Kobe Classic Beef Product Review

If you are a beef enthusiast, you will most likely know what Kobe or Wagyu beef is. Kobe beef refers to an famous expensive beef that comes from Kobe, Japan. The meat is generally considered a delicacy and is usually the most expensive cut of meat in a steakhouse.

I had the pleasure of trying out two products from Kobe Classic Beef, a Canadian company based in Alberta that sells and deliver beef right to your home. The cattle are all raised with clean air, water, as well as undergo an extensive feeding program specially designed to resemble Japanese style feeding with no hormones or steroids utilized. Their beef are also dry aged between 14-21 days before packaging.

This is a 10 oz beef steak and is a smaller portion than what you would get if you order from their website.

Kobe Classic Beef should be cooked as naturally as possible. Just salt and pepper is fine because you really want to bring out its natural flavours. Whatever you do, DON'T OVERCOOK! I almost made the mistake of overcooking it.. :(

The cut of meat was extremely tender without any marination or tenderizing agent and literally melted in my mouth. Even with my poor, inexperienced cooking, the steak was tender, bursting with flavour, and ever so juicy. I bet if I acquired the skills to cook it properly next time, the steak would taste THAT much better.

These are Kobe Classic Home Style 6 oz Burger Patties that you can also purchase from their site.

Again, I used no flavouring for the beef except salt and pepper because the natural taste of Kobe Classic Beef should stand alone. I cooked the patty about medium well done which was PERFECT as it wasn't dry at all. I spiced up my burger with some butter lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado slices on a multigrain bun.

Both the steak and burger tasted amazing and is definitely a worthwhile purchase if you enjoy premium beef. As well, it doesn't hurt that they deliver to you right? One click of a button and Kobe Classic Beef is at your door the next day.

To see what other products Kobe Classic Beef has, check out their website or follow them on twitter at @KobeClassicBeef

Until next time, Happy Eating!


courtesy of http://www.ipbrief.net/2012/05/26/kobe-beef-are-you-getting-what-you-pay-for/

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Chewies Steam & Oyster Bar- So Dark. I Can't See.

These pictures were actually from a long while ago but I never wanted to use them for a blog post because they were so freakin' dark! I finally decided to lighten these babies up but they still aren't very good so please excuse the low quality pictures.

I remember the food tasting pretty darn good but the atmosphere was just totally wrong for me. I don't enjoy eating in the dark with nothing to illuminate my meal except for a small candle. If there is a hair in my food, I want to be able to see it. As well, my friend Misu and I thought we were in a club because of the loud pumping music and we almost lost our voices trying to carry a conversation by shouting. Kirby no likey. But anyways, now onto the food.

 

Chewies is located in Kits and is on West 1st Avenue. When Misu and I arrived, we had to wait about 30 minutes to get inside.

We shared the Pan Fried Oysters as our appy and they were panko bread crusted Fanny Bay oysters with in house tartar sauce. Very delicious.

Their most popular and talked about dish is the Southern Fried Chicken. It is a two day marinated buttermilk Rossdown Farms fried chicken with cajun honey butter drizzle, all on top of mash & beans. The chicken tasted exactly what I expected, extremely crispy and sticky on the outside and tender morsels of chicken meat on the inside.

We wanted to try something a little bit different so we ordered the Coconut & Jalapeno Mussels with spicy pepper broth, oyster mushrooms, and basil. It had a nice kick every so often and just once or twice it punched me in the face with a huge piece of jalapeno. I liked it.

The Cayenne Chocolate Cake was something I desperately wanted to try because I always love unique chocolate combinations. The cayenne was not overpowering so you don't have to worry about that.

Based on these reasons:

• this is not the place to bring a romantic date because it is impossible to speak to each other without yelling
• very dim lighting =.=
• unique food combinations and cool menu items
• delicious food

Service Rating: 2.5/5

Food Rating: 3.5/5

Price: $$$$

Overall Rating; 3/5

Happy Eating!

courtesy of http://www.e-forwards.com/2011/12/oyster-jokes-and-one-liners/

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Top 5 Cheap Eats Under $5

Do you ever get those days where you feel like eating out (or more like don't have anything in the house to eat) but don't feel like spending ANY money at all? Well, I can't help you with that. But what I can do is to make it a little easier for you to fill your belly without digging too deep into your wallet.

So here you go. Here are my Top 5 picks for Cheap Eats under 5 dollars. A blog post is linked to each one.

5. Warehouse- Everything On Their Menu is $4.95

If your wallet is drained from all the fine dining restaurants you've been hitting, take a break and go to Warehouse instead. Everything on their menu is less than five bucks but you get what you pay for here so don't go expect amazing dishes.

4. Bubble World - Deep Fried Chicken Knee ($4.95) or Meat and Marinated Tofu Sauce with Noodle ($4.95)

I've eaten a casual dinner at Bubble World many times and it has never failed me. Granted, its not the best Taiwanese food out there, but the meals are pretty decent and the prices keep me coming back.

3. Paul's Kitchen - Any Breakfast Item On Their Menu is Under $5.00

Need a quick inexpensive breakfast on the go? Grab something at Paul's Kitchen for around two to three bucks! It's located underneath Superstore (Richmond) and appears quite sketchy but the food is actually not bad.

2. Five Guys- Little Hamburger ($4.99)

For under five bucks, you can get a little hamburger which can easily fill you up as a snack or small lunch. There is one location in Vancouver but I personally enjoy the Bellingham one better.

1. Bubble Waffle Cafe in Aberdeen- Fish Noodle Combo ($4.95)

Out of all five options, I believe this noodle soup combo will give you the best bang for your buck. Trust me, having a bowl of these noodles will fill you up til' no tomorrow.

Happy Cheap Eating!

courtesy of http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/27174469.jpg

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The Buffet (River Rock)- There's Nothing Like Vegas

I've been to The Buffet on a few occasions and I believe the only reason I ever went was because this was considered the 'best' buffet in Vancouver. With that said, there are pretty much only two major buffets in Vancouver... Uncle Willy's in Burnaby, and The Buffet @ River Rock in Richmond.

They have a pretty average to low rating on Urbanspoon and I don't remember being wowed by this buffet either in the past so I wanted to check it out to see if there were any improvements.

The buffet is located on the second floor of the River Rock Casino. 

Their Salad Bar was pretty limited and didn't have the usual toppings like corn, tomatoes, chopped boiled eggs...etc. However, they did have a few cool items like artichoke and cajun corn salad.

This was their Curry Fish that I didn't actually try because it didn't look appealing to me. 

I had a slice of their Mushroom Pizza and it was alright. I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy eating Delissio pizza.

They had Steamed BBQ Pork Buns and Sticky Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaf that I neglected to try because I didn't want to waste tummy space on traditional dim sum food I know I could get elsewhere. Nonetheless, they actually looked really good.

Meta Knight and I had an early dinner so the Sugar Free Panna Cotta was untouched! What a beauty!

The Lemon Meringue Tart was probably one of my favourite items in the buffet. The crust was flaky and the lemon custard had just enough sweetness. Yummmmm.

Since I'll be going to Vegas soon (and I know I will go to a lot of buffets heh heh), I've made a promise to myself that I would always start off any buffet with a salad and soup so this is what I got. A Caesar salad with Artichoke and Cajun Corn Salad. I also love soup so needless to say, I got two: Italian Wedding and Wonton Soup. 

Some Lamb and Parsnip Stew, Green Beans, Carrots, and Tender Lamb Shank.

I greatly enjoyed the Macaroni and Cheese and Chicken Strip w/ Honey Mustard although I don't think it is very hard to make good mac n' cheese and fried chicken.

Since it was "Italian Night" when we went, they had a made-to-order pasta station. Meta Knight and I shared a Pesto Alfredo Spaghetti with Chorizo, Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, Clams, Garlic, and Baby Shrimp.

All in all, I think you can guess what I am about to say. I feel harsh for saying this but the Buffet at River Rock is average at best and is probably okay if you are really craving for buffet food in Vancouver. But if you can hold off till you find a cheap flight to Vegas (like I did!), then wait till then because there is NOTHING like Vegas buffets or casino restaurants. The variety and quality of food Vegas buffets offer are unparalleled to what we have in Vancouver.

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

Overall Rating: 2.5/5

Happy Eating!


courtesy of http://vegasbuzz.com/blog/dining-in-las-vegas/buffets

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Diva at the Met- Little Portions. Big Flavours.

This year, Meta Knight surprised me with a beautiful Valentine's Day dinner at Diva at the Met. Remember my 'Dine Out Pick of 2013' post? Diva at the Met was one of my picks and he knew I still haven't tried it yet even though I've wanted to for a long time.

The set Valentine's Day menu was split up into two. A 'Divo' menu for the gents and a 'Diva' menu for the ladies. What a cute idea!! 

We got seated in at 6:30pm which was great because we beat the dinner rush and was able to find parking pretty easily. Plus, it's always nice to have more time to walk, take in each others company, and digest after dinner.

LOVED the open kitchen idea. Felt like I was watching The Food Network (my favourite channel... obviously) during my entire meal.

First came the bread. But by no means were they 'normal' bread. This sampling platter consisted of warm rye, walnut, ciabatta, flat bread and butter with a crumbled brown butter topping. All delicious. All left us feeling warm and satisfied.

I'll be writing the his Divo menu first. His first course was the Foie Gras and Chicken Liver Parfait with pickled winter vegetables. We were really looking forward to it but the foie gras turned out to have a funny taste to it. As well, we would have liked the crisps to be thicker, so as to hold the foie gras better.

The Veal Cheek Pastrami had popcorn sweet breads, celeriac, and porcini foam. His popcorn sweet bread was amazing and tasted like popcorn, and bread at the same time! 

This was what Meta Knight was waiting for.. the Roasted Beef Tenderloin with truffle puree, bone marrow, smoked lentils, and natural jus. I wish I had this as my main because the beef was amazingly succulent. As well, I do like myself some bone marrow so this dish had all the right components for a winning entree.

Again, his Chocolate Praline Bar with caramelized milk semifreddo and hazelnut crumble left me wanting to order one for myself.

What you don't see is a thin crispy biscuit layer nestled underneath the chocolate ganache. When you bite into it, it will catch you by surprise and make you fall in love with this dessert. If this is on their regular menu, get this. You will not be disappointed. 

Now onto the Diva menu. My appetizer consisted of an Olive Oil Poached Lobster Salad with oyster, egg, shallot, trout roe, and hearts of palm. The large chunks of lobster tasted like half sashimi with its barely cooked interior and exceptionally fresh taste.

Underneath the mushroom emulsion laid the Truffled Sole with fingerling potato, melted leeks, and crispy rice cracker dyed with squid ink (hence the black colour).

I normally would never ever choose a dish with rabbit because all I think about are their cute furry coats and 'Thumper' from Bambi. However, this was on my menu and the foodie in me also did not have the courage to pass up trying something exciting in the culinary world. This was called Saddle of Rabbit and the rabbit (the circular and rectangle pieces) were indeed delicious. A little tougher than normal meat but it had great flavour. Trust me when I say both Meta Knight and I were both sad and happy while trying the rabbit.

My dessert is based on a breakfast meal. How? It is called Butter Toast Ice Cream with skim milk crisp, earl grey tea cake, and homemade black currant jam. The ice-cream delightedly tasted similar to butter on toast but without losing the essence of what it is, ice-cream. It was still sweet and barely savoury so my taste buds did not mistake this for anything other than dessert. I loved the concept of this dish but Meta Knight's Chocolate Praline Bar still took the cake.

All in all, our meal at Diva at the Met was exceptional and we were able to try things we never would have normally been able to (*cries* poor rabbit!). You get what you pay for here and this is a meal I would remember for a long time.

Service Rating: 4.5/5
Food Rating: 4.5/5
Price: $$$$$$$$ ($70+)

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Happy Eating!


courtesy of http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Thumper_(Bambi)

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