Smokehouse Sandwich Co.- Damn That's a Good Sandwich

Great sandwiches are hard to come by. Sure, I can always get a good sandwich at Subway or a good sandwich at Earls, but rarely do I find ones that are special enough to make me crave it again the second I leave.

Smokehouse Sandwich Co. created one of my exceptions and I honestly think it's the bomb diggity. It's quite interesting that this little mom and pop shop is located in a residential area of Richmond close to Westminster and No.2 Road. I remember this property switching owners and businesses every year but somehow I feel like Smokehouse is here to stay. 

Their menu is plain and simple. 6 different types of burgers. 3 types of drinks. 1 side to choose from.

Rae and I shared two sandwiches, a side of crisps, and a Honey Ginger Lemon Drink. All in all it came up to about $10 per person.

This Samson ($7.99) sandwich is made with freshly baked bread, coffee crusted strawberry glazed beef brisket, peppers, butter lettuce, and aioli. If you are only getting one sandwich this one is THE ONE to get. The brisket was incredibly tender and flavourful, the bread was fluffy yet slightly crusty on the outside, and the aioli just melded all the flavours together beautifully.

Their side of crisps ($2) are fried in-house. I recommend adding their smoked salt (available on the counter) to give it more depth.

You can get their drinks hot or cold. We chose the latter even though it was freezing outside. They pre-make the drinks and store them in these cute mason jars so you have to give them a good shake before drinking. This drink was the bomb. I was afraid the ginger would overpower my tastebuds but it was the perfect amount of spicy and sweet.

I don't know about you but I for one don't like pulled pork smothered in BBQ sauce. Because of that, the Wilbur ($7.99) was perfect because it was pulled pork at its finest. No heavy sauce to drown the juiciness of the meat,. It's just pulled pork, its own meat juices, your mouth, and sweet glory.

It's hard to tell from this picture but they gave us massive amounts of pulled pork in that sandwich. Great restaurants never skimp on the meat.

I was impressed from start to finish at Smokehouse Sandwich Co. It's got a hipster feel to it (can you say mason jars?) and the interior is rusty yet cozy. The chefs/owners were also really nice and asked us how we liked our food. I can just tell that this restaurant has a lot of heart and that every sandwich is crafted with care.

I'd absolutely recommend Smokehouse Sandwich Co. to anyone wanting sandwiches on par or better than Meat and Bread. But just to forewarn you, their hours are quite limited. It's 7:45am-4pm Monday-Friday and 10am-6pm on Saturdays.

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

Overall Rating: 5/5

Happy Eating!

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IKEA Restaurant- Dat IKEA Meatball Doe

You know you've been to too many restaurants when you can't think of a new place to go eat, and finally suggest 'IKEA' for lunch. 

Meta Knight and I were craving dem Swedish meatballs so we took the opportunity to scope out some furniture for our future home. Plus, it was raining outside so naturally we gravitated towards any option that allowed us to be indoors for a couple hours.

 We noticed instantly that IKEA's food prices have increased pretty dramatically over the past couple of years.. I remember the meatballs and mash use to cost $2.99!!! I miss those days. :(

 The IKEA restaurant is pretty much the same system as a cafeteria. You grab a tray, look through all your options, slide on down, and pay at the end.

To be honest, looking at this picture I'm not sure what prompted me to eat at IKEA. It doesn't look particularly appetizing and it's not longer ridiculously cheap.

One bite though....and I'm sold again. Dem meatballs. And that gravy. It's like heaven in your mouth.

This $5.99 combo gives you 10 Swedish meatballs smothered in gravy, fries (or mash potatoes), and lingonberry sauce. For whatever reason, this was so satisfying.

 The Fish and Chips ($6.99) were not bad but considering it's almost the cost of Pajo's, it's overpriced. Next time I'll stick with the meatballs and gravy.

 Am I the only one who buys a whole bag of frozen Swedish meatballs after eating and being addicted to these at the restaurant?

Their soup of the day was Thai Curry Chicken ($1.99). Surprisingly it was pretty good!! Not too spicy but just enough for a little kick at the end. I was also greedy and took a lot of veggie/chicken chunks so it was really hearty. :P

All in all, IKEA remains a solid choice for those craving horse meatballs (harhar), gravy, carbs, and dessert. The walk around the huge showroom is also very nice when you're slowly slipping into a food coma.

Service Rating: N/A
Food Rating: 3/5
Price: $-$$

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!

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How to Make...Kale Chips (4 Easy Steps to Delicious Kale Chips)

I love kale. Kale is amazing. It's delicious. It's guilt-free. It's just an incredible vegetable that is so versatile and probably one of the healthiest leafy greens you can add to your diet. 

For those of you who have no idea what the heck kale even is, here's a definition:
Kale is a vegetable closely related to the wild cabbage and can be in the form of green or purple leaves. The leaves are thick, textured, and perfect for eating raw or cooking. Kale is being called "the queen of greens" due to its powerhouse nutritional benefits.

You can get kale at any supermarket or local farmer's market but I find that the best kale always come from local farmer's market. They're also usually half the price so why not support your local farmers? :)

Look for thick textured leaves vibrant in colour. If it feels limp or looks like it's yellowing on the edges, leave it.

Here are four steps to easy peasy homemade kale chips!

1) Wash your kale leaves thoroughly in cold water. Make sure you hit all the areas between the leafy edges where dirt can hide.

2) Remove the leaves from the stem by holding the end of the stem with one hand and pushing the leaves outwards with your other hand. You should be able to slide the leaves off pretty easily using this method. 

Tear the leaves into bite size pieces and dry them with a paper towel. Remember, they will shrink in the oven so don't make them *tiny*.

3) Pour a bit of extra virgin olive oil to the leaves (about 1-2 tablespooon) and MASSAGE them into the leaves. This part is so important because you want each leaf to be covered in a thin film of oil. This will not only ensure crisp kale chips but will also help the spices stick.

Rub it in gooood. :) Next, crack salt and pepper and give it a good shimmy.

 4) Preheat the oven to 300F and bake for 10 minutes. You want it at a low heat like 300F so it doesn't burn the chips and make them bitter. After 10 minutes, take it out, reassess, and flip the leaves if some look like their are crispier than others. I usually do it for another 5-10 minutes and it's done!

The final product! It's so delicious and if you ask me, it can curb any salty late night craving. You can either make these in a small conventional oven like me or a regular large one with a full size baking sheet.

I will now leave you with some health benefits of kale chips (as if you need any more reason to make them)

1) Kale is low in calories, high in fiber, and has zero fat

2) Kale is high in iron, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A

3) Kale has powerful antioxidants such as carotenoids and flavonoids to help protect against various cancers

4) Kale is high in calcium

5) Kale can be a great detox food due to its high fiber and sulfur content (keeps your liver healthy!)

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! 

Other popular healthy recipes:

• Healthy Banana Bread Recipe here
• Berry Greek Yogurt Recipe here
• Apple Pie Baked in Apple Recipe here
• Mango and Avocado Quinoa Salad with Blackened Shrimp Recipe here

Happy Eating!

 

courtesy of www.quickmeme.com

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Crackle Creme- Hipster Creme Brulee

There's something about cracking that top crunchy layer of a perfectly crafted creme brulee that always gives me the feeling of excitement and satisfaction. No matter where I am, what I ate, or even how much I ate, I will ALWAYS want and have room for creme brulee in my bellah.

FW and I have been wanting to go to Crackle Creme since forever and finally we chose a night to go after Ask For Luigi. Rae joined us as well which was perfect because it increased our overall sampling of flavours. Girls who love to share food know what I'm talkin' about. :)

I'm a lover of all things hipster even though I'm not one myself and this late night dessert spot is definitely one indeed. It is located subtly on Union Street near Chinatown yet we saw many people coming in and out in the fifteen minutes we stayed. Thanks to the internet buzz and word of mouth, Crackle Creme can ride the wave without spending much marketing budget on attracting additional customers.

Once inside, there are two menus you should consider. The "Always Flavours" and "Seasonal Flavours". Every flavour on the menu looked like it was carefully thought out and appeal to the what-we-call 'Vancouver foodie'. With flavours like Black Sesame, Durian, Grand Marnier, Lemon Basil, and Organic Earl Grey, which foodie can resist?!

We opted for the Honey Lavender, Guinness Espresso, and Organic Earl Grey ($5.50) and took it to go.

The sugar is torched only when purchased so you know you're going to get a beautifully crisp sweet coating. It stays hard and crunchy only for four hours so the owner recommended we eat it as soon as possible.

My favourite flavour was the Honey Lavender only because it was so beautifully light, yet it exploded with robust lavender notes. Both the Guinness Espresso and Earl Grey were good but didn't blow me away like the lavender one did.

Both Rae and FW thought the custard was creamy smooth and overall it was one of the best creme brulees they've had. I agree in that you can't find these combination of flavours anywhere but I probably won't be eating it too often as the price for each one is a little hefty for a weekly or monthly thing.

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

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!


courtesy of stuffchristianslike.net

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The Bookstore Bar & Cafe - Books..Whiskey Flights...Charcuterie.. What More Can I Ask For?

When my girlfriends and I were in Seattle, we desperately tried to find a pub or lounge near the downtown Seattle area for a quick drink before heading back to our hotel. After a lot of yelping and urbanspooning (yes, I turned it into a verb), we finally decided on The Bookstore Bar & Cafe.

We didn't know what to expect going into this bookstore/bar but whatever we saw was definitely not what we imagined. 

From the outside, it looks like half bookstore, half cafe. It has dark wooden accents and bold chestnut colours.

On the inside, you'll see walls and walls of books. A dream for those who like to read underneath the sheets every night. Apparently they are all for sale so if you find a great read while sipping on your whiskey, you're good to purchase it!

Also, you will see a wall of liquor. And I mean that literally. They have all kinds of hard liqueur ranging from the smoothest tequila you've ever tasted, to straight up whiskey in flights. They actually have one hundred and thirty plus varieties of scotch and whiskey.

Their small salad and small plates menu.

I don't remember the names of these drinks but they were delicious. The one on the left was made with sour cherries and orange juice. The one on the right was made with whiskey and boy was the kick strong. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

We needed our greens so we got the Panzanella Salad ($12) made with toasted bread, crispy house-made pancetta, roasted cherry tomatoes, and vincotta viniagrette. Oh who are we kidding, there were barely any vegetables in this supposed 'salad'. Nevertheless, this was amazing!! It was slightly acidic, sweet, and had great depth of flavour.

The Charcuterie Board ($14) came with a selection of local charcuterie, grain mustard, house-made pickles, and crostini.

Last but not least, we shared the Chicken and Fennel Ragu ($15). It was pretty good but wasn't outstanding.

Service Rating: 3/5
Food Rating: 4/5
Price: $$

Overall Rating:4/5

Happy Eating!

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