Mistral French Bistro

*Restaurant is now closed*

Normally, when I go out for fine dining, there are certain expressions and adjectives I use to describe my meal. There are the usual comments such as it was delicious, elegant or Filet-O-Fish meal. Wait a minute, Filet-O-Fish as in the McDonald's sandwich? Correct. When I get a plate of food that has the portion size only fit for a 5-year old, it becomes a Filet-O-Fish meal. I am so hungry afterwords, I need to go grab a Filet-O-Fish at the McDonald's drive-thru! One time, I had a halibut dish at Fennie's and it was literally a piece of fish the size of a saltine cracker resting on a dollop of cauliflower puree. I think I needed 2 Filet-O-Fishes to satisfy my hunger. However, this trend may be reversing itself with the help of some reasonably-priced and portioned French bistros bursting onto the Vancouver restaurant scene. Les Faux Bourgeois and Salade de Fruits are perfect examples of these bistros. Today, we were in the UBC area and decided to go try another one of these French bistros - Mistral. Currently, Mistral has 4 set menus for lunch which range from $19 - $24. All of them include choice of appetizer, entree and dessert. You would be hard-pressed to spend that amount of money at Milestone's or Earl's for that amount of food.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were impressed with the quaint and cozy dining space. The warm colours and the tasteful decor really helped set the mood and atmosphere. The wait staff were extremely friendly and professional. We were never left with an empty glass and they were attentive to our requests. We really didn't have to look at the menu since we had our hearts set on the set menu. I choose the French Tradition which included a Salade Frisee aux Lardons, Steak Frites and Creme Caramel. Miss Y had the Provence Menu which included an Assortment of Provencal Appetizers, Braised Lamb Shoulder Stew and Chocolate Mousse.

Miss Y's appetizer was comprised of an Olive Tapenade, Creamed Cod Puree and Garlic Anchovy dip. This was served with croutons, celery and beets. The tapenade was quite flavourful and it went well with the complimentary bread. The cod puree was quite light tasting and textured. As expected, the anchovy dip was salty and went best with the croutons. The Salade Frisee was comprised of a poached egg, bacon and croutons on a bed of Frisee. I thought this salad was well executed. The frisee was fresh and crisp with just the right amount of vinaigrette. However, the egg was poached a bit too long, resulting in very little runny egg yolk for the salad.

The lamb stew had a very pronounced red wine flavour which was rich and deep flavoured. Despite this, it was not overwhelming and each individual ingredient stood out on it's own. Although the lamb was tender, I thought some pieces were a bit dry. My steak frites was excellent. The AAA rib eye steak was cooked a perfect medium rare. The tender meat was bathed in a beautiful creamy peppercorn sauce. Despite the abundance of peppercorns, the sauce was not overpowering; rather it complimented the flavour of the meat. I could tell that the steak was the star of the show and the sauce only provided enough flavour to enhance it.

The chocolate mousse was really rich, in both texture and taste. The dark chocolate flavour was apparent in each creamy spoonful. This was an extremely decadent mousse which was deep in chocolate flavour without being too sweet. The creme caramel was equally decadent. The deep sweetness of the caramel perfectly flavoured the rich egg and cream custard.

Upon finishing our meal, we couldn't believe the quality, quantity and presentation of the food for the price. I was impressed at Mistral's delicate presentation and execution of its dishes. Moreover, the ambiance was unmistakably French. It is definitely a cut above Les Faux Bourgeios and Salade de Fruits. As for my Filet-O-Fish, I will take a rain check for that this time, I was too full to even eat a fish stick.

The Good:
- Carefully prepared food
- Good portions at reasonable prices
- Beautifully decorated dining space
- Friendly and attentive staff

The Bad:
- Parking is a bit hard to find
- I didn't have room for a Filet-O-Fish afterwords (what can I say, I love Filet-O-Fish!)

Mistral French Bistro
2585 West Broadway
Vancouver, B.C.
604-733-0046
www.mistralbistro.ca

Ikea

Ah Ikea, a great place to get some build-it-yourself furniture at reasonable prices. In fact, there is a lot of Ikea furniture in my house right now. It looks pretty good and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg! However, don't ever try to move it, most of it won't survive. Unfortunately, the value of Ikea furniture is a result of low density particle board with veneers held together by glue and funny-looking screws. So tonight, the whole family heads out to Ikea in search for food. Wait. Food? What about the furniture? Well, we actually went to Ikea to eat at the cafeteria. Isn't that the home of the $1.00 breakfast? Why yes it is! Honestly, if it weren't $1.00, I probably would take a pass. I really didn't like it. However, I've never eaten dinner at Ikea. Ever.

As we arrived at the Coquitlam store, we decided to park at the upper level parking lot. Upon entering, we passed by the fast food stand and the smell of fresh cinnamon buns filled the air. I usually get a hot dog on my way out of Ikea. Was this a precursor to later eats? Stay tuned. We headed up to the cafeteria and took a look at the specials. This month, they had a Chicken and Rib special for $10.00. Viv seemed to have her heart set on that one. So, I decided to get the Swedish Meatball Combo which included a salad and drink for $6.50 Yes, you read that right $6.50! For the kiddies, we got some Mac n Cheese which included a drink as well. That was only $2.00. You can definitely see the prices are very reasonable, it is probably in hopes that someone would end up buying a Lack shelf or Malm bedside table.

Prices aside, the food ain't bad. The Swedish meatballs were good. There was enough seasoning and they were moist. The lingonberry sauce was a nice sweet compliment to the meatballs. I've never thought of putting a fruit jelly on meatballs before. Viv's meal was pretty decent as well. The short rib was super tender and wasn't over seasoned. Plenty of meat flavour here. The chicken leg was a bit overcooked; but Viv just ended up using my leftover gravy to moisten the chicken meat. The kiddies seemed to enjoy the mac n cheese. I took some bites of it despite the protest from my son. Noodles were very soft and it was indeed cheesy, if not a bit doughy. Hey, it was 2 bucks! Our total bill with tax came to under $20. With all the money I had leftover, I was in the mood to spend more at Ikea. I bet that's music to their ears... However, I didn't go buy a chest of drawers or an end table. Rather, I revisited the fast food stand on my way out.

That's right, I picked up a hot dog for 50 cents and a cinnamon bun for $1.40. You really can't get better than that. For the price of parking in downtown for 6 minutes, I got a hot dog. Well, I'm not going to talk about it much, it's ground up "you don't want to know" nestled in a bun. Enough said. However, the cinnamon bun was pretty good. It's definitely not as buttery or moist as CinnZeo; but it held it's own. Plenty of cinnamon taste and just enough sweetness. The kids seem to really like it. Duh, of course they did. I let Viv eat most of it since I already had dinner and a hot dog.

I was pleasantly surprised at my dinner at Ikea. It wasn't bad. For the price I paid, I don't think I could've expected much more. So, the next time I need to get a chest of drawers, I'll take a side of meatballs (and maybe a hot dog too) to go with it.

The Good:
- Cheap!
- Food ain't bad
- You can eat and leave with a chest of drawers in the same trip

The Bad:
- Food was lukewarm
- You can eat and leave with a chest of drawers in the same trip

Ikea Restaurant
1000 Lougheed Highway
Coquitlam, B.C.
604-636-1000
ikea.ca

Diamond Sweets

Last time I visited Taco Del Mar, I had noticed a small Indian sweets shop 2 stores down. Not really knowing what to eat for lunch today, I decided to give it a go. Besides, it appears I eat Indian food once a week now. Too bad most of the Indian food I eat is Northern Indian food, particularly from the Punjab region of India. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy this type of Indian food very much; yet, there is limited representation from the other areas of India. While at Vivo! Gelato, ET (Doesn't Tazte Like Chicken) gave me a few ideas as to where I could get some Southern Indian cuisine. I'll definitely try them out soon. But for now, I'm doing the Northern Indian cuisine thing for lunch at Diamond Sweets. This is a very small restaurant; in fact, it's more of a sweets shop with some tables for dining in.

I really wasn't expecting much from this place since there are so many other good Indian restaurants in the area. However, these small Indian sweets and restaurant type places remind me of Chinese wonton noodle joints. They're small, usually family-run; but they can also be very good! First off, by looking at the menu, I noticed they were a bit cheaper than all the other Indian restaurants I've been to. Well, it'd better be, because I certainly wasn't paying for the ambiance or service. Service was pretty basic: take order, bring food, take bill up to counter and pay.

I decided to go for a favourite of mine, Lamb Vindaloo. I got Basmati Rice and Garlic Naan to go with my curry. I didn't have to wait long for my food, as it arrived in about 5 minutes later. I normally do not say this; but there was too much food! Yes, the Vindaloo itself was packed with tender lamb and potatoes. Moreover, the plate of rice and naan were enough for 2 people. I knew this was going to be a challenge to finish. Just like Joey from Friends, I wish I brought my eating pants (actually maternity pants...).

The server didn't ask me how I wanted the Vindaloo and it came out quite spicy. However, it wasn't spicy enough to mask the other flavours. The reason I like Vindaloo is mostly the vinegar taste, I like zing in my food. The garlic naan was quite flavourful and crispy. It reminded me of fry bread or Bannock you'd find at the PNE. I actually liked this crispy naan, it was good to have some crunch. Too bad I was getting full, but the rice was delicious. It was full of peas and caraway seeds.

This meal was much better than expected. Sometimes, the best food is found in the most unlikely of places. Of course the food wasn't the best I ever had, not even close. But at such a reasonable price, it was a satisfying and delicious lunch.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Good portions
- Food was good

The Bad:
- No ambiance here
- No service here
- Klennex instead of napkins?

Diamond Sweets & Restaurant
#160 - 8047 120th Street
Delta, B.C.
604-591-7277

Business Hours:
10:30am - 9:00pm (Mon - Thu)
10:30am - 9:30pm (Fri & Sat)
11:00am - 9:00pm (Sun)

Tenku Bakudanyaki

*Food cart is closed*

What's so special about a fried salty ball? Well, maybe Chef from South Park could give you a couple of reasons. Aside from that, we finally have a place in the GVRD where you can get some really good balls. Tenku Bakudanyaki to be exact. What? If you've ever had Takoyaki, you'll know what I'm talking about. Eat, Snap, Repeat and Ho Yummy have already posted some reviews on this place. Okay, where is this place? Um... It's a trailer in the middle of desolate parking lot on the corner of Elmbridge and Gilbert in Richmond. You heard right. This is a really odd setup in a really odd place. Didn't Chef sell his salty balls out of a concession stand at a festival? Well, think of Tenku as a stand all by it's lonesome.

Today, after Dim Sum at Shiang Garden, we headed over to that very parking lot in search of some tasty balls. So we pulled up and I decided to switch spots to park a little closer to the trailer. I stepped out of the car and began snapping some photos and low-and-behold, Ben (Chowtimes) pops out of his car eating a bakudanyaki! However, he had his on a plate. I never knew they served it on a plate, because they usually come in a "Chinese-type" takeout container. Well, Ben is a very smart man. He said that all the pictures he's seen were of the bakudanyaki in the box and no one could really see anything. So he brought his own plate! Genius!

So what exactly are these balls that are attracting so much attention? Essentially, they are a combination of cabbage, shrimp, octopus, squid, sausage, quail egg and mochi (rice cake) rolled up into a ball. The ball is then pan-grilled (a bit healthier than frying) and topped with a variety of toppings a la Japadog. If you've ever had takoyaki at a Japanese restaurant, the bakudanyaki are very similar, except 5 times bigger. It's not enough for a meal; but it does make a pretty good snack. Being that there is mochi in it, it's a bit difficult to eat with a chopstick, so prepare for some messy balls. Viv and I shared a Chili Mayo and it does have a bit of spice. The bakudanyaki itself was packed with all the aforementioned ingredients and everything was fresh. It's certainly something a bit different and enjoyable to eat. Each bakudanyaki costs $5.00 including tax. To me, that is a fair price for what you are getting. I think if they had a stand at the PNE (much like Chef at the festival), there would be a lot of people enjoying these salty balls.

The Good:
- It's certainly unique in the GVRD
- It tastes pretty good
- Has the "odd food, odd location" appeal

The Bad:
- Weird location, not close for a lot of people

Tenku Bakudanyaki
7100 Elmbridge Way
Richmond, B.C.
bakudanyaki.com

Business Hours:
11:30am - 9:30pm (7 days a week)

Yogen Fruz

After brunch at the Crystal Mall Hilton, we headed over to Metrotown. While Viv was getting a pedicure, I decided to go get some frozen yogurt. Yes, you might be wondering why I'm getting frozen yogurt when I already just went for brunch. Well, it was my intention to get something and at least I chose something relatively healthy. The alternative was CinnZeo and that is 600 calories of buttery cinnamon goodness. In comparison, a large yogen fruz is around 300 calories. Yes, every calorie counts...

Yogen Fruz has been around for quite awhile now, since 1986 in fact. I remember once back in 1995 (yes, that long ago), Costanza and I got some Yogen Fruz on our way to lineup at A&B Sound on boxing day. Yes, we were young and stupid. Just imagine how cold we were. Since then, they've gone through a makeover of sorts lately and you could swear it looks exactly like Qoola (or does Qoola look like Yogen Fruz?). I decided to go for a large strawberry frozen yogurt. I picked strawberry because my daughter (who's only 1 and a half) was pointing aggressively at the strawberries (she loves them). After paying, much to my chagrin, she didn't want any! Luckily, Viv was happy to see the Yogen Fruz and helped me finish it.

The large was $5.00 and honestly, there was quite a bit of frozen yogurt in the cup. However, whoever put it in the cup was probably a Richmond driver because it was all over the place. Look at the picture! Isn't that the ugliest presentation of a frozen dessert in a cup ever??? Even dog poop at your neighbourhood park is more uniform than that (hmm, lost your appetite yet?). Anyways, I began eating the frozen yogurt and it was quite light tasting, not too sweet. However, it was bit icy for my liking. It is not remotely as smooth as Qoola's. Yet, it is a lot cheaper and more plentiful than a comparable item at Qoola. So here is the dilemma. We have an inferior product that is much less expensive than a superior product. Does this mean Yogen Fruz is bad? Not exactly. If you crave the best in everything, then yes, you'll probably be happier at Qoola. But, if you do not want to pay almost double for only a 20% improvement, then Yogen Fruz is more than acceptable.

The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Light tasting, not too sweet
- Real fruit flavours

The Bad:
- It's a bit icy
- Obviously not as good as Qoola, but costs much less

Yogen Fruz
#1213 - 4700 Kingsway
Burnaby, B.C.
604-434-4222
www.yogenfruz.com

Sunday Brunch @ Crystal Grille (Burnaby Hilton)

*Restaurant is closed*

"I am not a glutton - I am an explorer of food" - Erma Bombeck.

Erma has got it right, or at least I'm using it as an excuse to stuff my face again. As in my previous post about Sunday brunch at the Pan Pacific, I mentioned that the brunch at the Crystal Mall Hilton was a better value. I haven't been to the buffet brunch in awhile, and since we really didn't do a proper Mother's Day, it was a good chance to do a belated one. Naturally, a buffet of anything is never really a good way to experience good food. After all, you have food cooked in large batches and then kept warm or cold for extended periods of time. But if you take it for what it is, it can be a pleasant experience.

If we do a direct comparison to the Pan Pacific, that would be a bit unfair. First, the Pan Pacific is in a superior location, right on the waterfront and in downtown. Second, the price for the brunch at the Pan Pacific is $50, while the one at the Hilton is $30. The selection of food is nearly the same except that the Pan Pacific has a few more items. Are these extra items and the view worth $20 more? Well, let's find out! Let the gluttony begin!

Well, the gluttony never really came to fruition because I didn't end up eating that much. I started with a mimosa (included in the brunch) and had 4 or 5 more (I lost count). Suffice to say, it is truly pathetic that I got tipsy from mimosas! But not all was lost, I did end up eating 2 dishes. In the cold section, there were the usual suspects: Cured Mackerel, Smoked Salmon, Mussels (3 ways), Shrimp Cocktail, Sushi, Cold Cuts, Veggies, Cheeses, Salads, Breads and Fruit. The shrimp cocktail was very fresh. Every one of the 20+ shrimp that I ate were cold-water crunchy. Viv had the Curried Mussels and she said they were excellent being spicy and flavourful. The other items were what we expected and not much more needs to be said about them.

Moving onto the hot items, there was the requisite omelet bar. There were a modest selection of ingredients and the omelets were made-to-order. I didn't have one because I couldn't eat much else otherwise. However, I did eat a different egg product: the Eggs Benedict. This was surprisingly good, despite sitting in a warming tray for who knows how long. The egg was poached perfect, with the whites cooked all the way through and the centre still runny. The Hollandaise sauce was buttery with a bit of separation, yet it is forgivable given the situation. Other breakfast items included sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, home style hash browns, and pancakes. Again, all of these items were pretty much what is expected, except the pancakes. I know they have been sitting around for awhile; but they could have passed for a Frisbee.

The highlight of the hot food section was the Basa with Buerre Blanc sauce. Despite being in a warming tray, the fish retained it's texture and was cooked perfectly. Every flake was tender and flavourful from the buttery sauce which had a hint of dill. There was a chicken dish right beside it and honestly, I didn't know what kind of sauce it was bathed in. Viv and I tried our best, and all we could come up with was black bean (?). Still not sure. It's a moot point anyways since the chicken was overcooked (again, forgivable in this situation). There were 2 Dim Sum items in the form of Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) and Sui Mai (Pork Dumplings). The Sui Mai were okay, nothing special, especially since they didn't include shrimp. However, the Haw Gow were decent for a non-Asian buffet. Too bad they were kept in a warmer, the skin gets overcooked and gummy because of it. Right beside the omelet bar was the Roast Beef. It looked nice since it was cooked perfectly. However, the cut of meat was a bit tough. Maybe a prime rib roast would be a better choice (but I'm sure that would raise the cost of the buffet). The other items included: Spring Rolls, Fried Rice, Veggies and Ravioli.

There was a decent selection of desserts which included fresh fruit, several cakes, petits fours, cream puffs, bread pudding and canned fruit cocktail. Wait, canned fruit cocktail? Yes, I really think they should remove that. Although there will be people and kiddies who will eat it, it looked really out of place on the dessert spread. If it was Jello with fruit cocktail, that might have been better.

In terms of an upscale buffet brunch, the Hilton at Crystal Mall is a good value. Of course there are better; but for the price, it is pretty good. Naturally, you have to take into account that it is a buffet and most of the food will never be in it's perfect state. With that being said, some items were definite misses. Fortunately, there is more good than bad. As for Erma Bombeck, I really was an explorer of food today; rather than a glutton.

The Good:
- Price is reasonable
- Relaxed atmosphere
- Service is top-notch

The Bad:
- Some misses in the hot food
- Restaurant is a bit small

Crystal Grille (Crystal Mall Hilton)
6083 McKay Avenue
Burnaby, B.C.
604-639-3756

La Grotta Del Formaggio

So it's the long weekend, time to relax and do absolutely nothing... Yah right. When you got 2 kids, this is when you do some "family time". Since we have membership at the Vancouver Aquarium, we decided to pay them a visit. If you've been reading my other posts, you know how enamored I am towards Richmond traffic and driving. But, I must say that downtown can be pretty frustrating as well. It's not so much the clueless drivers; rather, you get the rude, rushed drivers and the clueless tourist driver. Today was no exception. We were driving through Gastown following a mini-van from Oregon. As we were approaching the intersection of Water and Cordova (heading towards Richards), the mini-van suddenly stops even though there was a green light for us. Then the mini-van cuts across to turn right onto Cordova on a red light (in front of other cars and pedestrians too). I understand that you are from out of town; but does they give you a license to cause accidents and kill people??? Then, as we were approaching the Stanley Park turnoff from Georgia, we needed to change lanes from the carpool lane. However, this limo decided to speed up and tailgate the car in front of them essentially boxing us out. Then it turns out he had to change lanes too into the other lane! #$&@#$&@#!!! Next time, I'm going to Richmond, it's actually *gasp* safer!

While we were at the Aquarium, we took in the Beluga show and all I could think about was caviar... Then as we were looking at the many species of fish, all I could think about was fish n chips. My son really wanted to look at jellyfish and while we were admiring the awe of the big jellyfish, all I could think about was Chinese marinaded jellyfish! I think we needed to leave and find some food. Otherwise I'm not sure what I would be thinking of at the otter exhibit. On our way out of downtown, I convinced Viv to lineup for 20 minutes to get a Japadog. We only shared a Misomayo dog because we had to save some room for a sandwich. You chose a sandwich over eating more Japadogs? Yes, but this is no ordinary sandwich. We are talking about a La Grotta Del Formaggio sandwich. A what?

We are talking about the "cavern of cheese" on The Drive (Commerical Drive) in Vancouver. Yes, they sell a lot of deli items and many different cheeses. But their real draw are the fabulous sandwiches. Viv has been telling me about them for awhile. She's had them many times since she works nearby. Today, we wanted to pick one up as we headed over to meet up with Costanza at Confederation Park. For around $12 you get a humongous grilled focaccia sandwich with your choice of meat, cheese and a multitude of high quality ingredients such as artichoke hearts and roasted peppers. This sandwich is so large, it easily feeds 2, maybe more. As we were busily munching them down at the park, random people commented and inquired about the sandwich. Yes, they look and taste that good! Costanza suggested that we should've bought more and re-sold them at the park. Interesting idea; however, that would really take away from some serious eating time. And you know I wouldn't do that!

The Good:
- High quality ingredients
- They are not shy about stuffing the sandwich full of stuff
- Excellent value

The Bad:
- It's a messy sandwich to eat (especially if you add fatty cheese)

La Grotto Del Formaggio
1791 Commerical Drive
Vancouver, B.C.
604-255-3911