Sunday, February 6, 2011

Cactus Club Cafe - Downtown Location

Address:  588 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C.
Website:  http://www.cactusclubcafe.com/
Date Visited:  18 January 2011

This is my first time into this location of this popular restaurant chain.  In the other locations that I have visited, I have always found the service to be friendly and the food consistent in quality.  As well, another attractive quality of the chain is their hiring policy.  It seems that only the young and gorgeous need to apply!  Talk about eye candy!

On this occassion, we arrived for lunch and the restaurant was extremely busy.  Instead of taking a name for the next available table, we were told to go stand by a table that was about to leave in order to reserve it.  Awkward!  When the couple left, we made our move to the table just in time as another party was wanting the same table.  This also happened when we left as 2 parties were again vying for the table and 1 party had to back down.  Uncivilized!  They have to do something about this!

With regards to the food, I ordered a spinach salad made with italian prosciutto, cabbage, arugula, pickled beets, goat cheese, pears, candied pecans, parmesan, sherry vinaigrette and a balsamic glaze.  The ingrediants were fresh and the addition of arugula enhanced the flavours and textures of the salad.  I must admit that this is the best spinach salad that I have had in a long time!

Although the food was good and the decor modern, the unorganized approach to table reservations took the pleasure out of the experience!

Fronds Bistro on the Beach

Address:  14989 Marine Drive, White Rock, B.C.
Website:  None
Date Visited:  6 February 2011

We were looking for a place for breakfast along the White Rock beach area and noted that most restaurants were closed on a Sunday morning.  One place that was open was Fronds Bistro, so we decided to go in to try.  Not that we had a lot of choice!

Once inside, we found the place to be small but nice and clean.  However, the chairs need to be reupholstered as the seat portions were sagging.  We had to sit up straight in order to be high enough to enjoy our meal.

Meena, our server, was friendly and responsive, coming to greet us and to take our drink orders immediately upon arrival.  Thank goodness, as on this cold winter day, a cup of hot coffee was definitely needed!

Ordering breakfast, I wanted the crab cake eggs benedict but was told that they ran out of crab cakes.  I had to settle for the classic breakfast of eggs sunny side up, bacon, whole wheat toast and potato cubes.  The eggs were too well done for my liking.  Meena told us that they bake their own whole wheat bread, which tasted good.  Surprisingly, also tasty were the potato cubes.  Over all, breakfast was acceptable but the items selected do not require a lot of cooking skills.  I will have to return to try other items on the menu.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Branas Restaurant

Address:  617 Stamps Landing, Vancouver, B.C.
Website:  None
Date Visited:  19 January 2011

This is a quaint little eatery located in the Puss 'n Boots area on the south shore area of False Creek.  It is hard to find as it is nestled on the waterfront side behind condo buildings.  Parking is also scarce in the area.  Although getting to the restaurant may be a challenge, the food and the view is worth the effort!

The menu is rather extensive for a small establishment.  Besides breakfast items, lunch selections include sandwiches, salads, pastas, meats and seafood.  I selected the linguine with clams in white wine sauce.  There were an abundance of fresh clams in their shells served with the noodles.  The pasta was delicious and perfectly cooked al dente.  The sauce was light with just a hint of white wine.  The meal came with a couple of slices of garlic bread, which was thin and crispy.  A great complement to the pasta!

I would definitely recommend this restaurant as the food is of a high quality and the presentation is professional!

Denny's Restaurant

Address:  #201 - 8855 202nd Street, Langley, B.C. 
Website:  http://www.dennys.ca/west/
Date Visited:  18 January 2011

For breakfast, I ordered the eggs benedict with crumbled sausage.  Instead of potatoes, the server substituted a fresh fruit cup.  I found that the hollandaise sauce was not too rich or heavy on the eggs benedict.  The serving of fruit was fresh and contained bananas, cantelopes, grapes and wedges of apples.  Not soaked in syrup but fresh!  This was a pleasant surprise!  I quite enjoyed the breakfast.  The service was also friendly and efficient.  Great place for a casual breakfast at excellent prices!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

15 January 2011

Breakfast - Kingsford Good Food, #2129 - 4500 Kingsway, Burnaby, B.C. (in the food court of Crystal Mall).
  • Ate:  Toasted scrambled egg and luncheon meat sandwich, vermicelli with pork and preserved vegetables in soup, Hong Kong style coffee.
  • Positives:  A typical breakfast fare offered at food courts in malls catering to a Chinese crowd.  Everything listed above for the incredible price of $4.75!  How do they make any money charging only $4.75?  Not gourmet cooking, but still delicious, tummy filling and all at an unbeatable price.
  • Negatives:  The food court is dark and the tables are showing a lot of wear.
  • URL:  None.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

13 January 2011

Dinner - Kyoto Sushi, 13651 72 Avenue, Surrey, B.C.
  • Ate:  Assorted platter of sushi items, miso soup.
  • Positives:  This restaurant has been here for a long time.  Good value for the money.  Large servings of decent food items.  The chef gave each table a complimentary deep fried roll made with cheese.  The service was friendly but a bit slow due to the restaurant being fully occupied.  Not bad for a Thursday night!
  • Negatives:  The premises are looking a bit tired.  Being small, there was insufficient ventilation so we left the restaurant smelling greasy.
  • URL:  None.

12 January 2011

Dinner - Kirin Seafood Restaurant, 555 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. (inside City Square)
  • Ate:  Assorted cold appetizer platter, steamed crab with garlic and green onions, whole deep fried fish with soya sauce, braised ox tail in brown sauce, deep fried tofu, pork belly with seasonal vegetables, and braised Chinese eggplant with preserved vegetables.  Dessert of sesame rice balls with red bean soup.
  • Positives:  Similar to other restaurants in this chain, this location was impressive with high end Chinese decor.  Excellent food quality and impeccable service.  The seafood was fresh, coming straight from their holding tanks located at the entrance to the restaurant.  The ox tail dish was rich and hearty.  I especially liked the pork belly dish as the meat had a delightful texture.
  • Negatives:  The eggplant dish needed more seasoning.  Overall, pricey but worth the money!
  • URL:  http://www.kirinrestaurants.com/index.php5?page=city_square