Vancouver, Canada

Vancouver – Hawksworth Restaurant and Fritz European Fry House

July 1, 2017 mmm-yoso Beer, Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Fine Dining, Travel, Vancouver, Canada

I wanted to end our trip to Vancouver with a nice dinner. We'd started the trip with Miku and I thought having dinner on our last night at Hawksworth, which many consider to be Vancouver's "best" restaurant. Best, is of course quite a subjective measure, and I'm really not one to spend too much time on the those…..but I'd read enough on other food blogs and such to actually make a reservation.

The restaurant is located in the Rosewood Hotel, just a few blocks where we were staying. The dining room looked quite small and is fairly cramped and the room is quite loud overall. Service was excellent, very accommodating when we said we'd like, as is our norm to have several apps and one main. They even split our main without us asking and never charged us for it. Best of all was our Sommelier a wonderful whom we asked to match a glass of wine with each of our courses. She was wonderful.

First to arrive was the Beef Loin Tataki (24 CAD).

This was dressed with a ponzu like vinaigrette, with what tasted like a touch of ginger. which added a nice bit of acid; the beef was texturally very nice….not too soft, but pleasantly toothsome. The beef was topped with tender sprouts and a julienne of crisp taro….think taro chips strips. Quite a generous portion…..at this point we were glad we didn't go for 2 mains.

You know if there's a foie gras dish on the menu, we're going to order it right? We got the Foie Gras with Hazelnut and Pain Perdue (26CAD)

This was our least favorite dish of the night….the sour cherry topping and the pain perdue (i.e. "French Toast") just wiped out any of the rich, slightly livery flavor of the foie gras. Too much sweet and sour going on. This was foie gras torchon and didn't really hold up well in terms of texture and taste to all the busy flavors in the dish.

We did enjoy the Braised Lamb Shoulder Cavatelli (20CAD), which was our favorite dish of the evening.

The mahon cheese added a nice bit of slightly smoky. saltiness to the dish. The pasta was perfectly textured; the mint added that bit of bittersweet, palate cleansing, touches to the dish, while the green olives added a nice briney touch. The lamb was very tender and perhaps not gamey enough for our tastes; but in a nice well flavored ragu like this, it was very nice. I was told there were pine nuts in this, but they seemed MIA. Regardless, we really enjoy this dish. This was paired with a Syrah, which added nice mild spice and berry notes to the dish.

Our main course, which was so nicely split was the Duck Breast (44CAD).

The duck was cooked well and the texture was perfect. Not quite sold on the duck leg confit tamale, nor the kind of odd tasting "mole jus". Corn, morel mushroom, and white beans went nicely together; earthy and sweet notes, but I thought the white beans were undercooked.

Again, dessert is the Missus's department and She ordered two.

Though She did take he macarons to go. And enjoyed snacking on them.

I finished with a Vermouth.

We really enjoyed the service here. The quality of the ingredients and prep was excellent; though we thought some of the combinations kind of missed the mark a bit.

Hawksworth Restaurant (In the Rosewood Hotel Georgia)
801 W Georgia St
Vancouver, BC V6C 1P7, Canada

Speaking of good service. While cleaning out my electronics travel case I found this in one of the pockets.

Upon opening it, I suddenly remembered. We had really enjoyed the personal attention of the Sommelier at Hawksworth and appreciated her pairings. Just before leaving she handed us this handwritten card…..in case we wanted to find any of the wines we'd enjoyed during this meal.

Thank You Lydia! You made our night!

We went back to the apartment, packed a bit, and relaxed. We had done a good bit of walking during the day, so I started getting hungry. And thirsty. So while the Missus stayed in and watched videos, I headed back out.

First hitting up our favorite little liquor store (if you hadn't read the story, it's here).

For a couple of brews.

Then down "colorful" Seymour Street…….

This place has quite a history and is supposed to be haunted.

And then over to Davie and Fritz European Fry House.

You see; the Missus said if we were going to have a last snack, we should do it right and get some poutine. After all, our first meal when we arrived was poutine and much to my surprise, the Missus loved it. Fritz is legendary for being one of those "late night post clubbing munchy" sites. It's also a long time favorite for straight up, nothing fancy poutine. Which is what I got.

The cheese curds were nicely melted, yet some of them still had a good texture by the time I got back to the apartment. The gravy was too salty and the fries were overcooked, hard (not crunchy), and rather dry.

Maybe the girl at Viti's was right. When I asked about getting some good poutine, she told me, in that oh, so proper Canadian way, "well sir, I personally think that you need to go to Montreal!"

Fritz European Fry House
718 Davie St
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1B6, Canada
Hours:
Tues – Wed 530pm – 230am
Thurs 1130am – 3am
Fri 1130am – 4am
Sat 1pm – 4am
Sun 1pm – 2am

Walking back up to the apartment, I used Granville Street, which looked like it was closed to traffic. I came back and found that this is known as the Granville Entertainment District.

Relaxing, sitting in the apartment's solarium and looking at the street below, having a couple of brews…..now this was a nice way to end our trip to Vancouver.

We started with poutine and ended with poutine. Having some nice meals, and doing some fun things during our short stay. I'm sure we'll be back; after all, I still need to do a seaplane flight. Though when I asked the Missus what She wanted She told me, "I want some good poutine." So maybe that would be……

Vancouver – Coal Harbour, the Waterfront, and Japadog

June 24, 2017 mmm-yoso Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Hot Dogs, Travel, Vancouver, Canada

After checking out Granville Public Market; the Missus had a "great" idea. Why don't we walk back and do some shopping and check out the waterfront? The Missus knows I love to watch seaplanes….so that was the "carrot". How could I refuse?

So we headed back up Hornby, made a short stop at the apartment to drop off leftovers; then went to check-out the Lululemon Store on Robson. Gladly, the Missus didn't find anything She wanted……even for me!

We then walked down Robson….took a right and ended up at Harbour Park. This piece of public art is called "Solo" by Natalie McHaffie.

You can read more about it here.

Here's an interesting tidbit; some historic ties to Hawaii.

If you're curious, you can find more info here which I found quite interesting.

It was a beautiful crystal clear day.

And folks were out and about. This dapper fellow was having a great time. Dig the bowtie!

It was fun walking along the Waterfront, all the little scenes, each a small story.

Though not everyone is interested in what's going on.

This guy got a few bucks from us…….he looked like Henry Gibson; dressed in pastels, had a slightly high, nasal, airy singing voice….and a ton of guts! Looks at the young ladies just digging it!

He was singing "What a Wonderful World" and actually pointed at the roses during the "Red Roses Too" line, which got the girls giggling. Ain't it a wonderful world?

And of course, my favorite; the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre. We often talk about the Missus's "Bucket List". Flying on one of these is one mine. Strangely, I have a fear of heights, but having flown in small planes a bit during my childhood, I'm not really bothered by them.

I just loved watching folks board the planes. I actually saw a family with two kids and a dog board one and take-off.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who enjoys watching the Seaplanes.

It was quite obvious that Anime Revolution was still going on when we got close to the Convention Center.

There was one piece of Public Art that I wanted to see in the area. It's called the Digital Orca by Douglas Coupland. Did you love Lego as a kid? This almost 3-D depiction looks really great against the water and clear blue sky.

And laid back Vancouver, with the cast of characters from Anime Revolution….well, you can't help but smile.

And just go with the flow.

Lots of photo opportunities…..

In case you have doubts….this is still a food blog….so here we go.

I'd heard and seen a lot about Japadogs in Vancouver and more than one person I knew mentioned it as a "must try". Even though we were but a block and change from the Robson Street location, I just wasn't motivated.

But when standing in front of this.

Well, I guess we can call that "fate", right? Anyway, it seemed like a good time for a snack before dinner. So I ordered a Beef Terimayo.

I enjoyed the snap of the beef hotdog, the Missus really enjoyed the combination of mayo (seemed to be of the Kewpie variety – a little sweet) and the teriyaki sauce. She didn't care for the umami-oceany flavor of the nori, which She thought clashed with the teri-mayo. I enjoyed the fried onions and the overall texture, though the roll was a bit on the hard side.

A bit over-hyped? Perhaps; but not a bad hotdog at all.

Japadog – several locations. This cart in front of the Waterfront Skytrain Station
Between Granville and Cordova St

Vancouver – Granville Island Public Market

June 23, 2017 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Canada, Markets & Grocers, Travel, Vancouver, Canada

In spite of having done quite a bit the day before; I awoke refreshed and ready to go. The Missus needed a bit of a caffeine boost. I'd noticed a Caffé Artigiano location the previous day, so I decided to head out and grab us some coffee.

I noticed this food cart along the way. It says Traditional Thai Cuisine right above the window……though I noticed the place served the very traditional "Gluten Free Very Popular Thai Noodle Style Dish"…… Hmmm….. "noodle style?" As in when is a noodle, not a noodle? I just had to crack up. Celiac disease is no joke, but I still had to laugh. One of the guys that used to work for me has Celiac disease….really great guy…..I used to tell him; "you'll know when you mess up. There'll be bread pudding on your desk." His response? "It's better than waking up with a horse head in my bed."

Caffé Artigiano is right on Hornby Street.

A cup of Organic for the Missus, an Americano for your truly.

Nice folks, fast service.

Caffè Artigiano
763 Hornby St
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1S2, Canada

Good thing I got some caffeine in my system. You see, after Her cup, the Missus was ready to go….not sure what kind of jet fuel they put into the organic coffee there.

And of course, the Missus decided that we should walk to Granville Island. Thankfully, even though it was bright and sunny, the temps were still reasonable.

As in not taking the Aquabus. So we had to actually cross over False Creek on the Granville Bridge, come around and figure out which street went to Granville Island. Which actually wasn't too hard.

From there, it's a short stroll to the Public Market.

We had decided to put together a nice early lunch before deciding what to do next. So we did a quick walk around the market.

We put together a plan while walking around the place. The Missus would head off and pick up some gifts for folks back home and then go and pick up some chocolates from chocolaTas. We then decided on a meeting spot….based on what we'd seen during our "walk-through" we knew just the place.

I'd pick up most everything for lunch. First starting with some roast lamb from L'Epicerie.

From there it was quite easy.

Basically, cheese curds from Benton Brothers, Salmon "Candy" from Longliner Foods, bread from Terra, and we'd meet up at Oyama Sausage….where we saw some wonderful looking pate and charcuterie.

At Oyama sausage we were met with a wonderful variety and it was quite hard choosing what we wanted. But since we had one shot we made our decision…..sadly, we decided not to get any cheese.

And, since we had dinner reservations, we'd be doing no cooking……so no sausage.

We stepped outside looking for a table.

It was slightly overcast when we stepped out of the market.

But, as soon as we found an open table, the sun came out!

And we spread out our bounty….that salmon candy was very nice, sweet-smoky-slightly briny, just as expected. The cheese curds were very fresh.

We didn't care for the lamb; very tough, and not seasoned particularly well.

The tongue was sliced to a perfect thinness and wasn't too salty….full of beefy goodness! Really good.

Only to be topped by the Duck Pate with Black Truffles.

Great creamy texture, just enough earthy-pungent truffle flavor with nice rich mildly offally flavor. Decadent, this was so very good.

We saved the remainder of the pate, salmon, and bread for snacking and headed off.

This time the Missus decided that it might be a good idea to catch the Aquabus across False Creek to the Hornby Dock.

Which was a very quick trip.

As we watched the Aquabus leave the dock. The Missus looked up at the bright sky and said, "hey…..I have an idea!"

Oh-oh…..stay tuned!

Vancouver/Richmond – The Alibi Room and the Richmond Night Market

June 10, 2017 mmm-yoso Beer, Canada, Chicken Wings, Desserts, Festivals & Events, Pubs and Pub Grub, Vancouver, Canada

After a nice afternoon nap, we headed off to the Gastown area.

It was a nice day to be out and about, if a bit on the warm side.

The Missus enjoyed window shopping and we stopped at a few places; like at Kit and Ace near the Steam Clock. Where this guy was hanging out.

It was indeed rather warm, so we headed down the street to a place named the Alibi Room. The place was pretty much full. But the nice Server told us that if we weren't eating anything and didn't mind not having table service, we could head on downstairs.

Which turned out to be a comfortable place to grab a few beers. There are over 50 pulls in this place. And they do half pours as well; which we appreciated.

What we had is lost to posterity, but I recall really enjoying the vibe.

A nice stop; we'll be back the next time we're in town.

Alibi Room
157 Alexander Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1B8
Canada

We needed to first catch the bus; then the SkyTrain to get to our next stop. We had day metro passes and I had the bus stop indicated on my phone. We found our stop and a guy who looked homeless came up to us. I immediately thought he'd be asking for some cash….but instead he told me, "sir, this bus stop has been temporarily moved to the street above." Thanksful, I offered him some money, but he refused, saying "this one is on me." Only in Canada!

We got off at the Bridgeport SkyTrain Station and followed the well marked signs.

So, we followed this group of people who were having a great old time and got to what looked like ticket booths and a gate. A really nice young man came up to us and asked us if we were customers of 'xxx' and had our customer number. We explained that we are from out of town and have obviously found the wrong entrance. The young man pointed across the way to a line of what looked like 200-300 people. He told us "that's the general admission line; this line is for 'xxx' customers, 'xxx' is sponsoring tonight's night market and if you have either a zoom pass or are one of their customers you can come in this way." Now, if I recall a the passes were like $25 a book, good for so many entrances, so that would be a waste. So we thanked him and were headed to the line when he asked us where we were from. We told him San Diego. In a hushed, conspiratory tone he told us to "wait here". A minute later he returned with two tickets. You are now officially customers of 'xxx', if anyone asks you if you are customers of 'xxx', make sure to tell them yes. What a nice gesture….you gotta love Canada.

The Richmond Night Market claims to be the largest Night Market in North America and I don't doubt this claim as the choices, and crowds are staggering.

Now, if you read the blog quite often, you know I'm way behind on some of my travel posts and our visit was during early August of 2016. The Missus had seen a bunch of stuff posting to Instagram……about a dessert…..She just had to have it.

The dessert "du jour" of that period of time was the Raindrop Cake (you can see Kirbie's recipe here). It's based on Japanese Mizu Shingen Mochi. And kind of looks like a breast implant if you ask me.

The Missus got Her confection and we took a seat.

And soon folks started coming around asking what this stuff was….we actually offered them a taste if they wanted one….but most of them just looked kind of, well, puzzled. Anyway, this was "meh", sugar water and agar…..I prefer just straight up Warabimochi coating in kinako to this.

Our table was next to the Prehistoric Park area and while taking a look at the photo of the T-Rex below, it wasn't the replica of the dinosaur that caught my attention; but the sign to right that said, "FanTuan Delivery, Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere"…..I don't think San Diego is included in the "Anywhere" though.

While the Missus went for the sweets; I had one place in mind.

Little Phnom Penh is famous for their Chicken Wings with Lemon and Pepper sauce. So I placed my order and watched them make my wings.

Notice that container with the spoon; the wings are fried, then mixed in a wok with garlic, scallions, and a spoon full of that mysterious white substance….which I'm fairly certain isn't only salt.

The wings are light, though not as crisp as I prefer, the garlic could be cooked a bit more; it's still on the bitter side. The wings are tender and moist, but I'm not a big fan of the lemon sauce; which tastes like bottled lemon juice with black pepper. Still, this was good overall.

There sure was a huge variety of "stuffs" available…….some quite interesting.

This seemed more "County Fair – Carnival" than Night Market and the place was starting to get packed.

As we wove our way around people; we heard this guy……..voice like an old fashioned Carnival Barker, with a Chinese accent of course.

As we walked up; the smell of cumin danced in the air……we both love yang rou chuan and this guy cracked us up.

We got lamb and lamb kidney and while not great, this was pretty tender, though it could have used more cumin.

This "Chef James" had me wondering who he was. If you'd like to find out his story you can read it here.

Overall a fun time for us.

Richmond Night Market
May – October
8351 River Rd
Richmond, BC V6X 1Y4
Canada
Fri-Sat 7pm – MN
Sun 7pm – 11pm

By the time we got back to the apartment, the sun had set. It was a beautiful clear night. We finished the rest of the Roast Duck and Rice and I cracked open a brew…..

And sat in the Solarium of the apartment watching the weekend action on the Street below.

Life was good…..

Vancouver/Richmond – Kirin Seafood Restaurant (City Square), Parker Place Meat & BBQ, and HK BBQ Master

June 8, 2017 mmm-yoso Canada, Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum, Travel, Vancouver, Canada

The Missus and I really wanted to try out some Dim Sum while in Vancouver. We'd heard so much about the quality of Dim Sum in Richmond/Vancouver. The one little thing; we weren't quite sure when we'd return from visiting the Capilano Suspension Bridge, so I didn't want to make reservations. Instead, after checking out the fun at Anime Revolution, we got on the SkyTrain and got off at the Broadway-City Hall stop and walked over to City Square Mall. We'd take our chances at Kirin Seafood Restaurant.

Of course, when we arrived, the first thing they asked us was if we had reservations. Though we had no problem getting a table as the place wasn't totally full.

We weren't super hungry and we had plans after lunch, so we ordered five items from the menu.

Starting with the tendon and tripe.

This was a nice and hearty dish, though pretty mild in flavor. The tendon had a slight chew to it; the tripe slightly crunchy with no off flavors. The Missus actually enjoyed the daikon more than anything else in this dish.

The Scallop Dumplings were a disappointment as the scallops were tough and overcooked.

The wrappers were very sticky and tore quite easily.

Our favorite dish of the meal was the rustic looking stuffed wintermelon.

The wintermelon still had a nice texture; providing just enough resistance. It had also absorbed the flavors of the pork and the broth nicely. The enoki mushrooms provided a nice, earthy taste and the pork was tender and just about perfect.

The Deep Fried Shrimp Dumpling with Consomme was interesting.

The fried dumplings were excellent; the wrappers light, yet crunchy, the shrimp filling tender and flavorful. We both felt the consommé was rather bland and flat…….it was like watered down chicken broth in flavor and brought nothing to the dish.

After that rather bland consommé; we were a bit concerned about the Scallop and Bamboo Pith Fungus Dumpling in Supreme Soup, but this ended up being quite good.

Great flavors all around and the soup; while rather light had a nice balance in terms of seasoning to flavor.

Overall, while pretty good, based on all the great things we heard about the Dim Sum in Vancouver, we both thought Sea Harbour in the SGV was every bit as good if not better. I'll make sure to make reservations at Chef Tony or another place for Dim Sum the next time we're in Vancouver.

Kirin Seafood Restaurant
555 W 12th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Z 3X7
Canada

After lunch we got back on the SkyTrain and headed on over to Richmond, getting off at the Aberdeen stop, and walking on over to Parker Place Mall and Parker Place Meat & BBQ. Yes, this place is located in a shopping mall.

The line here grows rapidly and moves quickly….it's to your benefit to have your act together and know what you want……when its your turn you need to be quick about it.

The Missus was really looking forward to some Roast Duck….so I got the Roast Duck on rice to go.

Parker Place Meat & B.B.Q (In Parker Place Mall)
4380 No 3 Rd
Richmond, BC V6X 4E8
Canada

Having gotten out unscathed; we headed to our next stop. If you thought Chinese BBQ in a shopping mall was interesting….try going to a parking garage.

For some Chinese BBQ……

This is where HK BBQ Master is located; just down the street from Parker Place BBQ. Again, a fast moving line for take-out….here there are a couple of tables as well. Some deal; roast duck on rice.

HK BBQ Master (In the parking garage of Real Canadian Superstore)
4651 No 3 Road
Richmond, BC V6X 2C4
Canada

Since we had restrained ourselves somewhat during lunch; we'd have this for an early dinner at the apartment.

Walking down No 3 Road reminded me of the SGV………without the crazy traffic…..

Choices abound…..

And guess who we ran into on the SkyTrain back to the apartment?

Yep….good 'ol DV himself.

This woman couldn't stop giggling and taking photos of DV.

Being the ever so friendly Canadian version of DV; he waved the woman over and they proceeded to take a bunch of selfies! You gotta love it.

As for the duck? Well, in spite of saying we'd be having it for dinner, we did have a couple of pieces while it was still warm…..just for comparative purposes of course!

Here's Parker Place.

Here's HK BBQ Master.

While HK BBQ Master's duck looks a lot darker; Parker Place's duck won hands down; being more moist, with a nice amount of anise-beany-duckiness. The skin HK BBQ Master's version was rubbery, the meat dry, and while it had a decent duck taste, it wasn't balanced out with anything else. Of course, both of these are vastly superior to any roast duck in San Diego. I was told that HK BBQ Master makes great roast pork, but the Missus was after duck.

It was time for a nap…..then we'd be off to our next stop(s)!

Vancouver – The Capilano Suspension Bridge, Anime Revolution, and Other “Stuffs”

May 13, 2017 mmm-yoso Beer, Caffeine Fix, Canada, Travel, Vancouver, Canada

Night seemed to fall rather suddenly as we walked back to our AirBnB after dinner at Miku. We decided to stroll around a bit and since we had just arrived that afternoon, familiarize ourselves with the surrounding area.

One thing we found interesting was that there was an H Mart on the corner of the block we were staying on. In the middle of downtown!

Something I'd imagine in, say Seoul, but not here.

I decided to relax by having a beer and there was a liquor store a block or so down the street. We decided to stop and see what they had to offer.

And this is where we really started noticing we were "in Canada". One of my coworkers loves to make Canadian jokes…..not joking about lack of cognitive ability, but joking about how nice Canadians are. As I noted in my first Vancouver post, my good friend married a Canadian, and my first trip outside of the state of Hawaii was to Canada for his wedding. I've seen the good natured "niceness" first hand. As much as it seems to be a stereotype, I'd say it's true. So what does that have to do with this liquor store? Well…..let me tell you:

So we're looking over the local beer selection and I pick something out. I walk to the register and the guy behind the counter waves at one of the "customers" in the store and tells him; "sir….sir, please leave. You always steal from us, so please leave." The guy, replied in a rather high pitched irate voice while lifting his shirt, "no….no…..I never steal from you…..how dare you!" And continues mumbling as he exits the shop. The guy then sighs and tells me, "I don't know how many times we've caught him stealing from us." I pay for my beer and get handed my change when a guy walks in with a bottle of wine in his hand, passes it to the cashier and says, "I saw a gentleman walk out of your store and pull this out of his pants, so I made him give me the bottle." The Missus and I couldn't stop laughing. How do you think the first part of this would play out in San Diego? "Please leave?"

Anyway, the Strange Fellows (I thought it strangely appropriate on this evening) Jongleur Belgian Wit, was light, citrusy, perhaps a bit too sweet, but we both enjoyed it as a nightcap. And I'd be stopping by Viti's Wine and Lager again.

Viti Wine and Lager Liquor Store
900 Seymour St
Vancouver, Canada

The next morning we got up bright and early. The Missus wanted to check out the Capilano Suspension Bridge. and even though there's a free bus from downtown Vancouver, we decided to take the SeaBus to North Vancouver, then take Bus #236.

But first, some coffee.

We decided to stop at this little shop as we headed to the Waterfront Station.

The guy working here was super friendly and chatty.

As we were waiting for our my Americano, he shouted out, "look….look…..all the crazy people are coming out!" We turned and saw folks dressed like Star Trek characters walking down the street. We get Comic-con down here, so the Missus and I shrugged.

Nice place, though all the coffee comes in take-out cups I guess.

Mario’s Coffee Express
595 Howe St
Vancouver, Canada

We got to the Waterfront Station, we had already bought a Daypass, which made all the ferries, trains, buses a breeze.

I enjoy travelling by ferry whenever we can, it gives us a different view of the cities we're staying in.

This one was a very short 15 minute ride.

From there; finding the bus and getting to the bridge was a snap. It was a bright and sunny day; so we knew we'd be enjoying ourselves. Admission ain't cheap; if I recall about $40 per person. But heck, we're on vacation. I bought the tickets ahead of time online.

The bridge itself was originally a hemp rope and cedar planked footbridge built in 1889 by George Grant Mackay. It has since been reconstructed several times; the last I could find was in 1956.

The place was already getting busy when we arrived.

The bridge does give you a slight thrill as it will sway back and forth and the views….well, at least for us, they were great.

There are different "attractions", like the "Treetop Adventure" which takes you above the forest floor.

And the Cliffwalk, a walkway attached to the face of, well, a cliff…..

Beyond all of that; it was just nice to get out and enjoy the sights and sounds……

We enjoyed exploring, but soon enough, it started getting crowded. The speakers over the bridge started blaring messages to not rock the bridge and so forth. It was time to head back.

So we exited and headed out and over to the bus stop. When, in typical Canadian style, one of the young ladies waved us over. She told us that the free shuttle back to the Waterfront was leaving in just a minute, so why not catch that instead of the bus and ferry? You gotta love it!

Back at the Waterfront, the Missus wasn't very hungry yet, so we decided to enjoy the sights……well, these "sights"!

Well….why not?

These folks sure seemed to be in their "element" and having a blast.

I always wonder what their coworkers think? Reminds of once going to a Kiss concert and a woman tapped me on the back as I left. I didn't recognize her until she spoke because of all the gear and make-up. I was shocked, she was one of the toughest, hard-a$$ managers I had to work with…and part of the Kiss Army! You know; I never looked at her the same again……

By now, it was getting kind of warm and the Missus was getting hungry. It was time to grab some lunch.

Thanks for reading!

Vancouver – Dinner at Miku Restaurant

August 14, 2016 mmm-yoso Beer, Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Seafood, Sushi and Sashimi, Travel, Vancouver, Canada

We took a short nap after our poutine lunch. It was pretty warm in Vancouver and the sun didn't set until 9pm, so having dinner fairly late (for us) sounded like a great idea. Upon waking and freshening up, we decided to take the long way to dinner. So we headed Southeast on Robson, then down Richards, and back onto Georgia, where we came across this impressive structure.

This is the Vancouver Public Library. I loved the distinctive design. From here we took a left down Cambie Street, the neighborhood started looking a bit more gritty, though still much cleaner than Seattle.

This is the Cenotaph in Victory Square.

The main reason for walking down Cambie Street was to view the Gastown Steam Clock. I pointed to it as we headed down the street. At first the Missus said, "that's so puny, what's the big deal?" Until we walked up to it and She saw puffs of steam coming out of the top of the clock.

For some reason She was smitten as were a good number of tourists. This being "Gastown", the steam clock might seem to be a remnant of some bygone era. This was actually built in 1977. Gastown much like Pioneer Square in Seattle is the oldest neighborhood in the city. It has all of the kinds of things that these type of neighborhoods have; tourist shops, boutiques, bars, restaurants, and a good number of homeless. Still, the Missus really enjoyed the character of this neighborhood and we'd return to visit Kit and Ace and Lululemon….and even walk down Alexander to the Alibi Room. But that's for another day.

We walked to the waterfront, the views were quite nice, the air clean and crisp. Looking away from the water, here's a photo of Harbour Centre.

I had made reservations for dinner at Miku and we were trying to find the entrance. There was quite a bit of construction going on and the signs pointing to Miku lead to a locked door. A nice young man saw us and asked, "are you looking for Miku?" How the heck did he know? Anyway, he provided some directions and we found ourselves at the quite busy Miku Restaurant.

I gave my name to the hostess at the stand, who looked, frowned, and asked us to wait a second. A few minutes later, a very nice young man came up to us, and introduced himself as Kevin. I believe he was managing the front of house. He was so pleasant, shook our hands, then told us that they'd missed something on our reservations. I'd requested their kaiseki dinner when making reservations and immediately had reservations about doing so. Kevin explained that they would do the best they could to put together something for us, but I told him not to worry, we'd be perfectly happy ordering from the menu. He smiled and said, "great……I'll make sure that you both get one of the best tables we have!"

I saw this fellow waiting for his mom or dad outside Miku while we waited for our table to be prepped.

Poor guy. Folks kept taking photos or trying to comfort him, but he wanted nothing except his owners. He was adorable.

We loved the view from our table.

In case you're wondering if Miku was one of these touristy, overly fusion, pan-Asian, type restaurants…..you might be partially right. You see Miku is owned by the Tora Corporation headquartered in Miyazaki, Japan. I believe they own a number of Kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi) and Aburi/Oshizushi type restaurants in the Miyazaki area. I was quite intrigued by a aplce specializing in aburizushi. I've had a nigiri or two of aburi sushi at a number of places, including Urasawa, though in most American style sushi joints it's kind of a gimmick.

Anyway, we were on vacation…in Vancouver….it was time to relax and have a cocktail….or two.

There were a few interesting custom cocktails along with some standards like a Moscow Mule and Pisco Sours…which I ordered. The Missus looked at me and told me to "not be so boring…." So I relented.

The Missus ordered the Genmai's Tea, which included green tea infused vodka and cucumber. It was fine, but nothing special. I ordered the Shiso Mojito which we both love….shiso was a natural for a mojito, as this tasted so clean…..it also seemed fairly low in alcohol as well. Delish!

We started with the Aburi Beef Carpaccio, which was everything we expected and more.

The torched beef was very beefy in flavor and the texture was fantastic. The sousvide egg added a wonderful creaminess and the yolk tasted delicious. Nice, not too sour ponzu, with a mild kick. The Missus felt that the baby greens was a bit of overkill, detracting from the overall flavors of the dish; though the Asian Pear added a nice mild sweetness and crunch, like in a good Yukhoe.

The Missus had never had Tori Nanban, which I thought was kind of strange….but thinking back, I usually order the stuff for lunch. So I decided to get that.

I was surprised at how much She enjoyed the rice vinegar tones and mild sweetness in this, though She could easily leave the tartar sauce out. The chicken was light and crisp outside, very tender and moist. I was told that they get their poultry from Fraser Valley Chicken in BC. Very nice.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Oshizushi on the menu at Miku. As I've mentioned before, oshizushi is a bit of a specialty. There are three aburi versions here at Miku; Salmon, Ebi, and Saba. Now for me, Battera is the classic pressed sushi. The Missus isn't the biggest fan of saba as in most places it's oily and fishy….though for some strange reason She loves sardines and some anchovy. I convinced the Missus to try the saba version and am glad we did.

The prepared rice was pressed well, though it was rather mild in vinegar tones. The saba, which had cured inhouse and torched was really good, not too fishy, but with a nice cured-cheesy flavor to it. The torching provided a touch of pleasant smokiness. The miso sauce was nice, slightly sweet, savory, but not too salty.

By this time, I needed a drink. Kelsey, who was our Server was fantastic, efficient, pleasant, friendly, but not overly so, suggested something by a local brewery; Strange Fellows. The ale was very nice….the Missus actually loved this and we'd be getting their brews every chance we had.

We finished our meal with a foursome of aburi nigiri. Clockwise from the top left; Hotate (scallop), Wagyu, Toro, and Hirame.

All of the seafood was fantastic and the beef decadent. The one problem for us and since this is nigiri it was a major issue was the rice which was really mushy and formed with too much pressure……I'm figuring most folks wouldn't notice; but any nigiri lover would immediately pick that up. The hotate was tender and sweet, with the torching adding a wonderful touch of flavor. The hirame was very fresh, but the toro was just fantastic as it melted in your mouth as did the wagyu beef which was out of this world.

Night had settled in as we finished up our meal. We marveled at how the service and pacing here at Miku was just perfect for us. They struck the perfect balance in terms of service, friendliness, and made us feel very comfortable. Kelsey was quite knowledgeable and his recommendations, after asking us a few questions, were spot on.

And while Miku looks like one of those stylish-hip places, the food delivered, and the atmosphere was totally not stuffy.

There are times when you just have a great experience….where a place just seems like a perfect fit for you. Miku did that for us. In terms of price; our meal, including drinks came out to something like $115 US……which I thought was a bargain. I've spent more at Sushi Yaro for dinner! I'm sure we'll be back to Vancouver. And we will definitely be back to Miku.

Miku
200 Granville Street Suite 70
Vancouver, BC V6C 1S4, Canada

Vancouver – Mean Poutine

August 8, 2016 mmm-yoso Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Travel, Vancouver, Canada

The Missus and I have been pushing hard at work. And while there was no way I'd be able to take any extended time off for a while, I was able to squeeze out a few days off. Naturally, both Portland and Seattle were in the mix, but in the end, we decided on Vancouver. I'd been through the airport twice, on flights to Edmonton and Toronto, but had never been to the city. I'd been itching to visit for awhile, since the food scene seems interesting, there seems to be tons to do, and frankly, just about every Canadian I know (my best friend from "back home" married one), are just plain mellow, friendly, and well…..appropriate. Anyway, we flew up on Delta….which is why the last 48 hours has been kind of a horror….but Delta has always delivered previously, so I'll give them a pass.

I recall my first trip to Canada….it was actually the first time I left the state of Hawaii! My good friend got married and I'd always promised him that I'd be there for the wedding. We were very poor growing up and I'd never had the chance to leave the islands….my first trip outside the state? Canada. I also remember being handed a little cardboard "boat" outside a Dairy Queen….it was French fries, gravy, and white stuff (cheese curds); poutine….now I grew up eating loco mocos, so this just seemed so natural and good. We were staying right off Granville, Seymour and Robson, right in the middle of it all. I wanted the Missus to have a shot at some poutine. And just a few blocks away was a take out window, of a place named Mean Poutine.

The place specializes in hot dogs and poutine, which are available in several combinations. The Missus was ever so distracted by the "Mean Supreme", but I told Her we'd be having dinner in a few hours and I'd like Her to try a fairly classic version.

So we went with the "Classic" ($7CAN – about $5.25US). The only thing different from versions I've had is when asked if I'd like "onions" I said "yes". Which meant scallions in this case.

This was pretty good; the scallions actually added to things, with a nice mild pungency. The frites seems to have been dusted with flour or cornstarch and were quite crisp on the outside, mildly creamy inside. The gravy was nice and creamy, beefy, falling just short of too salty….quite unlike the glooey, gloppy stuff here. Didn't care much for the cheese curds, which were cold, and lacked flavor….and also didn't melt into a nice stringy mess.

I did learn one thing; the Missus was a closet poutine lover……She kept mentioning poutine during our time in Vancouver….though Her poutine fantasy was topped with a fried, easy over egg. So TofuGirl, got a place that might fill the bill the next time we're in Vancouver?

Mean Poutine
718 Nelson Street
Vancouver

We were staying at an AirBnB…the location was amazing. As was the view from the Solarium.

Very responsive host, awesome building security, perfect location. The only thing that would be a cherry on the top would be A/C as it was pretty hot during the first two days of our stay.