3-course meal for only $43.00!

For the first course, there is an option of either the Caesar Salad or Chicken Corn Chowder.  We went for the chowder because I've also had that before and it was great!  Topped with a piece of puffed pastry, the large bowl was packed with delicate corn niblets that burst with intense sweetness and tender pulp.  There was a wealth of chicken that was moist and tender.  As for the broth itself, the viscosity was on the thinner side, but fine by us since it wasn't overly heavy.  It was sweet, a bit creamy and spot-on with the salt content.

The featured plate for the Sunday Supper was the Cherry Cola Braised Short Rib with celeriac polenta, pickled gem tomato and charred broccolini.  Compared to some of the past featured mains, this was one of the more appealing offerings.  The large piece of boneless short rib was for tender and succulent.  A bit sweet and full of umami, it really took on the flavours of the braise.  Rich and creamy, the polenta had some aggressive seasoning (which was good).  Broccolini was vibrant with a fresh crunch.

For dessert, we had the Roasted Apple Cheesecake with shortbread crust, roasted apples, oat crumble, vanilla ice cream and brandy snap.  This was a pretty dense cheesecake and we weren't surprised as it was New York style.  Plenty of baked cream cheese flavor with balanced sweetness.  Loved the roasted apple on top as it added a sweet fruitiness.  It was mixed with oat crumble which added texture as well as nuttiness.  The vanilla ice cream wasn't completely necessary, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Of course we didn't just have the Sunday Supper and call it a day...  We also had some other dishes including the Firecracker Shrimp.  This was more about the crunchy batter (must've had rice flour) than anything else.  It held up to the sweet, tangy and spicy sauce nicely.  The Buffalo Wings were okay, but really needed more sauce.  The meat was moist and the batter was still crispy, but there was a lack of moisture and flavour to the dish.

With a bevy of legit cheese curds, the Waffle Fries Poutine was pretty good.  First off, the waffle fries were crispy while still maintaining a soft potato texture.  They topped it with a balanced gravy that wasn't too salty, but had enough flavour though.  Just like it should be, the cheese curds weren't completely melted, so we go that squeak.  Not pictured was the side of brisket, that should've been on top of the poutine.  When we added it, there was much more body and layers of meatiness.

From the Happy Hour menu, we selected the Fish Taco as well as the Burnt End Sliders.  The fish taco was pretty solid where the piece of flaky fish was rather large and coated with a crispy batter.  The usual condiments were there.  Really loved the sliders where the meat was tender but had candied bark that was smoky and sweet.  A slice of pickle helped add some acidity while the Hawaiian buns were soft and sweet.

So we couldn't not order something from their BBQ menu right?  I've had their larger combo platters before, but we had to get something smaller since we had so much food already.  Therefore, we settled on the CAB Smoked Brisket with mac & cheese and market vegetables.  This plate was generous with 2 thick slices of brisket.  Although it looked dry at first, the meat was decently moist and completely fork tender.  We chose the O.G. H2 BBQ Sauce and it was smoky, sweet and tangy.  Veggies were still crunchy while cooked through.  Mac was al dente with lots of real cheese, but we would've liked to see more cheese sauce for moisture.

Looking enormous with 2 crispy strips of bacon, the Whiskey BBQ Burger was delicious.  The well-seared beef patty was crispy and smoky on the outside while still being fairly moist on the inside.  The aged cheddar provided some smokiness while the bacon did the same as well as adding some crunch.  A few tempura-battered onion rings provided even more crunch.  This was all sandwiched in a toasted brioche bun.

We ended up with the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich as well since I wanted to reminisce about my fried chicken sandwich IG account (that I no longer update due to bad cholesterol...  LOL).  This was a serviceable version with a generous amount of juicy chicken coated in a crunchy batter.  We found the heat level to be rather mild though.  Bun was soft with crispy surface areas while the slaw was crunchy and fresh.

We ended up ordering 2 drinks including the Gin in the Garden and the Fig & Strawberry Spritz.  Really enjoyed the first drink as it was refreshing and light with floral notes.  The second was a mocktail and was also floral with some tang.  We added a second dessert in the Banana Pudding Jar.  Despite my reservations about anything banana for dessert, this was actually fantastic.  Much better than the cheesecake.  Purposefully sweet and aromatic custard with fresh bananas.  This was yet another solid meal at H2 Kitchen & Bar where the food is much more casual than fine dining.  As you can probably tell, the dishes are comforting and generous in portion size.  Great for a date but also for the family as well.  The Sunday Supper deal is particularly a great value.

 

*Partial comp on the food and beverages for this blog post*

 

The Good:

- Sunday Supper 3-course meal is a great value

- Considering the portion size, it is a good value

- Nice dining space

 

The Bad:

- Wings were so-so

- Cheesecake a little too dense

Datang

We've been through many food crazes in and around Metro Vancouver over the decades.  There has been bubble tea (still going on apparently), poke and more recently, "build-you-own-hot pot".  Big Way started the trend and in fact, it was a copy of something that started in Australia. The concept gives the individual the ability to select their own ingredients and then pay for the hot pot by weight.  Broth is included and there are many options (even dry mix without broth is available).  Soft-serve ice cream is also usually included at the end.  So you know that Big Way wouldn't have a monopoly for long since copycats would arrive on the scene.  One of the newest is Datang in Richmond.

Unique to this location, Datang is a stand-alone restaurant with its own parking lot.  Since it was a Greek restaurant many years ago, the renovated dining space is both spacious and modern.  Jackie and I were invited to try the place out where we decided to try 4 different broth combinations.   The selection of ingredients was quite extensive and things looked fresh.  It was easy going back and forth between items as there was a decent amount of space to walk around.

The great part of the broths is that you choose your base (pork, beef, fish, mushroom or tomato), and then the flavour (Mala, Tomato, Tom Yum, Laksa, Korean Kimchi, Thai Curry, Pickled Mustard or Original).  The first one we tried was the Malaysian Laksa Fish Broth.  Combined with the seafood-heavy selection that I chose along with the usual things you see in Laksa, this was impactful and flavourful.  Nice creamy sweetness to the broth with a touch of spice.  With the added seafood, it upped the brininess quotient as well.

Another intensely-impactful broth was the Tom Yum Pork Bone Broth.  If I had to compare with Big Way, I think the one at Datang is less sour and more fragrant.  That in itself made it more appealing.  With the right items (such as shrimp, tofu and mushrooms) in the mix, it really gave Thai soup vibes.  Nice lemongrass aroma going with a balanced amount of tang and brininess.  I particularly enjoyed the noodles that soaked up the broth.

As for the Tomato Broth, it looked a little on the light side in terms of colour.  Again, if I had to compare, it looked a lot like the one at Big Way, but it did taste more impactful at the same time.  I felt it could've been a tad more salty, but in the end, it did taste like tangy tomato with appealing sweetness.  This broth went best with veggies, tofu and beef.  The tomato helped enhance the natural sweetness of the veggies.

The last broth that we tried was the Spicy Mala Pork Bone Broth.  I really enjoyed this one as there was a good amount of heat while not being painful.  The numbing spice was appealing and this was great with meat, in particular, lamb slices.  Even some seafood worked well with this, including snakehead fish slices.  I enjoyed the noodles in this broth, but for those who are sensitive to that, I would recommend against putting any noodles in this.

Now Datang is more than just hot pot as they have a selection of cooked items as well.  I found the Crispy Chinese Burger filled with chicken to be one of the better things I've eaten lately.  Super flaky and crispy with a savoury and tender meat filling.  Their Lamb & Beef Skewers were also pretty solid with a slightly spicy (can be mild or spicy) and earthy seasoning mix.  The meats were tender with a balancing amount of fat.

  

They also have a selection of drinks and we tried 4 of them including the Cheese Foam Osmanthus Milk Tea, Lemon Lychee Green Tea, Floral Trio Milk Green Tea and Panda Milk Tea.  If I had to choose again, I'd go for the first one as it was creamy, cheesy and full of sweet jelly.  The floral trio was good too being milky, aromatic and lightly sweet.  Of course we ended off our meal with a Strawberry Soft-Serve Ice Cream.  This was a bit sweet for me, but a nice finish anyways as my mouth was still feeling the spicy mala broth.  Overall, the broths at Datang were great and more flavourful in comparison to Big Way.  Definitely a good alternative.  Hope they open more locations.

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

The Good:
- Flavourful broths and lots of combinations
- Ingredients were fresh and refilled quickly
- Loved the hot food, in particular, the Crispy Burger

The Bad:
- A little bit of a bottleneck near the sauce bar
- I think the ice cream should be served instead of self-serve, it got messy and people used it when the ice cream wasn't ready

Taco Nori (Burrard Skytrain Station)

When I first laid eyes on Taco Nori (at the Richmond Night Market), I was immediately drawn to the fully stuffed Japanese tacos.  By employing a tempura fried nori shell and using sushi rice as a base, this was essentially a sushi roll re-imagined.  The great thing about the sushi taco is that it is a portable hand-held meal or snack (depending how many you have) for those on the go. I feel that their new location (just across from their food cart spot) is perfect for those on their way to and from the Skytrain station.

We sampled all of their available options including the California and the Spicy Tuna.  Before they stuff the tacos full of the main ingredient, they sauce the sushi rice with spicy mayo or wasabi mayo adding julienned cucumber and soy sauce mix with green onions and sesame seeds on top.  With a considerable amount of fluffy imitation crab salad with some tobiko, I really enjoy the California taco.  It is like a fried California roll but with much more stuff.  As for the Spicy Tuna, it is filled with meaty pieces of bright-tasting ahi tuna.  It is mildly spicy, allowing the natural sweetness of the fish come through.  I particularly like the soy sauce mix they use as it is full of umami without being too salty.

My favourite of the whole bunch is the Mango Paradise featuring Atlantic salmon, avocado, mango and imitation crab.  This has everything where the mango really brings things to life with a tangy sweetness.  You might laugh, but the addition of imitation crab make this complete since it adds the classic fluffy texture and unmistakable sweet brininess.  Next to it is the popular Spicy Salmon nori taco.  There are buttery pieces of Atlantic salmon dressed in sweet and salty soy with some kick.

There is a little of everything for everyone including vegetarians as the Avocucumber features the same rice base with extra cucumber and sliced avocado.  Personally, this wouldn't be my choice, but it does well with lots of creamy avocado.  Right beside it is something more up my alley in the Ahi Tuna. I really like this as the soy sauce mixture goes particularly well with the tuna.  The umami from the soy brings out the brightness and the sweetness in the tuna.

Back to another vegetarian offering in the Wakame with avocado hiding beneath it.  In all honesty, I would actually order this.  I personally love wakame salad with its sweet tanginess.  The crunch provides a nice mouth-feel that offsets the soft avocado. Another one I would consider is the Chopped Scallop with mayo and masago.  These little bay scallops are sweet and buttery while laced with enough mayo to bind them together.  The masago adds some pops of brininess.

Last but not least, the classic Salmon is another taco I wouldn't hesitate to order.  Besides, it is the standard where most people will find it approachable.  Nice buttery nuggets of salmon with the same delicious sweet, tangy and salty sauce mix.  I really enjoy the concept and think it is another way to enjoy a sushi roll/poke bowl hybrid in a handheld format.  Nice textures and flavours make it appealing and delicious.  Now, until the end of May 2025, if you show them the Instagram reel from my account, you will receive 10% off your order!

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

The Good:

- Portable deliciousness

- Nice texture on the tempura-fried nori shell

- They don't skimp on the filling

The Bad:

- Shell can be a bit greasy, so make sure you have napkins

Melo Melo Coconut Dessert

Strangely, I forgot to post about Melo Melo when I visited LA awhile back.  This is despite my almost fanatical love for it.  Maybe there was just so many things to write about that I just get to it?  No idea, but whatever, I'll post about it now.  For those who are unfamiliar, Melo Melo specializes in coconut desserts with a variety of complimentary ingredients and flavours.  They are served in glass jars that they encourage you to return (10 jars = 1 free dessert).  I got to try a variety of flavours and really wished they had a location in Vancouver (there is something similar in Richmond though).

So I actually visited 2 different locations and tried a variety of flavours.  The first visit, we had a selection that included Mango Puree, Triple Coconut and Triple Latte.   Each glass jar started off with the coconut jelly with coconut cream.  This part was light, fluffy and semi-sweet.  It was so aromatic and it was pure coconut heaven.  For me, I always have to get something with mango, hence, we had the Mango Purée.  Definitely natural tasting and balanced sweetness.  There was some real mango chunks within as well.  Went real well with the coconut cream. 

One of the more interesting flavors was the Triple Latte.  It consisted of coffee jelly on the bottom with coffee jelly and coconut jelly.  This had all of the elements of coffee but with the aromatics of coconut.  This was great for me as I'm not a huge straight-up coffee drinker.  For those who absolutely love coconut, the Triple Coconut is the one to get.  It has some refreshing coconut jelly at the bottom to go with the coconut pudding and cream on top.

2 fruity creations were the Peach Gum and the Strawberry Purée.  With peach gum on the bottom with some snow lotus seeds, the flavor profile was one of mild sweetness and some floral notes.  This was much more subtle-tasting dessert.  As for the Strawberry Purée, it was fresh strawberries blended into a fairly smooth (with a few chunks) natural-tasting puree.  It was sweet but had the balancing tang of strawberries.  Of course this went with with the coconut jelly.

So my favorite of the ones we tried was the Sunset Mango with sticky rice, mango purée and mango chunks.  This was exactly like the mango purée except with the addition of sticky rice.  That was key as it added texture and most importantly, gave out Thai mango sticky rice vibes.  That happens to be one of my favorite desserts and this had all of the same elements.  Overall, the desserts at Melo Melo are light, refreshing and mildly sweet.  Totally delicious and I kid you not, you can eat more than one very easily.  That I did and would do it again gladly!

The Good:
- Light dessert
- Mildly sweet
- Natural-tasting

The Bad:
- Is not cheap

Four Season Buffet

Way back in early January, we made our way to Burlington and paid a visit to Four Season Buffet.  Yes, we drove all the way there to eat.  I'm sure some people would like to point out that Wonderful Buffet in Bellingham is much closer and cheaper.  However, I would like to say that I've been to Wonderful many times and it is merely "okay".  I think the price is what lures people in.  So I was interested in how the slightly more expensive Four Season would compare.

Of course we would attack the Sushi Station first and there was a modest amount of sushi rolls, nigiri and marinated seafood.  This was a slightly bigger selection than Wonderful, but considerably smaller than what you'd find at Harvest Buffet in Tacoma.  Overall, this was acceptable with a balanced amount of rice for the rolls and nigiri.  The ingredient quality was good and things were constructed decently.  I liked how the specialty rolls were not all California roll based.

After grabbing our sushi plates, the next course of action is to do what we usually do - go get some Seafood!  We ended up with some snow crab legs, crayfish, mussels, clams, fried butterflied shrimp, salt & pepper shrimp, calamari and baked seafood in crab shell.  I would say the highlight was the snow crab as it was still springy in texture and briny.  The fried shrimp had a good snap texture while the clams were buttery.  Didn't like the baked crab shell as it was heavy and overcooked.  Off to the side, we also found a selection of soups including egg drop, hot & sour and wonton.  These were typical with the hot & sour being the best of the bunch.  The wontons were not very good.

Our third plate consisted of a random assortment of items that included BBQ Ribs, Walnut Prawns, Baked Mushroom Caps, Sausage, Orange Chicken, Stir-Fried Veggies and Fried Rice.  I wasn't a fan of the ribs as the meat wasn't that tender.  Nice char on them though.  Walnut shrimp was good with a sweet mayo sauce.  Orange chicken was tender but the batter was a bit bready.  Veggies were cooked properly where they weren't soggy.

After all that, we made our way to the Mongolian Grill section of the buffet.  I went ahead and chose my items and then went over and presented it to the grill chef.  I also selected the sauces I wanted (Garlic and Teriyaki in this case) and waited for it to be prepared.  The noodles were nicely caramelized and al dente.  Shrimp had a sweet snap while the veggies were more or less a bit soft.  As for the beef, it was sliced too thick and hence, was on the chewier side.

Onto the Dessert Station, we found various pre-packaged cakes, Jello, mango pudding and fruit.  Nothing particularly amazing here, but it did the job.  I loaded up on the fruit because it was a refreshing way to end the gluttony.  There was also soft-serve ice cream available.  Overall, Four Season Buffet is a great value in my books.  The food is acceptable enough and the selection is pretty good for the price.  About that price (as of January 2025), well, it is quite complex:

Mon - Thurs Lunch $11.99

Friday Lunch $15.99

Saturday Lunch $16.99

Monday - Thursday Dinner $18.99

Friday Dinner $20.99

Saturday Dinner $21.99

Sunday All-Day $22.99 

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent
- Good variety

The Bad:
- Well, it is a buffet, if you don't have reasonable expectations, then some things will be subpar