Dine Out 2012: Monk McQueens- Succulent Lamb Chops, Mediocre Onion Mushroom Tart

For my third and last Dine Out of 2012, I visited Monk McQueens ($28 menu) with Rae, Trixie, Yoshi, and Sis. Monk McQueens is known for their beautiful view of False Creek and West Coast cuisine. Lucky for us, they sat us near  the window so we enjoyed a beautiful view along with our meal which I think enhanced our overall dining experience. We were first given a bread basket to share and it was delightfully warm and soft. The bread...

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Dine Out 2012: Smoking Dog Bistro- Candied Bacon Chocolate Fudge

Smoking Dog Bistro is a little French Bistro located in Kitsilano on W 1st Ave. I was intrigued by their dine out menu this year so I went to try it out with Dirtygirl, Cupcake, Dup, and Meta Knight. I made reservations before checking their urbanspoon page and when I did, I was quite taken back by how many negative comments there were. Needless to say, after reading all the comments I began to doubt my decision of choosing this place for dine...

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Saboten (Aberdeen Center) Grand Opening/Media Tasting Event

Last Sunday, Janice (goodeat) kindly invited Steph (Krispy Bites) and I to the Saboten grand opening/media tasting event. We were joined by Gary and Taya from (Eating in Vancouver) as well. Feel free to click on their links to check out their reviews of Saboten! Saboten originated from Shinjuku, Japan and they specialize in tonkatsu which is a style of deep fried pork cutlet. This is their first North American location so there was much anticipation...

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Dine Out 2012: R.TL (Regional Tasting Lounge)- Delicious Appys and Entrees!

Every year during Dine Out Vancouver, I like to take advantage of the opportunity to try out different restaurants that I normally would not go to. I have a few planned for this year so I’m definitely very excited. I already went to Regional Tasting Lounge in Yaletown with Meta Knight a few days ago so here’s the scoop! R.TL looks very fancy from the outside with its sliding doors and blazing fire at the entrance. They serve a $28 menu for three...

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Phnom Penh- Chicken Wings, Butter Beef, MSG Overload

Phnom Penh has been on my food radar since FOREVER and I have tried numerous times to go but it just never ends up happening. Luckily, Janice (goodeat) and Steph (krispybites) also have not tried this ever-so-famous restaurant yet so all three of us decided to go on a chilly Sunday afternoon. Phnom Penh is located in a kind of sketchy part of Chinatown so you may want to bus instead of drive. Or if you are going to drive, don’t park too close to...

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Sophie's Cosmic Cafe- Mmm.... Eggs Benny

I met up with my friend, Unger recently for a little weekend brunch. We were torn between Jethro’s Fine Grub and Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe, but we ended up choosing the latter. Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe is located in Kitsilano and looks super quirky from the outside. The inside looks quirky too with its old dinner style red booths and nostalgic randoms on the wall....

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Random Thought- Only Go To SFU's Triple O's When There Are No Other Choices

Up at SFU, there aren’t many good places to eat. Everything (except Tim Horton’s) is overpriced, mediocre, and boring. With that said, I still occasionally buy food at SFU because sometimes I don’t have time to pack lunch. This semester, I happen to have class on Tuesday, which is when Triple O’s have their “Triple O’s Tuesdays” special. Their original burger becomes $3.33 and $6.53 (including tax) when you upgrade to a combo. I substituted...

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Ebisu on Robson- BBQ Cuttlefish and Cajun Tuna Tacos!

Ebisu is normally not my go-to Japanese restaurant for tapas and drinks. I always found it a bit on the expensive side and sub-par compared to other establishments such as Guu, Hapa Izakaya, Nan Chuu, or Gyo-o. On this occasion, my friend chose Ebisu on Robson to celebrate her birthday. When flipping through the menu, I noticed the “Crème Brulee Cheesecake”. This instantly caught my eye because I absolutely adore crème brulee. I...

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HML Seafood Restaurant- Inexpensive Dim Sum and No Tea Charge

HML Seafood Restaurant is located on No.3 Road and Westminster in Richmond. It is on the second floor and the main entrance is through a parking lot. It’s a fairly large and spacious restaurant so I have never had to wait more than 30 seconds for a table. If you don’t like line-ups when it comes to dim sum restaurants, this place is for you. My family enjoys this restaurant because it’s pretty cheap and the dim sum is good. You get 20%...

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Sushi Garden (Kingsway)- Not Worth The 30-40 Minute Wait!

I never understood why Sushi Garden (Kingsway location) is always packed with people. I have been there once before but I didn’t find the sushi that great. I assume it’s the convenient location and relatively cheap prices that always draw customers back. When Meta Knight and I arrived at 6pm, there was already a huge line-up to the door! We ended up waiting almost 40 minutes before getting a table. I was craving some nigiri so I ordered...

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Dunn's Famous- Tons of Meaty Goodness

Dunn’s Famous is located in downtown Vancouver and they are known for their authentic Montreal smoked meat sandwiches. I met up one night with Diana (foodology), Gloria (i’m busyeating), Amy (foodqueen), Jenny (eatwithjenny), and Janice (goodeat) to give this place a try. Definitely check out their posts as well as we all have different tastes and opinions. I was never too into smoked meat but I insisted on ordering it because I felt like...

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Accord Food House- Soft Mushy Noodles

After closing for a month during the holidays, Accord Food House finally opened today so Meta Knight and I instantly jumped at the chance to give this place a try.  I’ve heard only good things about this hole-in-the-wall restaurant so we both had high expectations going in. Perhaps it was our high expectations that ruined us, but our visit was very disappointing. Accord Food House is next to a XXX shop across from Metrotown. You really...

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Miura Waffle Milk Bar- Legendary Waffle Sandwiches!

Miura Waffle Milk Bar has been on my food radar for quite some time now. I rarely venture to Yaletown, and when I do, it’s usually for dinner and not lunch so I never found the right opportunity to go. The day before school started, Trixie and I decided to go and give it a try despite the violent cold wind and pouring rain. It was horrible getting there, but boy were we glad we went. They have a signage outside their store with pictures of their...

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East is East (Main)- Night Of The 1 1/2 Hr Wait and Vacuum Packed Seating

Yoshi is a major foodie and he often raved about how great the restaurant ‘East is East’ is (wow, tongue twister!). I had no clue what this restaurant was about so I was eager to try it out.  We went with a bunch of other friends and had a total of about 7 people. BAD IDEA. East is East is located on Main Street and this is one of two locations. The other location is in Kitsilano and from what I hear, the other location is bigger. When...

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Matsuyama- Best To Come Here For Late Night Sushi

Every time Meta Knight and I finish watching a movie around 9pm and want to grab some late night dinner, we always have problem finding restaurants that are still open. We usually resort to Matsuyama because we know that they will be open for sure. They even have a late night menu too. Sometimes, people are still lining up to get in at 10pm. The interior is quite cozy and they have a lot of booths. This place is not Japanese owned (most likely...

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Bella Gelateria- If You Have Never Tried Their Gelato, You're Missing Out!

Oh my gosh, I finally tried the famous Bella Gelateria! I have heard so much about their irresistible handcrafted gelato over the past few years and I’ve gotta say, why the heck have I not been here sooner?! After having dinner with Diana (foodology), Gloria (I’m busyeating), Amy (foodqueen), Janice (good eat), and Jenny (eatwithjenny), we decided to get some dessert at Bella Gelateria. We went around 9pm and the place was already full with barely...

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Banana Leaf (Fairview Location)- Weird Music But Decent Malaysian Food

For my friend’s birthday, a bunch of us gathered at Banana Leaf (West Broadway location) to try their ‘award winning’ Malaysian cuisine. I’ve always doubted whether Banana Leaf serve truly authentic Malaysian food because I’ve always heard mediocre reviews by my Malaysian friends. Anyhow, we arrived on a cold and stormy night and I was pleasantly surprised to see the restaurant booming with customers.  The colour of their walls are...

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Victoria Chinese Restaurant- Better Stay Away And Go Elsewhere

Victoria Chinese Restaurant is located in the same complex as the Hyatt Hotel and I heard it used to be a very grand Chinese restaurant a decade or so ago. I was excited to try this place for dim sum, but it failed me and it is nothing compared to the better dim sum restaurants in Vancouver/Richmond. Tea is $1.25 per person which is reasonable. First came the Shrimp Salad Roll ($4.65) and when this landed on our table, I was taken aback by...

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