Blue Water Cafe

I procrastinated for way too long on this post. Blue Water Cafe became part of my top 10 after leaving the restaurant that night. What I remember liking most was the service. Once you have been seated at your table, they cater to your every need. Blue Water is a must-try in Yaletown, Vancouver.

Oysters are a must if they are are on the menu. We ordered 2 orders of the 6 featured oyster types: Beach Angel, Kusshi, Glacier, Reed Island, Satori, Sawmill Bay.

BC Tasting for 2 $16.50 per person. Dungeness crab salad, scallop ceviche, albacore tuna tartare, smoked sockeye salmon terrine. All amazingly prepared but my favourite was the salmon terrine. (Excuse my horrible camera skills, my screen was half broken that night)

Halibut and Prawns $30. This was a special for the week. What can I say, I have absolutely nothing bad to critique about this. You know they put a lot of tlc into preparing everything on the menu.

Qualicum Bay Scallops $33.50. Ill probably remember this for the rest of my blogging life. The best and biggest portion of scallops I have ever ordered. However, it comes with a wild rice griddle cake which I didn't really find appetizing.

Kalamansi Cheesecake $11. We were never into citrusy cheesecakes but I really wanted cheesecake that night. I ended up setting myself up for disappointment. Don't get me wrong this was amazing (if you like citrus flavour in your cheesecake).

Warm Dark Cuban Chocolate Cake $12.5. Can you really go wrong with a brandy truffle melted inside of a light, crispy cake? I think not.

This was NOT big enough to share.



Website: bluewatercafe.net
Address:
1095 Hamilton Street
Vancouver, BC

Earls

Let me tell you the short list of big chain restaurants (that serve dinner/late night) within 10 minutes of where I live: Moxies, Earls, Boston Pizza. Now you know why I come here quite often.. 

Dungeness Crab and Asparagus Linguini $19.75. Im usually leaning towards the homestyle, extra meat extra sauce when it comes to pasta. This is the total opposite but I made sure to come back for it the next time i was at Earls, and the time after that. This is one of the few things I have ordered with the word crab on the menu and the plate.

Cajin Blackened Chicken $20.00. Does anyone believe me when I say this was my very first time having their warm potato salad? I couldn't get enough (which resulted in a very high carb dinner for me)! As for the chicken, just your standard blackened chicken, slightly over-salty and dry but nothing to complain about.

As for dessert, I am sad to say they have discontinued their cheesecake. I was too heartbroken to try a new dessert.



Website: earls.ca
Address:
10160 152 Street
Surrey, BC

Suika

Suika

As you can see, no one else was there. We came in right when the doors opened.

Salmon Carpaccio. This is one of the best I've had. The pieces are actually thin, like carpaccio is supposed to be, the bedding of sauce is so so so good. We almost ordered another. The only downside: This is way to small to share.

Live Oysters. I know this place is supposed to be "Modern Izakaya" food, but that jelly ponzu just didn't work for me. I asked for regular ponzu.

Ebi Mayo. They should really invest in taking the time to actually cover the Ebi... with Mayo. I liked the batter which was a nice and soft, thin layer. But seriously, it makes it so much better when the whole pieces are covered.

Tuna Tataki. This one was my least favourite of the meal. I found it to be very bland and extremely dry. The sauce was good (same as the Salmon Carpaccio plus a sweet and sour sauce) but it didn't help either of my problems with the fish.

Grilled Duck. This came out last so we were just about getting full, so you can tell how good it was when I say it went from plate to my belly in seconds. Ok maybe not seconds, but you get the point. It was fast. You would think you would need to order a side of rice for this was the tomato and apple slices were more than enough.

AAA Beef Filet Steak. I know I said the duck was the last one that came out, but when we saw this at the table next to us, we just had to order. Im a huge sucker for hot stones, I must admit. I don't really know how I felt about this one because by the time this came out (which wasn't too long of a wait) we were stuffed and were starting to regret ordering this and 3 desserts. I liked the cut of steak, the seasoning was a little off. I found it was the deep fried garlic I was using to make the meat more flavourful. They were so addicting.. like garlic chips almost. I also found myself drowning my steak into the sauce they gave us. I probably won't be ordering this again since this costed us $16 for a not-so-flavorful steak.

Almond Tofu with Blueberry Sauce. I usually don't like almond tofu, especially the ones at chinese restaurants where they sort of taste like medicine.. No offence to people who like it, or make it, or serve it at their restaurants. I have learned the trick to mask that medicine after taste! Blueberry sauce, duh. This was pretty bomb.

Yukimi Diafuku. Whoever makes these sticky rice cakes, NEEDS to give me the recipe. Seriously, i couldn't get enough. My girlfriend said you can buy these, ice cream and all at T&T. I couldn't imagine it to be this soft though, sitting in the freezer for that long, i don't think so! My only complaint is that they should get a better quality green tea and red bean ice cream because this one was hard and chunky.

Matcha Brûlée. One thing: TOO MUCH MATCHA!! It was way too over powering and a little hard to eat. Texture was great, just the matcha was way too much. I liked the red bean sauce and they put just the right amount. Is it me or does this seem like a different version of the ice cream one...


Address:
1626 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC
Website: suika-snackbar.com

Society

I had heard so many bad reviews about this place but, as a food blogger, decided to try it out anyways. All my friends that have already been to Society told me that the place was nice, girly and loungy. This was true. They also told me that the food here sucks. Also true.

I called this a good start to a bad night.. Buffalo Jumbo Prawns. They have taken this off the menu.. too bad because they were very good and fresh! The chef probably doesn't like to have tasty things on the menu.

Hawaiian Pizza for one. I did not like this at all. I'd pick Pizza Hut over this any day. The dough was undercooked and burnt at the same time. The crust was dry and hard, and there wasn't enough sauce.

Spaghetti and Kobe Meatballs. I don't understand how Italian Kitchen and Society are the both part of Glowbal, but can have completely opposite Kobe meatballs. How hard is it to make Kobe meatballs!? Let me tell you how these tasted: like over processed ground beef. The pasta was well over done, the goat cheese was watery and the bread was inedible.

All in all, this is more of a drinking after a real dinner place, NOT a place to have a good meal. I do not recommend Society for their food what so ever. However, I am willing to give it another shot so look out for my second post on this restaurant


Address:
1257 Hamilton Street
Vancouver, BC
Website: http://www.glowbalgroup.com/society

Homemade Salads

Fun, easy, quick and yummy! I love making salads at home. This is one of my favorites: mixed greens and baby spinach, procuitto, grape tomatoes, goat cheese, bell peppers.

For my dressing: balsamic reduction, lobster oil, salt.

Dai Tung

I don't know what it is about Chinese food, I just never crave for it, eat it when its there, and it never leaves me wanting more. On this particular day, I was craving crab. Not Chinese crab, just crab. Have you ever eaten crab at a restaurant before? If you have, you would know its not easy on your wallet. My boyfriend suggested Dai Tung for dinner. That way, I get my crab and he gets his Chinese. 

Crab with cream sauce and noodles under. Delicious. The sauce was a little bland, but maybe I'm just being a baby about it.

Clams in black bean sauce. More shells, not so many clams. I love black bean sauce though.

Gotta have the veggies! We brought more than half of this home. Chinese food needs to be eaten by at least 4 people to have an even meal, otherwise you get too much of one dish and not enough variety.

Mango Pudding is always a must at a Chinese restaurant. And its not mango pudding without the cream!


Address:
1050 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC

Starbucks Breakfast

I have discovered a new favorite: Artisan Bacon and Egg Breakfast Sandwich. I could proabably eat this every morning.. well, I kind of have been. How can you resist!? It also comes with ham instead of bacon. :) 

Tobiko: Hidden Gem in Surrey

Any sushi place that make special rolls such as Dragon Roll, Spider Roll.. etc, and house-made rolls, deserves some appreciation. This one reminds me of Nagoya, another hidden gem in Surrey and my favorite sushi joint.

Pretty standard, few tables, a lot of pictures on the walls of customers and new menu items.

Ebi Sunomono $3.50. This is part if the reason why I like this place: they are NOT cheap. Many sushi places give mini shrimps or just one small piece but they are every generous here.

Beef Teriyaki Bowl $6.50. Is that cheap or what!?

Unagi Roll $4.75. I love when the avocados and cucumbers taste fresh, just like they cut them to order!

I totally forgot what this one is called. I believe it was one of the dragon rolls. Normally, a dragon roll costs about $9-13 a roll. The dragon rolls at tobiko are only $8-9. Good deal.


Address:
15951 Fraser Hwy
Surrey, BC
Website: http://tobikosushi.com/

Ouisi Bistro: First Time Trying Gator Meat!

"The Ouisi Bistro is a New Orleans style restaurant, which incorporates two styles of cooking; Creole and Cajun."

First of all, excuse the horrible photography in this one. It was extremely dark and I had to use the flash on my iPhone. I should really invest in a real camera but I like having all my pictures in one place! My boyfriend brought me here, just for the gator meat. He had been here once and loved it, so we made our way down to Granville Street. I wish it wasn't so dark because I couldn't get a good picture of the restaurant. My first impression was that it felt very welcoming and homey, a place you can go to, grab a beer and relax with your buddies for the night. Somewhere you can find real soul food. It is a bistro, but they serve brunch (weekends), lunch and dinner. There are so many other restaurants in this area that I would like to try to look out for those posts soon.

Gator Bites $14.50. This was the only thing on our minds as we sat down. We ordered this before we even got our water, then looked at the menu for more. It came out minutes later and I almost forgot to take the picture. As you can tell, it looks delicious and nothing like alligator meat at all. I really cannot describe the texture of alligator meat, it is something else. My first thought, was that it tastes something between chicken and fish, a cod perhaps. Anyway, it was good, and what made this even better was how amazing they seasoned this dish. You've really got to try it for yourself, I am NOT joking.

Cajun Style Crab Cakes $11. Although this was seasoned well, with many Cajun flavours, I thought it was very very doughy and did not have anywhere near enough crab. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I want CRAB in my CRAB CAKES!

Fresh P.E.I. Mussels Lafayette $15. Aside from that amazing plate of Gator Bites, this was my favorite. I devoured these mussels. The white wine and cream was amazing, and the mussels were very large.

The Dinner Belle $20. This was my least favorite, as you can probably tell already. The description the the menu, read "crab stuffed chicken breasts with a citrus-beurre blanc and roasted new potatoes" and now, thinking back when eating this, all I remember was the potatoes, NOT the crab. Once again, crab from the menu disappoints and I am left with a crabless chicken and potatoes. The potatoes were awesome, by the way. Nicely cooked and spiced. I thought their chicken tasted very frozen as if it was one of those from a frozen dinner box you buy at the grocery store. At least it wasn't dry. At this point, I am really appreciating the makers of this menu. I'm realizing that everything I have ordered did not lack in flavor, and they did not have to be spicy to do so!

Sauteed Gulf Prawns $18. I don't have much to say about this order, other than the "prawns" were tiny, and the dish was a little boring in appearance. Otherwise, they tasted very good.

Before I get to dessert, I want to mention their delicious corn bread, which I forgot to take a photo of. I never knew how much I love corn bread until I tried their home made ones. It comes, complimentary with your dinner and oh, is it good. I'll be taking some home next time.

Blueberry Cheesecake. I'd have to say this is one of the BEST cheesecakes I have ever consumed in my life. They have a special every day, with a different fruit, baked inside in the cheesecake. This tasted extremely wholesome, home made, and rich. Just how I like my cheesecake to be.

I had a great experience here and I will be coming back to try other things on the menu. Highly recommend this restaurant, although the service was HORRIBLE. Just for the food, and the gator bites, I will be back!

Address: 3014 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC
Website: http://www.ouisibistro.com

Coast

After eating at small bistro's, sushi joints, pho restaurants and food chains, my boyfriend decided to take me out to Coast for a nice dinner. I had wanted to try Coast for a while but wanted to wait for a special occasion, or whenever we don't mind spending this much on one night. 

Crab Cake $16.95. There was a pretty funny story about this one. The minute before it came to our table, I kept rambling on about how absolutely nothing, nothing at all could beat the crab cake we had in Kelowna at Raudz. I was going on and on and on till I had the first bite of this one. OH, how satisfied I was. It was definitely comparable. I would come back just for this. It was seasoned and seared perfectly. Highly recommended and SO very worth the money.

Chef's Amuse: Tuna Tartar was a complimentary bite which we each received. I guess they saw how fast we scarfed down that crab cake! This was amazing and so well prepared and detailed for such a little dish.

Lobster $59. I really regretted ordering this. It came out exacter how it looks in the picture. I patiently waited for them to come back and open it up for me, which they didn't. How are you supposed to eat this without getting your hands dirty!? And so I send it back and our server was happy to crack my lobster open for me. She was a sweet heart by the way and catered to our every need.

What I thought about this dish: boring. Yes, it was very well seasoned and was extremely flavorful. Yes, the lobster was huge, a lot bigger than expected. However, the beans and broccoli was not enough for me. I never realized how boring lobster can get when you're just eating a whole one to yourself, especially when it's buttered like this one. Overall, a good lobster but I'll probably order something with a little more variety next time.

8 Ounce Beef Tenderloin $37, with Blue Cheese $3.50 A simple and delicious steak. You can tell they put some major TLC into these steaks. It was not as tender as we would`ve liked it to be, but all in all a good piece of meat! The Danish blue cheese added just the right touch to the tenderloin and was mild enough to eat with every bite.

Side if Asparagus $9. These were some quality asparagus! They were all tender baby asparagus which I love. I wish they would have gave us more of that sauce though!

Prawn Mac and Cheese $10. I would probably eat this everyday if carbs were non-existent. This was filled with sage leaves and gave it a very different taste, a good different. It was also full of fresh, big pieces of prawn.

Complimentary Truffle Fries. We were stuffed by the time they brought this out, but it was SO good we couldn't help but dive in. The truffle was perfect and so was the aioli.

Vitamin C Drop Shots $16.

Molten Banana Coconut Cake $10. Baked to order. Recommended to us by our server, this cake was extremely sweet but so addicting. All the flavours came out separately but came together very well. Its a very sticky cake since the coconut cream (with the consistency of condensed milk) is poured onto the cake after being brought to our table. The aroma of this freshly baked dessert made my mouth water!

This had been my favourite Glowbal location so far and I will, without a doubt, come back for that crab cake and those fries!

Address:
1054 Alberni St
Vancouver, BC
Website: http://www.glowbalgroup.com/coast