Sushirrito (San Francisco) - Please Bring This to Vancouver!!!

When I was on vacay with Rae in San Fran, there was one place on my list that I could not leave without trying. It's called Sushirrito (combination of sushi and burrito) and it's an original concept from San Fran. I can see this going big in Vancouver...unfortunately, it's not available here in the north so you'll have to travel to San Fran to try out these super cool sushi burritos.

 This one's called Salmon Samba ($10.00 USD) and it has oven baked agave soy salmon, tempura asparagus, namasu cucumber, butter lettuce, avocado, pepitas, wasabi dust, and teri-mayo. The agave soy salmon brought sweet flavours to the roll which was interesting. The crunchy tempura asparagus also brought the crunch factor, so all in all, it was a pretty good roll!

If you are to try Sushirrito and you can only get one roll, get the Geisha's Kiss ($12.00 USD). It's definitely the best tasting sushi roll/ burrito I've ever tasted in my life. It has yellowfin tuna (hand-line caught), tamago, piquillo peppers, yuzu tobiko, lotus chips, namasu cucumber, butter lettuce, avocado, and sesame white soya.

On a hot summer day, this was pure heaven. I was pleasantly surprised by the large chunks of high quality tuna, the crisp of the lotus root chips, and the burst of delicious flavours from the sesame soya and piquillo peppers. When I thoroughly enjoy what I'm eating, I continuously nod my head in delight and won't say a word. This was worthy of that.

In conclusion, GO TO SUSHIRRITO!! SO DELICIOUSSSS!!

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

Overall Rating: 5/5

Happy Eating!

     
      I would be this happy if someone gave me Sushiritto for my birthday XD

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Purebread (Gastown) - Can I Eat Everything?

Purebread started off as a one off location in Whistler but progressively got more and more popular as the years went by. Now, they have a location in Gastown and it's FULL of carbolicious goodies.

I absolutely adore their display case. It's simple, lays out all of their products in an extremely attractive manner, and is honestly just a feast for the eyes.

Blueberry drizzle loaf.... Mmmm..

I was so tempted to get their Chocolate Bottom Banana Bar which is essentially a 50/50 bar of banana bread and brownie. How delicious does that sound?!

I ended up getting a Flat White and an Earl Grey Lavender Scone as a snack. It was nice to sit by the window and eat this while reading my kobo. It was a super relaxing way to spend the weekend.

Surprisingly, the lavender flavour was a lot more prominent than the earl grey. The floral taste really sets this apart from all the other regular scones like 'blueberry' or 'cheddar'. Also, the drizzle on top is a citrus icing which went beautifully with the scone. If you don't know what to get here, get this item!!

Purebread is an awesome little bakery and will satisfy any sweet or savoury tooth when you're in the mood. I will most definitely be going back to buy a whole bunch of items to try back home.

Service Rating: 3/5

Food Rating: 4.5/5

Price: $

Overall Rating: 4/5

Happy Eating! 

                            Habababa... Carbs...

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Maenam (Dine Out Vancouver) - So. Impressed.

Throughout the years I've always passed by Maenam and heard great things about their Thai food. However, for whatever reason, I never made the conscious effort to really give it a try.

This year during Dine Out Vancouver, I finally got to try it and I'm SOOO glad I did.

Their menu is $28 and is truly a tasting menu for people who love variety. It's a little complicated because for every pair, you choose one starter, one salad, one curry, and one stir fry to share. For dessert, each person gets their own. This process made it difficult for our table of 7 to order so the hostess recommended that we just trust the chef to give us a variety of dishes fit for 7 people. We were apprehensive about our decision at first, but it was actually the best decision EVER.

 Green Papaya Salad had a bit of a spicy kick but overall quite refreshing.

This one was probably the least favourite dish of the bunch. The Hot and Sour soup of Halibut and Thai Basil was too sour for our palate but the abundance of mushrooms and fish made up for it.

OH OH OH. I can drink a gallon of this stuff. If you go to Maenam, make sure you get the Creamy Hot and Sour Soup of Chicken Thighs. The creamy, slightly spicy broth is incredibly flavourful and boosts the right amount of coconut, chicken, and mushroom.

The Lemongrass and Thai Basil Mussels were also a hit with the crowd. Plump, fresh, juicy. Yum.

I forgot the name of the drink but it's essentially a Passionfruit Ginger Beer concoction. The left one is alcoholic and the right is non-alcoholic. I really enjoyed the non-alcoholic version way more and definitely recommend it.

Thai Iced Tea with Rum was also surprisingly good. Who can already see a great night with a couple of these eh? ;)

3 Flavour Pork Ribs is a vague name so I don't know exactly what it is. But I think these pork ribs are flash fried, coated in an indulgent sticky coating, and tossed with thai basil, fresh baby corn (I've only ever had the canned ones so this was a treat!), parsley, and deep fried onion.

A few of my friends thought this Aromatic Curry of Braised Duck Leg was the best dish of the night. I don't like it when curries are just 'sauce'. I like it hearty, meaty, and bountiful. This curry was exactly that so it was a big thumbs up for me.

The Southern Style Tumeric Curry of Seafood had black cod, clams, and mussels. Highly recommended.

I also loved the Grilled Tuna Salad with Green Mango. This was so refreshing to eat in between bites of curry and the mint/tuna combo was just fab.

Unlimited rice!

Oh that Caramelized Pork Belly doe. Think of the most indulgent thing you can think of, and times it by two. This will beat that in one bite. It took the sweet and savoury combo to a whole nother level.

This is essentially a Deconstructed Passion Fruit Tart. With some torched meringue on the side, fresh raspberries, passionfruit sorbet, and tart shell crumbles on the bottom, this was an amazing finish to the dinner. Nothing was too sour, too sweet, or too cold. Everything was where it needed to be.

Rice Doughnut with Pandan Custard was freshly fried and delightfully light despite it being a fried item.

Maenam completely surprised and impressed us from beginning to end. From the aromatic curries to the well balanced broths, everything was spot on and I can't wait to come back again. What we thought would be an underwhelming DOV experience ended up being one of the best DOV experiences we've ever had!

Service Rating: 4/5
Food Rating: 4.5/5
Price: $$$

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Happy Eating!


    my reaction when I accidentally eat a hot pepper X.X

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The Oakwood Canadian Bistro (Dine Out 2014) - Sablefish. Roasted Porchetta. Smoked Chowder.

Last year I went to Oakwood Canadian Bistro for Dine Out Vancouver and I had a great time. This year, I couldn't resist and had to go again with my girlfriends.

Oakwood Canadian Bistro has a $28 DOVF menu and it includes three courses. The restaurant is located on West 4th across from the Naam.

The menu this year is pretty different but sounded absolutely scrumptious. Pork belly, smoked seafood chowder, roasted porchetta? You don't have to twist my arm.

I started with the Waldorf Salad which had bacon, grapes, celery, candied walnuts, blue cheese, and creme fraiche. I like really subtle blue cheese flavours so it was a little too pungent for me. Nevertheless, it was refreshing and not too heavy as a starter which I appreciated.

Rae chose the Pork Terrine with maple cauliflower puree, pickled shallots, and rye soil. The presentation was quite intriguing as it played on grass and dirt. Rae thought it was great but the appetizer was a little heavy.

I had a taste of Lil Sis's Smoked Seafood Chowder and it was da bomb. I should've gotten this because I love seafood chowder and this was definitely one of the best I've had.

For our mains, Rae chose the Roasted Porchetta which is a savoury, fatty, crispy-skinned, and moist boneless pork roast wrapped around pork belly. Now give me a second while I wipe off my drool. It came with spatzle (German pasta) and confit garlic broccollini. All I can say is: ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD.

The rest of us went with the Seared Sablefish dish consisting of sablefish, confit pork shoulder, lentils, carrots, and pork rinds. The fish was perfectly cooked and tender. Oddly enough, the pork rinds were a little too hard to eat and overly crunchy. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic entree and perfect for people not looking for something too heavy.

The Chocolate Mousse had a light dusting of coffee pistachio crunch on top which I enjoyed. Great dessert choice for any chocolate lovers out there. :)

If you are looking for something a little fruity and less sweet, the Maple Creme Caramel was a surprising winner. The description in the menu made this dessert choice seem like the sweeter option but in reality it was incredibly light and slightly sour with the cranberry puree on top. Must get!

Overall, The Oakwood Canadian Bistro is a solid choice for Dine Out and I have yet to be disappointed by their offerings. Just make sure you don't get Pork Terrine for appy, Roasted Porchetta for entree, and Chocolate Mousse for dessert all in one go, because it will give you a fat/sugar/salt overdose. Pick and choose the heavy and light options and you'll have a great time.

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

Overall Rating: 4/5

Happy Eating!

 

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Swiss Bakery - At Last. The Cronut.

The definition of a Cronut: A hybrid between a croissant and a donut. 

Cronuts have been all the rage this year ever since a bakery started selling it in New York. Apparently, people line up for hours to get them and they get sold out within minutes. The only bakery in Vancouver that currently sell Cronuts is Swiss Bakery.

Swiss Bakery is on 3rd Avenue tucked behind a bunch of industrial buildings. Their cronuts are called 'frissants' but they are the same thing. If you want to get some you have to go early (around 7am) because they sell out pretty quickly.

I got half a dozen Frissants ($4/each.. I know!! Expensive!!) for my coworkers and I, since none of us have ever tried them before. I got three Cookies and Cream and three Lemon Mojito. Their flavours vary every day so you never know what you're gonna get.

I tried the Lemon Mojito and oh my god it was the best thing I've ever tried in my life. All of my coworkers were slowly peeling away the layers piece by piece and eating it in complete silence. We were all transported to food heaven and honestly we didn't resume talking after every single one of us have demolished it and licked our fingers.

The exterior is flaky yet crunchy while the interior maintained a fluffy, light dough. You essentially can (and should) eat it layer by layer from top to bottom. In the middle of the cronut you will encounter a cream of some sort. For mine, it was lemon custard and it was absolutely foodgasmic. No other way to describe it.

You know you're gluttonous when you eat cronuts twice in one week. And thats exactly what my coworkers and I did after having that amazing first experience. This time, the two flavours were Pumpkin Spice and Apple Strudel.

The cronut was fried to perfection yet again but I personally enjoyed the filling and flavours of the Lemon Mojito the most. The Pumpkin filling was a little too rich and dense for my liking whereas the lemon custard was light and went perfectly well with the flaky pastry.

All in all, YOU HAVE TO TRY THE FREAKIN CRONUT. I know it's overhyped. I know it's extremely overpriced. But if you enjoy food and consider yourself a somewhat foodie, you should absolutely experience this at least once to try the magnificent creation that is, THE CRONUT. Whoever thought of combining a croissant and a donut is an absolute genius.

Service Rating: N/A
Food Rating: 4.5/5
Price: $-$$

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Happy Eating!

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