Restaurant: Ensemble Tap
Cuisine: American/Pub Food/Burgers
Last visited: December 13, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Downtown)
Address: 990 Smithe Street
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4-4.5 (based on what I tried)
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3.5
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Bar/Pub/Restaurant
• Chef/Owner Dale MacKay
• Top Chef Canada’s winner
• Gastropub
• Gourmet pub food
• Reasonably priced
• Very casual
• Spacious
• Good for the game
• TV’s
• Extensive beer list
• Wine/Cocktails
• Open late daily
• Mon-Sun Lunch & Dinner

**Recommendations: Pulled Pork Sandwich, Tap Burger, Bangers and Spaetzle, BBQ Beans

It was only May this year when Top Chef Canada’s winner Dale MacKay opened his restaurant Ensemble, and now there’s already Ensemble Tap. Only 8 months apart and 2 blocks away from each other, they share the same logo, chef, owner and almost the same name. But you can easily tell the twins apart because one speaks French while drinking wine, and the other speaks English while slamming back a beer. I guess I shouldn’t say “slamming” though, Ensemble Tap is much more refined than a typical pub. It’s more like a restaurant meets tamed sports bar and slightly more upscale, but not pretentious in its food and atmosphere.

I’m not a beer drinker, so it’s not normally a place I would go, but if good food is on the radar then it easily becomes my scene. I rarely go to a restaurant within the first month of its opening because I like to give it time to work out the kinks, but I was next door watching a movie and this was convenient for lunch. So I made the exception, and I’m pretty glad I did. I was quite impressed with the food and I was curious to try it for dinner, which hopefully had a better vibe.

The difference was day and night. Literally. The lunch time was almost dead, but it just opened and I assume it’s slowly picking up. However at dinner time the place was almost full and it’s a huge space! The ambiance was much more lively and energetic without being rowdy, and it was a comfortable and modern.

Ensemble Tap is a gastropub serving gourmet pub food with some global influences. It is a safe and sophisticated spin on comfort food. For what it is, everything is made well with quality ingredients. The food was generally very good and the prices and portions were fair which is all I ask for at a place like this.

Personally I prefer it to the Earl’s next door, and from what I tried, I liked it as much or more than Cactus Club and Joey’s (if I’m relating it to something most of us are familiar with). The food has passion, originality and details a chain restaurant might lack, but it’s still casual and familiar enough to be approachable to almost anyone. It even has its celebrity chef already too! Take that Rob Feenie! Just kidding, I have nothing against him. All in all my experience was good enough to make me come back twice in a week, but now I’m satisfied, although I wouldn’t mind coming back again.

On the table:

Heart Attack Bread - 3/6

• $8
• It’s good, but not $8 good and I found it overpriced as a side.
• I really bought into the name, but it totally wasn’t “bad” enough to be a “heart attack bread”. I’d have that as a snack without feeling guilty… but that’s me.
• I was expecting some major Triple D action, with an overwhelming amount of cheese and at the very least a grease stain on that cutting board, but the cutting board was clean and dry.
• It was basically home made garlic bread without home made bread.

• It was small and I think it should be house made bread for the price.
• It was a lightly toasted and crispy Ciabatta bread with a nice chew that wasn’t tough.
• It was good bread and perhaps the same as the one from Meat & Bread, but better toasted like this.
• It was described as a “double baked bread”, which just meant toasted, rubbed with garlic, topped with sauce, sprinkled with cheese and then baked again.
• It was covered with a creamy white sauce that was super garlicky, but it wasn’t that rich or dense at all in toppings.
• The garlic wasn’t raw, but still a bit spicy rather than caramelized and there weren’t cloves of it either, but it was very pronounced.
• The white sauce almost seemed like a cheesy Alfredo sauce and I couldn’t get much actual cheese in it. If anything it was maybe a bit of Asiago.
• If it was $4-5 I think it would be fair.
• For a “heart attack bread”, I actually prefer the famous cheese bread at Hy’s Steakhouse. Now that’s a delicious heart attack!

**Pulled Pork Sandwich - 4.5/6

• Apple-Horseradish Slaw, BBQ Beans, Fries $13
• Pulled pork is probably one of my favourite things and it’s the famous item to order at both Ensemble locations.
• This one is just a bigger version of the one at Ensemble.
• For $13 and 2 sides it was very fair considering the area.
• The burger isn’t huge, but it’s enough especially with the sides.
• Fries – 3.5/6
• The fries were seasoned, not too salty and every single one was nice and crispy.
• They’re house cut with the skins on and they had a starchy dry texture that I’m not too keen on.
• They were good, but not something I’d have to order a la carte.

• **BBQ Beans – 5/6
• The beans are delicious and I’d actually consider ordering these a la carte! I loved them!
• They had some pulled pork in them and they were ultra creamy and thick and almost like a rich stew or sauce.
• They were almost the texture of mashed potatoes and gravy and they just coated your mouth like refried beans.
• There was a nice sweet and smoky balance, some onions and lots of flavour.
• It didn’t have a whole lot of pulled pork, but since they didn’t call it “BBQ Pulled Pork Beans”, I considered it an unexpected and much appreciated bonus!
• Forget the regular ketchup, I was dipping my fries in this and spooning it onto my pulled pork sandwich as if it were BBQ sauce!
• The best baked beans I’ve ever had were Aunt Judy’s Beans at Nordy’s BBQ & Grill.
• Totally different, but the Chain Gang Chili at Be’wiched was also an excellent play on pulled pork and beans.

• Pulled Pork Sandwich – 4.5/6
• Apple-Horseradish Slaw
• Again, this is a bigger version of the famous Pulled Pork Sandwich he offers at Ensemble.
• It was not a huge burger, but it was enough and was piled high with lots of pulled pork.
• The pulled pork wasn’t smoky in flavour and was slightly sweet, but not too sweet or acidic.
• It was quite soppy, but I prefer mine soppier and even dripping with sauces and juices.
• The meat was half shredded with a few random chunks, and it wasn’t too lean or overly fatty, but in the middle and quite moist and juicy.
• There was a good balance of sweet and tangy and was a bit mustardy.
• The tangy vinegar wasn’t apparent and there was no real kick as the horseradish was quite mild.
• I liked the fresh, crunchy, lightly dressed and tangy slaw, but I couldn’t taste the apple and I wanted more horseradish too. It would probably be enough for most though.
• The white bun was very soft and fluffy and made in house which I really appreciated. It was not sweet, eggy or rich, but just light, airy and well made.
• It was the perfect ratio of meat to bun.
• It was a very good pulled pork sandwich and I liked it better than Re-Up BBQ Food Cart’s Pulled Pork Sandwich. I liked Hubbub’s Pork Sandwich more overall although it’s a different style of pulled pork entirely.

Brisket Sandwich – 3.5/6

• Kraut, Russian Dressing, Swiss, Green Salad $13
• For $13 it was reasonable, but I don’t think this sandwich is the highlight here.
• The salad was lightly dressed with what seemed like a basic vinaigrette.
• If you’ve had a smoked meat sandwich before, you’ll be tempted to compare them and you might not enjoy this as much. It’s apples and oranges, but the meat seemed comparable.

• The brisket sandwich was basically a Reuben, and if they called it that I wouldn’t be surprised.
• I thought it was actually going to be slices of brisket rather than smoked meat.
• It wasn’t really smoked meat because I don’t think they have a smoker, but it was a good try.
• The brisket wasn’t very marbleized and it wasn’t dry, but it was just savoury without any depth in flavour.
• The slices were shaved quite thin and they were tender, but it wasn’t what I was expecting and the quality of the cut was okay.
• I did like the grainy mustard and kraut and the Russian Dressing almost tasted like Thousand Island with a good amount of relish mixed in.
• I pretty much lost the Swiss cheese and it was good, but I wouldn’t order it again.
• The toasted bread is not made in house, but I did like the marble rye switch up from the standard rye.

**Tap Burger - 4.5/6

• Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, Swiss, Fresh Horseradish, Fries $15
• $15 for a burger and fries at a place like this is really decent.
• I wasn’t offered the house made ketchup at lunch, but I jumped on it when it was offered at dinner.
• The housemade ketchup was a mix of ketchup, dijon, mayo and a bit of cayenne pepper for spice.
• It was the texture of a tomato bisque and it was nice and creamy with a nice sweet, tangy, and spicy combination.

• The burger was basic in components, but very good!
• I’m more passionate about the one from Oakwood Canadian Bistro and StackHouse Burger Bar, although this was the best value.
• It was a very meaty burger with a thick patty which comes fully cooked, but it wasn’t dry and quite juicy and moist.
• It was a very messy burger and it drips sauces and juices, which I actually like.
• The bottom part of the bun got soggy, but the majority of juices did stay locked in the patty.
• I loved the thick slices of tomatoes and the raw red onions and caramelized sweet onions, but I lost the cheese and barely noticed it.
• I was surprised there was no bacon, but you can pay extra to get it on the regular Ensemble Burger.
• The sauce tasted like the house made ketchup meets a Thousand Island and it had a bit of a kick.
• I liked the texture of the soft bun, crunchy veggies and meaty patty and it was a quality burger with a good ratio of ingredients.
• It was not a burger you need to rush to try, but it was a very good and satisfying burger.

**Bangers and Spaetzle – 4.5/6

• House made Sausage, Tarragon Spaetzle, Mushroom-Onion Pan Gravy, and Onion Slaw $17
• It was the sausage platter I really wanted (many rave about the Thai sausage on it), but then I saw this.
• It was classic pub food and if I’m going to order a version of “Bangers and Mash”, this is how I want it. It was fancy!
• I definitely wouldn’t want this to myself because I’d get a bit bored, but it was a big portion and shareable.
• It was pan friend spaetzle, and they were semi crispy, but pretty good and chewy. They were lightly seasoned with some spices and it was a nice change from the classic mashed potatoes.
• I love mashed potatoes, but it can get old fashioned and this was much more Vancouver in style.
• I could have used way more of that mushroom-onion pan gravy because it was the sauce for the spaetzle and sausages.
• The sauce didn’t taste like mushrooms though, but there were some button mushrooms although not many.
• The sauce was rue based (butter and flour) and it tasted like a creamy, rich and thick buttery bechemel sauce or pommes puree and I could have sworn there were mashed potatoes in it. I love bechemel like sauces so I was a fan.
• There was some mild flavour of grainy mustard in it too and I just wanted way more sauce in general because it was so good.

• It comes with 2 stubby house made all pork caraway sausages that were plump, juicy, and not too fatty or too lean.
• It had a snappy casing and the caraway seeds were whole and toasted so the spice was in your face and strong.
• You almost have to love caraway to enjoy this and I don’t think anyone could ever call them bland because they were incredibly flavourful.
• It was very strong in spices with a hint of licorice from the caraway and tarragon in the spaetzle, so it might be a bit acquired since they’re so aromatic.
• The onion slaw was a mix of pickled cucumbers and onions and that was a refreshing contrast with the strongly spiced sausages and rich sauce.
• If you like meat and potatoes this will be a nice change up, if you don’t like meat and potatoes you still might like this, and if you’re okay on them, I’d recommend you to try this!

Dessert - Yeah yeah I didn’t skip it, don’t worry… I just didn’t have it here because I was off to try 18 stollens at the Stollen Smackdown.

Restaurant: The Urban Tea Merchant
Cuisine: Tea/Pacific Northwest/Sandwiches/Desserts
Last visited: December 2, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Downtown)
Address: 1070 West Georgia Street
Subway stop: Burrard
Price Range: $30-50+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5 for Afternoon Tea (6 for tea)
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Family owned/operated
• Flagship location in downtown
• Original location in West Vancouver
• Cafe/tearoom/gift shop
• Popular for afternoon tea
• Tea sampling welcomed
• Tea education classes
• Sophisticated, but kid-friendly
• Limited wine/champagne list
• Brunch 10am-1pm
• Afternoon Tea 12-5pm
• Mon-Wed. & Sat.: 10am – 7pm
• Thurs-Fri.: 10am – 8pm
• Sundays & Holidays: 12pm – 7pm

**Recommendations: Any of their teas, but I liked their Christmas Lights Tea. Freshly Baked Scone, Petit Tea-Infused Chicken Salad Cone, and Apple & Baby Prawns Infused with Tokyo-Singapore Tea.

It’s the flagship location for The Urban Tea Merchant in downtown Vancouver, and although the spot is huge, it’s easily missed. It’s a family owned and operated teahouse which started in West Vancouver, but the downtown location is the full experience complete with a gift shop, tearoom and cafe. On this occasion I was invited for their Holiday Afternoon Tea Service, but they have afternoon tea services and brunch throughout the year at both locations.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas. If you have a tea lover on your shopping list, you might want to check this place out. It almost reminded me of Chapters, where everything is under one roof, but you even get a restaurant here. Also, instead of Starbucks it was The Urban Tea Merchant Cafe, and of course instead of books you get tea, which is so much better. Nothing against books, but in my honest foodie opinion gifts are so much better when they’re edible.

This is the highlight and what they specialize in. Tea. 200 of them. It was the library of teas, which smelled heaps better than books. I actually got to climb that ladder and I felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast when she’s picking a book at the library and ends up picking one that she’s read twice. Anyways, you could probably spend a day here learning about their teas and they actually offer weekly tea education series and tea tasting events – see here.

Although The Urban Tea Merchant is family owned and operated, they don’t have their own supply of teas. All the teas are from TWG Tea, which is a 100% natural, high end luxury tea from Singapore and they’re the exclusive distributors for it in Canada.

Private tea tastings with their tea sommelier are available upon request.

And here it is again. I think at this point we have a love and hate relationship. I knew The Urban Tea Merchant offered macarons, but I didn’t know they were all tea infused flavours. That definitely sparked by interest, but that quickly faded when I learned that they were $4 for one. It’s definitely the most expensive I’ve encountered ever, so I had to ask why. It turns out the macarons are brought in from Singapore, and they are made with TWG Tea and distributed by The Urban Tea Merchant. The pastry chef who makes them trained with Ladurée, and as soon as I heard that, I had mixed feelings – read my experience at Ladurée in New York.

The chocolate truffles are Charbonnel & Walker truffles and tea-infused, made exclusively for The Urban Tea Merchant by Chocolate Arts, an excellent chocolate company. Browsing through their menu I also noticed that they sell Thomas Haas desserts and tarts, which I love. Well then, knowing that saves me a trip to Kitsilano or North Vancouver.

I know! Cute right!? The Petit Fours are from Divine Delights…

Alright, so you’re starting to notice the trend right? Is this The Urban Tea Merchant or the TWG Tea store? And do they make anything in house or is it strictly a retail outlet? Although The Urban Tea Merchant is not a franchise it had a franchise-like aspect to it. On the other hand they associate themselves with the best of the best, so it’s consistent in everything they sell. They do make things in house and that’s where the afternoon tea comes in, but it’s not up to par for the price point yet. I don’t have anything against “franchises”, but I did want to see more of The Urban Tea Merchant.

I’m a bit particular on my china when it comes to afternoon tea, and this was TWG Tea china, so I don’t know much about it except that it’s fine bone china. At this point it really did feel like a TWG Tea store. TWG Tea has 5 locations in Singapore, 1 in the Japan, UK and US, and although this isn’t officially one, it was inspired by it.

TWG Tea is known for their unique tea infused menus and tea pairings, which is somewhat recreated at The Urban Tea Merchant via their own in house chef. The concept of the “tea infused menu” totally falls in my flavour profile, so I was all over this. However not everything translated in the food and I found it all a bit safe, which is likely to appeal to a mass market.

I’ve been to Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Vancouver, The Secret Garden Tea Company, The China Cup Tea Company, Applewood Country Gifts, Tearoom & Bakery, and Tracycakes Bakery Cafe, and The Urban Tea Merchant does offer something more unique in terms of the tea infused menu. In terms of value, it is pricey, but also align with most high end afternoon teas or “high teas” in the city (see the difference between the terms in my post here).

Afternoon Tea tends to be more about the experience and I give them credit for being experimental and original with their menu, but I still wanted it to come up to the level of the tea and out sourced desserts. The tea is premium quality and they’re very knowledgeable about it, and that is key to great afternoon tea though, so it definitely satisfies in that department.

On the table:

Holiday Afternoon Tea Service - 4/6

• $48/person (With Veuve de Cliquot Champagne $74)
• Savouries: 3 cheese petit quiche, celery confit with Gorgonzola mousse, “vanilla” tea-infused white turnip tatin, selection of (4) tea sandwiches
• Sweets: chocolate dipped gooseberry, TWG Tea infused macaron, Holiday Petit Fours, Chocolate Truffle, Fresh Fruit, currant scone with devonshire creme & tea-infused jelly
• Your choice of holiday tea: Red Christmas Tea, Christmas Lights, Holiday Spirit
• Includes 50g of tea.
• The Holiday Afternoon Tea Service/Signature Afternoon Tea Service is pricey, and if you factor in the value it’s probably 3/6, but if not, it’s 4/6.
• It’s good, but for the price I’d have higher standards.
• They have Afternoon Tea Services between $24-$29 too.

**TWG Teas - 6/6

• The teas here are stellar and they’re all imported from TWG Tea in Singapore, which is a high end, all natural, premium tea brand.
• It was the highlight of this afternoon tea for me.
• It is pricey, but the quality is undeniable and you can just smell and taste it.
• They have a selection of amazing holiday teas right now and my favourite was the Christmas Lights.
• The following descriptions are taken from their menus.
  
• **Christmas Lights Tea - Rich nutty/almond tonalities blended with TWG Tea spices give this grand green tea a party allure. A celebration of rich and aromatic flavours.
• Holiday Spirit Tea - A nostalgic blend of black tea with magical and evocative spices, a true invitation to make merry. A festive TWG tea that pays tribute to the warmth and joy of the celebratory season.
• Red Christmas Tea - For those cosy holiday evenings, this TWG theine-free red tea is a festival of flavours and spices, to reminisce and celebrate all year long.

Selection of Tea Infused Sandwiches

• It was a twist on your classic finger sandwiches.
• They were literally tea sandwiches and I appreciated the variety and concept, but I couldn’t really tell they were tea infused, even knowing the fact.
• At times I was able to smell the tea leaves before trying the sandwich and that totally helped, but otherwise it’s a bit of a guessing game.
• I kind of wish they had a sample of the teas for you to smell as you ate each sandwich so you could really immerse yourself in the experience.
• I was hoping for more sandwich filling in all of them too. I’m not expecting Subway sandwich fillings, but even dainty tea sandwiches can handle a bit more.
• I’m pretty adventurous with food, and tea infused food isn’t particularly new for me, so I just wanted bolder tea flavours in the food.

Tiger Hill (Nilgiri) Tea-Infused Egg Salad Sandwich - 2.5/6

• $15 a la carte
• It was good, but I thought it was just a regular egg salad sandwich with alfalfa sprouts on multi-grain bread, which had dried out a bit.
• It was easy with the mayo, but the tea was unnoticeable even though it was infused for 24 hours.
• Had there been more egg salad I might have been able to tell, but the nuttiness I was getting was coming from the bread more than the tea infusion.
• I almost wanted the Chinese Soy Sauce Tea Leaf Eggs, but that’s something entirely different.

**Apple & Baby Prawns infused with Tokyo-Singapore Tea – 3.5/6

• $15 a la carte
• The tea infusion was best played here.
• The shrimp had a fragrant sweetness and a citrus note from the tea, but you almost had to hold on to it on your palate because it went away quickly.
• It would have helped if there was more filling because I could hardly taste the prawns which were all chopped up and it was mostly bread.
• The brioche bread had dried out a bit again, but the sandwich had potential.
• The crunch of the shrimp would be nice in a mini buttery croissant too.
• I’ve made a prawn sandwich with green tea jam before, so I think a tea jam with this might have helped.

Smoked Salmon Rillette, Poached with “Russian Earl Grey” Tea - 3/6

• $15 a la carte
• The bread had dried out a bit again and I was hoping for more filling, but the smoked salmon was good.
• It had a caper and lemon tang and it was well cured and savoury, but I couldn’t tell it was tea infused, unless that was the lemon part.
• When I think “Russian Earl Grey” I think orange/citrus notes, and this one was supposed to carry a delicate smokey flavour.
• I think it would be nice if the salmon was enhanced with orange zest or lemongrass that might have enhanced the tea flavours, because I again it was a bit hard to pick up.
• The nuttiness of the bread also played a stronger role in flavour than the tea.
• Had the Earl Grey been infused into the making of the bread, that might have worked too, or if it was a pinwheel sandwich so there would be less bread.

“Yunnan” Tea-Infused Chestnuts with Roasted Venison - 3.5/6

• This was my favourite sounding sandwich and I could taste the tea in it the most, but it wasn’t as well played as the shrimp.
• The tea was very smoky and earthy and almost a bit bitter.
• There were bits of chestnuts which I loved, but it enhanced that earthiness and it needed something to contrast since all the ingredients were in that “earthy” category.
• The sandwich could have used a sweetness (maybe candied chestnuts and tea infused venison?), and again I was getting more bread than I was filling.
• The venison was very tender and a tad dry, and that was actually the sweet part of the sandwich.
• Although it’s a game meat, it wasn’t gamey in flavour. It’s leaner than beef, but richer in flavour if you’ve never had it.
• This had so much potential, but it just needed something to balance out that musky flavour because it was all one tone.

“Vanilla” Tea-Infused White Turnip Tatin - 3.5/6

• This was interesting and different and it was almost a play on a caramelized onion tart.
• It was a very creamy caramelized sweet turnip on a puff pastry tart.
• I couldn’t taste the vanilla and I really wanted to since it was in the name.
• I think vanilla bean seeds in the puff pastry shell would have given it that accent it needed.

Celery Confit with Gorgonzola Mousse – 1.5/6

• This looked really cute and I could see where they were going with the celery and blue cheese dip, but it didn’t translate well.
• There was no texture and the whole thing was quite soggy and wet.
• The Gorgonzola mousse was quite strong and I liked that, but the mousse texture seemed a bit off and spongy.
• The soft celery confit really didn’t work and it just enhanced the watery nature of the celery.

**Petit Tea-Infused Chicken Salad Cone - 4/6

• $15 a la carte as a sandwich
• This isn’t how it’s normally served, and this was just a sample, but it was actually my favourite savoury item.
• I could actually taste the chicken salad! I loved that!
• It was a thin, crisp, and lightly sweetened mini waffle cone stuffed with chicken salad.
• I almost wanted dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds, or nuts in the chicken salad for texture and flavour, but it was just a basic chicken salad with some celery, although it was good!
• I can’t say I tasted the tea in the chicken salad and it was perhaps a bit smoky, but I wouldn’t have known unless I was told there was tea in it.
• After trying this I wished all the sandwiches were served in cones! I know it wouldn’t be traditional, but it would be delicious!

3 Cheese Petit Quiche – 3/6

• It was a standard quiche in a crunchy tart shell rather than a flaky tart shell, but it was good.
• I could taste the cheddar cheese in it too.

**Currant Scone with Devonshire Crème & Tea-Infused Jelly – 5/6

• $4 a la carte
• I loved this scone! It’s actually from Savoury Chef a great catering company in Vancouver.
• It would have been even better warm, but it was excellent regardless.
• It had a nice crunch on the outside and the inside was almost cakey and not dry.
• The crunch was the best part though. It was like a cookie!
• It’s not that buttery or really flaky, but it was delicious!
• There were some dried currants and it wasn’t too sweet or rich, and it was indeed a scone, not a biscuit.
• It was served with strawberry jam instead of tea-infused jelly though.
• The Devonshire creme was the real deal too and not whipped cream with creme cheese or creme fraiche etc.

Sweets Tier

• Chocolate dipped gooseberry, TWG Tea Infused Macaron, Holiday Petit Fours, Chocolate Truffle, Fresh Fruit
• The Santa Claus was the chocolate petit four and the present was the original almond flavour.

Chocolate Truffles - 4.5/6

• I tried the 1837 Black Tea (Signature tea with berries, anise and caramel) and the Singapore Earl Grey truffles.
• As mentioned, the chocolate truffles are made by Chocolate Arts in Vancouver and distributed by The Urban Tea Merchant.
• The truffles are all infused with teas which again I’m a fan of.
• The truffles are great quality and made with 70& dark chocolate.
• They had nice creamy tea infused ganache centres and thin shells, but the tea was quite subtle for my tastes.

Petit Fours - 3.5/6

• The Petit Fours are made by TWG Tea and distributed by The Urban Tea Merchant.
• I love marzipan cakes and petit fours, but the fondant is usually too sweet and sugary, or just not good.
• In this case the fondant was more like a semi-soft white chocolate shell and it was very sweet, but good compared to the usual fondant.
• The cake was unfortunately a bit dried out though and I couldn’t taste the jam layers, but the presentation was great.
• Personally my favourite marzipan cake is from Market by Jean-George – see Marzipan Layer Cake here.

TWG Tea Infused Parisian Macaron (Lemon Bush Macaron) - 4/6

• $4 each
• As mentioned in the intro, I do find them very expensive, and it’s because they are flown in from Singapore on a weekly basis.
• They are made by TWG Tea with TWG Teas and distributed by The Urban Tea Merchant.
• The pastry chef who made these trained with the Mecca of macarons Ladurée, which I tried in New York – see my post here.
• I wrote a post called The Perfect Parisian Macaron so that just shows where I’m coming from.

• The shell was smooth with no cracks and bumps and it had nice feet.
• It was well made and it actually tasted just like a Ladurée macaron, but even better assembled.
• However I wasn’t huge on the Ladurée macarons because they didn’t have a crisp shell and this one didn’t either.
• This one was moist and not too sweet with a nice chew that still melted away.
• I could taste the lemon and maybe some orange from the Lemon Bush tea infusion.
• The filling was a good amount and it was creamy, but I don’t think it had any white chocolate.
• The macaron was good, but it was missing the crisp shell and I do find them overpriced.

Restaurant: Rice to Riches
Cuisine: Desserts
Last visited: September 9, 2011
Location: Manhattan, NY (Nolita)
Address: 37 Spring Street
Nearby subway stops: Spring Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5
Service: 3.5
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Specializes in rice pudding
• 20+ flavours
• Unique, gourmet flavours
• To go dessert
• Catering available
• Online ordering
• Open late

**Recommendations: You can sample them before you choose! I liked the Man-Made Mascarpone with Cherries and Almond Shmalmond, but the French Toast is also well liked. Cheesecake is popular too.
Rice to Riches?! I thought it was Recipe to Riches?! (By the way make sure you get your votes in for your favourite recipe (Dec. 7-9) here!) I gotta support my girl Glo from the sweet puddings and pies category ) Speaking of sweet puddings though, this was another kind of sweet pudding! Rice pudding!

I was on my way to the famous Lombardi’s for pizza when I saw Pinkberry. Being that Pinkberry was a chain it caught my eye, but not really my interest. However what was next door definitely caught my eye and interest! From the looks of it I thought it was another frozen yogurt/ice cream place, which is fine by me since I love that stuff, but this was even better because it was something new! It was as busy, if not even busier than Pinkberry, and it was basically the “fro-yo” of rice pudding! I know! What the heck right?! Anyways after pizza, it was time for rice pudding!

At first I thought who really likes rice pudding THAT much to dedicate a whole store to it. I guess it’s not that surprising to have a shop dedicated to just rice pudding, but it certainly is rare. In New York there’s everything, but if you’re going to specialize in one thing, you better be damn good at it. They claim it’s “finally a rice pudding that doesn’t suck”, and it really didn’t!

At first sight it could easily be mistaken as a frozen yogurt shop.

Or even an ice cream shop!

But it is indeed rice pudding. If you’re not crazy about rice pudding this could change your mind. It’s not your ordinary British rice pudding that you may or may not dread for dessert. It puts the boring dessert in a new light by offering 20+ kinds of rice pudding and the flavours get pretty interesting. From Understanding Vanilla, to Fluent in French Toast, and even Sex Drugs and Rocky Road, it’s creative rice pudding you wouldn’t mind giving a second chance.

The set up is just like a frozen yogurt shop and you can select toppings, or “Jesus droppings”, to go on top of your rice pudding. The marketing is really edgy, smart and funny, and it just makes you want to buy one even if you’re not a rice pudding fan. It’s rice pudding for the 21st century and it puts a modern twist to an old fashioned comfort food. It made it into something cool and there is a lot of love for it.

If I had a choice I’d rather have ice cream, pastry or cake, but I do like rice pudding, although I never crave it. I would never make it, and I might order it at an Indian restaurant, but this was a game changer. I would actually crave Rice to Riches rice pudding. I don’t know if I would crave it if I had it easily available at home in Vancouver, BC though. Some people might complain that it’s overpriced or too rich, creamy and sweet, and it’s partially true, but I still enjoyed it. If I’m going to have rice pudding for dessert, I’m going to have it here.

Note to foodies with a sweet tooth: If you want to double up, there’s “The Best Chocolate Cake in the World” (name of the actual store) just a block away. If you’re in the area you might as well kill two birds with one stone. The rice pudding doesn’t melt and you can take it to go anyways.

On the table:

Man Made Mascarpone with Cherries Rice Pudding & Almond Shmalmond Rice Pudding with Coconut Crumble

• Solo (Serves 1/1 flavour only) $6.75 Epic (Serves 1-2) $8.50 Sumo (Serves 5) Moby (Serves 10) $40 + $1 for toppings
• Man Made Mascarpone & Almond Shmalmond with Granola $9.50
• $10 for rice pudding is certainly “sit down dessert” pricing, and it was overpriced, but I still liked it.
• They come in fancy reusable plastic containers which are included in the price already.

**Almond Shmalmond Rice Pudding - 4.5/6

• It is probably the best rice pudding I’ve had to date.
• It was like the love child of rice pudding and a custard.
• It was super thick, ultra rich, creamy and smooth and there was more cream than there was rice.
• It was creamy like Greek yogurt creamy, and I would consider it heavy for a rice pudding.
• It was custard-like, but with less egg, more cream, and maybe even some vanilla.
• This flavour was less sweet than most creme brûlées and it wasn’t hurt your teeth sweet.
• The rice was a really soft short grain and it seemed like broken down or overly churned arborio rice.
• The almond flavour was actually quite mild, and it was just extract with no actual almonds, but I still enjoyed it.
• The coconut crumble topping (+$1) tasted like light brown sugar granola crumble on a baked apple pie.
• It was reminiscent of a graham cracker pie crust and it was sweet, sugary, nutty and crunchy, but I wanted more coconut.

**Man Made Mascarpone with Cherries Rice Pudding - 4.5/6

• This was perhaps less sweet than the almond and maybe even a a bit thicker, but the cherries helped to break it up and gave it a tartness.
• It had sour dried cherries throughout and it wasn’t cheesy from marscarpone, but it was still very rich and thick.
• It actually barely tasted like marscapone or cheese, but I didn’t even care. It was just good!

Cinnamon Sling Rice Pudding & I Gotta The Panna Cotta Rice Pudding

• Epic (Serves 1-2) $8.50

Restaurant: The Fat Radish
Cuisine: Eclectic/Pacific Northwest/Gastropub/Local
Last visited: September 10, 2011
Location: Manhattan, NY (Lower East Side)
Address: 17 Orchard Street
Nearby subway stops: East Broadway
Price Range: $10-20 for brunch, $20-30+ dinner

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3 (based on brunch items I had)
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Opened end of 2010
• English inspired gastropub
• Sophisticated farm to table
• Local/Seasonal menu
• Eclectic menu
• Some home baked goods
• Casual, but classy
• Vegetarian friendly
• Wine bar
• Cash only
• Brunch/Lunch/Dinner
• Weekend brunch: Sat-Sun 11am-4pm
• Dinner: Mon-Sun 5:30pm-midnight

**Recommendations: n/a

And another one. I’m referring to the discrete signage again. They love doing this in New York and it’s common of many up and coming restaurants as well as tried, tested and true local favourites. The Fat Radish is one of the newest restaurants to hit the dining scene and it seems to be well received by locals.

The restaurant is interesting, exciting and unexpected for the area so it added to the overall charm of it. There’s nothing around here so it comes up randomly and the menu is gourmet and speaks higher than its location.

The front of the restaurant is a cafe serving coffees, teas and home baked goods.

The Fat Radish is an English inspired gastropub and this seems to be one of the trends in New York right now, or even the last little while. The idea of a gastropub. It’s all over the UK, and basically it’s a bar meets a restaurant with gourmet food, wine and beer. It’s a fancy bar.

This gastropub took on a farm to table theme which was obvious from the moment I walked in. It kind of had that Austin, Texas or Portland feel. I loved the casual, contemporary, and country atmosphere, but the wooden chairs didn’t make it too comfortable to stay long.

The menu is local and seasonal, like most new restaurants of this caliber are these days. I came here for brunch, so I can’t speak for the dinner menu, but I wasn’t that inspired to come back for brunch. I am a bit curious to see their dinner menu because it sounds interesting and creative, but if the brunch was an indication of dinner, then I wouldn’t be in a rush to check it out.

Although different in style because different in chefs, I would rather go to The Spotted Pig or Prune for a gastropub experience or at least brunch. Those are a bit “yesterday’s news”, but I found the food to be better which is most important to me. The food was just very simple here, which is their philosophy, but it was almost to the point of something I could make at home so I didn’t see the value. It was good and there was effort to be finer than a diner, but I had higher expectations for it. I found it more unique to the area than it was for my tastes.

On the table:

Beet Root & Pear Juice – 4/6

• $6
• This was a bit sweet for me, but it was very natural. It was heavier with beet flavour than pear so probably it’s why it was sweeter too.
• It was pure juice with no pulp of course, but I wanted more pear and I could almost taste the background of celery, but the flavour isn’t watery.
• It was fresh, but quite pricey and it wasn’t something you couldn’t make at home with a juicer.

Avocado & 7 Grain Toast with Spicy Eggs – 3/6

• $12
• This was the most recommended, so I went for it, and unfortunately it was one of those things you feel like you could make better at home.
• The presentation was as appetizing as the dish. I found it a very literal translation of ingredients and was hoping for more creativity and effort.
• I think the 7 grain bread could have been home made, but it wasn’t particularly amazing and it just tasted like other good quality ones.
• The avocado was executed as a guacamole spread and I was hoping for some fresh heirloom tomatoes, chopped cilantro, onions and lime juice in it.
• It didn’t even have to be Mexican, but some sweet corn or local vegetables would be nice since that is what the restaurant supports anyways.
• It tasted like plain creamy ripe pureed avocado with maybe a bit of mayo and some lime juice.

• The egg on the other hand was fantastic and it saved the dish a bit.
• It was a six minute boiled egg and the yolk was creamy and semi-runny and beautiful. I wouldn’t mind it even softer, but it was fine.
• Yes, it was good with the avocado toast, but again, this is something you could make at home.
• The spicy sauce was just Sriracha sauce drizzled on top, so really you could make this at home. The drizzle was a bit weak too and I was hoping for a home made spicy sauce.
• It was the same idea as avocado, eggs, toast and Tabasco sauce, a common brunch in Southern parts of the States or even California.

Full English Breakfast – 3/6

• Myers of Keswick sausages, eggs, bacon, beans, roasted tomato $15
• This was a very English breakfast. I personally love beans, so I did like this, but the beans were very plain and I expected them to be dressed up and more gourmet.
• Even if they were cooked in bacon or had a touch of maple or something, but they were just plain beans in a tomato sauce and they were a bit soft and overcooked.
• The bacon was crispy and salty and that was good. It was better than your typical diner bacon and quite thick sliced.
• The Myers of Keswick sausages are a famous brand of English sausages, but I wasn’t too keen on them.
• The sausages didn’t really seem like sausages as odd as that sounds. They were creamy and almost mashed and I was hoping for a meatier texture and stronger pork flavour. They were very soft like mashed potatoes.
• The egg was requested over easy and they actually just fried an egg and flipped the egg white over top of the yolk. It was still good, but not my idea of over easy.
• Overall I found it pricey for what it was, without the gourmet aspect.

Duck Egg Soft Scramble – 3.5/6

• Dorset cheese, summer squash, maitake mushrooms $13
• This was the only item that would be trickier to make at home if anything, and not even, but I did enjoy it the most.
• It was just scrambled eggs, cheese, squash and mushrooms scrambled together over arugula.
• It was almost like a salad.
• The scrambled eggs were well made though and the flavour was there. Parts of the egg were dry, but most of it was silky although I never oppose to eggs that are a bit less cooked and runny.
• There was some creamy salty cheese and chives and this would be impressive for a diner, but for a gourmet brunch, it was mediocre.
• I could have used some cherry tomatoes to give it colour and acidify, but it was what it was.

Duck Fat Chips – 3/6

• $8
• Duck fat chips are always good, and these were good, but they certainly get better.
• These were thick cut and I found them quite starchy and dry although well seasoned. I couldn’t taste the duck fat in this, which is quite common.
• They were just regular skin on Idaho Russet potatoes, which I don’t know if I’d consider that local…
• They were a bit crispy, but crispy is not the first texture to come to mind as much as starchy was.
• I prefer Kennebec potatoes, Red Potatoes, or even Yukon Golds, and perhaps double frying them wouldn’t hurt.
• It was served with a house made ketchup with horseradish in it so it reminded me of cocktail sauce, but it wasn’t very spicy and much more ketchup based.

Warm Banana Bread & Butter – 3/6

• $8
• The banana bread was home made, but nothing particularly special or memorable.
• It was warm, moist and sweet with little chunks of banana throughout.
• The crust was soft and it wasn’t too sweet or dessert like.
• It wasn’t very oily either, and it didn’t have many other warm spices going on and it was quite basic.
• I liked that they served it with a tangy and sweet fresh apple butter puree spread and that impressed me more than the actual banana bread.

Restaurant: The Spotted Pig
Cuisine: British/Italian/American/Burgers/Gastropub/Breakfast/Brunch
Last visited: September 5, 2011
Location: Manhattan, NY (West Village)
Address: 314 W 11th St (at Greenwich Street)
Nearby subway stop: Christopher St – Sheridan Square
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!! 

Food: 4.5 (based on what I had)
Service: 3.5
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Since 2007
• 1 Michelin Star
• Chef April Bloomfield
• Award winning
• Seasonal menu
• Local & tourist favourite
• Popular for brunch
• Long lines at dinner hours
• Extensive beer & wine list
• Late night hot spot/Chefs’ hang out
• Very casual
• No reservations policy
• Brunch: 11am – 3pm (weekends)
• Lunch: 12 – 3pm
• Bar Menu: 3pm – 5:00pm
• Dinner: 5:30pm – 2am

**Recommendations: Chicken Liver Toast and the Gnudi is not to be missed. Order the Chargrilled Burger if you have to see what the fuss is all about, but I wasn’t as enthusiastic about it although it’s very good!

Another restaurant with impossible to see signage. This is almost a theme of good restaurants in New York. It took me a while to find this hidden gem that’s tucked away in a somewhat residential area of the West Village, but I found it! And even better was that there was only a small 20 minute line up, which is short! It’s a hot spot for brunch or dinner, but dinner has even longer waits and they don’t take reservations. Yup, it’s that big of a deal.

The Spotted Pig is a big deal and it’s not a big deal. If you ask a New Yorker some may call it “so last year” (I heard that at least a few times), but the fact is, if you’re a foodie or food enthusiast, you have to come here at least once if you’re in New York.

It may not look like it, but this is a 1 Michelin Star restaurant. It’s frequented by all types of chefs due to it’s food, drinks and late night hours (open until 2am daily). I was expecting a fancy restaurant, but it’s actually a very casual neighbourhood gastropub reminiscent of ones you might see in the UK. It looked like a place for a hangover breakfast, but more from hangovers resulting from Belevedere or Italian wine rather than Smirnoff Ice and Yellowtail. The food and ingredients speak higher than the ambiance, and although it can be stereotyped as “gourmet comfort food”, it stands out above the others in its category.

Just like Traif, it was another “pig lovers” restaurant. You could say the pig was the theme of the restaurant and the decor definitely suggests it, but it only comes up a few times on the seasonal menus. I do love the pig, but I came here for very specific menu items and neither of them had pork. So if you’re not a fan of the pig, don’t let the name stop you as it is vegetarian friendly as well.

Although The Spotted Pig may be considered “old news”, you wouldn’t know unless you lived there and were heavily invested in the food scene. It’s like the cupcake. It’s so yesterday, but it’s still good. Therefore as a tourist, this is still a solid restaurant although there are newer options that come up to its par. Nonetheless it was one of the restaurants that did deliver to its hype and I would go back again. The modern British and Italian menu was interesting and well delivered and it made me want to explore the menu more, which is all I can ask for.

On the table:

**Gnudi – 6/6

• Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Gnudi with Basil Pesto $16
• This is one of the most memorable dishes I had out of all the 150+ dishes from 58 restaurants I had in my 2 weeks in New York.
• If it’s not listed on the menu, just ask them for it and they can make it for you. That’s what I did. It’s always on the menu.
• These are the richest and creamiest, pillowy soft, melt in your mouth gnudi I have ever experienced. They’re amazing!
• Gnudi is basically gnocchi meets a ravioli, or maybe even a perogie, and the potato aspect is exchanged for cheese. Even better!
• These were super pockets of possibly one of the best tasting things you’ll come across.
• They were clouds of melting cheesy goodness floating on a classic beurre blanc sauce.
• It was ultra rich and two were more than enough to satisfy the most indulgent appetite.

• As if the soft gnocchi like skins weren’t smooth and tender enough already, but your teeth just sink into this filling of super smooth, rich and fluffy cheese that just oozes out of the dough that cradles it.
• The creamy sheep’s milk ricotta cheese filling was perhaps mixed with Parmesan to give it salty flavour and it was light yet creamy in texture. The cheese is not gamey.
• It was topped with this very fresh and high quality home made pesto that was intense with fragrant basil, toasted nutty and buttery ground pine nuts, and fruity Italian olive oil.
• I could bite into crunchy bits of pine nuts and the beurre blanc (white wine and butter sauce) intensified the richness, but luckily it had enough lemony tang to keep it balanced. It was saucy, buttery, cheesy and decadent.
• A drizzle of truffle oil may have topped it off, but I’m not complaining about anything.
• They were even better than the Butternut Squash Ravioli I enjoy so much from Cactus Club Café. I know it’s a surprising comparison, but those raviolis are amazing.

Chargrilled Burger – 4.5/6

• With Roquefort Cheese & Shoestrings $17
• The burger is “the thing” here and plates of them were being served, but I think there’s better than this burger on the menu.
• The pile of fries spilling over the edges of the plate reminded me of a gourmet presentation of Five Guys Burger and Fries.
• The fries were shoestring fries, but they weren’t very crispy and actually a bit soft.
• They were very well flavoured though with shavings of crispy fried garlic chips and fried rosemary leaves throughout.
• The garlic chips and rosemary didn’t stick to the fries though so I was eating it all a bit deconstructed.
• In the realm of shoestring fries I think the most enjoyable I’ve had them was actually at Vitality Bistro Food & Spirits in Oregon – see White Truffle Baked Parmesan Fries. A very unexpected find!
• Although I did enjoy the burger very much, I wouldn’t say it’s the best I’ve had, but it does have hype as “the best burger in NY”.
• At a gourmet level I still enjoy The Grille’s Signature Cheeseburger at The Capital Grille, and there were other burgers in New York that could top this one at The Spotted Pig.

Yes, it’s a pretty drool worthy picture, and the patty was that good, but the burger as a whole could be better.

• The burger was just a bit simple with few ingredients and toppings, but it was patty focused.
• The best thing was that this burger came medium rare. That’s perfectly cooked for me and it was actually served medium rare.
• I do like the patty to cover the surface of the bun though, and as much as I love brioche buns, it was still too much bun for me.
• I loved the grill marks on the bun, but the bun was actually a bit dry and thick, although soft.
• It wasn’t the greatest brioche bun and I was hoping it to be much lighter, fluffier and at least moist.
• My favourite brioche bun is still from the Lambwich at Belle’s on Thirty Two Restaurant.
• The beef was buttery, tender and moist, with a good fat to meat ratio, but it wasn’t leaking or bursting beef juices with every bite.
• The beef juices were in the patty, but it still wasn’t as juicy as I’ve had. The flavourings were easy and simple and it was just natural tasting beef flavour.

• The saltiness came from the salty blue cheese. It was crumbled and melted on top of the patty. It wasn’t a ton, but it was enough that I could taste it.
• I love blue cheese, but non-blue cheese lovers could tolerate this too.
• Some crispy fried onions or something more would have helped the burger along with a better brioche bun recipe.

Cubano Sandwich – 4/6

• Cubano Sandwich with Mixed Greens $18
• The menus are seasonal so this Cubano is not always available.
• This “ham and cheese sandwich” was made with prosciutto and Gruyere, and it was grilled and pressed like a panini.
• Being at The Spotted Pig, I felt it was necessary to order something with pork, and this was one of the few items being featured where pork was the highlight.
• It was a great Cubano, but I don’t think it was really worth it.
• I enjoy gourmet Cubanos, but it’s not something that has to be. Some of the street style Cubanos I had in New York were actually more enjoyable regardless of the price difference.

• This Cubano bread was thin and crunchy and very well buttered with a tangy spicy relish to help balance out the richer pork and prosciutto sandwiched inside.
• I would have preferred much more roasted pulled pork, especially for the price, but it was savoury, juicy and well seasoned. It wasn’t sauced, and it shouldn’t be, and there were no strong spices, and if there was I couldn’t taste them.
• The thin single layer of prosciutto got a bit lost and I was hoping it would be crispy so that it would almost mimic bacon.
• I could taste some buttery melted Gruyere Cheese, but I needed more of that too.
• The pickled and tangy spicy hot peppers were a bit dominating and I couldn’t taste the mustard either and I think I just wanted the pork flavour to stand out more.
• The bread was one of the highlights, and that was one of my favourite parts to this sandwich. It was more like Italian bread and it simply added great flavour and crunchy texture.

The Spotted Pig does offer a few desserts, but I was off to Chelsea Markets for dessert, so I passed. However if you do want dessert and there’s nothing on the menu you want, then I would also recommend The Magnolia Bakery since it’s only a block or two away. It’s famous for starting the cupcake craze and known for their Red Velvet Cupcake. I didn’t try one and people will always debate who has ” the best cupcake in NY”, but this is one of New York’s most popular and beloved cupcake shops. It was featured on Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada, but just be prepared for long line ups.

Restaurant: The Secret Garden Tea Company
Cuisine: Tea/Bakery/Desserts/Sandwiches/Teatime
Last visited: August 22, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Kerrisdale)
Address: 5559 West Blvd
Price Range: $10-20, $20-30 for high tea

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3 (based on high tea items)
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Family owned
• Since 1995
• Busy/Popular for high tea
• Menu changes often
• Savoury & sweets
• Cozy, not pretentious
• Unique experience
• Local favourite
• Gift shop
• Baked goods to go
• Reservations recommended for high tea
• “High Tea To Go” available
• Dine in/Take out
• Monday – Saturday 8am – 7pm
• Sundays 9am – 6pm

**Recommendations: Coconut Wedges and Raspberry Almond Loaf. If you’re only here for the food, you may want to order a la carte, but if you want the whole experience then go for the high tea, but the food was generally mediocre.

High Tea VS Afternoon Tea

To start, I have to define the terms “High Tea” and “Afternoon Tea”. They are often confused and I was once guilty of mixing them up too. What some restaurants are calling “High Tea” is actually more often than not Afternoon Tea, and The Secret Garden Tea Company falls into this category.

Traditionally High Tea is eaten after work hours at around 5pm-6pm, and it often consists of heavier items like chicken pot pies, quiche and beef wellingtons. It was often had at high tables, but it wasn’t something for the high class, but instead for the average working individuals.

Afternoon Tea is usually eaten at around 2pm-4pm and the offerings generally include finger sandwiches, dainty scones, tea cakes and petit fours. This was an occasion for the social elite, and quite often people confuse this for “high tea”.

Just for the sake of simplicity, I’m going to call the “High Tea” at The Secret Garden “High Tea” because that’s what they call it, but Afternoon Tea is what they are actually offering. It’s just a name anyways and I guess “high tea” is more marketable for the clientele who might be interested in this sort of event. It’s not a big deal but I just had to make the distinction between the terms… and now on to my “high tea” experience!

I already started my day with a lunch full of pies, pastries and baked goods at Savary Island Pie Company and I decided to continue it with high tea at The Secret Garden Tea Company. Although they are different styles, the level of satisfaction for the food couldn’t compare to the amazing things I had at Savary Island Pie Company.

Speaking of companies, I was also in the company of my “fancy Aunties” which I’ll code name “C-Lais”… that name is more humourous if you know what it means, but I’ll let you figure that one out. (Hint: Ask a person who speaks Chinese)

The Secret Garden Tea Company is probably one of Vancouver’s most popular places known especially for their high tea service. Just looking purely at the food it was all quite basic and not as sophisticated as I thought it would be. I know I sound like a snob, but at $26.95/person I think it’s fair to have high expectations, although the price is considered rather standard for high tea in Vancouver, BC.

Okay this is where I get super picky…

The silverware was nice, but the “Made in Thailand” Porcelain and Ironstone kind of bothered me for a place specializing in high tea or afternoon tea. Nikko is a Japanese company and they do have a line of high quality fine bone chinaware, but this wasn’t it. The China Cup Tea Company only used “Made in England” Colclough, Royal Albert, and Ainsley fine bone china, and although those are incredibly pricey, I did appreciate their attention to detail.

Ahhh, so I guess this is where they kept the real deal fine bone chinaware…

I found more value in the ambiance and experience over the food, but all of it is important when having high tea, so it was a bit give and take here. The country atmosphere was cute and cozy rather than pretentious and stuffy, but if you want an even more dollhouse-like theme, check out Applewood Country Gifts, Tearoom & Bakery. It was completely booked for high tea so it was actually more noisy than it was quiet, but I still enjoyed the atmosphere and found it fun, unique and memorable.

There was a to-go bakery which rotates often and an in house gift shop too, but that’s quite common for places focusing on high tea or afternoon tea.

If you are interested in their high tea I strongly recommend reservations. Reservations for high tea can be made for: 12pm, 2:15pm and 4:30pm, every day of the week, and it costs $26.95 for adults and $17.95 for children (8 and under).

On the table:

High Tea – 3/6

• $26.95 for adults and $17.95 for children (8 and under)
• Reservations for high tea can be made for: 12pm, 2:15pm and 4:30pm.
• I’ve tried their “high tea to go”, and the items change often, but both times I found it quite mediocre to good overall.
• It’s quite ordinary “catering food” and there wasn’t much selection although all of it was made in house or freshly baked.
• It just felt a bit mass produced in quality, but I did love that everything came in individual bite sized dainty portions, as it traditionally should be.
• I have a feeling the food could be better a la carte, but the high tea was just okay, nothing to rave about or really complain about.
• I did find it overpriced for what was being served.

Jasmine Dragon Tears – 3.5/6

• $5.95/person
• A very rare tea. Dragon tears are picked in the first three week of spring. The delicate leaves are then hand-rolled into small pearls. Only the most fragrant jasmine blossoms plucked within one hour of sunrise are layered between the tea.
• I went for a non-traditional afternoon tea.
• I’ve had versions of this tea before and it’s a delicate and light floral green tea.
• This one seemed like a blend and it had green tea leaves as well as the pearls, so it wasn’t pure Jasmine and the quality wasn’t as premium.
• The best Jasmine tea I’ve had thus far was the Sphere Jasmine Tea from Ten Fu Tea & Ginseng.

Yorkshire Harrogate – 4/6

• $3.95/person
• A brisk, British black tea.
• The other option was one of the most traditional for afternoon tea.
• This was a lot stronger than the English Breakfast which was too light in flavour.
• This was perhaps the “real” tea drinkers’ choice of tea and it did accompany the food better too.

Butter Crackers with Goat’s Cheese - 2.5/6

• The crackers were topped with a goat’s cheese ball.
• It was a thick, dense and creamy cheese mixture which wasn’t too strong because it was cut with a Kalamata olive tapenade and apparently some Genoa salami which I couldn’t taste at all.
• The ingredients were all pureed with some parsley and it was a nice balance of cheese and olives, without being overly salty.
• I could have used a crunch from something like cucumber because there was also some added mayo underneath the cheese and I needed something for texture.
• I think the goat’s cheese was mixed with cream cheese and it wasn’t that gamey and even non-goat cheese fans could warm up to this, but it’s still thick with cheese flavour.
• The butter crackers tasted quite stale and bland to me and they weren’t crispy or flaky, but almost like a drier and harder pie crust.
• They were on the drier side but not like Premium Plus crackers or dry Saltine crackers.
• They were home made but didn’t seem that fresh and they weren’t as buttery as I expected.

Tarragon Chicken Croissant - 3/6

• Being that I just had an amazing Grilled Chicken and Fresh Basil Sandwich at Savary Island Pie Company for lunch, this was really at a disadvantage. If I forget about that sandwich, then this was decent and still good.
  
• It was a thin slice of lemon marinated chicken breast, tarragon mayo, a thin wedge of avocado, asparagus, and a couple greens in a mini croissant.
• The croissant was buttery and very soft all the way through. It’s not an authentic French croissant which is chestnut brown with a crunchy exterior.
• Despite not being an authentic croissant, it was still good, moist and suitable.
• It was very heavy with the tangy herby mayo and there was a nice lemony flavour from the chicken, but it was quite standard and something you could make at home too.
• I could have used more stuffing, but it was a fresh chicken salad sandwich and pretty good.

Egg Salad Sandwiches – 1.5/6

• These were very mushy and almost tasted like mashed potatoes with a hint of hard boiled egg.
• It was a thin layer of minced egg salad spread, or paste, wrapped and rolled with crustless white bread.
• They weren’t wet, but there was hardly any egg salad, although it was evident that’s what it was supposed to be.
• There was a slight crunch of minced celery, but they just weren’t happening.

Scones - 2.5/6

• The apple scone was the scone of the day.
• My Apricot & Almond Scone I had earlier at Savary Island Pie Company wasn’t that great and I wasn’t feeling this one either.
• The scones here weren’t typical scones and almost like biscuits.
• They were airy, light, fluffy and moist instead of flaky or cakey in texture.
• Without the sugar crust they were rather neutral or even bland, and I could taste a slight floury aspect, but it wasn’t too bothersome.
• Although they could have been made with buttermilk, they weren’t tangy or buttery in flavour.
• They tasted rather plain but had the sweet crunch and crispiness from an intense sugar crystal topping.
• The apples were almost like dried peaches or raisins. I wouldn’t have guessed it was an apple scone, but after I knew I could taste the pieces of apples.
• The raspberry jam was more sweet than tangy and I prefer whole fruit preserves, but this one was more like a standard jam. It was bursting with tons of raspberry seeds though, and it’s probably home made.
• The clotted cream or Devonshire Cream wasn’t really authentic. It tasted like whipped cream cut with some cream cheese which is the “short cut” version to clotted cream. It was fluffy, but it had a filmy texture and aftertaste. It’s tangy and not sweet, but very whipped, fluffy, airy and light.

**Raspberry Almond Loaf - 4/6

• It would be nice to have these served as tea cakes rather than mini slices, but that’s just me being picky.
• I really enjoyed these, but I also really love almonds. It wasn’t particularly anything special, but they were very good!
• It was a very moist and tender loaf if you ate it right away, but they dried out quite fast. It’s not an oily or buttery loaf.
• It was made with some fresh raspberry and swirls of raspberry jam (?) and I could bite into the seeds.
• The cake part wasn’t tart or even that sweet at all so it’s enjoyable as a snack or dessert.
• I’m pretty sure there was almond extract in the cake part, but it was subtle and gave the loaf another layer of flavour to accompany the raspberry.
• The top of the loaf was the sweet part and that was covered with crispy and crunchy sugar coated caramelized almond slices that came across as marzipan.
• It was a rather light cake and I could taste the raspberry and almond equally.
• They had these as muffins to go as well.

**Coconut Wedges – 5/6

• It was reminiscent of a coconut cream pie, but even lighter. This was my favourite, but I love coconut.
• It was super moist and spongy and quite wet and it was loaded with shredded dried coconut which I could bite into and get the texture of.
• It was creamy but still incredibly light and not too sweet at all and the whole thing just melted in your mouth like a super whipped custard.
• It was almost like a moussey coconut custard with a soaked crust (which I’m not sure was intentional, but it was very moist).
• My favourite part was the subtle accent of fresh basil leaf which was very unique and much appreciated for colour and flavour.
• It was a very aromatic coconut dessert with a lightly sweetened whipped cream made with real vanilla bean seeds which was the perfect complement.
• I’m pretty sure it was coconut extract, coconut cream and dried coconut flakes used.
• I loved that it wasn’t greasy or heavy and there was more coconut cream custard than whipped cream which I prefer.
• The confectioner’s sugar butterfly decals were a cute touch, but I’ve never been a fan of them. For some reason they remind me of powdery sugar flavoured pencil crayons… I know it’s a random analogy, but that’s what I think of when I eat them.

Lemon Tart – 4/6

• This is supposed to be one of their specialties.
• The tart was so tender and delicate I could barely pick them up.
• They were quite good, but too sweet for me, although it was equally as tangy.
• The lemon curd was creamy and it started off sweet and then got noticeably more tart. It had quite the zing and burst of lemon flavour.
• It was an incredibly tender and soft crumbly shell but a bit dry and I could taste the flour and baking powder in them.
• It was almost like a buttery sweet sugar cookie crust and I do prefer the crisp tart shells that usually go with lemon tarts.

Dark Chocolate Pudding Cake – 2/6

• The almond tuille was nutty and sweet, but completely soft instead of crispy and it was a bit burnt rather than caramelized.
• It was a bit messy for high tea. It’s not finger food and it was almost like picking up melted chocolate with your fingers.
• It was way too rich, creamy and sweet for me and it tasted like pure melted chocolate.
• It seemed more sweet with sugar than chocolate though.
• I don’t know how it held its shape because it was so moist and likely flourless.
• It wasn’t as fluid as a pudding, or dense as a ganache, or even light as a mousse, but somewhere in between all of that, and a bit fluffy as well. Wait! I know! It was the texture of chocolate cake batter!
• It was intense with chocolate flavour and it wasn’t as bitter sweet as I like. It was maybe about 70%.
• It was sweeter than a Two Bite Brownie or any chocolate pudding or mousse.
• It’s not cakey but very creamy and almost like the lava part of a molten lava chocolate cake.
• I could also taste some espresso to enhance that dark chocolate flavour, but it’s not coffee flavoured.
• The milk chocolate whipped cream on top was actually less sweet than the dark chocolate part.
• This would be for intense chocoholics, who enjoy pure chocolate, but I prefer more texture and balance in my chocolate desserts.

Restaurant: The Original Fulton Fish Fry
Cuisine: Fast Food/American/Seafood
Last visited: January 23, 2011
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada (New York, New York)
Address: 3790 Las Vegas Blvd S
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: n/a (fast food/pay at cashier)
Ambiance: n/a (New York, New York food court)
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Located in food court
• Fresh fish
• Lightly battered
• Popular for fish/chicken
• Cheap eats/budget friendly
• Big portions
• Made upon order
• Casual/quick
• Open late

**Recommendations: Fulton’s Fish & Chips, Chicken (Planks) & Chips

Despite my rather “ritzy” culinary adventures at Nove Italiano and Bouchon, my Vegas dining experience had actually started off at a rough start. Or so I thought! The Original Fulton Fish Frye was not on my original dining itinerary. It was actually a default choice and we were all starving and tired of walking around. The original plan was to find Serendipity, which we assumed would be located in New York, New York. But after making the trek down we realized it was back at Caesar’s Palace. At this point the majority of the group was ready to settle for just about anything.

There weren’t many exciting dining options at New York, New York, and Il Fornaio is a chain restaurant I had already tried in San Diego (see my post for it here), so we decided to split up and just hit the New York, New York food court. Initially I totally snubbed The Original Fulton Fish Frye. I actually headed across from it to Broadway Burger Bar & Grill for an actual restaurant style burger. Long story short, I ended up being disappointed by this overpriced $11 burger (with no side) and impressed with these bang for your buck fish & chips.

I’m actually really happy to write this post, because Vegas is not always a budget friendly choice when it comes to dining. At the same time cheap food is not always good food. It’s hard to find the best of both worlds without going off the strip, but I think I found it here. Not only was The Original Fulton Fish Frye a great find, but it was huge portions, filling, affordable and the majority of it was good quality. If you stick to ordering the right items you’ll be pleasantly surprised like I was.

I ordered the Family Meal Deal: Four Battered Cod, Four Chicken Planks, Pop Corn Shrimp, Hush Puppies, Seasoned Fries & Cole Slaw $16.95, and a New England clam chowder for 3 people. This order could have easily fed 4+ adults. The portions were huge, it wasn’t as greasy as I expected and the fish was fresh. If you’re looking for inexpensive options, kid-friendly food, or late night munchies, then I would recommend this place as a quick and casual find in New York, New York.

On the table:

Family Meal Deal

• Four Battered Cod, Four Chicken Planks, Pop Corn Shrimp, Hush Puppies, Seasoned Fries & Cole Slaw $16.95
• Add a large beverage and cole slaw $2.50

**Fulton’s Fish & Chips - 5/6

• Fresh Cod Fillets & Chips ($7.50 if ordered separately)
• For fish and chips, this place was great!
• It was huge strips of fresh fish and I was reminded of Moby Dick Seafood Restaurant in White Rock, BC.
• The cod and batter was well seasoned and the batter was light, thin and crispy.
• Despite what I’ve heard, mine was actually not greasy (for deep fried fish) and very juicy and well flavoured.
• Tartar sauce: The tartar sauce was almost like a creamy tangy salad dressing. It was heavy on the relish and lemon and it almost needed to be heavier on the mayo. I wasn’t a huge fan of it, but the fish was great.

**Chicken Planks - 5/6

• Beer battered chicken planks & seasoned fries ($6.75 if ordered separately)
• How unexpected that the chicken planks would be a hit at a fish n’ chips place! I was so impressed with them!
• The chicken was super tender and soft and I thought it was deep fried halibut at first. It wasn’t fishy tasting though.
• It was well seasoned white meat chicken breast, or fillets, and not dry at all, but just incredibly tenderized.
• These chicken “planks” or strips were also crispy with a light salty batter that was similar to the fish batter.

Hush Puppies – 3/6

• I’m indifferent because now I’m confused to what a real hush puppy should taste like. I’ve had them before, but not like this.
• The texture threw me off because I was expecting more of a corn bread flavour and texture, but this was more like a croquette.
• It was more like a ball of soft dough with a crispy breadcrumb and cornmeal batter on the outside.
• The inside was a somewhat of a creamy pureed mixture of onions, powdered Parmesan cheese, cornmeal, milk and white pepper (that’s my guess at least).
• It was savoury and slightly cheesy and I thought it was almost cream cheese and then there was a bit of heat, but they’re not spicy.
• The flavour was actually quite tasty and savoury, but the semi creamy soft centre was unexpected and I thought they didn’t cook them all the way through at first.

Seasoned Fries – 3/6

• The fries are rather thick and crinkle cut. They taste like a cross between Ruffles potato chips and fries.
• It was almost like a rustic homemade version of Ruffles chips made with starchy Russet potatos.
• They were very crispy, salted, quite tasty and not your standard fries.
• They’re the kind of fries that go well with tartar sauce, but not so much with malted vinegar.

Garlic Crusted Popcorn Shrimp – 1/6

• Cocktail & Tartar sauces ($6.50 if ordered separately)
• I wasn’t a fan of these. The shrimps were likely frozen and very heavily battered. It was almost all batter.
• I could definitely taste the garlic powder sprinkled on top and I didn’t know that was what they meant by “garlic crusted”.
• Cocktail sauce: It was way too heavy on the ketchup with very little jarred horseradish and a hint of lemon.

New England Clam Chowder - 2.5/6

• Served in a sourdough bowl $4.95
• I had some, but it was very standard New England Clam Chowder. For a fast food place it’s not bad, but I wouldn’t really crave it either.
• It was quite chunky with lots of chunks of potatoes, but barely any clams.
• The texture was very creamy, rich and thick and I did like that part.
• The sourdough bread was crusty and somewhat chewy, but nothing special in particular.
• For $4.95 it’s not a bad deal since it’s pretty big and good, but there’s just barely any clams.

Sorry! Restaurant is now CLOSED. (Trust me, I’m as upset as you are.)

Restaurant: China Cup Tea Company
Cuisine: Tea/Bakery/Sandwiches/Desserts
Last visited: November 17, 2010
Location: Surrey, BC (Cloverdale)
Address: 5724 176 Street
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 4.5
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Locally owned/operated
• Local favourite
• Specializes in high tea
• Authentic Chinaware
• Large variety of teas
• Seasonal specials
• Local ingredients
• Hidden gem
• Modern atmosphere
• Freshly baked goods
• Home made/Home style
• Baked goods to go
• Gift shop

**Recommendations: Scones (especially with clotted cream, lemon curd, and jam), sandwiches made with Rye Bread, any baked good/dessert/pastry (in particular raspberry macaroons, lime meltaways, hazelnut blondie), and the caramel sauce with apples. For the tea, Creme au Caramel Rooibos, Monk’s Blend White Tea, Bourbon Street Vanilla Rooibos, Raspberry Black Tea

What?! And I thought Cloverdale was a destination point for Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives? Well here’s a place that’s maybe even Ina Garten approved, or at least Follow Me Foodie approved. Believe it or not, The China Cup Tea Company is a little bit of modern English tradition in Cloverdale’s historic downtown. What? Cloverdale has a downtown? Trust me, all this was news to my ears too.

I was invited on behalf of Tourism Surrey and Vancouver Coast and Mountains BC to partake on a tour around Surrey’s good eats, but of course I’ll report back with honesty. I probably would have eventually discovered The China Cup Tea Company, but it was great to have the early introduction. I know the stereotypes, and I know the trek to Cloverdale seems incredibly long for those central to Downtown, Vancouver, but when it comes to food and a great experience, it’s worth the trip! I admit, I dine based on convenience at times as well, but once in a while it’s fun being a tourist and exploring another city.

The China Cup Tea Company is relatively new and it’s definitely a local favourite in the area. It’s not really hidden, but it is a hidden gem to those not living in the neighbourhood. It sounds and looks like a gift shop from the outside, but I was very surprised to see that it was an actual tea room with a gift shop in the front.

They offer a wide selection of about 50 teas from The Metropolitan Tea Company in Toronto and they bring them out on a tray for you to smell before ordering. The afternoon specialty tea times include cream tea, light tea, mini high tea, and high tea so it’s good for any time of day. All soups, salads, dressings, sandwiches, baked goods, and of course desserts are home made. A couple of the breads are brought in, but there is a focus on organic and local ingredients.

Before this, the only other tearooms I knew of in the suburbs were Applewood Country Gifts, Tea Room & Bakery in Delta, and Tracycakes Bakery Cafe in White Rock. They each have their own clientele with very different atmospheres, and I’m just happy to see this old English tradition making a comeback. The idea of high tea has the stereotype of being expensive and pretentious, but it’s made affordable and modern at The China Cup Tea Company.

Yes, they care enough to keep the authentic traditions of serving tea in real genuine fine bone china ware. All the tea cups and saucers from either Colclough, Royal Albert,or Ainsley. I would hate to be the dishwasher here, these are expensive to replace.

Overall I really enjoyed the experience at The China Cup Tea Company, although I personally prefer cozier tea rooms. They were good at what they needed to be good at: the tea, the scones, and the desserts. The tea wasn’t the best tea out there, but it was enjoyable. I would most definitely come again and  the scones are available in pre-mixed bags so you can bake them at home or give them as gifts.

On the table:

Teas

• Creme au Caramel Rooibos
  • $2.25
  • This is one of their most popular herbal teas. It smells and looks like caramel and it’s naturally sweet and almost creamy.
• Monk’s Blend White Tea
  • $3.25
  • This was delicious! It was naturally sweet with a lemony tang.

Mini Scone – 6/6

• With Jam or Curd and Clotted Cream $2.75
• The high tea comes with all 3 condiments, and I think they should just serve them with all 3 even if ordered separately.
• The mini scone (actually pretty big) comes regular with no added sweeteners or sugar since it already has the sweet accompaniments. It makes them more suitable for diabetics or people watching sugar levels.
• The scones were almost like biscuits. They were incredibly soft and fluffy with a crispy muffin top like exterior. The inside was almost bread like and they had a slight tang, which was due to the fact that they’re made with buttermilk.
• They also have flavoured scones and even egg nog scones for the holidays!
• I loved their homemade clotted cream, which was the real deal. It’s not that fake whipped cream tea rooms will sometimes serve it with. It’s really thick and has a tang.
• The homemade jam is also a hit with fresh raspberries and it’s not too sweet.
• The homemade lemon curd is something I wouldn’t have normally ordered, but thank god it came with it! (That’s why I think they should serve it with all 3). It’s creamy and tastes like the lemon curd filling in a lemon tart with a great balance of tart and sweet.

High Tea – 4.5/6

• A mini scone served with clotted cream, fruit jam and curd, 3 tiered tray filled with open face sandwiches and a selection of seasonal fruit, 2 selections from our sweet tray, your choice of tea $19.95/person (Please book 24 hours in advance)
• The presentation is fantastic, with lots of variety and they serve for the size of the table (one for each person).
• The sandwiches are nothing spectacular and they’re quite ordinary, but the highlight for me was the homemade Rye bread.
• The Rye bread is actually a homemade Honey Rye bread and it’s one of the best rye breads I’ve tried. It’s incredibly flavourful with a sweetness to it and it’s very moist with a deep flavour that stands up to the sandwich filling. I actually liked it dipped in their homemade caramel sauce too.

Assorted Sandwiches

• Pomegranate Chicken Salad – 3/6
  • This is seasonal. It was chopped white meat chicken lightly dressed with pomegranate mayo topped with pomegranate seeds.
  • It was savoury and slightly sweet with a little bit of tartness from the fresh pomegranate seeds. I would have liked to taste pomegranate seeds throughout the chicken salad though.
• Ham & Havarti Mini Croissant – 3/6
  • It was good, but something you can make at home. It was the only hot sandwich and they’re generous with the ingredients so it was ooey gooey with lots of melted cheese on a buttery croissant which is not made in house.
• Quiche – 2.5/6
  • It was light, fluffy and moist, but a bit bland. It’s not that cheesy and it’s more eggy.

• Chicken Salad – 2.5/6
  
  • This is a family favourite. It’s roast chicken, broccoli, celery, onion, dressing and toasted almonds, lettuce, slightly seasoned if ordered separately.
  • The high tea ones don’t have almonds which was disappointing because the description sounded delish!
  • I feel like the chicken in this one was dark meat chicken and oddly enough it was drier than the pomegranate chicken salad which was white meat chicken.
  • I liked the texture, but I found this quite ordinary. The dressing just seemed like mayo, but the crunch of fresh veggies were nice.
• Egg Salad – 2/6
  • It’s eggs, dressing, celery and onion.
  • It’s a triple layered sandwich with white bread in the middle.
  • I found this quite bland and just your simple egg salad sandwich mom used to pack  for lunch.
• Maraschino Cherry & Cream Cheese Roll Ups – 1/6
  • I didn’t know these were still on the shelves! I don’t know anyone who eats these cherries.
  • Even if it was only for presentation they could have used cherry tomatoes and cream cheese, or even grapes and cream cheese instead. It’s a good combination if you’ve never tried it – think wine and cheese.
    

The top tier was seasonal fruits which were apples and incredibly ripe pears. Although limited for the season, I would have loved to see more of an apple and pear variety.

The fruits are served with a home made caramel sauce which is to die for! Seriously it tastes like melted Werther’s Original candies.
I’m not even a big fan of caramel, and that’s because it rarely comes like this. I know it’s weird, but I dipped the Honey Rye bread in it and it was delicious.

Eat with your eyes! For the dessert portion of their high tea they bring out a two tiered sweet tray of home baked pastries and bars. This, and the scone was by far the best part… not only because I love desserts, but just because they were delectable and memorable. It was like grandma’s home baked goods and each person selects 3 which is a great idea since everyone has different tastes.

We were really full at this point, the high tea is filling and well worth $19.95/person.

Raspberry Meringue – 5.5/6 - This was my favourite. It had a light crispy meringue crust with a very tender, crumbly and tangy lemon bar bottom and a sweet and tart raspberry jam filling. It was really soft and flaky and a great balance of sweet and tart. It was almost a combination of their lemon curd and fresh raspberry jam in a bar form.

Hazelnut Blondie – 4.5/6 – This was also delicious. It was a very moist and tender brownie and it was something that would come from Butter Bakery. It was nice and chewy and tastes like a Ferrero Rocher in brownie form especially with the Nutella frosting. It’s quite sweet, but I just wish it had more hazelnut pieces.

Pumpkin Bar with Cream Cheese – 4/6 – I think this is seasonal. It was very moist with a tangy frosting and pumpkin spices, but it tasted more like a carrot cake than a pumpkin bar to me.

Sweet Marie Bar – 1/6 – I wasn’t a fan of this. I thought it was a Butterscotch Crispy Bar at first and I was so excited. It was roasted peanuts and caramelized corn syrup which was almost rock solid and it was too hard to bite into let alone chew and eat. It’s not a peanut butter brittle, but just a stiff caramel. It had a chocolate fudge topping which I wish had been creamier. I just found it too sweet for me and it gets all stuck in your teeth.

Raspberry Macaroon – 1/6 – I never liked these American style macaroons, so I’m biased. I much prefer the Parisian style macarons – see here. It was a light sugary meringue that was airy and kind of marshmallow like inside, but barely. It’s just way too sweet for me. It was sandwiched with chocolate and I’m just not a fan of them.

Lime Meltaways – 5/6 – These mini cookies literally melted in your mouth especially with the dusting of icing sugar. You barely bite into them and they just melt away! It almost dissolves instantly. Incredible. They are quite sweet, so the tang of lime was a great contrast.

Lime Coconut Bar – 5/6 – I thoroughly enjoyed these as well. It was almost like a creamy key lime pie with coconut flakes. It had a thin crumbly and tender crust with a thick layer of key lime custard made with fresh lime zest. It was sweet and tangy and if you like lemon tarts or key lime pie, you’ll love this. The toasted coconut gave it a nuttiness and it offset the sweetness.

Restaurant: Applewood Country Gifts, Tea Room & Bakery – Review 2
Cuisine: Brunch/Lunch/Teatime/Bakery
Last visited: December 26, 09
Area: Delta, BC
Address: #112-6345 120th Street
Price range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4 – Sweet; 1.5 – Savoury
Service: 2
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• New owners, a couple new items eg: Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding
• Very quaint, very cute, traditional country style tearoom
• Child-like tea party feel
• Atmosphere is unreal – literally, and figuratively
• Offers high tea – $20/person (Reservations required)
• Everything is homemade, but also pre-made and sits there until ordered
• Really “just like Grandma’s…” kind of place
• Popular to locals, females, and seniors
• Local/hidden gem (tucked away location)
• Baked goods really good, savoury items – pretty bad
• Baked goods are $1-2 more if you eat in
• Homemade fudge
• Savoury and sweet items available to go
• Part restaurant, part gift shop selling stationary, aprons, tea sets etc.
• Reservations recommended for high tea – gets busy
• Accepts Debit/Visa/MC

Recommendation: Scones with “the works” devonshire cream and homemade jam, Cloverleaf buns, Rhubarb upside down cake, chocolate brownies

This is one of the very few places I keep returning back to even though I’m not impressed with their food, except for a few of their baked goods. The atmosphere is what draws me back and also the lack of options in the area.

I’ve been here on several occasions and it’s always the same stuff (for the last 7 years… talk about traditional right?!), but I always try to order something new. The last time I came to Applewood Bakery I was really disappointed. Since then they have changed owners, but not much has changed except for a couple new menu items.

The new owner saw me taking pictures of the tearoom and kindly asked what they were for. I told her that it was for a blog, and to my surprise she had already read it and seen my post. I was a bit caught off guard because 1) it wasn’t a good post and 2) it was the 1st time I’ve experienced this situation – but nonetheless, with her permission, she was kind enough to let me continue taking my photos and all.

I’ll be totally honest and say that I’m still not impressed with their savoury foods. Pretty much every time I’ve come the savoury food is always a miss; except for their quiche which is decent and the cloverleaf rolls which are fantastic. Other than those items, they just don’t do it for me. The baked goods on the other hand are usually quite solid. They’re good old fashioned country style “grandma’s homemade baking” and they suit the atmosphere perfectly. However not all their baked goods are a hit and there is better.

The atmosphere is insanely cute! It’s girly, delicate and you feel like Alice in Wonderland. From the tearoom, to the kitchen, and even the bathroom, you just can’t help but to feel like you’re in a life size playhouse. You really won’t find anything else like it.

I spoke briefly with the new owner about the menu and she told me that she would be keeping some old favourites as well as bringing in some new ones. It’s the kind of place that has a niche market and local clientele so I can see how it would be risky to change it around too much. She’s going to be improving some recipes… and thank goodness for this because their savoury foods seriously need some attention. I’ve tried all of them and they’re pretty much all bland and dry.

The owner did ask for some more feedback and I did give it. Personally, I really can’t justify the price for the quality of food here, because it’s surprisingly pricey and the portions are quite small (although they should be for a dainty place like this). The owner seemed to agree and apparently I wasn’t the only one who expressed this concern, so she plans to change this too. Therefore I can’t wait to see what she has in store, and I’m excited for a revisit once things settle in.

On the table:

Quiche Meal – 3/6

• Quiche of the day (almost always ham and cheese), side salad with your choice of raspberry vinaigrette or lemon poppy seed dressing, and cloverleaf roll $9.99
• The quiche is a bigger than this but we shared a quiche and cup of soup so they split it for us in the back before serving it.
• If I’m going to order savoury food here it will probably be the quiche. Nothing else impresses me, and the quiche doesn’t really either, but at least it’s good.

• Cloverleaf roll – 6/6
• This meal starts off with their famous homemade Cloverleaf roll.
• The Cloverleaf roll is a solid 6/6.
• The Cloverleaf roll is 3 types of buns combined to make one bun. The bun has 3 flavours – 1/3 multigrain, 1/3 cheese, 1/3 plain. They come warm with butter. The texture is amazing. Really good bread! The texture is really soft and fluffy; my favourite side is the multigrain side.

• Ham and Broccoli Quiche - 3/6
  • I’ve already done a post on it last time, but again it’s the safest savoury item you can order. I thought it was better this time, hence the +1, but there was more ingredients last time.
  • The quiche isn’t a French-style quiche but more of a country-style quiche. It has chunky pieces of ham, diced broccoli (not much), bell peppers and green onions. It’s quite rustic with lots of roughly chopped ingredients and a layer of cheese on top before they bake it.

  

  • It’s pre-made and warmed up so it has that “been sitting there” look and taste. The cheese layer just lifts right up rather than melting into the quiche. The quiche part is flavourful and moist though, and the veggies are tender.
  • The crust is homemade crust and it’s perfect. It’s not too thick with nice crisp edges. I wonder if it’s the same crust for their pies. It wasn’t really flaky but still tender in texture and buttery in flavour.
  • Green Salad with Homemade dressing – 4/6
  • The salad is romaine, a couple slices of cucumber, tomatoes, and sunflower seeds. Very simple.
  • They should really just buy pre-washed lettuce. W e were biting into sand and it was not the poppy seeds from the dressing. We had to spit it out… very non-lady like, but we had no choice. We let the server know, but the reply was “really?…interesting… “… and nothing else. Yes until now I am as confused as you are.
  • I usually go for the lemon poppy seed dressing over the raspberry vinaigrette. It’s quite sweet more than it is tart, more honey-like than lemony but I like it. It could use the fresh zest of a lemon though. Too bad I couldn’t enjoy it with the salad.

  

  • Lentil Soup – 1/6
  • Soup of the day: lentil soup Cup: $4.50 Bowl: $5.50
  • The soup is made in house and from scratch but it was not good at all.
  • It tasted like an experimental soup and it was the most basic recipe with poor execution.
  • There was no flavour at all. It was so bland and even adding salt and pepper wasn’t helping.
  • It had onions, carrots and celery, but it was all pureed in a food processor not until smooth but just little bits. It was a tomato based soup but it was very watery. All the ingredients were at the bottom and it reminded me of baby food.

Cranberry Scone with “The Works” – 6/6

• Seasonal fruit and cheese scones available $2 to go $4.25 w/butter & jam $5.50 w/”the works”
• They offer around 3-4 flavours that change often: raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, cheese, rhubarb pecan (rare), raisin, strawberry etc.
• I’ve had the Raspberry scone last time, and this time I tried the cranberry scone.
• I like the raspberry scone better because I found the cranberries too tart, although I liked the option for the holiday season.

• These are still one of the best scones I’ve had. Nice and big, thick and fluffy. They’re not flaky or crumbly, but almost cakey. They have a slightly crispy and perfectly browned outside, soft inside, buttery flavour and loaded with real fruit. It’s not really sweet either, it’s a perfect recipe.

• This one has whole plump cranberries throughout and extra on top for presentation. It’s served with a light dusting of icing sugar.
• It’s a pretty expensive scone and it’s definitely best enjoyed if you order it with “the works”. This will bring you to $5.50, but it’s a must if you come.
  • “The Works” just means with Devonshire cream and homemade jam. I had it last time too, but I want to correct it because I think it’s actually better than I thought.
  • Devonshire cream: I still doubt it’s real clotted cream (heated up unpasteurized milk), but it’s still really good. I was looking for the cheese taste this time and I found it, but it was hard. It was thick, but still not as thick as the real clotted cream and it wasn’t pale yellow like the real thing is. I’m pretty sure it’s whipped cream mixed with mascarpone, but it still tastes great. It’s lightly sweetened, has a mild cheesy taste, and very slight tang. It could use more mascarpone, if that’s what they’re using.
  • Homemade jam: always great.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake – 4.5/6

• You can order this with “the works” so we did and it came to $4.95. It’s $4.25 as is and if you get a piece to go it’s $2.95. I don’t think an extra $2 is very reasonable for eating in, an extra $1 is okay.
• It’s not necessary to order “the works” as  it’s just whipped cream from a can. I thought it was going to be their homemade Devonshire cream so I was a bit disappointed.
• It’s a pretty big slice of cake and it’s very moist. That’s what I love about it.

• The cake part is so moist and perfectly baked. It has a cinnamon flavour and it’s a simple coffee cake recipe. There are a few chunks of rhubarb throughout the cake batter which I really enjoyed. It was almost like apples, but tart and nice and stringy from the baking process.

• There’s not much of a rhubarb layer though. The rhubarb is very tender and slightly tart, but also sweet. It’s a perfect balance of sweet and tart for me. I just wanted more rhubarb in the top layer.
• This has nothing to do with the rating I gave, because colour doesn’t affect flavour of rhubarb… but I wish the rhubarb they used was redder in colour. It would simply look nicer.

Tea

• Small pot $2.50
• Large pot $4.50
• They have an extensive tea list, but the teas aren’t house blends. They’re brought in from another company.
• The table sugar is coloured – mix of regular sugar with some pastel pink, blue, and yellow sugar crystals. Really cute touch!

The Fudge

• Complimentary sample that comes with your bill and you can buy it to go as well.
• This time we got chocolate peppermint fudge and candy cane fudge.
• I still feel like they’re too sweet, not chewy enough and too artificial tasting.

Pajo’s – Wharf at Steveston Village, Richmond
Fish & Chips – “One of Each” – Cod, Salmon, Halibut w/Chips

Restaurant: Pajo’s – Fish & Chips
Cuisine: Fish & Chips/Seafood/West Coast/British

Area: Multiple – Richmond, BC

Price Range: $10-20

Service: 2, well it’s self-service

Overall: 3

• Since 1985
• Fish & Chips are inconsistent – depends which batch you get
• Small pieces of fish, soggy fries
• Heavy on batter, little on fish
• Don’t go during peak hours, cause they make ahead and dish them out
• Eat outdoors on open patio right on the dock
• Hours depend on weather – call ahead
• Fun place to eat
• Pay at cashier/Self-service
• Pronounced “PaH-jo’s” not “PaY-jo’s”
• Line-ups/crowded during peak hours, weekend and esp. when there’s hot weather
• Local fish
• Quite expensive for fish & chips, and especially for self-service
• Serves hamburgers, hot dogs, sides as well
• Store bought cole slaw, homemade chowder
• Tourist location – attracts families/still familiar to locals

**Recommendation: “One of Each” – Cod, Salmon, Halibut (I like salmon the best – skip the fries, they’re soggy), Crab Cakes

I came here based on a recommendation and I would have never found it on my own, although it’s a popular tourist location. It’s right on the dock and you have to walk right to the end of Steveston Village where all the boats are docked and walk down a ramp in order to find it. It’s not really hidden, it’s just there’s nothing else around it so you rarely wonder down that area.

It’s famous for their fish and chips, but I don’t think it’s the best fish and chips I’ve had. If you’re going to claim “famous for fish and chips” – I’m going to expect a lot. It’s more “famous” because they’ve been there for so long, not because the fish and chips are better than everyone else. The pieces are kind of small and the chips are soggy; I think the outdoor self-service atmosphere is what makes this place great – not the food. Go for the atmosphere, not if you’re expecting the best fish and chips of your life. It’s really one of those “been there for 0ver 20 years and is part of Steveston history” places that you bring your kids and family to. Great for a visit on a hot summer day.

My favourite fish and chips is Moby Dick Seafood Restaurant in White Rock.

Note: The fish and chips are inconsistent. Ours were a soggy batch because we ent during busy hours and they have a batch of pre-made ones. It depends on your luck, the really sweet lady next to me let me try hers and hers was a a good batch – nice and crispy.

On the table:

• **”One of Each” – Cod, Salmon, Halibut
• (Just to try them all, but salmon was best) $13.09
  • Kind of hard to judge because we got a premade batch, so the batter was soggy, but I did try a better batch so I’m able to gauge a general idea.
  • Cod 2/6
  • Cod 2/6 - picture below is from a better batch, still not enough fish…
  • From a good batch it would have been 2.5/6, but mine was a pre-made batch so the batter was soggy. Even when I tried a piece from a better batch where the skin is crispy – there’s still not enough fish. It’s a wimpy small fillet of cod they use too, so there’s too much batter not enough fish. The batter and fish aren’t seasoned, at least they don’t taste seasoned, so you really need the tartar sauce. It’s local fish, but not necessarily the best quality so it wasn’t one of those “doesn’t require seasoning because it’s so fresh” things either
  • **Salmon 3.5/6
  • The salmon was still good even from a pre- made batch. So it would be even better, if it was fresh. This was the most flavourful of the 3 – not fishy tasting, but just flavourful. It was moist, flaky, and cooked to perfection. It wouldn’t have been much better if it was a fresh batch – just because the salmon part was fine, it’s just the batter was soggy…so either way it would probably be a 3.5/6. Same problem as the cod though – too much batter, not enough fish.
  • Halibut 3/6
  • The halibut was quite good. Nice and meaty, pretty good quality to use for fish and chips. You got the most out of the halibut – in terms of batter to fish ratio. The halibut is the only one that was sturdy or thick enough to stand up to the excessive batter they use. The other ones had too much batter , not enough fish.
• Chips/Fries
  • Soggy, you can pass…especially since it’s served in a cone and then they put the fish on top…so all the heat gets trapped inside an d it just gets really soggy.
• Crab Cakes 3.5/6
  • They call them “Famous” crab cakes, they should really call them fish cakes. It’s made of almost all fish. If they had called them fish cakes then they’d be a 4/6.
  • They’re made with cod, salmon, halibut, artifical crab meat, green onions and pesto. The most worth it – 2 for $5.69.
  • They’re nice and flakey on the inside because of the fish, not because of the crab. They’re pan-fried and could be sturdier – they get soggy really fast. For me, it was better than the fish and chips because they had flavour. They are good FISH cakes, but not good CRAB cakes. There’s a big difference.
• Chowder 2/6
  • It’s actually 1.5/6, but I give it a 2/6 because it’s homemade…which is unexpected for a place like this that’s serving such a high volume. I appreciate the effort.
  • It’s really really thick and creamy – they went too heavy on the flour. It’s not really the thickness that bothers me, but more because it lacks in flavour. There’s are lot of thinkening agents in there, like potatoes, but it’s just kind of bland. I wouldn’t order it again.
  • They call it “chowder” and not “clam chowder” for a reason I think – there’ s not much clam
• Mushy Peas 1/6
  • Typical of British cuisine, and common as a fish and chips side.
  • Pass on this – it’s only .99 cents for a small…which I wish I could get back. It’s literally 5 spoonfuls straight from a can…ew, they were really gross. Why it comes in a large?? I don’t know.
  • I like mushy peas too, and I’ve had great ones, but these were pathetic. They weren’t even mashed.
  • They aren’t even peas, they taste like a cheap brand of preserved beans…I can’t even say preserved because it sounds too fancy of a word for these…they were canned…cheap canned beans.
• Cole Slaw
  • I didn’t order it cause it’s store bought – so it should be standard or whatever is cheap, cause I don’t imagine them investing much into their sides…besides their crab cakes.