Yolk's (Broadway) - One Hour Wait But SO WORTH

The second location of the famous Yolk's Restaurant opened up on November 17th on Broadway and Cambie. It's a 30 second walk from the Broadway City-Hall skytrain station (Canada Line) and the lineup can be upwards to an hour if you go during their peak times.

My girlfriends Fonzor, Rae, Sis, and I came here at about 11am on a Sunday and the place was completely PACKED. We were told our wait would be an hour long but we could leave our name/phone number and when the table was ready, we'd get a text. I loved that system because we were able to go warm up and chat at Starbucks without waiting outside in the cold!

Rae and I shared the Greens and Coconut ($7) which had kale, spinach, banana, yogurt, coconut flakes, coconut water, and fresh pressed apple juice. Even though it was pricey, this was worth every penny. The smoothie had just a hint of sweetness from the fresh apple juice, and all the other ingredients blended together so well. The coconut flakes were a really nice touch. I will definitely try to recreate this at home! 

With some people swearing that Yolk's serves the 'best Chicken and Waffles ($13.50) they've ever had', I came in with some really high expectations. Even with that though, I was still blown away when I took my first bite. My friends and I were having foodgasms at this point and we just could not get over how AMAZING THIS WAS. The chicken was incredibly moist, the sweet waffles were fluffy, and the gravy was beyond good (though I wish I had more of it). The hype is not fake, this is the real deal.

If you come here, you gotta try their poached eggs. It's called Yolk's for goodness sake! Sis and Fonzor got the Portobello Mushroom Poached Eggs on Truffle Lemon Hashbrowns ($12.75). 

Rae and I on the other hand got the Doubled Smoked Bacon Poached Eggs with Truffle Lemon Hashbrowns ($12.75) with hollandaise sauce on the side. The eggs were poached to PERFECTION and jiggled when we moved the plates. The egg was cooked enough to hold it's own but soft enough that when you puncture it with your knife, the yolk just flows out like golden lava. It's pure food porn.

Oh GAWD. Look at that yolk...

Even though the eggs were absolutely fantastic, the star of the show was really the Truffle Lemon Hashbrowns. Who knew potatoes could taste this amazing?! The scent of truffle oil perfumes the entire restaurant so we knew they were generous. You could taste it in the potatoes. Furthermore, the accent of lemon just heightens the flavours to a whole nother level.

All in all, Yolk's met and exceeded all expectations my friends and I had. With all of us being new to this restaurant and having heard SO MUCH about it on Instagram, it's a big feat. We couldn't find one thing we didn't like about our experience. Gah! Now I can't wait to bring Meta Knight here!

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

Overall Rating: 5/5

Happy Eating!


                                          #muchworth

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Glowbal by Glowbal Group (Telus Garden) - Flagship Restaurant Just Ok

Glowbal recently relocated their Yaletown location to the Telus Garden on West Georgia and it is apparently their big, bold, new flagship restaurant. From the outside, the restaurant looks impressive. From big human sized bird cage booths to large steaks drying behind a glass wall, you'll feel like a baller just dining there.

Meta Knight and I came during their Happy Hour (50% off - 2:30pm-5:30pm everyday) and ordered their Truffle and Rosemary Fries ($7). It satisfied our truffle craving but were definitely not the best truffle fries we've had.

Kusshi Oysters ($3.70/ea) are our favourite so we got four of them to share. Although they're small, Kusshi oysters deliver a sharp bold taste that is hard to beat.

This sounded good on the menu but unfortunately was the worst dish of the meal. This Whole Roasted Acorn Squash ($10) had maple brown butter, kale, and hazelnuts. Sounds like a winning combination right?? The 'maple butter' tasted like pure maple syrup and the entire dish was drowned in it. It was so sweet we could barely eat 1/4 of it.

Even though we normally go with the truffle spaghetti and meatballs, we decided to be adventurous and get the Short Rib Pappardelle ($24). It was a good choice, and we both really liked the thick flat pasta. It soaked up the sauce real good so we would definitely get it again.

Overall, Glowbal didn't impress us with the food so I would only recommend going there for their Happy Hour.

Service Rating: 3.5/5
Food Rating: 3/5
Price; $$-$$$

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!


                Sweet like that acorn squash dish >.<

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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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Eggs 'n Things - Loco Moco and the Healthy Acai Bowl

As an avid egg lover, Meta Knight and I both knew we had to try the local Eggs 'n Things at least once while in Waikiki. This little local brunch spot is never seen without line ups which made us excited for what could be inside.

I did a little research prior to going and found out their specialties were in waffles, pancakes, and egg dishes (obvs). Their pancakes are elaborately decorated with a mountain of whipped cream, which looks really impressive, but will probably give you diabetes if you eat the whole thing.

Their menu is EXTENSIVE. Everything is in tourist pricing so while I wouldn't call it a 'tourist TRAP', expect to drop $10-15 USD per person.

At Eggs 'n Things you actually pay and order first before you sit down. Its different but I guess they have it this way to prevent dining and dashing?

Meta Knight and I shared the Hawaiian Loco Moco ($12.25) and Hawaiian Acai Bowl ($7.45).

The Acai Bowl was smaller than I thought but was quite packed with fresh pineapples, strawberries, blueberries, and bananas. With Hawaii being so hot (it was nearly 30 degrees when we were there), the bowl was really refreshing!

Hawaii is known for their 'loco moco' so we just had to try it when we saw it on the menu! The Hawaiian Loco Moco consisted of white rice, mushrooms, bacon, onions, gravy, and two sunny side up eggs. While we both thought it was only okay, this is like the best hangover food because it's got grease, eggs, and gravy. The rice soaked up the salty gravy real good and the egg yolk porn also rounded the dish out.

Service Rating: 3/5

Food Rating: 3/5

Price: $$

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!

                                      Loco Moco!!

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Sugarholic Cafe - Surprisingly Delicious!

Sugarholic Cafe is located inside Aberdeen Mall on the ground floor. It's been open for quite some time now and is a restaurant you can't ignore. Why? It shines of fluorescent white with long sheer drapes, chandeliers, and plump couches. On numerous times, I've seen people peer in, curious as to what the heck this restaurant/cafe is all about.

Going in, my expectations were very low. I mean, it's pretty hard not to when every single business before this lasted only a year or two at most.

I've got to say, I love their visual bright menus. Pictures speak louder than words so I naturally gravitate towards menus with big large pictures. :P

They actually have a pretty good "Lunch Special" menu for weekdays only between 12:30-2:30 (something like that). For $12.50, you get a choice of an entree and a drink. Of course, there are limitations to what you can choose for both entree and drink.

Their honey toast tower looks freakin' amazing... and sinful...and ridiculous.

They also offer various levels of high tea.

My mom got the Creamy Masago Pasta with Crab Meat ($9.95). It comes spicy but you can order it without any spiciness. The flavours were prominent and definitely on the heavy side. My mom found it almost too salty, but she likes her flavours on the bland side. I thought it was a good version of the classic Japanese fusion masago spaghetti.

Cheese Omelette Beef Fried Rice with Black Pepper Sauce ($10.95) was my choice and it was hella peppery!! Just the way I like it!

I liked the rice and frozen veggies throughout. The omelette was thin and acted as a good barrier between the rice and black pepper sauce.

In the end, Sugarholic Cafe surpassed my expectations and I found their items quite delicious and affordable. The atmosphere is much nicer than a typical Hong Kong style cafe so I will definitely be back to try their lunch menu on a weekday.

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

Overall Rating: 4/5

Happy Eating!


                                         I am SAO fancy

 

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Blue Bottle Coffee and Bowl'd Acai (San Francisco) - Ah-sigh-EE Bowls and New Orleans Iced Coffee

It's hard to get your veggies in while on vacation, which was why Rae and I were so happy to stumble upon a vegan, gluten free smoothie food truck while in SOMA.

 They serve acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) bowls, smoothies, juices, and power up 'shots'.

By the way, I absolutely love how they serve gluten free granola. As a person with a recent wheat allergy, it's good knowing there are still healthy eat out options for me even though I can't eat flour/wheat.

Rae and I split a These Nuts Acai Bowl (reg $9.60 US) composed of a smoothie on the bottom that is blended with acai, strawberry, banana, and almond milk. The toppings include one planet gluten free granola, banana, hemp seed, bee pollen, honey, sliced almond, and peanut butter.

Oh my god it was sooooo good! It was totally a refreshing and healthy way to start our day. It was so delicious, we tried experimenting with our own version of acai bowls at home after our vacay.

Next to the Bowl'd Acai food truck was a Blue Bottle Coffee stand. The area was quite industrial and just a little side street but there was already a lineup forming in front of the stand. Most people got the New Orleans Iced Coffee ($4 US) which was what we got too. The coffee was drip so it took a little while, but it was definitely worth the wait. It was so smooth, so creamy. I want one now just thinking about it.

Blue Bottle Coffee also serves freshly made waffles. Rae and I got one to share and thought it was only okay. The batter was too cake-like and dense for the morning. Also it was a little greasy so it didn't stay well in our stomachs.

Blue Bottle Coffee: 
Food Rating: 4/5
Price: $
Overall Rating: 4/5

Bowl'd Acai:
Food Rating: 4.5/5
Price: $-$$
Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Happy Eating!

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The Fish Shack - Happy Hour Time!

The Fish Shack on Granville street is part of the oh so famous Glowbal Group restaurants. It's a more casual take on seafood if you don't feel fancy enough for COAST. 

Meta Knight and I came on a weekend around 2:45pm not knowing we were 15 minutes away from the Happy Hour Special where select items are 50% off. Luckily the waitress told us and we were able to save some monies. :)

Kusshi oysters are always around the 3 dollar range and they NEVER go on promo, so Meta Knight and I flipped out when we saw that it was part of the Happy Hour menu!

In total, we ended up getting 1.5 dozen of Kusshi oysters. They were soooo good! The oceany salt brine flavour is so much deeper than regular bay oysters. You've gotta try them.

The Rock Crab Jalapeno Poppers were filled with 90% cream cheese and we barely tasted any crab. I definitely would not get this again.

I actually had high hopes for the Creole Fish Tacos but they unfortunately let me down as well. The liquid from the fish all came out and made the tacos soggy. When we tried to pick it up, the entire taco fell through and made a big mess. :( The fish itself was alright and nicely seasoned.

For 6 dollars during Happy Hour, this is of really great value. I just hope they tweak the recipe a bit or let the fish rest longer before putting it on the taco shell.

We quite enjoyed the Popcorn Shrimp! They were nicely battered and the shrimp was plump. The crispy shrimp from The Keg is still better though.

Last but not least were the Deep Fried Brussel Sprouts. They were tossed in lemon juice, parmesan, and some spices. Even though it's deep fried and obviously not healthy, it was still good and a veggies dish is always better than no veggie dish. :)

Service Rating: 5/5

Food Rating: 2.5/5

Price: $$$-$$$$

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!

              I loveeee Seafood - who's with me?!

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