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Taste of Yaletown 2011

Raul — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:31:02 +0000

A few months ago, I made the commitment to myself to promote more local events, and in particular, events related to food. I try almost always to attend Taste of Yaletown but rarely do I get a chance to do the whole thing. I have checked out the list of participating restaurants.

As a matter of fact, I have eaten at many of them (and love a few). Plus, this year I’m a media sponsor for Taste of Yaletown 2011. Taste of Yaletown 2011 goes from October 13th to 31st, 2011. You can check the menus here. I will try to profile a couple of participating restaurants on my blog throughout the event.

You can track the event hashtag via Twitter.

Creme de la Crumb (Yaletown)

Raul — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:25:05 +0000

Total surprise for me: edible food in a coffee shop that is licensed to serve booze and within a half a block of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, where many of the theatre and musical shows I attend is. As Charlie Sheen would say, I call that WINNING. Creme de la Crumb in Yaletown, right underneath the CBC Vancouver is definitely a surprising gem. I wouldn’t call their cuisine high-end or upscale, but it was good enough and I didn’t have any problems with it.

I stopped by Creme de la Crumb a few weeks back when I was waiting for JT to meet me for the opening night of the Canadian premiere of Mamma Mia (Broadway Across Canada). I probably had never seen it not because I was blind, but because somehow Creme de la Crumb never registered in my radar. But I’m very glad it did. I ordered a 3 items combo ($8.99) and a bottle of Coke Zero ($2.50) for my dinner.

Overall, as I mentioned, a nice surprise that the food was good enough for dinner. I would probably not go out of my way here for a “romantic dinner” but for sustenance, BUT OF COURSE. I was able to survive going through almost 3 hours of musical theatre thanks to the fact that I had had dinner before, and that it was tasty and good enough at Creme de la Crumb.

Disclosure: I paid for my dinner on my own dime.

Goldfish Seafood and Chops (Yaletown)

Raul — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 01:33:14 +0000

So strange. I swear to God Goldfish used to call itself Goldfish Kitchen. But since the last time I visited (which was A LONG TIME AGO, when Steve Jagger invited Rebecca and me for lunch), Goldfish has experienced some rebranding and relaunching of menus and is now Goldfish Seafood and Chops. The very first people I saw right after my head shave were my good friends Mat Wilcox, Erin McConnell and Wendy Hartley (Erin and Wendy both formerly worked at Wilcox PR) who were there with another couple of friends (one of them, Lecia Stewart with whom I had an absolutely wonderful chat.

Mat and Erin

Me and Mat

Wendy Hartley and me

Wendy invited me along to join their “Girls Night Out” at Goldfish Seafood and Chophouse for a glass of wine, which I accepted as I hadn’t seen them in months, and wanted to catch up. And of course, show off my new hairless do. Interestingly, I can tell I blog about food because I totally went in to take photos of the food before I even let anyone sample it.

We ordered a few appies and shared a couple of bottles of white wine. I’ll have to say, Goldfish definitely has upped the ante on the seafood menu. I hadn’t had any of their food recently and came to be quite surprised.

The marinated Tiger prawns with chili (available on the Happy Hour Menu) were to-die-for. Even if you aren’t a fan of the BBQ short ribs (which I’m not), they were still very tasty. But again, those marinated Tiger prawns totally captivated me. We also sampled some scallops with capers and a creamy dill (those were also to-die-for).

Overall, my verdict on the new Happy Hour Menu at Goldfish Seafood and Chophouse? I like it. I’ll have to come back for dinner!

And also… who doesn’t love dinner companions who are bright, smart, opinionated, entrepreneurial AND who are thoughtful enough to make me pull my gut so I don’t show like I weigh 300 pounds on photos?

Disclosure: My appies and drinks were compliments of Wendy who would NOT let me pay (thanks, Wendy!). While not a full review of the Goldfish Seafood and Chophouse menu, I sampled and loved the Happy Hour menu and will have to come back for dinner on my own dime and taste the rest of their food after the rebranding. As always, I retain editorial control on anything I publish on my site.

Charm Modern Thai (Yaletown) and its new menu

Raul — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 02:52:17 +0000

I have never really been a crazy fan of Thai food. Except, of course, for Charm Modern Thai. And the truth is, my love for Charm Modern Thai doesn’t only stem from the fact that I know the owner very well, Desmond Chen. No, the truth is, even though I’m not a super fan of Thai food, whatever items Charm serves me, I usually like.

Before anything else, while today I’m reporting on their new menu and I was invited on a media dinner, I should add that I’ve eaten at Charm (and paid on my own dime) several times before, but for one reason or another, I never had a chance to blog about the restaurant itself. On to the new menu (here is a link to their dinner menu).

We began with little samples of lobster bisque (which to me, is comfort food – it could be a little bit more dense, rich). Tiger prawn satays are hard to screw up, and Charm executes them supremely. The peanut sauce was just perfect. The larb gai was pretty interesting, and kind of like a Thai ceviche. I would have several of these starters in a row if asked to, quite gladly. The fish cakes were pretty good, and I didn’t touch the duck sticks, but loved the pineapple braised shortribs. These pineapple braised short ribs should come in a different type of meat as I don’t really like short ribs.

We tried an interesting new noodle soup and I asked them to call it Fish Soup (maybe they will, maybe they won’t). Perfect taste, I should say. I enjoyed the right amount of spice, and the little slices of chive and chili made it flavourful without being offensive to the palate.

The peppercorn beef, garlic fish and yellow curry prawns as well as the panang curry were items that were wildly popular with me. I love fish, and garlic just adds to the flavour. I almost didn’t have space for the panang curry and the yellow curry prawns. What I like about Charm Modern Thai is that it makes food spicy just at the right hotness point and it doesn’t make me feel that I need a glass of ice cold water to eat its food.

Some other notes I took on my dinner:

* Green tea chicken: strange flavour with the citrusy infusion combined with green tea, I would have liked more spice.
* Peppercorn beef: Really tasty though I would have wanted thinner slices of beef.
* Pad thai: A tad on the sweet side, but I love it. Light fare for lunch.
* Braised short ribs: They feel like authentic thai!
* Green curry: I was worried it would be too spicy but no, it was perfect.

Overall, I would want to give Desmond and his team kudos. I look forward to coming for dinner sometime soon.

Disclosure: As indicated on the post, this was a media dinner and it’s not per se a review. I have tried Charm Modern Thai and liked it a lot in previous visits, and will come back to have dinner on my dime. All views are mine. No review is expected, nor was I paid for any content posted on this entry. As always, I retain editorial control on anything I write on my site.

Hapa Izakaya (Yaletown)

Raul — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:00:58 +0000

My good friend Airdrie Miller recently invited me for dinner to Hapa Izakaya in Yaletown recently, right after we participated in the eBeauty.ca and CityTV event. I had been to other izakaya’s but not to Hapa (I went to Hapa Umi the other day, but it’s not the same thing as Hapa Izakaya).

We ordered a ISHI-YAKI (Hapa’s version of the Korean hot stone bowl: rice, minced pork, flower chives, egg, tomato, lettuce and spicy-miso; mixed tableside, $8.80), some GOMA-AE (vegetable, in this case, jicama with goma-ae (sesame) dressing).

For a first time visiting Hapa Izakaya, I’ll have to say I’m thoroughly impressed.

I was even more impressed that we didn’t really eat that much and yet we weren’t hungry after dinner. Overall, Hapa Izakaya is definitely a place I want to come back and try several other items. The “tapas” style is one that gives me a bit of cognitive dissonance since I’m used to Spanish tapas rather than Japanese tapas, but overall, I’ll definitely have to come back. Thanks Air, for introducing me to Hapa Izakaya!

George Wainborn Park (Yaletown)

Raul — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:35:48 +0000

I love the George Wainborn Park, although I’m quite disappointed that I haven’t been able to find any information on Wikipedia on it (surprising, eh?! but thankfully my good friend Gus Fosarolli came through with information directly from the Vancouver Parks Board website on George Wainborn Park). It’s a park located in the marina side area of Yaletown, very close to the David Lam Park and the area around Beach Crescent, in Yaletown, right across from Granville Island.

While some people don’t find “constructed” or “architect-built” parks very exciting (e.g. urban parks that have a somewhat sophisticated feel), I really like them. Obviously, I still have my heart won over by parks like Trout Lake (which, with its lovely lake, looks very much like a non-urban park, despite the fact that it is embedded in a very residential neighbourhood). But I do enjoy walking around George Wainborn Park, in particular along the seawall.

There are some nice restaurants in the vicinity of that area, including C Restaurant, Nu and the Stone Grill.

Have you ever had the chance to walk around this lovely park?

The urban architecture of Yaletown

Raul — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:30:12 +0000

The more Yaletown densifies the more I am in awe. It’s a beautiful neighbourhood with great density, but with ZERO affordability.

I honestly wonder what residents of Yaletown, particularly creekside, feel about it. I have a tonne of friends who live in this area, particularly the marina side. I’ll have to ask them!

Illuminate Yaletown 2011 (Feb 11th, 12th)

Raul — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:22:37 +0000

Photo credit: Josh Lavoie on Flickr

While I can’t afford living in Yaletown, I love hanging out there. Many great restaurants are within a quick, 2 stop trip from my office at The Network Hub, and I have a lot of friends who both live AND work in Yaletown. From Friday, February 11 to Saturday, February 12, 2011 (5:59PM to 10:30PM), Illuminate Yaletown 2011 (co-produced by the Yaletown Business Improvement Association and Fireworks Marketing Group Inc. ) takes place and it should be a lot of fun.

The Yaletown Business Improvement Association sent me a little bit more information about Illuminate Yaletown for my readers to check out:

The district will be illuminated with various installations lighting up Mainland and Hamilton streets, Yaletown Park, Bill Curtis Square and the Roundhouse Community Centre with colourful artistic expression. Yaletown will be fused with LED lights, animated projections, new media video displays, electronic soundscapes and 3D technology to create a striking visual landscape. Mainland Street will be closed to welcome the expected 50,000 spectators that will refresh the city’s memory of the unique experience lived during the 2010 Winter Games.

It’s a FREE event, and you should probably consider checking it out.

Commune Cafe (Yaletown)

Raul — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:00:29 +0000

I recently took my good friend Naomi Devine (another force to be reckoned with in the world of sustainability in British Columbia) for lunch at Commune Cafe. Naomi was in town to give a guest lecture and therefore she had a little bit of time so we shared a meal. I had wanted to try Commune Cafe for a long while and I am glad I did.

Lunch at Commune Cafe is a bit more expensive than in other fast-food joints, but only marginally. The ingredients are organic, fresh and locally-sourced. Located at the corner of Nelson and Seymour, it’s close enough to my office at The Network Hub that I can walk there for lunch. Naomi and I were surprised not to see Commune Cafe totally full, but it probably was just a lucky fluke.

I ordered a Toulouse sausage with caramelized onion mustard picalili (shown in the photo below) which I thought wouldn’t fill me, but in fact it did ($9). I accompanied my picalili with a Cyoni orange juice (which at Commune Cafe goes for $3.25). Overall, lunch was fantastic, the company was great and I would strongly recommend Commune Cafe for a lunch meeting or date.

Disclosure: I paid for both my lunch and that of Naomi’s out of my own pocket. I just thought people should know about this little cafe. As usual, if you are concerned with any of my reviews, feel free to contact me. I retain editorial control of any review I post on my site.

Chez Faye (Yaletown)

Raul — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 22:32:11 +0000

I have fond memories of Chez Faye. The first time that my good friend Rebecca and I got interviewed simultaneously by 24 Hours Vancouver’ Dharm Makwana. When she worked in Yaletown, we often would have coffee at Chez Faye, or even lunch. So, I always found it slightly funny that I hadn’t reviewed it. The other day I had a client meeting in Yaletown (near the Canada Line Yaletown-Roundhouse).

I needed a place for a quick lunch near my client’s site. I chose Chez Faye, and they didn’t disappoint (sorry that my photo is only an iPhone-quality one). I ordered a soup and a sandwich for $6.50 if I recall correctly, very good and the service was impeccable. I will definitely come back, many many times. You can also follow them on Twitter.

Hamilton Street Grill wins Favorite Burger in Yaletown (Canada Day)

Raul — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:56:59 +0000

Yesterday, during Canada Day, I was part of the celebrity judges for Yaletown’s Best Burger Competition (a competition that most likely will be annual). Charles Zuckermann from Glowbal Group had invited me to join Cassandra Anderton (The Good Life Vancouver), Erin Ireland (It’s To Die For), Richard Wolak (Vancouver Foodster) and John Chow (John Chow.com).

It was a lot of fun, and I think my Mom really enjoyed the whole experience. Making the final decision on Hamilton St Grill was really hard as all burgers were really good. The following restaurants submitted entries:

These were the restaurants who participated:

SOCIETY Dining Lounge
Earls Yaletown
BBQues
The Hamilton Street Grill
Section 3
The Hub Restaurant
Glowbal Grill

All in all, a lot of fun and thanks to Charles Zuckermann for inviting me! Thanks to my fellow judges too, it was a lot of fun.

Yaletown’s block party for Canada Day and best burger competition

Raul — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:46:10 +0000

photo credit: Julien Menichini

On July 1st, the 1200 block of Hamilton Street will host a block party for Canada Day. In the afternoon, Erin Ireland, John Chow, Richard Wolak and myself will be the celebrity judges for a fantastic event, “Yaletown’s Best Burger” – although for bacon lovers like me, it’s a bit sad to know that there will be no pork in any of the burgers. That said, I am pretty sure it will be a fun event and I look forward to it. It’s always fun to attend these events.

I also look forward to hanging out with Erin, John and Richard, seeing many of you there. This will take place from 4:00-5:30pm at the 1200 block of Hamilton Street, and the participant restaurants include some of my own favorites.

SOCIETY Dining Lounge
Earls Yaletown
BBQues
The Hamilton Street Grill
Section 3
The Hub Restaurant
Glowbal Grill

Society Dining Lounge (@Glowbal_Group)

Raul — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:58:38 +0000

I had a chance to have lunch this past week with one of my very best friends, AF, at Society. I have previously written about or reviewed a few of the Glowbal Group restaurants, including Italian Kitchen, Coast, Afterglow, Sanafir and Glowbal Grill. My experiences with the Glowbal Group have always been very good (and just in the interest of disclosure, no, I’ve never had a complimentary meal).

As we were already downtown, AF and I decided to head somewhere that I hadn’t tried but had wanted to, Society.

They have a great deal on burger and a beer for $10 (and as you know, I’m rather budget-conscious these days). I will fully admit that if I hadn’t forgotten about having breakfast that morning, I would not have been able to finish the whole burger.

The portions are huge, the burger was really well done, and it had a sauce whose taste reminded me a bit of chipotle. The service was really good, at all points EVERY server was kind.

I’m really glad that I had a chance to try Society. I am pretty sure at some point the Glowbal Group invited me to the opening, but I can also recall that was the beginning of the semester for me and so I had too much work preparing class. But to be honest, I’m rather happy that the Yaletown food scene is really thriving, with restaurants such as r.tl (Regional Tasting Lounge), the Glowbal Group, Charlie’s, etc. I do hope this is a sign of an economic recovery!

r.tl (Regional Tasting Lounge, Yaletown)

Raul — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:32:29 +0000

You may recall that a couple of weeks ago, we had the uber-successful Twestival Vancouver, the third in a row that my good friend Rebecca Bollwitt organized. As you may recall, I sponsored two silent auction items: one was an evening with me for dinner and a theatrical performance

For those of you curious about the other one, it is a three-hour workshop on strategy alignment. I was lucky and grateful that both The Arts Club and r.tl (Regional Tasting Lounge) were willing and able to partner with me to offer a great silent auction item.

The successful bidder on the evening with me for dinner and a show was Jason Sanders, who joined me this past Friday at Regional Tasting Lounge (r.tl). I had never been to r.tl, but was really looking forward to it because, when I first contacted Danica Jeffery (their PR), I was informed about what Regional Tasting Lounge was about, and it sounded like it would be a fantastic restaurant to try out.

I had never heard of a restaurant that changed their menu every 3-4 months with different countries’ cuisines as the themes. r.tl has (from what I learned this past Friday night) gone already through French, Greek and Italian cuisines. We were greeted by Alain Canuel (the General Manager/Sommelier of r.tl), who suggested we try a few dishes and pair them up with a few cocktails.

Or wine, whichever we preferred. I’ll be very honest in saying that, given a choice between wine paired with my food or cocktails, I’ll always go for the cocktails. And the ones that Matt Martin (the mixologist of r.tl) prepared for us were both delicious AND lethal. I am actually surprised I was able to walk in a straight line after dinner, to be honest.

I was really excited to take a lot of photos of our food but my iPhone photos don’t make justice to the food we had at r.tl, quite frankly. We started with an olives platter followed by a ceviche platter ($16). For those of you interested, ceviche‘s origin is presumably South American, but you’ll always have it amongst some of the favorite dishes of Mexican palates. My brothers, parents and I love ceviche!

Since we had to make it to Paradise Garden at the Stanley Theatre, we told Darryl Crumb (Executive Chef of r.tl) we really needed to be out the door by 7:30pm at the latest, we chose our dinner dishes and a quick intermission (dungeness crab & prawn cakes, $15). I ordered the 8oz beef tenderloin with chimichurri spice, chipotle butter, warm potato and herbs salad ($29, though I felt guilty: I ordered it well done).

Jason chose pan roasted cornish hen breast & leg with hot sausage, caramelized lime with pan gravy ($22). I am quite used to Argentinian-inspired steak, so I really enjoyed this version of beef tenderloin (the chimichurri may not have been quite Argentinian, but Darryl made this steak amazingly flavourful. The cornish hen breast was also really good, although I prefer stronger flavors myself. The dungeness crab cakes were delicious as well, although by then I had very little space in my stomach! We shared a custard for dessert that was delicate and fresh.

The drinks, you ask? Well, I started off with a San Sebastián (brandy, sherry, cointreau, organic apple & lemon juices sparkling, orange bitters, orange zest, $11), moved on to a Pistachio Sour (grappa, sherry, pistachio paste, lime juice, orange blossom water, egg white, half salted rim, $12) and finalized with a Va Va Voom (vanilla vodka, saffron syrup, peach liqueur, passion fruit, organic apple, lemon juice, egg white, $10). Of them all, I think the one I prefer is the Va Va Voom and then the San Sebastián. I paired the first one with dessert, otherwise I feel the flavours would have clashed. I loved coming to r.tl for dinner and drinks.

But I would have just as easily come just for the drinks or just for the dinner! I want to thank r.tl staff, PR and owners for partnering with me to sponsor this silent auction item, and Jason for bidding. I would hope I’m good company for an evening out! And the photo below is what our dinner would have looked like if I were a professional photographer and had a better camera than my iPhone camera!

You can find r.tl on Twitter as @rtlyaletown. r.tl also has an iPhone app, where you can check the menu, tell your friends and find about special deals!

Disclosure: Our dinner and drinks (Jason and mine) at r.tl were complimentary courtesy of r.tl Regional Tasting Lounge, as a contribution on their part to the success of the charitable fundraiser Vancouver Twestival. I wasn’t paid to write this review, nor was I required to do so either. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.

Charlie’s Restaurant and Bar (Yaletown)

Raul — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:00:06 +0000

I was invited along a few other of my fellow foodie Vancouver bloggers to an evening of dinner and drinks at Charlie’s Restaurant and Bar in Yaletown, thanks to Ryan Bazeley. I found the invite rather compelling – I have always wanted to check a restaurant that would go the way of cooking ‘gourmet pizza’.

Normally, I would be the first one to admit that I’m not a pizza lover. I have lactose intolerance and but I do, on occasion, eat pizza. And I’m more drawn to eating pizza when it’s not your usual fare. After having a chance to sample several of Charlie’s gourmet pizzas, I can confidently say that I’m coming back and having dinner here on my own next time. The cocktails were really well made and the dinner bites we had were really good.

Located in the heart of Vancouver’s hip Yaletown district, Charlie’s Restaurant & Bar is Vancouver’s newest hot spot for gourmet artisan pizza. Live DJs provide a sexy electronic soundtrack as modern Italian fare (made with the freshest seasonal ingredients) is served up alongside creative cocktails and fine wines.

Chef Brian Ritchot offered us a broad variety of samples of his creations, including Short Rib (braised short ribs with caramelized onions and horseradish cream) and Duck (smoked duck with porcini sauce, portabellini mushrooms, tallegio, radicchio and truffle oil). I’m definitely partial to the Short Rib pizza.

In most of my recent reviews, I’ve tried to include pricing, particularly as I think that’s valuable and useful to my readers, and I often compare with other places where I have lunch or dinner. I did the same at Charlie’s, and I found that Charlie’s menu is reasonably priced, in light of the location (1265 Hamilton St, in Yaletown). I would expect the pastas to hover around $18-20, which may end up being a little on the higher-end of the pricing scale. Same with the pizzas (although they are definitely really, really tasty and filling)

The cocktails? Great (and lethal!) – I submitted my Northern Voice 2010 abstracts after a few of those. I had both a Devil (fresh fennel, cloves, cherry syrup, Cazadores Reposado tequila, cherry bitters and ginger beer) and the Cocktail 1265 (blood orange, grapefruit, juniper berries, pine nuts, basil, grapefruit bitters and vodka). Delightful.

All in all, I would definitely come back, the music is great and the location is pretty much unbeatable, walking distance from the Canada Line (Yaletown/Roundhouse) Station. As usual, my friend Karen Hamilton (TinyBites) took amazing photos, which you can admire on her Flickr page. All photographs used are copyright of Karen, but she was kind enough to let me use them.

Disclosure: My dinner and drinks at Charlie’s were complimentary courtesy of Charlie’s. I wasn’t paid to write this review, nor was I required to do so either. The purpose of this media dinner was to introduce several foodie bloggers (myself included) to Charlie’s. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.

Glowbal Grill (Yaletown)

Raul — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:35:39 +0000

Today my friend Liv Hung (A Beautiful Life) took me for lunch to Glowbal Grill (we hadn’t had a chance to catch up for a long while and it was long overdue). I was invited to their re-launch but unfortunately, that night was one of those that I got invited to like, six different things (I think I ended up choosing to attend the Social Media Club Vancouver organizational meeting. I’m glad Liv chose Glowbal Grill, as she really liked it and it seemed like it was going to be a very good lunch. Liv was completely right. Glowbal Grill *is* great. We arrived a little bit earlier than our reservation (12:30pm) but the host wasn’t fazed at all.

The host greeted us warmly, even though the restaurant was very busy and quickly led us to a high table. We ordered a couple of satays (I loved the meatball one) for appetizers and I ordered the giant shrimp linguine. I am a big fan of Italian cuisine and I eat pasta quite frequently. I have to say, I would have this dish for dinner again. Yes, it’s THAT filling.

The portions are very generous and I think they are fairly priced. The linguine had jumbo tiger prawns, tomato, oregano, capers, all of these flavors that I really enjoy. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the sauce was to-die-for. I am betting that if Glowbal Grill wanted to add a rottini a la puttanesca or a capellini a la amatriciana, both dishes would be quite popular (at least, with ME!).

I think that the price for the linguine is fairly reasonable given the range ($17), and I think this month they have a 50% discount for lunch. I am SO going to have to come back again! I’m really grateful that Liv took me out for lunch to Glowbal Grill because I would probably have not visited any time soon (seeing as I spend most of my time now in the downtown core and at UBC, teaching!)

The Keg in Yaletown

Raul — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:26:27 +0000

I hadn’t been to The Keg in a long while, primarily because the last time I went there was for dinner with my Auntie M, who passed away in August of last year, so it really doesn’t bring good memories to go back to any of The Kegs. But recently, Colleen called for a meeting at The Keg Yaletown and those of us who attended had a really good time. I’ll admit that I find this particular location incredibly pretentious and that I was substantially annoyed by the fact that it had a waiting time of about 45 mins to an hour for a table in the rooftop. Admittedly, it’s one of the best rooftops in Yaletown and I don’t blame them for the popularity. The Keg is a really good restaurant, I just think that the atmosphere is pretentious. But then again, I’m an East Vancouver boy (alright, marginally – I live on Main, so I’m sort of near Hipsterville).

Nadia ordered a martini while I ordered first a caipirinha and then a blended mango margarita. The margarita was sensational, although the caipirinha was middle-of-the-road. I had to return it because it was incredibly sour (caipirinhas are supposed to be somewhat sour but that was almost undrinkable). Our waitress was incredibly accommodating and quickly fixed my drink. The company and conversations were fantastic. I will probably go back to The Keg Yaletown sometime with this same group of friends. Hopefully the next time I show up there’ll be enough free space in the rooftop to seat us all.

Restaurant review – Sushi Maro (Yaletown)

Raul — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:30:47 +0000

Karen and I hadn’t seen each other in ages (well, not really… only since she invited me to brunch for Pride) and even though we are both involved in the Vancouver tech community, for some reason sometimes we don’t coincide at the same events. At any rate, she wanted to meet before the BarCamp Vancouver 2008 organizational meeting (SIDE NOTE – BarCamp happens this coming Friday/Saturday, Sep 26/27) and so we decided on a downtown meet place.

While I rejected any sushi for about three years while I recovered from a painful breakup, I am now again a fan of sushi, as you can see from my posts reviewing Kirin Sushi in New Westminster, all the Kishu’s in town (Kishu Mountain and Kishu River), and Kaide Sushi in Yaletown, to name but a few.

I had never been to Sushi Maro but since Karen suggested a Yaletown location (and that works fine with me as the BarCamp meeting is in Gastown) I thought “heck, why not? …. a chance to meet a good friend and a potential restaurant review”.

We both had the $ 7.00 special (18 pieces of sushi and a miso soup). While some people may think that it’s not such a great idea to eat at those “hole in the wall” kind of sushi places, I really enjoyed the sushi, it’s great food and I am definitely not going to complain. I would come back to Sushi Maro any day.

Restaurant review – Capone’s (Yaletown)

Raul — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:49:19 +0000

This past weekend was without a doubt one of the most challenging I’ve had in a long, long while, not only because of Blogathon Vancouver 2008 but also because I’m so behind in my own work. It was therefore very nice to see that my body decided to still respond on Sunday night despite the fact that I was severely sleep-deprived.

Gus had offered to take me out for dinner, and coincidentally, JT and I had agreed to skip this Sunday as we had spent Friday together because of previous commitments on Sunday night, so it worked out perfectly. After a few naps, I met Gus and Russ in Yaletown and we proceeded to scour the streets of Vancouver in search of some good Italian food.

Let me tell you one thing – if you think your favorite restaurant is going to be open, you are WRONG. We tried for Scioppino’s and they were CLOSED. Wierd. But luckily for us, Capone’s was open. To say that this was good times would be a gross understatement. This was GREAT times.

The service was good, although at some points our waiter kind of seemed to wander around. But I can’t complain, the company was really outstanding and I had a really great time. I have to say that my sense of humour is really very similar to that of Gus and Russ’ and that’s something that makes a nice meal even better, to share it with friends that can relate to you and to whom you can relate as well. Ah, good times!

We all ordered different varieties of pasta (after an antipasto platter that was really delicious, but unfortunately contained cheese so I had to skip on that one). If I recall correctly, we ordered chorizo and prawn fetuccine, ancho chicken linguini (this was my choice) and AAA tenderloin & mushroom linguini. Mine was really good, particularly because I love ancho chile.

As for drinks, Capone’s mojito is REALLY good but their martinis are weak. And they don’t have a Bellini (shame on them). My photos don’t do our dinner justice as it was late-ish at night and I didn’t want to use my flash.

Apparently, Capone’s has live jazz but we didn’t stay that late. Oh, and let me tell you. There is a LOT of eye candy in Yaletown Thanks to Gus for taking Russ and me for dinner as this was a highlight of my weekend!

Restaurant review – Goldfish Pacific Kitchen

Raul — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:00:56 +0000

I had always been curious about Goldfish Pacific Kitchen, more and more recently since I have been spending more time in Yaletown (and I have noticed the increase in eye candy!). Also, I rarely consume seafood as I am more of a meat eater (and somewhat vegetarian, I’d say I’m like 40% meat eater and 60% vegetarian). I was recently invited as a guest to GoldFish Pacific Kitchen and couldn’t resist the temptation. An invitation to such a good restaurant is not something you can pass on, so I decided to take one of my closest friends with me.

JT is usually one of my most frequent dining companions and therefore, it was just appropriate that he shared this experience with me. I didn’t read any restaurant reviews nor listen to any commentary about Goldfish so that I could go and have a unique experience on my own. We both decided to go for the Prixe Fixe (what Goldfish calls ‘Le Sharp Deal’), a three-course meal that is served from 5:00pm to 5:55pm (and yes, you can order at 5:54pm for sure!). For $ 25.00, this is one great value for your meal, since the mains are usually about that price. My photos don’t really do justice to the meal, so you’ll have to forgive the quality. But the food is simply great.

We both ordered the mustard greens for starters, then I chose a salmon dish and JT ordered the ling cod. We complemented our meal with some bacon rice. The salmon was most definitely to die for, delicate and flavorful. The bacon fried rice blew me away, as it seems like such a simple dish yet I found it delicious. Finally, for dessert JT ordered the creme brule (of which I had to have the caramel crust) and I ordered the gelato.The dessert was extraordinary. I have to say that Goldfish’s creme brule is definitely my favorite, so far.

I had a chance to go back a second time as Steve Jagger invited Rebecca Bollwitt and myself to come join him for lunch. Same great experience, prompt service, great food (and awesome company, of course). This time, I ordered the maple soy chicken (really, really good) and also a side of fried bacon rice. Really good (although I think I ate a tad too much, hehe).

Without a doubt, these two have to be some of the best experiences I’ve had with customer service. Our server (in both cases, lunch and dinner) was simply outstanding, very knowledgeable, prompt, friendly and not pushy at all. Albert was also paying attention to every detail. Given my recent string of bad luck with restaurants’ customer service, I was quite happy to find Goldfish’s high level of service.

Another element that I really liked was finding out that Goldfish Pacific Kitchen is so interested in issues of sustainability. Goldfish is an associate of the OceanWise program AND the Green Table network. As I have mentioned before on my blog, I’m always interested in issues of greening restaurants.

Would I go back to Goldfish? Absolutely. While they are very different concepts, I would be willing to substitute my beloved Water Street Cafe for Goldfish for a celebration. This has to speak volumes to how much I liked Goldfish, because the Water Street Cafe is the location where I have celebrated Valentine’s Day and my birthday for the past few years (with JT, no less!). I am sure we’ll be celebrating either his birthday or mine at Goldfish in the near future. And to Goldfish, keep up the good work, you guys!

Restaurant review – Provence Marinaside (Yaletown)

Raul — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:13:23 +0000

Spending time with good friends over brunch is always fantastic. I had never done brunch with Monica nor with Tanya and thus I jumped at the possibility of hanging out with two of my favorite gals for brunch. We met at Provence Marinaside, at the foot of Davie Street, in Yaletown. I have had dinner at Provence before, but (as you may have noticed by the fact that I do not have a restaurant review of it), dinner there was anything but memorable. And this time, Provence Marinaside didn’t make an impression on me either. The saving grace was, of course, the company. I love both Tanya and Monica and we had such a great time that the food and service at Provence was somewhat irrelevant.

The added bonus was seeing Michael Weatherly (of NCIS and Dark Angel fame). Weatherly is an actor I’ve always liked a lot, and from what I could see, he didn’t seem conceited at all. I was *this* close to say “hey Michael” but refrained myself. Geez, after all these years living in Canada AND living in Vancouver, I can still get a bit star-struck.

The food was really nothing to write home about, it was decently good breakfast, but honestly, screwing up breakfast is rather hard. I ordered scrambled eggs with fruit, toast and veal sausage. Perhaps not the best choice. The veal sausage was WAY too strong and it looked really pretty ridiculous. For about half the price, I could have gotten better scrambled eggs and sausage at an equally sophisticated restaurant (Crave on Main). I would rate the level of service and pricing at Provence Marinaside with the same of Figmint on 12th and Cambie (whom, if you recall, I didn’t like either).

Again, this wasn’t a BAD breakfast in terms of food, but it wasn’t something I would write home about or a rave review. The company was really what made it all worth it, because the service was pretty appaling. We didn’t get refills for our water, nor for our coffee, and I had to ask THREE times for jam. I am NOT impressed. If you’re charging high-end-ish prices, you should give me high-end-ish service.

Hanging out with Monica and Tanya, was just unbelievably awesome, and I got a lot of really important and useful advice in regards to my life in social media and also, in regards to the job search. It was very calming to hear them both reassuring me that I’ll be getting a good job. We also laughed a lot Good times, indeed. Although next time, I’ll probably suggest we change venues for brunch. I am not coming back to Provence Marinaside. Not until they have fixed their level of service

RockBand-ing with friends

Raul — Sun, 18 May 2008 15:00:11 +0000

I am not usually a computer game guy, mostly because I really wasn’t crazy about PacMan growing up. Up until when JT got his Wii and I played Wii Tennis with him, I really didn’t care much for videogames or computer games. However, along came Tanya and Rock Band, and my view towards videogames changed completely. There are two intrinsic elements here that make playing Rock Band with Tanya and her friends so awesome. First, Tanya herself is an outstanding host, and a great friend. We have awesome conversations every time I come by and visit, and she makes sure everyone is having a great time. The second, all of Tanya’s friends are awesome, which makes it very easy for everyone to enjoy hanging out.

Anyhow, last Friday, after having been taken out to dinner and dessert by C, B and L (which I’ll summarize later in my blog), I asked Tanya if I could come by as she had a gathering with friends for martinis and playing Rock Band. I am horribly computer-game-challenged, but I try hard. The great advantage with Rock Band is that even though I’m not a great singer, the different songs that I have been singing along every time I’ve played RB at Tanya’s have given me a sense of confidence that I can do a fairly decent job if I’m on vocals (I am horribly bad at bass or guitar, and don’t even get me started on the drums).

Anyway, in honor of a great evening on Friday playing Rock Band with Vern, Tanya, LB, Jeremy and other friends of Tanya’s, here is the video of what I think is my best song (when I’m on vocals) while playing Rock Band: Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones. The video shown is the Rock Band version on Expert. Of course, I never do vocals on Expert!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSaXwk32rdo&hl=en]

The second video is not a song that I’ve played along on Rock Band but if I had it my way, it would be the song that I would sing along to: You Look so Fine by Garbage. Warning: The video may not be Safe For The Office (SFO).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4joFMBW7KU&hl=en]

I’ve sang along to “I Think I’m Paranoid” on RB and yes, I can hold my own with this song, but really not my song. But this one… oh yeah, for sure. Although it’s not really rock-band-ish. Now, the question is on to you… if you had to play Rock Band, what song would YOU sing?

IMPORTANT EDIT – How could I forget that I *did* sing Creep by Radiohead and did not sound 100% horribly? Not sure but here is the song (not my rendition though!)

Restaurant review: Salsa and Agave Mexican Grill (Yaletown)

Raul — Sat, 03 May 2008 06:03:39 +0000

The last time I went to a Mexican restaurant, I left really positively impressed. I’m talking about Tequila Kitchen, which I reviewed before here on my blog. After a rather disappointing series of experiences eating out Mexican food, I was almost ready to give up, but my lunch at Tequila Kitchen was great and thus I figured I’d try another Mexican restaurant in Vancouver.

The menu at Salsa and Agave. Photo credit: Miss604 on Flickr.

Funny how things go, I was working downtown and while chatting with Rebecca (aka Miss604), she commented she hadn’t had lunch. Neither had I, so we did a repeat of “lunch of the 604′s” (hehehe I just coined this term right now). She suggested to try Salsa and Agave, which is also in Yaletown (in the 1200 block of Pacific Boulevard). So off I went, walked from the Gastown area to meet Rebecca and we headed to this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant.

When we got there, we had to wait a bit for a table, but in the meantime, I could appreciate how authentic the food is (the staff is almost 100% Mexican, I think, so it was good). They have Mexican pop (Jarritos, Sidral Mundet, Sidral Aga, and the juices made by Jumex) which was another brownie point for Salsa and Agave.

The food is reasonably priced, normally I wouldn’t go for a lunch in the range of $12-15 because I either cook at home or eat something that is smaller. But truth be told, I was NOT disappointed at all. I ordered chicken enchiladas verdes and Rebecca ordered enchiladas rojas (e.g. the salsa in mine was green and hers was red). The rice and beans side portions were generous and the enchiladas were outstanding. I would even venture that maybe better than Tequila Kitchen.

Lunch with Rebecca at Salsa and Agave (enchiladas verdes y rojas). Photo credit: Miss604 on Flickr.

I would say both restaurants are good, and both are authentic, but I’m definitely leaning on the side of Salsa and Agave, for two reasons: (a) portion size and (b) price. I would have had a full dinner for less than $ 20 at S&A, which would have NOT happened at TK. It’s all a matter of degrees, really. But I’ll definitely have to come back to S&A for lunch, as their special ($8.00 for pop+burrito) is seriously almost unbeatable. And very authentic. The washroom – yeah, that part sucks because you *have* to get out of the restaurant, but other than that, I had very few qualms with S&A.

Overall, I would say again that while the food was excellent, the highlight was hanging out with Rebecca. Even though the past few weeks we’ve had a lot of exposure to each other (we live-blogged some of the same events, we’ve guest-blogged for HappyFrog, and attended Tweetups and Third Tuesdays and Net Tuesdays), you’d be surprised at how little chance we actually have to chat with each other. But doing lunch on Fridays (which seems to be poised to become a ritual) is great, as we tend to be both downtown Vancouver at a reasonable hour for lunch.

So, in short… Salsa and Agave Mexican Grill comes highly recommended. And even Martini Boys recommend it too! Feel free to drop me a comment if you want.

Bar review – Uva Wine Bar

Raul — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:27:17 +0000

The only thing I would fault Uva Wine Bar with would be that they don’t have hors d’oeuvres. The place is chic (a tad small for a Tweetup but totally fine for a decent glass of wine and/or a drink), the staff are really on the ball, friendly and sweet, and the drinks are good. Fairly decently priced (within what I’d expect in Yaletown, $ 9 for a martini).

Vancouver Tweeters taking iPhone pictures of everyone at Uva in Yaletown on Seymour and Smithe.
Photo credit: Raul on Flickr

Located where it used to be The Dufferin (a queer-friendly bar that was highly valued by the community but ended up being gentrified), Uva is a classic European wine bar. The staff is really friendly and very prompt and attentive. And they know their drinks. One of the managers/owners mentioned that they would get some food (and they are right – they are a wine bar, so really they’re not supposed to have FOOD and drinks, it’s more like they got DRINKS and some food. Basically, the concept is a wine bar (like Europe, you know?)

Restaurant review – Kaide Sushi (Yaletown)

Raul — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 04:14:00 +0000

Generally speaking, I avoid going to Yaletown simply because I am not able to afford the rental prices and it pains me to see the beautiful buildings where I can’t really live (just kidding, hehehe – truth is, I am an East Van boy at heart). So anyway, M called me tonight and asked me whether I’d want to go out for sushi. Not one to refuse an invitation for Japanese food, I said “for sure”. So off we went.

M had praised Kaide for their sushi but I hadn’t really had a chance to go there. So off we went, in the rain and cold. But our bravery was well rewarded. Kaide’s sushi is, by and large, one of the best I’ve had in years. And it’s not really all that expensive, despite its Yaletown location.

We had edamame, a few dynamite rolls, spicy tuna and kaide rolls (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian). The food here is simply amazing. And the service was very nice too. M had been here before, but I hadn’t and I am glad she invited me. The spicy tuna is enough for two people and can make you become addicted to this dish.

Funny how it goes, I was going to write a blog post commenting on M’s sense of loyalty, so I warned her before “don’t be mad at me if I say sappy things on my blog“. But it’s true. There are many qualities to her, but M’s sense of loyalty is uncanny. Every time we hang out, I am reminded of the time when she had to deliver a report and stayed up for over 36 hours. She wasn’t being paid all that time, but she did it because she felt the responsibility. She is fiercely protective of her friends and has a lovely and sarcastic sense of humor. Which is quite alright by me

One time, she felt so ill and sick she couldn’t really drive me home from Commercial Drive, and she was like “you’re my friend, I should be able to drive you”. But she was really sick that time and I said “no, drop me off here and go home NOW”. When I first moved back to Vancouver, she basically drove me around to pick up furniture, see places for rental, etc. And again, I think that’s one of the things I admire most of her: how loyal she can be with her friends, family, work. For this and many more things, thank you

Living in Yaletown and rental prices

Raul — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 23:58:00 +0000

I’m not going to lie and say I wouldn’t enjoy living in Yaletown. There are plenty of good restaurants near by (Nu, El Patio and La Terrazza are just a few of them), a beautiful park (David Lam Park) and an amazing seawall. However, the rental prices are through the roof, and if I wanted to live in YT I would necessarily have to share accommodations and find a roommate (or make A LOT of money). I don’t think I’m ready to go into debt to live in YT. Although it’s a beautiful neighbourhood.

All these years of living alone have given me a newfound freedom. I absolutely enjoy having no issues with regards of who gets to shower first, how clean our apartment is, etc. I have all these conversations with myself. Living in Yaletown would mean to me having great perks (hey who doesn’t enjoy taking the AquaBus for a short trip to Granville Island or Kits Beach?) but also would mean paying much more than I pay now. Unless, of course, I found a really great one-bedroom within my budgetary restrictions , which may be hard to do but definitely not impossible.

“Because nobody living with AIDS should live with hunger” (A Loving Spoonful), please consider donating.

Restaurant review – Yaletown Brewing Co. [plus Justin Trudeau sighting]

Raul — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 09:48:00 +0000

Well, I was out and about having dinner tonight at the Yaletown Brewing Co. (commonly known in Vancouver-lingo as ‘the Yaletown Brewery‘, located at the corner of Mainland and Hamilton) with one of my best friends (who took me there for my birthday) when something happened. I went to the rest-room, and on the way back, I had to weasel my way around a table where a very animated conversation was taking place. Lots of really heart-felt hugs. And then I thought to myself “that guy is behaving exactly as I usually do – very public displays of affection, very warm, very outgoing and genuine”

… When on close observation I am start thinking to myself “oh, that guy looks strangely familiar… I am sure I have seen him somewhere… isn’t that… oh yes it is… it really is… Justin Trudeau!“. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. The first-born son of Monsieur Pierre Trudeau, the late Prime Minister of Canada, husband to Madame Sophie Gregoire [yes, they DO make a very cute couple].

And, for the record, Justin is a UBC alumnus (Bachelor of Education), although currently he is studying a Masters in Environmental Geography at McGill University, as reported by Wikipedia. Justin used to teach in Vancouver, so it does not seem surprising that he has very close friends in the city. I was just surprised. The last time I saw him was at GLOBE 2006, where he moderated a panel. Most of the time, my association with the Trudeau last name is the Trudeau Foundation, which sponsors great thinkers in Canada. I guess I just hadn’t seen Justin in a social setting in a long, long time (I seem to recall having seen him a few times over the past ten years in various other settings, but really socializing with good friends, I think this is the first time). He looked so genuine, so warm, so authentic, that I think my admiration for him is well deserved. He uses his charm, good looks, poise and positive attitude to inspire people and raise awareness on critical issues (such as avalanche control, sustainability and opportunities for youth to mature and grow). *sigh* Now I know why women want to marry him and men want to be like him…

Having gushed about Justin Trudeau for a few paragraphs, on to the restaurant review….

The Yaletown Brewery was a popular haunt of my friends and I since 1996. I think I have been to dinner at the YB more often than I have at a White Spot [which is supposedly super-Canadian]. The food is really good (and portions are generous), the service is friendly and it has an outdoor patio. I think I’ve been there at least three to four times a year for the past 10 years. No, it’s not that I don’t have options. It’s just that the YB is good. It is really good. And seeing Justin Trudeau was just icing on the cake. I had a wonderful evening with one of my best friends and I managed to walk around Yaletown for a good half hour (something I hadn’t done in AGES).

[UPDATE - I have been recently and although some people may hate it, I still like it]