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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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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Umami Burger (San Francisco) - Real Juicy Meat

During my trip to San Fran, Rae and I stopped by Umami Burger because it was close to our apartment. I always just knew of this restaurant as an LA hipster burger joint with a cool "U" stamp on their burger buns.

They seem to be quite popular with line ups spewing onto the streets on a random weekday afternoon.

It's quite casual inside with lots of booths and tables. It kind of reminds me of Romers Burger Bar from Vancouver.

Obviously, their most famous burger is called the Umami Burger but they surprisingly have quite a few options for those that don't feel like eating beef. They've covered all their bases with black bean patties, ahi tuna for fish lovers, and even some 'manlier' patties like the Manly Burger.

Rae and I both got some beer to wash down our burger with. I opted for the highly alcoholic Golden Monkey (9% alc.) and she got a brown pale ale of some kind that she really liked. They also gave us a plate with four different types of aiolis, sauces, and homemade ketchup. We didn't know what they were for, so we kind of just dipped our fries in it.

We both wanted to try the original so we got the classic Umami Burger ($11.50) which has parmesan frico, shiitake mushrooms, roasted tomato, caramelized onions, and Umami house ketchup.

Our server praised their chain for using only the most local, organic, and fresh ingredients which include the ground beef they use to make the patty with. That's why all patties are served medium rare unless specified. 

I got the burger as is so as you can see, it was quite rare. It's a little freaky to see your burger patty so pink because it looks you'll get salmonella. LOL. It was delicious though and the 'fresh' ingredients really did shine through. One thing Rae and I both noticed though, were the lack of toppings. We literally got two slivers of mushrooms on each burger and that's it.

Last but not least, I ordered a side of Truffle Fries ($5.50) to add some carbs to my diet. Also, if truffle fries are on the menu, I have to try it at least once. These ones were disappointing though. The truffle was only infused in the cheese and the cheese solidified quite quickly after it was brought out so the whole thing was one clumpy mess. Not recommended.

All in all, Umami Burger is solid if you want to just try their burgers and beers. Their burgers are unlike any burger I've tried before and is way beyond the quality of the ones at A&W or Earls. Skip the truffle fries though, they're just not worth it.

Service Rating: 4.5/5

Food Rating: 3.5/5

Price: $$-$$$

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Happy Eating!

this has nothing to do with Umami but I wish I could do this with my brows :D

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Le Faux Bourgeois - Need to Go Back for Their Steak and Frites!!

We celebrated Lil Sis' birthday by having dinner at Le Faux Bourgeois (anyone know the proper way to pronounce this?). This little French bistro has always been on my to-eat list and I was so happy to finally taste what all the fuss is about. 

I liked Le Faux Bourgeois instantly because their menu was affordable and the quantity of food was great. I find a lot of French restaurants overprice their dishes and I end up leaving hungry and unsatisifed.

We started off with some complimentary bread and butter.

Anything with buoyancy and chew is always up my alley so these French snails aka Escargots De Bourgogne ($10.00) were right up there. I do prefer them cooked in garlic and only a little bit of butter versus submerged in a cup full like the one above.

Three of us ended up getting the Steak Frites ($20) but with different sides and sauces. This one is with a salad instead of fries, and is served with a slab of herb butter. I guess the salad compensates for the butter?? Haha.

This Steak Frites is also served with a salad and a side of red wine shallot jus.  The wine simmered down to a perfect sauce and it goes oh so well with steak. The only thing was that Lil Sis found her steak cooked just a little over her requested medium rare.

I wanted to try Steak Frites as is so I got them with fries and a peppercorn sauce. Dear lord these fries were good. They were not overly crispy and most of them still had skin attached to it (I love potato skin!!). My steak, unlike my girlfriends, was perfectly cooked to a medium rare and tender to the touch. I could cut it with a butter knife. :)

Rae couldn't rave enough about the Canard Confit dish. It has a a crispy duck confit on top of a warm salad of Sarladaise potatoes, goat cheese, arugula and port jus. The skin was SOOO crispy she nearly died eating it. I will definitely try this dish next time I go!

Service Rating: 3/5
Food Rating: 4.5/5
Price: $$$-$$$$

Overall Rating: 4/5


                      Eat all the carbs and meat!!

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Cafe de L'Orangerie - What a Hidden Gem!

Having known about this restaurant called Cafe de L'Orangerie for a few years now, I don't know why I never bothered to visit. It's such a hidden gem (actually! Geographically wise) and such a delight for people who like the Japanese Western fusion cuisine.

If you live in Richmond, Cafe de L'Orrangerie is very much like Moncton Cafe in Steveston.

At this mom and pop shop, you can find Japanese style pastas, 'hamburg' which are thick Japanese hamburger patties, curries, etc.

They do poutine a little differently here.. They serve it up Orangerie-Style (Small - $6.25) and is more of a beef tomato stew instead of gravy. Nevertheless, the stew was amazing and the fries were double fried. Perfectly crisp. It honestly could NOT have been better.

For those that like light and refreshing pastas, this Wafu-Style Spaghetti ($9.80) would be perfect. It has bonito flakes, seaweed, mushroom, bacon, garlic, and cabbage.

 I went with the popular Masago de Creamy Spaghetti ($9.80) which had squid, mushroom, asparagus, roe, and cream in it. Even though it took some extra effort to finish, it was delightful. The roe made this dish 'Japanese' and provided a flavour profile that you just cannot get with any other Western ingredient.

I was actually a little shocked when I first saw the Matcha Green Tea Pudding Parfait ($6.95) because I was expecting something tall and layered. Instead, it is served in a bowl along with red bean, dango (glutinous rice balls) and vanilla ice-cream.

Here's the matcha pudding underneath!

In my opinion, Cafe de L'Orangerie is definitely worth checking out if you're into Japanese fusion cuisine. I personally loved this little resto and will gladly return whenever I want something hearty. My only qualm with them is that the service was really slow when I went. It took a while for each dish to come out and it took us at least 10 minutes to wave down a waitress for our check.

Service Rating: 3/5
Food Rating: 4.5/5
Price: $$

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Happy Eating!


             Next time I'm getting a large poutine :D

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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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