Burgoo

Burgoo is burrrrgggGREAT! (in the voice of 'Tony the tiger')

Food:

As famous as Vancouver is for its beautiful scenery, people and attractions, our lovely city is also known for its incessant amount of...yes, you guessed it, rain.  Rain is definitely one of my personal dreads.  I am usually not in the mood for anything and typically just wanna stay at home and do nothing (cue: Bruno Mars - The Lazy Song).  By "nothing", of course I mean, do nothing but snuggle on the couch in my comfiest pair of sweatpants and oversized tee-shirt, while savouring a nice bowl of tomato soup (can of Wolfgang Puck's, preferably) with a side of a homemade grilled cheese sandwich...

Burgoo - the answer to your rainy day woes

 Of course if you can bring yourself to put on a (decent) pair of sweatpants and shirt, one should definitely venture out to one of the 3 (soon, 4!) Burgoo locations.  Burgoo (or should I say, Burgreat!) offers some of the best 'comfort' classics including mac'n'cheese, soups, stews...and yes, even a Kentucky burgoo!

On this gloomy July afternoon, my d.c and I decided to make use of another very value-worthy voucher that we had purchased (thanks, Groupon!).  I definitely knew I wanted the Dos Diablos (a killer grilled cheese sammy BUT with a 'spicy' flair) and decided upon a bowl of their Manhattan Clam Chowder.  My d.c was unsure of what she wanted.  After seeing the arrival of the Jambalaya to our neighbouring table, we both agreed upon that!


 My Dos Diablos - described as 'two grilled angle cut filone sandwiches with melted spicy cheddar, chunks of chorizo sausage and roasted red pepper' - was deeeelicious! Though a tad greasy (but who doesn't love a bit of grease? :)), it was buttery, crispy (love the burnt pieces dangling off the crust) and definitely satisfying to the tastebuds.  I heart a good grilled cheese sandwich, but when it's kicked up a notch with the pairing of melted spicy cheese, sausage and red peppers...it really makes you wonder...how life can be so grand :)

The 'Dos Diablos' - up close and personal :)

The Manhattan Clam Chowder arrived steaming hot, hot, hot! I generally don't really care for things to arrive super hot (of course, I wouldn't like my dishes arriving warm either).  But when it comes to soup, a hot soup is a must.  This concoction was pretty bang-on with a fine amount of vegetables and clams.  I believe this was my first time having a Manhattan Clam Chowder and quite enjoyed it for its striking similarity to a tomato soup.

The Jambalaya certainly did not disappoint, as well.  It bore quite a resemblance to the one that is offered at Cactus Club - taste and appearance-wise.  It, too, arrived steaming hot and with a generous amount of chorizo sausage to boot.  Great choices all around!

Service:

Friendly

Value:


Soup & sandwich combo: $15. Jambalaya: $17.  A tad overpriced but with several groupons, it's not so bad :)

Ambience:

Cozy and comfy with wooden chairs, high tables, stools...and a fireplace in the midst of it all.  The bar by the front entrance adds to the 'coziness' factor ;)

Overall: 7.8/10

Yay:  Perfect lunch spot on a rainy day. Fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches, soups, and stews

Nay: Prices are a littttle high and unreasonable for certain dishes ($17 for a bowl of laksa? No thanks!)

Spice Islands Indonesian Restaurant

Just a taaad overrated, if you ask me...

Food:

Roti Prata - Arrived in 8 (med. sized pieces) with a green curry sauce.  Not as flaky as I expected (and would've liked).  It leaned towards the crispier side, but flavours were good.

Chicken & Beef Satays - Skewers were a little on the small side, beef was a bit too done while the chicken was a bit fattier than preferred.  The satay sauce wasn't thick, but was quite peanut-y :)

Mango Salad with Calamari - This was one of their specials, but it wasn't as appetizing as I expected.  It had romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, small pieces of mango in a ginger-y vinegarette dressing.  It came with 2 (quite small) skewers of grilled calamari (which was healthier tasting as opposed to it being fried, which I liked).

Java Curry Chicken - Great flavours, thickness of sauce was good (not overly thick or watery).  Ample portion. 

Mussels in Curry Sauce - Not sure if it's mussel season right now, but they were very tiny.  Plentiful portion though, and the curry sauce was good.

Coconut Rice (side)- Very nicely presented (in a pyramid shape).  The coconut flavour was very minimal, so I was a bit disappointed.  The rice wasn't very thoroughly cooked either!

Service:

Our server was very nice, polite, courteous and knowledgeable.  I think he was predominantly the main server for the entire restaurant, so it took him a while to come and place our order. 

Value:

A taddd overpriced - but it is located in a more affluent neighbourhood

Ambience:

We chose to sit outside on this nice summer evening, so we couldn't really experience the ambience inside the restaurant, per se.  It was quiet and dim inside the restaurant as I took a quick stroll through the restaurant to get to the washroom (which is, by the way, single-stall washrooms separated by sex).  We arrived at 8 pm on a Thursday evening, and there were about 3-4 tables occupied.  Mind you, it is a fairly small restaurant (8-10 tables, max).

Outside, we sat on green plastic chairs (accompanied with green plastic tables).  It wasn't the best of the dining furniture, but it was alright.  I also noticed the (long overdue or just super early) Christmas lights hung around the railings of the restaurant, lol.

Overall: 7.3/10

Yay:  There aren't very many Southeast Asian restaurants in the area, so if you do happen to be in the area and am craving Malaysian/Indonesian food, this spot will be able to satisfy your cravings. 

Nay:  Over-rated -just a bit above average at best (Tropika and Banana Leaf are better!). Not ideal for big groups.

**Interesting fact:  This place was the Gold Winner of Vancouver Magazine's Restaurant Awards for 'Best Other Asian' - a little over-rated, in my opinion!



Posted by: J

Provence Mediterranean Grill

"fratalian" (french & italian, keke) cuisine done right...

Location: Vancouver (Point Grey)

Food:
We started off with a wonderful Antipasto Di Mare which consisted of "scallops, prawns, clams, and mussels steamed in white wine, garlic, lemon, herbs and tomatoes". 'Twas excellent The fabolous brothy concoction was perfect and perfectly suitable for my palate - with just the right amount of garlic flavour and esp. when you dip and smother bread into it...oh my. Now, if you didn't know, I'm a saucy kinda girl (haha). (Well, we're both very saucy people - literally - we LOVE sauce). All in all, a lovely start indeed.

My main entree was the Wild Mushroom Ravioli (in the very same praise-worthy brothy sauce noted above) and it did not disappoint...at all. It arrived hot and the portion size was very generous (I couldn't help but compare the portion size to what you would get at, say, Cactus Club, or Joeys). This dish had at least a good 12-14 pieces of ravioli (vs. the 6-8 range of ravioli you would get at CC or Joeys), without skimping on the quality. Couldn't quite complain about the wonderful shavings of asiago, either ;)
My dining companion had the Eggplant and Boccocini Lasagna and as expected, quality of the flavours were very consistent with the other entree and appy, as well. Although the portion was not as generous as the ravioli, the flavour and wonderful tomato sauce made up for it.

Service:
Nice, prompt and genuine service.

Value:
At $18 for the ravioli entree and $15 for the lasagna, I wouldn't complain!

Ambience:
Nice and cozy. Great little "gem" of a place if you're in the neighbourhood.

Overall: 8/10

Yay: Great place for french and italian flare if you're wanting a nice, quiet bistro-like setting.

Nay: Perhaps it's not exactly the best place to hold parties for large groups?
** Interesting note: I thought this location was better than the (Provence) Marinaside one. Quality of food is a tad better, perhaps given the size of the restaurant, and thus, more focus is placed on the execution in the quality of the food?

Posted by: J