Jarn? Jamjar? - Commercial Drive

I'm starting to think this industrial look doesn't spell out unique anymore. Every new hip place I go in Vancouver must use the same interior designing company. Anywho Ryan and I were on the Drive and noticed this new Lebanese restaurant. Pardon us for our ignorance, but we were both huh? Lebanese? And so us Lebanese food virgins decided it to give it a try. And it was really cold outside that particular night. 

The place was packed and the host asked us if we are okay with communal table - which was a-okay for us. We ordered their "dine out" menu as our server recommended it having variety of food items on a shard plate. 

Crackle Crème | Gourmet Crème Brûlée

We only chose to go to Crackle Creme because it was one of the few places that was open at 7 PM on Sunday evening. It actually started out quite alright when I realized one kind driver had already fed my parking meter for hour & 38 minutes! Yay! 

Creme Brulee is my favorite kind of dessert (along with many others) and it was quite a delight to learn there is a man with such a passion to create many flavoured creme brulees as a specialty shop. And wow! it really was. 

Burger & Lobster, Knightsbridge, London

This American-style franchise restaurant is loved by both locals and tourists. My friend insisted she prefers the Knightsbridge location to that of Soho's. I was told some locations are given waiting time of hour & half depends on how busy they are! I know B&L has a location in NYC too now so suppose we don't need to travel this far.

I've read reviews previously they've had terrible service or staff gave people that arrived later a table first etc but it was quite alright for us. It really is a serious bargain to get a combo meal for 20 Pounds in the heart of London! The photos speak louder than my mere words... so enjoy!

Coffee Monster Coquitlam Review

Lougheed area was always missing something major - a local coffee shop. You can only find Starbucks inside the Lougheed Mall which is always crowded with mall visitors... and that was it! Coffee Monster only opened late December of 2014 (or so I think...) and it's become super popular right away meeting the needs of Coquitlam residents and other visitors. In fact, when I went to check out the recent craze, there were no seats for us. It was again quite busy upon my first actual visit today.

Although I totally missed out on taking photos of their interior - I can tell the new owner has put in lots of time/effort in creating the atmosphere with industrial look. They also specialize in cold brewed coffees (similar to that of Revolver...I presume) but I'll save trying it until a hot summer day. 

  

Coffee Monster does have quite a selection for coffee/tea/dessert menus. Ryan and I both had Affogato and Vivian & her Ryan had two different teas: Herbal fruit & Earl Grey. I thought it was quite sensible they had an hourglass to for tea's brewing time. I am not an avid coffee drinker and do drink very rarely but I could tell their espresso was very smooth. I noticed their Italian sodas are flavoured with real fruits instead of artificial syrups and is creatively rimmed with pop rock candy. I shall try it next time!

Hot Chocolate Festival: Bel Cafe

Along with the Dine Out Festival, Hot Chocolate Festival has returned to Vancouver. They will be in town from Jan 17th to Feb 14th - perfect timing for some chocolaty sweetness! These events are always a delight to explore since I get a chance to experience fun and creative dishes made by Vancouver's very loved cafes and restaurants.

Below is the list of the participants: 

• 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters + Lucky’s Doughnuts
• Bel Cafe
• Bella Gelateria + To Die For Banana Bread
• Butter Baked Goods 
• Chez Christophe 
• Chocolate Arts
• Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France
• Diva at the Met 
• East Van Roasters
• French Made Baking
• Gem Chocolates
• Glenburn Soda Fountain & Cafe 
• Koko Monk Chocolates
• Last Crumb Cafe
• Mink Chocolates & Cafe
• Schokolade Artisan Chocolate
• Soirette Macarons & Tea
• Terra Breads 
• Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Cafe
• Thomas Haas 
• Uva Wine Bar + Bittered Sling

This year, I have chosen Bel Cafe since it is the place that pops up in my head first when I have sweet tooth. I also wondered how the awards winning chef  David Hawksworth's hot chocolate would look and taste like.

Langley Foodie: Fat Cow & Oyster Bar

As a newbie to Langley, I still haven't discovered a lot of restaurants that I would like to visit regularly. It's especially hard to find a place to go for when I crave fresh oysters and seafood. Langley has all the franchise restaurants such as Cactus Club, Olive Garden, Moxies, etc but it's difficult to spot a local hot spot and most of the places in Fort Langley closes early:( So when I first found out about The Fat Cow and Oyster Bar, I couldn't wait to try out! 

Their main dishes seem to be seafood related but they also have wide selection if steaks and burgers. They also serve fresh oysters which I love but unfortunately I am not allowed to have them due to pregnancy. Oh well, just another 7 more months to go and I can have as many as I want! 

Vancity Foodie: Coast Review (...where we are not going back?)

As a former Torontonian, I am a Dine Outs craze (= summerlicious or winterlicious for Torontonians by the way), where I get to pamper myself with pretentious small portion food at Fixed Price menus offered by big brand named high end restaurants. My girlfriends and I got together (including Vivian & Alexa) for this opportunity. We set a date for an evening all three of us were available and made a reservation with Coast.

It was last Thursday, January 15th that we all got together. Walked into the restaurant wet and cold, and asked our lovely waiter Alex for a dine-outs menu. Alex looked positively flustered why he has forgotten to bring dine-outs menu and revealed the fact that it does not start until tomorrow! ....which we all knew it starts on 16th! So there we were. :-)

We had 3 main plates with deep-fried oysters on the side and couple desserts to satisfy all of our tastebuds. 

Vivian had White Miso Glazed Sablefish ($38.95) found under signature dish & was beautifully cooked! You can never go wrong with the soft texture of sablefish - however as much as I love the dish, I found it rather salty. It is definitely flavourful and we had no problem finishing the dish as it was the best one of the three.

Sushi Mori - Langley

In downtown or vicinity where there are abundant consumers, it is somewhat manageable for so-so restaurants or other small businesses to survive due to their demand. On the contrary, it probably is somewhat more challenging for other locations of Vancouver including Langley. I have been observing with interest lately and there are too many Japanese Restaurants in this small city on the outskirts of GVA. 

I thought I'd introduce one that has been accepted to my liking: Sushi Mori. 

For the record, I am no individual with impeccable palate or anything in that regard, however I choose my sushi selectively. Sushi Mori's ambiance is quite different to the usual bright fluorescent light, no decorated interior - maybe just a few oriental objects on the wall etc, as you are walking into a hall filled with Sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom Tree). I do wonder if they dust the artificial trees here and then though. 

Vancity Foodie: Vera's Burger Shack

If you think about it, a burger is actually a pretty well-balanced meal unlike its "junk food" image. You get carbs, vitamins, protein, fibre, etc from bread, patty, and veggies like onion, tamato, and lettuce.  What makes a burger is how and what you eat it with; soda, heavily salted french fries, and hormone-full meat patty are the criminals that makes it unhealthy and high calorie/sodium food. 

Well, that is just my thought. I might be just justifying my cravings for a hamburger :P

Ryan and I occasionally go to Vera's Burger Shack which we think provides decent burgers compared to McDonald's. 

Brioche Gastown Review

I am back with the delicious posting today! Working retail hours, I get a random weekday off every now and then - which means I get to be the odd touristy patron at a restaurant full of business attires. Many Vancouverites may disagree - or we all may be pretending, just to carry on a conversation - but I actually love a rainy weather in Vancouver. Especially around this time of the year, I feel romance in the air and the streetlights on the other side of my windshield.  

Brioche is a small Italian cafe located in Gastown, on the north side of Downtown. My friend David - aka unofficial foodie - recommended Brioche for their Seafood Hot Pot (Cioppino Pescatore). 

As a non-driver for the day, I could not pass on their red wine Sangria! Full of fresh fruit <3 

Robert & Louise, Marais Nord, Paris

One of the greatest part of travelling is trying out different restaurants that's more than your weeknight takeouts or all the pretentious restaurants I (unfortunately) enjoy. Introduced by my Parisian friend, I had lunch in Marais last time I was in Paris for - and it was just parfait. 

Robert & Louise can be found on the main road of Marais and is a well known place for perfectly grilled entrecote. After googling to get their address, I now realize there are numerous praises and candid reviews on Tripadvisor as well. It was the flawless encounter for my experience while resting my tired shopping feet. (Wow, I sounds so spoiled!) 

Jang Mo Jib Burnaby Review

Opened their doors in 1995, Jang Mo Jib is a franchised traditional Korean cuisine restaurant you can find in different cities of lower mainland. I prefer to visit the Burnaby location although I always expect it be crazy busy.

The name Jang Mo Jib means "Mother-in-law's house."  In South Korea, there is a saying that the Son-in-law is any Mom's favorite person. Visiting Mother-in-law's house is an exciting event for the husband as he can be spoiled and feasted with variety of Korean dishes. You will also find their servings quite large and will sufficiently fatten their diners up. 

Joey's Tomatoes Coquitlam

Joey's Tomatoes Coquitlam is a special place to my husband and I because it is where we first met! I don't know if it was the lighting, but he looked extremely handsome. LOL (I told Nat first time we met for tea about how I thought Ryan looked like a famous actor in Korea and her politeness vanished in that instant. Tee hee!)

For that reason, whenever we have a special occasion, such as our anniversary or birthdays, we go to Joey's to remember the first dinner we had together. We also enjoy this place because as a casual dinning restaurant, the price is not too expensive for the quality and amount of food, and of course the service is pretty good too. 

Their menu. They also have a wine list and cocktails. 

Hi Genki Review

Hi Genki is a hidden gem of New Westminster near High Gate Mall. It is actually hidden inside the old folks home called Nikkei Home. It is within a peculiar neighbourhood with rich Japanese cultural influence. There also is Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre right next door and a cute little park area in front of it along the curvy driveway. 

Main Street Cafe Tour: Sweet Revenge

"Living well is the best revenge" - George Herbert 

Yes it is, and if you add some sweetness to that, it's undefeatable. Sweet Revenge on Main street Vancouver is one of those places that provides you sweetness and comfort helping you escape from all those stressful moments you had during day time. The opening time of the cafe is quite unusual; unlike most places, they open from 7 PM to 12 AM  during weekdays and 7 PM to 1 AM for Friday & Saturday.

Burger Heaven In New Westminster

Hillary Duff from Cinderella Story asks Chad Michael if he likes a rice cake or a Big Mac. Chad Michael should chooseme since I also am a girl who likes a hearty burger. Burger Heaven, located 5 minutes away from New Westminster Skytrain station, is THE best gourmet burger restaurant....obviously in New Westminster. 

I was feeling rebellious (or being a noob, really) that day had ordered a quesadilla at a handmade burger joint. My husban was smart enough to order the proper bacon cheeseburger - which I demanded few bites of. My dad also ordered a club sandwich which turned out to be quite good too.

Artist Island - Granville Island

Located under the south end of Granville Street Bridge, Granville Island was originally a industrial manufacturing area. Later when the factories started to move out from the area, the Canadian government invested $19 million and created exhibitions, theatres, parks, etc. Now Granville Island became Vancouver's top tourist attraction and earns $35 million per year!  My husband and I visited Granville Island a few days ago and I would like to share some stories and pictures I took.

I filmed a short video to properly capture the atmosphere from my visit. You can hear the street musician busking away and that really completes it all. More about my day in Granville Island after the jump! :-) 

Vancity Foodie: Tableau Bar & Bistro

Hope you enjoyed Natalie's Circle Craft posting yesterday. 

The Craft fair was certainly a pleasant surprise; we never knew we would be there for so long! Our unexpected excitement in craft hunting almost had us miss our reservation at "Tableau Bar & Bistro" and that would have been the end of the world for us. 

Tableau has been a "foodie's must" since their debut in 2011. From brunch to dinner, the restaurant is packed with people looking for casual french bistro.

Earnest Ice Cream | Seriously Good

Viv and I have a new favorite ice cream shop in Vancouver. According to their website, this amazing scoop shop opened in 2012 but it was not only recently I was introduced to it via my colleague. They offer the classics like salted caramel but few delightful twists like strawberry balsamic or whisky hazelnut. Happy dance for our tongues everyone! 

This place is SO popular, there were literally 50 people waiting from the counter all the way to & after 2 neighboring stores out on the street. There are people patiently waiting chattering excitement. Some of them are holding the empty mason jars, to return them and to buy new ready packed pints.

Foodie Trip: Dim sum time!

Hello all! It's Vivian again.

October 27th was my husband's and my 2nd anniversary. Instead of doing something extravegant for the event, I wanted to spend the day just as same as our other "normal" days. Every second we share together is a special moment after all / wink wink! 

Aaaaanywayssss, to serve of to my recent dimsum craving, we decided to go to Richmond where I call it as Vancouver's China. Vancouver is a city with diverse cultures (I, myself is also from S. Korea). Because of it's diversity, we get to experience close to authentic cuisines from different A city that's perfect for foodies like us!!

Dim sum is usually served between lunch and dinner(approx 11am~3pm) as a small snack, however, I usually come back home very, very full. I suppose dim sum being a snack level only speaks of how elaborate and extravagant their cuisine can be. And you'll know what I mean!