All Entries Tagged With: "Western"
The Cannery Seafood House on Commissioner Street, Vancouver
It’s such a shame.
It’s such a shame that such a fine restaurant like The Cannery are forced to close through no fault of theirs.
Last week, I had a week long strategy planning session with our core project members who came from several countries. The meetings were grueling to say the least. On the last day of the meeting, it rested upon me to organize a team dinner. I love planning dinners like these and chose one of the best place one could go to for such team dinners — The Cannery.
If you have never heard of The Cannery, you will never accidentally bump into this place. It is because it is located out of way. As a matter of fact, it is located right in the middle of the Vancouver Port.
To get to The Cannery you need to clear the port security although it is generally no fuss. They will ask where you are going and they will let you through if you just say you are going to The Cannery.
It will feel kind of weird because located in the middle of warehouses, silos and train tracks is a restaurant very unlike what you will find elsewhere in Vancouver.
The moment we walked, my guests were already remarking how this place exudes the old-fashioned attractiveness and charm. When I told them this place will close in just a few months, they said the same thing … “what a shame”. That is said even before we had started eating.
Gail was saying that they can never replace a place like this. They can’t just close this and hope to reopen it in another place with the same experience. Sha said that it will never be the same again. I agree.
You really got to see this place for yourself. I felt it is just the perfect restaurant for just about any occasion. There are nice little corner with the view of the Burrard Inlet for a nice cozy romantic dinner. At another corner is a casual setting at the fire place.
We got ourselves a very nice corner for our group of 13 people. I could not be happier myself. :-)
Our waitress was a cheerful person and knows the food and drinks they serve very well. Too well, because she rattled off such a long description of the martini that most of us just did not understand what we got. Most of us had that martini “with a dash of raspberry” you see on the right.
We had a few bottles of wines to accompany the food. One of them was Syrah which they all raved about. I had the strong red wine but really, I can’t tell the difference between this vs other red wine. Our waitress offered someone in our party to taste it before they are poured for the rest of us.
Looking at the number of bottles we ordered throughout the night, I can imagine how much this is all gonna cost. Good thing I am not the one who had to expense it!
It was very dim in the restaurant. I had to push the ISO setting to “enhanced” in order take these pictures. Even that, it came out with motion blur for some picture. But really, am glad it turn out mostly OK even with these difficult lightings.
The bread was nothing to shout about and does not wow us at all. I had tasted better … but …
… the lobster oil with the balsamic vinegar pretty much made up for the ho-hum bread. This is produced and bottled in Vancouver and is the invention of their Executive Chef. You can actually buy them at $25 a bottle (see here).
I had a lot of the bread with this dip.
Their menu is laid out as “first course” and “second course” instead of the normal Appetizer and Main.
My first course is the Roasted Mussels ($16). The mussels was kind of OK — no big deal. It was served on a sizzling cast iron pan resting on an iron stand. The better part was not the mussels but the gravy and the really crispy bread.
Here are some of the other first courses that the others in our party ordered. The Cannery’s first courses are … More on following page. Click here to continue reading
Bin 941 Tapas Parlour on Davie and Burrard, Vancouver
“Oh My God!”
That is how we would describe this Friday dinner we had recently.
We had heard so much about the Bin 941 Tapas Parlour … read a number of reviews about them. We never thought it would be our kind of place. Reviews after reviews pointed out their loud music … and that it is dark … and that it is dingy.
Looking at Bin 941 from Davie just off Burrard, you will probably give this place a miss. With rusted looking frontage and just next to a pawn shop, what would you expect? We walked passed by Bin 941 many times. We did not think much of them.
It is cramped. And really small. If you had not known better, you would probably call this a hole in the wall.
There are only tables lining one side of the restaurant … really small tables. Put on a couple of plates and drinks, there is hardly any room left for anything else. The rest of the seats are at the bar.
Regardless, people tell me that the food is great. So I called ahead in the afternoon trying to make a reservation for a table for two. Well, they said that they DON’T take reservation. They told me that if I wanted to be sure of a table, we got to be there early. They open at 5PM for dinner. Only dinner, no lunch. They close late too. Real late … like 2AM.
So we went early. Too early as a matter of fact. It was 15 minutes before opening time. We just walked in because it was cold and windy at that time. Guess what … they shoo’ed us out! Where is the compassion?!? It was frigid cold out there. So we waited outside. It was awkward to say the least. At this point, we thought this whole place is a bad idea.
After 5 minutes, they came out and beckoned us in. “Sorry” they said. They added that it will be a few more minutes before they can tend to us. Fine by us. We were not in a hurry.
Got a drink. Beer on tap for me — $5. Suanne’s is just water — no charge. The drinks menu is just dominated by wine and beer. Certainly no bubble tea here for Suanne.
This place wasn’t that bad. The music was not loud. Certainly not discotheque loud as a reviewer claimed. The place kind of grew on us. Being the first customer that night, we snagged that great little table by the window. It was cramped with hardly any legroom to move.
But it was a fantastic window seat to enjoy the food … a cosy private little corner of our own … and watching the world go by.
It is people watching at its best.
Their menu is just a 1-pager. Very simple. Every single item looked great.
The menu said “Serious About Food” … “Serious About Fun”. They are right … Suanne and I had great food and we had fun too. You will see.
The waitress asked if we were here before. “Nope” we replied. She wanted us to know that they serve the meal one dish at a time. The concept is sharing. We like that. Anyway, between Suanne and I, we had ALWAYS shared our food.
Then the fun began.
We ordered their Pomme Frites. It was only $6. I had never had a taller pile of fries in my life. It was at least 6 inches tall, maybe 7. We have no idea how they managed to pile it so high.
No ketchup necessary. It was drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar. The shoestringy fries very crisp. It was great. Simply some of the best we ever had.
Suanne tugged on one piece and the whole structure … More on following page. Click here to continue reading
Rodney’s Oyster House in Yaletown, Vancouver
Suanne and I went to Hamilton Street in Yaletown for our Friday dinner out. Of all places, we chose a restaurant along Hamilton St because I want to check out the “happening street” during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. I read in the papers that Hamilton street will be made pedestrian only and will be THE connector between the two main party sites for the games.
It will be interesting to see how these restaurants will gear up to maximize on the biggest event ever to be hosted by Vancouver.
We went to Rodney’s Oyster House. Frankly, we are not fans of raw oysters ourselves. I eat it but Suanne, she can’t stand the slimy texture when eaten raw.
We did not have a reservation but on hindsight, it would have been better if we had. It was because they only have one table left when we arrived just before 5PM.
Rodney’s Oyster House has two levels of dining area. We got seated upstairs on the table that overlooks the whole of ground floor. We like that table — great for people watching and observing how the staff shucks the oysters.
Rodney’s is a noisy restaurant. It was not so loud that one could hardly keep up a conversation but it has a very noticeable din.
The first thing they did was to bring the bread even before we got the menu and stuff. Our waiter is great. I read of reviews that Rodney’s wait staff are exceptional, playful and relaxed … they sure are. The waiters are all guys and they are exceptionally good with the ladies. LOL!
The bread was OK … a nice sort of OK. It was sourdough, we think. First thing we did was touch it. Was it warm? No, it was not but we enjoyed it all the same.
For drinks we had Heineken ($5.75) and Iced Tea ($3.50). I got Heineken because, you see, I am on training.
I am training to drink beer without getting flushed red all the time. Yeah, I know you people don’t think this can be trained. I’ll prove you all wrong. LOL!
I swear … my face was not as red as it used to. Don’t believe me? Suanne can attest to that.
Rodney’s call their Happy Hours the Low Tide. Monday to Saturday 3PM to 6PM. We were there for this, otherwise a meal here could be pricey depending on what one order. I was reading this one review that has a couple spending over $90 just on 18 oysters and two bowls of soup.
We see that a lot of people order the oysters by the platter with at least a dozen pieces, often more. We? We asked for … More on following page. Click here to continue reading
IHOP on No 3 Road, Richmond
Oh … I am so swamped with work these days that I had no time for the blog. I would be so drained by the time I got back to work, I would sometimes fall asleep in front of the TV with the notebook on my lap after dinner. So yeah … the blog is furthest from my mind now.
So for the past couple of weeks we had been going back to our favourite restaurants. We did not need to find new places to blog about. It was good to be normal for a change!
We went to IHOP over a month ago. That was how much backlogged we are in writing about our dine out experiences.
IHOP would not have been my first choice but Arksensen and Nanzaro insisted that for once we go for a non-Asian breakfast. So we went to a place closest to our home. It is the one on No 3 Road and Park Road.
This IHOP has an open kitchen right in the middle of the restaurant. So it smell of frying bacons and brewing coffee the moment we walked in. It is like a perfect morning smell.
One thing that struck me was how all the IHOPs that we went to so far are the same. They even uses the same bronze color flasks for coffee and the four syrup dispensers. It is not just with the Vancouver area IHOPs but it is the same in all the IHOPs we went to before in Washington state, Georgia, Nevada, California and Pennsylvania.
By the way, do you know why they call IHOP the International House of Pancakes? It is because they serve German, French and Swedish styles pancakes. They are also known for their French toasts and Belgian waffles. Now you know.
It was coffee for the adults and … More on following page. Click here to continue reading
The Edge Social Grille and Lounge on Granville, Vancouver
Friday is my favourite day of the week. That is day out — with our boys blessings. Nanzaro and Arkensen is at the age when they are just glad to get rid of us from the house.
A couple of Fridays ago, Suanne and I decided to go for a movie. As much as we could do the movie in Richmond, we decided to go downtown and at the same time check out the new restaurant we had walked past several times the past months.
We came across The Edge because we often parked along Granville Street. Parking was (is?) free because I think of the road constructions the city were making. I don’t think this will be free for long … but until they start collecting for parking, we will always park here when we are in downtown.
The Edge is new. It is about maybe 1-2 months new. Located at the intersection with Helmcken St along Granville St, the Edge lies smack in the midst of the Granville Entertainment District. This section of Granville St had undergone a lot of changes the past year and I like the changes I see.
The Edge is actually located at the ground floor of the Best Western Chateau Granville which makes me think that The Edge will get many tourist type customers.
We were surprised how big The Edge was. We can see that they have all sorts of seating configurations. We were asked if we wanted to sit by the dining area, the lounge or at the outside patio. We decided to take the dining area although the plush seats at the lounge was kind of inviting. We were here to eat.
As plush as this place is, there was something here that was so unexpected. We could hear the cloud clanking of stir frying wok from where we sat!
Service was great. Our waitress was chatty. She thought we were tourists because we had a camera with us. She asked where we are from. We were evasive and said “around and what about you?”. She went on to tell us she is Australian and how she had been all over the world working and had just came to Vancouver. When she said that I was thinking that perhaps people are starting to turn up in Vancouver to work part-time leading to the Olympics. You reckon?
I said I wanted a light beer and was given a Coors Light. (yeah, yeah, yeah … too much foam I know). Hey, is this the beer where the color of the mountain on the label turns blue if it is cold enough. I saw it on the TV commercial several times already. I tried to warm up the label by rubbing it but it stayed blue.
Oh even with “light” beer, my face gets all red. Tell me … why is that so? You think with “training” I could get less red over time?
On to food … More on following page. Click here to continue reading
Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House on Robson and Thurlow, Vancouver
I just gotta get a few more old posts out of the way before I start on the Spain series. Suanne reminded to do it because she knows that if I don’t blog about it now, I will never get down to doing it.
This is a follow-on post from the Lets Go For Dinner post I made previously. With the $50 dinner certificate, I invited chowtimes readers to join Suanne and I to share the famed Seafood Tower on Ice in Joe Fortes. The plan was to get the $150 THREE-TIER Seafood Tower on Ice and have nothing else but that.
Joe Fortes is located at the busy intersection of Robson and Thurlow. Suanne and I decided to park all the way on Granville St (free street parking!) and walk all the way.
That got us there a bit late. We should have taken the Joe Fortes taxi. LOL! There was this bright yellow taxi parked in front of the restaurant. I was wondering if it is just for show or if it is an actually running taxi operated by the restaurant.
There were five of us who went to Joe Fortes. Jenny (My Secret Eden), Ricky and Anita joined us.
Some of you who are well versed with Vancouver’s history would have heard of Joe Fortes and his contribution to the city (see above). There is a Joe Fortes drinking fountain memorial at the West End’s Alexandra Park.
Now, lets get this clear … Joe Fortes did NOT open nor owned this restaurant. The restaurant just adopted his name. Now you know.
To me, Joe Fortes is a touristy restaurant. I can see lots of tourists eating here.
I had always heard that there are two levels in Joe Fortes. Rumour has it that if you dressed nicely and formally, you get seated upstairs. If you dress in jeans, you are banished to the busy ground floor. To my dismay when we got there, our guests were already seated at the ground floor … not just any table at the ground floor but the WORST table. It was located just at the entrance to the kitchen.
So I had to tell our waiter that I simply cannot enjoy my meal with people rushing behind me every five minutes. They promptly moved us … UPSTAIRS and the best table upstairs too! We had nice bright spot at the corner with a sweeping view of the restaurant. We were quite pleased.
Anyway, the rumour about Joe Fortes seating customers based on how they dressed is not true because we were casually dressed in jeans and Ts. Many customers upstairs are similarly attired.
Service was top notch … very polite and cheerful. The waiters were all decked in short white jacket. Table setting was nice and formal. Things were looking up and I was eagerly anticipating the seafood feast.
Then they gave us warm wet towels. I can’t remember now if they gave this to us at the start or at the end of the dinner. But anyway, I like it.
However, one thing I want to ask all of you for your opinion. You see, when I get this in a dinner with the family, I would take it and wipe my FACE. Ohhhh … it’s so refreshing doing that. However, with friends I just used that to wipe my hands, lest people think I am a hobo (not that I am not one … LOL!).
Is it bad etiquette to wipe the face? Would you use it to wipe your face … have you?
I did not even bother to look at the menu. I just told them we’re there for the Joe’s Seafood Tower on Ice … and emphasizing on THREE TIER!
Our waiter jokingly told us that if we order this he will refuse to allow us to order anything else. The way he said it was convincing us that we had made the right order.
Joe’s Seafood Tower on Ice are available in 1-tier ($49), 2-tiers ($99) and 3-tiers ($145).
Bread was served with soft butter. No complains … good bread.
And there it is … the Joe’s Seafood Tower on Ice. At a glance, it was a sight to behold. It looked so busy with so many goodies in it all at once that you don’t know what you are looking at. Needless to say, everyone was delighted to see it.
We took lots of pictures … standing up. That’s the only way to take the pictures of this towering presentation.
However to my dismay, … More on following page. Click here to continue reading
Tasting at Circa Restaurant and Lounge on Granville St, Vancouver
You have no idea how rough a week it had been for me. There is simply too much work but yet so little time. Thank goodness that there are some wins along the way … and thank goodness there are Fridays!
Suanne and I were back at Circa Restaurant and Lounge yesterday. We were actually in Circa’s a couple of weeks ago for their official launch (we blogged about that event here). The event was not exactly conducive for a tasting. So, we made a return visit to Circa just for that — to really savour their food.
Ever since we blogged about Circa, we were rather surprised by the number of hits from Google searches. It seems that quite a lot of people were aware of this newest restaurant and lounge already. With Circa located right smack in the middle of the Granville Entertainment District in Downtown Vancouver, Circa could very well be a major congregation point on this area. Who knows with the revitalization of Granville to its former glory, this street could be as big as Robson today.
After all, with almost 200-seat dining room, Circa is the largest restaurant on Granville. It is perhaps even the largest restaurant of its style in Vancouver. The restaurant is build from the ground up. One would have thought that Circa is built on an existing building but no, it was built out from an old parking lot. This allows the restaurant to have an unrestricted free hand in the design of a restaurant that allows them to redefine the dining experience.
Spread over the main and mazzanine floors, there are seven distinctly different sections and able to accomodate comfortably after work socials, intimate dining and large group functions. We were drawn to the high ceiling, and walls dominated by white columns, gold leaf edges and elaborate woodwork. In short it was a perfect place to wind down a tough week at work in an intimate environment.
Service was excellent and timing was perfect. We like it when the wait staff came by at the right moment when we are ready. You know sometimes how awkward it is when you need more time to peruse the menu and they came by again and again asking if we are ready. LOL!
Their 2 oz premium cocktails ranges from $8 to $14 (including taxes!). Circa’s cocktails seems to be dominated by fruit juice and puree which were prepared daily. I ordered the Life and Lavender which has Grey Goose La Poire, Giffard Pear, Lavender Honey, Pear Puree and Lemon Juice. Knowing that I light up bright red on strong alcohol, I asked that they half the shots.
Suanne surprised me. She went for a cocktail too (not virgin mind you!). LOL! Her choice was the very lemony juice cocktail called the Lemon Tree. This is Grey Goose, Cointreau and Lemon Juice. She likes it.
Circa’s cocktail are based on classic drinks but made with an unique twist.
We started off with the Pulled Qualicum Pork Poutine ($7). This is the most unique poutine we ever had. Instead of cheese curd and brown gravy, ours had slow cooked shoulder and aged cheddar over hand-cut fries. It was really good and was certainly a fries with a twist. They managed to redefine a very simple Canadian comfort food to something that every could equally love.
What we enjoyed most was this Greek Salad. Simple name but redefined into something more interesting and unique.
