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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The Belgard Kitchen - Grilled Cheese and Tomato Fondue is Da Bomb!

This little hidden gem called The Belgard Kitchen is located in the DTES area inside the Settlement Building. My friends Queen B and Hipster heard this place serves up wine flights so they really wanted to give it a try. I just tagged along for the ride. :P 

It's unassuming on the outside so I would definitely recommend using Google Maps to guide you here.

Once you step inside, the environment transports you to a different world. Full of rustic wooden and metal steel decor, it's half brewery and half pub/restaurant. When I say half brewery, I literally mean they brew the beer next to where you eat and you can see the 'factory'. Super cool.  

 They had a pretty good selection of beer for the Beer Flights ($8.00). I honestly don't remember the exact names, but all of them were premium craft beer.

I went with the White and Pink Wine Flight ($12) and I absolutely loved it. I am in no way a wine connoisseur so it was really interesting to taste all the different flavours and tones of the white and pink wines. All were delicious and if it weren't a little pricey, I would've gotten another one. :P

They don't give you that much wine in each flight so I would recommend trying the flight, finding the one you love, and getting a glass of that.

 The Shrimp Spaghetti Nero ($16) while super delicious and was everything I love about squid ink pasta, the portion was a bit small and lacked depth of flavour. For 16 dollars I feel like the portion could definitely have been doubled but that's just my gluttony talking. :P

Now this ladies and gentlemen, should be the reason you visit The Belgard Kitchen. They elevated the comforting homey grilled cheese and tomato soup to a dish called Tomato Soup Fondue with Grilled Cheese Toasties ($13). The cheese could not be gooeier and more delicious when paired with the concentrated tomato fondue. So good....just...so good.

The Red Wine Flight ($12). I didn't try this so I can't speak to how the red wine was. 

Flank Steak with Chimichurri ($15). Very delicious but similar to the other dishes, I wish there was more of it.

Even though the Belgard Kitchen offers a lot of unique offerings I have yet to find in other Vancouver restaurants like wine flights and tomato soup fondue, I found the price/portion ratio to be a bit off for me. We all spent around 45 dollars and when I got home I was already hungry again!

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

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!


                      I'm always hungry >.<

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720 Sweets - Eating Ice Cream in Style

If you are at all active on Instagram or follow any food blogger accounts (like mine!), you must have come across at least one photo of 720 Sweets.

720 Sweets is a new little ice-cream shop that's one half hipster and one half nerd. It combines the science of dry ice and uses it to enhance the typical ice-cream experience.

They support a local baker by selling his or her homemade marshmallows. They not only sell them in packages for people to bring home, they also use these homemade marshmallows in their ice-cream creations.

Their menu is quite simple. They have 5 different varieties. 

• The Classic - crushed graham crackers, condensed milk, and a freshly baked butter cookie
• Honey720 - Rich honey drizzle and golden honeycomb
• S'Mores Please - chocolate corn flakes, dark chocolate drizzle, crunchy almond stick and a toasted marshmallow
• The Milky Way - crushed walnuts, light caramel drizzle, espresso grass jelly, and a crunchy almond cookie
• Cloud Nine - almond stick, cotton candy popcorn, and a fluffy cotton candy

Queen B and I decided to share The Milk Way ($5.95). Besides the super cool effect of the dry ice flowing from the cup, there is nothing crazy outstanding about the ice-cream. The milk tea flavour was definitely on point and I would say it's one of the better soft serves I've had. However, it wasn't enticing enough for me to make the drive to Kits again just to get it. We both did notice that the dry ice kept the ice-cream cold throughout so YAY for not having any melty parts!

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

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!

                              dry ice made us go

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Bistro Verde (Nordstrom) - Salads, Salads, Salads!

Since Nordstrom's opening a few weeks ago, their in-house restaurant, Bistro Verde has been packed with one to two hour waits during lunch hours (unless you make a reservation).  It may seem like a long time to wait, but if you have the entire Nordstrom to roam around, it's not actually that bad. :P

Bistro Verde is perched on the third floor of the giant fashion retailer and has a very rustic, wooden yet modern and contemporary design.

Their menu selection includes sandwiches, pastas, tapas, fish, and tons of delicious salad choices. You don't see too many restaurants with a huge selection of entree salads so it was awesome to see some really delicious looking options here. One thing I did notice was that every dish on the menu also came with calorie details. I personally love the knowledge, but I feel like a lot of people might not want to know how many calories are in their chocolate cake. :P

The interior is very spacious and open due to the floor to ceiling windows.

I can't remember what this soup was called but it was the Soup Du Jour (Soup of the Day). It looked like a tomato based minestrone.

The appy that really blew me away was the Ahi Tuna Poke ($14.95/ 280 cal)! It's definitely on the pricier side, but it's well worth it. The tuna was well marinated and exploded with the undeniable umami flavour.

Though I didn't expect much from the Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos ($10.95/ 620 cal) - I mean - when have you ever been BLOWN AWAY by tacos? I still found it really really tasty.

I don't know why but the Sauteed Chicken and Angel Hair Pasta ($19.95/ 960 cal) called my name. It consists of baby spinach, oyster mushrooms, super tender chicken breast, and roasted garlic tomato sauce with rosemary beurre blanc. The pasta was on the soft side but I didn't mind too much. My favourite part was the ridiculously tender chicken breast. Honestly if I could make it that well at home, I'd never have to eat out again.

Now this was a showstopper. Meta Knight ordered this and I couldn't stop eyeing it the entire time. And I mean.. the ENTIRE TIME. This Ginger Crusted Ahi Tuna Salad ($19.95/ 490 cal) with its blistered green beans, red pepper, seasoned wontons, candied ginger, soy glaze. and spicy thai basil vinaigrette is definitely a must get salad here at Bistro Verde.

Continuing on the salad trend, here is the Cilantro Lime Shrimp Salad ($19.25/ 570 cal) with wild shrimp, petite tomatoes, grilled corn, pepitas, jack cheese, tortilla crisps, and cilantro lime vinaigrette.

You can see there is a trend of entree salads here. :P I didn't get to try this Herb Roasted Salmon Nicoise ($19.95/ 800 cal) but I will absolutely get this next time. I had a little taste of the 'smashed potato' and it was friggin delicious.

Last but not least is the Roasted Chicken and Avocado Salad ($16.25/ 1040 cal). It has rustic croutons, petite tomatoes, pickled french beans, radish, and roasted tomato dressing.

All in all, Bistro Verde is a solid choice for lunch and exceeded all my expectations. I went one week in and the place was bustling with hip Vancouverites, cocktails being served at noon, and automated blinds coming down the windows when it detects direct sunlight. This IS the place to feel like a million bucks so if I want to treat myself in the future, I'll buy myself something small at Nordstrom and complete it with some dranks and tapas at Bistro Verde.

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

Overall Rating: 4/5

Happy Eating!


                        growing up to me means

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Taste of Aberdeen - Media Tasting Event at Aberdeen Food Court

I'm so happy to be writing this post because I was recently invited to a ChineseBites media event at one of my favourite places to eat! The Aberdeen food court! It may seem strange to most people but in my opinion, Aberdeen food court serves up some of the most delicious and authentic Asian fusion cuisine you can get in the lower mainland.

The event was great and brought together roughly 60 foodies and tons of delicious noms (and I mean.. TONS) and great conversation. I brought Meta Knight with me as my +1 and he had a great time meeting other bloggers and eating ALL DA FOOD.

Out of the 22 food items and 6 drinks between the six of us (I KNOW!! Crazy!), I've compiled my Top 5 favourite items so it's easier to read and decipher between the good, the meh, and the excellent. :)

1) The Drunken Chicken Hot Pot from the Tofu Hotpot stall was honestly my favorite dish of the night. If you know the 'drunken chicken' appetizer from Shanghainese restaurants, it's kind of like that, except in hot pot form with lots of wood ear mushroom, napa cabbage, crystal Korean noodles, and scrumptious broth. I've never tasted something like this before so it was truly a feast for the palate!

2) Before Pepper Lunch, there was Teppan Kitchen with it's sizzling hot plates! This is the 'A' Grade Ribeye Teppan with Corn and Egg and it has always been one of my favourite items to get at this food court. :) Feel free to check out my previous post here.

 Once everything is all mixed and the sizzling pan crisps up the bottom of the rice, it's time to DIG IN!

3) Bubble Waffle and Curry Fish Balls from the Bubble Waffle Stall make a really great snack. The fish balls give a slight spicy kick without making you reach for the milk. Here is my previous post on this place.

A good sign of a perfectly done bubble waffle is a crisp exterior and a light buoyant eggy interior. This one checks all the boxes and is my favourite bubble waffle in Richmond. :)

4)  Wu Fung Dessert's Deep Fried Chicken Wings are also a must get item when you visit the Aberdeen food court! This was a 50/50 dish between the chicken wings and fried squid tentacles and both were super solid. Here is my previous post on Wu Fung!

5) Saboten is one of the largest tonkatsu (Japanese style deep fried pork) chains in Japan. The first one in North America is right here in Aberdeen and this place is legit. This Saboten Set consists of deep fried shrimp tempura, tenderloin, and loin. My favourite part of their tonkatsu is the ground up black sesame powder. To see my previous post on Saboten, click here.

Honorable Mentions:

Sakura Roll from Aji Hana

(left to right): House Special from 8 Juice (really delicious and fruity btw), Iced Lemon Ribena from Bubble Waffle, Iced Honey Matcha Tea from Teppan Kitchen

(left to right): Iced Genmaicha from Saboten, Matcha Soy Bean Milk from Strike, Milk Tea from Estea Express

Pan Fried Chinese Chives with Pork Dumplings from Chef of Dumplings. This was actually very delicious as well. Didn't make it in the top 5 but was super close.

For those that like the authentic Szechuan taste, you have to try the Hot Sour Noodles from Szechuan House. This was Sherman's favourite and even though it numbed my tongue, it didn't for him and he loved it.

I love my wontons so these Prawn Wontons from Lung Kee were great. Also just barely missed top 5.

Skip the Clubhouse Sandwich from Strike.

Soy Sauce Chicken and Long Gong Chicken from Leung Kee. Both types were actually super flavorful.

Chicken Bulgogi and Pork Belly from Kitchen Korea.

Baked Pork Chop on Rice from Mambo Cafe.

Taiwanese style Popcorn Chicken from Yougo Chicken.

Sticky Rice from Leung Kee.

Tuna and Corn Egg Roll from Strike.

For some odd reason, I actually ended up really enjoying this dish. It is clearly maid with canned ingredients like the corn and tuna. However, mixed with mayo, egg, and LOTS of black pepper, this actually ended up being addicting!

Hainanese Chicken from Cafe D'Lite Express.

Banana Chocolate Crepe (sample size) from Cafe Mazazu

Mini Cream Puffs and Chesecake Sticks from Beard Papa's. Always solid no matter which location.

A Dream in Eden Shaved Ice from Frappe Bliss.

Matcha Delight from Frappe Bliss.

Happy Eating!


                the food kept on coming so we ate like...

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