From the monthly archives: March 2010
GyudonYa— Gyudon is a traditional Japanese dish consisting of rice topped with thinly sliced beef and onions with a sweet sauce. I had this particular dish a few times before in Asia, but never had the chance to try it in Vancouver.
Last Friday during my lunch break I decided to walk around a bit since the weather was so nice. I reached the corner of Robson and Richards and found Gyudon Ya.
It was about 1pm and there was a line-up pouring out the front entrance. (knowing me..nothing can stop me from getting food..) I walked up to the front and left my name on the waiting list. Since I was alone, I got a seat quite quickly. I was seated at the bar and was given the menu right away. After a long glance at the menu I decided to get the Gyudon Combo. The combo came with miso soup and potato salad for $6.95 (it felt like such a good deal at that moment).
As I was waiting for my food, I took a look around at the interior and the design of the place. The layout of the restaurant is very narrow. There are only 2 tables and the rest were bar seatings either facing the kitchen or the window. It was very hard to get around cause you are always bumming into someone or something.
When the Gyudon Combo came I was content since the portions seemed decent and the Gyudon looked great. I started off with the miso soup and it tasted normal, next was the potato salad and it was bland. It didn’t have much taste but it was decent enough for potato salad. Finally, it was time to try the Gyudon!
I am usually not that picky when it comes to meat on rice since I love rice so much. However, I was highly Disappointed! The beef was way too thin and there was no onions and the worst part was there was no taste!!
It tasted like they boiled the beef in water and added on the rice. It definitely didn’t taste like it was simmered in sauce. So I had to add a load of sweet soysauce on it, but it just wasn’t right.
Sad to say, but I can make a better Gyudon at home. I do not think I will be visiting this place again.
Save money and don’t try…..
Note: While I was eating I heard two girls claiming that ” it was the best beef rice bowl.” The waitress was like “oh really??” And the girls replied “well, it’s our first time eating this!” (phew..that explains it all)
Milestones— A few of my friends and I decided to get together for dinner last night since one of our friend (aka chef) had the night off. Usually he works during nights so it was a good idea to grab dinner.
We all couldn’t decide where to go after realizing that our “king crab dinner” wasn’t working out. After pondering, I gave the idea of eating at Milestones since they had the Wednesday-Date Night for $50. With this set you get 1 sharable appetizer, an entrée per person and 1 sharable dessert. The only thing is that you had to order from the set Date Night menu. So if you like the choices then it’s a great deal. There was 6 of us, so it worked out perfect!
My date for the evening was Ms. Ity Bity. We started off with the Garlic Caesar Salad. The portion was great and they split it perfectly on two plates. However, the garlic garnish on top of the salad was way to much! We had to move it to the side.
For the entrée I ordered the Braised Lamb Shank. The shank came with mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies. The mash was very tasty. It had the right texture and flavor. I literally gobbled that down.
The Lamb Shank was tender and had a great mushroom sauce accompanying it. The sauce also tasted great with the mash. Knowing lamb I knew it was going to have the gamy taste, but it was a little more than usual. Maybe it’s the shank cut. When I had lamb chops before the gamy taste wasn’t so overwhelming. All in all it was a great dish and I enjoyed it.
My date of the evening ordered the Glazed Salmon. The appearance of the dish was great. The salmon came with rice and seasonal veggies. I only had a little piece of the salmon and it was dry to me. The sweet sauce was great but the salmon itself was quite dry.
Personally, I don’t think I would ever order this dish again.
For dessert we ordered the Cookie which is a warm, large chocolate cookie topped with vanilla ice-cream and caramel drizzle. The ice-cream was delish but the cookie was too sweet for my liking. It is definitely a very rich dessert that needs to be shared.
The total cost for the 3-course meal was $26.25 per person not including drinks. Not a bad price given that most entrees cost around $20.
Beard Papa—-Walked by the newest Beard Papa location on Robson yesterday and decided to by a batch of 6 original cream puffs. Each cream puff costs $1.75 and it was $9.50 for 6, so I did the math and decided to buy 6 knowing that I would have 2 =)
I tried Beard Papa once before at the Aberdeen location but forgot the exact taste and texture. I just remembered it was yumm-O!
After I placed my order of 6, I took another look at the other treats to see if there was anything else I wanted. The Chocolate Cake and the Cheesecake Stick looked great on picture but when I saw it on the counter it was very disappointing. The Cheesecake Stick was the size of my finger and the Chocolate Cake was super tiny. Knowing that I need quantity as well as quality I didn’t bother trying the other treats.
I watched as they prepared my cream puffs and I noticed that they already had the outer shells prepared and injected the whipped cream and custard into the pastry just before handing it to me. (This is why the outer shell stays so dry and crispy).
Once I took my first bite the filling gushed out. (Loves) The outer shell was soft and slightly crispy and the filling was still cold and not too runny. The custard/whipped cream filling had a great taste. It was not too sweet or overwhelming. The cream puff was also decent sized.After indulging in 2 I was very satisfied (Don’t judge me! Only 220 calories/one) ><
They also have other cream filling flavors like : Green Tea, Chocolate, Mango..etc. Next time I will definitely give the others a try.
If you are craving sweets then this will hots the spot =)
Situated at the corner of Richards and Helmcken is a small Japanese Tapas restaurant —Alpha Global Sushi & Bar
I have passed by this restaurant a thousand times but never really noticed it. I guess cause the exterior is quite dark, however the orange sign does help.
My friend who lives around the area decided on the place and had great reviews about the food. Also I Love Japanese Tapas so it was a great choice.
When I arrived at the restaurant it was starting to get busy. After being seated by a sweet and cute waitress, we were given the menu. The first thing that I noticed was that the menu was glued to the front and back pages of a book. Very interesting….
I guess if the company is boring than you can keep yourself entertained by reading ..haha=)
I am very indecisive when it comes to ordering. Yes I know very surprising since I love to eat. Perhaps it’s because I want to eat everything so I can’t decide. Thank god my friend is able to take charge=)
The first dish was 4 pieces of Toro Nigiri Sushi— They had toro that night, so we decided to give it a try
The toro was very fresh and it melted once it hit my mouth. Be careful of the pre-placed wasabi. It was a little overwhelming for me (but I’m weak). If you love toro then definitely try the toro sashimi!
The second dish was the Chicken Kara-age—–
The chicken was crispy and juicy but it was the hot and sweet soy sauce that did it for me. The sauce was tangy and made the chicken very tasty. The batter was okay and I still prefer Guu’s Chicken Karage. However the sauce was delicious!
The third dish was The Grilled Toro Pork——
This is one of my friend’s favorite dishes at Alpha. In her exact words “it’s one step above bacon.” And it was indeed yummy! The pork was very tender, juicy and flavorful. I don’t know how healthy this dish is but it is worth the cholesterol. The portion was also very decent since the pork is so rich.
The fourth dish was the highly recommended Unagi Rice Gratin—
This is one of the most popular dishes at Alpha. It consist of water fresh eel, cream sauce and seasoned rice baked with cheese. Yes I know *drooling*! This dish was served nice and hot with the cheese still bubbling. It was delicious however I would have liked more eel and cream sauce. There was also a lot of cheese and it harden after it cooled, so eat it as soon as it’s on the table.
The last dish was a salad that I managed to order (since I felt guilty for eating no veggies that day). The waitress recommendedthe Crispy Bacon and Tofu salad— it sounded interesting so I decided to give it a go.
This dish was okay for me but nothing spectacular. I do like tofu but I found it a little much. The pieces of tofu were too large and the salad dressing didn’t give much taste. However, very healthy=)
Overall, this is a great place for Japanese Tapas for a great price. A hybrid of Guu and Hapa. I definitely want to come back and try other dishes. I would also recommend this place for parties since it’s on the smaller side you can book out the whole restaurant. If you like Japanese Tapas then Alpha is worth a visit!
Went to dinner with a close friend of mine fews weeks back and she suggested to try Miku. I have never heard of the restaurant, so I decided to look at some reviews and the menu before we went.
Many reviews suggested that Miku is the best new Jap restaurant in Vancouver and that it is a must try. After seeing those reviews I was quite excited for yummy sushi=)
The price range at Miku is definitely higher than most normal japanese restaurants but it is worth the price gap.
Miku is located at 1055 West Hastings and it is situated at the corner of an office building. The interior of the restaurant is very chic and elegant. Once you walk through the entrance there is a long sushi bar on the right hand side with colourful lighting and a long dining area on the left side. The restaurant is also embraced by floor to ceiling windows, so there are great views throughout the whole place.
There were many special sushi combinations that night due to the Olympics. After a dedicated look at the menu we both opted for the “Winter Olympic Combination” and the “Aburi Tuna” to start.
One of the main concepts of Miku is “Aburi Sushi Gourmet” which means flame-seared dishes. And let me say, it is delicious!
The Aburi Tuna was flame-seared to perfection and balanced with a delicious sauce. I love the idea of Aburi because it gives the fish a texture and a particular seared taste.
The Winter Olympic Combination provided a wide range of pressed-sushi with Aburi fish, maki(s) and rolls. All of the creations had a special sauce, which made it divine. The fish was so fresh and flavours were so great. It was a melt-in-your-mouth experience!
To top of the night we decided to order the Green Tea Tiramisu dessert and I am very glad we did!=)
The dessert had a strong matcha flavour but it wasn’t overwhelming and the texture was very smooth! The raspberry sauce also gave it a nice kick in the overall taste.
I highly recommend all Sushi lovers to give Miku a try. I really enjoyed it and will definitely be back!=)
17 days of excitement, people, sports, athletes and venues. Can’t believe its all over…… I must say Vancouver did a great job hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics. There was so much patriotism and spirit. Definitely going to miss it…… Found this car in Yaletown soon after our Gold medal hockey game Granville Street (What it [...]
17 days of excitement, people, sports, athletes and venues. Can’t believe its all over……
I must say Vancouver did a great job hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics. There was so much patriotism and spirit. Definitely going to miss it……
Found this car in Yaletown soon after our Gold medal hockey game
Granville Street (What it was like for 17 days)
I wonder who this is??
Fireworks from LiveCity on the last night of the Olympics
Happy Socks!
