Osteria Savio Volpe, the latest venture from three of the city’s renowned restaurant pros, will throw open its doors to the neighbourhood in early October 2015. Residents of Vancouver’s flourishing Fraserhood will soon have a bustling new tavern to satisfy their hunger for classic country Italian fare. Continue reading “Osteria Savio Volpe To Open it’s Doors in Vancouver”
Category: Vancouver (west, south, east)
Restaurants in Kitsilano, Dunbar, Granville Island, South Vancouver, Cambie, Main, South Granville, Point Grey,
Kits Daily – Bambi was Delicious
Heads up, the meal I had at Kits Daily included a plate that ranked within my All Time Favourite Plates. It was a mind-blowing gastro climax, I was instantly aroused and obsessed.
So before that epic climax…
The venison dish was a tad heavy on the black pepper. The venison was a quality lean cut but, I thought it could have been more thinly sliced, it was a bit tough. Overall, the flavours were outstanding. The broth was so flavourful and meaty. Not in the sense of the portion of the meat but, the flavor the meat imparted.

I had high expectations for this cod but, in the end it was unfortunately very under seasoned and lacked flavor. We did shake a few granules of salt on top but, instead of infusing with the fish it just sat on top and overwhelmed the flavor of the fish.
Kudos, to Kits Daily and our server Morgan she took the dish back and offered a replacement dish.
You ready for the epic gastro-utopia climax?
Bambi was delicious! White tail deer perched on pomme puree with a side of cranberry chutney. Although the deer was very lean, this succulent cut was very tender and cooked to perfection. Perfectly charred rim and when you look at it closely, the rarer middle was slightly elevated. Shit, I’m getting a reaction just reminiscing about it. The richness of the pomme puree complimented the gaminess of the deer and the tartness of the cranberry cut through the richness.

It wasn’t just the meat, every single ingredient had its purpose and went so well together and, that is why Bambi ranked within my All Time Favourite Plates.
The Fish Counter- Sustainable Seafood in Hipsterville
The Fish Counter is a new small joint that opened up on Vancouver’s own Hipsterville, Main Steet. Opened by Oceanwise co-founders Chef Robert Clark and Marine Biologist Mike McDermid . Clark was behind the brilliance of C restaurant.
They’ll only serve seafood that’s available in season and sustainable.

Think of this place like a standup only cafeteria/ market. There are only two benches, no tables.
I wanted something light; I figured I wanted to go restaurant hopping on Main St, so I ordered their dairy free seafood chowder.
The broth had a powerful punch, amazingly fresh and flavourful. However, where is the seafood? I think I found pinky-nail pieces of clam, probably 7, and a sliver of salmon.

I was eyeing the seafood bouillabaisse and that looked delicious and hearty. Damn, should have gotten that instead.

I really wanted to love this place. It isn’t really far of me to judge The Fish Counter on one dish, although underwhelming as it was. I will be back.
Thyme To Indulge Bistro – Whimsical and Delicious
Thyme to Indulge Bistro is so whimsical like stepping into an old school Parisian patisserie. They are also a catering company and restaurant hours are open from Wednesday – Sunday. Weekends are reserved for their brunch only.

We sat near the window on a sunny Sunday watching hipsters walk by with their JJ Bean coffee and donuts, while indulging on Thyme to Indulge wild berry pancake bombs. Butter milk pancake spheres filed with wild berry compote topped with confection sugar with a side of warm maple syrup. Yeh. Yeh. I was in pancake heaven.

The only down side was that this took quite a while for it to come out, approximately 20 minutes wait after we ordered. Our server came over and apologized twice.
I was eyeing the benny’s on the table beside us, they looked hearty. I will definitely be back for that.
Cuchillo – Serves Up Creative Latin American Plates
Cuchillo, opened a few weeks ago in the heart of downtown east side where Railtown meets Chinatown. They have seen their share of protests so I decided to go and show my support. Cuchillo serves up creative Latin American dishes that are meant to be shared.

Unfortunately, they were just vandalized a few hours before, so they had to board up one of their windows. Don’t let this deter you from going though, this restaurant is worth a try.
They have this beautiful tall table parallel to the bar and in the back they have lounge area with comfy recliners. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxing, décor is similar to the Diamond in Gastown, except Cuchillo’s service is far superior, everyone was welcoming and staff was knowledgeable. The service I received at Diamond was so bad that they were added and moved up to the top of my blacklist, the only restaurant on this list because of poor service, the others I was due to food poisoning. I will save that story for later.
They serve my favourite mojito’s in town. I like my classic drinks to stay classic. I stay away from any berry infused drinks. Cuchillo topped their mojito’s with dark rum. Yummy! My friend said it was too minty but, I I thought it was the perfect hit.

Antojitos and Taqueria’s – small plates and tacos
Corn bread azul with guajillo chili butter $7 was made out of blue cornmeal resulting in a grainier texture. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Corn bread are usually very dense, Cuchillo’s was fluffier and moist. The chili butter gave it some nice heat.

White bean parmasean fundido $8 with corn chips is quite filling. It is essentially a white bean dip, with pumpkin seed, cotija Monterey jack, sardo parmesan and two other Argentinean cheeses. The cheese was sharp, heavy on garlic and the bean was a perfect consistency. You’d need an appetite, this is a heavy dish

Mixto Traditionale, octopus, sidestripe prawn, rockfish, mussels, clams, sweet potato puree. $14. After having the last two dishes that had huge flavor, the ceviche was relatively light. The seafood was fresh but, I would have liked more seasoning.

Mole Lamb albondigas, sardo parmasean browned garlic popcorn $8. This was my favourite dish, the lamb which was served in a lamb-ball was amazing. Think the lamb mixture was mixed with beef, I don’t get the intense gaminess lamb flavor. It was juicey and topped with popcorn which gave it a nice texture. I have to admit I was sold on the popcorn first before our server even mentioned lamb.

Morita chili bbq pulled pork. This pulled pork taco was pretty run of the mill. The bbq sauce was very nice, sweet, not overly savoury and the pulled pork wasn’t drowning in the sauce. I’ve had so many pulled pork dishes that I getting sick of it. This would be my last pulled pork dish for the season.

My two cents on DTES Gentrification Protests…

As for this bullshit about it being expensive, well it is more expensive than Everything $5? Yes, the quality of the food is far superior, what do you expect to pay for quality ingredients, of course it costs more. Share plates range from $6 – 14, you get two decent sized tacos for $8 and, entrees range from $18 – $24. The prices are a little lower than what you would find in the heart of downtown and the food is crazy good. It’s not an Applebee’s, you won’t get bottomless fries and a heaping plate of pasta bigger than your head, that’s just nasty. So before you whine that it’s too expensive, go out to comparable restaurants around town to get some perspective.
DTES is not exactly a tourist attraction but, some parts of Gastown isn’t either. If I never venture out then I would not get a chance to experience gems like Pidgin and Cuchillo. Try it out yourself before you turn up your nose at these restaurants because of their location.
Cuchillo, Gastown
2012 Vancouver Holiday Menu Guide
Food Persuasion Holiday 2012 Holiday Menus Guide
Food Persuasion’s annual 2012 Vancouver Holiday Menus Guideis here featuring Christmas brunches, lunches, dinners and buffets. This is still a work in progress, if you would like to add your Holiday menu on this list please email foodpersuasion@gmail.com or through the comment section. New this year is my Turkey To Go Section.
Minami
Reservations 604.685.8055 |
Five Sails
Reservations 604-844-2855 |
Fairmont Vancouver – Hotel Vancouver, Griffins
Reservations at Hotel Vancouver Festive Dining Events |
Sutton Place Hotel
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Yew Restaurant – Four Seasons Hotel Kids under 6 eat free, Children 6 – 12 will receive 50% off the set menu
Reservations at (604) 689-9333 |
Fairmont Pacific Rim – Oru, Giovane
They don’t have their menu’s up on the their website yet. I took screenshots of the menu, if you require a PDF copy please email me at foodpersuasion@gmail.com Reservations Miranda Lee, Festive Desk 604.695.5332 |
Bacchus at Wedgewood Hotel
Reservations at Festive Desk at 604-689-7777 ext. 5210, or festivedesk@wedgewoodhotel.com |
West Restaurant Holiday menu available all December except 24 and 25th
Reservations: Owen Knowlton 604 738 8938, owen@westrestaurant.com |
Araxi – Whistler **Deal Alert**
Reservations Neil Henderson at 604 932 4540, neil@araxi.com |
The Oakwood – Kitsilano
Reservations 604 558 1965 |
Glowbal Group Coast
Italian Kitchen
Trattoria
Black and Blue
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Cibo
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The Secret Garden
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Hart House
Reservations by phone only 604-298-4278 |
Hawksworth
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Turkey To GoComes with additional turkey dinner trimmings
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Kaya Malay Bistro – Tasty Malaysian Plates
After a whole day of lounging around with my sister and her boyfriend chowing down pepperoni sticks and cured meats at Granville Island I was ready for a real meal.
We hiked (in a sense, it’s uphill) from Granville Island to W Broadway for Kaya Malay Bistro.
Menu and decor reminded me of Banana Leaf and Tropika.
Char Bee Hoon, fried rice noodle with shrimp, fish cake, squid, bean sprout, & egg $10 Nice wok-like flavour, reminiscent of homemade shrimp fried noodles. 4/5
Rendang Beef Tender beef stewed in spiced coconut milk gravy $14. The curry sauce lacked intensity. Granted Thai curry is on the milder side of the curry spectrum. The beef should have been stewed a lot longer, it was tough and stringy. 2/5
Satay $1.5 per skewer Chicken, Beef , Lamb, & Vegetarian, Charcoal grilled marinated skewers with a spicy peanut dip Vegetarian satay with cherry tomato, mushroom & Japanese squash. The skewers lacked the smoky flavor. The vegetable skewers were disappointing, go for the beef instead.
Roti Canai $6 Handrolled layered flat bread with curry sauce, 2 pieces,came out lukewarm, I like them hot off the stove. Because they were cold when they arrived they were soft. 3/5
Sambal Green Bean $10 Stir fried crispy green beans in Malaysian style shrimp paste and fresh tomato and our second favourite dish of the night 4.5/5
Langkawi Coconut Prawn, deep fried prawns in a light tempura, flavored with shredded coconut $10. The outside was crisp and had a hint of coconut and the prawns were juicy and fresh. Delicious! 5/5
Deep Fried Banana. Delayed for more than 20 minutes, by this time I asked to cancel. It was nice that they took care of this dish, however we had to wait 10 more minutes… the lengths we will do for free food. No picture sorry, we attacked the deep friend banana’s before I even considered to take a pic.