Hummingbird604.com » Mount Pleasant

Ryu Sushi (Main Street, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:00:58 +0000

I was really sad to see the Windjammer (a very old-fashioned, really cute English pub that offered apparently some really good fish and chips that I never got the chance to check out) disappear. But I’m glad that there’s an affordable (maybe not the most sophisticated) and tasty sushi restaurant near my house. I used to be a huge fan of Zipang Sushi but the last two times I have visited it’s been pretty awful.

The decor at Ryu Sushi is modest, clean and welcoming. I am pretty impressed with the size of the restaurant that they inherited. I’m not sure they’ll give their patio much action, but I am looking forward to checking it out soon. Ryu Sushi doesn’t boast any fanfare nor do they claim to be the best sushi in town. They offer affordable sustenance-like sushi at very decent price points and great customer service. The staff were incredibly warm and kind and welcoming. And I was just as pleased to have some grub to keep me on the go. We’ll have to see how they fare through time.

An emerging Community Garden at Broadway and Fraser (Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:00:10 +0000

I have lived in Mount Pleasant (in East Vancouver) for about 5 and a half years, and I loved it from the moment I actually set foot there. I heard stories about how derelict Main and Fraser used to be 10, 15 or 20 years ago (with prostitution and drug trafficking). And it’s nice to see how much more evolved the corner of Broadway and Fraser is getting.

I met the lovely lady behind this emerging community garden at Broadway and Fraser. Lila told me that she wanted to make her neighbourhood more beautiful and to enhance it. I think a community garden is a great idea. Lila also told me that while cleaning up the area was challenging (she found needless in the ground when she was cleaning up for the garden), she is happy to see it flourishing.

And frankly, so am I. I just hope I can find ways to help her with the community garden, to make it grow. And I’m really delighted that the corner of Broadway and Fraser is getting so much nicer.

Restaurant review: The Wallflower Modern Diner (Main Street, Mount Pleasant)

Raul — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:16:03 +0000

Just when I thought I had scooped a new restaurant opening, I saw on the newspaper that Andrew Morrison (now of Scout Magazine fame) had already written about the fact that The Wallflower was opening in the space where defunct Aurora Bistro used to be. While I am NOT at all happy with the demise of Aurora Bistro (who would be happy about restaurants closing? Not me, that’s for sure!), I am glad that at least someone decided to use the space, and renovate it in such an interesting way.

The Wallflower Modern Diner is exactly that – a modern diner. Its room is well decorated although during the day may look a bit dark (but that’s ok – it’s not terribly dark). K and L took me there for brunch recently (as we all thrive in trying out new restaurants, and we hadn’t hung out in a long while). K ordered a set of breakfast sliders (small burgers with scrambled eggs as the filling), L ordered a burger with a salad side and I ordered an omelette.

While in my opinion it was good value for the money (omelette for $ 7.00 – about standard in comparison to other breakfast places around the neighbourhood), I wasn’t really excited with the rest of the brunch menu. I have to be fair to them – they just started operations literally, 2 weeks ago. I’d be more than happy to sit down with them and recommend a few items if they wanted me to.

Good news for The Wallflower are that the place seems to be successful so far. When K and L and I went there, it was packed literally 15 minutes after 11 in the morning. I think that it will be a successful venture, as the menu, the room, the decor and the staff are all the same – non-pretentious, comforting, and welcoming. I really want The Wallflower to succeed, to be quite frank. I don’t have a stake in the restaurant (I don’t even really know the owners) but I sincerely wish them well. I want my neighbourhood (Mount Pleasant) to thrive, and in these uncertain economic conditions, I will certainly spend my money in local restaurants.

I haven’t tried The Wallflower for dinner, but once I do (and once my friend K sends me the photo of my brunch) I’ll update this post.

More coffee shops around Fraser Street, please :)

Raul — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:34:13 +0000

I’m quite glad that my earlier post where I discussed the question on whether Fraser is really the new Main was so well received (thanks Tom, Urban Dweller, Michael, Malloreigh and Robb for chiming in, and Sean for linking to me). One element that I unfortunately left out was the fact that the area around Fraser and 2nd all the way through to Fraser and King Edward doesn’t have coffee shops.

Admittedly, you could say that The Faux Burgeois do have a coffee shop, but … if you think about the number of cafes you get on Main Street from, say, Broadway and Main to King Edward, I can name several off the top of my head:
- Cafe Barney
- Waves
- Cuppa Joe
- Starbucks
- An independent, Italian coffee shop whose name escapes me right now
- Bean Around the World (2 locations)

Where, along the same stretch (and even on Kingsway all the way from 7th Avenue to Fraser, you onl really have Our Town Cafe, a coffee shop I love). So, really, there IS room for growth in the coffee shop business on Fraser Street before King Edward. Malloreigh was mentioning that she wanted to open her dream coffee shop there, but she ended up not doing so. Well – now you can! There is LOTS of room for that! And trust me, the demand IS there!

Of course, if the owners of my dream house on 18th and Columbia decided to open a coffee shop there, I’d be more than happy to give them some promotion on my blog!

Is Fraser really the new Main? The transformation of Mount Pleasant

Raul — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:57:58 +0000

Anybody who knows me a bit, knows that I love my neighbourhood (Mount Pleasant). I’ve extensively written about it, both on my blog and as a guest blogger on Rebecca’s when she has kindly invited me to contribute some stuff on her Vancouver History series. During my time living here (I used to be a Point Grey/Kitsilano boy in my earlier years) I have learned not only to love but also to try and learn about the historical development of my East Vancouver neighbourhood.

I remember a couple of years back, reading an article in The Georgia Straight about how Fraser is quickly becoming the new Main (quoted in this article in Mountain View).

Fraser Street is considered one of the main North-South corridors (although once you reach Broadway, you really can’t go North anymore). When I first moved to the Mount Pleasant area, I noticed a bit of a divide between Main (which, some people tell me, about 10-20 years was plagued with prostitution, drug dealing, etc) and Fraser. Both streets are parallel but despite being only divided by 6 blocks, you could tell the difference in the flavor of the neighbourhood. Fraser still does (at some point) feel somewhat sketchy. But I have not feel in danger, myself, whenever I walk around at night.

Heck, this difference was even showcased in the movie Mount Pleasant (excellent Canadian/Vancouver-based movie, you should watch it). Nevertheless, recent developments have begun a gentrification process between Kingsway and King Edward. Whether this is positive or negative, we’ll see.

People who diss the areas around Broadway and Fraser (which had in the past, admittedly, been dangerous – and maybe it still continues to be) and Kingsway and Fraser (which may also be perceived as somewhat sketchy) do forget that some of Vancouver’s great restaurants are located there. The Red Sea Cafe (best Ethiopian food in town) is near Fraser and Broadway, as is Fassil (probably second best Ethiopian food in town) and Seb’s Market Cafe (great brunch).

The addition of “Les Faux Burgeois” (a new upscale, French restaurant, although not nearly as pricey as other French restaurants in Vancouver) to the 15th and Fraser area (almost next door to The Lion’s Den) is also a signal of this transformative process. At any rate, while I am glad to see a transformation of the neighbourhood (Mount Pleasant), I am slightly worried about it losing its character. I hope it doesn’t.

And for those of you who didn’t know … there is a world beyond Cambie, you know? (this comment comes from a line in the movie Mount Pleasant, and something some of my former undergraduate students told me “I never go as far east as Cambie!“)

[SIDE NOTE -I always find it interesting when I search for content online that refers to the topic I'm discussing and I find forums where commentators are so passionate. Just look at the discussions on whether Fraser is the new Main on this forum. Interesting...]

Restaurant review – Argo Cafe

Raul — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:30:39 +0000

I used to have a category for small restaurants (e.g. eateries) but since I don’t make the distinction anymore, it’ll be ok if I categorize this as a restaurant. Tanya took me there for lunch as her office is in the neighbourhood (Mount Pleasant) and I live close by. We had talked about meeting at the Argo Cafe for lunch sometime, but we had never gotten around to it, but luckily we got a chance to do so this week.

There are many reasons why I enjoyed this lunch so much. The first one, without a doubt, was having the company of Tanya, and having a chance to catch up IRL (in real life). The second one was being in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, close to the False Creek Olympic Village. I admit it, I am still an industry-oriented guy. Heck, if you read the post that Rebecca kindly invited me to write for Miss604.com, you’ll see how much I love this neighbourhood.

I am a chemical engineer, and that’s one of the reasons why I love this area so much, it still maintains a lot of its industrial flavor. Anyways, back to the Argo Cafe. It’s a very neat, clean, hole-in-the-wall kind of place that caters mostly to the people who work around the neighbourhood. It’s always packed, and the prices are really inexpensive. You can have a really hearty meal for around $9 to $10 dollars.

I ordered a burger without cheese (obviously) and with bacon, and it was big! I didn’t order the fries as Tanya ordered fish and chips and she shared some with me. I think it is a really cool place, and I look forward to coming down there again for lunch with Tanya (and I heard that Travis works close by, as I think does John Bollwitt!) … GeekCamp!

Restaurant review – Burgoo Bistro (Main Street)

Raul — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 06:14:08 +0000

Very few things in life are better than having dinner with one of my very best friends at a restaurant preceded by a solid reputation (I had raved about Burgoo Point Grey before). I had been eagerly anticipating the opening of Burgoo’s third location (very near to where I live). Located on Main and 15th, where the old Subway used to be, Burgoo boasts a huge patio. If I hadn’t been wearing dress slacks and a dress shirt, I would have probably enjoyed it even more, as it was sunny Saturday evening.

My first impression wasn’t all that good because the expected waiting time was close to a half-hour. Considering that I can eat at 10 amazing restaurants within a 10 block radius (and yes I know what I’m talking about because I live in the area and I’ve eaten at almost all of these restaurants!) without having to wait in line, I was a bit baffled by the wait. However, Burgoo staff earned several brownie points. First, they called me to inform me that they wouldn’t take reservations for less than 6 people. I found that element as a signal of good service. Whomever called me, she was very courteous and nice. As for the no-reservations, that’s ok, I can understand that. Even Toshi Sushi does it.

Second, they really sped up the process, and kept checking on us to see if they could seat us earlier, which was good as I was more than happy to go elsewhere (my very good friend LF is way more patient than I am). Finally, they were very accommodating with our requests, so I can’t complain. Certainly, the service was courteous and the staff were under a lot of pressure because this was opening weekend (they’ve only been open for 4 days). I did feel that the transition between the appetizer (Plait Francaise, with tapenade, pickled onions, cheese and grapes) and our main courses (a Thai chicken dish on rice and a Kentucky burgoo).

I am fairly confident that the staff will pick it up with time, because really, I only recognized one of the waitresses from Burgoo Point Grey, so I am pretty sure (given that I spoke with whom appeared to be one of the owners) that they were training new staff. Will I recommend Burgoo Bistro on Main Street? Yes. Will I go back soon? Not until the buzz and hoopla have calmed down. But I had a wonderful time, particularly with my friend LF. We had not had time for just us in a solid year. Nevertheless, we got a chance to catch up, discuss important topics, personal life matters, and even yak about my blog.

Of course, I am very grateful for having had such a great dinner with my friend LF, but even more so because she is always very honest with me, even when I am being a bit self-centered. Because, whether we like it or not, being a blogger is a tad self-absorbed — “here, read my thoughts on SO AND SO”. Although… I would like to believe that I am not a self-centered individual, more so self-centric

Overall, good times. Tomorrow morning I’m having a Raul morning all by lonesome followed with potentially “Get Smart” movie and dinner (not sure where – but potentially downtown). Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend, because I sure am

Restaurant review: The Locus (Main Street)

Raul — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:41:44 +0000

Even though I live very close to The Locus, it is rare that I eat at this place. I had dinner there once and was utterly unimpressed. But this week, I had a celebratory lunch and thus had to find something around the neighbourhood. Surprisingly, no restaurant was open. Niether Zipang, nor Crave. So we settled for The Locus. I am glad we did. I had a venison burger with a side of chorizo gumbo (soup) and it was simply outstanding.

So, what is the Locus?

Located at Vancouver’s busy and thriving trendy Main Street neighborhood, the Locus Restaurant offers an eclectic fusion of modern and classic favourites. The staff sources the best local and seasonal ingredients to create innovative dishes and delicious daily specials.
[The Locus website]

The decor would turn off someone like me, who does not thrive in kind of gothy, dark, red light kind of decor. However, admittedly, the food is simply excellent, so I am not going to complain about that. What I really wanted was to consume good, well prepared food, which is the highlight of the Locus. I would come back during the day. At night I think I’d be a little bit creeped out. But the place is so popular, I can understand how some people might like their unique and eclectic decor.

I have heard that it’s also a great place for brunch though I’ve never tried it. They have a great patio, so maybe it’d be a good place for some beers and brunch. We’ll see.