Toratatsu Japanese Tapas Bistro (CLOSED)

Tora-tora-Toratatsu!

Toratatsu is one of many izakaya joints in Vancouver specializing in 'tapas' dishes, all the while serving up tasty cocktails and sake admist a vibrant and hip atmosphere.  It has been in operation for a few years now and is a sibling restaurant to the old Shiru-Bay Chopstick Cafe (Yaletown), which closed down a few years ago.  It's a nice deviant from the usual Guus, Hapas, etc. with a more spacious environment (than Guu) and a better value (than Hapa).

Food:

On this night, I arrived with a party of 4.  We ordered quite a variety and abundance of food.  Thought it'd best to summarize in note form:

Ebi Chili Mayo  - their most popular dish, huge plump tiger prawns wrapped in excellent batter coating

Cheese Tofu -  a super unique tofu made of creamy mascarpone cheese...it tastes pretty much guilt-free since it's tofu-based but contradicting at the same time given its similarity to the taste of devonshire cream! my favourite of the night

Ishiyaki Risotto - served in a hot stone bowl, another one of their specialities - risotto with seared scallops, mushrooms and Iwanori seaweed - a little salty but definitely tasty

Cold Ramen Salad - generous portion and very refreshing, a little too drenched though

Sashimi Platter - oysters, albacore tuna and sockeye sashimi (choice of any 3), it was ok - sashimi wasn't extremely fresh though

Power Roll - bbq eel & cream cheese filled... and seared on top - lovely!

Creamy Crab Croquette - nicely battered and tasty filling! one of their daily specials

Value:

Typical izakaya prices

Service:

Attentive and polite, although language could be a bit of a barrier with some of the servers

Ambience:

We visited on a rainy Monday night, so restaurant was about 30% full - but otherwise on weekends, it's pretty bustlin'!

Overall: 7.8/10

Yay: Nice alternative to the Guus & Hapas, etc!

Nay: Sashimi isn't tooo fresh, parking, not ideal for groups of 15+

Charlie's Restaurant & Bar (CLOSED)

gourmet artisan pizzas coming right at cha...

Food:

My nth birthday just recently passed and what better way to celebrate it than to gorge down heaping amounts of (what I always like to refer to as my second favourite food) pizza! Charlie's Restaurant recently opened up in the old Pinky's location, so I decided to venture out to Yaletown for some good ol' pies...

Scoe & I first started with the Beef Carpaccio, as well as the Beetroot Salad.  The carpaccio starter was nice and delicate -though a little stingy on the proportion size.  The Beetroot salad was refreshing - with orange, fennel, frisee and a goat cheese dressing. Now this portion size was plentiful and appetizing.

The highlights of the night were definitely the pies, though.  I opted for the popular Short Rib pizza (below) which also featured: tomato sugo, braised short ribs, caramelized onion, mozzarella, horseradish cream and green onions.  The combination of ingredients were impeccable.  The meat was tender and flavourful.  The crust was a nice fairly thin, crispy texture.  I should also note that it does contain horseradish cream which has quite the pronounced flavour. (Note: Wasabi is made of horseradish, so you can imagine how 'pronounced' of a flavour that can be!)  Nevertheless, I thought it paired very well with the short rib and the accompanying ingredients.

Scoe opted for the (above) Duck pizza (my second option) with porcini sauce, smoked duck, roast portabellini mushrooms, tallegio, radicchio and truffle oil.  His was less impressive as we both thought the meat was a bit dry (which ultimately, had an effect on the tasting of the pizza).  It was still okay, but we both definitely agreed that the Short Rib pizza was the better of the two.

Value:

Beef carpaccio ($13) - thumbs down for value.  Pizzas (both 11") were $16 and $14, respectively.  Not tooo steep, but note the location of the restaurant.

Service:

Had to diligently track down our server at times, but she has friendly and helpful.

Ambience:

Came here on a Friday night at about 8 pm, and the restaurant was 30% full (there was also a Canuck playoff home game). Nice, comfortable and very roomy black leather booth seatings. Loud music and a big tv screen.

Overall: 7.9/10

Yay: Delicious gourmet artisan pizzas. Hip ambience. 

Nay: Yaletown - parking.

Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar

brunch + shopping = a gooood morning!

Glowbal has been on my 'to try' list for gosh-knows-how-long.  I personally do quite enjoy the Glowbal restaurants - namely Sanafir, Italian Kitchen, Coast ( but Trattoria, not so much)).  I love Sanafir's concept of preparing different meats in tapas style portions, all different ways.  Their cocktails are also, in my opinion, one of the best in the city.  Italian Kitchen offers tasty pasta dishes, pizza and italian cuisine at a cost that won't rip too-big-of-a-hole in your wallet.  All in all, the Glowbal group restaurants are definitely a hit on my list :) 

I went into Glowbal with mediocore expectations - both service and food-wise.  Regardless, I've been holding out on trying it for so long.  In addition, I had read a recent tweet of theirs promoting their: Short Rib Frittata with Feta Cheese.  I quite like short ribs ...and the pairing of feta cheese was just too hard to give up!

Food:

It was a bit of a disappointment at first as I didn't see the Frittata feature on the menu, as their tweet had stated.  Maybe it was a good thing as I had been comtemplating (for hours) whether to order that or their Lobster Benedict, lol.  And so, it was on to my 2nd choice: Lobster Benedict. 

Upon first impression, I noticed that the portion of the benedict was significantly smaller than the usual egg benedicts that I've ordered in the past.  Taste-wise was fine though - although the lobster was a little salty.  The eggs also came atop a cheddar biscuit, rather than the traditional English muffin.  There was also an ample portion of crisp potatoes and a side of greens to accompany the dish.  All in all, it was satisfying (but not marvelous-tasting, as expected).

I had also sampled the Mushroom Frittata (which was a lot bigger portion, btw) and it was good.

We also received 2 complimentary brunch Belgian Waffle teasers (I had a coupon), in addition to several mini donuts (anologous to (if not better) the ones at the PNE) prior to our meal.

As for drinks, my dining companion and I both ordered the Blueberry Banana Smoothies and were not impressed with them.  At $5 each, the serving size was quite tiny.  Also, there was too much ice and lacked the 'smoothie' consistency-thumbs down!

Service:

Not too shabby!

Value:

Food value was fine, drinks value was not.

Ambience:

Bustlin' on a Sunday morning.  Be sure to make resos if you want a patio seat.

Overall: 7.6/10

Yay: Good brunch if you're in Yaletown. Complimentary donuts. Nice ambience.

Nay: I would say parking, but on a Sunday - it wasn't difficult at all to find a spot. Smoothies.





Posted by: J

Scrumpdillyicious Seattle!

Scoe and I recently took a road trip down south to check out the flourishing culinary scene of Seattle, also known as the home which bred Starbucks, Microsoft, and Nordstroms (betcha didn’t know that! ). Prior to the roadtrip, I had been researching (endlessly) a countless number of food blogs-mostly from the Urban Spoon site. To my surprise, the number of food bloggers (in my opinion) greatly outnumbered the ones currently found here, in Vancouver. For a while, I must admit that I was kinda addicted to reading the food blogs from Seattle. That sparked an immediate interest and urge (as well as a well-composed (I must say) spreadsheet of ‘Places to Eat in Seattle’.

The hardest task was of course, narrowing the places down from 20+ to about, 5-6. From fusion Vietnamese cuisine to Italian cured-meat sandwiches and fusion food carts (Korean tacos, anyone?), it was not easy, I tell ya!

Alas, the resulting destinations that would be blessed by J & Scoe’s presence (haha) were: Umi Sake House- a hip, trendy, sake and innovative sushi restaurant/bar, Pike Place Clam Chowder- a central locale known for their assorted types of chowders, Brouwer’s Café – a “gastro-pub” known for its fine selection of European beers and Belgian fare, Po’Dogs – a new little joint featuring ‘gourmet’ hot dogs with toppings you would not typically see on your average dog, Txori - a tiny little bar in Belltown offering tapas dishes of Spanish descent, and finally the Original Pancake House – an American chain which serves your typical breakfast fare…with a few specialities


Don’t wanna write tooo lengthy of a post here – hopefully a few notes on each place will suffice :)

Umi Sake House

- huge, trendy restaurant known esp. for their special rolls and diff. concoctions of sake-based drinks

- located in the heart of downtown

- excellent, excellent fresh sushi (although it comes with a price!)

- service was average, nothing to boast about, rating 9/10

from left to right: Thunderball roll, Hotter than Hell, Street Fighter Roll, Moonraker Roll

Pike Place Clam Chowder

- popular chowdah joint known for their variations of chowders
- tourist trap, in my opinion – there are so many similar joints alike, in the market, that would serve better quality chowders
- pricey, pricey, pricey
- limited seating
- service is average, at best

- rating: 7/10

Brouwer’s Café:

- restaurant/pub offering above average food of Belgian descent
- located 10-15 mins. of a drive from d/t
- tasty pomme frites with numerous mayo choices, though mussels were disappointingly small!!! 

- rating: 7.5/10

Po’Dogs

- relatively new joint offering tasty, gourmet hot dogs
- offers beer
- prices aren’t tooo bad
- the bun is one that acts sort of like a shell/cushion for the weiner – one that would prevent the weiner from slipping! You would really experience the benefits of this while you're eating this, hehe

- rating: 8/10




Txori

- nice little Spanish tapas bar ideal for a small group of friends or a casual, romantic date!

- delectable cocktails, heavenly tapas & main dishes

- 10-15 mins. drive from d/t (located in Belltown)

- Rating: 8.5/10

Original Pancake House

- American chain that serves your typical breakfast fare…with a few specialites including the Dutch Baby and the ginormous apple pancakes (which I ordered)
- warm, friendly service
- left us feeling more-than-satisfied :)
                                                       - rating: 7.5/10



On the drive home, we also stopped in Bellingham to try out a Mexican joint that was recommended by one of Scoe’s friends:

Mi Mexico

- conveniently located across from the Bellis Fair Mall
- vast menu, colourful ambience, friendly service
- huge, huge portions
- pretty tasty Mexican fare
- authentic
-rating: 7.3/10


** All in all, a successful trip! Perhaps, another trip to Seattle will be in the works for the future...considering that there are still 20+ places left on our list that were left untried.  Thank you, Seattle!


Love,


foodmatik :)

Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle

Chef Hung does it right...

I first heard (or rather, read) about this popular tbn (taiwanese beef noodle) joint from reading food blogs and other blogs alike.  It recently opened up in Aberdeen Centre (Richmond) and has since, garnered rave reviews from bloggers (although there are those who talked about it being overrated).  Apparently, Chef Hung has won a (or several?) 'taiwanese beef noodle competitions' in Taiwan. I've also heard from a friend that there are a number of tbn competitions in Taiwan (and thus, may make Chef Hung's tbn less significant than they really are).  Regardless, I - being the tbn fan that I am - decided to venture out to Chef Hung's myself to have a taste of what the bustle was all about...

Food:

We started the meal off with our usual appetizers - the Marinated Pork Ear as well as the Beef Wrapped in Crispy Pancake.  I love the cold, marinated appies that the Taiwanese offer.  Although I must say that it doesn't sound the most appealing, pork ear is actually really good.  It's thinly sliced, marinated in a wonderful sweet, soy-saucy type of sauce, and garnished/topped off with cilantro.  I love the crunch you get chewing on the cartilage, too. I know, doesn't sound very appetizing, but you just have to try it before making any sort of judgments :).  The Beef Crispy Pancake was good, too.  Tightly packed with a generous amount of nicely-thinned marinated beef, a bit of green onions as well as julienne strips of crish, fresh cucumber.  The portion was generous (7 tightly-packed pieces).  Our only complaint was the lack of hoisin sauce.  We asked for a side of hoisin sauce and the problem was quickly solved! :)  We also had the Pan Fried Grounded Pork Cake.  The flour-doughy covering (what do you call that?) was very fresh-tasting (made in-house), while the filling (grounded pork) was juicy and delicious.

As for mains, I was told, by one of my fellow dining companions, that it was the Champignon Beef Shank with Noodle in Spicy Soup that won (the competition). Stupid me didn't sample this supposed award-winning bowl, but was told that it was goood.  I had the Beef Tendon, Tripe (and Shank) in Noodle Soup (I love all edible parts of the cow).  The soup base was very good - I don't quite know how to describe it, but should mention that there was a bit of herbal taste/aroma to it. Maybe it's what characterizes Chef Hung's tbn soups from others  The beef shank was very tender.  We were also given a choice of noodles - flat or thin.  I opted for the traditional flat noodles.  They were done al dente and "justttt right"(to quote Goldilocks, lol) 

We also had the Braised Beef Shank on Rice, which was probably the least popular of the dishes as we thought that there was too much rice.  The beef shank, once again was excellent and as tender as can be.

I should also mention that the drinks were good too.  Even the pearls were chewy and of good quality. We had a Pearl Milk Tea, as well as a Honey Green Tea.

Service:

Friendly and prompt.  Not much verbal communication though.

Value:

At $10.95 for a bowl of soup, the price is a little steep (fine, a lot more steep) compared to other Taiwanese joints.  It's worth a try though! Side items and drinks were on par with typical places alike.

Ambience:

Not worthy of praise nor complaints. Decent.

Overall: 7.8/10

Yay:  Located in a mall - could be convenient if you want to get some shopping done. Great beef noodles.

Nay:  Line ups usually (20 mins or so come peak dinner/lunch times, from what I've heard).  Steep prices for the noodle soups.

Bo Laksa King's

hidden laksa gem...

As their name implies, Bo Laksa King's specialty resides in...well, none other than laksa.  For those who are not familiar, laksa is a popular noodle soup with origins in Chinese/Singaporean/Malaysian cuisine (I believe).  Vermicelli is usually the prime type of noodle offered, with the usual ingredients being: fish balls, prawns, tofu puffs, and boiled egg....all in a coconut-based curry soup.

BLK (I'm gonna shorten it just for convenience sake...and the fact that I love reducing names to an aconym-form, lol) also features other Malaysian/Burmese items (roti, satays, "pickled tea leaf salads", etc).

*Pls note:  I apologize for the lack of information as I felt too lazy on this day to glean more info, given time and circumstantial constraints!

Food:

The laksa was divine and definitely lived up the rave reviews that currently exist about this place.  It was a generous portion of vermicelli, along with the essential ingredients of tofu puffs, fish balls, prawns, pieces of chicken satays (a bonus!), topped off and garnished with red onion, cilantro, bean sprouts, japalenos and lime.  It was certainly appealing to the appetite and taste.  The soup was perfect - with the perfect ratio of coconut to curry taste.  My dining companion also pointed out that we were given a whole boiled egg, instead of a half (which you would expect at other places).  I also loved the addition of pieces of chicken satay...grilled to perfection and immaculate in taste. 

It is also important to note that they give you a separate container for the soup.  The feeling of just being able to pour your own soup in, somehow makes it so much more gratifying...and more fresh-tasting. Don't you agree? ;)

Service:

Not sure if the lady and the man behind the counter were a couple but they were very hospitable and kind.  They even offered us (free) tea and gave us a sample of their "pickled tea leaf salad" (which, btw, tastes like how it sounds). 

Value:

$7.50 per bowl of laksa....not too pricey, I don't believe. It's worth it, regardless!

Ambience

It's not a restaurant, or a cafe.  Nor is it situated in a food court...or on the streets. But rather, it's located inside a grocery store.  Yes, you heard me.  The space isn't very large - just a food counter, and 1 (or 2) tables that sits 2 people each.  Regardless, I didn't mind it too much!

Overall: 7.7/10

Yay:  Yumm laksa...good for take-out.  No real parking issues here.

Nay: It's located in a grocery store where take-out may be the only option at times.

** Interesting Fact: The owner (I believe) informed us that they will be now offering delivery (within a 5-km radius), as well as a new menu!

Chambar

it's only my most faaavourite restaurant everrr....

It was a difficult decision to make (Chambar or Le Crocodile?), but after coming across a blogger who recently raved about the mushroom and goat cheese spring roll that he/she tried at Chambar, I just haaddd to go and try it for myself...pronto! And so, without a second thought, reservations were made and finalized at the much-beloved Chambar.

Side note: I love Chambar with all my heart and have never been disappointed at all.  I was excited to pay it a good (6th, to be exact!) visit once again.

Food:

We started off with the much-anticipated, drool-worthy Les champignons forestiers (marinated beets, mushrooms, watercress, mushroom and goat cheese spring roll) admist a wonderful vinaigarette accompaniment.  The appy arrived piping hot, as Scoe would say.  The spring roll was generously filled with an ample amount of goat cheese (yummm!), while the beets, mushrooms and vinegarette side only made it better.  It was wonderful as expected, and I devoured them wanting for more.

Scoe also ordered La salade d'hiver ("winter salad" in translation) to fulfill his daily veggie requirements.  That was nice and fresh (I don't remember too much of it as the taste of the goat cheese spring roll still lingered in my mouth).  Both appies were magnificent in taste, which only prompted us to order a third appy.  We opted for Les Coquilles St. Jacques (Seared scallops with smoked kurobata pork cheeks).  'Twas an excellent choice - nicely seared, plump, divine-tasting scallops.  The night was only getting started :)

As for our entrees, it was not a surprise that Scoe and I both opted for les Moules Frites (although other fish, meat entrees are equally as spectacular).  As usual, Scoe had the Mussels Vin Blanc (in white wine, braised leeks and celery) while I chose my usual Mussels Coquette (white wine cream, smoked bacon lardons, spring onions).  It once again, lived up to expectations - flavourful broth, plump and juicy (ocean-friendly!) mussels, generous portions with an excellent side of pomme frites (and garlic mayo!)

** I must add that they have a wonderful selection of Belgian beers, as well as finely-executed cocktails.

Service:

Prompt and friendly

Value:

Reasonable, although this is one of the few places, that I know of, that charges for bread.

Ambience:

Hip, hip, happeningggg! Maybe a little tooo loud at times. But overall, a wonderful place to be, and be seen at. Make sure you make reservations!

Overall: 9.5/10 (yes, i love it THAT much!)

Yay: Excellent belgian food (and probably the only place for great Belgian food in Vancouver). Come here for the mussels, appies, steak, beer...hell, just pay it a visit already. You won't regret it.  Foodmatik guarantees it, lol

Nay: I don't know if there really is a nay....parking's not too bad in this area. Probably not a good choice if you're wanting a nice, quiet, romantic dinner?

** Interesting fact:  Cafe Medina is their sibling restaurant/cafe known for their lovely Morrocan-influenced brunch and belgian waffles. Another lovely little place...no wonder they're affiliated with Chambar :) In addition, Chambar has also opened up a cooking school right next door as well.

Also...on my very first visit to Chambar, I saw Pierce Brosnan dining here (and boy, do I have a story to tell about that...!)