The Eatery

The Eatery is probably one of the most fun places to get sushi that I know of in Vancouver. I found this little sushi joint about two years when some of my classmates invited me out for dinner. I thought the place was very wild and funky. Something I don't often see at a typical sushi place.

The second time I visited The Eatery was not too long ago with some co-workers, I had ordered the avocado crunch and I was just obsessed and I asked Michael to come with me for a second round of that decadent little roll.

Funky.

The Eatery at 3431 West Broadway is funky. There are lava lamps above the bar area and there are almost life sized super hero figures hanging on the wall. There's also a DJ spinning in the corner. Add in quirky little quotes posted throughout the restaurant and on the menu and you have a hell of an unusual dining experience. But we're here for the food, and we didn't leave disappointed.

Michael and I aren't great believers in fusion food but the Eatery is somewhere that has mastered fusion sushi and transformed it in to something fun. They've really done their research on how to do "fusion" properly, I don't see that too often.

The owners have a sense of humour :)

First thing first. Get a reservation in advance. They tend to get you to play the waiting game and it's not fun. The restaurant is not too big and you can see people eating right in front of you while you wait and starve. You have been warned.

Another factor is I don't feel that The Eatery is somewhere I'd go to eat and get really good service. I feel that from my experiences I felt a lot of the servers were a little rude and took very little in regards of the diners needs. But oh well, the place makes pretty good food, what more could I ask for. 

Since it was Michael's first time at the place he let me take control of ordering the rolls. Oh man, I love ordering their rolls because of their funny names. Sometimes I try not to get too carried away and order too much. Also when you let me take control of rolls, you will begin to nice a pattern.

Our plethora of rolls

Of course I ordered the avocado crunch ($5.50) which is avocado and cream cheese fried in to a tempura batter. I loved that there was crunch from the tempura and the mild creaminess of the avocado that's molded in to one ball. But then there is the slight cream cheese that hits you unexpectedly with a tang.  Michael thought it was extremely creamy, almost like a cream puff with a marshmallow filling. He thought there was a little sweetness in there too that the avocado gives you when you bite in to it.

Our second roll was the erotica roll ($6.95) which was avocado, salmon, tuna with roe, with crab, cucumber, and mayo. Michael both agree that it tasted very much like a California roll. I thought the crab's taste over powered a lot of the other mild ingredients and I could only taste the crab. Which I think that's what's giving the California roll type of feel.  Michael feels there was a good amount of the fish and roe which also tasted very fresh. The salmon tasted similar to the tuna one but there wasn't a lot of that mayo taste coming through.

Our last and final roll was the Viva Las Vegas ($7.95) which the menu claimed that this is what killed Elvis! I thought it was very delicious,  the roll is decked with crab, eel, avocado, cream cheese, and spicy mayo. I was looking for something with packed a lot of heat. The Vegas one had a fair amount of heat but I wish there was more. Maybe I would have gotten the heat if I ordered the X - rated roll. But overall I thought there wasa. Lot of elements to the Vegas. There was eel and there was the crab which I kind of thought it was a little lost in there because maybe there was also the cream cheese and the spicy mayo.  Michael thought the same that we're a lot of components in there and he referenced it to a chowder soup. Since there was a lot of ingredients happening its hard to differentiate them apart. He could taste the crab and the eel, and the avocado came throughout it mixed in with all the other ingredients in there eventually. 

Did you notice the pattern? All three rolls that I ordered contained avocado, well I just love my avocado!

Salmon tar tar

Another dish we ordered was the smoked salmon tar tar ($9.50) it had three types of salmon with black sesame, chives, and creme fraiche. There were wonton chips on the side made out like nachos which we thought was pretty cool, Michael thought it added a real nice touch.  I couldn't really make out the creme fraiche but I could definitly taste the smokiness. Everything just molded together ever so nicely. The salmon was just to die for, it was so good it was like my whole body just melted. There was also a little green salad on the side which Michael capped on to his salmon with the wonton chips. He thought it added an extra freshness to the mushiness of the salmon. I didn't really bother too much with the greens because it looked really dry that made it look not too appetizing.

Cheap wings

We also ordered half a dozen of wings ($0.35 each) and we got the salt and pepper flavor one. We didn't really have much of an opinion on those wings. We felt that there wasn't anything special to them, Michael purely got them was because they were so cheap. It was practically a steal.

Yaki-tori

We then got the yaki-tori ($5.25) which was three chicken skewers with a honey soy sauce. Michael loves anything that's served on a stick. I'm not sure why but I wasn't surprised that he wanted to order that. We both agree that the chicken skewer tasted extremely tender just fell off the stick practically. Michael thought the teriyaki sauce was very tastefully done, like the ones you would get at a fancy Japanese restaurant. Michael thought it was salty too, a little more salty than sweet but he ended up liking it anyway. I felt it a little too salty. 

Michael and I left the restaurant feeling super stuffed. We were about to fall in to a deep food coma. The eatery is somewhere that I would recommend if they are looking for somewhere to fun to eat at. The Eatery definitely has great energy and great food. It such a delight always just walking in to the restaurant because of their wild decor. 

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Little Bird Bistro

The leaves have turned golden brown and fallen off the trees, the wind blowing, and rainy days. Fall is definitely here. So what do Michael and I do? Run away to Portland again. Visiting the Oregon city has become something Michael and I really enjoy, a yearly routine for us. One of the biggest reasons is the great dining in Portland.

When we were looking for somewhere to eat dinner, everything we came across sounded so wonderful but unfortunately we arrived in to Portland late, and we could only dine out for only one of the nights we were there.

Because of our minor delay we got up bright and early to make up for the lost time in Portland. I did my usual stops in downtown, and of course Michael sat in his boyfriend chairs and waited for me. While he sat there patiently he did some research on where we could dine at. Michael has always had a fascination with birds since he was a child and when we came across Little Bird Bistro he got pretty excited. Since the bird bistro served French cuisine, he thought this place had something to offer for the both of us.

Luckily, we got a table after a short wait

When the evening approached us we were starting to get second thoughts of the place. What if there's a lot of people? Was it too late to make a reservation? Michael went back to the drawing board but we still went back to the bird. We made our way down to the restaurant on that cold night, it was a long walk from our hotel but we finally made it to the restaurant. Good thing there wasn't much of a wait.

Little Bird Bistro is a two story restaurant. I felt that it looked really cozy and the restaurant reminded me of cafes in southern France. There were blackboards up above in the wall that showed the specials and a big window where diners could watch the city goers walk by.

Gnocchi

 
Michael and I were seated on the main floor and our tables were pretty tucked in there side by side with other diners. I got hungry during my shopping day so I got tempted by a pretzel from the mall, but Michael suggested that we would get an appetizer to share. Michael knew that I love gnocchis  and decided to order the goat cheese gnocchi with ox tail, served with caramelized orange jus and peppers ($14). Yummy!

Biting into the gnocchi was like chewing in to lumps of clouds. There were such strong aromatic flavours from the ox tail with a lighter balance from the jus. I didn't try any of the ox tail myself but eating just the gnocchi's were just amazing. I loved that there was sprinkles of goat cheese to the dish, which added a nuttiness to the light flavours. Michael said that the ox tail was like melt in your mouth good. There such natural flavours in the ox tail with a touch of light seasoning.

Chicken fried trout

Michael was feeling a little ill that day and wanted to eat something light and easy on his stomach. He wanted to get the chicken fried trout with herbs, pickled vegetables, gribiche, and radishes ($22), but I thought that sounded pretty delicious and I wanted to eat that. Michael was nice enough to let me order it and he would order something else. Unfortunately, the chicken fried trout was completely different from what I thought it would be. I thought the dish was really heavy because the trout was fried, and now come to think of it the title makes sense now. There was a creaminess present from the gribiche that tamed a little bit of the friedness. I really liked that there was sprigs of dill and different herbs on the plate. Not only did it make the dish have an additional flavour but it also added interesting presentation. It was a bonus that beneath the batter the fish was very soft, smooth and silky. I decided it was a bad idea to have the mall pretzel in the end, I regretfully didn't finish the fish.

Pork pot au feu

Michael, meanwhile, got the light dish he was looking for. He ordered the pork pot au feu, which a stew with bone marrow and potatoes on a broth ($28). Michael just gobbled that sucker up because it was soupy, non greasy and not fried. Exactly the kind of fancy for-sick-people dinner he was looking for. He has never had bone marrow before so it was definitely an adventure for him. He was the pork itself was very soft another melt and he loved dipping the morsels in the broth and marrow. 

Even though I was really full from my fried trout I kept stealing Michael's potatoes. They were so tasty. I love that the seasoning on the potatoes wasn't overpowering and it was just prepared very simply. Michael's broth added the perfect amount of flavour. So very tasty.

Macaroons

Even though I didn't get the dish that I had anticipated on, I would be more that happy to return to the bird bistro to try other dishes off their menu. The kitchen definitely knows how to cook and I am super eager to return to try their other dishes. The server also gave us small macaroons with the bill, which was a nice touch.

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Pike Place Chowder

Nothing beats a little sisterly love in my favourite city, Seattle. I was down in Seattle with Micheal and my best friend a little while ago as a farewell to summer. We went to walk around Pacific Mall, where my all time favorite department store is located. After shopping we went upstairs hoping we can get a light snack. Our trio came across a quaint little area called the Pike Place Chowder, it looked like they had the light snack we were looking for.

Pike Place Chowder

Michael got a chowder combo that came with a sandwich and a drink. Where my best friend shared a fish taco with nachos and pinco de gallo on the side. I had a few sips of Michael's chowder and we both really enjoyed it. Michael said that the next time we came back to Seattle, he would want to have a full on meal from the place.

Michael and I ended up coming back to the Pike Place Chowder a month later and we went to the actual chowder located at the famous Pike Place Market at 1530 Post Alley. It was a little confusing for us to find the place, we made a little walk in to the market before stumbling across the chowder place.

Just a place to grab a quick bite

Michael and I wouldn't call it an actual restaurant, it seemed like it was more of just a casual little place where people would get their food and go. We would line up and choose what kind of chowder we wanted and if you wanted a sandwich they would make it for you and it was pretty quick. No actual restaurant service we'd say.

Our chowders and the dungeness crab roll

Michael and I ordered combo #2 for $12.95 each, but we up-sized our chowder to large for $2 more.
Our combo consisted of a dungeness crab roll and a bottomless fountain drink. I got the salmon chowder and Michael got the seafood bisque. At first we were both scratching our heads which was who's soup because they both looked the same.

A salmon chowder consisted of salmon, capers, and cream cheese. But I didn't spot on any capers in there what did I see in my chowder was a lot of seafood bisque flavors. But to be honest I think the man who scooped our soup didn't hear us properly and gave us two seafood bisque instead. A seafood bisque contained pacific cod, salmon, shrimp, crab, with tomatoes, and basil. Even though it wasn't the chowder that I ordered, I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I quite liked my chowder, and even though there were a lot of heavy ingredients, it tasted light still with the creamy element in there. I thought there could've been more punch though because there weren't a lot of strong flavours that jumped out.

Michael had been waiting a while to come back ever since he tried the chowder the first time. What he likes to do is take dungeness crab meat from the crab roll sandwich into the chowder to add even more thickness to the chowder. I think he preferred the New England clam chowder that he ordered last time more than the seafood bisque. But he still thought every slurp was delicious and was really happy to find out that they sell chowder by take-home buckets as well. Unfortunately, we didn't have a cooler in the car this time to get it home.

Overflowing with crab meat

I would say that I enjoyed my crab roll much more, the crab tasted very fresh and chopped celery that gave it a kick of flavor. Of course all crabs needs a little citrus action somewhere in there. There was also a hint of lemon juice in there to emphasize the crabs fresh taste. Michael ordered this sandwich last time as well. He thinks the best part is they put loads of fresh crab on top of the roll, just piles and piles overflowing from the top. He also agrees the chopped celery was perfect with the crab, adds that extra bit of crunch and volume to the crab.

I would say Michael and I had enjoyed our time at the chowder place it was a casual and relaxing environment to be. Before we left I dropped in $3 in the tip jar and returned to my seat. Michael and I heard the man behind the counter say "wow three whole dollars!" in a sarcastic manner. Michael and I were quite uncomfortable with that comment that he made as we were sitting only a metre away from the counter. I felt our dining experience went about twenty five steps backwards and left a really sour taste in my mouth after what he said.

As I said in the beginning, there was no actual traditional restaurant, we didn't get a server that came to us and asked how our food was or asked if we wanted water. It's strictly a casual hang out spot where people sit and eat and then go. Our bill came out to be about $30 and I'd say $3 is pretty generous for us to give them as they didn't technically "serve" us. Also I felt it was extremely rude and disregarding to the customer for the man to say that in front of us. I don't know whether I'd go back to Pike Place Chowder again, and if I do I don't think I'd go any time soon.


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Bastille Cafe & Bar

The last time I had visited Seattle with mama bear, I came across a magazine in our hotel room that introduced Seattle. There was a list of restaurants in the magazine that tourists could try. I skimmed the page stumbled upon the word "French." I thought to myself this is somewhere I had to visit, not just with anyone but with my bestie.

I travel frequently down the border with my mom as a short mother-daughter get away every month. My mom usually has a system she likes to do when she's down there, so as much as having Seattle to be one of my favourite cities in the world,  I don't often to get to explore as much as I'd like to in Seattle.  It's nice to visit other places in Seattle that is out of the ordinary for me when I am with Michael and friends. Michael was ever so kind to drive myself and the bestie down to Seattle. We spent much of our day gallivanting around the adorable state of Washington.

Bastille

This "French" place that I read about was called Bastille Cafe and Bar located at 5307 Ballard Ave NW.
 Judging from the older looking buildings, Michael thinks Ballard Ave is located in the older, lower Seattle. The street is made out to be their version of Vancouver's Gastown. The brick buildings, cobble stone streets, all made it looked like there was a lot of hip and fun restaurants and bars around the area too. 

A great cafe and bar!

Bastille says they have "damn good French food," and the bestie and I would agree. They were even comparable to we have shared in France. For starters they have the Dijon mustard sitting next to the salt and pepper. They serve water in a glass bottle. These little minor details are pretty authentic touches. We have never come across a French restaurant in North America that has paid such detailed attention. Michael said that he can tell the restaurant has gone well under the knife to update the restaurant in a rather older building.

We all thought the restaurant got rather dark during dinner time. As a matter a fact, a little too dark that we joked we needed a flashlight. Michael asked us if dining in the dark was part of French culture. Bestie and I agree that the restaurant is made out to be a very home and cozy ambiance which is in a lot French cafe and restaurants in France. But dining in the dark, we think not so much. Perhaps the darkness is just to push a more romantic vibe. Well a little menage et trois can't hurt anyone.

Lamb Merguez

It's fair to say that we had a little difficult time deciding on what to eat. For myself I thought as much as everything sounds delicious, I didn't want to get anything heavy that I could fall in to a deep food coma on our way home. Michael settled for the Lamb Merguez ($18) from their specials menu which was a juicy lamb sausage served with broccoli. Michael said that it was a good portion and had a good consistent portion of vegetables that went along with the sausage. The sausage had a lot of natural flavours and the veggies add a pleasant crunch in there. He really liked how the sausage kept all of the natural lamb taste without overpowering seasoning. Perfect.

Croque Monsieur

For myself I got the Croque Monsieur ($11) which is essentially a French grilled cheese sandwich. It is served with Duroc ham and aged comte and mornay sauce. I also got frites served with aoili on the side for dipping to share with the BFF. Croque Monsier is such a french classic, my last meal in France with my BFF was a croque monsier, we  got to enjoy this sandwich a cafe right next to the Eiffel tower. How cheesy.

The sandwich was a delight to chow down, but I felt that there was something in there that was missing, I can't quite put it there but it didn't feel very croque-y. I felt the ham tasted like Montreal smoked meat and I would assume they were prepared the same way. The cheese was smothered everywhere and surprisingly I didn't feel so full that I had fallen in to a food coma after my meal. It turned out to be a pretty light sandwich! I was just bothered by tough corners of the sandwich was a little tough to chew.

Frites

As for the frites ($6) we liked how simple it was made to be, it was very lightly seasoned with salt. The bestie and I just muched away and dipped them in a combination of Dijon and the aoili.

Fusilli

Last but not least, my BFF ordered the Fusilli ($16). It was pasta with a nice simple vegetarian sauce. It was really tasty and filled with flavours. Her favourite was having the pistachios in the dish which added a unique element to the dish.  It was served at a good portion, too!

Other than our perfect meal, it was a pity we didn't get a glass a wine to wash down the dinner since we didn't get to spend the night in Seattle. We all really enjoyed our time at Bastille Cafe, the ambiance is fantastic, the food is delicious, and our waiter was amazing. Parfait!


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Romer's Burger Bar

I can't believe Michael and I have never been to Romer's Burger Bar, and we're so happy that we did. Michael and I spent our day together with our his and her's best friends, we had so much fun in our bff affair. My best friend went to this burger heaven a while back with some friends. She has always told me about this place and I never got a chance to try until now and I am so glad we did!

The burger bar is laid out the way I would like a burger bar to be. It is located on trendy 1873 West 4th. The restaurant had open windows for people watching while diners enjoy their food. We were seated at a cozy round booth. My best gal even made a comment that she could fall asleep in there.

A yummy side of fries to start

Now lets get in to the niddy griddy. Can I just say OH TO THE EM GEE! These burgers are amazing! All four of us were talking about these burgers even hours after leaving the restaurant. There was a lot of selections from their menu but this is a burger bar after all. The kitchen really knows how to sex up their burgers because they taste fabulous and amazing. Oh, they also offer different selections of bread. You can choose from brioche, something nice and buttery, skinny bread almost like a flat bread, and they also offer something gluten free and a "make it green" option which is just a lettuce for buns I believe.

Wicked Deadly Cheeseburger

I was craving for something cheesy but I didn't want to feel completely bloated and full. I ordered the wicked Deadly Cheeseburger ($11) with a veggie patty, which is made up of soy and chopped up mushrooms. I was worried about the veggie patty since it was made up of mushrooms and I've had a not-so-good previous experience with veggie patties. But at Romer's, oh yum! The veggie patty, made of soy and mushroom, looked and tasted like a beef patty. It was served with five cheeses and I couldn't make out exactly all five but they melted so nicely with the patty. There was a hint of Russian tarragon sauce, it was a nice moisture to the bun and the patty. They also added a few touches of red onions that added an extra sweet aromatic zing  in there.

Magic Mushroom Burger

My bestie ordered the Magic Mushroom Burger ($11) also with a skinny bun. Served with a beef patty decked out with portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions, baby arugula and herb garlic boursin. She liked that it was served on a skinny bun because the burger itself was pretty filling already. There was a fresh taste from the portobelllo that gave a nice earthy organic tone to the beef. She had absolutely no criticism to this burger because it was just that amazing.

Myself and gal pal thought the skinny bun didn't look very appetizing but it was far from it. Very soft and fluffy. Since Romars doesn't serve sides with the burgers we need to order them on the side. Myself and bestie shared the big sized fries ($4) with chipotle sauce. We both thought it was a little spicy but she can handle heat a lot better than I can. We both agree that the fries tasted very unique and different from other fries we get. We can't quite put out finger on it but it was delicious. But one word to describe them is soft, because indeed they were.

Romer's Righteous Burger

Michael got the Romer's Righteous Burger  ($12) served on a beef patty, bacon, brasied short rib, gorgonzola sauce, and fresh thyme, along with amber ale cheddar on a brioche. He also added Tuscan greens ($4) on the side. Michael's first bite in to this was "Wow, now THIS  is a gourmet burger." He thought the burger was super juicy and loved the extra added amber ale cheddar on top. There were nice, thick slices of bacon in his sandwich and since he wasn't feeling fries, he really enjoyed how refreshing the side greens were.

Man's Man Burger

As for Michael's friend, he ordered the Man's Man burger ($12) that claims to be the "best damn burger to ever hit your lips." Well, let's have the diner be the judge of that. Michael's friend also ordered the Little Wedge ($4.50), which was wedged lettuce with Applewood bacon and chopped up eggs. The burger was dressed up with amber ale cheddar, onions strings, smoked alder salt, mustard and tomatoes on a brioche bun. The salad was served as sliced wedge of a ball of lettuce, he thought the wedged salad tasted really fresh. As for his manly burger, it was just pure goodness. He thought maybe it was so wonderfully delicious because of the special brioche bun. It definitely was no ordinary hamburger bun you get at a grocery store. The meat was spot on goodness. Filled with juices and freshness.

I am so glad we came here for lunch. It's a casual, fun place but the cooks really know how to deck out their wonderful amazing burgers. It was such a challenge to get through this post because I got hungry just thinking about these magical burgers. Since our last burger experience was a mighty fail, Romer's was such better delicious compensation. It's like they have their burgers down to the science, and whether you're a carnivore, herbivore, or a real health nut, they have something suitable for everyone. Michael and I simply can't wait to come back to eat more burgers! Just pure nom nom nom to the max.

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Meat and Bread

Michael had some errands to run around the Downtown area and got a little hungry. So he suggested we should go to Meat and Bread for a quick bite to eat. I was actually really surprised that Michael had come with that suggestion.

We had visited Meat and Bread a few years ago, and at the time we were quite disappointed with the sandwich joint, particularly Michael because we arrived to find out they'd run out of their signature dish. For myself I just got the grilled cheese, which was pretty mediocre. Ever since that day we had never been back until now..

Our sandwiches being made

It was such a hot day in Vancouver and it was brutal following Michael around in the heat. Since we were around the Gastown we were pretty close to one of the Meat and Bread locations at 370 Cambie Street in Vancouver. They have done pretty well over the years and have expanded to another location on Pender as well. Good thing there wasn't much people at the time, I was so hot I just wanted to sit down and enjoy a nice bottle of soda.

Inside the restaurant

Meat and Bread is laid out very simply. You order in the front and watch the sandwich team compose their works of art. We slide down to the end of the counter to pay after our order and our sandwich is at the end waiting for us. Just like a cafeteria. Up in the walls there are taxidermist-like animals hung up. Not my cup of tea but that's okay. Their theme is like modern day hip Brooklyn type of deli meets vintage butcher shop. There are pictures of cows lines drawn all over explaining the good cuts of the animal. Also not my cup of tea, but I try to go along with the theme.

Porchetta sandwich

Michael finally got his long awaited Porchetta sandwich ($8), first thing he said was when he took a bite was "delicious." There were bits of crispy pork skin and fat tucked into the buttery texture of the pork roast. It was literally one of the best sandwiches he's ever had. He thought each bite was super savoury, and even though it seemed like such a simple sandwich there was so much flavour. His enjoyment got me wondering how delicious it was and had to try it myself. I thought the meat was very soft and full of natural flavors that didn't take over one another.

Roasted chicken sandwich

For myself I got the roasted chicken ($9), it was such a pleasant sandwich. It was made out to be like a chicken ceasar sandwich but was much more tastefully done and had much more class. The chicken was roasted to perfection soft and tender. At first I thought there was a garlic taste somewhere in there, but it was actually capers.

It added a garlicy and salty taste to the sandwich. It was such a nice balance to the natural flavours and there was a light dressing to accompany the lettuce and the chicken as well. I liked that the dressing wasn't heavy and didn't have a overly strong taste that disrupted the garlic aroma of the capers. There were also croutons that came along in the sandwich to give it a more "ceasar" feel. I actually despise croutons because of the overly crunchiness, but the Meat and Bread version was soft and easy to chew but not in a stale kind of way. Fantastic.

Every sandwich that is served also comes a side of their mustard. Oh my gosh is it ever delicious! It doesn't matter what sandwich you order the mustard was absolutely yum together. It just adds an extra shot of tang in there.

I believe their menu does change day to day except for their porchetta. I am keen on returning to taste more of their sandwiches. Perhaps on a cold winter day, I can get myself a nice cup of tomato soup.


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Shurky Jurky

We've got mail!

Allison and I just received - and tried - our very first Shurky Jurky, thanks to Oregon-based creator Mike Shur who let us try a delicious selection of his gluten-free paleo snacks. My favourite was the pepper. Allison loved how it was gluten free, letting you enjoy meat guilt-free. No fats, just simple flavours and none of that trans fat nonsense.

Pepper

To start, the peppers scattered on the jerky was amazing, the flavours hitting the palate all at once, really gives it that great punch. I could eat a bowl of those just thinking about it. Our's was the beef but Shurky Jurky also makes their product in pork, turkey and bison. 

Gujaillo chili

Unfortunately, the package didn't come with instructions so we had to guess based on taste what flavour each piece was. But some were really easy to tell. My second favourite was definitely the chili, it tastes really mild when you first put it in the mouth but then the subtle chili flavours creep up in a pleasant surprise. This flavour was also noticeably more moist and tender than many of the others.

The next is Mike's traditional smokey flavour - this one really fought for second place. It has a nice savoury taste. It's nice and simple, no wonder it's their best-selling flavour.

Then there's the Asian sesame. It's a unique flavour that really incorporates the sesame oils right into the beef. It's a tiny bit salty though.

Spicy

And the last and definitely the most memorable - the spicy. It was SO spicy that I would recommend it only for those who really love the heat or want a challenge. Definitely lots of red chile pepper flakes in there.

Here's what the company has to say about their flavours:

Our proprietary marinade is our jerky's secret sauce. It is made from scratch using fresh pineapple, Bragg liquid aminos or coconut aminos, and our top-secret blend of spices. We couple this custom mixture with our house Worcestershire sauce. Our marinade contains no refined sugar and has 4-8x less sodium than other comparable products which rely heavily on salt-laden soy sauces.

And now Mike's expanding his pork and beef jerky selection to include chocolate covered jerky! He's raising money through crowdsupply.com to bring the first batch out, and depending on how that goes, possibly more orders to come. You can find out more about the fundraiser and chocolate-covered deliciousness at Crowd Supply, and order some of Mike's products at shurkyjurky.com.

Vancouver Food Truck Festival

I can safely say that Michael and I have a mutual love-hate relationship with Vancouver food .  One of Michael's friends told us about the food truck festival by the Olympic Village. We thought this was something we must take a look at. I don't know about Michael but I was feeling pretty mediocre about it, since Vancouver food carts have never given me anything worthy to be excited about.

A small sign directs visitors at the Olympic Village to the festival

For the long weekend Michael and I decided to explore this festival that many people raved and hyped about. The food cart festival was quite a challenge to find - It was like we were on a quest from Lord of the Rings.  The website says they are located at West 1st between Cambie bridge and Olympic Village, but it was quite a walk through the gravel trail before hitting the actual festival. When we arrived we very surprised that there was a $2 entry fee. I thought it was pretty ridiculous that we needed to pay for the privilege of buying food.

When we walked in there weren't as many trucks that we thought there would be. It felt like a less busy and less rowdy Richmond night market.  From what we saw there may have been about 15 trucks parked or so. It seemed like it didn't live up to its hype. Compared to the food stands that we have been to in Portland, this appears to be a weak attempt. But beggars can't be choosers.


A lot of them were just downtown Vancouver food trucks, but Michael and I wanted to try something different. We decided to share a lot of the stuff so that way  we would have more room to eat more food. But again it was no surprise that everything was way too expensive for what is. We passed a truck that served fresh squeezed juice, I was really looking forward to try them because I saw them on Eat St. But $7 for juice sounds a little crazy to me.  

Holy Perogy

Our first stop was at Holy Perogy, they offer gourmet perogies with fresh local ingredients. We ordered the Italian ($8)  five perogies served with a creamy pesto sauce with diced tomatoes.  For $8 we think we would have gotten a lot more perogies than just five in Portland. And I have had perogies before at a bar in downtown Vancouver. It only cost me $10 with a side plate of extra sour cream and a  ceasar salad. I also got to sit comfortably on a chair eating at a table. So you do the math.

Italian Perogy

For the pesto sauce I didn't feel there was a strong pesto feel to it, it just tasted pretty creamy to me.  I did like the diced tomatoes though because it had a garlicy flavour to it. Michael thought the tomatoes added flavour and tasted very fresh. It was Michael's first time eating a real perogy and he didn't know what was in it, but he thought the presentation looked simple with a lot of flavour backing it up.

Chou Chou breton crepes

Our next stop was at the ChouChou, which was a crepe truck operated by an adorable French lady and her mom. It was nice for Michael and I to compare this crepe to a franchised crepe that we always come across. For $6.50 it was rather comparable to the franchised price.

We ordered the classic chocolate hazelnut spread. We watched her make three crepes at a time which was just astonishing. Our crepe is sweet and simple, but the crepe itself that is the star. It determines how well the crepe is cooked and how much tender, love and care has been put in.

Chocolate hazelnut crepe

Michael and I thought the crepe was crispy on the outside, but inside had a still undercooked feel, making the dough soft blending in nicely with the chocolate. Although the chocolate was pretty splattered in there in a clumpy style. It didn't over power anything and overwhelm the crepe with just chocolate. There was a nice balance of chocolate and crepe. Another I thought was really neat was after completion of the crepe, she dabs of salted butter on the tip and the heart of the crepe. It added a slight salty component to the skin which melded to the sweet chocolate.

Michael and I really wanted to try more trucks but everything looked heavy and we just weren't up to pay a lot of money to street food. Even though we were disappointed by this so-called festival at least we can say we tried it. And we'll always have our love affair with Portland. 

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La Bocca

Here's another one for the little village of Whistler. Michael and I roamed around the village late morning after checking out from our hotel. We found many of the restaurants offered the familiar selections of west coast food, especially breakfast. Awhile back when Michael and I had gone to Whistler for a mini vacation, I remember Michael didn't eat a lot for breakfast when we went to a diner-esque type of a place. So I was surprised that Michael wanted to eat a traditional breakfast with me.

We came across La Bocca, I read about the place the previous night when we were debating where to go for dinner. They are also known for their gelato which is separated from the actual restaurant. There wasn't much a wait when we arrived but there was a line up that was starting to form after we finished. So it was a good thing that we went early!

When we sat down it took our waiter quite a while to come and greet us, take down our drinks, and whatnot. When he finally came to us, Michael and I felt he was a little awkward, maybe he was new to the restaurant industry? One example: when we first ordered our coffees and he came to our table to deliver our coffees he threw the sugar down on to the table, which left me a little stunned.

Meatless Benedict

For our breakfast I wasn't sure what I was feeling. Hmm salty or sweet?  I definitely wanted something easy on the stomach, I have had horrendous pancakes before so I thought I'd better not take a chance. I went with the meatless Benedict ($11). It was served with spinach with tomatoes, and a poached egg. The benedict overall was good and light enough for me to take on in the morning. Although I had hoped that there would be more hollandaise sauce because towards the end my English muffin went a little dry. Also I would have liked to dip my potato wedges in it. The spinach was sauteed pretty good it wasn't too soggy and it went well with the poached egg. I love having poached eggs and seeing the yolk ooze out it always just makes me happy.

BC Benedict

Michael had the BC Benedict ($13) a traditional eggs Benedict served with wild salmon. He never really eats Benedicts so it was nice to here that he really enjoyed it. He thought they would have been better off using whole slices of smoked salmon instead of using shredded salmon. But overall he really enjoyed his dish and would definitely go back.

Other than our weird waiter I really liked La Bocca, I am eager to try their lunch and dinner menu. Although it looks like all the other places in the Whistler village, their menu seems like they have a dash of sophistication but shouts fun at the same time. Of course I would love to try their gelato as well!


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