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.

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!

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.

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

          

11 January 2011

Lunch - Kirin Restaurant, 350 Gifford Street, New Westminster, B.C. (by Starlight Casino).

• Ate:  Dim sum dishes - spare ribs, rice balls wrapped in lotus leaves, tofu skin wrapped with shrimps, pork and bamboo shoots (deep fried), shrimp paste wrapped around sugar cane, and shrimp dumplings.
• Positives:   Considered a fine dining establishment, Kirin is a chain with 5 restaurants in the Lower Mainland.  The food is good and the service is impeccable.  Every dish tasted delicious.  Excellent selection of dim sum items but you have to order off the menu - no carts going by!
• Negatives:  None on this visit.
• URL:  http://www.kirinrestaurants.com/index.php5?page=starlight

          

10 January 2011

Lunch - Sen Viet Restaurant, 10 - 8590 200th Street, Langley, B.C.

• Ate:  Bowl of vermicelli noodles with chicken slices in a chicken broth.
• Positives:  A hot bowl of noodle soup is wonderful on a cold winter day!  Sure hits the spot!  Dishes are a dollar or two more than other Vietnamese restaurants, but the premises are clean (the restaurant opened in late-2010) and Sylvia and her staff are attentive and friendly.  A lot of unique items on the menu to eventually try in the future. 
• Negatives:  None on this visit.
• URL:  None.

         

9 January 2011

Dinner - On Yuen Restaurant, 9014 152nd Street, Surrey, B.C.

• Ate:  Take out of beef with brocolli fried noodles, sweet and sour boneless pork, salt and pepper prawns, snow peas with onions and garlic, prawn egg foo young and crispy skin chicken.
• Positives:  Nothing fancy in this local, family run restaurant.  Eric and Reagan seem to know most of the clients by name.  Good food at a decent price.  Our go-to restaurant whenever we don't want to cook.  Enjoyed the crispy skin chicken in particular tonight.
• Negatives:  Their take out orders seem to be a lot smaller portions than when served at the restaurant.  Will have to ask them about this in a future visit.
• URL:  None.

8 January 2011

Breakfast - Urban Farmer, 525 SW Morrison Street, Portland, Oregon (inside The Nines Hotel - 8th floor).

• Ate:  Duck confit with 2 soft poached eggs.
• Positives:  Must have been craving for more duck from the night before.  The bruch menu included unique fares not associated with breakfast, hence I had to try the duck.  Cooked to perfection!  Crispy skin and moist, juicy piece of breast meat underneath.  Wonderful start to the day!  Service was excellent with soothing jazz music playing in the the background, providing a relaxing ambiance to the experience.
• Negatives:  None on this occassion.
• URL: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/property/dining/index.html?propertyID=1757

Lunch - Sushi Land, 138 NW 10th Avenue, Portland, Oregon (in the Pearl District).

• Ate:  Various plates of sushi items presented on a conveyer belt running throughout the restaurant.  Item dishes are priced at $1, $1.50, $2 and $3.
• Positives:  Diners get to see the food items and select what they want.  Prices are cheap.  Sushi is fresh.  Miso soup was delicious and full of seaweed and tofu.  Small buckets of pickled ginger and wasabi for patrons to serve themselves. 
• Negatives:  Staff friendly but not very attentive.  Could be because the restaurant is almost self-serve format. 
• URL:  http://www.sushilandusa.com/

Dinner - Etta's, 2020 Western Avenue, Seattle, Washington (by Pike Place Market)

• Ate:  Wild sturgeon and dungeness crab cakes.  Finished with a coffee while sharing a winter fruit crisp comprised of pear and cranberry topped with cinnamon oat streusel and vanilla bean ice cream.
• Positives:   Food was delicious.  Ambiance was romantic.  Service was attentive.  Window seating allowed us to watch the world go by.  Really enjoyed the sturgeon as this fish is hard to find on menus.  Protected species in B.C.; only catch and release for the sport fisherman.  The crab cake was also fantastic.  Full clumps of dungeness crab meat within a crispy layer that was not too thick.  Dessert was excellent, with the tart cranberries pairing perfectly with the warm pear pieces and the cold vanilla ice cream.  Truly memorable!
• URL:  http://tomdouglas.com/index.php?page=ettas

           

7 January 2011

Breakfast - Village Inn, 1621 Northeast 10th Avenue, Portland, Oregon.

• Ate:  Had to try the fried chicken steak with country gravy.  This seems to be a popular item on many restaurant menus in the US, so I just had to try.
• Positives:  The building was older but premises were clean.  Server was friendly.  Carafe of coffee was left at the table so you have immediate access to more.  Good for first thing in the morning!
• Negatives:  Not used to fried chicken topped with a heavy white sauce for breakfast.  Flavour was not bad; just too much grease for the first meal of the day.
• URL:  http://www.villageinn.com/

Lunch - Elmer's Restaurant, 255 Arney Road, Woodburn, Oregon.

• Ate:  Hazelnut-Crusted Alaskan Cod with rice pilaf and seasonal vegetable.
• Positives:  Hard to come up with any!
• Negatives:  Young server literally threw the menus onto the table ahead of us.  Bad omen!  After a greasy breakfast, I wanted a healthier choice, so went with the cod.  It tasted like a frozen product that was microwaved.  The rice pilaf was not very appetizing.  The seasonal vegetable was a small dish of frozen corn.  Gross all around!
• URL:  http://elmers-restaurants.com/menu.html

Dinner - Ping, 102 NW 4th Avenue, Portland, Oregon

• Ate:  Skewers of Kobe beef, boar, fish balls, prawns and lamb.  Also had a bowl of laksa (laksa nonya), green beans in spicy coconut curry (nonya-style green beans), duck medallions.  Finished with dessert of roti and bananas covered in chocolate syrup.
• Positives:  Delicious meal all-around!  Wish I had a larger appetite to try more of their items!  Kobe beef to die for!  Lamb was superb!  Dessert was decadent!  Nothing disappointed!  Service was again solid.  Excellent way to end the day and to turn around the disappointing meals for breakfast and for lunch!
• Negatives:  None.  I'm a fan!
• URL:  http://www.pingpdx.com/

           

6 January 2011

Breakfast - Mother's Bistro and Bar, 212 SW Stark Street, Portland, Oregon.

• Ate:  Mike's Special Scramble with prosciutto ham, roasted garlic, fresh tomatoes, basil & provolone cheese.
• Positives:  Delicious breakfast.  Whole roasted garlic cloves in the scramble mix.  Added a lot of flavour, but too scary to consume.  I still have to talk to people!  Preserve (jam) was also delicious.  Bright premises decorated in vintage furniture and artwork.  It works!  Server really enjoys her job!  Contagiously cheerful!
• Negatives:  None.
• URL:  http://www.mothersbistro.com/

              

Dinner - El Gaucho Portland, 319 SW Broadway, Portland, Oregon

• Ate:  Caesar Salad, Chef's Rib Eye, Grilled Scampi and Diver Sea Scallops Brochette with Fresh Herb and Garlic Linguine, various side dishes.
• Positives:  Hard to come up with any!  Okay, the steak was okay but I have had better.  Scallops were the best thing out of the whole meal.
• Negatives:  Premises were dark and the noise was loud and not condusive to talking with anyone sitting across the table.  Caesar salad made at tableside with limp romaine lettuce.  Could be caused by too much salad dressing, which contained too much lemon juice.  Scampi did not taste fresh.  Linguine started out tasting good but was too oily, so it became unappealing after a few bites.  Left a lot of the expensive meal uneaten.  Very expensive non-adventure!
• URL:  http://www.elgaucho.com/elgaucho/_portland/index.htm

5 January 2011

Breakfast - Urban Farmer, 525 SW Morrison Street, Portland, Oregon (inside The Nines Hotel - 8th floor).

• Ate: Bacon, eggs, English muffin.
• Positives: Can't really mess up this standard breakfast fare.  Located in the atrium of the 8th floor of the hotel, the restaurant is airy and modern.  Service was good.
• Negatives: The English muffin is made by their own chefs.  Not quite what I had in mind though.  Muffin was thick and doughy.  Only ate a quarter of one side.  Should have ordered toast instead.
• URL: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/property/dining/index.html?propertyID=1757

          

Lunch - House of Louie, 331 NW Davis Street, Portland, Oregon (in Old Chinatown District).

• Ate: Various dim sum dishes (shrimp dumplings, spare ribs, radish cakes, etc), sampan style congee.
• Positives: What was I thinking coming in here?!?!?!
• Negatives: Place was old.  Servers are also old and disinterested.  They probably have worked there from Day 1.  Food was horrible.  This restaurant was a block from Ping.  Again, what was I thinking!
• URL: None. 

Dinner - Departure Restaurant and Lounge, 525 SW Morrison Street, Portland, Oregon (inside The Nines Hotel - 15th floor).  The menu is Asian influenced cuisine.

• Ate: Kobe beef balls, spring rolls, calamari, and a few other dishes that I can't remember!  Arrived too late for dinner menu, so had to order sharing plates.
• Positives: Decor was ultra-modern and exciting.  Entrance felt as if you are going onto a spaceship.  Food was good but not that memorable.  Good selection of sake, including unfiltered sake.
• Negatives: Kobe beef balls were a bit too salty.  Batter on the calamari was too thick.
• URL: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/property/dining/index.html?propertyID=1757

4 January 2011

Breakfast - Tim Hortons, Grandview Corners at 24th Avenue and 160th Street, Surrey, B.C.

• Ate: New Hickory Smoked Ham Breakfast Sandwich and a cup of coffee.
• Positives: Cheap!  Fast.  Service was good.
• Negatives: Medium cup of coffee is generally considered small size at other fast food restaurants.  They ran out of English muffin so I had the breakfast sandwich with on a biscuit.  Not fond of biscuits!
• URL: http://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/about/index.html

Dinner - Ping, 102 NW 4th Avenue, Portland, Oregon

• Ate: Kobe beef skewers, green beans in spicy coconut curry, Singapore chili crab, drinking vinegars.  Dessert of black sesame ice cream.
• Positives: Kobe beef skewers were brought out rare on a salt block imported from Hawaii.  Cooking for a couple of minutes on both sides produced a delicious, melt in your mouth piece of morsel!  Crab and grean beans were spicy and delicious!  Drinking vinegar was plum based, similar to what is served in Chinese hotpot restaurants, but with fruit juices added.  The restaurant owners brew their own drinking vinegar.  Worth a taste.  Dessert was rich with ground up black sesame seeds.  Attentive service to complement the food.
• Negatives: None!
• URL: http://www.pingpdx.com/

Introduction

I eat out a lot.  Almost everyday in fact.  Food is my love and my weakness.  I enjoy trying out different restaurants and cuisines.  I won't go as far as Andrew Zimmern of the TV show, Bizarre Foods, but I do enjoy trying off beat items. 

I wanted to start this blog so that I can record the restaurants that I have been to, and to document my opinion of their positives and negatives through my experiences.