MISS VANCOUVER PIGGY
Having no sense of food direction in Coquitlam, Burnaby and New Westminster and coming up blank for a restaurant to try, Browns Socialhouse did not seem like a bad option. When Browns Socialhouse first came to Vancouver, my thoughts were very meh. Cactus Club and Joey are still on the top of my list for preferred chains and Browns, Milestones and Moxies are the ones I told myself that I am not in a rush to try. So finally after a few years, why not Browns?
Located at the Brewery District in New Westminster with floor to ceiling wall windows and two patios with a fire, I am already interested in atmosphere. Most of the time the atmosphere is not really all that important to me, but it was really nice having the whole patio to ourselves and sitting right in front of the fire where it kept us warm. We had the best seat at the restaurant and lots of privacy! Or I guess I mean lots of peace because diners have a really clear view of the patio from the inside.
After another facial date with C'est la vie a Maggi, my choice for breakfast was at Moderne Diner. Although unfortunately, the restaurant was closed for a week so we walked down the street to Sunshine Diner. No idea why but when I think of Sunshine Diner, Smile Diner on West Pender stands out to me and I expected sort of an old run down interior. However, this is the opposite. The interior is clean and the restaurant has an upbeat atmosphere.
Walking in, there is an aroma of beef patties and breakfast food but the restaurant is well ventilated. Sunshine Diner has a vintage hollywood theme and there are paintings as well portraits of Elvis, James Dean, Lucille Ball, Marilyn and The Beatles. The interior looks fun and is something different. There are red, blue as well as checkered walls, red vinyl booth seats and a jukebox. Furthermore, the televisions are tuned to the sports channel and episodes of I Love Lucy.
As for the food, the restaurant offers very generic diner fare. There are the usual breakfast items like egg benedict, omelettes and sandwiches, as well as burgers and milkshakes. Speaking of milkshakes...
Do we dress low key? Will I get mugged? No Louboutins right? Do I leave my purse in the car? These are some questions that crossed my mind when C'est la vie a Maggi suggested Save On Meats for our next food date. Jokes aside (sort of), I did not mind trying out the restaurant because honestly without her, I would never even think of going to Save On Meats. Plus, I was set on ordering a burger way in advance to prevent wasting twenty minutes of her time when we arrived, since she knows I am indecisive.
After spending the morning at a spa together and Maggi giving me numerous chances to choose another restaurant for lunch, we finally walked to the restaurant after parking in front of a, clinic.
Save On Meats is located in the Downtown Eastside and serves homestyle diner food. In addition, the restaurant has a diner atmosphere as well. There are bar seats as well as booth seating arrangements along the wall, and a few tables at the back of the restaurant. Furthermore, the restaurant was fairly clean. I really did not know what to expect when coming here but it was something along the lines of a run down restaurant, which was not the case.
After finishing a meeting in White Rock, I called up a friend to grab lunch at Five Guys. Five Guys? Of all places around White Rock? Do not be surprised that I stuck with something boring because having tried most of the restaurants in White Rock, there is nothing that really "wows" me. The next restaurant on my list in White Rock is probably Giraffe because of the cute name along with the interior, and complimentary chocolates (but is the food good?!).
Coming for a late lunch, the burger joint looked fairly empty and was well ventilated with no aroma of beef patties. Knowing that we would be going for dinner in a couple of hours, we settled on something light and went for the "little" burgers which consists of a single patty, along with an order of "little" fries which is more than enough for two to share in general.
I have only tried this location once and honestly, my experience was not that great. We received cold as well as soggy fries, and a cold burger! So, I was pretty hesitant on revisiting. Although fortunately this time around, the food was a lot better and served hot. The way it should be.
After shopping at a few local boutiques in Gastown, I needed a snack and remembered C'est la vie a Maggi instagramming a photo of a large bone marrow from Pourhouse. In addition, she mentioned it was only $12.00! So, since BF and I were in the area and needed something light, it was pretty much meant to be.
Walking in on a weekday around 4:30pm, the restaurant was not very busy and a couple of people were drinking at the bar. After waiting at the front for a while, the bartender asked if we were here for drinks or food, along with providing us a choice of a table or bar seat, before calling the waiter.
The atmosphere at Pourhouse is very homey and feels like a relaxing place to socialize, although of course the restaurant will get loud during busier times such as dinner through to late night. Asides from the comfortable atmosphere, the high rustic wooden ceiling along with the pillars to the bricked walls, resemble a traditional European style interior. As for the seating arrangements, there are comfortable booth seats, padded chairs and stools by the bar. Furthermore, asides from the squeaky clean restaurant, I like the laminated wooden tables.
Ever had that feeling when EVERYTHING on the table tastes extremely good, so good that you take a bite of one item, move onto the next and continue the rotation like a greedy cartoon character? Well, it happened to me on my previous visit at Burgers Etc. In addition from my previous visit, I concluded that everything was a must order except for the brisket (which was not bad). Meaning, go for the ribs, wings and housemade brisket soup! Although unfortunately, the restaurant was sold out of the brisket soup and not going to lie, we were pretty upset because it tastes so good! 
Coming on a Saturday evening, Burgers Etc was packed! Also, the atmosphere was a lot different than our previous visit, it was loud, filled with energy, and the owners actually checked up on almost every table.
I have been to Fatburger around only five times and from what I remember, the burgers are nothing special and can get pricey with an additional purchase of a drink as well as a side. So why the revisit? Asides from convenience, the Burnaby location offers "Buffalo's World Famous Wings" and I have always wanted to try them. It also kind of sucks because Fatburger was offering a Groupon or SocialShopper voucher that I could have gotten a few days before! And I was even thinking pshh, I would not be going there LOL.
Walking in, the burger joint is well ventilated and the staff is extremely friendly, especially the manager (gotta love a friendly staff!). Basically customers order at the front, receive a number, pay and take a seat. Then a cashier brings the food out to the table.
A couple of weeks ago, my friend asked if I wanted to try "Japanese flavoured hamburgers for $2.85". Huh? Japanese flavoured? $2.85? Is it any good? Turns out when she said "Japanese flavoured", it means teriyaki sauce. After finishing up some shopping, we made our way to the food truck which is conveniently located a block or two away from Pacific Centre. The food truck offers a few options of canned pop and two burger choices, beef patty with cheese or without. We both passed on the cheese since we did not want processed.
Burgers Etc was a constant fail since I could never find the restaurant, despite having the correct address and saying "it should be here" numerous times. Well, "RIGHT HERE OMMG WHERE IS IT?!" was what I really said. After many frustrating failed attempts, an early evening trip around 5:00pm was much needed, hoping some daylight would help locate the restaurant. Side note, by "could never find", I was going 30km and still missed it! Walking in, the friendly waiter was welcoming, mentioned the daily soup and provided the option of seating anywhere. The restaurant's interior is squeaky clean and has less than ten tables.
The only reason I am here, to collect BIRTHDAY BURGERS! For those who sign up for Red Robin's subscription, you recieve a coupon for a free burger to use a week before or after your birthday. Obviously I signed up before my birthday, who would not (actually many people..)? Since I have the fortunate opportunity to dine out everyday, my original plan was to sign up for discounted or free meals at a few restaurants and to share the discounts. However, due to my laziness (plus I was sick on my birthday week), I never got the chance to claim anything except for Red Robin's burgers. The good news is, BF and I's birthday are close to each others and we claimed both our birthday burgers at the same time, bonus.
Red Robin is a family friendly chain restaurant known for their burgers and bottomless fries. The restaurant is very spacious and the clientele pretty much runs from seniors to adults, university to high school students, and families. After waiting fifteen minutes at the foyer, a hostess shows up but was occupied and the waitress following her said, "she has a system, I don't want to seat you guys and have her move you after." I was a bit surprised hearing that, has that happened? I never had or heard of any table having to move after being seated due to a hostess's preference (especially if the restaurant was empty).
Red Robin is the only family friendly restaurant (I know of) that provides individually wrapped crayons and I like that children can take them home after. The downside, if children do not take them home, it is pretty much garbage for the restaurant and not re-used which is a wasteful.
C'est la vie a Maggi asked if I wanted to dine with her and I thought it was pretty cool because it reassured me that people know my blog exists LOL. She basically let me choose where to go and I am indecisive when I am not craving for anything. So, I thought since I have been blogging about burgers, why not go to Five Guys? I have been to the South Surrey (not very good) as well as Park Royal (THE BEST) location and was not sure what to expect for the one Downtown.
Most reviews mention that there can be up to a 30 minute wait for a table. My sister and I came around 5:00pm on a Monday and luckily there was no line up. When you enter there is a sign stating, "please wait to be seated." I find the sign kind of odd because quite a few people would be standing at the door for 15 minutes with no acknowledgement from the staff. The servers and bartender see customers waiting, and there are tables available but they simply do not acknowledge customers? No smile, no wave, no "hold on", basically nothing, you see them glancing at you... but nothing happens. After seeing most people wait 10-15 minutes, a server who previously saw you will finally come and speak with you. If it wasn't for my sister who told me to sit down, I have no idea how long I would've been standing there for. When our server came, she was very friendly.
Best burgers in town? Possibly, in new New West. Burger Heaven is a bit small and has a very slight stinky smell. I thought the restaurant would smell like burgers LOL and be bright with cheerful employees. I took these photos as we were leaving around 9:00pm tonight and when we came around 7:00pm, the restaurant was packed! The restaurant seemed under staffed with uncleared tables, a long line up and nothing but busyness. 
I am not really the type to eat pub food and Big River Restaurant is probably the closest place to a pub I have been to all year. I was surprised the restaurant is well lit, spacious and empty (which I totally prefer!). The tables are greasy and kind of dirty but I assume it is a given for a pub.
