neighbourhood gem – Food Persuasion

Fable Kitchen – Top Chef Canada Runner Up Trevor Bird

Published on August 1July 25 by Caroline L2 Comments

Appies

Canned Tuna – preserved lemon, salt canned in-house Fable Kitchen’s server rightly described it as “The best canned tuna you’ll ever eat” and, she’s right. It was bit on the heavier side but, the flavours were creative blended well together.

Chickpea fritters, pickled red onion, shoots, curry mayo. This was good but not the highlight 3/5

Spaghetti and meatball, Duck meat ball, tagliatelle, mushroom sauce in the middle. 5/5. I rarely give 5 ‘s but, this dish deserved it. I understand why they made this an appie instead of an entrée, it is very heavy. My friend remarked, if he could dunk his head in this it’ll be the best thing EVER.

Entrees

Duck Breast, scallion pierogi, fiddle heads, cauliflower. 4.5/5

Steak, an asian inspired sauce, ginger, black bean, soy sauce. 4/5

Potato Crusted Chicken and ratatouille. The crust had an interesting texture, reminded me of potato hasbrowns from McDonald’s. It’s not a bad thing just different. Chicken itself was tender. 4/5

Featured Entrée Slow cooked local salmon with Gnocchi, kale, leeks, spinach puree. The gnocchi was doughy and dense. The salmon was good, the dish other aside from the gnocchi was executed nicely. 3/5

Desserts

Lemon Pot de Crème, lemon granita, gin foam. Holy cow this was soooo good. A nice refreshing end to our heavy meal. 4.5/5

Peach Melba, sable. Sable which I apologize to my highschool French teacher translates to shortbread. Of course!! 2.5/5

Cibo Trattoria – Best Ravioli

Published on February 16February 11 by Caroline LLeave a comment

Italian Fine Dining in the heart of Vancouver downtown. Serving traditional tasty Italian dishes.

The room makes me think of Whistler, gleaming wood and fireplace lighting with glamorous chandeliers hanging from their tall ceilings.

My weekend dinners are late in the evening and, by the time I’m about to eat I am lightheaded from starvation. I attacked the cheese bread like the first day after a no-carb diet.

Chicken Liver Toscana, it was tasty but, the slabs of pickles made it too sour. I would have preferred if it was served on something more inspiring than two pieces of toast. 3/5

One of my favourite ingredients is pumpkin. That being said, I’ve tried so many pumpkin dishes that I know when a dish fails to meet my crazy expectations. This Pumpkin Ravioli passed my test. The pumpkin really came through and it was so creamy 4/5

Roast suckling pig, Very moist and tender I love the mint. The rosemary however was overpowering. 3/5

Roast ling cod, well prepared but the dish fell flat. It was too simple and lacked the layers of flavor found in our other dishes. 2.5/5

Eight 1/2 – Casual Hipster Restaurant

Published on February 1July 25 by Caroline LLeave a comment

We decided to get out of downtown for a change and explore Mount Pleasant. Eight ½ is quite hidden but, they were bustling for a weeknight almost every table was taken. The atmosphere was casual almost hipster and the food reflected that.

Bacon sliders, the corn gave it a nice sweet flavor all in all it was decent. The patty was a little on the dry side but the sauce was rich. 3/5

Perogies, are supposed to be a little cirspy and seared on the outside and soft on the inside. This was just soggy and bland

Seafood Bouillabaisse Soup, the soup was flavorful and chalk full of seafood. This could definitely fill you up and more 3.5/5

Damso Modern Korean – Next Korean Neighborhood Gem

Published on September 22July 25 by Caroline L4 Comments

I dub this the next neighborhood gem in the West End. Their restaurant front is inconspicuous and can be easily overlooked. Their menu is very varied, from traditional Bibimbop to 12 hour braised beef tongue and chicken gizzards. Everything looked delicious. It is a smaller restaurant. We went there around 8PM on a Tuesday and, about ¼ of the restaurant was filled.

Now the food..

We started off with the 12 hour braised beef tongue –$ 7.85, garnished with radishes and green onions. This was out of this world. It is the best beef tongue I’ve had in Vancouver so far.

Seafood Waffle, it was good although drenched in soy sauce which made it very salty.

Chicken Gizzard was good but, the portion size was too small.

Hot Stone Beef Bulgogi Bibimbop, assorted veggies and egg came with 3 side dishes and a soup – $11.95. It also came with a choice of white or multigrain rice, we choose the multigrain. It was very flavorful and there were a few pieces of crispy rice.

Side dishes, seaweed dressed in sesame, potatoes and I believe crab cakes, don’t quote me on the last.

Another of the popular dishes dbok kalbee $12.95– eight beef meat balls. It comes with a side of rice, and 3 small side dishes, mentioned above. We really enjoyed this, no wonder it is a popular item. The meat was so juicy. If I really want to be a superhero, I will try to re-create the recipe, so I can enjoy it every day.

Overall, it is now one of my favourite Korean restaurants downtown. The value and the quality of the food was superb. I am persuaded.

Cardero’s – Where the views matter as much as the food

Published on September 15July 25 by Caroline L3 Comments

On a warm lazy Summer Sunday afternoon, we chilled on Cadero’s patio, overlooking Coal Harbour Marina and the North Shore mountains. With a cold and refreshing pitcher of Sangria and a plate full of mussels I was in heaven.

This is a tourist hotspot so come here early or be prepared to wait, especially for a patio seat but, it’s worth it.

Cadero’s Dining Promotions (Ongoing):

Mussel Mania – Every Weekday 3 – 6pm. $10 for a Granville Island brew and mussels

Sangria Sundays – $14 for a pitcher