Avenue Bistro (Comox, BC)

2064 Comox Road [map]
http://avenuebistro.ca/

[My Meal] Baked Comox camembert, sirloin with mushrooms and shoestring fries, and molten lava cake.
[Verdict] Very good. I wasn't disappointed by a single thing at this restaurant. The steak was cooked well and I wish I hadn't forgotten my leftovers! Prices were about average, I think a bit cheaper than Vancouver if you were to get the same kind of dishes. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

Hong Kong Style Milk Tea

I had a hankering for some Hong Kong-style milk tea the other day... Even though I later realized that I actually like milk coffee better. So I decided to go to T&T and find some Lipton 3-in-1 instant milk tea mix as I'd read it's the superior brand. however, there wasn't any (it may have been recalled...). So I ended up with this "Super" brand from Singapore.



I didn't follow the instructions and added more water than I should've, so it wasn't great. But my second attempt later on was much better, so don't use a full mug of water. However, it actually didn't quite satisfy the hankering I had though. I'm not quite sure what it was... Maybe I wanted something with the texture closer to a hot chocolate, but with the milk tea flavour.

[Recommended? Sure]
[Melamine free? I hope so!]

Mesa Grill (New York City)

102 5th Avenue, New York City [map]

[Original post date: September 2008]

My food quest started with a booking at Gordon Ramsay’s Maze restaurant two months ago, and later I decided to also do my own “Iron Chef tour.” First on the list was Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill.



Food: Pretty? Yes. Worth it? No. Starter bread and corn muffin were average. We skipped appetizers and went straight for the entrees. Both the boyfriend and I opted for the spice-rubbed New York strip. For $35 I expected a lot more. The steak was overcooked (I had asked for medium-rare, it arrived closer to medium-well) and I didn’t taste much, if any, spice. I could’ve cooked a better steak myself for a quarter of the price. For sides, we had the carrots, which were in a sweet and spicy sort of sauce, not too bad, and mashed potatoes, probably the best of the dishes ordered, but still nothing special.

Service: I’d booked the reservation through Open Table that morning, and when we arrived, we still had to wait 5-10 minutes for the table. The main waitress was quite friendly. Food came quickly. Surprised they don’t offer fresh ground pepper.

Ambiance: Rather nice, darkly-lit. Reminds me of Cactus Club, but I suppose a tad classier.
Overall: I would not return or recommend. It’s possible maybe their other dishes stand out a lot more, but for an American-styled restaurant, I was disappointed with the poorly cooked steak. Maybe if the steak were $20 instead, then I’d say that quality would’ve been expected. I later received an e-mail from a co-worker saying that’s what you get for a chef whose first restaurant was in Vegas, has a career based on TV shows, and hasn’t lifted a pan in years, lol.

[Recommended? No]

Emmett O'Lunney's Irish Pub (New York City)

210 W 50th St, New York City [Map]

[Original post date: September 2008]


On our first day in New York, for lunch we decided to just wander down E 51st Street (which was where our hotel was located) and pick a random place to eat. Unfortunately, the place we ended up at (I don’t even remember the name) was part of a hotel (which we didn’t know) and ridiculously overpriced for the food (a glass of orange juice was $7!). So for dinner, I did a quick search online instead to find a place that was a bit more down to earth.

Food: Value and quality of food was pretty good. My boyfriend had the pot roast which he thought was excellent, and I had the lamb shepherd’s pie which I would say was average. I think it could’ve used a little more gravy. Portion was fairly large. My goal was to eat at least 50% of it, I think I got maybe up to 60%.

Service: Waitress was quite friendly, service was quick.

Ambiance: Pub ambiance, so large space, it wasn’t too busy when we had arrived.

[Recommended? Yes]

Pho Hong Vietnamese Restaurant

5975 Kingsway, Burnaby [map]
604-454-9727

[Original post date: June 2008]

Food: Tasty. At least the noodles that I’ve had. I’m not a fan of the meat balls though. Good place for a quick lunch.

Service: Usually quick but not usually personable. The second you step in the front door, someone will ask you how many people and then point you to a table. Your order will be taken minutes later followed by your food quite quickly. Drinks at times may arrive much late though. Don’t expect the waitresses to check up on you, but don’t be afraid to flag one down if you need to. The bleached-blonde woman is always angry looking. I think every day is the worst day of her life.

Ambiance: I think there used to be a Greek restaurant there. Cleanliness? Ignorance is bliss.

[Recommended? Yes]

Japa Dogs

Japa Dog Stand [map]
[Original post date: March 2008]

Ahh, Vancouver, where east meets west so deliciously! On Saturday I was wandering around downtown and met up briefly with a co-worker at the Art Gallery to witness the annual pillow fight. I was pretty hungry by that time and my co-worker informed me of a hotdog vendor at Burrard and Smithe that sells “Japadogs.” What the heck is a Japadog? Well, it’s basically a hotdog with a Japanese twist. So I hurried myself over there and found the vendor, a kitty corner across the Scotiabank Theatre.



At the moment they have three different specialty dogs, but I think you can pretty much mix and match what you want. I tried out the Terimayo dog and was pleasantly surprised that the seaweed worked so well. I also have to recommend trying some of their wasabi mayo (it’s not that strong, so don’t worry about putting too much on), it definitely gives a nice kick to it. I found this place to be a nice change to the tasty smokie and totally worth a try. They even have a website!

[Recommended? Yes]

Fish On Rice

201-4361 Kingsway, Burnaby [map]
604-439-8882
[Original post date: February 2008]

Back during my college days, a group of us would often go out for all-you-can-eat sushi as it provided a lot of food for a set price. Plus the group was mostly guys with big appetites. It was fun times.

Over the last few years though I’ve grown more weary of going to AYCE restaurants. Vancouver is filled with these places, and even though we are all aware that the quality of the food is usually on the lower end, we still go for a getogether once in a while. Last night, nine of us decided to return to Fish On Rice in Burnaby. I was fairly reluctant, as its quality and service has greatly diminished since its opening, but it’s close-by and could accomodate that many of us.

It was quite the dinner to remember… Four of us got there first so we put in an order. It took probably 15 minutes though to find a server to pass the order to thoug as no one had come to check on us after we were seated. As the rest of our party arrived, it probably took about 30 minutes to start getting our food. Our drinks were also slow to arrive, you'd usually expect drinks to be the first thing you receive. In the past they’d give us pitchers of pop, but for some reason this time they didn’t.

However, the worst part was soon to come. A round of miso soups arrived and the first bowl the server placed on the table, he spilled some onto one of the girls’ knees. Apparently it was quite hot, but she didn’t make a fuss about it. But right after that, a round of pop came and as the server placed the tray down by the seats, he spilled one of the glasses all over the seat and got one of the guys’ pants wet. Our friend left to get cleaned up, but returned soon after to show us that his shoe was filled with pop... by pouring it unknowingly into another friend's shoe. :P The that was cleaning the mess up also almost knocked over another tray of food that another server was holding as she was trying to pass by him.

It seems to be a running thing within Vancouver regarding Asian restaurants… None of the servers are properly trained in good customer service. They don’t greet you that warmly, they don’t often check on you… They just get you your food. I guess maybe that’s how we are just like, haha, but it probably shouldn’t be an excuse for shoddy service.

When our bill came, we noticed that they left the 10% gratuity charge on, and no discount or any form of compensation was given to us our even our two friends who were mostly affected. We had to get them to remove the gratuity, but didn’t demand that our friends’ meals be paid for or anything. We’re pretty passive that way. Anyway, I don’t think we’ll be going back there again anymore.

[Recommended? HELLS NO]