Merchant Oyster Bar & BierCraft - The Story of Seafood and Wine

After an incredibly long and stressful week, Robot and I were both in desperate need of seafood and wine. We wandered along Commercial to find Merchant Oyster Bar which would satisfy both our wine and raw oyster craving.

We went with the Tableside White Wine ($10/glass) and 18 Buck Fifty Happy Hour Oysters ($1.50/ea). The wine was sweet and was smooth on the palate. The raw oysters had a bit of shell but was otherwise pleasant overall.

Having browsed the menu of Merchant Oyster Bar with nothing wowing us in particular, we left and walked another block or so until we ended at BierCraft. I know.. who goes to BierCraft and gets wine?! Well.. we do! They started us off with some complimentary potato chips.

Their mussels are delivered fresh seven days a week and they have six options to choose from! We couldn't resist.. especially because we were (yes..) having white wine again!

We ordered a bottle of Gewurztraminer ($36/bottle) and shared a pound of Thai Mussels ($15.50). The broth was made with coconut milk which was oh so delicious, especially when dipped with bread.

I loved how the mussels were all really plump and juicy!

There is just something about Baked Brie ($12) that is completely irresistible. Flaky crust.. ooey gooey stretchy cheese, balsamic reduction... it's just a match made in heaven.

We probably could have done without this because we were so full when this arrived. The Blue Cheese Crimini Mushrooms ($10) were so pungent with the blue cheese taste that I couldn't have too many. But for all blue cheese lovers, this item is for you.

All in all we had a great time at both restaurants and I would recommend both for a girls night our or romantic date consisting of raw oysters, seafood, and wine. :)

Service Rating: 4/5
Food Rating: 3.5/5
Price: $$$$

Overall Rating: 4/5

Happy Eating!

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Mangia & Bevi (Toronto) - Authentic and Incredibly Delicious Pasta and Pizza

When I was training for my job in Toronto, my coworker's wife suggested we go to Mangia &Bevi, an authentic Italian Bistro rated highly on Yelp and Urbanspoon.

 

The place was really hard to find so you might need a GPS if you want to try this restaurant out. 

Nice old bread basket with olive oil/balsamic vinegar to dip.

My coworker got a glass of Stella Artois after a long day. Smooth, crisp, Stella never fails to be the beer of choice.

I can't recall all the condiments they served alongside our dinner but there was ample amounts of Parmesan and dried red chili fakes.

The Carpaccio ($16) consisted of raw beef tenderloin, arugula, lemon, parmigiano shavings, and truffle oil. 

The Antipasto Misto ($15) had a variety of cold cuts, cheeses, and olives. Nice refreshing appetizer.

For my entree, I went with the daily special of Orecchiette Rompipasta ($18) and what sold me was the description. "Fresh pasta with shallots, garlic, chillies, organic red chicory, speck, walnuts and Fontina cheese in a white wine/butter sauce. Does that not sound mouthwatering already?!

The fresh pasta was everything I hoped it would be. Al dente, chewy, and soaked in the white wine/butter sauce. It was divine. The only mishap for me was the additional kale or veggie that they put into the dish because it was quite bitter.

The Pomodoro ($14) was light, refreshing, and my coworker really liked it.

I had a bite of the Burina ($17) which had tomato sauce, mozzarella, sausages, pancetta, garlic, and chili flakes, and it was delicious thought a little too spicy. This is a great sharing pizza but maybe not for one person to consume.

I was so jealous when I saw this because the Ragu ($17) looked absolutely amazing! The pasta was completely covered in their homemade bolognese veal and pork sauce and boy was it delicious.

The simple Pomodoro ($14) consisted of tomato sauce, garlic, and basil.

Boy, if you can only get one thing from this restaurant, get the Prosciutto & Funghi Pizza ($15) and add an egg for +$1. The end result is a yolky creamy egg sauce that will coat your entire pizza in deliciousness. Must get item for sure.

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

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Happy Eating!

 

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Mosaic Bar and Grille - Inspired by...Taiwan

Once again Chef Heinrich, Executive Chef at Hyatt Regency Vancouver crafted up a new Chef Tasting Menu at the Mosaic Bar and Grille. This time it was inspired by his trip to Taiwan for a show called 'Taste of Taiwan'.

It definitely takes a lot of courage to design a Taiwanese menu in a city filled with amazing culinary talent in Asian cuisine. 

Foodobyte and I at first thought four courses wouldn't be enough for us (yeah.. we eat a lot). But near the end we were so stuffed so don't let the items fool you. They're pretty hearty.

Complimentary Smoked Salt Biscuits and Multigrain Bread to start.

The Fish ball with Scallion & Pork Dust was definitely an interesting take on the ones I regularly eat because the texture was more soft and supple than chewy and bouncy. Maybe it's because it was made with ling cod and scallops and not something with a bit more buoyancy like squid.

The broth it came with was extremely light and refreshing but lacked a tad bit of salt. I can probably drink a whole litre of it regardless because I do love my broth!

The second dish was inspired by Chef Thomas' trip to Beipu and the Chihshang. The Hakka Tea Crusted Line Caught Ling Cod came with peanuts, peanut mochi (glutinous rice balls), and lemon vinegar fluid gel. My cod was a bit overcook so it didn't have the supple, flaky meat I was expecting. My personal palate found the tea and cod to be a weird combo but Foodobyte though it was pretty good.

If you have not heard of the 'pork belly' fad going around in Vancouver, you probably are a not a foodie. But for all people following this pork belly trend including me, this dish may intrigue your senses. It is a 5 Spiced Braised Pork Belly inspired by the Silk Palace Restaurant in Taiwan. The flavours were full of depth and very similar to the authentic pork belly in other Asian restaurants.

I was most intrigued by the Pineapple Cake item on the menu because I was wondering how Chef Thomas would recreate this beloved Taiwanese snack in a way that it could be a dessert on a chef tasting menu. I was super impressed with the chunks of pineapple and thick crumbly crust. I'm also a black sesame girl so the ice-cream totally won me over.

All in all, I don't think this was Mosaic's most impressive Chef Tasting Menu and there were hits and misses throughout the meal. However, it tells a story and I like how every item was inspired by his trip to Taiwan.

Happy Eating!

 

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Forage (Dine Out 2014) - Pretty Decent Food

On the second last day of Dine Out Vancouver 2014, my friends and I went to Forage for their $28 DOV menu. This restaurant has garnered so much hype over the past year that it was impossible not to give it a try.

Forage is located on Robson and Jarvis which is crazy because I've never noticed it before walking down Robson street.

I love the wooden oak type of feel. It's classy yet homey.

 All six of us ordered their Award Winning Seafood Chowder with soft poached quail egg and crispy pork rind. While the soup was smokey, full of flavour, it was too thick and tasted a bit more like sauce than soup. The quail egg added a certain richness to the soup too which was nice.

 Meta Knight chose the Pacific Provider Spring Salmon which was served with potato, leek, onion hash and a celery root remoulade. The salmon was perfectly cooked and flaked off with every bite. It was a little salty for Meta Knight but overall it was a great entree.

The Foraged and Cultivated Mushroom with Sage and Squash Gnocchi was exactly what I was hoping for. The gnocchi was fluffy yet slightly crispy on the outside, the mushrooms and kale were perfectly seasoned, and the dish didn't leave me suffocating in a food coma. I would totally get this again.

Now here's the bad thing. I eat slow so the rest of my table were finished when I was around the 3/4 mark. Because Dine Out is limited to a 1.5 hour seating at Forage, they completely rushed us, and started serving all of our desserts while I was still eating my main. That put me in an incredibly awkward position where I wanted to finish eating my delicious entree, but couldn't because my friends are now all on their dessert without me. I understand if they are trying to serve everything fast, but at least let everyone at the table finish their meal before serving the next course. I only needed an extra 5-10 minutes but sadly I wasn't given that time. After that experience, it left a bad taste in my mouth throughout the entire evening.

 Most of my friends went with the Gelderman Farm Pork Belly with crackling and braised cabbage, celeriac potato puree, and apple chutney. It was an absolutely sinful meal and god was I jealous. The pork belly had a 70/30 fat ratio though so I was content after trying just one bite. My friends also said the crackling was also a bit too oily. Nonetheless, the potato puree was fabulous and I'd still go for this piece of meat if I was craving something guilty that day. :)

Having read some reviews beforehand, I opted for the Blueberry Hazelnut Financier served with membrillo creme, hazelnut praline, and quince jelly. This was a solid dessert and I really enjoyed the presentation of it.

However, I should've gotten the Crumb Crusted Maple Rye "French Toast" with tonka bean drinking chocolate and Forty Creek whipped marshmallow. The server warned us beforehand that the tonka bean chocolate is as bitter as coffee so only people who like either coffee or dark chocolate would like this dessert. I should've taken the hint and got this because it was SO GOOD!!! The french toast balls dipped in espresso dark chocolate and whipped marshmallow is like my ultimate dream. I have no idea why I didn't pick this dessert. 

I will be forever sad because this isn't on their regular menu. 

Anyways, I think Forage captured the Sustainable Dining aspect of the restaurant business and they have some really innovative dishes. I just wish I wasn't rushed in and out of there so quickly because that disabled me from fully sinking into the deliciousness that they offered. Forage would be a great place to have girl's night and spend a few hours drinking and eating snacks so maybe I'll do that in the future, NOT during Dine Out.

Service Rating: 3/5

Food Rating: 3/5

Price: $$$$

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!

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Gotham Steakhouse - Get The Bone-In Rib Steak!

If you read my blog often enough, you'll know I rarely go to fine dining establishments. But recently I was introduced to Gotham Steakhouse in Vancouver and I was instantly hooked. For my first visit I was too shy to take pictures so I only have photos from my second visit with Meta Knight.

The first time I went, I ordered the bone-in rib steak. It was so fantabulous that I just HAD to have it again on my second visit. More on the rib steak later...

I've been hearing a lot about the rivalry between Gotham Steakhouse and Hy's Encore for the best steak in Vancouver. I've never been to Hy's so I can't speak to this matter but for people who have been to both, what are your thoughts? Is Hy's worth going to if Gotham is already so amazing?!

While we were waiting for our table to be set up, they gave us some pretzels to munch on. It was a nice gesture but without it, our 25 minute wait would be unbearable. Having made reservations in advance, waiting 25 minutes for our table seemed a little much.

Meta Knight and I shared a Lobster Bisque ($12.95) and we were pleasantly surprised by the amount each of us got. The lobster flavour was extremely prominent and both of us loved it.

If you are not afraid of a little fat, get the 16oz Bone-in Rib Steak ($47.95)! It is absolutely the most succulent and flavourful piece of meat I've ever had. Meta Knight was skeptical at first but once he took a bite, he instantly fell in love. It wouldn't be a far shot to say we were both closing our eyes and ooing and awing with each bite.

For our sides, we got a half order of Creamed Spinach ($7.12). This is suppose to be a smaller version of their regular sides so your table can try a greater variety. While the creamed spinach was good, I think the creamed corn version would be better.

We also got a half order of Potato Hashbrowns ($6.47) which was surprisingly tasty considering how dull it looked. The hashbrowns were light, crsipy, and delightfully flavourful. If you get the full order, I think you get two of these hashbrowns.

All in all, I think Gotham Steakhouse is a fantastic choice for good ol' steak. It beats many other steakhouses in Vancouver and if I earned more money, I would totally eat here more often. For now, once a year is probably as baller as I can get.

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

Overall Rating: 4/5

Happy Eating!

 

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