Restaurant: Two Parrots Perch & Grill
Cuisine: American/Canadian/International/Breakfast/Brunch/Burgers
Last visited: September 2, 2010
Location: Vancouver, BC (Downtown)
Address: 1202 Granville St
Price Range: $10-20

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

Food: 3.5 (cased on few items I tried)
Service: 5
Ambiance: 3.5
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Since May 1997
• Great for brunch/breakfast
• Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
• Classic diner/pub food with International flare
• One of Granville Street’s oldest restaurant
• Diner/Bar/Pub
• Big portions
• Popular for Juke box
• Famous for “The 2 pounder burger”
• Karaoke night every Tuesday
• 35 cent wings every Thursday
• Good for watching sports
• Very casual/Fun/Hang out place
• Popular to locals/tourists
• Budget-friendly/cheap eats
• Open daily 7am-2am
• Accepts Visa/MC/Debit/Amex

**Recommendations: n/a haven’t tried enough, but Thai sweet chili chicken wings are good! The poutine is MASSIVE!

(Excuse the photos, I was using my phone camera)

Two Parrots Perch & Grill is located on “The Granville Strip,” one of the most popular streets in downtown Vancouver, BC. It’s one of the oldest restaurants and it’s known for hearty diner/pub food, big portions, and good times especially during the late hours. There’s always something going on whether it’s their popular karaoke nights on Tuesdays, 35 cent wings on Thursdays, or just the UFC/sports games throughout the year. It attracts locals and tourists alike, and it’s super casual atmosphere makes it approachable for people of all ages. However, it reminds me of a college pub and it’s usually a 20-30′s crowd I witness.

From the outside it looks rough around the edges, and from the inside… you realize it is also rough around the edges. I actually didn’t notice the restaurant until 3 years ago and it was never anything I paid attention to. It looks old, shady and grungy and I always thought it was only a pub/bar. I had researched it online and realized that it was famous for “The 2 Pounder Burger” and since then I’ve been meaning to try it.

I was looking for a dessert place with some girlfriends and we were working our way down the Granville strip. We stopped at 4 places, but nothing seemed to catch our interest and Two Parrots Perch & Grill was one of the last places I thought we would end up. However with the server said “deep fried ice cream” was on the menu, we decided to settle. I was very tempted to order “The 2 Pounder Burger” for I think $25, but the server advised me not too (you can make your own assumptions). To be honest, it’s not my kind of scene, and I felt like a tourist myself, but I can see how people would appreciate it. The service and customers are outgoing, the food portions are huge and the prices are all around $10.

On the table:

**Chicken Wings - 4/6

• $0.35/wings Thursday.
• They offer around 8 flavours and it just happened to be Thursday! There a good size, sauteed with lots of sauce, and the meat was tender and juicy.
• Sweet Thai Chili Chicken Wings – 4/6
  • I know this flavour may sound generic, but the sweet Thai chili sauce is really good here! They actually make their own version of it. Sure, it may be the bottled stuff with some added ingredients, but there’s still effort. There’s real pieces of fresh garlic sauteed into the sticky home made sauce and it’s sweet and slightly spicy.

• Pineapple Curry Chicken Wings – 3.5/6
  • This was like chicken wings smothered with pineapple chutney. It tastes like sweet and sour chicken, but with a smoky curry flavour. It’s home made sauce with real pineapple pieces throughout, although they were probably canned, but I’m not sure.

Deep Fried Ice Cream – 4/6

• $4.95
• Not the best deep fried ice cream I’ve had, but the portion was good and it was gone in 30 seconds, so it was obviously still delicious… but then again when it comes to desserts and my girls, we’re vultures. Actually any food with any of my friends we’re vultures.
• It was a softball size of vanilla ice cream in a flour batter and deep fried and served with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. The batter was almost bread/dough like and I would have liked it’s crispy. The best deep fried ice cream I’ve had to date is from Luna Loca Mexican Cantina.

Apple Taquitos – 2.5/6

• Deep fried apple stuffed taquitos with strawberry sauce, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream $4.95
• I was surprised to see that both dessert options were Mexican.

• It was 2 taquitos stuffed with a chunky apple filling with real bits of apple throughout. The ratio of tortilla shell to filling was fair, but the wrapping was a bit thick so it wasn’t as crunchy or crispy as I would have liked. It was almost like eating an apple pie, but I would have preferred an apple pie.
• The strawberry sauce was actually home made with fresh strawberries and it wasn’t too sweet or too tart and matched the taquitos well. Serve any hot dessert, or any dessert for that matter, with ice cream and it’s always good though.

Restaurant: Saint Honoré Boulangerie
Cuisine: Bakery/Cafe/Sandwiches/Desserts
Last visited: August 30, 2010
Location: Portland, Oregon (Nob Hill/Uptown)
Address: 2335 NW Thurman Street
Price Range: $10USD or less

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

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

• Owner/Master Baker: Dominique Geulin
• Since December 2003
• 2 locations
• Freshly backed pastries/breads/desserts
• Open kitchen
• Clay firebrick bread oven
• Home made authentic Parisian baking
• Traditional French, Northwest twists
• Gourmet baked goods with rustic style
• Sustainable/seasonal ingredients
• High quality ingredients
• Very popular to locals
• Long lines/busy at peak hours
• Sandwiches and salads

**Recommendations: Mirliton de Rouen (Almond & Pear tart), Gateau Orange et Gingembre (Flourless Orange & Ginger Cake), Normandy Apple Toast, Gâteau au Chocolat (Flourless Chocolate Cake)

Saint Honoré Boulangerie is a classic French bakery and cafe specializing in Parisian style baked goods, pastries and desserts in Portland, Oregon. Owner and master baker Dominique Geulin has true French bakery roots as he grew up living above the family bakery in France. He has trained with French bakers and bakeries in France, America, Africa, and Asia (Japan) before opening Saint Honoré Boulangerie in December 2003. He now has 2 locations in Oregon, and with his home baked goods the fresh aroma of his bakeries are attracting locals and tourists through word of mouth.

The bakery also has a nice selection of baguettes, loaves, savoury breads and home made sandwiches, salads and quiche. I haven’t been to the actual locations myself, but I was very lucky and thankful to have a good friend, Kim, do another much appreciated “delivery” from this delectable bakery (as well as share the amazing photos).

I knew nothing about Saint Honoré Boulangerie, but knowing Kim (a food blogger who always does great research) usually means there is little room for disappointment. I had no expectations, and overall I really enjoyed the pastries at the bakery. But how does it compare to my all time best and favourite bakeries like Bakery Nouveau (Seattle), The Loaf (Japan and Malaysia), and Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates and Patisserie? It doesn’t make my list, and it’s not as refined or gourmet, but it’s definitely worth a try and visit. The style is much more rustic and the recipes seem countryside France meets a little Northwest. All the pastries actually aren’t that sweet so it really can be enjoyed by all ages and even non-desert lovers. All in all I felt like I was eating baked goods from a grandma who can bake really really well. I would still recommend Saint Honoré Boulangerie and it’s still worth bragging about… which I’ll do now

Additional note: Kim’s was limited to pastries because cakes wouldn’t have lasted the 6 hour drive back to Vancouver. I didn’t get to sink my teeth into these lovely pastries until 2 days later, which means they were probably even better if I had eaten them upon order. Nonetheless, the quality of the texture may have been affected a bit, but the flavour I would assume would still be more or less representable.

On the table:

**Normandy Apple Toast – 4/6 (left)

• A pain perdu of brioche and pastries baked in a custard flavored with vanilla and pommeau apple wine, topped with fresh apples $3.60USD
• This was like an apple bread pudding without the cinnamon, nutmeg and clove flavours.
• It was a Golden Delicious (I think) apple on top and throughout so it was naturally honey-like and sweeter rather than tart. Overall it’s not too sweet with added sugars and it’s more eggy and custard-like in flavour.
• It’s quite dense, but still moist and it’s made of large cubes of brioche and apples that were equally sized. Since they were apple chunks, the apple pieces including the ones on top were a bit harder and required a longer cooking time to be more tender.
• The edges had some plump and juicy raisins, but it wasn’t found throughout the pastry, and I would have rather had them throughout.
• It would easily be enjoyed as a morning or afternoon pastry rather than a dessert and it’s well worth the price.

Tarte au Citron (Lemon Tart) - 3/6 (right)

• A smooth and rich lemon custard on a bed of almond cream in a paté sablé shell $4.85USD
• I actually wasn’t a fan of this lemon tart. It’s extremely rich and creamy and very indulgent and I found it very tart. It’s still sweet, but dominantly more tart.
• It’s quite large and there’s a lot of lemon custard, but there was a good balance of tart and filling. I wasn’t a fan of the harder tart shell though because I found it quite bland.
• I couldn’t taste the almond cream at all and it was overpowered by the lemon custard. It was a good lemon tart, but I’ve also had better and would get sick of  this one before I finished it. I prefer the lemon tart from Cake Art in Steveston, Richmond, or the one from Sandbar on Granville Island, or the one from Bistrot Bistro in Vancouver.

**Mirliton de Rouen (Almond & Pear Tart) – 6/6 (left)

• Fragrant creamy almond batter and vanilla poached pears. A specialty from the Normandy capital city of Rouen $4.70USD
• This was hands down my favourite one. I knew it would be too because I love almond and I love pears and I LOVE them together.
• Anyone would appreciate this though. It stood out against everything else in terms of flavour and execution. I felt like I could find something similar with the other pastries, but not with this almond pear tart. This was simply amazing and it really reminds me of one of my favourite almond cakes – Gateux Basque from Boulangerie Cho Pain in Vancouver.
• It’s comparable to the Normandy Apple Tart, but way better. The flavour was so rich in almonds and there were chunky chopped pear pieces throughout. Again they weren’t as tender, but it didn’t bother me here because the texture is softer and grainier than apples so it seems more tender.
• The creamy almond batter tastes like almond flavoured Chinese egg tarts and it was surrounded by this sweet and moist almond cake with pears. It was very moist and it had the most eggy flavour of everything I tried.
• It was topped with this thin sugary wafer crisp with baked almonds on top. Eaten together it was extra nutty, perfectly sweet and just so aromatic.
• Thomas Haas Chocolates & Patisserie also makes an excellent Pear & Almond Tart, but it’s much more refined and gourmet. This Mirliton de Rouen is still more memorable for me, although different in style.

Canelet – 3/6

• Custard flavored with fresh vanilla bean and rum. Baked in a copper tin thinly coated with beeswax for a special taste and crunch $2.75USD
• I’m not sure how fair it is for me to “rate” this one because the crunch was missing since it wasn’t eaten day of. The texture is a rubbery sponge bread pudding, but the flavour is like vanilla custard. It was dense, but the batter had air pockets so it was still very moist and it’s more like bread pudding than cake.
• There’s lots of vanilla flavour and real vanilla bean seeds throughout. I couldn’t taste much rum, and I don’t really get the beeswax theory since I couldn’t taste honey or see what role it played in this canelet.

**Gateau Orange et Gingembre – 4.5/5 (left)

• Flourless cake made with ground almonds, pureed orange and a hint of ginger $3.90USD
• I’m not really a fan of candied fruit, especially orange, and I wasn’t expecting to really like this, but I actually really did. A lot too!
• It was a very moist, almost wet, cake and it was made with lots of fresh orange zest that I could easily see and taste. There was actually quite big pieces of candied orange zest throughout. It had a nice syrupy top and it wasn’t too sweet at all. It was actually quite light and could be easily enjoyed as a tea cake with an Earl Grey on the side.
• I was looking forward to the ginger, but it was completely overpowered by the orange taste. I still enjoyed it, but would have loved to taste the ginger in the background even if it was just a little bit.

Almond Croissant

• Traditional croissant filled with almond cream and topped with sliced almonds about $2USD
• I love almond croissants to death… I usually die after eating them for a couple minutes. However to be fair I can’t rate them because I feel like croissants have to be eaten day of, and these weren’t. The texture and crunchiness of a croissant is too important of a factor to let go, and these ones are for sure crunchier if eaten upon order.
• The flavour, on the other hand, wasn’t really sweet or buttery and the croissant was flaky but overall a bit underwhelming. The almond filling was like a grainy custard in the middle and it didn’t have a strong enough almond taste either. The Double Baked Almond Croissant at Bakery Nouveau is better.

Restaurant: Joey’s
Cuisine: Canadian/American/International/West Coast
Last visited: August 28, 2010
Location: Multiple locations – Vancouver, BC (Fairview)
Address: 1424 W Broadway
Price Range: $10-20

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

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

• Canadian chain restaurant
• Globally inspired menu
• Casual dining, good quality
• Fun/Casual/Young/Lively
• Very popular to locals
• Classic favourites & creative fusion dishes
• Great for drinks and appetizers
• Affordable to moderately priced
• House made dishes/sauces/desserts
• Fresh ingredients
• Seasonal specials
• Gluten free menu available
• Wine bar/cocktails
• Oceanwise
• Lunch/Dinner
• Valet parking $5

**Recommendations: Ahi Tuna Tacos, Tandoori Chicken Flatbread, Ahi Tuna Club, Baby Back Barbequed Ribs

Joey’s is a restaurant, grill, lounge and bar that originally started in Vancouver, BC. It is a chain restaurant that has now expanded to Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and Seattle. It’s growing success is due to the casual yet contemporary atmosphere, fresh food that’s reasonably priced… and good looking waitresses. It’s similar to Cactus Club, but more affordable and it’s market is slightly more sophisticated that that of Earls. I haven’t tried the entire menu at any of these restaurants (if you have, I’d like to meet you), so I can’t say which is my favorite, but all of them are comparable and more or less well liked in Vancouver.

I know it’s a “chain restaurant” and it’s a bit “taboo” to blog about it, but I like the food here and people are still always curious so why not blog about it. Maybe I’ll introduce an item that you’ve never considered trying before, or maybe I’ll just make you hungry. The food here is consistently good and the prices are not cheap, but it’s reasonable if you take into consideration the overall ambiance and atmosphere.

On this occasion I came for appetizers, which I found oddly priced since they’re almost the same price as their burgers and sandwiches. The portions were definitely shareable and I enjoyed them for the most part. Joey’s is most popular for the lettuce wraps, chili chicken and calamari, but I’m not really a fan of ordering Chinese food at non-Chinese places unless there’s something uniquely different about it like at Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie. The food is fresh, seasonal, made in house, and very representable of West Caost flavours and tastes. It’s very Vancouver, and it should be since it all started here.

On the table:

Earth & Surf Calamari – 2.5/6

• With tempura vegetables and roasted red pepper aioli $11.49
• This is the 3rd most popular appetizer at Joey’s, but it was the least exciting for me although it tastes pretty good.
• The Calamari had a crunchy batter, but they were very small rings and I tasted more batter than squid. They were quite chewy, but the batter wasn’t very seasoned so it really needed the dip.
• The roasted red pepper aioli dip tasted like a smoky mayo and it was a bit boring and one dimensional in flavour. I actually would have preferred a tangy dip with more herbs, but I also would rather have a Greek style calamari in general. I like the calamari at Cactus Club better.
• I did like the idea of the tempura vegetables (nice West coast twist with the love for Japanese cuisine), however they were a bit over fried and too soggy. The asparagus was mushy, but the few pieces of  deep fried fennel were great! They were almost like onion rings, but with a slight licorice flavour and I really enjoyed them.
• They drizzle some chipotle aioli over the top before serving it and this sauce was more flavoufil and better than the roasted red pepper aioli dip. Both are made in house which is always a good thing.

**Ahi Tuna Tacos - 5/6

• Seared rare with sesame ginger coleslaw and wasabi-lime aioli $11.49
• This was a Japanese inspired appetizer with Mexican execution and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ahi tuna is right up my ally and this is the type of Asian dish that I would order from a non-Asian restaurant because it’s different enough and unique to Joey’s.

• The crispy taco shells are fried in house and they almost taste slightly sweetened. They’re very crunchy and crispy and filled with a lightly dressed cole slaw, however I couldn’t really taste the sesame flavour. I could taste a hint of ginger, but it was very light and I think more sesame oil would have been nice.
• The ahi tuna was also tasty with a Cajun-like spice rub and it was big enough that I had a piece in each bite, which only took me two to finish.
• The wasabi-lime aioli was more like a salad dressing than aioli. I could taste lots of fresh ginger, subtle kick of wasabi, tangy lime and a bit of creaminess.
• I think $10 would be fair because they’re quite small, but overall this appetizer was lovely in presentation and flavour and it’s the type of fusion dish I really like and would order again.

**Tandoori Chicken Flatbread – 5/6

• Tandoori chicken with eggplant chutney, bell peppers, red onion, cilantro and cool yogurt $11.99
• This was my other favourite appetizer and another fusion item that worked. Again, it’s inventive enough that it won’t be labeled as poorly made Indian food.
• It’s 5 pieces of flatbread that can be easily shared, or with a side dish it’s substantial enough to be a meal on it’s own.

• All the ingredients were very fresh and they were very generous with the toppings. Each piece had at least 1-2 long strips of grilled tandoori chicken. It was spiced, but not necessarily spicy.
• It was actually more sweet and savoury and the bell peppers and onions were so caramelized that it was actually quite sweet. The yogurt added a cooling tang and the flatbread had a nicely toasted edge which brought out a nutty and smokey flavour. It could have been crispier like a pizza crust though because only the edges were crispy and the flat bread only had half and edge. I couldn’t taste the eggplant chutney at all, which I was looking forward too, and I questioned if there was even any at all.
• It would have been even better if the cool yogurt was Raita – a traditional Indian yogurt with shredded cucumbers and sometimes carrots in it.

Pesto Shrimp Flatbread – 3.5/6

• Pesto shrimp with whole milk mozzarella, sundried tomatoes garnished with chipotle aioli and fresh basil $12.99
• This was surprisingly spicy, but I like spicy, however when Pesto is in the title, you also want to taste it. The ingredients used are fresh and also quite pricey, and they don’t skimp anywhere, but they were a bit wasted because the flavours kept fighting each other.

• I could barely taste the pesto because the chipotle aioli was very dominating and overpowered all the other ingredients which were more delicate and soft.
• I would have preferred if the shrimps were tossed in the pesto because otherwise they seemed really random and boring… and too straight out of the package from the fridge.
• The sun-dried tomatoes added a tanginess to what was almost like a pizza, however all I could really taste was the chipotle aioli and tomatoes. The aioli was very good, but with the pesto, it’s just not as fitting and I liked it better with calamari or with yam fries.

Simple Green Salad – 4.5/6

• Cool, crisp greens, shaved fennel & apple with candied pecans & tossed in a light poppy seed dressing. (starter size) $6.49
• It is obvious that this was an all-girls thing yet?
• It is a simple salad, but it’s also more than your basic greens and vinaigrette. It was light and refreshing and very easily dressed with a poppy seed vinaigrette that was lemony in flavour.
• I loved the fennel which was very refreshing to see and eat. It’s not used much, but it has a gentle licorice taste and with the tart Granny Smith apples it was perfect.
• The candied pecans were lightly glazed adding a sweetness to the overall tart salad and it was a great combination of ingredients.

**Side Fettucini Alfredo Pasta - 3.5/6

• $1.99
• Now if you’ve managed to read my entire post, than you deserve to be let in on a little secret… this side Fettuccini Alfredo pasta!
• It’s available as a main course for $12.99, but they don’t advertise that’s it’s also available as a side/appetizer for only $1.99! My friend told me about it, so we asked and they delivered! Anyone can order it and for $1.99 it’s a bang for your buck (or 2 in this case).
• It’s simple, but it’s actually quite good too. The sauce is a bit thin, so it’s not as heavy as most Alfredo, but it’s still very flavourful and cheesy. Lots of butter and Parmesan and a little bit of cream and they top it with fresh basil, tomatoes and red onions. Very enjoyable and I can’t get over how cheap it is.

Restaurant: Luscious Creations
Cuisine: Cakes/Cupcakes/Desserts
Last visited: August 28, 2010
Location: Port Coquitlam, BC
Address: 2233 McAllister Avenue
Price Range: Cakes start at $5/slice

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

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

• Since 2006
• Specializes in any custom cakes
• Popular for provocative cakes
• Accepts ANY requests
• Ideal for bachelorette/bachelor parties
• Novelty cakes
• All occasion cakes – weddings/birthdays etc.
• Large variety of cake/icing flavours
• All peanut/nut-free cakes
• Gluten-free cakes available
• Sugar-free cakes available
• Vegan cakes available
• Egg free cakes available
• Mini/regular/monster cupcakes

**Recommendations: n/a

Luscious Creations started in late 2006 by owners and bakers Liam Grainger and Natalie Escudero. The store front is in Port Coquitlam, BC and although I’ve never actually been to it, I know that they classify themselves as a custom cake store. I think you can sample and order a small selection of cupcakes they have available day to day, but that’s about it. Although they specialize in all type of cakes, they are popularly known for their provocative cakes. They also address all type of dietary needs and cakes for all occasions, so Luscious Creations is really a do-it-all cake shop. They offer all the basic cake and icing flavours and also have some gourmet icings like raspberry, coconut, mocha and caramel cream.

I was lucky enough to try a Luscious Creations cake because a couple of girls ordered one for my friend’s bachelorette party. The custom design they requested was a penis and I think Luscious Creations came up with the words… I’m sure they make these all the time. I don’t know what else to call it. I wasn’t even going to post on this cake, but people on Twitter were curious (as I would be if I read my own tweet: Eating a penis cake). Seriously, kudos to them for making these naughty cakes! We were having dinner at Society and everyone in the restaurant was taking pictures of it. It’s hilarious, and an ideal cake for bachelorette parties. It reminded me of the provocative donuts from Voodoo Doughnut like the Cock-N-Balls donut. Luscious Creations is pricey, but they did a very good job with both presentation and taste and they really cater to any dietary needs.

On the table:

Chocolate Penis Cake with Vanilla Icing – 4.5/6

• Regular cakes : $5.00/slice
• Vegan cakes : $6.00/slice.
• Gluten Free cakes : $7.00/slice.
• Egg free cakes : $5.00/slice.
• This was a regular chocolate black out cake with vanilla icing. They use home made fondant and butter cream icing and they’re both actually good! Most of the time I find myself just peeling off the fondant because it’s always chewy, plaster like , overly sweet or too bland and more for decoration… however, the the fondant from Luscious Creations is actually good! It’s thin and not too sweet and nice and soft. I really liked it and was surprised how good it was.
• The butter cream tastes more like regular icing to me with not much butter flavour or greasy texture, which I also liked. But it’s not very fluffy or creamy and it’s a bit grainy and sugary in texture.  They don’t use a lot though and there’s a thin layer between the not as sweet chocolate cake so it’s well balanced.
• The chocolate cake was rich, dense and very moist. It had great chocolate flavour, yet it wasn’t that sweet at all and it was easy for everyone to finish a piece… even the non-dessert eaters.

Restaurant: Marble Slab Creamery
Cuisine: Desserts/Ice Cream
Last visited: August 20, 2010
Location: Multiple locations – Surrey, BC (Strawberry Hill)
Address: #142 – 12101 72nd Avenue
Price Range: $10 or less

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

Food: 3.5
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Since 1983
• North American ice cream franchise
• 1st to introduce “frozen slab”
• Fresh home made ice cream
• Select toppings to mix in
• Busy/line-ups at peak hours
• Sweet cream flavour created by 2 French chefs
• Freshly baked, hand rolled waffle cones
• Variety of toppings and cones
• Seasonal special flavours
• Whole ice cream cakes available
• Low-fat frozen yogurt available
• Open late

**Recommendations: Sweet Cream with anything, Banana ice cream with Oreos and pecans, Black Walnut with fresh banana and walnuts

Marble Slab Ice Creamery is an ice cream franchise that originally started in 1983 in Houston, Texas and since then it has expanded all across North America. I swear Texas is the home of home made ice cream producing Blue Bell Ice Cream and Amy Ice Creams (which are my favourites and both the most beloved in Texas).

Marble Slab specializes in fresh home made ice cream that is made individually in small batches. They say the ice cream is “hand-crafted daily”, and they probably make ice cream daily, but I bet only the popular flavours are the only guaranteed fresh batches. Besides the ice cream, the waffle cones are also made daily and you can see the waffle irons at the store front.

Another reason locals and tourists love it is because they can customize their own sundae – select one of their ice cream flavours, and select toppings or “mixins” from a wide selection of candies, fruit, nuts, chocolate, cookies and pound cake just to list some. From there, the staff hand mixes the ice cream and mixins on a frozen slab and serve it just the way you want it. Each portion of ice cream is weighed out, so they’re very precise with how much you get.

I came to Marble Slab Creamery with Kim (who I have to thank for the photos) after having a delicious South Indian dosa dinner at Desi Dosa Madras. I love ice cream in general and can have it anytime of the day, but I find it extremely satisfying after Indian food because of all the spices used.

The first time I tried Marble Slab was in the States when I was about 9 and I was crazy about only their sweet cream flavour because it was the only one that wasn’t overly sweet or rich. However when it expanded to Canada I just lost my hype for it, just like I did for Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Now if In-N-Out Burger came to Canada, I don’t think I’d lost my hype for that. That being said, I do think Marble Slab Creamery is good, but I also think the concept is super simple and it’s overpriced. There’s lots of places with a similar philosophy that are way better like Amy’s Ice Creams in Texas. Equally as good, is 21 Choices in LA, California – the frozen yogurt version of Marble Slab Creamery. I just think once you’ve had great, it’s hard to go back to good. It’s like Dolce Amore gelato (the good) compared to Bella Gelateria (the great).

Marble Slab Creamery does have generally good ice cream, but some of the flavours are really artificial tasting like the green tea, and the fruit mixins are soaking in syrups except for the banana. I’m a bit indifferent because although the ice cream is freshly made and “gourmet”, they don’t carry this philosophy throughout their recipes and “high-quality” becomes… a good imitation Prada purse at a premium price… if that makes sense at all… ?

On the table:

**Sweet Cream Ice Cream – 4/6

• Original: $4.95 Big Dipper (Large): $5.95 (Includes 1 mixin and waffle cone)
• Additional mixins: $.75 Waffle bow: $.75
• My sweet cream ice cream with pistachios, pecans and pound cake in a waffle bowl ended up costing about $7 – it’s expensive!
• The pound cake taste just like Sara Lee pound cake and they give you half a cube so it’s not much at all. The nuts are a mini scoop each and they’re totally worth it and you end up getting a lot because their small pieces and fill the entire spoon they use to scoop with.

• Sweet Cream: Our cream is delivered fresh from the dairy, then churned one batch at a time to give our Sweet Cream the dreamiest taste around.
• The sweet cream is by far my favourite flavour there along with the black walnut which isn’t always on the menu. The sweet cream is the original flavour that was first created by 2 French chefs, and it’s the same recipe they use today.
• It’s the lightest, least sweet, and least rich our of their flavours. It just tastes the most fresh and least artificial to me. It’s creamy and thick and very pliable in texture.
• My favourite part was the waffle bowl which was very crispy, fresh and lightly sweetened. Reminds me of the home made waffle cones at Timothy’s Frozen yogurt in Richmond, BC.
• I loved the frozen cake bits in my ice cream and there was a balance of cakey texture with some crunchy pecans and buttery tasting pistachios.

S’More – 2.5/6

• Swiss Chocolate ice cream, chocolate chips, marshmallows and graham crackers about $7
• This is one of their tasty creations on their menu and I wasn’t feeling it. Mind you it’s still pretty expensive and I feel like I could make a better S’more sundae if I were to make it myself at home.

• The Swiss Chocolate ice cream tastes like very basic chocolate ice cream to me. The texture was creamy and pliable again, but the texture was better than the flavour.
• This S’more creation really didn’t work well because it’s too rich, too sweet and you get sick of it quickly. The marshmallows hardened like pebbles and the chocolate chips were also very hard and waxy. They also don’t give much graham crackers and overall I would rather have a regular S’mores. Actually overall I would rather go to McDonald’s for my own S’more Pie Sundae. It’s my own version of Marble Slab!

Restaurant: Desi Dosa Madras Restaurant
Cuisine: Indian
Last visited: August 20, 2010
Location: Surrey, BC (Surrey/Newton)
Address: 8859 120th Street (Scott Road)
Price Range: $10 0r less / $10-20

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

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

• South Indian family owned and operated
• Authentic South Indian cuisine
• Chefs from South India
• Extensive menu
• Specializes in Dosas
• Biryani/Curry mains available
• Vegetarian/Non-vegetarian options
• Home made
• Clean, casual, comfortable
• Cheap eats/Budget-friendly
• Family-friendly
• Catering available
• Open late
• Open daily 11:30am-10pm
• Fri-Say 11:30am-11pm
• Free parking

**Recommendations: Dosa – in particular the Chicken Dosa and Egg Masala Dosa. I’m curious what their South Indian Style Butter Chicken tastes like as well.

Desi Dosa Madras is an authentic South Indian restaurant located in Surrey, BC. The signage is tacky and from the outside and it looks like a hole in the wall, but don’t judge a book by it’s cover because Desi Dosa Madras is a fantastic find. The inside is impressive and unexpected and the restaurant is large and spacious and seats probably up to 80+ people. It’s causal, clean, traditional, yet modern and very comfortable for individual, group, or family dining.

It’s a husband and wife operation and the owner and chef Pathmaraj Prasad is born and raised in Sri Lanka. They specialize in dosas (a long South Indian style crepe), but also offer meat, seafood, and vegetarian South Indian curries, breads, biryanis, and even homemade traditional desserts. I was very surprised to see such an extensive menu and I wasn’t expecting to see so much meat and seafood since South Indian cuisine tends to be on the vegetarian side, especially compared to North Indian cuisine. Talking to the server and asking for recommendations, it’s quite obvious that the dosas are the highlight, however they impressed me so much that I would venture to the non-dosa items next time.

Until Desi Dosa Madras, my South Indian go-to dosa restaurants for the last few years have been Mayuri Indian Cuisine and House of Dosas, however I can now add this to the list. The dosa here seem a bit smaller, but they’re equally as stuffed and taste great. I randomly picked the restaurant after previously driving by it a couple times and on this occasion I was joined by fellow food blogger Kim – who I also have to thank for the wonderful photos.

On the table:

Spinach Masala Dosa – 4/6

• Dosa stuffed with shredded spinach and Desi Dosa potato masala. Served with sambar, coconut and tomato chutney $7.95
• A dosa is a South Indian style savoury crepe and it’s served rolled up in a massive log with stuffing. Although the crepe is huge, it’s only stuffed with a modest amount of potato filling so it’s actually a perfect individual serving.
• The crepe is made upon order and it’s made from fermented rice and lentils. It’s very thin and slightly tangy and it could have been crispier because it was a bit soft and chewy and more like a French crepe, but it was still good.

• The inside was stuffed with a good amount of spinach and potato curry. The spinach was very fresh and not overly cooked and mushy. I could taste an equal blance of potato and spinach and although it was spiced, it wasn’t spicy. It was very flavourful, not oily, and quite light which I liked.

Tomato and Coconut Chutney

• All dosas are served with tomato and coconut chutney. The chutneys are significantly better than the ones from Mayuri Indian Cuisine.
• The tomato chutney is homemade and it tastes just like the tomato sauce from canned Sardines. It’s savoury, sweet, and fishy tasting and it’s not spicy. It was unexpected, but I liked it. Although it’s a light chutney, it makes the dosa taste richer and heavier because it has so much flavour.
• The coconut chutney was sweet and chunky with dried coconut flakes throughout. It was great with the crepe and added a sweetness to the potato curry which reminded me of Asian coconut milk based curries. I also really like the coconut chutney from Simba’s Grill.

**Chicken Dosa - 5/6

• Dosa stuffed with spiced shredded chicken and herbs. Served with sambar, coconut and tomato chutney $10.25
• The best Indian chicken ‘wrap’ I’ve had is the roti chicken cannai in Malaysia from Mohamed Nazar Curry House, but this one was also excellent.
• I’m not used to seeing meat dosas, and it was nice to see chicken, lamb, and shrimp dosas on the menu… although I don’t think they’re known for seafood and I wouldn’t be too confident ordering it here. I guess I can’t say until I try though.
• The chicken dosa is stuffed with boneless and skinless chicken thigh and it’s apparently better than their Nilagiri Chicken Dosa because it’s juicier and softer (although both use the same meat).
• The chicken was shredded and in fact juicy and tender and it’s sauteed with caramelized onions and bell peppers so it’s sweet and savoury. There’s also some potato curry in the mix, but the majority was chicken and there was a lot of it too.

Sambar - 4/6

• All dosas are served with a cup of Sambar.
• Sambar come with every traditional South Indian meal. It’s a vegetarian South Indian stew or soup made from lentils, tamarind and other vegetable and spices. It’s typical to eat it with Medu Vada (savory Indian donuts made from lentils and rice) or Idly (steamed soft rice lentil cakes). Both are available here as appetizers, and they’re quite bland on their own, but both great soaked in the soup or eaten with the chutney.
• The Sambar here is excellent and better than Mayuri Indian Cuisine, which now seems very watered down.
• The stew was thick with ingredients and well textured. It tastes like pureed lentils in a spicy and tangy tomato soup and it’s the only thing I had that was spicy. It was on the salty side, but the spice lingers and kicks in after a few sips. There were pieces of carrots, onions, lentils, and even Okra in it.

**Egg Masala Dosa – 4.5/6

• Egg dosa stuffed with Desi Dosa potato masala. Served with sambar, coconut and tomato chutney $9.50
• This was recommended and the only other time I’ve had something similar was the Roti Chicken Cannai in Malaysia that also had egg in it.
• I’m not sure why this is folded instead of rolled, and I don’t know how they determine the folding method.

• I was confused at where the egg was to be found at first, but realized it was actually roughly scrambled (more like a roughly fried egg) in between sheets of the crepe and not actually in the stuffing. I actually wanted more egg because it took me a while to find out where it was and I couldn’t tell by just eating it.
• The curry potato stuffing was great and it was pan fried before they stuff it into the crepe. It had lots of mustard seed and caramelized onions so again there was a savoury and sweet balance, but not spicy. Again, I would have wished for a crispier crepe like at Mayuri Indian Cuisine, but it was still very good.

Restaurant: Taqueria El Rinconsito
Cuisine: Mexican
Last visited: July 26, 2010
Location: Kent, WA
Address: 25914 Pacific Hwy S
Price Range: $10 or less

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

Food: 4.5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Since 1997
• Mexican fast food
• Popular to locals and Mexicans
• Popular and traditional Mexican dishes
• Very good for fast food joint
• Good quality and quite authentic for fast food
• Homemade corn tortillas
• Homemade sopitas
• Bang for buck
• Large menu
• Self serve condiments bar
• Self serve drinks
• No trans fat oil
• Meat/Seafood
• Cheap eats / Budget-friendly
• Quick, casual
• Open late
• Online specials and coupons
  

**Recommendations:

Taqueria El Rinconsito is a family owned fast food Mexican restaurant with a few locations throughout Washington. It’s rapidly growing expansion is due to their philosophy in good quality Mexican fast food, for a cheap price, in a family atmosphere with friendly service. They offer a large menu from popular Mexican favourites like tacos and burritos to some Mexican specialties like Camarones a La Crema, shrimp cooked with asparagus cream sauce and veggies, and even Mojarra, an entire deep fried fish . They even have traditional Mexican drinks,  homemade Mexican desserts and free self-serve condiments and sauces. The food is not authentic as say the food you would have in Mexico, but it’s a definite bang for your buck and exceeds any level of expectations one would have for cheap Mexican fast food. They even have bottles of Tapatio Mexican hot sauce on the table, which is a sign of a good Mexican restaurant that would attract Mexican locals as well as locals in general.

Being from Vancouver, BC where there is a severe lack of authentic and good Mexican food, I thought Taqueria El Rinconsito was freaking awesome and delicious! I’ve had Tex-Mex and some better Mexican food before and I have been to Mexico, but I can’t say I’m very familiar with the cuisine or that I have it often enough to compare. I did have this meal with a friend from San Diego who really knows his Mexican cuisine, and he too enjoyed the food here. It’s not the best Mexican food out there, but the quality and price is unbeatable and I would definitely come again. It was a late night snack and we ordered the generic stuff just to sample the basics, and now I can’t wait to try their not as popularized Mexican food.

You can eat like a king and order everything on the menu and have it make a small dent in the wallet.

On the table:

**5 Tacos – 5/6

• Your choice of meat $7.09USD
• Meat choices: Asada (steak), Adobada (spicy pork), carnitas (fried pork), pollo (chicken), birria (shredded beef), cabeza (roasted cow head), and lengua (roasted cow tongue).
• I tried all the tacos except the roasted cow head and tongue. I didn’t know what they were and they didn’t have the English translation on the menu. I’ve tried BBQ cow heart before at El Inka Deli and that was good, so I’d be curious to try these other organs although I’m not eager. Cow tongue I’ve tried and that’s not foreign, but the cow head is new to me.
• The best tacos were the Carnitas (shredded fried pork) and the Adobada (spicy pork). They were the most tender meats and had the most flavour. All the meats were  general well flavoured though and each taco was generously filled.
• You can get corn or white flour tortillas, but the authentic way is to eat them with corn tortillas. They’re homemade here too and each taco is about the size of a CD so they’re served the authentic way. It’s also two corn tortillas per taco and that’s the traditional way to eat Mexican tacos.

**Mulitas – 4.5/6

• Choice of meat, Jack cheese, onions, cilantro, salsa and guacamole (2) $4.38USD
• It was my first time trying these so I have nothing to compare to, but I enjoyed them! It kind of reminded me a Mexican version of a Shao Bing I tried at Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie.
• We ordered them with spicy pork (Adobada).

• It was almost like a quesadilla meets a hard taco.  The stuffing is sandwiched between two crispy white flour tortilla shells. This were the juiciest and sauciest item we ordered and messiest to eat. They’re generously filled and it’s a bit greasy, but still delicious. It’s savoury, slightly spicy from the pork, creamy and sweet from the guacamole and nice and crispy from the tortilla shell.
• The guacamole isn’t the best guacamole ever, but for the price, it does the job fine and it still tastes fine and I can still taste avocado.

**Sopitos - 4/6

• Choice of meat, beans, onions, cilantro, salsa, cabbage, tomato, Mexican cream & Mexican cheese $5.99USD
• I was really surprised to see these on here because it’s not expected for a cheap little Mexican fast food joint. Again it was my first time trying them and I enjoyed them, but half of one is more than enough because they’re really substantial and filling. It’s a sloppy mess of deliciousness, but also the key to food coma.

• Sopitos are thick tortillas with raised edges and they’re homemade here. They kind of make them a batch at a time, so although they’re made fresh it’s not upon order.
• It tastes like a very thick and doughy tortilla and it’s very bread like and dense. They’re not really soft, but almost like a Mexican style pita.

• The sopitos are piled high and I ordered 3, one with Carnitas (shredded fried pork), another with steak and the last with spicy pork. My favouite was the pork ones again, it just as the most flavour.
• The Mexican cheese is almost like a crumbled Feta and it’s nice and salty. The Mexican cream tastes like sour cream or Crème fraîche. It’s slightly runnier and has the same tanginess.
• The sopitos taste like a burrito piled on top of a Mexican style pita that’s almost like dense cornbread.

**Torta Regular – 4.5/6

• Choice of meat, onions, cilantro, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, and mayo $4.79USD (Extra for avocado)
• Meat choices: Asada (steak), Adobada (spicy pork), carnitas (fried pork), pollo (chicken), birria (shredded beef), cabeza (roasted cow head), and lengua (roasted cow tongue).
• The only torta I’ve tried was from Las Tortas, and I loved it there; although they make gourmet tortas.
• These ones were super stuffed with meat and fresh vegetables and it was delicious! The Mexican bun was also very soft and not to thick and I could taste everything. It was tangy with the salsa, and the jalapenos were pickles so it was slightly spicy but not overpowering.

Pollo Ranchero – 2.5/6

• Chicken cooked in a spicy sauce, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes. Served with rice, beans, salsa, and tortillas $8.49USD
• This was a pretty big portion, but I wasn’t that impressed with it. The chicken was mildly spicy but the veggies were nice and caramelized and sweet. It was almost like chicken fajitas.
• The rice was alright, but a little sitting there and the beans were just normal re-fried beans that didn’t look too appetizing, but tasted fine.

Mexican Drinks

• The also offer a self-serve drink counter with a variety of juices and iced teas like mango juice, Horchata, Agua Fresca, and Hibiscus tea.
• Horchata is amazing – it the white drink on the very right. It’s made from rice, cinnamon and lemons and it tastes almost like rice pudding made into a drink. it’s very aromatic and sweet and almost nutty in flavour.

Dessert

They off cheesecake, churros, flan and deep-fried ice cream all for $3. 29USD. The choice for me was obvious…

Deep Fried Ice Cream – 1.5/6

• $3.29USD
• The deep fried ice cream was huge, but it wasn’t that good. It was a big ball of vanilla ice cream rolled in cornflakes and them deep fried. This is kind of the lazy way of making it because it’s not supposed to have a cornflake batter.

• The cornflake batter tasted soggy and stale and we didn’t even eat it. The best deep fried Mexican ice cream I’ve had was from Luna Loca Mexican Cantina where the batter was almost made from graham crackers, cinnamon and sugar. It’s really good when they use ground nuts in the batter too.

Restaurant: Empire Chinese Cuisine
Cuisine: Chinese/Seafood
Last visited: April 15, 2010
Location: Richmond, BC
Address: 8251 Alexandra Road
Price Range: Dim Sum $10-20 / Dinner $20-30

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

Food: 5.5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Dim Sum/Lunch/Dinner
• Busy/line-ups
• Popular to Chinese locals
• Traditional, authentic Chinese food
• Fresh seafood, in house tanks
• Lots of variety
• Great for dim sum or dinner
• Moderately priced
• Good quality, reliable, quick service
• Clean, comfortable, spacious
• Great service esp. for Chinese restaurant
• Same owners as Empire Seafood Restaurant
• Better than Empire Seafood Restaurant
• 10% off before 12pm? (I think)
• Available for banquets/private parties
• Reservations recommended
• Free parking, but fills up quickly at peak hours

**Recommendations: Dim Sum, crab, lobster, steamed soy sauce prawns, steamed broccoli with crab meat and egg whites, Peking duck wraps, steamed scallops on tofu with back bean sauce, crispy chicken with soy sauce tea leaves, baked tapioca pudding with taro paste – everything at this particular dinner was excellent!

Empire Chinese Cuisine restaurant is located on Alexandra Road, also known as “eating street” in Richmond, BC. I’ve posted on the dim sum and the banquet dinner offered at Empire Chinese Cuisine restaurant, and this post is on their Alaskan King Crab dinner. There’s a reason why we (family/friends) keep coming back to this place, and that’s because it has consistently great service, food and ambiance. It is considered to be on the Chinese fine dining level, but the prices are still reasonable and it’s worth it in my opinion for the quality of food they offer.

It’s always busy for dim sum and dinner and although they have quite a large (free) parking lot it fills up super quickly, so early reservations are strongly recommended. On this occasion we came for their Alaskan King Crab dinner, which is one of the many dinners I have had here. I was actually more impressed with their regular dinner than banquet style dinner and dim sum.

The Alaskan King Crab dinner is one of the best Chinese meals ever. It’s seasonal (around March-May) and although they still have some in stock throughout the year it’s very expensive and not as good to have it out of season. It’s extremely popular and famous to have Alaskan King Crab in Vancouver because we’re close to the source and have outstanding Chinese food in general. It’s not out of the ordinary to hear people from Hong Kong and other parts of the world traveling to Vancouver just for Alaskan King Crab season. It’s a substantial meal so it’s a dinner that’s good for groups of 6 or more and they charge according to the weight of the crab ($9.99-19.99/lbs).  Alaskan King Crab is a Chinese delicacy and as a full set meal it’s usually prepared in 3 general parts: Steamed Alaskan King Crab legs, deep fried Alaskan King Crab knuckles, and Baked Alaskan King Crab fried rice. It’s really a must try meal and everything from the shells, meat, and guts is used in this gourmet dinner.

On the table:

**Peking Duck with Crepes – 5/6

• Peking Duck – Part 1
• It was a bit different than the banquet style Peking duck I’ve also tried here. Instead of serving just the skin, they actually sliced it with duck meat as well. If they serve it just the skin than Kirin does it best, however I like it when there’s a bit of meat attached to it as well.
• Despite the meat looking dry in the picture, it was actually quite tender and the skin was very crispy. The meat was leaner as well and the fat between the meat and the skin was thin and not chewy, but tender. It’s not as desired to have the overly fatty or greasy duck like the Imperial Peking Duck from Wing Lei in Las Vegas.

• The crepes are homemade and always nice and thin here with a slightly chewy texture. You wrap a slice of duck, green onions, cucumber and Hoisin sauce in it. Delicious!

Daily Soup – 5/6

• Chicken & honey date soup.
• I love the daily soup, and I’m not sure what the exact name of it is. It’s basically Chinese style chicken soup and it’s excellent. It’s sweet from the dates and dried gogi berries, savoury with lots of chicken flavour and slightly bitter at the end, probably from the ginseng. It’s very healthy, not oily, and a great light soup to start off a traditional Chinese meal.

• The ingredients used to make the soup are presented on a separate plate, however if eaten at home it may just be in one bowl. In this case there was tons of lean chicken, dried Chinese red dates, Chinese Wolfberries (dried gogi berries), Astragalus root, and probably some Ginseng. The ingredients is served with a side of sweet soy sauce for dipping.
• The chicken has a dry in texture on it’s own because all the flavour and juices cook into the soup. However it’s still excellent when dipped in the sweet soy and the meat is very lean and still flavourful from the ingredients of the soup.
• The red dates (honey dates) are plump, fiberous, mushy and mildly sweet and I love those. The Astagalus root is fiberous and almost tastes like yucca root or a potato. It’s the pale yellow slices in the pile.

**Garlic Steamed Alaskan King Crab Legs – 6/6

Restaurant: Wing Lei (Chinese Restaurant)
Cuisine: Chinese/Seafood/Contemporary
Last visited: August 17, 2010
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada (On the strip – inside The Wynn)
Address: 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Price Range: $50USD +

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

Food: 3.5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Contemporary Chinese cuisine
• 1 Michelin Star restaurant
• AAA Four Diamond Award of Excellence
• “Best Chinese Restaurant” – Las Vegas Life Mag
• Executive Chef Ming Yu
• Blend of Cantonese, Shanghai, Szechuan cuisine
• Famous for Peking Duck
• Seasonal menus
• Chef’s specialty menu available upon request
• Good for groups
• Set menus available
• Full wine bar
• Reservations recommended
• Dinner only 5:30-10pm
• Casual business attire
  

**Recommendations: Come to Vancouver

Wing Lei is a fine dining Chinese restaurant located on the strip at The Wynn hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Wing” is a play on the hotel name “Wynn” and together “Wing Lei” means eternal prosperity. It serves a mix of Cantonese, Shanghainese and Szechuan cuisine and they pretty much took the classic favourites from each and put it on the menu. Wing Lee is modeled off of the best Chinese restaurants found in Hong Kong hotels and the food is finely executed for the most part. The atmosphere is gorgeous, the staff is in Armani uniforms, and the food is generally good, but overrated and overpriced.

Honestly, I can’t call Wing Lei authentic Chinese cuisine and I’m not sure if they claim to be as they do mention that their style has French influence. The authentic dishes are quite authentic, but there’s definitely some fusion going on with some of the dishes and I can confidently say that Chinese food is the best in Vancouver, BC. I am so lucky to live here… there… ? I would define it as contemporary Chinese and I was more impressed with the non-traditional dishes because I had nothing to compare them too.

I wasn’t necessarily disappointed and the food wasn’t horrible, but it was no different than good Chinese food I could get anywhere else in Vancouver. I could even get it better for 1/4 of the price… mind you, you are paying for the overall ambiance and experience of dining at Wing Lei – a “1 Michelin Star restaurant” that’s also “the best Chinese restaurant in Las Vegas” and a “AAA Four Diamond Award of Excellent for 2008, 2009, and 2010.” So did those titles make a difference for me? Not so much… I don’t know maybe it’s because I’m way too familiar with the culture and the food to know that there’s better. I also wasn’t in charge of ordering this meal, but was open to seeing how this “best Chinese restaurant in Las Vegas” would compare.

On the table:

**Lychee Blosson Martini – 5/6

• Grey Goose L’Orange Vodka, Soho Lychee Liqueur, Lychee Puree, Sweet & Sour $16USD
• This was delicious. It’s their signature drink, a classic martini that’s very strong, but also quite sweet and fruity so it’s very dangerous. It’s very floral and it probably would have been better if the lychee fruit was more in season, but still one of the best lychee martini’s I’ve had.

**Hibiscus Highball - 5/6

• Tanqueray Rangpur Gin, Grand Marnier, Sweet and Sour, Hisbiscus Syrup, Mint, Club Soda $14USD
• Minty, floral, sweet and tangy, slightly carbonated with orange and cranberry like notes served with a candied Hibiscus flower. Equally as delicious as the lychee martini and just as dangerous.

Peking Duck Salad – 4.5/6

• Mesclun lettuce, slivered almonds, mandarins, peanut-truffle vinaigrette $14USD
• This is not Chinese at all, it’s Chinese meets French, but it was still good and I really liked it. I could really taste the truffle oil which also had a nuttiness that I loved and it stood out most for me. It was a combination of flavours that I didn’t expect, or have I ever tried together, but thoroughly enjoyed. It was savoury, sweet with a juicy citrus tang from the orange, bitter greens and crunchy almonds. The cup it was served in which was a pastry tart shell was hard though and I would have preferred a flaky buttery shell instead.

Crab Salad with Golden Beet Root Carpaccio – 4.5/6

• Seasonal special – Sweet Chili Soy, Lemon fish dressing $16USD
• Again, this is not Chinese at all. Never in my life have I seen beets used at a Chinese restaurant, however in this case the Euro-Asian flavours worked here as well.
• I loved the sweet tender red and yellow beets, bitter frisee with the crunchy juicy lobster marinated with a sweet and sour, yet savoury dressing with a slight chili kick at the end. It was sweet chili sauce made into a vinaigrette with some savoury light soy, pungent fish sauce and splash of lemon juice, all the flavours went together perfectly.

Beef Tendon Slices – 2/6

• Star Anise Jus $20USD (On specialty menu available upon request)
• Traditionally this would be served on a cold appetizer platter like the one here at Shun Feng, or here at Kirin, or here at Sun Sui Wah.
• The beef tendon slices at Wing Lei were a bit more marinated and coated than I’m used to. It had a sweet chili sauce that had a slight licorice flavour, but it wasn’t that spicy. I’m not a fan of beef tendon though, I always find them a bit rubbery and dry and the clear tendon part is crunchy and comes out of nowhere, so I would usually pass.

Cold Jelly Fsh – 1/6

• Oyster chili vinigairette $18USD (On specialty menu available upon request)
• This was the most disappointing. This would traditionally be found on the cold appetizer platter as well along with the beef tendon slices.
• For sure I’ve had better jelly fish. It was bland and barely marinated and I couldn’t see or taste the vinaigrette at all. This was a twist on tradition because it’s usually supposed to be marinated in sugar, vinegar, salt, sesame oil and sometimes with a bit of chili flakes.

Imperial Peking Duck – 4/5

• Carved table side, steamed buns, cucumber, scallions, Hoisin sauce $78USD
• This is Wing Lei’s most popular dish and claim to fame. It’s a Peking duck that comes out on a cart and it’s carved right at your table. However this is the traditional way it’s served and if you go to any decent Chinese restaurant they will do the same. At Wing Lei they make the wraps for you before serving it and of all the times I’ve had this dish (a lot) I’ve never had it served this way. If you’re an “experienced” Peking duck diner than these were good, but you’ve probably had better.
• The duck was incredibly fatty and it was the fattiest duck I’ve had in an Imperial Peking Duck wrap. The skin was also not as crispy as I’ve had it and that’s the most important part to this dish. The duck itself was tender and juicy, but the fat wasn’t even that tender so I found it chewy and way too oily and greasy.
• The carving of the duck was also not traditional – see the Peking Duck wraps at Kirin or Empire Chinese cuisine to see how it’s usually served. I would prefer the Peking Duck wraps at Kirin, Rainflower, or Empire Chinese Cuisine, all in Vancouver, BC.
• The twist was the wrap – they used steamed buns instead of thin crepes. These steamed buns sure made these wraps more filling and they taste like thin sheets or rolled mantou (a super soft and chewy Shanghainese bread). These buns were excellent, but I would prefer the traditional crepes.

Peking Duck – 3.5/6

• This was the remaining duck that was served as is.
• I’m used to having the rest of the duck prepared for a lettuce wrap, and I think they still offer that as an option here.
• The duck was juicy, tender sweet and savoury, but I’ve had the skin crispier.

Wok Fried Maine Lobster & Noodles - 3.5/6

• Scallions, ginger, Sherry sauce, served in shell $68USD
• I think you have to request noodles and it’s probably an additional $15USD or so for that.
• This was good, but Chinese lobster is almost always good as long as it’s not overcooked. I’ve also had it better in Vancouver. The sauce was very simple and basic and the noodles were very mediocre. Overall I would have liked more lobster flavour in the sauce itself, the Sherry sauce just wasn’t obvious and some of the noodles were a bit dry. The lobster was tender and juicy and perfectly cooked though.

Steamed Chinese Egg Custard – 4/6

• Made with egg and preserved century egg about $28USD
• A recurring special, but not available on the regular menu.
• This dish has always been excellent, so it was not different here. It’s a 6/6 in general, but a 4/6 here.
• This is a super traditional dish that Chinese mom’s would make at home. It ‘s a typical Chinese comfort dish that is rarely served at Chinese restaurants because of it’s simplicity. It stems back from the olden days when people used to put eggs on the table as a filler because it was inexpensive and easy. It was almost the equivalent of ordering a tuna casserole. It’s good, mom usually makes it best, and it would be surprising to even see it on a fine dining menu.
• Egg custard is not a typical dish to foreigners, so it works in favour of the restaurant because it is delicious and they get credit for introducing a “new” Chinese dish.

• Despite the fact that it’s a simple dish, they actually did a decent job with it. The texture was silky smooth like tofu and I loved having the preserved century duck egg in there. The black coloured egg, a Chinese delicacy, tastes like a bland firm jelly on the outside with an extremely thick and creamy pungent egg yolk that’s slightly salty and hinders a slight vinegar aftertaste. If you’ve never tried it, you’re missing out, but I grew up with it so I’m biased. My mom would put salted egg in this dish as well and some cilantro and onions, but everyone has their own interpretation.
• This one also had a lot of soy sauce and usually it comes with the soy sauce on the side so that people can put it on themselves. It was a light soy sauce and it gave the steamed egg custard a savouriness that was all very light.
• It’s rare to see at a Chinese restaurant, but Negative Space Chinese Cuisine offers one and there are excellent Japanese versions at Seto Sushi and Koto Izakaya and Robata.

Salt and Pepper Crispy Prawns – 4.5/6

• Jalapeno, crispy garlic $32USD
• This was delicious as it always is and I was actually quite impressed because it was the last thing I ate and even though it was slightly cold by then, it was still very crispy.
• On the other hand, as long as the restaurant it using fresh prawns I could easily find it just as good or even better in Vancouver, BC. The salt and pepper garlic chili seasoning is a typical Chinese flavour used to prepare deep fried seafood (I’ve even had it prepared with worms, and I can honestly say it makes everything taste better – see here). Usually there is even more crispy garlic like the Deep Fried Black Cod with Special Garlic available at dim sum from Empire Chinese Cuisine.
• The best deep fried seafood like this I’ve had is the famous Under the Bridge chili crab in Hong Kong.

Garlic Beef Tenderloin – 5/6

• $38USD
• There’s no menu description, but it was scallions, bamboo shoots, snap peas and I’m pretty sure the standard garlic soy reduction.
• I have to give praise to the beef tenderloin which was very well flavoured and extremely tender.  However the sauce is just your standard Chinese stir fry sauce with perhaps some fermented soy bean paste. The execution was normal so there is nothing too special about the dish besides the beef. It was very good, but you could find this at any nice Chinese restaurant that uses a high quality beef.

Three Cup Chicken – 3/6

• Garlic, scallions, basil, sweet ginger soy reduction $28USD
• I barely remember this dish and that’s probably because it was nothing out of the ordinary. I know it was good, but also nothing that stood out. the sauce was just a typical good Asian sauce and the basil added an aromatic quality, but other than that it was as good as chicken with garlic, ginger and soy sauce. also the main ingredients in every single Asian dish…

Hunan Spicy Lamb - 4/6

• Scallions, chili, garlic soy reduction $32USD
• Sorry for the poor image – it was spinning around the lazy susan and last to come on the table so I didn’t want to cause a hold up.
• I’m not a huge fan of lamb, but this one wasn’t too gamey and it was really tender, soft and buttery pieces of lamb loin. It was the spiciest dish of the night and I’m sure you could find this in Vancouver although I’m not sure where yet.

Braised Eggplant – 5/6

• Bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, chili soy sauce $12USD
• I actually thoroughly enjoyed this dish, but I also just really love eggplant and this dish is always good to me. The portion was small, but it was a side so it’s understandable.
• What made this dish stand out was how finely executed it was which each ingredient being cut to perfection. The eggplants were really tender, soft and creamy with a slight spice and I liked the crunchiness of the vegetables.
• However the braised eggplant with chili sauce from Shanghai River in Vancouver, BC  is just as good if not better. Chen’s Shanghai Kitchen and even Congee Noodle House does a good version and Tropika as well, although that’s Malaysian style.

Sichuan Green Beans – 2/6

• Garlic chili paste $12USD
• A typical dish you can find anywhere. It was just a mediocre Sichuan green bean dish and it wasn’t that spicy and could have used more garlic. I actually prefer when they sautee it with some dried shrimps. It gives it a nutty salty flavour that’s even better than this version.

Yang Chow Fried Rice – 3/6

• Shrimp, BBQ pork, chicken, eggs, asparagus, scallions $16USD
• This was done quite well with lots of shrimp and ingredients. The flavour was quite tasty, but no different from a regular Yang Chow Fried Rice from a good Chinese restaurant.

Steamed Jasmine Rice

• $5USD
• The most overpriced bowl of plain white rice ever.

Event: Pacific National Exhibition (PNE)
Cuisine: American/International/Carnival food/Fast Food/Desserts
Last visited: August 24, 2010
Location: Vancouver, BC (East Vancouver)
Address: 2901 East Hastings Street
Price Range: $10 or less – $10-20

My video at the PNE Tweet Up with 24 Hours. Click here if video is not apperaing.

It’s the 100th Anniversary for the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in Vancouver, BC and I was happy to attend the first Twitter meet up (Tweet Up) about PNE food. I admit, it’s been a while since I’ve attended PNE, but I was more than happy to explore the foodie atmosphere being offered this year. What I was expecting to see was cotton candy, mini donuts, candy apples, hot dogs, hamburgers and fries, but what I got was a lot more!

Popular Vancouver tweeters and food bloggers were invited to attend the Tweet Up and sample food offered at the PNE. The event was organized by the lovely Melissa from Missy Media and each of us were given 3 food vouchers to use at participating food stands. I was pleased to see the traditional food stalls as well as some international cuisine including Indian, Japanese, Ukrainian and even buffalo burgers. Vancouver is so multi-cultural that it would be a waste not to showcase the ethnic cuisine we offer. The PNE is also a family affair so it’s a great place to start introducing children to new foods rather than the standard carnival food. I just can’t wait to see even more diverse foods being offered, like dragon’s beard candy which is almost an Asian cotton candy.

I was focused on finding ethnic food stands as well as the traditional all time favourite stands with the longest line-ups. I’ve never explored the PNE food court to this degree so I wanted to take advantage and target the places that only operate during the PNE food fair. I ended up sampling a variety of food because many of us shared the items we brought back. The event was super fun and we left with candy apples, cotton candy, a belly full of grease, rotten teeth and sticky Blackberries and iPhones – it was everything I expected and more!

Added note: It’s hard to take the prices into consideration because all carnival food is always expensive. It’s like movie theatre food, and you just kind of have to expect it. I’m also “rating” everything based on it being carnival food rather than “restaurant” food, and also relative to the other items offered an the PNE food fair. I also have no affiliated association with 24 Hours or PNE.

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

**Recommendations: Hunky Bill’s: ribs, pulled pork burger with red beet horseradish, chicken strips, perogies

On the table:

Stop 1: Hunky Bill’s

Hunky Bill’s Ukrainian food has been at PNE for 48+ years and it was one of the consistently busiest stands. The perogies, corned beef, spareribs, and chicken strips are all made in Winnipeg where Hunky Bill, the owner, claims is the place for the best Ukrainian food (besides in Ukraine). I asked for his recommendations and was sold as soon as I saw pulled pork and ribs on the menu. To top it off, everything is served with a side of perogies!

**Hunky Bill’s Bar-B-Q Pulled Pork  – 4.5/6

• In a bun with side cole slaw, 3 perogies or fries $10
• Hunky Bill’s is famous for his pulled pork burger and it was pretty freaking delicious whether it was was”carnival food” or not. The pulled pork was tender, juicy, and plentiful and super saucy with a sweet onion BBQ sauce that absorbed straight into the soft burger bun. The bun was just a standard burger bun and it would be better if it was toasted.
• The highlight was the secret red beet horseradish sauce Hunky Bill topped my sandwich off with. Ask for it! It’s make the burger and it’s delicious! It’s not even that spicy, but you can tell there’s horseradish in it. It’s a sweet horseradish that’s been preserved for days in red beets so the kick is gone, but it’s slightly sweet with a radish aftertaste. Loved it!
• The cole slaw is very lightly dressed and it’s even better if you put it on top of the pulled pork burger.
• In terms of quality, portion and flavour, this was one of the best things I ordered.

Ukrainian Combo Dinner – 3/6

• Perogies, cabbage roll, sausage & bread with a drink – about $12
• This is a pretty typical Ukrainian plate with Rye bread and a pickle to top it off.
• Sausage – 3/6
  • It’s decent and they give about 10 slices. They were pan-fried and not too salty or greasy which was surprising. The sausage itself was a bit on the soft side though.
• Cabbage roll – 1/6
  • It’s the only thing I didn’t like. It was stuffed with a really soft pork meatloaf made with a lot of fillers. It was overcooked and topped with a tomato sauce and overall it was just way too mushy that I didn’t even have to chew it.

• Perogies – 4/6
  • The highlight on this plate for me. Served with sour cream and the perogies are deep fried which made it extra indulgent. I’ve never had deep fried perogies before and the batch wasn’t as fresh so they were chewy and it made the skin taste a  bit thicker than normal. I would have preferred them pan-fried, but in the context of “carnival” it’s fine.
  • The filling on the other hand was a delicious creamy potato cheese and onion filling and it was all pureed with a slight orange yellow colour. They were super creamy and well flavoured and made from a perogie factory in Winnipeg (which I’m not sure if Hunky Bill owns).  some of the perogies came with fried onions on top, so I would make sure to request this.
  • The most delicious perogies to date that I’ve had are from Habit Lounge.

**Winnipeg Bar-B-Q Back Spareribs (Full slab) Plate – 5/6

• With side cole slaw, half char grilled  baguette, fries or perogies $13
• The famous hands of Hunky Hank handing me a plate of his world famous Winnipeg Bar-B-Q back spareribs.
• These were delicious! Falling off the bones tender and probably because they boiled them first. But they’re still flavouful and smothered in a sweet tomato and onion barbeque sauce. It was a homemade sauce and I could see and taste the sweet caramelized diced onions. The ribs were so tender and juicy and I was seriously impressed to have this quality and flavour of meat at a carnival. For $13 I actually think this was well worth it!

Stop 2: Henry’s Chicken BBQ

Henry’s Chicken BBQ is a local favourite and popular food stand at the PNE. There’s always a line-up although the location is a bit isolated from the the main strip of food stalls. The main attraction is the chicken. The chicken is is roasted in an open fire pit right beside the stall and they constantly spray them with a house made seasoning. Of course this is no comparison to world famous Texas BBQ with REAL open fire pits like at Salt Lick BBQ or Smitty’s Market, but it’s impressive for a food fair and still a sight worth checking out.

I can’t imagine how many chickens they go through a day… this was at about 7-7:30pm

1/4 Chicken, Cole Slaw, Potato Salad – 4/6

• 1/4 Chicken – 4/6
  
  • 1/2 chicken – $9.75 1/4 chicken – $5.25
  • The highly anticipated and highly talked about chicken at the PNE food fair.
  • The skin is a bit soggy and soft because they constantly spray it with seasoning as it cooks on the fire pit so it never has time to really crisp up. Despite the chicken looking dry and wrinkly, it was actually very tender, moist and juicy. It does have a very good savoury flavour with a classic poultry seasoning spice. It was very good, but I would prefer Nando’s, and it’s a kid’s size chicken for $5.25 so it’s pretty pricey.

• Cole Slaw – 3/6
  • $2.75
  • I actually liked the cole slaw here. The veggies are fresh and crunchy and it’s easily dressed with a tangy vinaigrette with a little mayo. It was a bit on the watery side and significantly overpriced, but it was refreshing after all the grease I had.

• Potato Salad – 5/6
  • $2.75
  • The potato salad was actually one of the most memorable parts. It was an ultra creamy and thick potato salad with a few diced pickles and celery in it. It was super rich and indulgent with lots of mayo and probably some hard boiled eggs in the mix. It was savoury and tangy and almost like whipped mashed potato salad meets egg salad, but I couldn’t see the egg.

Stop 3: C-Lovers Fish & Chips

C-Lovers Fish & Chips is another classic food stall at the PNE. There are several stalls offering this American favourite (fish n’ chips), but C-Lovers is the only one that specializes in it. There’s a handful of stand alone C-Lovers restaurants in Vancouver and the lower mainland, but I haven’t tried them yet. Everything from the batter to the tartar sauce is hand made and fresh so I do appreciate the quality. I can’t say if it’s the best fish n’ chips offered at the PNE, considering I’ve only tried C-Lovers, but I can say that it does have a constant line-up and loyal following.

1 Piece Halibut & Fries

• $12.75
• The 1 piece cod & fries was about $9.75
• The piece was actually quite long (as it should be for that price) but also quite thin. It’s not as big as Moby Dick’s Fish n’ Chips in White Rock, BC which is my favourite place for fish n’ chips.

• The halibut was tender, juicy and flaky and the batter was light and crispy and I really liked the fact that it stayed glued to the fish itself. I hate when the batter slips off and I’m eating the two separately.
• The homemade tartar sauce was also quite light and not just gloppy mayo and relish. It had a nice tangy flavour to it and it was great with the fries as well. The fries were hand cut with the skins on made from fluffy Russet potatoes, however they were soggy and needed to be double-fried.

Chicken Pesto Crepe – 4/6

• About $7.95

• This is from the one and only crepe stand, and I sampled it at the table. I was actually impressed because I didn’t expect it to be so generously stuffed with lots of chicken, cheese and pesto. It was also topped with more chicken, cheese and roasted red-peppers. The chicken was a bit bland and on the dry side, but there was enough pesto and gooey cheese that it helped. I actually really enjoyed this.

Desserts

Stop 4: Ernie’s Ice Cream

Ernie’s Ice Cream is a tinny little food stall serving soft serve ice cream and sundaes. It’s a simple little stall and I was craving ice cream as usual to wash down dinner.This dessert was complimentary of fashion blogger Nicole’s PNE food voucher.

Large Vanilla Ice Cream Cones – 2/6

• $4 each
• This ice cream was pretty expensive and it was really thick and creamy. It was almost too thick to the point where it didn’t taste cold anymore, and it doesn’t have much flavour at all. The cones also tasted just like cardboard. I would prefer McDonald’s soft serve ice cream cones or Dairy Queen cones. Since this was the last thing I ate I actually had to go home and eat more ice cream to feel fully satisfied.

Excuse the image of nibbled on Elephant Ears, but I tried about 4 and this was the least destroyed of them all by the time I got to dessert.

Elephant Ears – n/a

• A classic PNE favourite, however I remember them being better. Maybe I had them when they were a bit cold so they weren’t as good so I just won’t ‘rate’ it. They were really thin and a bit tough and overall I prefer the mini donuts to these. For the most glorified delicious Drunken Mini Donuts get them at Romer’s Burger Bar.
• This was the Apple Pie Elephant Ear complimentary of food bloggers David and Ann from Me Plus Food, and it was just too much cream that the elephant ear got soggy and became secondary. The apples were nicely layered over top, but also really fake tasting and a bit mushy.
• I also tried a Pizza Elephant Ear topped with marinara sauce and cheese and it didn’t work at all.
• My favourite of all the elephant ears was the traditional cinnamon and sugar hands down.

Deep Fried Jelly Bellies - n/a

• I much rather have deep fried Oreos or Mars Bars. I’ve seen deep fried jelly bellies before, but never wanted to order them or really try them. Luckily someone else ordered them so I was still able to try them and they weren’t very well liked by anyone.
• I had them warm so they were definitely not that good. It was just half melted jelly bellies in their own sugary syrup with a thin bread like batter. It sticks to your teeth like crazy and it just wasn’t a pleasant experience.