Note: The restaurant has been closed.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Waffle!
As I wander along Robson Street on a Friday evening, I accidentally came across the Michi Waffle & Espresso Bar. But I was too full from dinner and so, did not try. The display did catch my eyes and to satisfy my curiosity, I went there two days later!
There are two types of waffle: liege and brussel. The liege waffle is more chewy and dense while the brussels waffle is supposedly to be light and crispy. They offer different type toppings for the waffles and instead of mix-matching the toppings ourselves, we decided to go for their summer special. I know summer is almost over but shhhh....
It did not take long for the server to bring out the Summer Delight Waffle Sundae with brussel waffle
and the Wicked Blue Waffle Sundae with brussel waffle
They sure look yummy! I am not the best judge when it comes to waffle but I really would wish the waffle is a little more crispy. The brussel waffle was definitely light but I would prefer it to be a little more crispy. We did not try the liege waffle because like I said, I prefer crispy waffles :) When I think back now, I think the amount of whipped cream on the waffles probably took away the crispy-ness of the waffle. I was shock to see so much whipped cream on top of the waffle, but the fresh fruits and blueberry sauce made me feel less guilty.
The fruits are freshly cut which is always a bonus. The only downside is the sweetness of the fruits depend greatly on the fruits themselves. I was happy that they used fresh fruits instead of can fruits. It could be improved a whole lot more if the fruits can make themselves sweeter naturally. The blue berry sauce wasn't too sweet at all and I love it. You can obviously tell that minimal artificial sugar were added. I wish it would taste more like blueberry though...
My friend ordered an english earl grey tea. It comes in a nice little glass teapot. I like the idea. She wasn't too blown away with the tea. There are a lot of positive reviews about the latte and espresson served in the store but a coffee-retard like me really can't comment much ;)
There are two types of waffle: liege and brussel. The liege waffle is more chewy and dense while the brussels waffle is supposedly to be light and crispy. They offer different type toppings for the waffles and instead of mix-matching the toppings ourselves, we decided to go for their summer special. I know summer is almost over but shhhh....
It did not take long for the server to bring out the Summer Delight Waffle Sundae with brussel waffle
and the Wicked Blue Waffle Sundae with brussel waffle
They sure look yummy! I am not the best judge when it comes to waffle but I really would wish the waffle is a little more crispy. The brussel waffle was definitely light but I would prefer it to be a little more crispy. We did not try the liege waffle because like I said, I prefer crispy waffles :) When I think back now, I think the amount of whipped cream on the waffles probably took away the crispy-ness of the waffle. I was shock to see so much whipped cream on top of the waffle, but the fresh fruits and blueberry sauce made me feel less guilty.
The fruits are freshly cut which is always a bonus. The only downside is the sweetness of the fruits depend greatly on the fruits themselves. I was happy that they used fresh fruits instead of can fruits. It could be improved a whole lot more if the fruits can make themselves sweeter naturally. The blue berry sauce wasn't too sweet at all and I love it. You can obviously tell that minimal artificial sugar were added. I wish it would taste more like blueberry though...
My friend ordered an english earl grey tea. It comes in a nice little glass teapot. I like the idea. She wasn't too blown away with the tea. There are a lot of positive reviews about the latte and espresson served in the store but a coffee-retard like me really can't comment much ;)
Saturday, September 18, 2010
iWR I - Motomachi Shokudo
Most people knows I have a thing for ramen. I eat ramen whenever I feel good and bad. And so, I have tried most of the ramen store accessible to me and came up with this special series of "I Wuvs Ramen" (iWR) =)
First up on the list of iWR is Motomachi Shokudo. It is not the one that I always go to because it's slightly further than the rest of the ramen stores I have access to.
The two special things that draw me to the store is its soup base and the charcoal added to soup. Usually, the ramen soup is pork broth based but in Motomachi, they use a chicken broth based soup. I am not a big fan of it as it was not as flavourful as the pork borth based soup. However, it is way less oily than the usual ramen I have had. As mentioned by the chef, the main theme of the store is to serve healthier ramen and that is definitely very successful.
Again, I went with my friends and guess what, we ordered different stuffs and tried them. The quality of the noodle is pretty decent. It didn't get soggy over time. I do not really remember the exact name of the ramen we ordered but they are
Bamboo Charcoal Ramen - Don't worry, you don't taste charcoal at all and it's just as good!
Miso Ramen with Organic Chicken - Really can't tell if the chicken is organic though
Spicy Miso Ramen - Not too spicy and worth the shot for spice lovers
First up on the list of iWR is Motomachi Shokudo. It is not the one that I always go to because it's slightly further than the rest of the ramen stores I have access to.
The two special things that draw me to the store is its soup base and the charcoal added to soup. Usually, the ramen soup is pork broth based but in Motomachi, they use a chicken broth based soup. I am not a big fan of it as it was not as flavourful as the pork borth based soup. However, it is way less oily than the usual ramen I have had. As mentioned by the chef, the main theme of the store is to serve healthier ramen and that is definitely very successful.
Again, I went with my friends and guess what, we ordered different stuffs and tried them. The quality of the noodle is pretty decent. It didn't get soggy over time. I do not really remember the exact name of the ramen we ordered but they are
Bamboo Charcoal Ramen - Don't worry, you don't taste charcoal at all and it's just as good!
Miso Ramen with Organic Chicken - Really can't tell if the chicken is organic though
Spicy Miso Ramen - Not too spicy and worth the shot for spice lovers
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Joe Fortes
I used to pass by Joe Fortes whenever I lurk around Robson Street but it had never occured to me that I have to go there as it doesn't look too special to me. When the name showed up on the list of restaurants for Dine Out Vancouver 2010, I finally convinced myself to give it a try. As usual, we have several choices for the appetizer, main course and dessert. Since I went a bunch of friends as a social gathering, we were able to sample a little of each others' food. I think we ordered quite a variety of what's on the list but *excuse me* I was too busy sampling food that I forgot to take pictures of some of the dishes we ordered :(
My friend ordered the Casesar salad but when I asked her, "How's the salad?" She replied, "Just salad." I will leave the rest to you. My appetizer is what they called, Joe's Raw Plate. It is made up of smoked salmon and albacore. I am glad that they did give me thin slices of samon and albacore. I get irritated when I am served a chunk of raw fish that I have to chew for ages before I can swallow. Those slices of sashimi melted in my mouth. *thumbs up* They chose a slightly sour sauce, which is not at all bad because it's an appetizer. I do find it a little too sour and kinda "sting" my taste bud.
I don't remember what's the name of the dish but it's grilled chicken with roasted potatoes. I really liked the potatoes. Very nicely done. The homemade tomato sauce was blended with herbs and spices. I am not sure if it's a coincidence as the chicken itself, despite nicely done, was quite bland. However, the sauce that came with it added just the right amount of flavour to it that makes the how dish just nice.
Aye! I remember the name of this dish - fresh shrimp and king crab gomiti with prosciutto, sweet peas and bechamel. Why would I remember such long name? Simply because I would have never ever order pasta in a seafood restaurant. Yep, my friend ordered it because of the "king crab" but in the end there was only a tiny little pieces here and there. It's a very nice combination of ingredients, however. My greatest relief was, the pasta wasn't overcooked.
My friend ordered the steak and prawns with garlic mashed potatoes, veal jus and a side of corn, dried tomatoes and edamame. I didn't try the steak because I can't :( But she said it was not bad although it seemed to be a little dry to me from the look. Maybe the sauce had fixed my concern. But, the mashed potato was very nicely done. I didn't get to taste the prawns because there were only 3 and it would be unfair for the other 3 persons(not including the person who ordered it) on the table if only I eat-ed it. So, no comment on the prawns. Again, but, I didn't sense any wow-effect the dish had on my friend overall.
So, there were only 2 choices for dessert : chocolate cake and creme brulee. The chocolate cake came with a small scoop of vanilla ice-cream at the side. It's probably just me but I found the chocolate cake was slightly burnt and the ice-cream tasted better than the cake itself.
The creme brulee wasn't bad at all except that the sugar coat on top was quite uneven and was slightly burnt when they torched it. The vanilla is so strong that I could even smell it the moment I cracked open the sugar coating at the top. Some might find it a little larger than the usual creme brulee but I am not complaining when it's dessert :)
PS: I forgot to bring my camera. So, you will have to bear with the photo quality of my crappy phone.
My friend ordered the Casesar salad but when I asked her, "How's the salad?" She replied, "Just salad." I will leave the rest to you. My appetizer is what they called, Joe's Raw Plate. It is made up of smoked salmon and albacore. I am glad that they did give me thin slices of samon and albacore. I get irritated when I am served a chunk of raw fish that I have to chew for ages before I can swallow. Those slices of sashimi melted in my mouth. *thumbs up* They chose a slightly sour sauce, which is not at all bad because it's an appetizer. I do find it a little too sour and kinda "sting" my taste bud.
I don't remember what's the name of the dish but it's grilled chicken with roasted potatoes. I really liked the potatoes. Very nicely done. The homemade tomato sauce was blended with herbs and spices. I am not sure if it's a coincidence as the chicken itself, despite nicely done, was quite bland. However, the sauce that came with it added just the right amount of flavour to it that makes the how dish just nice.
Aye! I remember the name of this dish - fresh shrimp and king crab gomiti with prosciutto, sweet peas and bechamel. Why would I remember such long name? Simply because I would have never ever order pasta in a seafood restaurant. Yep, my friend ordered it because of the "king crab" but in the end there was only a tiny little pieces here and there. It's a very nice combination of ingredients, however. My greatest relief was, the pasta wasn't overcooked.
My friend ordered the steak and prawns with garlic mashed potatoes, veal jus and a side of corn, dried tomatoes and edamame. I didn't try the steak because I can't :( But she said it was not bad although it seemed to be a little dry to me from the look. Maybe the sauce had fixed my concern. But, the mashed potato was very nicely done. I didn't get to taste the prawns because there were only 3 and it would be unfair for the other 3 persons(not including the person who ordered it) on the table if only I eat-ed it. So, no comment on the prawns. Again, but, I didn't sense any wow-effect the dish had on my friend overall.
So, there were only 2 choices for dessert : chocolate cake and creme brulee. The chocolate cake came with a small scoop of vanilla ice-cream at the side. It's probably just me but I found the chocolate cake was slightly burnt and the ice-cream tasted better than the cake itself.
The creme brulee wasn't bad at all except that the sugar coat on top was quite uneven and was slightly burnt when they torched it. The vanilla is so strong that I could even smell it the moment I cracked open the sugar coating at the top. Some might find it a little larger than the usual creme brulee but I am not complaining when it's dessert :)
PS: I forgot to bring my camera. So, you will have to bear with the photo quality of my crappy phone.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Miku - Sushi isn't just rolls
A friend strongly recommended me to try out Miku Restaurant since he had a really good experience there and would like me to check it out. So, guess where I celebrated my birthday this year? Miku!
I was planning to try the Omakase but their Omakase includes beef that I do not eat :( It was a little surprising when they cannot have Omakase without beef in a sushi restaurant. Doesn't sushi stress on seafood? And Omakase is supposed to be tailored to the customers' preference?
We ordered 5 dishes and they started us off with the Aburi Tuna, i.e. tuna charcoal-seared with blow torch. Aburi simply means the grilled on top of charcoal. Instead of grilling the on top of the BBQ, they torch the tuna over a charcoal. However, if the server hadn't told me that the dish was an aburi dish, I would not have realized at all. All thanks to the slightly sauteed sweet onions that help the disguise!
Before I could finish the previous dish, the Sashimi Salad was already on the table. At first glance, I thought I would hate it because of the amount of oil that you can clearly see in the picture. But interestingly, it turned out to be my second favourite dish of the evening. The dressing, which is not over powering at all, brought out the sweetnness of the seafood itself while preventing the seafood from becoming too dry.
As you can guess, the Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi was served before we have a chance to finish the first 2 dishes. We were recommended to try it while it's still hot. Seeing how slow we were eating, the server was nice to put a hold on the next two dishes. That was the first time I had oshi(pressed) sushi. Yes, sushi is more than just rolls. It's their recommended dish and it was definitely my favourite. The portion of rice is just nice and it was not "over-pressed". The jalapeno on top of the sushi did not taste like jalapeno at all as it has blended itself very nicely into the sushi while giving a little sting to the aburi salmon.
Perhaps I was completely blown away by how awesome the previous dish was before the following Seabreeze Roll. So, it might not get as much credit it should from me. This roll was made from maguro(tuna) and avocado "topped with house made nori sauce and shiso leaf". The rice wasn't a filler but a part of the roll itself. The nori(seaweed) sauce was very key to bringing the tuna and the avocado together as well.
The Minami Roll was new on the menu that evening and seeing how ambitious I usually am when it comes to food, we decided to give a try. I have to say, it's the least favourite dish of the night. Still better than California Rolls but, not something I would recommend. The rice was soaked in plum wine and then wrapped with tofu-crepe instead of seaweed. The combination is unusual but the roll did not impress me as the rice was a little too soggy to hold the ingredients in the roll together. They used cucumber and yama imo(literally, mountain taro) to balance out the taste but they didn't help much.
Since it was my birthday, I got my birthday present! I really do not remember the name of the dessert but hey, it was made by a pastry chef! And I have sweet tooth! What can go wrong? Nothing! :love:
I was planning to try the Omakase but their Omakase includes beef that I do not eat :( It was a little surprising when they cannot have Omakase without beef in a sushi restaurant. Doesn't sushi stress on seafood? And Omakase is supposed to be tailored to the customers' preference?
We ordered 5 dishes and they started us off with the Aburi Tuna, i.e. tuna charcoal-seared with blow torch. Aburi simply means the grilled on top of charcoal. Instead of grilling the on top of the BBQ, they torch the tuna over a charcoal. However, if the server hadn't told me that the dish was an aburi dish, I would not have realized at all. All thanks to the slightly sauteed sweet onions that help the disguise!
Before I could finish the previous dish, the Sashimi Salad was already on the table. At first glance, I thought I would hate it because of the amount of oil that you can clearly see in the picture. But interestingly, it turned out to be my second favourite dish of the evening. The dressing, which is not over powering at all, brought out the sweetnness of the seafood itself while preventing the seafood from becoming too dry.
As you can guess, the Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi was served before we have a chance to finish the first 2 dishes. We were recommended to try it while it's still hot. Seeing how slow we were eating, the server was nice to put a hold on the next two dishes. That was the first time I had oshi(pressed) sushi. Yes, sushi is more than just rolls. It's their recommended dish and it was definitely my favourite. The portion of rice is just nice and it was not "over-pressed". The jalapeno on top of the sushi did not taste like jalapeno at all as it has blended itself very nicely into the sushi while giving a little sting to the aburi salmon.
Perhaps I was completely blown away by how awesome the previous dish was before the following Seabreeze Roll. So, it might not get as much credit it should from me. This roll was made from maguro(tuna) and avocado "topped with house made nori sauce and shiso leaf". The rice wasn't a filler but a part of the roll itself. The nori(seaweed) sauce was very key to bringing the tuna and the avocado together as well.
The Minami Roll was new on the menu that evening and seeing how ambitious I usually am when it comes to food, we decided to give a try. I have to say, it's the least favourite dish of the night. Still better than California Rolls but, not something I would recommend. The rice was soaked in plum wine and then wrapped with tofu-crepe instead of seaweed. The combination is unusual but the roll did not impress me as the rice was a little too soggy to hold the ingredients in the roll together. They used cucumber and yama imo(literally, mountain taro) to balance out the taste but they didn't help much.
Since it was my birthday, I got my birthday present! I really do not remember the name of the dessert but hey, it was made by a pastry chef! And I have sweet tooth! What can go wrong? Nothing! :love:
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tojo's - Sunk you desu!
I have heard about Tojo's - a Japanese fine-dining restaurant, since I came to Vancouver. It is well-known for its unique and creative Omakase. Everyone kept telling me, "You must try it!" So, to celebrate my reunion with an awesome friend(plus early b'day celebration), we decided to smash our piggy banks to have a dinner there.
I was served by an Obaasan who was very surprised to find two non-Japanese girls who could understand her in Japanese. As ambitious as I was, my pocket could only allow me to order the $80 5-course Omakase. However, when the course was served one-by-one, I was completely blown away.
The tuna tartar was very nicely minced and then shaped. There are a cubes of cucumber and Japanese yamajaga (literally, mountain potato) within the tartar. Topped with ginger and spring onions, this piece of art serves well with the sweet soy sauce.
Hmmm.... salad... Fresh and sweet shrimp, thinly sliced salmon sashimi, small pieces of squids, organic greens and, the amazing homemade mustard are truly a heavenly combination. For those who do not know, I hate mustard but, that evening, I had a strong urge to lick the plate clean.
The only cooked dish for the night it is. Homemade sauce again and yes, I was licking my plate, with the help of my chopsticks. My least favourite dish of the night but it's still amazingly done. Nothing was over cooked as the saba were still soft and the vegetables were nicely grilled.
Maguro(Tuna) was rolled with seaweed and deep fried. You might not be able to see all three pieces of the Maguro that were on my plates but they were as equally fried as possible, i.e. the thickness of the outer layer of the maguro that are cooked are nearly the same for all three pieces. The ume(plum) sauce would have come out too strong if it wasn't for the boiled vegetables that came along with it.
The last dish of the night was a sushi platter. I do not quite remember what were the rolls so, I could be wrong about the ingredients for each of them. But one thing I do remember is, I had them without soy sauce because, there was no stinky fish smell at all. That's how fresh those little things were!
Clockwise from the top: Cucumber wrapped crabmeat roll, Scallop roll, Aji nigiri, Karei sushi(courtesy of Mishy), roll topped with tuna and Sockeye Salmon rolled with egg crepe.
You would think those dishes are too small to fill your tummy but I was really full after cleaning up every single bits and pieces on all 5 plates. When Obaasan came with a smile and the (5+1)-th dish, I nearly cried out of joy. Why? More awesome food! And I needed a reason to stay longer!
Welp, all good things will come to an end eventually. But as I walked out of the restaurant, I knew that I won't be eating California Rolls or B.C. Rolls for a while...
Sunk you desu!
Note: The recent change in menu has removed the $60 4-course Omakase
I was served by an Obaasan who was very surprised to find two non-Japanese girls who could understand her in Japanese. As ambitious as I was, my pocket could only allow me to order the $80 5-course Omakase. However, when the course was served one-by-one, I was completely blown away.
The tuna tartar was very nicely minced and then shaped. There are a cubes of cucumber and Japanese yamajaga (literally, mountain potato) within the tartar. Topped with ginger and spring onions, this piece of art serves well with the sweet soy sauce.
Hmmm.... salad... Fresh and sweet shrimp, thinly sliced salmon sashimi, small pieces of squids, organic greens and, the amazing homemade mustard are truly a heavenly combination. For those who do not know, I hate mustard but, that evening, I had a strong urge to lick the plate clean.
The only cooked dish for the night it is. Homemade sauce again and yes, I was licking my plate, with the help of my chopsticks. My least favourite dish of the night but it's still amazingly done. Nothing was over cooked as the saba were still soft and the vegetables were nicely grilled.
Maguro(Tuna) was rolled with seaweed and deep fried. You might not be able to see all three pieces of the Maguro that were on my plates but they were as equally fried as possible, i.e. the thickness of the outer layer of the maguro that are cooked are nearly the same for all three pieces. The ume(plum) sauce would have come out too strong if it wasn't for the boiled vegetables that came along with it.
The last dish of the night was a sushi platter. I do not quite remember what were the rolls so, I could be wrong about the ingredients for each of them. But one thing I do remember is, I had them without soy sauce because, there was no stinky fish smell at all. That's how fresh those little things were!
Clockwise from the top: Cucumber wrapped crabmeat roll, Scallop roll, Aji nigiri, Karei sushi(courtesy of Mishy), roll topped with tuna and Sockeye Salmon rolled with egg crepe.
You would think those dishes are too small to fill your tummy but I was really full after cleaning up every single bits and pieces on all 5 plates. When Obaasan came with a smile and the (5+1)-th dish, I nearly cried out of joy. Why? More awesome food! And I needed a reason to stay longer!
Welp, all good things will come to an end eventually. But as I walked out of the restaurant, I knew that I won't be eating California Rolls or B.C. Rolls for a while...
Sunk you desu!
Note: The recent change in menu has removed the $60 4-course Omakase
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
When Pocky comes to town
I don't know how much commitment I will put into this blog but I figure blogging something, even if it's just random rants, we would probably have a little more communication between friends all over the places.
So, you know I like to eat :P I really do like to eat except that my wardrobe doesn't let me eat that much these days. I figure it would be neat to post some comments on the visits to the many restaurants in and out of BC. This way, whenever someone is visiting, you can always tell me which restaurants you really want to go instead of me trying to figure and describe each of them to you and let you imagine. I will try to get pics but I don't have a super camera like *erhem* somebody *erhem* .
Hopefully this time, with a more specific idea, the blog will be updated more frequently :)
So, you know I like to eat :P I really do like to eat except that my wardrobe doesn't let me eat that much these days. I figure it would be neat to post some comments on the visits to the many restaurants in and out of BC. This way, whenever someone is visiting, you can always tell me which restaurants you really want to go instead of me trying to figure and describe each of them to you and let you imagine. I will try to get pics but I don't have a super camera like *erhem* somebody *erhem* .
Hopefully this time, with a more specific idea, the blog will be updated more frequently :)
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