Tap & Barrel - Burgers, Beer, Salad

Weirdly enough, I've never been to a Tap & Barrel location even hearing great things about this restaurant/pub. They recently opened up a location in Coal Harbour so Gastrofork, Foodology, Food Queen, Foodobyte, and I decided to hit it up and give it a try.

 They serve a variety of pub food like deep fried pickles, salads, burgers, and sandwiches.

Even though my brain was telling me to pick a salad, my belly just couldn't resist one of those incredibly interesting burgers they had on their menu.. like Quebec Street Poutine Burger and Peanut Butter and Jelly Burger!! How can one resist that?!

I heard their beer samplers are pretty good so I gave it a shot. I chose all light beers and ciders and they were alright.

Diana chose the Tap Greens + Albacore Tuna ($9+$6) which had hazelnuts, blueberries, goat cheese, and a red wine maple vinaigrette. I didn't try it but it looked healthy and delicious.

You can't really see it from this picture but I ordered their signature menu item, PB&J Burger ($15). I actually thought it was going to be legit peanut butter and strawberry jam on my burger patty but it turns out to be chipotle peanut butter and bacon jam. It was delicious and I'd definitely get it again. The fries on the other hand were underwhelming.

 Gastrofork ordered the Original Cobb Salad ($17). Now that's my kind of salad! Blackened Fraser Valley chicken breast, fresh avocado, cherry tomatoes, bacon, and a hard boiled egg... yum is all I can say.

Gastrofork's sister chose the New York Chowder ($10), made of local market fresh seafood, tomato fennel cream, and fish crackers. While it looked good, it was SUCH a small portion for the price.

All in all, Tap & Barrel serves up some pretty good pub food but nothing in particular wowed me.

Service Rating: 3/5
Food Rating: 2.5/5
Price: $$-$$$

Overall Rating: 2.5/5

Happy Eating!

 

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Cineplex VIP Experience - Speciality Food Menu, In-Seat Drink Service, Adults Only

 How many of you know that Cineplex offers a VIP experience in select theatres? I didn't until a couple of months ago and I recently just gave it a try with Meta Knight at the Cineplex in Coquitlam.

The VIP Cinema Experience is for adults only (19+) because they offer alcoholic beverages in the lounge that you can hang out in before the movie, AND during when the movie's playing. The tickets are normally $19.50, so ~$7 more dollars than a regular movie ticket. If you're thrifty like me, just use 1000 Scene points and you can get the VIP ticket for free!

The entrance looks pretty dope and sophisticated, no? With the VIP Cinemas Experience, you get:

1. Licensed lounge 
2. Comfy reserved seating
3. Premium in-theatre service
4. Speciality food menu 
5. Age of majority admission (they check your ID before you can go in)

The Cineplex in Coquitlam also has this cool games department called "Xscape". I watched Undercover Boss one time where the CEO of Cineplex went undercover and he mentioned that this "Xscape" concept is super new and they are looking to integrate this into all the Cineplex theatres. It's super cool and it's a ticket/reward system (think Playdium *hope I didn't just age myself*).

 The lounge has a full bar, concession stand for your regular munchies like popcorn, drinks, nachos...etc. We came late so we didn't have time to chill in the lounge but next time I'll make sure to come an hour early to grab a drink and watch the hockey game..

Here are some of the frozen concoctions you can get at the lounge. Prices are reasonable.

 Yummy cocktails.

I was really intrigued by their "Speciality food menu" and by the looks of it, it is definitely a lot more innovative than popcorn and hot dogs. However, prices look a little steep for appys. Especially edamame for $8?!

We ordered all our food and drinks in the theatre so needless to say, it was incredibly dark (excuse the incredibly pixelated picture). Meta Knight ordered the Caesars ($7.50) and loved it. It was on par with the quality of drinks you'd normally find at Joeys or Earls..etc. His Angus Burger ($12) (not pictured) on the other hand was a little disappointing, albeit quite large in quantity.

I chose the Sweet Escape ($7.50) which was a cocktail with vodka, banana and strawberry flavoured liqueur, and strawberry puree. It was tasty and pretty strong. I also got a Pulled Pork Poutine ($8) and it was okay. Nothing amazing.

All in all, I would totally use my 1000 points for this VIP experience because you get your own special theatre with extra large comfy seats (when you pull the arm rests up, it turns into a loveseat where you and your loved one can cuddle), it's 19+ so no crying kids to ruin the movie, and the 'speciality food' here beats out popcorn and nachos any day.

Happy Eating!

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Sushi Han (Richmond) - Small Family Owned Restaurant

I've lived in Richmond all my life and for some odd reason, I've never been to Sushi Han, the incredibly popular (by word of mouth) family-owned Japanese joint on No.2 and Blundell. 

My friend Misu decided on this restaurant so Nature Girl and I met up with her here. She's been here apparently over 20 times cause it's her favourite go-to Japanese place.

They used to be located in another area of the strip mall but have recently moved during all the renovation going on. They are next to BMO and Cobs Bread.

Based on Misu, this new location is a lot more spacious and comfortable to sit in now. I did notice a very family vibe going on that I really liked. Not a hint of pretentiousness here.

 Nature Girl chose the 1/2 Order Salmon Sashimi ($5.00) and we were surprised to see a lean deep red cut as opposed to 'normal' farmed sashimi that has a lighter colour and fattier texture. This was definitely wild sockeye salmon. Giant thumbs up on quality.

Based on Misu's recommendation, we both ordered the Seafood Salad ($8.95) which consisted of baby shrimp, wild sockeye salmon sashimi, tuna sashimi, raw scallops, and greens with a wasabi dressing.

I gotta say... this was incredible. I can easily order this every time I come. You might think raw seafood on lettuce is a weird combination, but it totally works when mixed with the wasabi dressing. It is super refreshing and light on the carbs which is great if you're trying to eat clean.

The Unagi Don ($10.95) looked pretty delicious but it's the typical packaged teriyaki unagi on Japanese rice.

We all shared the Assorted Tempura ($9.95) which came with three shrimps, mushroom, pepper, zucchini, yam, and carrot. The batter wasn't too thick and it was freshly fried.

Overall, I had a fantastic time at Sushi Han and I will definitely be coming back. I like the concept of supporting local businesses so I'm also uber happy about the fact that they're a family-owned establishment. Their prices are reasonable, the quality of their food was surprisingly high, so all in all, its a great place for Japanese eats in Richmond.

Service Rating: 4.5/5
Food Rating: 4/5
Price: $$

Overall Rating: 4/5

Happy Eating!

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Tasting Plates: Fraser Edition - Try ALL The Food!!

Tasting Plates is a foodie adventure where you purchase tickets for a set price and you visit a variety of different restaurants in one night, all the while eating at each one when you're there. It's like a Pub Crawl, but for food! 

I've never been to one before and Curtis (Foodobyte) was kind enough to invite me to come along. This particular Tasting Plates event was held in the Kensington Cedar-Cottage neighbourhood.

Something to note, if registration is at, let's say... 6pm, you get there at 5:30pm to start lining up. If you come right at 6, you're bound to wait at least 30 mins before getting in the first restaurant. Our first restaurant was Graze Restaurant and they provided Yam and Eggplant Perogy (GF), Roasted Vegetable Strata, and Chocolate Torte with Raspberry Rose Cream as their three mini bites. My favourite of the three was the Perogy. I would definitely come back for that!

Next up was this little hole in the wall restaurant called Kilimanjaro Snack House which focuses on East African and Indian cuisine.

They offered a variety of items including: Barazi (Pigeon Pea Curry), Mandazi (East African Donut), Fried Beef Kebabs, Samosas, Chai Tea, and Fried Mogo.

I absolutely LOVED the Fried Beef Kebabs. Don't let the burnt looking exterior fool you... inside lays an explosion of aromatic spices and flavour thats not to be missed.

By the third restaurant, my waistband was already feeling really snug, and I had 5 more restaurants to go!! X.X #FirstWorldProblems. #YesIJustUsedHashtags. At Sal Y Limon, we got to try one taco with a choice of either pulled pork, pulled chicken, or tofu/veggies. I chose the pulled chicken and while it was tender, it lacked much flavour. Otherwise, the taco was pretty authentic.

Tigers Drink House is hidden in this residential neighourhood so it was not easy for us to find. If it wasn't for this event, I would have never heard about this cafe.

At first I didn't really like the Carrot Walnut Cinnamon Loaf because I thought it lacked sweetness but as I ate more and more of it, I actually appreciated it because it didn't overwhelm my tastebuds. The Cream Cheese Chocolate Brownie was a little hard in texture and was just alright for me.

I always love trying new Filipino food so Merinda Bakeshop was right up my alley! Unfortunately there was no way we could eat all that bread so we just took it home in a brown baggy. It consisted of 1) Hopia Mongo 2) Ube Loaf (Purple Yam Loaf) 3) Spanish Bread 4) Buko (Young Coconut) Pie 5) Pan de Sal. 

pics courtesy of foodobyte.com

When we got to our second last restaurant, Pizza Carano, I was already stuffed to the brim. So another word of advice, bring empty tupperware to bring food home because you won't be able to eat everything. On the plate was Kale Caesar Salad, Funghi Pizza, and Smoked Sopressata Pizza. Hands down the Funghi pizza won it for me. Truffle oil and mixed wild mushrooms? That's a match made in heaven right there.

pics courtesy of foodobyte.com

Last but not least is Earnest Ice Cream. I chose the Vegan Chocolate Ice-Cream (made with coconut milk) and Curtis got the Tahitian Vanilla Ice-Cream. Both came with half a gluten free ginger cookie. I actually really enjoyed my vegan ice-cream and it tasted just as silky and creamy as ice-cream made with milk.

All in all, our adventure took about 3 hours to complete (walking/driving to the different restaurants took time!) but we had a lot of fun doing it. I have actually never been to any of these restaurants prior to this event so this was a great way for me to try all these places without committing to a full meal at each!

Happy Eating!


 

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Golden Paramount Seafood Restaurant- Deep Fried Deliciousness

Golden Paramount Seafood Restaurant is located in Richmond on Park Road near Happy Date and iHop. The exterior looks a bit run down but the inside is a whole different story. It looks bright, clean, and pleasantly inviting.

I've never been to this restaurant before but it seems to be quite well known among Richmondites.

The Pan Fried Oysters with Soya Sauce were recommended on Urbanspoon so we gave it a try. The oysters were delicious but I remember there were expensive for the quantity. I think this plate was around $18.80? Way too expensive.

I think this dish can be easily replicated by buying a bunch of fresh oysters from the supermarket.

The Panfried Egg White with Chopped Scallop ($16.80) was not as delicious as the one from Western Lake but served as a great light filler in between the other fattier dishes.

No matter what Chinese restaurant I'm in, I always like to order Deep Fried Chili and Garlic Pork Chop because of its incredibly addicting (and MSG filled) spices. These were great and oh so garlicy.

This dish was super odd because it did not resemble the description on the menu. I think the name was Deep Fried Stuffed Chicken Wings ($17.80) but it turned out to be little chicken nuggets. We also couldn't really detect the filling. Nevertheless, it was an okay dish but personally not worth the price we paid.

I really enjoyed this Half Cream and Shrimp Half Tomato Based Fried Rice because it was wet, sloppy, and extremely filling.

Overall, I think this is a decent restaurant for traditional Chinese dishes and I heard they serve squab too so it's worth it to come here if that's what you're looking for. Some dishes were a hit or miss but all in all it was a good experience.

Service Rating: 2.5/5
Food Rating: 3.5/5
Price: $$$$

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!

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