THE ELLIS

Alongside many of the restaurants in the West End and within a walking distance from Kitsilano beach sits one of the newer gastropubs, The Ellis. What lead us to The Ellis was Vanfoodster's Burger Challenge and we figured why not go for a whole meal? This was a big deal for me because if it was not for the burger challenge, I most likely would not have given this restaurant a try since I am neither the type to head to a bar or gastropub for snacks or a meal.

When we walked in, I was impressed by the interior and atmosphere. The restaurant looked chic, bougie and literally what you would find if you Googled gastropub.

WATER ST. CAFE: HAPPY HOUR

Across the street from the famous Gastown Steam Clock (literally) and in the heart of Gastown, Downtown Vancouver situates a west coast cuisine restaurant Water St. Cafe. The restaurant has an Italian influence as well and offers pasta made from scratch. However, we were here to take advantage of their happy hour menu and to try as many plates as we could! Happy hour at Water St. Cafe runs 7 days a week (yes, including weekends!) from 3:00pm to 5:00pm.

The atmosphere at Water St. Cafe is very bright and inviting. Outdoor seating is available now that patio season has arrived and there are private rooms upstairs for larger parties.

Arc Restaurant : Fairmont Waterfront

It is quite rare for me to find more than three dishes that I truly want to try at a non-Asian restaurant so when I took a peak at Arc's menu at Fairmont Waterfront, I was quite excited! Chowder, tartare, bone marrow and foie gras all sounded good to me.

The atmosphere was fairly loud as there was live music playing at the bar and it did not really give off a fine dining vibe as the music was neither relaxing nor soft. We did not mind however since we were not here to celebrate a special occasion.

The Boathouse Restaurant : English Bay Location

The Boathouse Restaurant is one of Vancouver's own chains and there are seven waterfront locations (English Bay, Horseshoe Bay, Kitsilano, White Rock, Richmond, New Westminster and Port Moody). I remember coming to The Boathouse quite often with my family when I was in elementary school, but it sort of stopped when I started attending high school. Our Family liked The Keg more and Cactcus Club or Joey were the preferred choices in my teen years. Then I guess after a few mediocre visits to The Boathouse in my university years, I started disliking the restaurant chain. But recently, a friend mentioned he went on a date to The Boathouse and the food was decent so I started questioning why I disliked the chain to begin with.

Arriving for a late lunch but before Happy Hours on a Friday, we waited at the front for around five minutes and none of the staff or hostess were on site. I further peaked into the bar area and did not see any of the staff, but there was one seated table. As we continued waiting, my guest sneezed twice and super loud which echoed. I was thinking FML how embarrassing, but the hostess was still no where to be seen! So after waiting, I was pretty pissed because The Boathouse is a chain restaurant and most restaurant chains take pride in providing well above average service. Restaurants in Downtown Vancouver usually provide better than usual service to cater to the business clientele too.

So the last straw was when the telephone started ringing, the hostess was still no where to be seen and I decided to leave the restaurant. We scanned the area and Cactus Club or Milestones across the street from The Boathouse would have been a better choice and both restaurants looked fairly busy. However, I decided to give The Boathouse another chance because I made reservations through OpenTable and already had my mind set on visiting (for a few days too lol). When we re-entered the restaurant, the hostess was on the phone and greeted us when she ended her telephone call.

The hostess led us up the staircase to the dining room, dropped off the menus and walked away. As I sat at the window seat, I could not help but think that Cactus Club across the street has a full house because their service is pretty top notch.

The large dining room has spacious seating arrangements, but the interior is outdated and not the cleanest. The table was not clean and the cutlery were literally filthy. Who is the dishwasher? When our server arrived after a while, I asked if she could change my cutlery and she did not seem to understand why. Well trained staff would also ask my guest if his cutlery needed to be changed as well, but he used his white napkin and the glass of water provided to clean them. On top of that, I wanted to order a drink but as soon as I touched the drink menu, there was literally a cloud of dust. What the hell?

View from our window seat.

From looking for the unenthusiastic hostess to the poor first impression from our server, the service did not start off good. But as we started ordering and asking a few questions, our server opened up a bit to us. It was a bit awkward because when we inquired about the ingredients in the Whiskey Crab Soup, our server responded "uhh... crab". Umm okay. Our server was not rude or unfriendly at all, she just seemed a bit  lazy. It is like she knew the answers, but it took her a while to provide more useful responses. I like how she warned us the Crispy Fish Tacos are already considered a meal and going for the Ahi Tuna Tacos would be a better choice as an appetizer though when we asked for a recommendation.

41 West Restaurant

West 41 is a small and quaint neighbourhood restaurant in Kerrisdale, serving West Coast cuisine with a bit of French influences. There are only around ten tables in the restaurant, but the seating arrangements are not too tight. The atmosphere is also fairly cozy, relaxing and non-rushed.

I purchased a Social Shopper voucher for 41 West and forgot about it until the last minute, as in a night before the expiry date. Fortunately though, I was lucky enough to score last minute reservations for the weekend by calling just the evening before. When I called to make the reservations however, the host was very rushed and impatient, despite that there was no background noise.

We arrived on a Friday evening and there was only one seated table, but the restaurant reached a half full occupancy throughout the duration of our stay. With regards to the service, there was only one server handling the front of the house. He was courteous and polite, but not quite attentive. Our appetizer plates sat at the table for longer than usual and my bread knife was never removed throughout all three courses, which I find odd.

Rodney's Oyster House Gastown : Low Tide

The last time I came to Rodney's Oyster House was most likely back in high school and a second location has opened since then, in Gastown. An out of town guest actually reminded me to revisit the restaurant after many years, but our schedules did not match so I went without him! BF and I arrived during happy hours, which Rodney's calls "Low Tide" and people can order off the dinner menu too.

When entering the restaurant, there is a set of stairs to walk up before arriving at the bar and dining room. We waited at the front for only a couple of minutes and there was no greeting while the manager and another waiter looked for a table to seat us. I like how the staff was actually looking for a table to seat us rather than asking if we had reservations and when hearing the answer no, acting like having no reservations troubles them (which has happened at restaurants that are not even busy!).

There are two levels of dining area in the restaurant and the lower level has a few tables along with bar seats, and an open kitchen. The atmosphere at Rodney's is very upbeat, non-rushed and casual. Although maybe a bit too casual… as the manager sits on the counter by the preparation area and bar seats. As for the upper level, there are more tables and the seating arrangements are not cramped.

After settling down and looking at the menu, we waited a while for someone to take our order. At the time, there were four waiters at the front and only two seated tables in the restaurant. The service was not an issue later on though because one of the waiters stayed upstairs. He also checked up on us a couple of times and was the friendliest waiter of them all. There are quite a few negative comments regarding the service at Rodney's especially during the Low Tide, but the none of the staff was rude (although we did visit the restaurant during a slow period).

Yew Seafood & Bar

Yew Seafood & Bar is located at the Four Seasons Downtown and the restaurant has a casual relaxing atmosphere. I have been meaning to try the restaurant for a few months now and a voucher for their seafood tower which was offered through Travelzoo gave me the push I finally needed to make time.

When we arrived, the three staff members at the front were welcoming and professional. There was a small line up and the staff made sure to help everyone within minutes. Since I had a voucher for the seafood tower, I was requested to send the restaurant a print screen and accidentally sent the e-mail from my blogging account. However, I believe my experience was the true representation of the restaurant.

After seating, our server asked if the kitchen could start on the seafood tower while we looked at the menu. The restaurant has an eclectic contemporary design with a high ceiling, skylights, and a glass-enclosed wine cellar that is a also a private room at the the centre of the dining area.

Sockeye City Grill

Since we were heading to Richmond because there is only one optical store that sells a certain brand of sunglasses, we decided to head down to Steveston after for a late lunch (since Langley is too far). Oh yeah, on Canada Day? Crap. I do not even like going to Steveston on a weekend! When we arrived, we decided to pass on Pajo's because the restaurant tends to be inconsistent; either good or horrible as in soggy batter and dry fish. Having said that, another option for fish n' chips was Blue Canoe.

When walking towards Blue Canoe, there was no line up and a couple of hostesses were talking about how empty the dining room was; as we stood in front of their faces for a while with no acknowledgement. Of course if they were talking about something important or a training protocol, it is fine. But come on, say "one moment" or something. Shortly after a few minutes of complaining amongst eachother the patio is more busy than the dining room, one of the hostesses greeted us with "hi" and we asked how long it would be for a patio seat.

After hearing the wait is thirty minutes, we decided to try out Sockeye City Grill. Well... it was more like the lack of acknowledgement and basic customer service skills when there was no line up. So, walking up to Sockeye City, a friendly hostess mentioned there is a half hour wait for a patio seat. During the wait, we took the time to check out some fresh seafood at Fisherman's Wharf.

Sockeye City is located right on the boardwalk in Steveston, and the restaurant is fairly large. The seating arrangements do not seem cramped inside and the restaurant has two patios. After ordering, we waited half an hour for our food and everything arrived at once.

Edible Canada at the Market

The last Travelzoo voucher I purchased was for dinner at Bridges, where my experience seemed to be a true representation of the restaurant; food and service wise. So, when I noticed another good deal on Travelzoo which included two appetizers, entrees and dessert at Edible Canada in Granville Island for $59.00, I snatched it up. Normally I am not a fan of bistros because there are not many amazing ones in Vancouver, but with many positive reviews on Urbanspoon; I had to try out Edible Canada. Plus, it was the perfect opportunity because of the voucher.

Edible Canada has outdoor seating along with a dining room, and seating arrangements at the bar. Furthermore, there is also a retail store at the back of the restaurant. When we walked in, the hostess was friendly and mentioned how she remembered taking my reservation a couple of hours earlier.

Bridges Restaurant

The fears of Groupon, SocialShopper and in this case, Travelzoo. Will the portions be smaller or have less quality? Theoretically, like specials, deals are offered to lure in new clientele. Meaning, the food should be good, if not better. What about those who claim there may be bad service due to the use of a discount voucher? Well, we will see. In general, I am not a fan of vouchers because from my past experiences, usually the restaurants are not so great… hence the need to lure in new clientele. However, I have been wanting to try Bridge's upper dining room for a while, so why not? 

Walking in, we were greeted by one of the staff who works at the gelato bar and she directed us to the stairs. After walking up, the hostess was friendly as well as welcoming, and offered to grab our coats. By the way, Bridges states to be a casual restaurant, so, so far the restaurant has pretty much some basic fine dining characteristics (which were lacking last week at West Restaurant!). 

The restaurant's interior is surprisingly not too shabby and I sort of expected a rustic place… but the restaurant has an odd Titanic atmosphere, especially towards the hallway to the washroom. Also, I appreciate that the seating arrangements are quite spacious; however, during the summer there are probably a few extra tables squeezed in.

West Restaurant + Bar

Cin Cin? Bacchus? Yew Seafood? Bishop? Blue Water? I want to save Cin Cin for an emergency just in case late night dinner since the restaurant is open till pretty late, and Yew Seafood has 50% off wine bottles on Mondays. So, the choice was West Restaurant. Plus, it is near my sister's place and I want to save Bacchus and Blue Water for a nicer day, when it is not raining. 

Walking in, the server walked us to our seat and was a bit more silent rather than welcoming but meh, not a big deal. The restaurant was fairly slow on a weeknight and for the couple of tables that arrived later on in the evening, everyone was dressed pretty casual. West Restaurant has a relaxing as well as a casual comfortable atmosphere and although the seating arrangements may look a bit tight, it did not affect us since the restaurant was not busy.

Pink Peppercorn Seafood House

I will not act like I know much about Pink Peppercorn Seafood House and from reading some posts, a man named Eddy who previously worked at the Cannery is the owner. Apparently he brought over most of the same employees and items on the menu, along with the decor. 

This is what I pictured when walking into Pink Peppercorn... cute decor, overly friendly staff, a cheerful positive atmosphere, and I assumed it was a fine dining restaurant because of "$$$$" on Urbanspoon. Some people have mentioned the interior of the restaurant has no "fine dining" feel to it and looks tacky. As for myself, I find the interior cute, interesting, entertaining, unique, and the only restaurant in Vancouver that has something like this. 

We arrived around 6:50pm on a Monday evening and there were around five seated tables. After a short five minute wait at the front, we were seated and waited around fifteen minutes for water. When our server brought over some water, we asked if we could order and he asked us to "hold on". But as another fifteen minutes later, we were able to order.

I think the restaurant may have been short staffed because I felt guilty asking for features of the day and when he said "hold on," it seemed as if I was a nuisance. Furthermore, throughout the dinner it was hard to track down our server and he did not ask if we enjoyed any of the food, until the very end when we paid for the bill. I guess the restaurant really was short staffed, but they only had five tables? Anyway, not a big deal, I probably felt uncomfortable as well as awkward because I felt like I bothered him, or was expecting a different vibe because of the decor.

Hart House

I have been wanting to try Hart House for a while and to be honest, asides from the restaurant being located in Burnaby… I do not know much about it. Another reason for visiting is because it was my Mother's birthday, and she did not want to go Downtown for lunch.

Walking in, I was surprised. The entrance looks amazing and there is a fire place. The restaurant actually resembles a house (hence, Hart House) and there are plenty of rooms available. We were seated in a dining room with plenty of windows and the seating arrangements are not cramped.

Fresh Restaurant and Lounge : Sheraton Guildford

As I was laying in bed thinking where I want to go for brunch this morning, I used the OpenTable app and found Fresh at the Sheraton. 1000 points, brunch buffet, why not? The restaurant's interior is amazing, I love it and rarely say this. I like the comfortable and wide suede chairs. But, I might only like the restaurant because it is empty. After seating, our server asked what drinks we would like and we were off to take photos get food.

ADULT $29.95 CHILD (4-12) $14.98

ON THE LEFT, BAKED GOODS CONSISTING OF CROISSANTS, DANISHES, SCONES AND MUFFINS. ON THE RIGHT, THE SALAD BAR CONSISTING OF CAESAR SALAD, HOUSEMADE DRESSINGS AND, SPRING MIX AND ARUGULA SALAD. 

CONTINUING WITH THE SALAD BAR, GREEK SALAD, SPINACH WITH FRISEE SALAD WITH STILTON, TOASTED WALNUTS AND BLUEBERRY VINAIGRETTE, VEGETABLES WITH ONION RANCH DIP, COLD CUT PLATTER OF ROASTED TOM TURKEY, BLACK FOREST HAM, ROAST BEEF, GENOA SALAMI AND, OLIVES AND PICKLES.

THE LAST OF THE SALAD BAR, POTATO SALAD, CORN AND MANITOBA RICE SALAD, PASTA SALAD, CRYSTAL NOODLE SALAD WITH BABY SHRIMP AND PEANUT DRESSING AND, FIELD TOMATOES AND RED ONION SALAD. ON THE RIGHT MOVING TO THE SEAFOOD SECTION, THE SMOKED AND/OR CANDIED FISH?

GREEN LIP MUSSELS WITH SALSA FRESCO, INDIAN CANDIED SALMON,

WHISKY DILL CURED SMOKED SALMON, POACHED PRAWNS AND,

SALMON BELLEVUE, SMOKED SALMON.

OUR FIRST PLATES

MY FIRST PLATE CONSISTING OF MUSSELS, SMOKED SALMON, A CREAM PUFF AND FRUIT (WATERMELON, HONEYDEW AND CANTALOUPE). The mussels taste fresh and the salsa does not make the mussels tangy. For the smoked salmon, both taste fresh and I prefer the sockeye more (since I am used to it and I do not like curing for the other smoked salmon). The fruit is fresh, but only the watermelon is ripe. I am not sure what the rectangular dessert is, but it tastes like an almond bar. My favourite thing on the plate is the cream puff, there was only one too:(. I like any simple cream puffs.

HIS FIRST PLATE CONSISTING OF SALAD, POACHED PRAWNS, SMOKED SALMON, MUSSELS AND A MUFFIN.

The OMELETTE WITH CRAB MEAT, AVOCADO AND SALSA. This is included in the brunch but you have to order it. The omelette has a good amount of crab meat and diced avocados. The salsa is slightly tangy but does not ruin the omelette (I do not like salsa other than on my nachos and I like the omelette). It seems like the cook who made the omelette took his time. The eggs are beat throughly and looks like he made sure the egg was cooked before putting the ingredients in. Later on, our server mentioned that she wanted to take a peek and see if it was correctly made since it was not the usual person making it. I like this, a lot.

THE HOT FOOD SECTION CONSISTING OF XIAO LONG BAOS, SHAO MAI, HAR GAO, DUMPLINGS, SPRING ROLLS, TARRAGON MUSTARD SEED CHICKEN AND WILD MUSHROOM POLENTA, 

PAN SEARED SALMON, CITRUS JASMINE RICE, CHARDONNAY CREAM SAUCE, SAUSAGES, BACON,

SCRAMBLED EGGS, EGG BENEDICT WITH HAM, SLICED HAM, 

BEEF STEAK WITH MASHED POTATOES AND AU JUS, VEGETABLES, AND ROAST POTATOES.

OUR SECOND PLATES

MY SECOND PLATE CONSISTING OF VEGETABLES, SALMON, BACON, STEAK, EGG BENEDICT, CARROT CAKE AND AN ALMOND BAR. The salmon is neither moist or too dry, the bacon is not too salty and there are soft as well as crispy pieces and, the frosting on the carrot cake is a bit too sweet and the cake has a nice spongy texture.

On the left, the beef steak is cooked to a medium and tastes very chewy as well as dry, I do like the seasoning though. On the right, the egg benedict is perfect. The poached egg has a nice crusting with a runny yolk. The hollandaise sauce is light and has a slight butter as well as an egg yolk taste. The english muffin is a bit soggy, but it does not really matter because the hollandaise sauce and poached egg is delicious. Isn't it funny when you get better egg bennies at buffet brunches which are pre-made, and failed ones which are freshly made at some restaurants?

HIS SECOND PLATE CONSISTING OF SLICED HAM, SAUSAGE, SALMON, VEGETABLES, SMOKED SALMON AND AN EGG BENEDICT.

THE LAST SECTION, DESSERT. FRENCH TOAST, SYRUP, WHIPPED CREAM, STRAWBERRY SAUCE AND MIXED BERRIES SAUCE.

CAKES. CAKES. CAKES. OH, AND JELLO AND FRUIT.

CRACKERS AND CHEESE PLATE

OUR DESSERT

MY DESSERT IS THE FRENCH TOASTED WITH WHIPPED CREAM AND MIXED BERRY SAUCE. The french toast has soft bread but it does not taste eggy, buttery or creamy. The whipped cream is delicious and tastes good with the french toast. What doesn't taste good with whipped cream? The mixed berry sauce is not overly sweet and to be honest, I cannot really tell what it tastes like with all the whipped cream.

HIS DESSERT IS JELLO. It is what it is, not watered down and no complaints.

POSITIVES

- Free underground parking

- Professional, attentive and friendly service

- Champaign and mimosas included

- Food is fresh (more fresh than Hilton which is around the same price and does not have a carving station either)

NEGATIVES

- Limited selections

- No carving station (cheaper price makes up for that)

LITTLE THINGS

- Only had 45 minutes to eat, would have liked to try a bit of everything (brunch ends at 2:00pm)

- Server is probably the best out of all buffet brunches we have been to and not just because we were the only people here

- Wanted to try some salads :(

- No cheesecake (only because I do not like chocolate cake)

- Woop woop 1000 OpenTable points

Food: 2.5/5

Service: 4.5/5