Steamworks Brew Pub

375 Water St, Vancouver

Crispy dry ribs with coarse black pepper and rock salt.

Gorgonzola pizza – Double smoked bacon with roasted roma tomatoes mozzarella and gorgonzola.

Rav’s Review

So I have been here a few times in the past, and thus thought it was well time I reviewed Steamworks.  Not overly busy for a friday night.. We were seated right across from the bar, so the bartender was our server.

He did a great job, he was very attentive, and checked on us regular. More so then most servers do.  Wasn’t to noisy this night, but some nights it can get very noisy.

We ordered two dishes as usual,  the Dry Ribs and the Gorgonzola Pizza.

The Dry Ribs.. Oh man were they dry.. and overly salty.  With no hint of black pepper as advertised.  So was disappointed.   Overcooked and just dry.  Even for Dry Ribs.

the Gorgonzola Pizza was surprisingly good.  Shannon’s comment describes it best.

Overall good place and will continue to go back once in awhile.

Rating: 7 / 10

Shan’s Review

We were seated promptly and it wasn’t very busy on a friday evening. Our waiter was very attentive for having to work the bar as well.

We started with the dry ribs as an appy. As advertised, they were crispy and drrrry. I failed to find much cracked pepper on them and the meat was definitely overcooked and dry. I could have used a sauce to combat this problem.

The gorgonzola pizza was surprisingly good! The crust was thin, but not the crispiest bottom. It was topped with fresh ingredients and was generous on the toppings. There was a nice balance of flavours. The roma tomatoes were sweet, refreshing and cut through the richness of the gorgonzola and smokiness of the bacon.

Rating: 7 / 10

Harambe Ethiopian Restaurant

2149 Commercial Drive, Vancouver

Injera – sourdough-risen flatbread.

Quanta Ferfer (centre) – Beef jerky with cubes of lamb sautéed with injera pieces in Ethiopian spices.

Ye Assa Tibs with 3 vegetable sides – pan fried fish with Ethiopian herbs and spices. Teki Gomen (steamed cabbage with onions), Gomen (spinach) and split peas as the chosen sides (pictured with the Quanta Ferfer).

Rav’s Review

I have never had Ethiopian food, so this was quite the experience. Mind you I got super full after a few minutes of eating. The injera was really good, but was the main cause of me getting full so quickly.

The whole eating with your hands if fun, and quite the change from always eating with utensils. I enjoyed it.

Our waitress was super attentive and very pleasant, and even made a joke when we asked for forks just in case we needed them. The overall food review Shannon as down pat, and I express the same views. Great minds think alike what can I say.

And we left with over half the meal as left overs. And I hope Shannon finds time to actually eat it as we continue to explore restaurants around Vancouver.

Rating: 8 / 10

Shan’s Review

I have had Ethiopian food before at Fassil so definitely wanted to try this place. We were seated promptly and our waitress was very attentive.

Don’t expect to find utensils here, you get to get your hands dirty chowing down. Most dishes were served with injera (ethiopian bread – similar in texture to a yeast leavened crepe, only with a sourdough flavour).

Our order didn’t arrive as expected. one of the sides we ordered came wrong but we didn’t mind. Also the Quanta Ferfer didn’t come with cubes of lamb as stated on the menu which was disappointing. So this dish was basically beef jerky with fried injera in spices. While the flavour was very good, I found the jerky to be very chewy and difficult to eat.

The sides that came with the Ye Assa Tibs were split peas, cabbage and spinach. The spinach was like a creamed spinach almost and very yummy. The split peas were under done. We had ordered lentils but were given cabbage instead, but the cabbage was good.

The Assa Tibs were very delicious with fried onions and spices, although quite oily though.

Overall, I do prefer Fassil over Harambe since they do the fish better and have more of a selection of different dishes.

Rating: 7 / 10

Scoozi’s Mediterranean Bar & Grill

445 Howe St, Vancouver

Scoozi’s big breakfast

Alfredo’s breakfast deep dish – a cross between a quiche and omelette, eggs, spinach, asparagus, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, ham and tomato sauce baked with mozzarella cheese.

Rav’s Review

Breakfast here was very good.  Nice amount of flavor without going overboard, and the amount of food was good without being to much or too little.

So we sat down, and took over 10 mins before someone came to ask if we wanted drinks.  When the food arrived we noticed that the eggs we ordered in the Big Breakfast were not poached but scrambled.  We specifically asked for poach.  So that was a let down but our server quickly reminded that and in a few mins the poached eggs arrived.

Big Breakfast,  standard breakfast meal.  Nothing to complain about.  The Alfredo’s Breakfast Deep Dish was the hit of morning.  Full of flavor, and perfectly blended. You couldn’t tell there was egg in the dish even you didn’t focus on it.  I would definitely come back just for the Deep Dish.

Rating: 7.5 / 10

Shan’s Review

Scoozi’s is a mediterranean breakfast and lunch joint. It definitely  has that italian feel decor-wise with large racks of wine. it wasn’t too busy on that sunday. Service was good.

The big breakfast was nothing out of the ordinary and as you would expect. The bacon was a tad more smoky than other places which was a plus for me. The Alfredo’s breakfast deep dish was a pleasant surprise since I was expecting a frittata from the description. It was a wonderful baked casserole full of pesto, ham, artichokes, tomatoes and asparagus with bread at the bottom, topped with cheese. I believe the egg was mixed in with everything so there was no discernible pieces of egg. I would definitely order this again. It was a generous load of toppings and a refreshing take on breakfast.

Rating: 7.5 / 10

Forage

1300 Robson St, Vancouver

Kale and apple chips.

Rangeland elk stripling with hazelnut molé, confit potato and leek, yellow foot chanterelles and parsley.

Huckleberry hazelnut financier, ginger creme and hazelnut citrus sorbet.

Meyer lemon custard, rooibos tea gelée, preserved rind and lemon mandeleine.

Rav’s Review

As far as the food and ambiance goes,  Shannon’s review is spot on and I have nothing more to add.

However it was busy, as Shannon has said and the servers were all running around. Acceptable. What is not acceptable however was the change of attitude from our server once we did not order an alcoholic beverage as neither of us drink. The look of disgust I saw on the servers face was enough for me to want to leave.

As we were getting ready to leave, the same server gave us a dismissal goodbye as well, which for me would make me not want to come back. Mind you this was at the bar. If I was to return I would however make a reservation and sit at a table and hope for a friendlier server, as we are nothing but polite to our server regardless of their attitudes.

Rating: 7 / 10

Shan’s Review

Great ambiance and decor. This farm to table restaurant is a good place to eat local and sustainable food. It was quite busy when we arrived for dinner, I would recommend making a reservation as we ended up sitting at the bar.

The kale and apple chips were seasoned with cumin and sea salt and a tasty way to eat your veggies. The elk strip loin  was perfectly cooked and plated. The mole sauce, tender leeks and onions all tasted great with the elk loin.

We ordered 2 desserts to try, the huckleberry financier cake and meyer lemon custard.

The huckleberry cake had plenty of berries as well as a compote on the bottom and paired nicely with the ginger creme anglais and hazelnut, lemon sorbet. The lemon custard was not really lemony enough for me, but this could have been because they used meter lemon. The custard had a very slight hint of lemon, while the lemon flavour was more on top with the lemon curd. There was also a rooibos jelly on top of the custard which was very interesting. Everything tasted great till i got a mouthful of the syrup at the bottom (like an upside down creme caramel). Syrup was way to sweet and too much for the delicate custard.

Having said that, Forage is on my top list for creativity, combination of flavours and local eats. I have gone here once before and the menu changes often with the supply so you will likely never have the same thing twice.

Rating: 8 / 10

Stepho’s Souvlaki Greek Taverna

1124 Davie St, Vancouver

Spanakopita

Roasted Lamb

Moussaka

Rav’s Review

So upon arriving we noticed it wasn’t too busy, as there was no lineup in front as I have seen before.  Thus we were seated right away.  We were greeted nicely by the server,  he seemed a lil impatient to me.  Asked us for drinks, and we asked for tea.  He did not however give us a list of what tea’s they had, even though we asked what Herbal Tea’s they had.  He came back quickly with some peppermint tea I believe it was and then left again. 

So we shrugged and ordered our dinner.  When it arrived we enjoyed the presentation of each dish and the fact it was soo much.  Was a little overwhelming.  But after the photo session we began to dig in.

Sponakopita was good.  I enjoyed the flavor.  and a lot of spinach.  Good deal if you love spinach. The Roast Lamb, what to say?  I heard such good things about this lamb.  But once I dug in I felt it was dry and bland. But that was my mistake as I was eating strictly from the middle, once I turned the slab of lamb over and began tasting it from the uneaten side, I had a to rethink my first reaction.  It was tasteful and Juicy.  I just think the middle bit I had was the dry spot so I was unlucky for a few mins.  But was corrected quickly by Shannon’s evil disappointing stare for not trying the bottom as she had eaten all the good stuff from the top. 😛

Overall Good and would go back, and hopefully get a better server then the one we had.

Rating: 7 / 10

Shan’s Review

It wasn’t too busy in the evening at 9pm. We were seated promptly.Service was good. We ordered the spanokopita, roast lamb and moussaka.

The spanakopita was good, typical spanakopita with a generous amount of spinach and feta filling. The roast lamb was very tasty and tender. It came with greek salad, rice and 2 pita breads. The entrees were huge, portion wise so you can see this place’s popularity. The pita didn’t come with hummus though, so you’ll have to order that extra if you want it. The moussaka was served with a cucumber garden salad. Moussaka was good but I found the béchamel on top to be overly heavy and firm. I preferred the lamb hands down.

Rating: 7 / 10

Anatolia’s Gate

7084 Kingsway, Burnaby

Beef curry – shaved beef doner with curry sauce, rice, salads and lavash.

Chicken iskender – marinated chicken breast with rice and salads, served with lavash.

Lavash bread served with yogurt.

Rav’s Review

So we decided on a ethic restaurant and Turkey was the country of choice.  Perusing Urbanspoon app on my phone Shannon picked Anatolia’s Gate.

Upon arrival we were greeted and seated immediately. Didn’t take us to long to figure out what we wanted to eat and we quickly gave the orders.

Ordering the Chicken Iskender and the Beef Curry.  Within 10-15 minutes the food had arrived, and photo frenzy begun haha.

I have nothing bad to say about either dish. Though Shannon found the beef curry spicy, I found the taste to be colourful.  Rice had a smokey taste, which tasted good. Chicken Iskender was wonderfully done.

Both dishes came with the same veggies. Cooked grated carrots in a creamy sauce which tasted very very good. and the others nothing bad to say whatsoever.

I would definitely come back to this place again, whenever I am hankering for some Turkish food.

Rating: 8.5 / 10

Shan’s Review

This little place has more of a café style seating to it. I believe they do alot of take out rather than eat in. Nonetheless, it wasn’t very busy and we were seated promptly.

The beef curry was full of flavour and spices. I could smell the aromas as soon as the waiter set it down in front of me. The shaved doner beef was tender and tasty without the curry sauce. The curry I found on the spicy side but I appreciated the range of spices used, where some places, a curry is just spicy hot and has no other flavour. Even the rice was flavoured with a savoury oil. The side salads were a nice balance to the curry: there was pickled cabbage, grated carrots in yogurt and a cucumber salad.

The chicken iskender came with the same sides as the curry. It was served with a tomato sauce along with yogurt and sat on top of white lavash bread that soaked up all that delicious sauce. This is a non-spicy dish. The tang of the tomato sauce with the richness of the yogurt and bread was a great combo.

The lavash bread was served with a very thick yogurt sauce. The yogurt helped tame the spiciness of the curry. The whole wheat lavash was light and airy with large air pockets in it, and tasted great with both the chicken and beef dishes.

Anatolia’s Gate is a great big flavourful bite of Turkey in Burnaby. If you get a chance, also try the turkish coffee.

Rating: 8.5 / 10

Red Robin

803 Thurlow St, Vancouver

Mediterranean lamb burger with tzatziki, feta cheese, greek salad on a ciabatta bun.

Sautéed ‘shroom burger with melted swiss cheese and mushroooms.

Rav’s Review

I have been to Red’s alot in the past, so it has been awhile. I must say nothing has changed for the worse at this restaurant. Same atmosphere, and a bit busy but not rushed feel.

When Shannon and I arrived there was a huge wait, as with every other restaurant DT that night. Due to a Canucks game. So we put our names down for a table, and were told 20 min estimate. So we sat outside and waited. About 25 min later we sat down.

Looking thru the menu I quickly went to my old favorite as it has been years since I had it.. The Sauteed Mushroom Burger. Shannon ordering the Lamb Burger. After cutting our burgers in half, and quite the sight watching Shannon trying to cut her burger with a butter knife haha, we dug into the burgers.
The mushroom burger brought back all the memories I had eating these in the past.. the mushrooms were fresh, and there were alot of them which made it all the better. The beef pattie was juicy and tasted good. The fries well can’t complain about the fries at Red’s, they have always been good.

The Lamb burger looked great.. Presentation was good. The burger was brought open and on one side were the veggies and the other lamb pattie. The lamb was decent, but as Shannon mentioned it is hard to get lamb done right. I would say it was a little chewy but it did taste good once you got past that part.

Overall a good experience and defiently go back to get my hands on a well done Sauteed Mushroom Burger.

Rating: 7.5 / 10

Shan’s Review

Big hockey game night that day so the wait was much longer than the 20 mins that we were told. I think it was more like 30-40 min in my opinion. Been to this location several times so the endless fries and seasoned salt were definitely on my radar that night.

The lamb burger was over done and tough. Toppings were complimentary to the patty and the ciabatta bread was nice. Note to self… do not order lamb burgers unless you know the place does it right, so often it is overcooked on the grill.

You can’t go wrong with any of the beef burgers though. The sautéed mushroom burger was juicy and loaded with mushrooms and cheese. Mushrooms were fresh and had good flavour. The fries were a tad dry that day but the sea salt and seasoning salt on the table helped.

All in all, this is a good standby place for good burgers and endless fries.

Rating: 7.5 / 10

Ebisu on Robson

827 Bute St, Vancouver

Supreme sashimi salad with creamy mayo sauce

Thunder fries – sweet potato fries with spicy cajun dip.

Negi-gyutan – grill-it-yourself, thinly sliced beef tongue with green onions.

Samurai power roll – avocado and crab meat roll with bbq eel and black and red tobiko.

Rav’s Review

As you would expect with most Japanese Restaurants, quick prompt service.  Atmosphere is friendlier then most places.

The servers would come by every 30 seconds to see if we were ready to order our food.  Which I found annoying after saying a few times that we needed a few more minutes.  As there is alot to take in from the menu.

They have a variety of selections in their menu, which needs at least 5mins+ to go thru all of it.  Another negative point was they charge for green tea,  all other Asian Restaurants I have been to give tea for free.. But the refills thankfully were free.

Once we ordered the food arrived rather quickly which is nice. The Samurai Roll was basically a California roll with some extra toppings. Taste was good. Nothing to spectacular.

Thunder fries were very good. The sauce that came with it was a nice tangy flavor which suited the fries. (those with low spice tolerance might find it spicy).

Negi-gyutan.  Was fun to cook.. Came with a mini BBQ to cook it on. Tasted good while warm, but was chewy once it cooled down.

Lastly the sashimi salad.  Nothing bad to say.. All good here.

Rating: 7 / 10

Shan’s Review

Service was prompt as in most Japanese restaurants. I have been to the Richmond location and the ambiance here is much nicer. I will say the food seems to be slightly better as well. This place charges for green tea though which I didn’t think was warranted for a non-high end place. The Thunder fries were surprisingly tasty and different from the average sweet potato fries. I believe they used Japanese sweet potatoes, and the coating was a tempura batter. The cajun dipping sauce was too spicy for me. We couldn’t finish the fries so we got that packed to go but they didn’t include the sauce in the box (minus points, in my opinion). The selection of rolls was rather uncreative in that most everything was a California roll with different toppings. The samurai power roll we had was no different, however it still tasted good with the eel, tobiko and sauce on top. The supreme sashimi salad was good as well and had a good variety of sashimi on it. The  negi-gyutan (thinly sliced beef tongue) came with a hot grill to cook it. Interesting concept but it came out quite chewy and tough.

Rating: 7 / 10

The Observatory

6400 Nancy Greene Way, North Vancouver

Pork sausage with pancetta and horseradish cream.

Savoury Souffle of bone marrow with sweet breads and mushrooms.

Fraser Valley duck with mocha powder and buckle berry sauce.

Chocolate fondant

Lemon Thyme tart

Rav’s Review

So we arrived to The Observatory after a pleasant but chilly Gondola ride.  My fault for not wearing a warmer jacket.  I wore a blazer as the dress code was Smart Casual.

Once arriving the Hostess took Shannon’s Jacket Promptly, and we were seated.  The Atmosphere was very relaxing.. A definite change of pace.  Music helped keep the mellow atmosphere, and we could talk in relative quiet.  Didn’t have to shout or strain to hear what each other was saying like most places that get really noisy.

The server was very attentive, and came by at a regular basis to make sure everything was to our liking or to refill our drinks.  Her explanations of each dish was very well done, although I forgot it as quickly as she said it due to me staring at the foods’ presentation.

Presentation was fantastic.  Each dish was layed out in such a good layout as seen in the pictures.  Everything tasted soo good.  I would have to say the ribs were the highlight of the evening, coupled with the mocha powder it amplified the taste.

The Duck was good as well, the phyllo wrapped duck was very tasty, and better then the actual duck breast.

Dessert was fantastic I preferred the Lemon thyme tart, as it wasn’t overpowering like the chocolate fondant was.  Though very good as well, was to overpowering to my taste buds. Though that didn’t stop me from devouring it 😀

Rating: 9.5 / 10

Shan’s Review

Fantastic view and ambiance. Our server was very attentive and explained our dishes to us when she brought them. Food presentation was stunning with keen attention to detail. The bone marrow souffle was rich and creamy and served in a hollowed out potato. Sweet breads were perfectly crispy and bite sized. The duck was done 2 ways: duck breast and pulled duck wrapped in phyllo pastry dusted with cranberry and served with white beans. The phyllo wrapped duck was the the best thing on that plate, crispy on the outside and filled with tender duck meat. I will say the beans were underdone in my opinion and took away from the dish. My personal favorite of the evening had to be the short ribs though, the mocha powder  and buckle berry compote really complimented the smokiness of the beef. For dessert, we ordered the warm chocolate fondant which was like a lava cake and a lemon thyme tart. The chocoholic in me preferred the lava cake hands down. The lemon thyme tart was more lemon than thyme for me. Both desserts were expertly plated with lots of interesting garnishes of meringue and pulled sugar.
Rating: 9 / 10

De Dutch Pannekoek House

8031 Leslie Rd, Richmond, BC

The windmill – pannekoek with edam cheese and smoked salmon, served with hollandaise sauce.

De bacon plus eggs

Rav’s Review

What to say about DeDutch. Very family oriented. Walked in and the place was quaint. Were greeted and seated within 1 min, which is what I expect from this place.

The food was very good.. The Bacon was OMFG good.  Hash brown was standard to me.  Eggs were done properly.. I enjoyed that very much so.

The Pannekoek was very good.  If only I could have eaten more. The smoked salmon was tasty and I never had it on-top of a pancake before so was a new experience for me, and something I would do again.

Only thing I found confusing was we didn’t have 1 set server. There were 3 total that would come around so to me was the only disturbing thing being asked questions by 2-3 different people.  Other then that the service was good and friendly.

Rating: 7 / 10

Shan’s Review

Quaint family style dutch restaurant with good service. The windmill was good. I wish it had more smoked salmon on top though. The pannekoek (dutch pancake) was a thick style crepe with a bit of a chewy texture, plus it was the size of a dinner plate. De bacon plus eggs was definitely generous with the bacon. Great wide strips of porky goodness. If you go, definitely give the pannekoek a try.
Rating: 7 / 10