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

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

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

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

Ebisu

Ebisu and Daimasu are 2 places I will probably never stop coming back to. I know, it really isn't anything special but its such a go-to place for me, especially during happy hour. And have I told you guys how much I love the lighting in this place? My iPhone pictures turn out amazing!

Yep, 5pm mojitos. Don't judge me.

Beef Short Ribs $4.99 during happy hour. I like how this comes with pickles on the side. I have got no complaints on flavour with this one.

Royal Miyagi 99 cents/pc. during happy hour.Now, this is what brings me back every time. We order 20 oysters for the 2 of us almost every time we visit. The ponzu is amazing, the oysters are so fresh, its addicting.

Oyster Motoyaki $6.80. The very first time I tried this, I thought it was really good. I no longer have the same opinion. I like how there is a lot of spinach and mushrooms in it, but this dish is quite oily. I'd still order and recommend it once in a while, however I have had better.

Cosmic Gate $18.95. The other combo next to this on the menu is called Above and Beyond, I thought it was kind of funny. I love ebisu for their HUGE menu with pictures with every item. If you're new to sushi or izakaya food, this is the place for beginners.

Link to my first post on Ebisu:
http://eatdrinkreeepeat.blogspot.ca/2012/03/ebisu-dirt-cheap-fresh-oysters.html
Address:
827 Bute Street
Vancouver, BC
Website: ebisu.ca

Verace: lll be back for your Burrata.

It's been weeks since my last post.. But I've been so busy and SICK for the past week :(

I was referred here by Fat Panda Vancouver so be sure to check out her blog! I had never tried pizza from a wood fired oven before so we decided to give this a try..

The interior is nice and modern. Our server had told us they have only been open for over a year. This place is already booming on Urbanspoon.

The best thing I had that night. Burrata $14.50. This is a rosemary pizza bread paired with Burrata cheese, lemon olive oil and a balsamic reduction. You're probably thinking "15 bucks for bread and cheese?" But I would order this over and over again.

Ricca $7.25. Everything on this plate went well together. And there we're alot of ingredients mixed in. If this is a small, imagine how big the large size is!

The oven. I think he was a little bothered with the paparazzi.. (me). He didn't wanna look at the camera..

Quattro Stagioni $17.75. We added arugula on top for $1.50. I liked the pizza but not the crust. Im a very picky woman with my crusts and if its not crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, I won't eat it. This one was a little too chewy, almost hard and I couldn't get it down.. Sorry Verace! By the way, if you like your pizza pre-cut, let them know before hand because they don't cut them for you! Gives a more authentic feeling but I prefer it otherwise.