Hawksworth - Fancy Schmancy Brunch

If you are a regular follower of my blog, you know I'm pretty frugal when it comes to food. Quick, comfy, affordable restaurants are my go to's and expensive posh restos are usually reserved for my friend or family's birthdays. Nevertheless, I always dream of going to these restaurants and pretend I'm baller enough to make it rain. :P

On my birthday, my coworkers surprised me with a huge gift card for Hawksworth located inside the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. My team truly knows the key to my heart <3.

Meta Knight was the lucky chosen one to accompany me to this exciting award winning restaurant (2012 and 2013 Restaurant of the Year from Vancouver Magazine). Hawksworth emphasizes on contemporary Canadian cuisine with a focus on using local quality ingredients. With every bite of this Spaghetti De Nero ($26), I could taste the freshness of the sea, earthiness of the microgreens, and rawness of the house-made squid ink spaghetti.

Meta Knight opted for the Steak and Eggs ($27) which was accompanied by half an avocado, perfectly crispy rosti, beautiful mini salad, and jalapeno salsa verde.

Everything was on point and it was one of those meals where no one has to say a word but you both know you're experiencing something special. If I had to choose again I would get his steak and eggs over my spaghetti just because there was more variety on the plate and the portion was more substantial. Our lunch came up to $70 (cray!) for the both of us and luckily I still have quite a bit of money left over in the gift card to enjoy a nice dinner.

Hawksworth definitely lives up to it's name, location, and awards. Meta Knight and I were even smiling from ear to ear coming out of the restaurant, both lingering at the thoughts of our delicious food, while already planning our next trip back for dinner service!

Service Rating: 5/5
Food Rating: 5/5
Price: $$$$$+

Overall Rating: 5/5

Happy Eating!


                  the meal was... so good..

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Starbucks - La Boulange Flourless Chocolate Cookie

Ever since Starbucks introduced their new cafe and bakery line called La Boulange, I've been dying to try out their pastries. I wanted to know whether they were really better than their previous pastry offerings.

I tried their Chocolate Croissant and it was pretty much the same. It didn't blow me away but it was solid.

Their Gluten Free Flourless Chocolate Cookie is a completely new product exclusive to the La Boulange line. It's even wrapped and sealed to avoid wheat contamination inside the display cases.

Since I am wheat intolerant, I decided to give it a try. It's not cheap. One bag has two cookies and it was $3.95. The cookie is primarily made with egg whites so it tasted quite like a meringue.

Despite it being a tad crunchy on the sides, the center was quite moist and fudgy! I don't usually see a lot of gluten free cookie options around the mall (ex. Timmy Ho's, McDonald's, Cupcakes, Mrs.Fields ...etc) so I will definitely repurchase whenever I want a sweet treat.

Service Rating: N/A
Food Rating: 3/5
Price: $

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!

     
when I see something I can't eat because it has wheat :(

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The Red Wagon - Jack Daniel's Maple Syrup...Enough Said.

I feel like I am probably the last food blogger in Vancouver to try the ever-so-famous "Pulled Pork Pancakes with JD Maple Syrup" from Red Wagon after having seen it on Triple D's (I'll tell you what it is later).

It sounds like a crazy and odd combination, but people have been raving about these heart attack inducing pancakes for a long time now so the claim has to be somewhat true.

Meta Knight and I got to The Red Wagon Cafe at 1:30pm hoping to catch the end of the lunch rush. Little did we know, the line up NEVER stops.

I liked how there was a red wagon drawing on the side of the restaurant. Very cute.

So, Triple D's stands for "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" which is a TV show on the Food Network that features Guy Fieri and his food adventure across North America to find the coolest diners and restaurants around. He did a segment on the Red Wagon and his logo/imprint is now sprayed on the wall for all to witness.

You can check out the Red Wagon clip on Triple D's here. After watching how they make their pork belly, I don't think I will ever attempt to consume it.

This was the Avocado, Tomato and Goat Cheese Benny ($10.25) and to be honest, this was not what we expected. I expected large thick slices of tomato and avocado on top of the english muffin instead of mashed avocado and tomato paste so that threw me off a bit. As well, we both thought the strong tomato paste overpowered the entire dish.

This is the dish we both have been waiting for... the Pulled Pork Pancakes with JD Maple Syrup ($13).

These pancakes were honestly the bomb. The minute we got this we could instantly smell the JD but the taste was strong without being overbearing. The ultra thick and fluffy pancakes were perfect syrup soakers because by the end of it, all of the maple goodness was infused into the pancakes.

The meal was not cheap because it did come up to $14 per person. But it is not any more expensive than a brunch at White Spot or Boston Pizza. The bill comes with two little candies.

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

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!


courtesy of http://www.ebay.com/itm/MAGNET-Humor-Fridge-Funny-Pig-PULLED-PORK-/251109666233

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Jean Philippe (Las Vegas)- A Feast For the Eyes

Ever since I discovered Jean Philippe on my last trip to Vegas, I deeply regretted not trying out any of their ridiculously looking patisseries and desserts. This time, I MADE SURE Meta Knight and I hit this place up before we left for home.

Can you see this guys?? How can you not want to eat it?

Jean Philippe is located inside the Bellagio hotel. The decor is bright, the colours are bright, and it just screams 'Come over here and eat some sugar!'.

Apparently, this is the largest chocolate fountain in the world. It has a combination of all three chocolates: white, milk, and dark. You can even see the Guinness World Records plaque on the side of it for proof!

Their pastries and desserts seem to refill throughout the day so you know you will always be getting something fresh. Check out the rose macaron dessert on the right... what a beauty.

Unfortunately, Meta Knight and I went to a few buffets for dinner so we ended up having dessert at the buffet and never getting the opportunity to try these out.

We, on the other hand, came here for a quick breakfast right before our flight. Since it was 8am in the morning, we only really considered the pastries and hot quiches.

We both ordered the Almond Croissant ($3.75). It came up to $8-ish for the both of us which I found very pricey for two croissants. However.. one must not complain when in Vegas because you obviously know all the prices are inflated. :P

The croissant was quite flaky on the outside with hints of sweetness from the icing sugar and candied almonds.The inside however, was a stark contrast to the light flaky exterior. It was filled with custard so it got very heavy very fast. I had to save half of it for the airplane ride because it was that rich. In my opinion, while these croissants were above average, my favourite croissant is still from L'Opera in Richmond.

For a list of my Vegas eats, check it out here:

Wicked Spoon Buffet - post
Hard Rock Cafe - post
Lobster Me - post
Bellagio Buffet - post
Earl of Sandwich - post

Service Rating: N/A
Food Rating: 3/5
Price: $-$$

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!


courtesy of http://cdn.followpics.com/show/266345765432194489_IJ1vQNVm_c.jpg

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Wicked Spoon Buffet (Las Vegas)- Average Buffet Food. Poor Service.

I feel a little bit sad writing this post because it reminds me of the failed expectations Meta Knight and I had when trying Wicked Spoon Buffet located in the Cosmopolitan hotel. 

However, I don't want to deter any of you away from trying this place out because they are quite unique in that they serve individualized portions in a buffet. It makes for prettier presentation and avoids the awfully dreaded spooning and digging of the 'best piece' of salmon in the tray.

We came during Easter weekend so they jacked up their prices to $45 for dinner service. After taxes, we paid almost $100 for two people so we had some pretty high expectations for this buffet.

Their salads were all pre-made and portioned into little cups which made it easy for people who don't like to make their own salads. I on the other hand enjoy the DYI (do-it-yourself) salads but unfortunately, there wasn't a salad bar in sight. I was instantly disappointed because I have never encountered a buffet without a salad bar...

Some other premade salads including a Kale Salad and an Orzo Salad.

One of the cooler items they had on their service was Bone Marrow. Once again, the bone marrow tasted like meat fat which I absolutely was not fond of so I can't really judge whether it was 'good' or not.

Hehe. They had cute stereotypical Asian takeout boxes in the Oriental section. Very cute idea. I can imagine little kids getting a kick out of these.

Snow Crab Legs with marinara sauce.

None of the desserts looked too appealing except for a few.

One dessert item I really loved was the Chocolate Covered Strawberries!! They had ones dipped in Oreo pieces and ones dipped in toffee bits. Both were delish!

 

(left) In celebration of Easter weekend, they had some cute painted eggs for you to eat. (right) They served Fried Chicken out of mini fryer lookalikes which I thought was incredibly clever and appealing. :D

The Sloppy Joe Sliders as well as the Salmon filet were both alright and nothing too special.

Attempting to start off healthy, I chose a variety of salads and veggies including kale salad, roasted beets, baby tomatoes with bocconcini. The bocconcini cheese was one of the freshest mozzarella cheeses I've had which was surprising considering this was a buffet.

Gnoccini (top) and Braised Beef Cheeks with Polenta (bottom)

Shrimp and Grits!!! (top) and Shepard's Pie (bottom). The shrimp and grits were probably one of the better dishes in the buffet because it had the perfect balance of spicy (from the shrimp) and cool (from the smooth grits).

Duck Confit Ravoli.

I am a big sucker for Asian Egg Drop Soup and while it is extremely easy to make, they did a pretty good job here.

I absolutely would recommend getting (ample amounts of) Korean BBQ ribs. These short ribs were marinated in the traditional bulgolgi sauce and grilled. ABSOLUTELY SCRUMPTIOUS. My biggest regret was finding out these ribs existed when I was 95% full already.

(clockwise starting from the bottom) Snow crab legs, meatloaf stuffed with mozzarella, 'dirty rice', clarified butter for the legs.

Their Chocolate Lava Cake with Raspberry Coulis is a skippable dessert. The beautiful stream of chocolate that was suppose to flow lusciously from the center did not happen.

GET THIS DESSERT. It is called White Chocolate Mousse with Exotic Cream. We both still have no idea what exactly is in this dessert but it was so freaking delicious that we had at least three. The 'exotic cream' (tasted kind of like mango passionfruit puree) was to die for.

While these little tiny chocolate cones looked absolutely beautiful, they tasted like styrofoam. I'm sorry but these were stale and completely inedible.

Mixed Berry with custard in a Chocolate Cup (left) and Chocolate Covered Strawberry w/ Toffee Pieces (right).

So here is the story about the service: We were assigned a server for the evening who was in charge of taking care of our drinks and dishes when we were finished with them. The server not only did not pick up any of our dishes. to the point where we had three dishes stacked on top of each other just lying on our already small table, he did not come to see how we were doing or if we needed anything. We tried flagging him but he refused to look our way, catering only to the other tables in his section. After a good 10 minutes of trying to flag him down, we had enough. Meta Knight had to physically find him, walk up to him and tell him to clean up our table. I thought that was completely unacceptable and it honestly ruined both of our experiences at the buffet from then on.

All in all, Wicked Spoon buffet is decent for lunch or dinner but just don't expect any gourmet fine dining options.


For a list of my Vegas eats, check it out here:

Jean Philippe - post
Hard Rock Cafe - post
Lobster Me - post
Bellagio Buffet - post
Earl of Sandwich - post

Service Rating: 1.5/5

Food Rating: 3/5

Price: $$$$$

Overall Rating: 2.5/5

Happy Eating!

courtesy of http://www.addfunny.com/pictures/funny/21798.html

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