Shirakawa by Itoh Dining

RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED

It is pretty evident that I fell off the blogging world for a while and writing about older restaurant experiences do not always work out, especially in this case because Shirakawa closed their doors. Shirakawa was a Japanese restaurant located in Gastown, Downtown Vancouver that offered modern and traditional cuisine. And of course the authenticity of the restaurant appeared to be a wow factor as well.

Floor to ceiling glass windows, an open kitchen and the irezumi mural were my biggest eye catchers when I walked in to the restaurant. The atmosphere also makes Shirakawa one of those Japanese restaurants that are not on the top of my list to visit because I worry the quality is not there or the quality does not match the higher prices, but I decided to make a visit for lunch. You never know until you try right?

Belgium Place

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Belgium Place is one of the newer cafes that serves authentic liege waffles; the ones with pearl crystals throughout the dough which caramelizes the exterior and results in a nice golden color. Walking in, one of the cashiers was having lunch and he immediately got up to greet us and take our order. We were very pleased with his friendliness along with his patience as we browsed through the four screen television menu.

The cafe is very spacious and there is a fair amount of seating arrangements along with a few patio seats. I like the spaciousness because during busier times, both the ordering and picking up line ups would not be cramped. There is nothing worse than bumping and nudging the next person beside you when in a long line up!

Other than waffles, Belgium Place offers croissants, quiches, panini and baguette sandwiches. About the waffles though, there are sweet as well as savoury choices and everything is housemade. There is also a choice of almond, chocolate, as well as chocolate and almond waffles for those who want to skip on the plain ones.

As for the accompaniments, there are fruit compotes which include apple, apricot, blueberry and strawberry. On top of that, gelato (vanilla or chocolate), sauce (chocolate, caramel, maple syrup) and caramelized nuts (almond or walnuts) are also available as toppings.

Frappe Bliss

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Frappe Bliss is one of the very few (as in perhaps less than five) dessert shops in Vancouver that offers shaved milk rather than ice shave. Shaved milk originated from Taiwan and has a very light, fluffy and feathery texture. There are plenty of flavours such as mango, matcha, milk, strawberry and peanut, compared to a generic "snow cone" which is just plain ice.

The thing is, the service here is disgusting. On a rainy day with no customers, we walked up to a miserable looking owner who did not even bother saying "hello" or acknowledging us. I am always more understanding if a business is busy and the staff is tired out, but when there is not one single person in line? And it is the owners? If it was not for our craving, we would have walked away. On top of that, the presentation is sloppy, the ingredients are not fresh and she even tossed the bill along with the stamp card at us. Who does that? When is there ever a need to toss something? Oh yeah, the price ain't cheap.

E2 Cafe Restaurant

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Once formerly known as Lulu Cafe is now E2 Cafe, a Hong Kong style cafe restaurant. The restaurant is located in Burquitlam and is the only HK style cafe restaurant in the area. 

Before I started blogging (a year ago), I have been here a couple of times and the food was decent, as well as edible. So, we decided to revisit because I did not want to go to Denny's. Plus, on previous visits, I have never ordered any "HK style cafe" items such as a hot plate or one of those select three items kind of deal, and I wanted to this time. Also, with such good finds such as La Amigo and Kingpark Steak House, I thought E2 Cafe may be good as well.

Walking in, a friendly as well as welcoming waitress greeted us and she was the only one at the front of the house. The restaurant is a good size and the seating arrangements are not cramped. Plus, I cannot imagine there ever being a line up. However, the parking lot has literally only ten spots and most of the parking stalls are taken by Sushi California customers! So if you come during peak hours, good luck finding parking LOL.

Q4 Ristorante by Quattro

RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED

Four days of consistent bad luck: Day Three.

Every time I am in Kitsilano, I always stress about where to eat. I mean, whether it be called cheap or greedy, I just do not want to set myself up for a good meal and receive everything but. Odd? Yes, I know. That is why most of the time I play it safe and head to a mediocre restaurant which makes my day when the food is better than expected! Of course, unless there is already a restaurant I have in mind. So, scooping out a few places on Urbanspoon, Q4 seemed like an okay Italian restaurant.

Walking up to the front door, I loved it. Mirrored doors? LOVE. I wanted to take a selfie but chose to do so after dinner, which unfortunately did not work out since the doors were left open. Plus, I did not want to get any awkward stares. As for the interior, the seating area is very open and I personally like it. Although on a full house, the restaurant may get loud. The interior looks simple as well as clean and has wooden floors as well as chairs, and tables with white tablecloths. As for the seating arrangements, it is not cramped and outdoor seating is available.

After walking in, our server led us to our requested window seat which was not overlooked on OpenTable (Black + Blue...). Our server was friendly, had a positive vibe and left us to browse the menus. As she later creeped back to see if we were ready to order, she overheard us talking amongst each other that none of the appetizers caught our attention. Fortunately, she came to the rescue and mentioned some daily specials, which we were interested in.

ABC HK Cafe 愛彼茜餐室

RESTAURANT CLOSED

After finishing some appointments in Richmond, BF and I were stumped on what to have for lunch. Dim sum at Sun Sui Wah was an option but considering that it was around 2:45pm and the restaurant would be closing soon, we passed. A pet peeve of mine is when the staff starts to vacuum while I am still eating and even worse, hitting the table with the vacuum! Plus, I was in the mood for a less than $40.00 lunch rather than the $70.00-$80.00 range that it would have been for dim sum, considering the amount that we always order! So, after circling around Richmond, we both agreed that the food court at Aberdeen Centre was the best choice. However, before heading to the food court, I noticed ABC HK Cafe! The alluring menu posted outside as well as the lobster dishes drew us in.

The restaurant's interior is pretty clean, spacious and has a high ceiling as well as window wrapped walls. This is the nicest Hong Kong style cafe restaurant that I have ever been to! And not going to lie, I was pretty excited and could not wait to eat. Plus, I was starving (we actually had reservations for tea but cancelled because we needed real food).

ABC HK Cafe offers plenty of choices such as a create your own noodles resembling Deer Garden's, hot plates, sandwiches, Korean stone bowls, hot pot, a la carte and of course, lobster. It took us quite a while just to figure out what we wanted because the menu was sort of all over the place, despite the colourful and easy to read font.

Spicy Legend 紅錦天

RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED

Spicy Legend is an all you can eat hot pot restaurant on Kingsway, next to the busy Congee Noodle King. Oddly enough, the idea of coming here has never been welcomed by anyone that I know (why?!). Also, I always assume that since Congee Noodle King gets random long line ups, a lot of customers would pass and walk next door to Spicy Legend because I know I have wanted to many times. So, finally after a few years, one of my friends caved and decided to try the restaurant with me. On a Saturday evening, the restaurant was quite empty which I prefer, but many find it "odd" or claim there must be something wrong with the restaurant. The restaurant's interior is very spacious and the chairs as well as tables stick to a red and black theme.

After walking up to the waitress, she tells us where to sit and hands us an order sheet. The menu has a large  variety of dishes that are not normally offered at hot pot restaurants, such as frog, rabbit, and a lot of cooked dishes. Although unfortunately, those dishes are crossed out so ordering them was no longer an option. Spicy Legend does have a few items such as cauliflower, rice cake, chicken heart, chicken and duck gizzard, and pork membrane for those who are interested.

ADULT $18.95 CHILDREN (4-12) $14.95

BROTH $7.95-$8.95, $10.95 OR $2.00 MORE FOR LARGE

POP $1.50

Jong Ga BBQ Korean Restaurant

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Jong Ga BBQ is the new replacement of Corean Palace, which was a Jang Mo Jib chain restaurant. Corean Palace was my favourite Jang Mo Jib location because the employees actually provided service, until the owner and his son started working there (which then became like every other service-less JMJ chain).

When entering the restaurant, the owner greeted us and was very friendly. In addition, the restaurant has a very cheerful and upbeat vibe. At first, I was not sure why until I realized it is because the Virgin Radio station was blasted. The loud music made me feel like I was at Cactus Club and I thought it was kind of inappropriate because Jong Ga seems more like a family restaurant, not a social drinking club. As for the interior, when comparing Jong Ga to the previous restaurant, I do not notice many changes except for the new addition of photos of Korean cuisine on the wall.

Penny Restaurant 錢記

RESTAURANT IS UNDER A NEW OWNERSHIP

Post on the new Gold Penny 品味食館 [here]

I begged BF for a pretty long time to visit here and it finally happened last night :). The restaurant's decor reminds me of an old school Chinatown food court kind of thing. I think Penny's is considered a dirty restaurant, but it did not really bother me since I deliberately came here expecting that. Furthermore, Penny's is somewhat a self serve restaurant, you seat yourself and a dispenser of napkins are provided on every table.

Tom & Jerry's Restaurant

RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED

Tom & Jerry's is a restaurant I have always wanted to go to! I like that kids eat free, the dishes are under $10.99 and the fact that it is called Tom & Jerry's, I have to go. The only problem has been finding someone to come with me. BF finally caved and confirmed ten times if my choice was final. YES. The restaurant has comfortable booth seating arrangements and I am always a sucker for them.

No. 1 Chinese Restaurant 第一家菜館

RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED

By the way, I'm pretty upset the restaurant is closed because the cook serves one of the BEST, ABSOLUTE BEST, cream and butter sauce. What a shame. And the staff is incredibly friendly.

Eh… No. 1 Chinese Restaurant is not my first choice for dinner and I did not really expect much from them. Plus, with a name like theirs... a lot of people take it seriously and go all crazy if the food tastes horrible, but I usually just disregard it.

The interior looks like a typical Chinese restaurant but everything looks really clean. Walking in, the restaurant gives an impression that they are very non-Asin friendly, with helpful and attentive staff.

Griffins Restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED

WHY THE @#$% IS THIS PLACE CLOSED NOW? Honestly, one of the best if not the best, Sunday buffet brunches.

This is my first time coming here for brunch, I have been here for afternoon tea (900 West Lounge) and I love it.

The restaurant's interior is so cute.

Most of the people here are seniors and it makes me feel like Pan Pacific is more modern.

ADULT $44.00 CHILDREN 6-12 $22.00 METER PARKING $4.00/hour

The salad bar consisting of romaine, spinach and arugula, quinoa, fruit, yogurt, yogurt with granola, tomatoes and cheese, mussels, boiled eggs, tuna, dungeness crab, shrimp cocktail,

oranges, grape fruit, lemon wedges, tomatoes, cucumber, croutons, parmesan cheese and dressings.

Butter and bread.

My first plate consisting of boiled eggs, tuna, bread and butter, dungeness crab, oranges and grapefruit, and a fruit cup. The fruit cup has mint leaves which is good for people who like mint leaves. I wish they had a bigger selection of fruit, this is something they did not refill. The bread and butter is what it is, the boiled eggs are plain and simple, the tuna is good and the fruit is fresh. The crab legs are fresh as well.

His first plate.

The cooked food bar consisting of bacon, sausages, pancakes, waffles,

salmon and ham egg benedicts, eggplant slices, potatoes, 

cooked prawns, clams/mussels, fish, salmon, pork and chicken.

My second plate consisting of bacon, salmon, eggplant, mussels/clams and pork. I love that the bacon is pan fried and not deep fried! There are lots of soft bacon which I prefer and they also have crunchier one as well. The salmon is a bit tiny overcooked but it is SO tasty. The mussels/clams are fresh and the sauce hides the seafood taste. The pork is tender, and the eggplant is a bit kind of chewy.

His second plate.

The omelette bar and prime rib.

Prime rib, au jus, mustard and horse radish.

My third plate consisting of a salmon egg benedict, salmon belly, bread and butter, prime rib, cracker and prosciutto. Ohmygod the prime rib is SO TENDER and MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH. Yeah, at brunch? SERIOUSLY. I am surprised the prime rib is so good and forgot to get more. I saw someone take a piece like a steak and thought I should have done that! The little 2 pieces of prosciutto were the only ones left, wah. The salmon is the second batch and is perfectly cooked and tender, yum. The bread kind of has a lingering taste of blue cheese and I did not like it. The salmon egg benedict is perfect. What? A perfect egg benedict at brunch? YEAH.

The egg is poached perfectly and the english muffin is toasted and crisp. The hollandaise sauce is really light too. How can other restaurants fail when giving you a fresh egg benedict, and this one is pre made and perfect!

His third plate.

The charcuterie bar.

Pastries, cereal, milk and toast.

The dessert bar consisting of cream puffs, creme caramel, fruit tarts,

cheese cake and mousse cakes.

My dessert plate consisting of cream puffs, stolen white chocolate from the displays, and cheesecake. The cream puffs are fresh but tastes average. I think if the shell was a bit tastier it would be better (this coming from a girl who likes the cheap frozen ones from grocery stores -.-). The cheesecake is pretty good and the texture is perfect. The star which I thought was a cookie is really soft, I am not sure what it is.

My creme caramel. It is perfect in sweetness and texture.

His dessert is the chocolate mousse with white chocolate shavings. He says it is really sweet.

I am so surprised with the brunch! I expected the food to be a bit under average since it a buffet brunch, but the food is definitely a bit above average. The quality control is really good and most likely one of the best buffet brunches. The selection is a bit limited, but the taste of the food makes up for that. If I was being picky, some smoked salmon and capers would be nice as well as a larger fruit selection. Pan Pacific does have a larger selection of food, but they have less dishes that are actually good compared to Griffins. The bacon being pan fried, egg benedicts, and the prime rib are pretty good here, no complaints.

The service is a bit above average, not as good as Top of Vancouver's, but better than Pan Pacific's. The cooks are definitely trained well and they constantly check what items to refill.

Food: 3.5/5

Service: 3/5