Market by Jean-Georges at Shangri-la hotel Vancouver - Great patio!!

It was supposed to be a girl's night out but... we had several guys joining us for the night :)

We wanted a nice patio for these hot summer nights, so I arranged us to meet at the Market by Jean Georges at Shangri-la hotel.

I had a great experience at the restaurant's patio, so I recommended the place and everyone agreed!

Off we went!

We had 7 people so it was a little hard arranging for us at the patio as the patio seats were first come, first served.  So we actually had to wait for quite a bit for our tables to be ready....

At least the complimentary rosemary dusted popcorn was quite tasty!

When we were seated, we were presented  with the full menu.

Judy went for the watermelon and goat cheese salad and the truffle, fontina cheese pizza.

Watermelon and goat cheese - $10 - 3/5

Truffle, fontina cheese pizza - $19 - 3.5/5

Judy enjoyed the watermelon, goat cheese appy quite a bit.  She thought it was creamy yet refreshing with the use of the watermelon.  I felt that the watermelon was too warm and not sweet enough - hence the entire dish became a little too sour and bland.  The goat cheese tho was really creamy with just the right amount of gaminess.  

Only if the watermelon was a tad colder (and sweeter!!)

Overall, it was a good balance between creaminess and refreshing, grassy taste of the watermelon.

The black truffle, fontina cheese pizza with a tad of fricassee and chives topped was a good pizza.  I got a tiny hit of truffle scent which was perfect because it wasn't too strong.  However, the truffle paste felt like the truffle paste I have once purchased from one of the "eat Vancouver" event - which is a bit disappointing.  I know how much I have paid for that entire jar of truffle paste........ 

Though, the pizza had a great, well balanced taste.  

don't you just hate it when the truffle oil really over powers?

Tuna tartare - $16 - avocado, spicy ginger relish dressing

Jenny and I shared a Tuna Tartare and a steamed shrimp salad ($18 - no picture...)

I had these two dishes last time I visited them and they were simply amazing!

I had to recommend them to my friends so... we got the two to share :)

The Tuna tartare was refreshing with the spicy la-yu oil providing a great kick and the ginger dressing cutting through the richness of the tuna.  I liked the tanginess from (perhaps ponzu?) some sort of citrusy dressing.  It really brightened things up a lot! The avocado beneath the tuna tartare provided another layer of creaminess to the already creamy tuna tartare that when you place the entire thing into your mouth, it is an explosion of flavours with a perfect  balance of creaminess, tartness, spice, and savoury.  

Loved it!!

The steamed shrimp salad with Champagne dressing was another stunning dish.  The dressing was a great balance between sweet. savoury, and tang.  I loved how they placed arugla together with shiso leaves and mint.  

Every bite was like a little surprise of flavour burst in your mouth because it wasn't your usual combination of the greens.

ahhh - so heavenly!!

cheesecake - N/A

Siny decided to order  a dessert instead of an appie or a meal.  She opted for a cheesecake.  

According to her, it was creamy and well balanced.

She enjoyed it!

Over all, our experience at Market was pretty good.  We loved the patio and courteous service.  Though the price was to the higher side, it was still well worth the trip if you were looking for a fun evening with courteous service.

Food - 3.5/5 - I really did not enjoy their main dishes last time, so make sure that you stick to the appies instead.

Service - 4.5/5 - impeccable! Always courteous just like their hotel service!

Ambiance - 5/5 - we LOVED the patio!! Though the inside is also really nice!

2005 Yiron Galilee from Israel - $$?

2005 Yiron Galilee from Israel - $$?

2005 Yiron Galilee from Israel - $$?

2005 Yiron Galilee from Israel - $$?

Gosh this was a tasty wine!!  I just randomly found it in Jordan's collection (he hates wine... :$ so I am doing him a favour.....)

Anyhow, I have no idea where this was from or why he has this and I just randomly picked it up and opened it.... The first glass tho wasn't so great because I didn't aerate it enough so the flavour was really harsh with really strong hints of barrel (oak?) flavour and it was actually quite unpleasant.  

The second day when I had my second glass... 

Oh My God, it was SO good.

Hints of cherry wood with a touch of oak barrel in the background; with predominantly the flavours of berries and some vanilla; it was unexpectedly fruity and surprisingly with minimal tannin (unlike many aged wines!!)  I love it........... and I feel terrible finishing the bottle all on my own!

Keep my fingers crossed that Jordan will not find out :$  

A day at the quay by new Westminster

It was our planned movie day to watch The Dark Knight Rises.  

Jordan went into the theatre at the beginning of this week, just to book a time to watch that movie.

Boys and their cartoons! (and yes we love the AVX service!)

Anyways, I thought it went a little too long... 2 hrs and 45 min was a tad too long and at 3/4 of the movie, it felt a bit draggy... well, that's just my opinion.

BTW, I LOVE Josephe Gordon-Levitt!!!! 

We went into the movie at 12:30pm on Saturday without anything in our stomach, so certainly we were quite hungry at the end of it. I mentioned the "buck-a-shuck" deal at the Boathouse and he was totally in! So we picked the New Westminster location and off we went.

Adventure 1: Appy hour at The Boathouse New Westminster

I made a reservation for us at 4:30pm.

From what I've read online, their appy hour runs from 3pm to 6pm at their lounge and on their website - the oyster special was $1 per shuck; and appies ranged from $3.99 to $5.99.

It was such a misled information and I am just going to say this up front that I will NEVER visit them ever again.  Yes, that's how disappointed we were.

First of all, after we were seated,we were presented with the appy hour menu where we quickly found out that the oysters were actually $1.29 per shuck instead of $1 as stated on their website

Immediately I felt ripped off as 30 cents increase is actually a 30% increase in price - it's quite a lot!!

We also found that the appies ranged from $4.99 to $8.99 instead of $3.99 to $5.99 as stated online.

Umm... time to update your website, maybe?????

With my bad feelings, we only ordered 1 dozen of oysters and 1 appetizer special (surf and turf $7.99) to share.  I also ordered a cocktail special of today which was the redheaded girl - according to our server it is similar to a crantinni except it is made of strawberry vodka.

Even with my pre-caution, I still regretted ordering a dozen oysters because I should've just ordered 2....

Yep that's how bad the oysters were.... We had 2 types of oysters.  One of them (smaller) being the boathouse kiss and the other one (larger) being the kumamoto.  

Jordan completely freaked out with how tiny some of the boathouse kiss were - the flesh was literally smaller than a penny.  We even wondered if they served us by mistake.

No, you cannot/should not serve people this for $1.29!!!!!

We quickly slurped down the oysters feeling EXTREMELY unsatisfied.  

And I thought the buck-a-shuck oyster at Oyster raw bar was a rip off!

Our other appetizer - Surf and Turf ($7.99) consisted beef satay skewer and their famous firecracker shrimp.  There were literally 5 of the 41/60 sized over cooked shrimps and 2 cherry tomatoes with 2 skewers of 20g tough beef skewers.  

This, cannot be $7.99..... no...

We were in shock!

Anyway, we quickly left the restaurant after we devoured down (perhaps within 15min) all the food....

We will not be back... I am so sorry.  Here is a generous warning to those of you who are looking for a great appy hour deal or buck-a-shuck... please, do not come here... :( it is not worth the price, and of course, you do not need to listen to me...

I ignored the warnings from some other diners and.... I regret not listening to them.  The $30+ I spent here could've been used SO much more wisely (if you continue reading my blog)....

Food - 1.5/5 - the martini was quite nice..........

Service - 2/5 - really slow, if you sit at the lounge or patio, you are more likely to be ignored...

Ambiance - 2.5/5 - it was Okay.  I wouldn't take someone here for a romantic dinner.....

Adventure 2: Re-Up BBQ

After a super unsatisfactory meal (mmm, can't really call that a meal...) at The Boathouse, Jordan and I ventured into the Quay market.  I knew there's the Re-Up BBQ that would for sure catch the carnivore's attention... 

so off we went!

3 meat combo - $20 - bbq ribs, pulled pork, and beef brisket

3 meat combo - $20 - bbq ribs, pulled pork, and beef  brisket

3 meat combo - sides - cole slaw, chilli, and mashed potatoes

Being the carnivore as he is, Jordan decided to go for the 3 meat combo.  We were free to choose 3 types of meats (among 4 - pulled pork, beef brisket, bbq chicken, and ribs)and 2 sides. (Cole slaw came with every meal)
Although I have read many negative reviews regarding their beef brisket (being dry and tough) - Jordan made the executive decision of getting the brisket over the chicken.  
We were so pleasantly surprised!

The beef brisket was wayyyy more tender and juicy than we expected and it was plenty flavourful from the sauce it came in.  Jordan noted that he detects abundant smokey flavour from the meats and the brisket was definitely tender (and I agree).

I even squeezed the beef brisket half way through our meal and the juice just woozed out!  Maybe we were just lucky but our experience with the brisket was more than satisfactory.  It was really tasty!

The pulled pork was pretty standard.  It was a tad dry and it wasn't "pulled" properly because I have gotten many chunks of meats throughout.  But honestly, I'd say that's nit-picking because really the flavour was great (I became a huge fan of their BBQ sauce - wayyy better than the Hog-Shack as the flavour didn't appear so aggressive in sweet, sour and saltiness)


The ribs, on the other hand, weren't the tenderest of all.  But just to be fair, many of the tender - fall of the bone ribs are par-boiled ribs. Meaning that they were partially boiled prior to be bbq-ed.  When you expect a BBQ-ed rib, it is generally a tad drier with a tad chewier meat.  I admit the fact that it wasn't heated thoroughly made a chewier rib - but I don't think it was a technical mistake when BBQ-ing their ribs.  Regardless, the meat was bouncy yet tender enough to be teared off the bones with teeth with minimal effort.

The sides were pretty standard fairs.  My least favourite was the cole slaw as it was mainly tangy and had least amount of other flavours.  
I guess with all the meat, you'd need something a bit more refreshing.....


ahh!! just too sour!!! :(


The Chilli and the mashed potatoes were pretty standard.  There weren't anything too special about it and the mashed potatoes; well, I'd recommend to order the biscuit instead as the potatoes were quite bland...


Over all at $25 (after tax and everything) - it was a much more satisfying meal than what we had at The Boathouse....

Food - 4/5 - way better than what we've anticipated; really disagree with some of the negative comments on Urbanspoon

Service - 4/5 - our food was brought to us though it was more of a pick-up-your-own-food kind of vendor... they were really friendly and patient with us!

Ambiance - N/A - food court... :$ but maybe if you enjoyed the water front view of Fraser river!!

Adventure 3: Crepe Des Amis

Lyon with Cheese ($1 extra) - Turkey, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and ceaser dressing + cheese

Lyon with Cheese ($1 extra) - Turkey, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and ceaser dressing + cheese

Lyon with Cheese ($1 extra) - Turkey, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and ceaser dressing + cheese

Umm, so yes.  Call me a big eater - after all that BBQ - I went for a savoury crepe at Crepe Des Amis for my "dessert" :$

(Thank you mom for the fast metabolism!!!!!)

While Jordan went for the sweet (Chantelle) crepe - bananas, brown sugar, and walnuts; I opted for the savoury (Lyon) crepe.  

First thing I noticed when I received my crepe, was that the crepe itself was a lot thicker than I am used to.  It was crispy on the outside and chewy and fluffy on the inside - almost like a super thin version of the belgian waffle (does it make sense?)

I really really enjoyed the texture!!

The fillings were well balanced between savoury, tangy, sweet, creamy... the use of caeser dressing really boosted up the umami profile and it was just delicious!!

I was a tad worried about the undercooked mushrooms when he simply placed it onto the crepe but it turned out to be just fine!(though I'd preferred it to be sautéed... it would have contributed more flavour to the crepe!)

I only had a tiny bite of Jordan's Chantelle crepe but the entire thing tasted really nutty and not too sweet.  I liked it - but I liked my savoury crepe more!

Over all it was an enjoyable experience.  The owner was really friendly to all his customers (maybe because it was a slow day?) and the food was delicious.  I will be back for more savoury crepes!!! 

Food - 4/5 - really delicious crepes - though could work a little more on the fillings

Service - N/A (4/5 for friendly owner)

Ambiance - N/A - again, food court :)

Player's chophouse

A while back, I picked up a groupon issued by Player's chophouse.  It was $45 for $101 worth of food - 1 appetizer; 2 entrees; and 1 dessert.  

After I read through the review from a blogger who also just recently dined there using a groupon, I decided to use mine as soon as possible because it seemed that the steaks weren't of great values (despite being a "chophouse") and also they were allowing the diners to simply order $101 worth of food instead of strictly following the groupon condition of: 1 appetizer, 2 entrees and 1 dessert.

So off we went! 

Cream ale - $6

The restaurant was quite empty; however the decor wasn't as dated as I thought it would be (although it was definitely not hip; more like a milestones in burnaby).  We were given couple menus to look at, but I only had one question in my mind: whether I can simply go ahead and order whatever items I can that would eventually worth a total of $101 or I have to strictly stick to the 1 appie, 2 entrees and 1 dessert option.

So after approximately 10 minutes, I finally got a chance to speak to our server.

And that was when I really just decided to forget about service and try to focus on food.

He was quite rude and not very attentive at all.  I had to ask him 3 times regarding the question I had in mind - but he couldn't make it clear to me and he sounded quite impatient when I approached him with the same question.
Anyways, services are perhaps hit and misses so I will not make a huge deal out of it.  Though I just want to make a note here that it took us a looonnnnnnnnnggggggg time to get our food......

Steamed mussels - $16

After we placed our order, the drinks came pretty quickly.  So we just sat there and waited for our appetizers to arrive.

...........

.....

More than half an hour later, our appetizers finally arrived.  Jordan and I were so hungry we polished up the plate in no time!

The steamed mussels were alright.  The mussels were a tad over cooked and the curry fennel sauce was quite salty.  But we were really hungry so other than the fact that it was too salty, it tasted alright in general.  

pulled pork poutine - $12

There were so much pulled pork on it!  This dish was almost like, 50% pulled pork and 50% cheese curds+fries... definitely a filling dish!

We enjoyed it mostly because we were really hungry at this point... but even when I was starving, this dish simply tasted mediocre to me.  The pulled pork lacked flavour entirely; and some parts were really dry (though to me dry meat = less fat = healthier protein choice... I know, twisted)

The fries were pretty good - they were quite crispy and held up to the moisture from the gravy and the pulled pork.

When will smoke's poutinerie open?!

Rack of lamb - $36 - pistachio-herb crusted, raspberry dijon mustard, mint demi

I was pleasantly surprised with the lamb rack!

This was probably the best thing that happened to me this evening.

The lamb was really tender and juicy.  The centre was perfectly medium rare and although the sides were a tad pass medium, they were tender regardless.

I also loved the pistachio-herb crust with raspberry dijon mustard - it was slightly sweet and crunchy with plenty of rosemary flavours.  I chewed off the crust from the fat - that's how good it was!

I barely detected mint in the mint demi so... however I still enjoyed the sauce <3

prime rib 16oz - $38 

This was not bad either: the meat was perfectly medium rare and it was so tender (when it just arrived)

I took couple bites of the prime rib and I enjoyed it quite a bit because it was different from the lamb.  The meat was really flavourful and it had a great meaty texture/chew.  However as the prime rib got colder, the texture became chewier.  Solidifying fat maybe?

The yorkshire pudding was really really overcooked.  But the mashed potatoes and grilled veggies were nice.  The au jus didn't taste quite like the au jus; however, the rest were all pretty decent tasting.

I didn't find the dessert to be worth taking photos because I found it really over-priced.  We opted for a deconstructed cheese cake and it was some cheese + whipping cream/sour cream mixture topped with some fruit compote sauce - there was a piece of phyllo pastry baked till crisp to give a textural contrast to the whole dessert.  It was served in a martini glass - really quite small for $8!!

Overall, our experience here wasn't entirely horrible but given the quality of the food, the ambiance and the price point; we will not be back.

Service - 2/5 - rude server (manager)

food -3.5/5 (mediocre!)

ambiance - 2.5/5 :$

The Oakwood Canadian Bistro

I am so sorry for such a delayed posting on this one....

We dined here to celebrate mother's day with Jordan's mom.  The diners of the evening was Jordan's sister Jennifer, her husband Peter, his mother and myself.

I really didn't know what to expect when I first heard that we were going to dine at this place.  Perhaps it was because I had no idea what was uniquely Canadian other than poutine!  Anyhow, feeling a bit confused, off we went to the Canadian Bistro.

Their menu is really small - so if you are going with a larger group, you can pretty much order everything off their menu.

The decor of the restaurant is quite rustic, and it really emphasized on the use of "woods".  It definitely had an ambiance of native BC forest!

I started my meal with an imported beer as recommended by the server (because they didn't carry any honey lager!)

Kronenbourg 1664 - $6.50/bt (3.5/5)

It was one of those imported beer that you see pretty often on commercials.  Kronenbourg was indeed quite smooth and had a clean and sweet finish.  I liked it but didn't love it... where is my honey lager?

warm kale salad (4/5)

Both Peter and I started our meals with the warm kale salad (I can't seem to find it on their current menu now; so I am assuming it is seasonal?) - they were little morsels of heaven!  The kale was cooked perfectly being tender yet not mushy; loved the parmesan and lemon juice that helped cutting through some of its greasiness (it was really cooked in a lot of grease!)

The fried onion string on the top provided some textural difference which was absolutely lovely.  Over all, we really liked this dish! 

All Canadian Poutine - fries, curds, gravy, smoked brisket - 4/5

Yum!!

The fries were fried and seasoned perfectly and the abundance of smoked brisket made the carnivores at our table really happy!  Though it might be a bit heavy for an appetizer - we loved their generosity in mounting lots of smoked brisket and curds onto the fries.  Please order this if you decide to visit this restaurant - it is worth every penny!   

confit pork belly - apple slaw, maple mustard meringue, pork crackling - 3/5

This dish was quite heavy - if you were order this, you must finish it before it gets cold.  I had it later on during my meal and it got cold so the fat coagulated and made the dish very unpleasant.

Otherwise the flavour was great and even though it was cold, the crackling was still crispy.

garlic mussels - shaved fennel, grilled crostini - 3/5

The mussels were quite plump and sweet!  It wasn't a particularly memorable dish but I really have to give them credits for using fresh mussels.  I loved the shaved fennel on top and the crostini were great for soaking up the sauce on the bottom of the pot.  The sauce had a prominent garlic flavour and quite strongly, white wine (citrusy, clean - might have been a pinot blanc? but could also have been chardonnay.... too difficult to tell!! )

8oz sirloin - potato croquette, onion jam, red wine jus, dijon hollandaise - N/A

This dish had a really busy appearance - though every item on plate looked really appetizing!  This was Jordan's dish, so I didn't really try anything other than the squash.  I remember the squash being cooked nicely and it exhibited some sweetness; but other than that, I can't comment on the plate.  I remember asking Jordan about the meat and he only said that the steak tasted mediocre and that the meat at the Keg tasted better! (I actually don't doubt him because he actually knows his meats :$)

Over all, our experience at The Oakwood Canadian Bistro was pretty good.  The ambiance was hip, the decor was rustic, the food was good and the service was attentive but not overly so.  We will be back!

Food - 3/5 - good; but only slightly above average

Service - 3/5 - good

ambiance - 4/5 - really cute and intimate