Frites (Granville) - Poutine All Day Every Day

Frites, not to be mistaken with Fritz (both french fry restaurants), is located in the downtown core a couple of blocks away from Pacific Centre. They boast authentic Belgian fries double layered poutine.

The owner that served me was super friendly and passionate about his product. It's great to support entrepreneurs like him because you know they put their heart and soul into their business.

They serve authentic Belgian fries on its own with a huge variety of gourmet sauces. From Gochujang (Korean hot sauce) to Jamaican Jerk, this place seems to have it all.

Everything on the menu looked so delicious it took me forever to choose! In the end I felt like I didn't choose the best kind of poutine so I might have to come back and try their other varieties. Marinated Smoked Meat poutine...Kimchi Frites...Pad Thai Fries.... HOMG I'm drooling just thinking about it.

I ended up choosing the Regular Traditional Poutine ($6.99) with one gourmet sauce (Rosemary Garlic Mayo).

I thought the gourmet sauce would be served on the side but it was actually all on top of the poutine. Because the fries were already drowning in gravy and cheese curds, the rosemary mayo was overkill and made it wayyyyyy too heavy. On the other hand, the fresh rosemary really shined through and you can tell they only use the best ingredients.

I wouldn't get the same thing again but I definitely won't write this place off until I've tried it once or twice more. The positive and friendly environment was infectious and I can't help but want to support this business, regardless of whether the poutine is the best in Vancouver! >.<

Service Rating: 4.5/5
Food Rating: 2.5/5
Price: $

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!


                                        #datYOLOlife

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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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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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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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Fresh Prep (Product Review) - Healthy Home-cooked Meal in Minutes

Fresh Prep is a local company that reached out to me to try their innovative, healthy product/ delivery service. They deliver perfectly prepped and portion controlled raw ingredients to your door so you can cook a healthy delicious meal in minutes. 

 You can choose from 12 recipes (10 are constant, and 2 are seasonal) on their website and one serving costs around $10-12. Not bad when you take into account the fact that they buy, prep, and deliver everything to your door.

Honestly, all of their recipes looked ridiculously delicious on their website so it took me forever to choose what I wanted. After much contemplation, I ended up choosing the Honey Dijon Chicken Thighs with Root Vegetable Hash.

With each delivery, they provide a physical recipe card with everything you need to know. Ingredients in the box, nutritional information, and even hashtag suggestions for when you Instagram your creations! :P

 This is what the back looks like. It was super simple for me to follow the instructions and I had the meal cooked and ready to go in about 25 minutes.

One of the reasons why I chose this recipe was the fact that it had a vegetable hash and I don't have to do any of the prep work. It came with perfectly diced red peppers, mushrooms, butternut squash, yukon gold potatoes, and onions/thyme. The raw pieces of chicken were wrapped in brown butcher paper tied with red and white yarn. How adorable does that look?!

They try to use locally grown ingredients whenever they can and I really appreciate that fact having watched food related documentaries like Forks over Knives, Food Inc., The Cove, and Fed Up. The reasons behind sourcing food locally and eating whole foods instead of processed ones don't hit close to home until you watch a documentary like Forks Over Knives or Food Inc. If you're at all interested, I highly recommend giving them a watch one night. It may change the way you eat for the rest of your life.

All I really had to do was dump all the vegetable ingredients in my pan and stir stir stir. :) So easy!

Ta-da!!! I don't know about you but I felt like a seasoned chef after creating this little masterpiece. This took the guessing out of what I was going to prepare, purchasing any of the ingredients, and cutting and chopping for an hour before actually getting to cook. I will definitely be ordering from them again, especially during those busy work days when I don't feel like going out, or cooking from scratch at home.

You have to order a minimum of 2 servings to purchase a meal so I cooked for both Meta Knight and I. He gobbled it up in no time and thought it was delicious. He didn't even mind the absence of rice or pasta. 

All in all, I think Fresh Prep is a wonderful delivery service that can benefit a lot of busy working professionals who don't have the time to always prepare a home cooked meal, but still want to lead a healthy lifestyle. 

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Happy Eating! 


                      Tasting my own creation is like

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Taste of Yaletown (Preview) - Available October 15 - 29th

For those who love the concept of Dine Out Vancouver but can't wait till next January to try your favourite restaurants and get your prix fixe menu, you've gotta try "Taste of Yaletown"! It's very similar in that it's a two-week dining event showcasing dishes from 27 restaurants in the Yaletown neighbourhood. The menu combinations are offered at set prices of $25, $35, $45.


Annette O'Shea, Executive Director of the Yaletown BIA says "Yaletown is home to some of the city's best chefs, many of whom view Taste of Yaletown as a time to showcase their creativity. We're excited by some of the new restaurants in the area this year and are looking forward to seeing what the chefs are going to serve up this year for their exclusive Tatse of Yaletown menus."


I attended their media event and previewed Taste of Yaletown menus from two of the 27 participating restaurants. First up was The Parlour. The Parlour is an interesting place to be because you see business people coming here for a business lunch as well as cool hipsters drinking beers near the lounge area in the back.


They offer the $45 menu in which you can choose any two appetizers (excluding the cheese and meat board) and one pizza. These Ahi Lettuce Wraps ($15) had tuna, avocado, citrus ginger soy, mint, spicy ponzu aioli, and crispy shallots. These are also gluten free! :D


The Classic Bruschetta ($10) on thick white toast. Pretty standard.


Apparently this is their signature appetizer. I really enjoyed this Salmon Tartare ($15), but I mean, who wouldn't? It has perfect combination of steelhead salmon, seaweed, bonito, sesame seeds, ponzu, macadamia nuts, and micro cilantro. Anything that resembles poke is a tick in my book.


Stacked Short Ribs ($15)


These Meatball Minis ($11) were the bomb! It had Brioche, reggiano, tomato sauce, sambal, caramelized onion, and roasted garlic aioli. The head chef Matthew said they don't have a freezer or fryer so everything is as fresh as it gets. It was apparent with this ridiculously fresh and tasty meatball slider.


The signature Yaletown ($20) resembles the typical west coast palate. Albacore tuna, red onion, avocado, green onion, cilantro, and spicy aioli. I never thought about putting raw tuna on pizza so this was actually pretty eye opening for me.


I was the odd duckling in the group because I really loved their Standard ($20) Gluten Free pizza. The texture of the crust was nowhere as crispy as the regular wheat variety, but it was chewy, hearty, and totally up my alley.


This is a play on a pear, walnut, blue cheese salad. It's called Hamilton Street ($20).


The next tasting was next door at the Hamilton Street Grill. For T of Y, they are offering a $35 menu.


I believe this was the Chef's Creation Vegetarian Soup consisting of carrot and ginger. Everyone at the table thought this was unbelievable. Give me a big bowl of this with some (gluten free) bread and that can be my dinner.


The Red Onion and Blue Cheese Salad was refreshing but definitely not a huge standout.


As an appetizer, I love the fact that they have a Butternut Squash Risotto on the menu. It's a fabulous opportunity for people to try it out without choosing it as a main. I don't know about you but I always tend to gravitate towards the meatier protein mains versus vegetarian mains when eating a prix fixe menu.


Now this was a showstopper. It's the Icelandic Cod Saltimboca which is a pan seared and proscuitto wrapped black cod. Similar to a filet mignon, the proscuitto added a really nice smokiness to the fish.


The Angus Beef New York Steak was served with their Brandy peppercream sauce, and MY GOD it was delicious. They left the full peppercorns on the steak and it was just friggin amazing. Must get dish in my opinion.


This is a half portion of the Flourless Chocolate Cake with raspberry coulis.

Personally, this Taste of Yaletown event is great for someone like me because there are a lot of fantastic restaurants in Yaletown that I've never tried before. My hope is that I find a gem during these prix fixe menus and end up loving a restaurant I otherwise would've never known about. Time to check out their menus!

Happy Eating!


                                   I'm so excited!!

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