Sushi Garden (Kingsway)- Not Worth The 30-40 Minute Wait!

I never understood why Sushi Garden (Kingsway location) is always packed with people. I have been there once before but I didn’t find the sushi that great. I assume it’s the convenient location and relatively cheap prices that always draw customers back.

When Meta Knight and I arrived at 6pm, there was already a huge line-up to the door! We ended up waiting almost 40 minutes before getting a table.

I was craving some nigiri so I ordered the Assorted Sushi ($11.95). It comes with salmon and tuna maki rolls and eight pieces of assorted nigiri (ebi, tobiko, hokkigai, tako, tuna, amaebi, ika).

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Dunn's Famous- Tons of Meaty Goodness

Dunn’s Famous is located in downtown Vancouver and they are known for their authentic Montreal smoked meat sandwiches.

I met up one night with Diana (foodology), Gloria (i’m busyeating), Amy (foodqueen), Jenny (eatwithjenny), and Janice (goodeat) to give this place a try. Definitely check out their posts as well as we all have different tastes and opinions.

I was never too into smoked meat but I insisted on ordering it because I felt like it was a prime opportunity to try the most ‘authentic’ Montreal smoked meat in Vancouver. I ordered The Famous Dunn’s Reuben ($13.00) and I loved it! You get to choose the fattiness of the meat which is kind of cool. Our entire table chose medium and I think that is what you should stick to in order to get the perfect balance of fat and meat.

I liked how their coleslaw was not drowned in dressing like some other chain restaurants.

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Accord Food House- Soft Mushy Noodles

After closing for a month during the holidays, Accord Food House finally opened today so Meta Knight and I instantly jumped at the chance to give this place a try. 

I’ve heard only good things about this hole-in-the-wall restaurant so we both had high expectations going in. Perhaps it was our high expectations that ruined us, but our visit was very disappointing.

Accord Food House is next to a XXX shop across from Metrotown. You really have to search hard for this place or you will miss it. The interior is quaint and seats probably 20 people max.

Their whole menu (aside from drinks) is on the blackboard. They serve primarily Taiwanese noodles, dessert, and drinks.

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Miura Waffle Milk Bar- Legendary Waffle Sandwiches!

Miura Waffle Milk Bar has been on my food radar for quite some time now. I rarely venture to Yaletown, and when I do, it’s usually for dinner and not lunch so I never found the right opportunity to go.

The day before school started, Trixie and I decided to go and give it a try despite the violent cold wind and pouring rain. It was horrible getting there, but boy were we glad we went.

They have a signage outside their store with pictures of their waffle sandwiches.

They sell hot and cold drinks in addition to waffle sandwiches. What caught Trixie and I’s eye were the flavoured and yoggy milk. :P

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East is East (Main)- Night Of The 1 1/2 Hr Wait and Vacuum Packed Seating

Yoshi is a major foodie and he often raved about how great the restaurant ‘East is East’ is (wow, tongue twister!). I had no clue what this restaurant was about so I was eager to try it out.  We went with a bunch of other friends and had a total of about 7 people. BAD IDEA.

East is East is located on Main Street and this is one of two locations. The other location is in Kitsilano and from what I hear, the other location is bigger.

When we arrived, the place was packed and there was already a line up to the door. We were told that it would be an hour wait since we had a large party and we reluctantly agreed. After an hour of walking down the streets and chatting with each other, we went back and we were told that it would be an additional hour wait!! WHAT?! We were all visibly frustrated and pretty fed up. We wanted to go somewhere else along Main Street but the other restaurants were full as well. We had no choice but to continue waiting... besides, if we left, I would have felt like we wasted all that time waiting.

To be fair, the hostesses did try and make us feel better by offering some samples of their famous chai and stuffed naan.  We all appreciated that. After an hour and a half wait, we finally got a table. A very small, squishy 4 person table... All 7 of us were basically shoulder to shoulder and I can honestly say it was the most uncomfortable dining experience I have ever had in my life.

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Matsuyama- Best To Come Here For Late Night Sushi

Every time Meta Knight and I finish watching a movie around 9pm and want to grab some late night dinner, we always have problem finding restaurants that are still open. We usually resort to Matsuyama because we know that they will be open for sure. They even have a late night menu too. Sometimes, people are still lining up to get in at 10pm.

The interior is quite cozy and they have a lot of booths. This place is not Japanese owned (most likely Chinese) so don’t come here expecting authentic, traditional Japanese cuisine.

Here is a picture of their Late Night Special Menu.

I like how they have Nigiri sushi for only 89 cents apiece and Sashimi for $4.25 (5 pieces).

Above is the Salmon/ Toro sashimi ($4.25) along with a Chopped Scallop ($2.95) and Unagi ($2.95) maki roll.

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Bella Gelateria- If You Have Never Tried Their Gelato, You're Missing Out!

Oh my gosh, I finally tried the famous Bella Gelateria! I have heard so much about their irresistible handcrafted gelato over the past few years and I’ve gotta say, why the heck have I not been here sooner?!

After having dinner with Diana (foodology), Gloria (I’m busyeating), Amy (foodqueen), Janice (good eat), and Jenny (eatwithjenny), we decided to get some dessert at Bella Gelateria.

We went around 9pm and the place was already full with barely any tables left. After we ordered, another rush of people came and the place was completely packed...and it wasn’t even a weekend!

They have a variety of unique gelato flavours such as Earl Grey Tea, Rosewater, Pumpkin Pie, Salted Caramel, Lavender, and Fior di Latte.

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Banana Leaf (Fairview Location)- Weird Music But Decent Malaysian Food

For my friend’s birthday, a bunch of us gathered at Banana Leaf (West Broadway location) to try their ‘award winning’ Malaysian cuisine. I’ve always doubted whether Banana Leaf serve truly authentic Malaysian food because I’ve always heard mediocre reviews by my Malaysian friends.

Anyhow, we arrived on a cold and stormy night and I was pleasantly surprised to see the restaurant booming with customers. 

The colour of their walls are really bright and it created quite an energetic ambiance. My friends and I however all disliked their choice of background music because it was like loud club music that you can never relax to. During the entire meal I was quite tense because everything was quite chaotic (or it could just be because of our large table).

We were given some roasted peanuts to munch on while deciding what to order.

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Victoria Chinese Restaurant- Better Stay Away And Go Elsewhere

Victoria Chinese Restaurant is located in the same complex as the Hyatt Hotel and I heard it used to be a very grand Chinese restaurant a decade or so ago. I was excited to try this place for dim sum, but it failed me and it is nothing compared to the better dim sum restaurants in Vancouver/Richmond.

Tea is $1.25 per person which is reasonable. First came the Shrimp Salad Roll ($4.65) and when this landed on our table, I was taken aback by how there was absolutely no garnish on the plate. I really am not a picky person when it comes to dim sum, but if it costs five bucks, I expect it to look a little more presentable than this.

The spring roll skin was crispy and nicely fried. The filling however was pretty bad. All I could taste were globs of heavy mayo and there were barely any shrimp.

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Black Forest Cake Recipe For The New Year!

First off, Happy New Year everyone! I am very much looking towards 2012 and I’m excited for what this year will bring. I just want to say: be happy, love your family and friends, and live life to the fullest! If I only learned one thing last year, it is to not take anything for granted (especially true friendships and family) and live everyday like it’s your last.

To start off the New Year, this is a recipe post for Black Forest Cake! This recipe is incredibly simple (as my recipes always are) and I received a lot of great feedback on it at my Christmas party!

So first off, I used a regular Devil’s Chocolate Cake Mix and baked a 9’inch cake following the recipe on the back of the box.

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